Hot answers tagged strength-training
12
In a sense, yes it does. It's not a permanent increase, you simply keep on burning more calories than your resting rate until your body returns to baseline. The type of exercise (the shorter, higher intensity workouts are better) also influences how long this occurs.
In this study : ...
10
Optimal Jump Training Without Restrictions
"Arioch" recommends squats, plyometrics, and speed work with submaximal weights to improve jumping height:
An athlete wishing to improve his vertical jump should not only squat, but perform a variety of assistance work specific to both improving squatting strength as well as specifically improving jumping ...
10
I'll answer this question in the context of a popular strength program (Starting Strength) that I happen to be doing.
Why only a few exercises?
Because as a novice, you don't need complicated training to make general strength gains. A well chosen, small set of full-body barbell movements trains you in almost every way you need to be strong as a human ...
9
The problem with body weight exercises
In the world of free weights, you have something called a one-rep max (ORM) which defines the maximum amount of weight you can lift at your current level of strength. Using the ORM you can calculate the intensity of any workout with a simple formula, which if I recall correctly is (reps * weight) / orm. What's ...
9
I've asked this implicitly of two qualified personal trainers. (One of the two usually trains Olympic athletes, so I trust his judgement.) Each time I said that I was interested in weight training to balance out the extra workout that my quads get (not just in the lower body, but to bring up my upper body strength too). Both of them said it was a reasonable ...
8
This is a complex question, and no one has the complete answer, but a recent study compared the metabolic rate of a hunter gatherer culture still in existence with the metabolism of sedentary westerners and found that "daily energy expenditure of traditional Hadza foragers was no different than that of Westerners". Similarly, a study found that the ...
8
Body-building is an individual pursuit that requires specific understanding of the individual in question. A general beginner's course would be so simple as to be useless - there is no sense in writing a body-building guide for average height adult males under 60 kg; they have much more fundamental problems. Likewise, 120 kg average height females should not ...
8
Pick a goal
Why do you want to lift? To look good, to be healthy, to improve athletic performance, to win a bodybuilding competition, to challenge yourself? Your goals determine the kind of lifting you'll want to focus on. I'll assume that you want a basic combination of health, fitness, and looking good.
Beginner weightlifting
Any beginner program should ...
8
It really depends on what you are after. If you are running the Starting Strength program or some other beginner program, they take the stance of take as much rest as you need--even 10 minutes between sets! The goal for those programs is to increase the weight on the bar as quickly as you can.
Trade offs for Rest Times
Longer rests provide more recovery ...
7
Your body is telling you it's in trouble, and you're asking for ways to get stronger while continuing to do the thing that's causing the trouble. That sounds backwards. Fix your squat form, figure out what the pain in your knee is, and continue squatting with 5/3/1 or a similar intermediate program. (Or, start doing conditioning or gymnastics or Oly lifting ...
6
I wrote a rather big post about pull-ups vs. chin-ups where I also discuss the issue of grip width. I did it based on a few scientific papers whose links you can find there.
Those papers study the grip width in percentage of your shoulder width. In other words, if your shoulder-to-shoulder distance is 40 cm, then 100% grip width corresponds to a 40 cm ...
6
A big portion of it is simply the mechanics of the lift. Just try to stand on one leg in a conventional deadlift stance (sumo would be impossible). You run into the big question of what to do with the leg you aren't using. If you stick it in front of you like a pistol, grabbing the bar becomes nearly impossible. If you stick it behind you there is a high ...
6
Are there disadvantages to longer rests between sets?
Sure. I cool down if I wait longer than five or so minutes between heavy squat sets, and that can be a problem if my mobility is iffy and I really need to be warm to get good form. It's also annoying to have the two-hour-plus workouts that result from 10-minute rests between sets of, say, heavy ...
5
I would recommend routinely doing the Diesel Crew shoulder rehab protocol and the associated shoulder warmup. The rehab protocol is good as both prehab and rehab for a shoulder that is causing pain due to muscle imbalances. There are good exercises in the protocol that address the external rotation, as well as many other uses you're probably not thinking ...
5
Here's a link to Ripptone explaining how much to arch the back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lBNeeeTId1M
Some people have a 'big' arch, this is the person using the legs/hips to drive the bar, usually intended to push heavy weight. So, neither is wrong, it depends on what your goal is: building strength or building ego by ...
5
Your program can be improved by simplification and emphasis on objective metrics of progress.
Forget about creatine, BCAA, and other expensive supplements. You are so far away from your genetic potential that these are a waste of money. You can make incredible novice gains without them. (Multivitamin is a fine idea though.)
Drop the leg press, anything ...
5
Your suspicion that locking out your shoulders might be detrimental to your shoulders, I would say, is a correct assumption.
Our shoulders are one of the joints that, I think, are most prone to injury due to incorrect technique in a wide variety of exercise, so I would say that, you should always try to look up proper technique beforehand as well as listen ...
4
I would recommend keeping with the same routine and reducing intensity through lighter weights or time (aerobic), put a little more time in warming up and cooling down and don't hesitate to push yourself a bit. Typically you don't lose much strength/stamina within 2-3 months - but a lot has to do with why you took a break and how active (or not) you were ...
4
Follow the "Starting strength" routine by Mark Rippetoe and you are on your way.
I will outline several reasons why I think it it will be a good routine for you :
It is a good routine for a beginner. It educates most beginners on following compound exercises and makes them strong overall. Since there are very few exercises your form on these exercises ...
4
Dave has given you some good points. It seems like you have 2 goals here regarding weight lifting:
Gain muscle mass
Gain strength
However, as a Sports Physical Therapist, I would like to recommend you for one more goal - injury free when starting out any program. I have seen too many immature weight lifters trying to do too much too fast, then only to ...
4
The shoulder is deemed to be a joint of the ball and socket type, as is the hip. The major difference is that in the hip, there is actually a bony socket on the pelvis (Called the acetabulum) that the head of the femur fits into. There really is no such structure in the shoulder, the "socket" in the shoulder is made up of tendon and cartilage structures.
...
4
Keep running. Your legs have all the strength they need to run. What you need to develop is muscular endurance. Squats will build strength, but they won't give you the endurance. You should also give your muscles a bit of rest after you 6k runs if they really tire your legs out that much.
Alternate days that leave your legs feeling tired, exhausted, or ...
3
You might have additional needs to address specific imbalances or mobility issues, and I'd do a standing press instead of bench, but deadlift/squat/pull-up/press is a great basis for a minimal strength training breakfast. It's a fine approach. If you follow that program well, with good form, using near-maximal weights, and get good food and sleep, you'll get ...
3
I've taken lots of breaks over the last 45 years, some of them measured in years. You didn't say why you took the break so the following might not apply now but it will.
Every work out doesn't have to be part of a scientifically programmed routine. A random trip to the gym every week or so just 'messing around (with good form)' with some favorite exercises ...
3
Go very light with your weight.
Don't jump in there and try to push yourself to doing the weights you used to do, even with a spotter. If you do, you're going to be sore as hell for a very long time.
Do each body part in the same routine like you would before (chest on Monday, back on Wednesday, legs on Friday - or whatever), but go very light.
The second ...
3
My own rule of thumb for strength training is to start 2 months earlier - that is, in your example, the break period - in the workout routines and to proceed from there with a 1-2 week reboot period. After that and only if it feels ok, I try to proceed at the levels when the break period started. So I guess I am leaning towards the second part of your ...
3
Finding a good coach is always a challenge. The meaning of a certification really depends on how consistent the coaches that have that certification are. I do know someone who failed the certification--and were told they know the material, but just couldn't coach someone else with it. That at least tells me the certification means something. The fact ...
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