Training
The posterior muscle chain: from top to bottom
Before exercisers learned the term "posterior muscle chain," they simply said they were doing a backside workout. It was what strength athletes did to build balance and stability for competition exercises. They did rowing, lat pulldowns, back extension workouts, posterior shoulder workouts, etc. All good stuff.
But just rowing, lat pulls and face pulls aren't going to cut it. If you look at the kinetic chain and the muscles that help stabilize each part of it, you should know what each of these muscle groups does and how to strengthen them for maximum stability.
Hypertrophy and flexibility are also important. A small or weak muscle is less stable than a large and strong muscle. A lot of people think they lack mobility because they can't hold a certain position through the full range of motion. The truth? They simply aren't strong enough. So let's start with the calves and work our way up.
Calves
Most people don't put enough effort into their calf training. They say "You were either born with big calves or you weren't. It's all genetics." Yes, calves are stubborn. But so is your girlfriend and you haven't given up on her either.
It's not the length of your muscle bellies and it's not the muscle attachment points. It's more to do with the fact that you don't know how to train your calves in a way that makes them respond to your training. The calves play a big role in helping the leg flexors with knee flexion. The lesser-known muscles of the deep flexor group also work to help maintain the medial arch and prevent inward rotation of the ankle, which (along with a weak gluteus medius) can contribute to knee buckling or valgus collapse.
When this happens, the hip and gluteus play a smaller role in squats and the adductors end up bearing the brunt of the tension in performing the movement. Ideally, all muscle groups should be involved. This way, the load is distributed over a larger area and an adequate distribution of tension is achieved. However, if the ankles are turned too far inwards or the heels are lifted off the ground, then a stiff Achilles tendon and immobile calves are usually part of the problem. You need to improve the mobility of your calves, strengthen them and make them grow.
What you can do
Use standing calf raises. Oh, you've already tried this? Probably not in the right way. First of all, the Achilles tendon is the thickest tendon in the body and it's made for dynamic/explosive movements. So if you are working out on a calf machine and "bouncing" up and down, the Achilles tendon has no problem doing the work and taking most of the tension off the calves. To shift the work to the calves, you need to remove as much of the stretch reflex from the movement as possible and focus on stretching and shortening the muscles to the maximum.
8-second repetitions for the calves
- Hold the stretched position (bottom) for 5 seconds on each repetition
- Then hold the contracted position (top) for 3 seconds on each repetition
- Lower yourself slowly and repeat the movement
Try 4 sets of 12 repetitions, rotating between different calf exercises for each training session. Do this at least twice a week.
If you have always trained your calves with a lot of momentum and high speed, then prepare yourself to feel your calves working for the first time. Also prepare yourself for a lot of muscle soreness. The extended time in the stretched position will also help you to take care of your stiff archilles tendons.
Leg curl
Most people only perform two leg curl exercises: Leg curls and deadlifts with legs extended. Although this is a great combination, it is quite limiting. These exercises only train the leg flexors in the sagittal planes. This may be fine for someone who is only focused on appearance, but if we are talking about performance and good stabilization, then the leg flexors should also be trained in the transverse planes.
The leg flexors flex and stabilize the knee, among other things. They also play a primary role in reducing and controlling force and braking a movement. The leg flexors consist primarily of rapidly contracting muscle fibers and therefore respond very well to eccentric training (negative repetitions). A lack of eccentric strength in the hamstrings is in fact one of the main reasons for hamstring injuries - and not just the strength imbalance between them and the hamstrings.
The factors that need to be addressed here are knee flexion in the sagittal planes with full hip extension and the transverse planes to address decelerating force and stability. Both require an emphasis on the eccentric movement.
What you can do
Do not allow your hips to lose contact with the bench. This prevents complete shortening of the leg flexors. To transfer the greatest amount of tension directly to the hamstrings, the pad of the leg curl machine must allow hip extension so that the hamstrings can reach a fully contracted state at the highest point of the movement. So push your hips as hard as you can against the pad to make sure this happens.
Alternating eccentric leg curls with hip extension
An easy way to increase the eccentric load (without needing someone to push down on the pad during the negative part of the movement) is to perform the concentric or lifting part of the movement with both legs and perform the eccentric/lowering part with only one leg. When you reach the point of muscle failure on the single-leg eccentric repetitions, continue the set using both legs with controlled negative repetitions.
Switch legs with each repetition. Make sure you perform the eccentric part of the movement in a controlled manner to use the overload effect to your advantage. Don't just drop your leg when you lower the weight. Perform 4 sets of 8 repetitions.
Another option
For the leg curls, you can also perform stationary "10 and 2" lunges. You can do these with a barbell on your shoulders, but start with just your bodyweight. Otherwise, if you are too weak, you can easily end up pulling one of the muscles involved.
Stationary "10 and 2" lunges(https://youtu.be/uxQczfHU0Dc)
Imagine that you are standing on a clock. Place your right leg on the 10 o'clock position and perform a controlled eccentric and a powerful concentric movement with each repetition. Then place your right leg on the 2 o'clock position and do the same. Perform 4 sets of 10 repetitions with each leg.
Gluteus
The gluteus consists of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. All three muscles have a function in stabilizing the hips and pelvis. The gluteus maximus is mainly responsible for hip extension. The gluteus medius and gluteus minimus are responsible for hip abduction, which also helps to stabilize the knee and ankle. The primary function of the gluteus maximus involves moving the hip, while the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus work together to help stabilize the hip.
What you can do
Since the hamstrings work with the gluteus maximus in hip extension, it's important to choose an exercise where these two muscles work together synergistically to create balance. Good mornings with bands do just that.(htps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuzszZ8FSCwt)
Why not use a bar? First of all, it's easy to do this exercise incorrectly. You often see exercisers loading the bar with killer weights and then barely bending forward and slightly bending their knees. This is pointless as the leg flexors are not stretched far enough in this position and hip flexion is minimal.
Secondly, the resistance with a barbell is high in the lower quarter of the movement and minimal in the upper quarter of the movement. Ideally, the resistance should increase during the concentric movement so that the tension does not fade as much during the completion of the hip extension. Good mornings with bands solve this problem.
Good mornings with bands
You can also combine Good Mornings with bands with barbell exercises. You can place the bands around the ends of the bar, but I prefer to attach the band to the rack so that it provides resistance at the waist during the movement.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1p6LHr_FNg)
Keep your knees minimally bent during the movement and perform a controlled eccentric and a powerful concentric movement with each repetition. You must remember to push your butt back towards the wall behind you while maintaining this position with "soft knees".
Hold the top position of the movement for one second before starting the next repetition. Perform 4 sets of 12 repetitions.
Gluteus Medius & Minimus
These muscles help to abduct the hip and act as stabilizers for the pelvis. They allow the gluteus maximus to perform the dynamic part of a movement when you do something on one leg, for example. And don't say that you don't do one-legged work, because then you would never walk, jump or do lunges.
Because the gluteus medius is responsible for hip abduction, it needs to be strong to allow proper knee control during squats. If your ankle mobility is not the reason for your valgus collapse, then your gluteus medius is probably not strong enough to maintain a correct knee position. The following will make it stronger.
Split squats with isometric hold
Perform a split squat with your back leg on a bench behind you and then move only ¾ of the way up. Hold this position for 3 seconds before moving back down. You can use a dumbbell or just your bodyweight - it all depends on your level of strength development. However, I would recommend using progressive overload and working your way up to the heaviest dumbbell you can use while maintaining good form. Perform 3 sets of 8 reps with 3 seconds isometric hold.
Back extension
Even though the back extensors can get thicker and stronger through isometric contractions during hip dominant exercises, you need to perform additional training to make them as strong as possible.
What you can do
Ideally, you should perform back extensions on equipment that supports the abdominal muscles so that you can safely roll the spine over them during the eccentric portion of the movement before performing the concentric phase of the movement.
Remember that this is not a hyperextension where the spine remains in a neutral position with isometrically contracted back extensors. You already do this in most hip-dominant exercises. We therefore want to take the hips out of the exercise and let the back extensors work through an eccentric and concentric range of motion.
Back Raises(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yip9w1wbfuQ)
Allow your back to round slightly and then move on to the concentric phase, which you perform to the point where the back is in a neutral position. Do not overstretch the back. Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions once a week using a light weight. Does that sound too easy? Well, this area already performs an enormous amount of isometric work in other exercises. So don't overdo it.
Lower trapezius
A weak lower trapezius can be to blame for many problems that have something to do with pain or poor movement execution. The lower trapezius helps lift and stabilize the shoulders through the full 180 degrees of flexion.
But lowering the shoulder blades is necessary for trapezius activation and exercisers tend to perform more exercises that emphasize retraction of the shoulder blades. This includes squats, bench presses and rowing alike. In addition to this, we sit in a flexed position all day, which allows the lower trapezius to become stretched and weak. This is a bad combination.
Too much internal rotation from bench presses can lead to shoulder pain. We are tight in the upper trapezius while the lower trapezius is too long and weak, causing instability in the shoulder joint that can potentially lead to impingement and improper overhead pressing. If the lower trapezius cannot hold position isometrically during exercises such as squats and deadlifts, then your maximum weights will suffer.
A weak lower trapezius means that the upper trapezius has to do most of the work. Additionally, if the lower trapezius can't do its job, the lumbar spine will step in to help provide stability. This makes an extension of the lumbar spine more likely when trying to compensate for the inability to maintain good posture.
What you can do
Perform Prone Trap Raise (pronated trapezius raise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndADptrdXI) two to three times a week.
You may well not feel the lower trapezius working during this exercise at first, as your upper trapezius is dominant and you immediately assume a position with your shoulder blades retracted. The solution is to imagine that you are pushing your shoulders down and not straight back and then perform the concentric part of the movement. Visually, you may not see much difference between a retraction and a downward pull, but if you do it right, you will feel your lower trapezius become active before the concentric phase of the movement begins.
You don't need a lot of weight for this exercise. The goal is to get the lower trapezius to become active and generate stability in this area of the muscle chain so that this muscle can do its job. Perform 4 sets of 12 repetitions.
Large rhomboid muscle and middle trapezius
Despite the fact that a lot of exercisers train rowing, their way of performing the exercise limits the amount of tension this area is exposed to. Many bodybuilders lack good back development even though they perform a ton of back training.
The initiation of the exercise plays a big role in tension distribution. If you start a rowing movement with an elbow flexion, then the mid back will not be doing the brunt of the work. There will be little movement in the shoulder blades but a lot of elbow flexion.
This muscle group can be strengthened at the same time as you perform other back exercises. The middle trapezius and rhomboid muscles tend to work during a retraction (contraction) of the shoulder blades. This is important for strength athletes as these muscles work isometrically to maintain retraction of the shoulder blades during exercises such as deadlifts and farmer's walks.
To get the middle trapezius and rhomboid muscles to do the work and become stronger in their role as stabilizers of the chest, you should initiate rowing movements by emphatically contracting the shoulder blades. Then hold this position isometrically before bringing elbow flexion into play to shorten these muscles in the contracted position.
What you can do
Perform rowing with a pronounced contraction of the shoulder blades at the beginning of the concentric movement. Ideally, you should perform this exercise on a rowing machine with a supported chest so that you can focus on what your shoulder blades are doing without having to use energy to keep your torso in position.
Rowing with emphasized shoulder blade contraction
Start by pulling your shoulder blades together and holding this position isometrically for a few seconds before ending the rowing movement by pulling with your arms. Push through your back when you finish the movement.
Do this exercise regularly and you should soon be able to switch back to rowing without isometric hold before elbow flexion. You will then have internalized this movement pattern to such an extent that you will automatically initiate a rowing movement by contracting the shoulder blades instead of flexing the elbows. Perform 5 sets of 8 repetitions.
Latissimus and rear shoulder muscles
You will not only develop the strength of the posterior muscle chain through rowing and lat pulldowns. You need strength for stability and mobility. You can only address weak points once you have internalized the technique.
If you're struggling to reach the highest position in the deadlift, then a ton of back training could be wasted effort if your real problem is that you're failing to push through your hips due to a lack of external hip rotation. Even if you address mobility and weak points, if you have spent years doing exercises in a certain way, you will need to learn correct technique.
What you can do
Perform rack pulls for the latissiumus
Rack Pull-Ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxb_ylP9w3o
Perform band pull-aparts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lQdu_U4AAI) with 100 repetitions for the rear shoulder muscles. This will help you with mobility, weak points, technique and relearning correct movement patterns.
Program design
You can perform all of these exercises together on a different day than your squat and deadlift day, or you can perform these exercises after your squat and deadlift workout. You can even split these exercises into two separate workouts (upper body dominant and lower body dominant). Most importantly, go through them all and identify the exercises where you are weakest. This will tell you what you need to work on.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/how-to-build-a-bulletproof-backside
By Paul Carter
Training veterans need fewer repetitions
Q: Is it true that experienced exercisers need fewer repetitions for hypertrophy (mass gains)? Does "training age" really make a difference?
A: Yes. What happens is that most hypertrophy gains occur in the 70-85% of max weight range. (This is of course an oversimplification, but we can use this range as a rule of thumb). An untrained person will perform 7 to 12 repetitions in this range, but an experienced exerciser will only perform 4 to 6 repetitions. If you are an experienced exerciser and neurologically efficient, then the number of repetitions you can perform at a given percentage of your maximum weight will decrease.
While there is some data in the scientific literature that contradicts this observation, the vast majority of studies agree with the statement that the number of repetitions you can perform with a given percentage of your maximum weight decreases with increasing training experience - which is especially true if the athlete has been training correctly. This is especially true if the levels of maximum strength have increased significantly, as is the case with the double bodyweight bench press, for example.
How many years of training experience are we talking about? About three years? This is also assuming that you have trained properly.
Genetically very blessed exercisers can achieve hypertrophy with just 2 or 3 reps, but most need to do more reps - in the region of around 10 reps. An inexperienced exerciser might build up with 3 sets of 10 reps, but then three years later build muscle with 10 sets of 3 reps.
A lot of athletes do well with doing 10 sets of single reps and then 3 sets of 3 to 5 reps when the nervous system is stimulated. These single repetitions would be what some people would call single repetitions with a weight close to the max weight. So if your maximum weight for a repetition is 100 kilos, then you would perform 10 single repetitions at 97.5 kilos.
Correct squat execution on the multi press
Q: A trainer at my gym says that the multi press is fine for bodybuilding purposes if you keep your heels under the bar as if you were doing free reps. He says that the multi press is only dangerous if you place your feet further forward. Is that true? And is the multi press any good for this?
A: This trainer is right that squats on the multi press are less dangerous if you keep your heels under the bar, but when it comes to injury, it's all about repetitive strain. One three-week training cycle of squats on the multi press with your heels under the bar per year would be okay. I don't think this is going to cause anyone to tear their patellar tendon, but I wouldn't make this a basic exercise.
Bodybuilders don't give a shit about function, which is why they can do whatever they want. But most people want a transfer from what they're doing - whether they're skating or windsurfing. For this reason, I don't like training on the multi press.
The best trapezius exercise
Q: Everyone knows that shoulder raises (shrugs) are an exercise for the trapezius, but I've read that explosive Olympic-style weightlifting exercises are supposed to be better. Is that true?
A: For ultimate trapezius development, I would use both. The problem with barbell shoulder raises is that most people limit their range of motion with this exercise. When performing shoulder raises, it's best to perform this exercise with a dumbbell with one arm so that the trapezius has a few more inches of range of motion.
Use this exercise for three weeks and then alternate to an Olympic-style weightlifting exercise such as the power clean or power snatch.
The problem in the strength training world is that people become too dogmatic. It's almost like the debate in martial arts. "Karate is better than judo. No, aikido is better than karate." My opinion, on the other hand, is that you should always use the tool that is best for the moment.
Which is better? Front squats or classic squats? That's a stupid discussion. It's like looking at the world with blinders on. Use the best tool for the moment.
When good exercises become something bad
Q: Are there any exercises out there that are so stupid or dangerous that you would throw them out of your arsenal?
A: Dumbbell power clean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZaMVvhx18w
This is the most useless exercise on the planet. I believe that anyone who recommends this exercise should be put on trial. Basically, this exercise is one of the best ways to injure someone. Many physical therapists have treated strength coaches who were foolish enough to use this exercise themselves - along with athletes who were among the unfortunate ones who had been recommended this exercise by their coach.
There are a number of reasons why dumbbell power deadlifts are a poor choice:
- The diameter of the weight plates on dumbbells moves the weight in front of the center of gravity, putting much more stress on the spinal discs than using a barbell.
- The muscles of the shoulders that are most likely to be strained by dumbbell power lifts are the teres minor and infraspinatus. The strains can be caused by the body trying to stabilize the dumbbells as they fall towards the shoulders during the last part of the movement.
- The part of the movement where the dumbbells are caught at the end of the movement causes rapid overstretching of the forearm muscles, which can lead to bad forms of tennis elbow or golfer's elbow.
Basically, dumbbell power deadlifts are probably the hammer with a flexible rubber handle in your toolbox. This is simply not a good tool.
The same is true for dumbbell power snatches. Why subject our shoulders to something that can cause a lot of trauma when there are other exercises that are more effective and, more importantly, much safer? I know people in the fitness industry who promote one-arm power snatches and tell you in the same sentence that they are about to have their fifth shoulder surgery. That doesn't sound particularly intelligent.
Another trainer I know recommends leg extensions before squats...and he's had 26 knee surgeries. Are these people incapable of learning?
So the worst exercises are dumbbell power deadlifts and one-arm dumbbell power snatches. I don't know of any successful strength coach who uses these exercises. A lot of these exercises are just gimmicks that contribute to nothing but injury.
Many people say that rowing upright should also be thrown out of the exercise arsenal. I am not against rowing upright if it is done with a rope tied to the equipment you are moving up. This will save your wrists a lot of strain, which will ultimately save your shoulders.
You can also use a cable pulley with a rope. This allows the wrists to be at an optimal angle so that the exercise is not as stressful on the ulnar nerve. Performed in this way, this is not a bad exercise as long as you don't perform it in a position where the elbows are raised more than 5 centimeters above the parallel plane of the forearms.
The problem is that most people who use upright rowing already have a kyphotic posture (hunched back). Rowing upright is not a bad exercise if you have balanced muscle development - however, they are a terrible exercise if you already have poor posture or muscle imbalances.
Use your common sense. If it hurts, then you don't need a dozen studies telling you that this exercise is bad for you.
Choose your coffee wisely
Q: You said at one of your seminars that decaffeinated coffee is a bad idea. Why?
A: The chemicals used to remove caffeine from coffee have been shown to be potent carcinogens (cancer-causing substances). While there are a few newer methods that supposedly remove caffeine without chemicals, the bottom line is that drinking coffee without caffeine is like eating a cheese-free cheese sandwich or a protein-free steak.
Furthermore, most people who study carcinogens will tell you that the two most important things you should buy as bionutrients are coffee and butter. These are the two foods most heavily loaded with chemicals if you don't buy them organic.
An interesting side note would be that research on coffee shows that people who don't drink coffee die on average five years earlier than coffee drinkers. One of the main reasons that could be responsible for this is that coffee is one of the few antioxidant-rich foods that most people consume.
I need a well-developed butt
Q: I am a 24 year old woman who is thinking about entering her first figure class competition. However, the problem is that I have a flat butt and it seems to get worse when I diet. Do you have any training recommendations for building rounder and fuller glutes?
A: Follow the Jenifer Lopez diet. No, just kidding. As for workout recommendations, you should try this triple set:
- Squats through full range of motion x 6 reps
- 10 seconds rest
- Lunges 12 reps per leg
- 10 seconds rest
- Dumbbell deadlifts a 25 repetitions
It will take a week before you can sit on the toilet again without pain.
I used to use this program for alpine skiers as part of their general preparation phase, as the glutes are very important for absorbing compressions and changing direction. I also believe that one of the best things for the gluteus is weightlifting workouts.
What does muscle soreness really mean?
Q: Do I have to get sore muscles after a workout at the gym to make progress?
A: When it comes to hypertrophy, I would say yes. Hypertrophy is a biological adaptation to a stressor and the stressor here is microtraumas in the muscle tissue.
So I would agree that this statement is true, but that's just one of the reasons why you need to change your training program every 6 workouts - to get sore muscles again. But do you have to be sore all the time? No, but you should feel sore for 48 hours after starting a new program.
However, when an athlete reaches their maximum performance at the end of their training phase, they naturally don't want to feel sore muscles. But if you are trying to build muscle, you should feel some soreness after the first two workouts. (Of course, you shouldn't aim to achieve such extreme soreness that you can't get out of bed the next morning without painkillers). Over the next 6 workouts your body will adapt and after the sixth workout you will be ready for another sore muscle that you get from doing something different.
The rule is that a training program is only as good as the time it takes you to adapt to it. The changes to the program don't have to be dramatic. For example, you could do classic squats with your feet shoulder-width apart for 6 training sessions and then switch to front squats with your heels elevated and you will achieve a new level of muscle soreness.
I know a very successful weight training coach who simply has his athletes change their shoes.
He is a ten set guy who has his athletes do 10 sets of squats for three weeks with Addidas weightlifting shoes. For the next three weeks, his athletes wear Pignati weightlifting shoes and then for 3 weeks they wear regular running shoes.
The athletes get sore muscles every time they change shoes. Even this slight variation is sufficient for this.
High or low repetition numbers during the definition phase?
Q: How should I train during the diet? Higher repetition numbers in the style of lactate training? Lower reps with heavy weights? Both methods are advocated by good trainers, but which is best?
A: Both work. The secret is to know your muscle fiber type. If you are more predisposed to being a 100 meter sprinter (and primarily have type IIb fast contracting muscle fibers) then you should stick with sets of 5 reps, long rests, etc. when you are in a fat loss phase.
If, on the other hand, your disposition is more in the direction of an 800 meter runner (and you primarily have type IIa fast-contracting muscle fibers), then you should stick to lactate training.
If you have primarily type IIb fast contracting muscle fibers, you will lose muscle mass during a caloric deficit if you perform high repetition lactate training. In the same way, type IIa trainers will lose muscle mass if they train with low repetitions.
So both approaches are correct - but which one you should use depends on how you are predisposed.
The basics of step-ups
Q: Of all the lower body exercises out there, step-ups seem to be the least used in most gyms. Are step-ups a good exercise?
A: Well, the problem is that most people perform this exercise incorrectly. They falsify the execution of the exercise - usually by bending too far forward and pushing off with the leg on the floor. If you push off with your leg on the floor, then the leg that is on the bench is not doing much work.
Here's the trick that will keep you from doing step-ups in a bent position: Simply curl the toes of the foot that's on the floor together and keep them in that position throughout the exercise. This will make it harder for you to push off the floor with that foot, as you need to keep your toes down to be able to push.
When performed correctly, step-ups are a great exercise, but I prefer squats. There is almost no eccentric overload with step-ups. You basically can't do a slow lowering movement when you move back down.
As for the height of the bench or step, this can be very high. The highest possible position of the step/bench is a height where you are on your toes. This version involves more engagement of the vastus medialis and the leg flexors. These are basically super high step-ups. It is very important that your knee does not bend inwards during the upward movement.
You can alternate step-ups with your right and left leg or keep one foot on the bench until you have completed the desired number of repetitions. Alternating is usually better for athletes who are about to compete. If you want more time under tension, then use the static version where one foot remains on the bench until you have completed all repetitions with that leg.
You can perform step-ups with a barbell on your back or in front of your chest or with dumbbells. These are all good variations. However, squats are a much better alternative, especially if you're short on time.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-37, https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-38
From Charles Poliquin
Use a reverse incline bench instead of a flat bench when performing lying tricep presses (scull crusher)
The reverse incline bench version involves up to 10% more muscle activation than the classic flat bench version. More muscle activity means more muscle fiber recruitment, which in turn means more fibers are stimulated to grow. This could be partly related to the fact that the triceps are stretched and stretched more. The muscle that is stretched the most is often the muscle that is recruited the most.
The reverse incline bench version is also more effective because the shoulder muscles are taken out of the equation - they tend to compensate in the flat bench variations. Last but not least, the reverse incline bench position puts the triceps under tension over a greater range of motion while allowing for more optimal loading.
Do cardio training in the morning without carbohydrates
Do not carry out your cardio training in a completely fasted state. This will protect your muscles and burn more fat.
By: Clay Hyght
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-no-carb-cardio-in-the-morning
Fasting - not eating for an extended period of time, such as during sleep - causes the body to burn fat to fuel the body. Liver glycogen levels and blood sugar levels are lower after fasting, forcing the body to use fat for energy. Cardio training performed in a fasting state leads to higher levels of the powerful fat-burning hormone norepinephrine than in a non-fasting state. This is the reason why bodybuilders have been doing fasted cardio for years.
But in addition to burning fat for energy, the body will also mobilize protein to help meet energy needs. And it will get this protein - the amino acids to be precise - from the muscle tissue. Not good!
So your body will break down muscle tissue to provide you with energy for your cardio workout on the treadmill - which is all the more the case the higher the intensity. But there is a way to prevent this. Taking BCAAs or EAAs before training can prevent the protein breakdown that would otherwise take place. This means more muscle and a higher metabolic rate for you.
Perform the hanging pull-up test
Perform this quick test for your grip strength, try to increase your strength and see if you can complete the 5 minute challenge
By: Dan John
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-take-the-hang-pull-up-test
Every exerciser should be able to hang from a pull-up bar for 30 seconds. If you can't, then you need to work on your grip strength...and maybe lose some of that useless dead weight (meaning fat). Aside from your grip strength, this test can alert you to some shoulder and spinal issues.
Can you do this test with ease? Good, then try the following: hang from the bar for 30 seconds and then perform a pull-up. If you can do this, you're not too bad.
Let's make it a little more difficult. After the pull-up, lower yourself back to the hanging position without letting go of the bar in between, stay in the hanging position for another 30 seconds and then perform a second pull-up. The really crazy ones can try out whether they can perform 10 of these pull-ups with 30 seconds of hanging in one go. Only a few can hang on the bar for longer than 5 minutes. Can you do it?
Use this tip to make push-ups more effective
Use an arrow-shaped formation. Your head and hands should form an arrow shape, not a T-shape
By: Bret Contreras
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-this-to-make-push-ups-more-ffective
Push-ups are underrated in the weight training world. Why? Because too many people perform this exercise incorrectly. They often use a high and wide hand position relative to the shoulders. If you were to look at the body from above, this positioning would look like the letter T. People do this to make the exercise easier. But why is it easier to perform the exercise in this position?
- The alignment of the chest muscle fibers is better suited to producing force in this position.
- This position requires less muscle activation in the pectorals and shoulder muscles (as measured by EMG).
- The horizontal abduction flexibility of the shoulders is limited, so the structures that limit mobility will contribute to passive strength in the lowest position.
"Lighter" is not what we want. Instead of assuming a T-position, you should assume an arrow position.
This means that if you were to take a snapshot from above, the push-up position would look like an arrow. Pull your elbows inwards towards your body at 45 degrees. Your head should be in front of your hands. This position also puts less strain on the shoulder joint and leads to greater EMG activation of the chest muscles and shoulders.
Tighten your waist with the old school vacuum exercise
Train your transversus abdominis (transverse abdominal muscle) with the vacuum exercise for a harder and firmer waistline
By: Clay Hyght
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-tighten-your-waist-with-old-school-vacuums
Shrink your waistline by performing a simple exercise: the vacuum. To train the transversus abdominis (TVA), you should start with the simplest and most basic version of the vacuum. Perform this exercise lying on your back to get support from gravity. Here is a guide:
- Lie on your back with your hips bent and knees bent so that your feet are flat on the floor.
- Breathe out as hard as you can. This lifts your diaphragm and - just like an empty stomach - allows you to maximize the contraction of the TVA.
- Pull your belly button as far as possible towards your spine. The further you can pull your navel in, the better the TVA contraction will be.
- Try to hold the vacuum for about 15 seconds with each set. As with any new exercise, you should aim for progression over time. Work your way up until you can hold the vacuum for 60 seconds per set
- Don't let your inability to hold your breath stop you from performing these longer sets. Take short breaths when needed.
Gradually progress to performing the vacuum first on your hands and knees, then sitting and finally standing.
Do not use a mixed grip for deadlifts
If you always use a mixed grip when deadlifting, you will injure yourself sooner or later. Master the hook grip instead.
By: Christian Thibaudeau
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-dont-use-a-mixed-grip-when-deadlifting
When deadlifting, don't use a mixed grip, where one hand holds the bar in the overhand grip and the other hand holds the bar in the underhand grip. Or at least don't use this grip for your entire workout.
Yes, the mixed grip is stronger than the regular overhand grip with both hands, as it prevents the bar from rolling in your hands and opening your fingers. However, this type of grip can lead to serious imbalances. When you pull in this way, you will always tend to twist slightly as you move upwards. The side with the underhand grip will rotate forward, while the side with the overhand grip will rotate backwards.
Although this won't be a problem if you use this grip from time to time, you risk developing an imbalance that can lead to injury if you always perform deadlifts in this way. Instead, you should perform deadlifts with a two-handed overhand grip. This is obviously a weaker grip than the mixed grip, which is not necessarily a bad thing as you are strengthening your grip this way. However, if you still have problems holding the barbell, you should learn the hook grip.
In this grip, your thumb is between the barbell and your first 2 to 3 fingers. This grip will probably be painful during the first few attempts, but once you have mastered it, it is much stronger than the regular grip and at least as strong as the mixed grip, if not stronger.
Use a wide grip when rowing upright
Use a wider grip to build more muscle. Avoid raising your elbows higher than shoulder height to prevent injury.
By Nick Tumminello
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-use-a-wide-grip-on-upright-rows
Studies have shown that a wider grip increases the activity of the shoulder muscles and trapezius, thereby reducing the activity of the biceps brachii. In addition to maximizing the recruitment of the muscles we are trying to develop, we must also consider the safety of exercise execution. Avoid pulling the elbows up further than shoulder height.
Studies suggest that the risk of impingement is typically highest at an angle of the upper arm between 70° and 120° with the body. The authors of a 2011 paper recommended that the upper arm should be raised upright to a maximum of 90 degrees (shoulder height) when rowing. Other authors make similar recommendations, which means that at least in this case, movement through the full range of motion should be avoided.
Use EMOM sets for strength and conditioning
Performing sets every minute forces you to keep your rest intervals short and increases intensity.
By: Dan Trink
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-emom-sets-for-strength-conditioning Here's how it works:
1. every minute on the minute (EMOM) sets hold you accountable for work and rest. They force you to focus on doing a certain amount of work within a specific amount of time while you recover for the next round of work during the rest of the minute. There are several ways to use a barbell with a 3 to 5 RM weight. For example, you can do two repetitions every full minute for 10 minutes. That's 20 fairly heavy reps within a time span that most people would use for 2 sets. This will increase your work capacity while still using fairly heavy weights, which - if your priority is getting strong - will ultimately be more useful than simply doing intervals on the treadmill.
2 Load a barbell bar with your 10 RM weight. Perform one repetition at the beginning of the first minute. Perform two repetitions at the start of the second minute. Perform one additional repetition every minute until you can no longer perform the set within one minute. This will obviously get harder at the end as the gap between the end of one set and the start of the next set gets shorter and shorter. If you can get to 10 reps, then you're good.
Perform pull-throughs for stronger squats and a great butt
Figure class athletes and guys doing 200+ pound squats have something in common - they use cable pull-throughs to build a strong posterior chain.
By Tony Gentilcore
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-pull-throughs-for-stronger-squats-and-a-great-butt Pull-throughs(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A32WSOB-6Gw) might be the best exercise you're not doing. First of all, this exercise will make you strong. Powerlifters use pull-throughs as a basic assistance exercise to train leg flexors and gluteus. Pull-throughs provide a unique training stimulus because you can train the posterior chain of muscles with minimal compression and spinal shear.
Secondly, they are easy to learn. Nearly everyone has access to a cable pulley and the learning curve for pull-throughs is not nearly as steep as kettlebell swings.
Pull throughs are performed as follows:
- Use a slightly wider stance than normal and remember to push your knees out. Do not go into a squat pattern. Lean back into a "stretch" or hip hinge pattern. This is not an up and down movement, but rather a forward and backward movement.
- Push your hips and hamstrings back as if you were trying to touch a wall with your butt. Do this until your hands have passed your knees. Many exercisers make the mistake of stopping at the groin and forgoing the entire reach-through part of the movement.
- Maintain a neutral spine position throughout the exercise. This means maintaining the normal curve of your upper and lower back, but not allowing the upper back to round while the lower back remains arched.
- Your head follows the hinge movement. This ensures a healthy head posture and prevents hyperextension of the neck, which could cause unnecessary strain.
- Do not overstretch your hips at the highest point of the movement. Concentrate on finishing the movement with the hips and consciously tighten the glutes hard at the highest point of the movement, ensuring that you fully extend the knees.
Train movements first and exercises second
Isolation exercises have their place, but the majority of your training program should revolve around these 6 movement patterns.
By: Eric Bach
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-train-movements-first-muscles-second
Unless you've already built serious amounts of strength or have specific training goals, performing large amounts of isolation exercises is time poorly spent. Sure, isolation training is important for muscle growth, but you should first make sure you can perform squats with more than 100 kilos before using leg extensions to load the VMO muscle hard.
Choosing the right exercises is the key to success. Bicep curls and leg curls aren't bad, but they shouldn't make up the bulk of your training program.
Instead, focus on the following 6 movement patterns:
- Hinge Exercises: Good mornings, kettlebell swings, variations of the snatch and the deadlift
- Lunges: Lunges, split squats, step-back lunges, Bulgarian split squats.
- Presses: Bench press, push-ups, overhead press, one-arm press.
- Pulling: Pull-ups, bent-over rows, seated rows, one-arm rows.
- Squats: front squats, goblet squats, Zercher squats, classic squats.
- Carrys: Farmers walk, one-arm carry, overhead carry
Does your training pass the test?
Now take a look at your training program and ask yourself whether these movement patterns are covered during the week. If not, do without the superfluous exercises and include these movement patterns instead.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-make-triceps-training-more-effective
By Christian Thibaudeau
Left: Casey Viator on 5/1/1973,
Right: Casey Viator on 5/29/1973 Casey had increased his muscle mass by 63.21 pounds in 4 weeks with 14 short workouts. During this process, he gained 5.4 inches on each arm, 15 inches on his chest and 7.5 inches on each thigh.
Is it possible to gain 63 pounds of muscle in less than a month? What about 15 pounds of muscle within 22 days? By any standard, such results would be phenomenal, but few people believe such feats are feasible.
And yet Arthur Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus machines, claimed in the early seventies that this was possible through the High Intensity Training (HIT) he developed. He even claimed to have scientific evidence to support his claim.
So what exactly happened during the Colorado experiment conducted by Jones - and is he telling the truth? Did strength enthusiasts sell themselves short by setting their muscle gain goals too low? After all, such training must be worth a try if it can build 15 to 63 pounds of muscle in a month.
The background to the experiment
Jones' goal in conducting this experiment was to gain publicity and credibility for his version of High Intensity Training. As described by Randy Roach in 'Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors', Jones was promoting a style of training that many in the bodybuilding industry were uncomfortable with. Jones insisted that high intensity was necessary for optimal muscle building and promised that short sessions of high intensity training could produce amazing results.
An anecdote from the seventies that was often told to demonstrate the intensity of Jones' training was that the famous bodybuilding champion Arnold Schwarzenegger could not complete a training session with Arthur Jones because it was too hard.
For the Colorado experiment, Jones teamed up with Dr. Elliot Plese of Colorado State University's Department of Physical Education Laboratory to conduct a month-long study. The goals defined at the beginning of the study were as follows:
- To prove that very short training sessions are capable of producing rapid and extensive gains in muscle mass and strength.
- That nothing but a sensible diet is necessary.
- That so-called "growth drugs" (aka steroids) are not necessary.
Jones was a very brash and often unpopular voice in the fitness industry. He had a poor opinion of the general fitness consensus and was not afraid to say so. In numerous interviews, seminars and publications, he regularly attacked others in the fitness industry for using false claims and unreasonable training principles.
One example was the use of steroids. Jones believed that steroids and other performance-enhancing substances hinder rather than promote muscle growth and strength. In many ways, he was a voice for those who were uncomfortable with the trend toward steroid use in training that was prevalent in the United States and most of the Western world in the mid-20th century. What really mattered to Jones was genetics and training. It couldn't be just any old training, of course - it had to be intense. Once such rules were applied, the results would follow - that was his promise.
The experiment
In May 1973, Arthur Jones and Casey Viator began their training under the watchful eye of Dr. Plese. Everything they did was monitored - from their training to their dietary regimen. It was to be a month of training, eating, recovery and not much else.
The following is an example of a normal training session for Casey:
- Leg press: 750 pounds for 20 reps
- Leg extensions: 225 pounds for 20 reps
- Squats: 502 pounds for 13 reps
- Leg curls 175 pounds for 12 reps
- Single-leg calf raises with 40 pounds in one hand for 15 reps (rest 2 minutes)
- Pullovers: 290 pounds for 11 reps
- Latissimus isolations (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-vb6U6G82w): 200 pounds for 10 reps
- Rowing machine: 200 pounds for 10 reps
- Neck pulldowns: 210 pounds for 10 reps (2 minutes rest)
- Dumbbell side raises with outstretched arms: 40 pounds for 9 reps
- Neck press: 185 pounds for 10 repetitions
- Bicep curls on the machine: 110 pounds for 8 reps
- Pull-ups with your own body weight: 12 repetitions
- Tricep presses: 125 pounds for 9 reps
- Dips on parallel bars with your own body weight: 22 repetitions
The exercises were performed one at a time on Jones Nautilus machines or MedX machines. Each set was performed to muscle failure and unless otherwise specified above, there were no rests between exercises. Jones once wrote the following about his training philosophy:
"High intensity training is not easy....the workouts are short - and they must be short - but there is an obvious natural tendency in most exercisers to hold back."
In his 1999 autobiography, Viator described how Jones approached Casey's workouts and used tricks, including open insults, to make sure Casey didn't hold back and really gave it his all. So not only was the training intense - it was also overseen by a coach who was lovingly strict.
What were the results?
In September of that year, Jones published the results in Ironman magazine. Here's an abridged version.
The Colorado Experiment by Arthur Jones
The following is a brief, preliminary report on an experiment conducted at Colorado State University in May of 1973.
Location . . . Department of Physical Education, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Supervisor . . . Dr. Elliott Plese, Director of Exercise Physiology Lab, Colorado State University.
Data ... May 1, 1973 to May 29, 1973 for one subject (Casey Viator), a duration of 28 days . . . and May 23, 1973 for the second subject (Arthur Jones), a duration of 22 days ...
RESULTS:
First subject (Casey Viator), 28 days
- Gain in body weight........45.28 pounds
- Loss of body fat.................17.93 pounds
- Muscle gains......................63.21 pounds
Second subject (Arthur Jones), 22 days
- Body weight gain........13.62 pounds
- Loss of body fat...................1.82 pounds
- Muscle gains.......................15.44 pounds
The results were nothing short of spectacular, but Jones was quick to qualify the success:
It should be clear that none of the subjects were "average" subjects, and one cannot conclude from the results that individuals with average or below-average potential will achieve the same results with a similar training program.
Casey Viator trained regularly with barbells and other training equipment for several years until June 1970, when he placed third in the Mr. America competition. He then trained with barbells and Nautilus equipment until June 1971, when he won the Mr. America competition. From September 1971 to September 1972, he trained primarily with Nautilus equipment and performed only limited barbell training, which consisted primarily of barbell squats. From September 1972 to December 23, 1972, he trained exclusively with Nautilus equipment and limited his exercises to pure negative repetitions. At the end of this phase, he weighed 200.5 pounds.
In January 1973, he had a serious accident at work in which he almost completely lost a finger and nearly died from an allergic reaction to a tetanus shot. For about 4 months from early January to April 1973, he did not exercise at all and since his activity level was low, he lost about 33.63 pounds, losing 18.75 as a direct result of the accident and the near-fatal injection. Thus, his weight loss through 4 months off exercise was only 14.88 pounds - less than a pound a week.
The second subject (the author, Arthur Jones) had been exercising relatively irregularly for 34 years...and at one point about 19 years ago had reached a body weight of 205 pounds.
The author had not trained at all for about 4 years until late November 1972, and then trained regularly with a purely negative training program for about 6 weeks. He stopped training completely in early January and did not start training again until the Colorado experiment began.
The author's body weight had fluctuated between 145 and 160 pounds over the past 10 years, reaching 190 pounds about 4 years before the start of the Colorado experiment after a six-month period of continuous training.
Both subjects have therefore shown in the past that they have an above-average potential for building muscle mass, and both subjects built up previously achieved levels of muscle mass again.
Despite the predisposition of both men to build muscle, Jones apparently had no doubt that his form of training was effective. He even claimed that both men had achieved the aforementioned massive gains in muscle mass with training sessions lasting just 25 minutes.
Was the experiment serious?
Unsurprisingly, given the alleged results, doubts about the Colorado experiment quickly arose. After three decades, three major points of criticism have emerged.
1) Replicability:
The Colorado Experiment has never been replicated apart from individual experiments by interested exercisers. The sole purpose of the experiment was to gain scientific support for the High Intensity Training concept, and the fact that no one was able to replicate the results - or even a fraction of them - in a large-scale study has compromised the credibility of Jones' results. Jones conducted another experiment, the West Point Experiment, in which he used his form of training, but it has proven difficult to find the exact results of this study.
2) Biased selection of subjects
Both Casey and Arthur had trained with weights before. Viator is known for his amazing genetics and good predisposition to building muscle. Jones had also built a solid 190-pound body years before the experiment. Many have speculated that the gains both men achieved were a result of muscle memory (a physiological phenomenon that makes it easier to rebuild muscle and strength you once had).
3) Dirty tricks
This is perhaps the most common accusation leveled at the creators of the Colorado experiment. Prior to the experiment, Casey had lost over 40 pounds due to an allergic reaction to a tetanus shot. Combined with such a huge loss in body weight, Casey was only eating 800 kcal per day a month before the experiment began. This has led many people to believe that Casey's astonishing weight gain was the result of a rebound effect and that he merely regained his normal mass.
Other critics of the experiment suggest that Casey used steroids during the experiment - something he vehemently denied until his death in 2013 - or that Jones manipulated the results before publication.
So was the Colorado experiment a hoax?
That's harder to say. Jones was very open when it came to Casey's potential and the unique position the two men found themselves in. However, there is another part of the story that is often forgotten.
If we go back to Jones' Ironman article, the high intensity training guru also noted the following:
Several members of the Denver Broncos professional football team visited the lab to observe the workouts and then began training in an identical manner during the final two weeks of the experiment...after the experiment, the Broncos ordered several Nautilus machines and drastically scaled back their previous training regimen.
And while we were training in Colorado, members of several other pro football teams were training at our facility in Florida...in an identical fashion with three short workouts per week and only one set of about a dozen exercises with heavy emphasis on the negative phase of the workout.
Results?
One member of a Canadian pro team got so strong on pullovers that he performed multiple reps at 675 with good form...after starting at 275 pounds two months earlier.
Lou Ross of the Buffalo Bills built up 20 pounds...improved his already very good 40-yard dash time by two-tenths...improved his jump height by 13.5 inches...and doubled his strength on many exercises. These numbers were provided by the Buffalo Bill coaches who tested Lou before and after two months of Nautilus training in Florida.
Mercury Morris of the World Champion Dolphins surpassed his previous highest weight by 7 pounds and still ran the fastest 40 yards of his life when he was tested...and that was after two months of Nautilus High Intensity Training.
If you want to learn about the true successes of the Colorado Experiment, the latter athletes are probably the best case studies. Casey and Jones knew they would get amazing results from the training, the athletes did not. So there is a possibility that it wasn't all smoke and mirrors after all.
Controversy surrounds the Colorado experiment. Some in the fitness industry cite it as proof that Jones' methods were worth their weight in gold, while others use it as proof that Jones was a trickster. However, as with much else in the fitness industry, ultimately everyone has to know for themselves what they believe and what they don't.
As women, we need to train like men to see results. This is true both if you are trying to burn fat and if you are trying to build a more toned body. If you are a woman who is interested in running or not interested in building muscle, then you have probably already stopped reading. For everyone else, I encourage you to keep reading because you're probably a woman trying to lose fat, a woman trying to build muscle and lose fat, or a woman who just wants to tone her body. This article is for all those women!
When I go to the gym, I almost always see the same guys and girls on the cardio machines. Most of the time they are the same ones I have seen on these machines in the last year, who are quite skinny and don't have a very well shaped body. What amazes me the most is the fact that these people look as if they are bored with their exercise program and are just trying to move their arms and legs to achieve the result of their efforts - the end of their training session.
During their cardio workout, some of the women are reading magazines, watching the TV screen (even though they are probably not at all interested in the soccer game that is going on) or playing with their cell phones. I've been through all of this myself and this was before I made the move from cardio machines to moving weights. Doing this gave me new motivation, which later carried over to my cardio training.
I wonder why these women think that just doing cardio will get them the results they want. Some may just want to tone their bodies to look like the women in their swimsuits in their magazines and believe that all they have to do is perform tons of cardio and barely eat anything. In most cases, these photos have been insanely doctored to look even thinner and more beautiful. The women in these magazines are genetically predisposed to look like this and that's the reason they are models. I'm not here to belittle anyone's goals, but I do want to emphasize the importance of building muscle for a lean body and losing weight. So if all you're doing is staying in your little cardio comfort zone, then it's time to step out of it and take a big step forward!
My friend and personal trainer Travis comments, "From a certified personal trainer's perspective, it's a blessing to see women working out with weights. Most women have the same goal and I hear it over and over again. They mostly want to lose weight (fat) and tone their bodies. It is a scientifically proven fact that anyone trying to lose fat and tone their body will get better results if they use a resistance training program in conjunction with a good aerobic workout. Basically, what this means for women is that they will see greater fat loss if they incorporate weight training into their program. The accompanying build-up of muscle mass will increase their metabolic rate and burn more calories, which in turn will make not only the cardio workout but also their calorie-restricted diet more effective."
"Something I hear regularly from women is that they don't want to train with weights because they are afraid of getting too bulky or building too much muscle mass. While it's true that resistance training will increase the amount of lean muscle mass, we can control the amount of that mass by using the right set and repetition ranges. Just because you train with weights doesn't mean you will look like a bodybuilder. Hypertrophy or muscle growth is optimized by training in the range of 10 to 12 repetitions to muscle failure. Anything above this repetition range, where heavier weights are not used, will be more aerobic in nature while also helping to build lean muscle mass without achieving that muscular look that many women fear."
Any woman striving to achieve the perfect body she desires must therefore incorporate a solid resistance training program into her workout plan for optimal results. Most women are somewhat intimidated by free weights and don't know exactly where to start or what to do after deciding to add weights to their workout program. One of the biggest mistakes I see women make is that they don't do enough. There should be a good balance between weights and cardio. If a woman or man needs help creating a good exercise program, then I would recommend that person go to a certified trainer at the gym. They are there to help and are happy to share their knowledge."
For me personally, being a woman and being defined and tough is sexy. You're operating on a completely different level if those are your goals. The main difference between you and those cardio bunnies is your higher protein needs and that you're lifting and using weights. Cardio is not the most important thing - and once you understand this, you have a foot in the door! All you have to do is take the next step through the door, behind which a whole new world awaits you.
There are about 3 other women who train at my gym who I have noticed that in addition to cardio - primarily intervals - they also train in the area of the gym where the weights and machines are and where most of the men are. These women are defined and have lean muscle, and that stands out! I've gotten very good at being able to tell which woman is working out with weights and which is just doing cardio based on muscle definition - or lack of muscle definition.
Travis goes on to say the following about women who train with weights:
"I personally see it from the same perspective - I love to see women working out with weights. This tells me that they are serious about their bodies and that they want to achieve the best shape possible for them - and they understand that it is necessary to train with weights to transform themselves into what they want to be or become."
"However, I sometimes feel that these women are not taken seriously by some guys in the gym and that annoys me. There are 3 types of men in the gym: the gawkers, the pickers and the helpers. The gawkers do exactly what the definition of that term implies. They stare stupidly at the women working out. The pick-up artists want to talk to the women and are more interested in getting a date than they are in the women's training. And then there are the helpers. Try to choose these guys as friends. These are the guys who are at the gym to actually work out and they understand that women are at the gym for the same reason."
We go to the gym to work out, to get better and to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. My number one piece of advice for a woman working out at the gym with weights is to not be intimidated by the weights or the men at the gym! You have every right to do dumbbell curls right next to the guys."
As women, we know these three types of men all too well!!! No offense guys, but part of being a woman is understanding the signals of the opposite sex! This is not only the case outside the gym, but definitely inside as well. Like Travis said, there are great guys there who can help you. Sometimes I'll ask one of the guys on the training floor something about a certain exercise or what would better emphasize a certain muscle. They tend to be well versed in the subject matter.
I also use the men at the gym as motivation for my ego. Have you ever noticed that they often look at themselves in the mirror. I mean, what else can you do between sets and reps? They've figured it out. The more you look at your muscles and appreciate them in the mirror as you train them, the more your ego will grow. This is a good thing if you let it! It will make you believe that you are stronger and you will be motivated by this boost to overcome that physical exhaustion you need to overcome to see results. Grow your ego in the gym!
I think it's important to know another woman's perspective on this topic. I have talked to many women who enjoy working out with weights and they all say the same thing about their early days. We all agree that it's completely normal to be nervous or apprehensive at the beginning, but it's important to get past those feelings and just do what needs to be done to get toned and defined.
My friend Mandy, who also works out with weights, has this to say:
"I started working out with weights during high school. I had just made the women's basketball team and I was small and weak, so training with weights was a necessity to get stronger and keep up with the others. I trained every morning with my team in the weight room. Almost every day there were guys from the football, baseball and basketball teams and we were the only girls there. Sometimes, when I went to train alone, I was even the only girl there. It was intimidating and I didn't feel confident about my abilities at practice, and sometimes I would rush through my workout just to get out of the weight room as quickly as possible because I felt like everyone was staring at me. However, over the course of the following years of high school and my four years of college basketball, I grew to love training with weights and what it did to my body."
Once I started training with weights and got over the initial awkwardness that comes with doing something new, I felt that I had become part of something that I hadn't even known existed before. It may sound a little strange, but I'm telling you that this is a world that we, as women who simply go to the gym to tone up or keep our bodies in shape, will never explore. There is so much to learn in the realm of training with weights and the possibilities are almost endless. I want to show you how to approach it when you set foot in this world so that you can get the most results from your hard work. When you choose to incorporate weights into your training, it's all about working as hard as you can - both physically and mentally.
Mandy has this to say:
"Nowadays I go straight to the weights at the gym and I don't mind if there are men there. I'm no longer intimidated by the fact that I'm the only woman training with weights, it just pushes me even more. Whereas I used to feel like I was being stared at because it was weird that a woman was training with weights, now I know that I'm admired or that guys are keeping an eye on me!"
"I went through these phases where I was only doing cardio and I didn't see the results that I've seen since I started training with weights. Training with weights gives me an inner and outer sense of strength and makes me more confident. It has changed my life in ways I never thought possible!"
Here are a few things to keep in mind when training like you mean it:
1. visualization
First, you need to have a picture of what you want to look like. As you progress in your training with weights, you will learn what parts of your body you like and what you like about other people's bodies. I've found that one of my favorite muscles right now are my shoulder muscles. I like the look of Jessica Biel's shoulder muscles and there are very few women who don't compete and have well-developed shoulder muscles. So you can tell she has worked for her shoulder muscles!
When I started, my goal was to lose fat to show the muscles that were hidden under that fat. I thought that just by losing body fat I would get toned and shapely arms. What I didn't realize was that training with weights is an integral - if not one of the most important parts of fat loss and shaping. You get, in a sense, two things for the price of one - in addition to the aforementioned, working out with weights will help you achieve a leanness that nothing else will give you.
I've heard this comparison before and I think about it often. Think of the training that a long distance runner does. I'm talking about the marathon runners we've all seen in pictures. Well, they just run very, very long distances. Now imagine what their bodies look like. Usually their muscles are very small and lean and they have very little body fat covering those muscles. Now think about how a sprinter has to train for the Olympics. He has to do tons of sprints to get good at sprinting. He also needs to build up his muscles to be able to run at higher speeds over shorter distances. A sprinter's body is very lean and muscular.
If you compare the body of a long-distance runner with the body of a sprinter and the training of a sprinter with the training of a long-distance runner, you will see that the different types of training lead to very different visual results.
These are of course both extremes - and both can of course be achieved, but think about how your goals compare to these two images.
Think about what you want your body to look like. If you can, imagine that this is your body right now.
2. music as motivation
Put together a hardcore workout playlist that appeals to you. When I get new music, it brightens up my week and helps me look forward to going to the gym and working out to new music even more. Music can work wonders.
3. you need the right understanding of reality
You need to get the idea out of your head that you will get bulky if you train too hard. There is so much information out there on this and probably thousands of articles have been written on the subject, but to be honest, this is all that needs to be said on the subject - because if you are a woman, this simply won't happen unless you are using banned performance enhancing substances. As a woman, you will simply find it difficult to build muscle mass. It will also be hard for you to sculpt your body as the art of training with weights is hard - but you will fight through it. In my experience, anything that is really challenging - mentally or physically - will give you massive rewards for your efforts.
4. focus
Okay, let's get to the really good stuff.
When you enter the gym, you need to change your mindset. Create an alter-ego. Beyonce calls her alter-ego Sasha Fierce. She says "it's a persona I've created for myself when I'm on stage. This alter-ego is not the person I really am, but a person I am sometimes. When I'm on stage, I'm aggressive and strong and I'm not afraid of my sexuality. The tone of my voice changes and I am fearless. I'm just a different person." You have to believe that you are already as strong as you want to be and that with none of your sentences or repetitions you are turning off that switch. Let that ego swell.
5. push yourself hard
"The last three or four reps are what will make the muscles grow. That area of pain is what separates the champion from the mediocre. And that's exactly what most people lack - having the balls to keep going and just train through the pain no matter what" - Arnold Schwarzenegger
This is one of my favorite quotes. And it's true. To build muscle, you have to push yourself to the limit. If you've ever experienced the feeling of lactic acid building up in your muscles after pushing yourself hard in the gym, you'll know that it's a short but brutal feeling. To achieve this feeling, you need to exhaust your muscles. You can achieve this feeling with high reps or heavy weights - anything that pushes your muscles to the max.
As far as I'm concerned, you should feel this sensation regularly during training - you should push yourself hard. If you're not pushing yourself hard, then your muscles probably aren't being pushed either.
6 Pride & your ego
"What we face may seem insurmountable. But I've learned something through all those years of training and competing. I've learned something through all those sets and reps during which I never thought I could move another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we think." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
Have you noticed that I like Arnold?
If you haven't seen the movie "Pumping Iron" with Arnold and Lou Ferrigno, rent it - now! It's from 1977, it's an oldie but it speaks volumes. It gives you a real sense of what Arnold went through in his mind to achieve his body. Arnold is humble and funny, yet tough and serious when it comes to the sport of bodybuilding. This is an amazing movie.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the King of Bodybuilding started bodybuilding at the age of 15. He once said "I wanted more, I demanded more of myself." Demand more from yourself during the short time you spend in the gym.
Watch the guys - the guys who train really hard. You'll see the difference between the guys who are at the gym simply so they can tell themselves they worked out, the guys who just come to the gym to chat and hang out, the guys who walk around watching everyone else in their tight clothes (the gawkers, as Travis calls them), the guys who work out hard but don't know how to work out effectively, and the guys who work out with oodles of effort and determination.
I once asked my friend why all the guys were looking at themselves in the mirror between sets. I'm not talking about once or twice, but all the time. It seems to be a common thing with all of them - and even him. He told me that most guys in the gym are all about pride and ego. They are there to work and they soak up all the results of that hard work when they look in the mirror. He went on to say that it's a good feeling when their muscles are pumped and it shows - so why not look at it. This got me thinking. Here I was, intimidated and trying not to think about all the others who might be staring at me because I was the only woman on the training floor while all they were thinking about was how good they looked. In most cases, others don't think about us as much as we might think!
From then on I started to think about this more and more and now I see it all with different eyes. I believe that women should adopt this mindset when it comes to ourselves and our bodies. Why shouldn't we love how we look and soak it up!
7. know your weaknesses and be willing to accept them
"I have always been honest about my weaknesses and this has helped me grow. I think that's the key to success in anything: be honest; know your weaknesses; accept them." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
You will have weak points that you will find when you start training. For me it was my shoulders. Barbell shoulder presses caused me pain in my shoulders because my chest muscles were weak and my shoulders were compensating. I was aware of this and started training with weights that were under the weight of an empty bar and worked my way up from there.
Don't push yourself too hard - the last thing you want is an injury. You have to listen to your body - and you'll know when it was too much. Most knowledge comes from trial and error and seeing how your body responds to certain amounts of weight and repetitions.
8 And last but not least, discipline and patience
"Discipline is remembering what you want." - David Campbell
Remember why you are in the gym. Remember that lactic acid will build up in your muscles during training, that it will really hurt and that this pain is what will give you what you want. Overcome that pain and learn to appreciate that pain.
Patience is a trait that is hard to learn. However, in the world of muscle building and fat loss, this is the trait that will keep your mind strong.
"You can't get patience overnight. It's like building muscle - you have to work at it every day." - Eknath Easwaran
Now go out there and train like you mean it, girl!
Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/train-like-you-mean-it-girl.html
By Ashley Johns
