Weight Loss Hints and Advice - How to Speed up Fat Reduction

Weight reduction is a challenge almost everyone fights with from time to time. Searching for the most reputable fat loss plan or the most effective workout routine can last for a long time. On the surface, it appears that the search is about more or less looking good for others.

You’ve got to make a good impression on “them,” right? To be successful, blissful, and draw in that life-time mate, its a prerequisite that you look satisfactory to them. Hmmmm.

Unfortunately, this is somewhat true, nonetheless, appearing physically fit (worthy) is really just about growing in tune with your personal self-worth, accessing a deeper worth that is not obtained from your appearance. “Losing weight” must not be the singular question you ask. You should not relinquish the quest to lose weight, but at minimum deliberate this question: “How do I attain self-esteem and fitness on the inside, disregarding my outward appearance?”

You probably are already pondering such a thought, in your subconcious.

As you are trying to reduce, the above question usually rests beneath your on-going weight battle. Seeing as how it is present anyway, why not make it top of mind. Make it your obsession (in a good way). Make self-esteem just as worthy in importance to fast weight loss. Then see what happens.

When you make improved self-esteem the goal, together with a weight loss program, you open a door towards feeling much better emotionally. You start to recognize that there are some other ways to resolve this problem, aside from just dieting and exercising. Going for true self-worth drives you to stare the problem right in its eyes. You then start to expose the nitty-gritty issues.

It is strongly advised you get assistance if many wounds are coming to the top. There are some wonderful books and resources on weight loss, self-pride, body image, and honest self-acceptance that will elevate you to new directions.

However the problem and its resolution start with you. What I am telling you is that the real problem is not selecting a weight loss diet, or what to eat, etc. the real issue is self-judgment. That’s where it must start.

You only feel bad when among others if you are looking at your self through judgmental eyes. When you break free from self-judgment, no matter how worrisome it was, then you will have gotten to the root of the problem. You emerge from that state by electing to do so. You stay away from self-judgment about your body image or anything for that matter, by accepting how unconstructive it is, and simultaneously acquiring ways to feel more self-pride.

What Is Strength Training?

Traditional strength training consists of performing one to three (or more) sets of exercises on a specific, isolated muscle group. One rep, or repetition, equals one complete movement of the exercise from start to finish. For example, for a bicep curl you might begin with your arm extended down by your side holding the weight, say a dumbbell, curl the weight upward to your shoulder by bending your elbow, and then lower the weight back to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do that 8-12 times and you’ve completed one set of bicep curls. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds to allow your muscle to recuperate and you’re ready for the next set.

Successive sets should be progressive, meaning that each one should be performed using “progressive” or increased resistance. In the case of the aforementioned bicep curl, you might do the first set using a 10-lb weight, rest for 30 seconds, then increase the resistance to 12 lbs for the second set, rest for 30 seconds, then finish up with a third set, again increasing the resistance by using a 15-lb weight.
Congratulations! You’ve just worked out your biceps in the same way bodybuilders train their biceps in the gym.

Smart Tip: Choose a starting resistance for the first set that’s challenging. Not so difficult that you can’t complete a whole set, nor so easy that you’re just going through the motions. Each set should push the muscle to near muscle fatigue. The harder you work, the faster and more dynamic the results.

Now, if you were to do just those three sets of biceps curls two times a week, in only a few weeks time you’d start to feel your biceps muscles getting firmer, tighter, and stronger. You’d also begin to see changes in the shape of the muscles as well, to a more dynamic, contoured, athletic look. That’s new muscle growing on your body right before your eyes.
Muscles burn calories 24 hours a day… even while you sleep!
Every pound of new muscle requires your body to burn about 50 calories more per day just to keep that muscle alive and functioning, even while you’re sleeping. So, as you continue to build more muscle, your metabolism continues to increase, which allows you to shed unwanted pounds and inches while at the same time shaping and building more muscle…which increases metabolism even more, which allows you to shed more pounds and inches, which…well, I think you get the picture.

Training all the other muscle groups in your body—chest, abs, shoulders, back, triceps, thighs, buns, calves, and hamstrings— involves the same basic principles. One to three progressive sets of 8-12 reps for each muscle group twice a week. If you’re a beginner, however, it’s highly recommended that you start with only one set for each muscle group during the first two weeks, then add a second set during weeks three and four, and, if you feel up to it, do three sets thereafter. Gradually increasing the work load on your body will help prevent undue soreness and make your workouts much more enjoyable.

Smart Tip: Never work the same muscle group on successive days. Always allow a minimum of 48 hours rest, but no more than 96 hours, between sessions that work the same muscle group. For example, if you work your legs on Monday, you wouldn’t want to work legs again until Wednesday or Thursday in the same week.

Strength training involves working your muscles beyond their normal limits by lifting progressively heavier weights. This overloading of the muscles causes micro-tears in the muscle tissue. Resting 48-96 hours between sessions allows your body the time it needs to effectively repair the micro-tears and make the muscle stronger. Remember, it’s just as vital not to over train a muscle as it is to train it in the first place.

Supersets

One way to get more out of each set is to combine two or more different exercises for the same muscle into one continuous set, or Superset. For example, try doing a set of bicep curls, then without resting do a set of concentration curls followed by a set of cable curls. Now, you can rest! This superset replaces one regular set. The next set would consist of the same three exercises with increased resistance. Working the muscle from three different angles at three different stress levels without letting it rest is a good way to get more results fast.

Smart Tip: This is an advanced workout feature. Beginners should start more slowly, doing one regular set for each muscle group during the first few weeks and build up gradually to three regular sets and later to three supersets.

Powersets

Powersets are giant Supersets that encompass all the muscles worked on in one day’s session one after the other without resting, in a circuit training fashion. After resting a couple of minutes, increase resistance and perform the second and third round of Powersets. Supersets and Powersets can pump up your intensity level while shaving precious time off your workouts.

Split Training

Working out your entire body in one session can take a significant amount of time and energy, especially if you’re doing lots of sets at a high intensity level. One way to cut your workout down to size is to split train.

Split Training is a method whereby you split up your total body workout over two or more sessions, choosing to work only a few muscle groups each day. For example, you could train your upper body on Monday and work your lower body on Tuesday, a two-day split routine that works your entire body every two days. Or you could do the push/pull split where you “push” (train chest, shoulders, and triceps) on Monday and “pull” (train legs, back, and biceps) on Tuesday. Again, it’s a two-day split, and even though it’s not strictly all push/pull (some of the leg muscles are really “push” muscles) it serves to shorten each day’s workout, making it easier to keep up your intensity and find the time to exercise regularly. Once you get to the point of doing three sets of two or three exercises for each muscle group, you’ll most likely choose to split train.

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Steroids Stacking!

Bodybuilders have always had a reputation for taking things to the extreme. It probably started with protein supplements in the 1950’s. Once word started circulating that extra protein could help them build more muscle mass, certain individuals simply upped their intakes. One shake a day was replaced by two, and two became four, etc. The old adage that “if some is good, more is better”, was definitely alive and well on California’s Muscle Beach.

The practice of “taking more than the next guy” followed bodybuilders into the 1960’s as steroids became available. Small dosages of one steroid became megadoses. As soon as new steroids were invented, bodybuilders simply added them to their cycles. The practice of taking two or more drugs at the same time is called steroids stacking.

Why Stack?

The primary reason is effectiveness. Taking more than one drug at a time often produces what’s called a synergistic effect. This means that each drug magnifies the other’s effects. Instead of two steroids producing 10 new pounds of muscle each (20 pounds total) they may produce 30 or 40 pounds when taken together. Some bodybuilding drugs like growth hormone don’t seem to be that potent on their own but when combined with steroids the results are nothing short of outstanding. Bodybuilders, who have plateaued at 230-240 pounds, routinely go up to 260 or 270 pounds when they add growth hormone to their cycles.

A second reason for steroids stacking is tied into passing drug tests. Different steroids have different clearance times in the body. Injectables, particularly the ester-based versions, may linger in the body for nearly two years after their last usage. Orals on the other hand may clear out of the body in a few weeks. Bodybuilders and other athletes in sports with drugs tests work with this by stacking the different types of steroids together. They’ll use higher dosages of injectables initially and then decrease their dosage while increasing the dosage of orals. This way they can maintain their muscle size and strength while standing a better chance of passing a drug test.

So why not stack?

Stacking steroids is not recommended for a number of reasons. With each steroid that is added to the body, the liver has to work harder to metabolize it and remove it from your body. This is why heavy alcohol users often develop cirrhosis of the liver. Their livers literally burn out from having to process all that extra drug (yes alcohol is a drug!). Heavy steroid use is no different. It will damage your liver over time.

Ironically the primary benefit of steroids stacking is also its chief disadvantage. While stacking will produce greater gains than possible with just one drug, most bodybuilders will become addicted to the practice. Who wants to go back to benching 225 pounds when they’ve become accustomed to hoisting 300 or 400 pounds? Not many we assure you. So they stay on heavy stacks and greatly increase their odds of developing side effects.

The final reason for stacking steroids is probably the most important – it’s illegal! That’s right; steroids are now controlled substances like cocaine and heroine. And the more you have in your possession the more likely you’ll be charged. A judge may look the other way at one bottle of Dianabol, but we’re almost guaranteed they’ll throw the book at you if you have a mixture of Dianabol, Winstrol, and Deca-Durabolin.

Play it safe and legal with steroid alternatives!

The science of bodybuilding supplementation has become so advanced that there are now products that imitate illegal steroids, but without the same degree of side effects or legal aspects. Many of these steroid alternatives can provide a comparable effect to anabolic steroids, but are considered legal because they do not convert to testosterone or act like anabolic hormones until they are taken into the body! These legal steroid analogs have been designed with the best pharmaceutical grade ingredients to maximize your bodybuilding potential.

Bob Howard expert on bodybuilding and legal analog
steroids.
Are you looking for more of his steroids
stacking articles? http://www.steroids-help.com

©Article Bob Howard 03/22/2006

The Ab Wars

One of the hottest debates that still lingers in the fitness/rehab and sports performance industries is that over the correct use of the abdominal wall during movement and exercise. On one side, you’ve got the drawing-in camp that believes that the only way to safely protect your spine during exercise and movement is by drawing or “sucking” in your abdominal wall. This supposedly recruits what is known as the “inner-unit” musculature and primarily the infamous “transversus abdominus muscle.” On the other side, a different camp preaches the importance of using all of the abdominal layers to perform what is called “bracing.” By bracing one doesn’t suck in or push out the abdominal wall. Instead, one just “stiffens” the muscles to a slight degree depending on the load or perturbation being encountered. The purpose of this article is to take a closer look at either side of this heated debate and come up with some logical conclusions based on current scientific and anecdotal research. Strap in, it’s going to get bumpy!

The Theory Behind Drawing-in

We’ll begin our tour of the abdominal universe by looking at the proposed theory of the benefits of drawing-in or bringing the belly button towards the spine. By completing such an action, the body’s inner muscular unit is supposedly activated which starts a complex process of stabilization mechanisms for the lower back, spine, and pelvis. The real impetus behind this theory stems from some physical therapy research down in Australia in the 1990’s. What these researches found was that many post-injury and post-surgical patients had delayed activation of the transversus abdominus and lumbar multifidus muscles upon initiating many types of movements such as reaching for example. For the interested reader, get the book Therapeutic Exercise for Spinal Segmental Stabilization in Low Back Pain by Richardson, Jull, Hodges and Hides. In this text, the authors put forth their theories based on research of low back pain patients. The basic gist of their theory is summed up in the introduction of the above-mentioned text:

“Spinal segmental stabilization is designed to specifically improve the
underlying joint stabilization rather than training functional movement
and hoping joint control improves concurrently”

Hmmm, let’s get this straight; train in an isolated way and then “hope” that joint control improves during functional or “real-life” movements and performance! I’d call that a giant leap of faith based on what motor control research tells us about specificity. Try it with any healthy athlete and be prepared to be disappointed. Here are some of the reasons why this theory does not pan out in the real world:

1. Firstly, there’s very little evidence that training stabilization, balance or any other motor skill in an isolated way carries over to real world type of situations that often occur under rapid or ballistic type of conditions. This goes back to the good old SAID (specific adaptation to imposed demands) principle that has been known for decades. On a similar note, balance strategies that are often encountered in sport rely more heavily on feedforward systems rather than the common gym forms of balance training that are based more on feedback systems. In discussing issues such as balance and stability these issues are important to distinguish because they are the most fundamental principles of motor learning. Feedforward systems basically are preprogrammed movement strategies in the brain. One does not have time to think, or adjust their body to accommodate the situations. Feedback systems allow one to make corrections to the movement such as in squatting, deadlifting, or pressing a weight overhead.

2. Inner-unit activation type of exercise strategies involves conscious activation of specific isolated muscles that can lead to “paralysis by analysis” during real life and sporting-type of situations. The old axiom of the body knowing “movement not muscles” comes to mind again and again. Also, it is not realistic to think that one could consciously contract their inner-unit while fighting, sprinting, changing direction at a fast speed, or performing a complex sporting skill.

3. Conscious attempt to isolate the transversus abdominus muscle can actually result in posterior rotation of the pelvis which would also cause flexion of the lumbar spine; a strategy that cannot be recommended during exercises like squats or deadlifts! This is also contradictory to most sporting movements. So, while so many argue their inner-unit is more active the structure is actually severally compromised and at higher risk for injury.

4. Fourthly, using a suspension bridge model of the spine, Canadian Spine Biomechanist Dr. Stuart McGill has shown that hollowing (drawing in) the spine causes the spine to be unstable. This is because drawing-in actually reduces the size of the base of the guy wires, which reduces the muscles contribution to spine stiffness. Ultimately, this can only lead to a decrease in spine stability.

The Theory Behind Bracing

The theory behind bracing requires much less explanation because it is much easier to visualize and understand. By bracing, one activates all the layers of the abdominal wall including the glorified inner-unit muscles. Going back to the suspension bridge model explained by McGill, during a bracing maneuver, one maintains the size of the base of the guy wires and thus increases spine stability, which reduces the tendency for spinal segments to buckle. An interesting phenomenon is that this naturally occurs in most healthy non-injured back patients when breath is held during an exertion. It’s as if the body knows the kind of stability required and just unconsciously makes the person hold his or her breath. This breath holding significantly increases intra-abdominal pressure, which will be explained in greater detail below.

The role of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is often a forgotten component of spinal stability. In Dr. Zatsiorsky’s famous text Science and Practice of Strength Training, he states that even when a person leans with 80 kg weight the load on the lumbar vertebrae exceeds 1,000 kg. As we all know the body is capable of lifting far more than 80 kg. Dr. Zatsiorsky states that IAP can reduce pressure on the intervertebral disks by 20% on average and 40% in more extreme situations.

IAP can be increased by utilizing the Valsalva maneuver and by through contraction of the oblique abdominal muscles. The Valsalva maneuver is very similar to Power Breathing taught by Pavel and this is why this method of breathing should be taught to those wishing to increase stability of the body during lifting. The obliques also are vital in creating IAP along with the diaphragm. Because of the insertion points of the obliques, they can help the extensor muscles by adding stability to the erector spinae fascia. Developing strong obliques appears to be necessity for creating a stable spine. Exercises such as Janda sit-ups, suitcase deadlifts, and full contact twists fit the bill nicely.

The late Dr. Mel Siff cites some other great methods of increasing abdominal tension, “Similarly, the traditional boxing technique of using punches, medicine balls, or powerful thrusts on the abdomen extrinsically increases the mechanical tension in the abdominal muscles. In other words, inward or outward distention of the abdomen during forced breath holding produces greater muscle tension and thereby offers a stronger stimulus to conditioning.” No need to draw in here!

In Conclusion

In the final analysis, there is some credible science that backs up the importance of some of the deeper, stabilizing muscles of the spine and pelvis. Inner-unit activation exercises like trasversus abdominus and multifidus muscle activation techniques may have a place for initial stages of back rehabilitation. After that, they are quite limited for healthy subjects performing dynamic movements. For more integrated movements, trying to draw in may actually compromise the quality of movement and create an environment for injury as described by spine experts such as Stuart McGill.

To conclude, we believe that if you teach people the proper body mechanics (dynamic posture) for all exercises, teach proper use of the breath, and use appropriate loading strategies, most spinal injuries can be avoided. Of course, this does not account for the few unfortunate accidents that can occur during life and sport where no amount of training or conditioning is going to keep you from getting injured. We hope that this article has been informative and we would love to hear your questions and comments.

About the authors- Keats Snideman and Josh Henkin are Strength and Conditioning Specialist who live in Phoenix, Arizona. To contact Keats visit http://www.keatssnideman.com or via e-mail at ksnideman@lycos.com. Josh can be reached at http://www.joshhenkin.com or josh@joshhenkin.com. Josh is also the author of the Beyond Functional Training Series.

Build More Muscle Mass And Strength Without Supplements

Who should use this method to build muscle quickly?

If you’re serious about your fitness or weight loss, you hate the
idea that you’re not making the most of every workout. For those of us with long work-days and kids, there’s no time or physical energy to waste. We have to make every drop of sweat worth the work.

I’m going to show you how to build more muscle in less workout time. Keep in mind that this method is meant for people who want to build muscle mass and pure strength.

Now, what is your key to building muscle quickly? I mean, say I really want to bulk up in a week. How can I do this?

The key to more muscle mass out of every workout is to lift enough weight to cause muscle failure in only a 3-5 reps (repetitions of the movement). Rather than burning calories and creating lean muscle by doing many reps with lighter weights, you’re taking just a bit of time to literally tear your muscle fibers apart, preparing them to build mass and strength when they receive protein from your next meal.

I’ve heard that it’s good to eat directly after exercise. What do you do?

You must eat right after your workout. Not only will this quench your muscles’ thirst for proteins, but it will help maximize your metabolism. An efficient metabolism comes in handy when you do cardio exercises, since your body is already working at high speed to burn the calories you have stored.

What Foods Should I Eat In My Post-Workout Meals?

Your meal after the workout should be high in protein from foods such as lean meats, protein shakes, liquid protein supplements, and others containing minimal fat content. Don’t forget the carbs though. Make sure you include a normal, healthy source for carbohydrate such as fruit or vegetables, and even a whole-grain bread.

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

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7 Reasons Why Your Muscles Stop Growing - How To Get Muscle To Grow Again

Have ever wondered why your muscles stopped growing after a few months of training even though you are training very hard? Here are 7 reasons why your muscles stopped growing and how to get your muscle to grow again.

• You are training too hard – Every time when you train your muscles intensely, you are actually breaking down your muscles. So your muscles need to recover from the damages you inflicted on them. So train each muscle group only once or at most twice a week.

• You are training too long – Keep your workout intense but do not workout more than an hour each time. After 45 minutes of intensive training, your cortisol level will increase. This hormone is known to destroy muscle cells.

• You are sleeping too little – You need to sleep more for good muscle growth. Your muscles grow when you sleep. So sleep more than 8 hours a day and watch those muscles growing fast.

• You are abusing alcohol – Alcohol is known to break down muscle mass plus many other body destruction ability.

• You do not change your workout routine – You must change your workout routine every 6-8 weeks. Your muscles adapt to your routine and stops growing.

• You do not progressively overload your muscles – You must try to increase your reps or weight every time you next train a particular muscle group. Otherwise, there is no reason for your muscles to grow.

• You do not eat sufficient protein – If you want to build bigger muscles, you must eat more protein. Protein is the building block for your muscles. It is recommended that you need 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight equivalent. If not enough protein is consumed with your normal diet, do supplement with protein shakes.

There you are, the 7 reasons why your muscles stopped growing even though you are training hard. There are many more methods on how to grow your muscles bigger but these 7 reasons and how to overcome them will be sufficient for an average bodybuilding beginner.

Weight Gain Myths

The vast majority of myths about weight gain are mostly passed down from
“gym talk” and so-called experts who know nothing about the body’s workings.

Myths that lead to wasted time, frustration and if are taken blindly as truth, can really set back your progress in the gym. Don’t believe everything you hear in the gym when it comes to exercise and weight gain, do the research yourself.

Simple, basic principles apply to all weight and muscle gain such as progressive overload, variable frequency of reps and high intensity workouts. Lets take a look at some of the most common weight gain myths.

High repetitions burn fat while low repetitions build muscle.

Progressive overload is needed to make muscles bigger.
Meaning that you need to perform more reps than you did
for your last workout for that particular exercise.
If you perform the same amount of reps at each workout nothing
will change on you, also if the weight doesn’t changes on the bar nothing
will change on you. You need to become stronger.

Definition has two characteristics, muscle size and a low
incidence of body fat. To reduce body fat you will have to
reduce your calories; the high repetition exercise will burn
some calories, but wouldn’t it be better to fast walk to burn these off?
Better still; use the low reps to build muscle, which will
elevate your metabolism and burn more calories (less fat).

Vegetarians can’t build muscle.

Yes they can! Strength training with supplementation of
soy Protein Isolate has shown to increase solid bodyweight.
Studies have shown that athletic performance is not impaired
by following a meat free diet, and people strength training
and consuming only soy protein isolate as a protein source
were able to gain lean muscle mass.

Strength Training will make you look masculine.

If it is not you’re intention to bulk up from strength training
you won’t. Putting on muscle is a long hard slow process.
Your strength-training regime coupled with quality food will
determine how much you will bulk up. To bulk up you also require
more food. Women don’t produce enough testosterone to allow
for muscular growth as large as men.

By working out you can eat what ever you want to.

Of course you can eat whatever you want, if you don’t care
how you want to look. Working out does not give you an open license
to consume as many calories as you want. Although you will
burn more calories if you workout than someone who doesn’t,
you still need to balance your energy intake with you energy
expenditure.

If you take a week off you will lose most of your gains.

Taking one or two weeks off occasionally will not harm your
training. By taking this time off every eight to ten weeks
in between strength training cycles it has the habit of refreshing you and
to heal those small niggling injuries. By having longer layoffs
you do not actually lose muscle fibres, just volume
through not training, any size loss will be quickly re-gained.

By eating more protein I can build bigger muscles.

Building muscle mass involves two things, progressive overload
to stimulate muscles beyond their normal levels of resistance
and eating more calories than you can burn off. With all the
hype about high protein diets lately and because muscle is made
of protein, it’s easy to believe that protein is the best fuel
for building muscle, however muscles work on calories which
should predominately be derived from carbohydrates.

If I’m not sore after a workout, I didn’t work out hard enough.

Post workout soreness is not an indication of how good the
exercise or strength training session was for you. The fitter
you are at a certain activity, the less soreness you will
experience after. As soon as you change an exercise, use a
heavier weight or do a few more reps you place extra stress
on that body part and this will cause soreness.

Resistance training doesn’t burn fat.

Nothing could not be further from the truth. Muscle is a
metabolically active tissue and has a role in increasing
the metabolism. The faster metabolism we have the quicker
we can burn fat. Cardio exercise enables us to burn
calories whilst exercising but does little else for
fat loss afterwards.

Weight training enables us to burn calories whilst
exercising but also helps us to burn calories whilst
at rest. Weight training encourages muscle growth
and the more lean muscle mass we possess, the more
fat we burn though an increased and elevated metabolism.

No pain no gain.

This is one myth that hangs on and on. Pain is your body
signalling that something is wrong. If you feel real
pain during a workout, stop your workout and rest.
To develop muscle and increase endurance you may need
to have a slight level of discomfort, but that’s not
actual pain.

Taking steroids will make me huge.

Not true, strength training and correct nutrition will
grow muscle. Taking steroids without training will not
make you muscular.

Most steroids allow faster muscle growth through greater
recovery, while others help increase strength which
allows for greater stress to be put onto a muscle.
Without food to build the muscle or training to stimulate
it nothing will happen. Most of the weight gain seen
with the use of some steroids is due to water
retention and is not actual muscle.

Strength training won’t work your heart.

Wrong!! Strength training with short rest periods will
increase your heartbeat well over a hundred beats
per minute. For example, performing a set of breathing
squats and you can be guaranteed that your heart will
be working overtime and that your entire cardiovascular
system will be given a great overall body workout.

Any intensive weightlifting routine that lasts for
20 minutes or more is a great workout for your heart
and the muscles involved.

I can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Wrong. Only a few gifted people with superb genetics
can increase muscle size while not putting on body fat.
But for the average hard gainer, they have to increase
their muscle mass to its maximum potential and then cut
down their body fat percentage to achieve the desired shape.

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including “Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks” - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and “Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks” - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to “live in the gym”.

Visit Gary’s website at www.maximumfitness.com/

Exercise The Right Way - Seated Pulley Rows

Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders’ training regimes.

It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.

In this article we’ll take a close look at Seated Pulley Rows.

MUSCLES TARGETED: latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, erector spinae

STARTING POSITION

Grasp the handle with palms facing inward.

Straighten arms, sit on padding and place feet on the floor rests.

Maintain slightly bent knees.

Lean forward with head but keep back straight.

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE

Bring the torso to an erect position whilst pulling handle towards the abdomen.

Arch the back slightly and keep the elbows close to the torso.
Return to the starting position.

Repeat this movement until the intended number of repetitions have been completed.

OTHER EXERCISES WORTH CONSIDERING

Another exercise worth considering is the T-Bar Row (additionally targets biceps brachialis but not trapezius muscles).

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Exercises to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

Monitor Your Exercise Intensity - The Talk Test

Cardio is something alot of us hate to do. Admit it. We all dread it… even I hate doing it, but at the same time, at the corner of our mind, we do realise that it is important and a must if you want to improve your fitness levels. Some of us do it to shed some pounds, and some do it to keep the fat off and the abs fully visible. However, how do we get the most out of our time on a treadmill/stepper, etc and at what intensity do we need train at?

I’ve touched on the topic of intensity before, but here’s a neat method to roughly determine if you’re on the right track without the need for any fancy calculations. This should help the totally clueless get some direction while they do their cardio.

Although you could determine your target heart rate with some effort and calculations over a few observations, there are ‘other ways’ to monitor your exercise intensity. Please be advised, that this is not a guaranteed accurate method to determine if you’re exercising at the required intensity, but a fairly sufficient gauge to see if you’re on the right track. If you’re a beginner, this is an excellent way to gauge your intensity without having to crack your brain in dealing with numbers.

Firstly, what is THR?

Target Heart Rate (THR) : The ideal intensity level at which your heart is being exercised but not overworked. Determined by finding your maximum heart rate and taking a percentage of it (60 to 85 percent, depending on fitness level).

With that covered, let’s move on. Known as the TALK TEST, it is basically your ability to TALK during your cardio workout, and believe it or not - it can actually help you determine how hard you’re working. Sounds too simple? That’s because it actually is.

When doing your cardio, you should aim for an intensity that allows you to talk comfortably. If you can talk comfortably, you’re probably somewhere around the lower range of your target heart rate zone, which is kinda okay, but you should aim for better. Try singing or reciting a few lines from a favorite song (do it too loud, and you’ll look like an idiot). If it’s VERY VERY easy to do, you should bump up your intensity a bit and try again after a few minutes. If it gets too difficult to sing or talk, slow down to get into a better zone. The goal is to get to an intensity level where its comfortable to talk, but yet, you’re unable to hold a really long conversation and long sentences without having to pause for deep breaths.

If you’re exercising at a rate where you’re almost breathless, well.. then you’re pushing it, cos you shouldn’t be breathless during your workouts, UNLESS you’re doing interval training, HIIT (High-intensity interval training) or a short, high intensity workout, and that’s a totally different topic.

Of course, with all this in mind, please don’t throw your common sense out of the window too. If you ever feel dizzy, or lightheaded, you should slow down or stop exercising.

If you’re keen on exploring and wish to determine your Target Heart Rate more accurately, I’m sure a helpful Personal Trainer at your gym could help you out. If he/she isn’t willing.. well, then you need a new gym.

Run for Your Life

Running is an ideal symmetrical activity for keeping fit. However, it is common for people to blame running for injuries rather than accept that it may be how they run that is at fault. Is there more to running than just putting one foot in front of the other?

The answer appears to be yes! If it were as simple as this there would not be so many running-related injuries. Observe the many different styles, or interpretations, of running and it is obvious that we may not necessarily know how to put one foot in front of the other! What should be an ideal way to improve and maintain fitness is often the cause of many problems. A large percentage of runners, whether running for fun or as part of a training programme, do not seek coaching. We assume it is within our ability to run as we did when young. However we cannot suddenly change our body and attitude when going for a run. How we use ourselves during the day will have an impact on running and if we spend hours slumped at our desk or on the car, our style will reflect the asymmetric nature of a body that has lost the poise of youth.

Our approach to any type of training is susceptible to habit. If we keep doing the same things we will get the same result, yet this is exactly what most of us do. Try the following in place of your usual routine. If you feel you do not want to interrupt your schedule for fear of your performance suffering, you may well be a slave to habit. Leave your stopwatch at home to avoid giving any consideration to the time.

Following your warm up, try walking the first two hundred yards. Enjoy the ease of the movement and let your legs swing from the hip joints, note these are located at the front of your pelvis. Allow your arms to swing like pendulums from your shoulder joints. Be aware of the ground beneath your feet and think of ‘walking tall’ by using the upward thrust from the ground in response to your body weight. Before you start to run let the arms swing faster without losing form and allow the legs to match the speed.

The next stage is important. Before you move up to a running pace, see if you start to prepare for the effort by holding your breath, stiffening your neck or lifting the shoulders in anticipation of effort. Any unnecessary tension applied at this point is likely to be carried throughout the duration of the run. Try to make the transition from walking to running without additional effort. Allow the arms to bend at the elbow and keep them swinging in a linear motion. Think of the legs swinging from the hips and raise the legs with the knee leading the move.

Once the knee has been raised, the lower leg can be allowed to swing through. The common kicking action of most runners increases the workload on the quadriceps, and in my view totally unnecessary. Be conscious of the hip, knee and ankle joints working together in the movement. As with walking tall, think of running tall to utilise the force of gravity. This may sound a little strange initially but the ground is where the force comes from that moves us forward. Be wary of trying to hold yourself up to achieve an upright position. If you can remove unnecessary effort, your body will attain an effortless upright stance due to the absence of inappropriate muscular activity.

The stimulus to return to your normal way of running will be very strong, as this would be the most familiar. If the new way feels wrong you are on the right track - this will not be your comfortable habitual style. Resist the urge to get it right and continue the experiment for as long as possible, thinking up through the spine and letting the limbs move freely. Try changing the speed of the arm movement to regulate the pace. Remember to monitor whether you have stiffened the neck. A head pulled back by tightening the neck and trapezius puts more pressure on the back and ultimately affects the whole movement.

At some point along the route allow, the arms to stop swinging and drop in front of your hips, an action common with many runners. Observe what this does to your back. You will notice the back starts to twist and shoulders roll. The movement of the psoas muscle, in the lower back, requires a balancing action in the upper trunk to maintain form. This unnecessary twist reduces efficiency by throwing weight in the wrong direction. Return to swinging the arms and observe how the twisting action disappears.
The most common response to the thought of stepping up the pace is to put more effort into the stride. If the legs are already being over worked due to a less than efficient technique, the centre of the brain (motor cortex) that initiates the action has to send more impulses adding to the traffic in the feedback loop. We have the sensation that we are running quicker because of the increased effort, but are we using our energy efficiently?

When you want to increase your speed try the following method. Initially, when you have decided to quicken the pace, observe what you normally do to achieve this. After a minute, slow down to a comfortable jogging pace and again think about raising the pace. This time do not think about running faster but instead just move your arms quicker. If we think of only moving the arms faster, requiring less energy, the legs will match the speed. Try the exercise and experience the difference. The first time you speed up you will use your usual habitual method, the second will feel different because it will be unfamiliar. Try experimenting with your running, always with the goal of giving an alternative approach a chance. If you are experiencing injuries or loss of form first check your style, get someone to watch or take a video. If its habitual actions that are the cause, you will be the last person to notice - because you are the habit!

Running coach legend Percy Cerutty, who coached Olympic Gold medalist Herb Elliot, stated:

“The head rests loosely on the shoulders, that is, is not held rigid. It should be capable of movement as the needs of the athlete demand. In my techniques I often test this rigidity of an athlete. Many are quite incapable of turning their heads freely on their neck and shoulders. Any rigidity here spreads right through the whole musculature. Keep the head and neck free and the rest of the moving parts will tend to be free.”

Less is more!

Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique and has studied performance enhancement in sport for the last 10 years. In 2001 he published a book called ‘The Performance Paradox: Challenging the conventional methods of sports training and exercise’ and is currently working on a new project about The Zone. More information about his unique approach to training can be found at www.fitness-programs-for-life.com