Training
Strong back, strong body
If there is one muscle group that really separates the wheat from the chaff when it comes to weight training and bodybuilding, it is without question a muscular, strong back. Back development is the foundation on which an impressive body and superhuman strength are built. A friend of mine once said "I've seen weak guys who had muscular arms and impressive pecs, but I've never seen a weak guy with a broad back."
To build layers of muscular back muscle mass, you need to move heavy weights both horizontally and vertically. You'll be strong at virtually everything you do... and you'll look damn impressive doing it. Here's an overview of what a basic back workout really looks like.
Why most backs are weak and narrow
I see people doing a lot of weird exercises in the gym these days, with most of them unable to perform even the basic multi-joint exercises with even a hint of efficiency. This is no accident.
Most exercisers must first become exceptionally strong at a few basic multi-joint exercises and spend a few years consistently setting new personal bests before they can worry about needing a weird exercise for the teres major and lower trapezius. Here's what we should be asking these people:
"Why are you lying upside down on a Swiss Ball performing one-arm cable rows while talking about proper thoracic extensor when you can't even do barbell rows with your own bodyweight or 10 strict pull-ups? Maybe you'd be more muscular if you addressed this issue instead of worrying about the angle at which your prumbria dyfuria contracts when the artichoke unvebrula is inverted in the sagittal plane."
Whether it's under the barre or under the stress of daily life, you'll be surprised how simply getting stronger can be a cure for most problems. This applies to every muscle group and includes the back.
Back width and thickness
Let's talk in bro lingo here:
Vertical pulling (like pull-ups and lat pull-downs) generally builds the latissimus. These exercises broaden your back. Horizontal pulling (like rowing) generally makes your back thicker in the midsection, rhomboid muscles and trapezius area. Variations of the deadlift build dense back extensors.
These are common conclusions that experienced exercisers have formed through trial and error. If you need a complicated explanation and rat studies, there's a good chance you won't follow through and build your back anyway.
And to all those who continue to wonder if there are some specific exercises that are the secret answer to their hypertrophy prayers, let me say at this point that no such thing exists. We already know the answers and they are quite simple: heavy basic exercises, time under tension, proper technique and consistency.
When barbell rowing goes wrong
Rowing is crucial for a muscular back and yet many exercisers don't get as much out of this exercise as they could. But what are they doing wrong? It varies. There are two ends of the spectrum when it comes to barbell rowing execution. And those who are stuck on one of those ends are forgoing potential gains.
- The super strict exercisers: Those on the super-strict end of the spectrum will limit the amount of weight they use because they are in a stock-stiff position that doesn't allow for more weight. They think that any body movement is "bad form" and tell everyone that they will break their back if they use any kind of significant weights.
- The Dry Swimmer: The exerciser on the other end of the spectrum uses way too much weight and basically just kind of yanks the weight up against their stomach. This type of exercise execution involves very little time under tension, as all the exerciser is doing is somehow getting the weight up with maximum momentum.
The first group is too rigid and limits the amount of total tension that can be generated and the second group needs to stop watching homemade R Kelly videos. Do you think you belong to either of these camps? There are a few ways you can make your rowing more efficient, safe and productive.
The basics of barbell rowing
Before you start, get into position. The supporting muscle groups must be in the safest and most stable position during the exercise. To do this, you need to fix the joints at angles in which the antagonistic muscles play a strong isometric role.
You can achieve this strong and stable position in the following way:
- Shift your weight onto your heels. Imagine you want to do Romanian deadlifts. Shift the weight onto your heels to balance the weight of the barbell in front of your body. Think about anchoring the posterior muscle chain.
- Breathe into your diaphragm. Breathe deeply into your abdomen and push your abdominal muscles down and your obliques out. This generates intra-abdominal pressure, which helps to stabilize your spine.
- Activate your latissimus and upper back. How do you do this? By rotating your elbows back and pulling your shoulder blades down. This will do a number of things. It will help you to initiate the movement with your latissimus and mid-back and help you to move in line with proper breathing, which in turn will help you to keep your spine stable.
Once you are in this position, there are a few things that can make the actual act of rowing more effective.
Use the bar to set the correct angle of your torso
People often wonder what the angle of the torso should be during the barbell row. You can use the barbell bar as a guide to find the optimal angle of the torso and the correct range of motion for the rowing movement.
At the lowest point of the range of motion, the bar should be slightly below your knees.
If the lowest position the bar reaches is above your knees - which is usually the case for the dry swimmers mentioned above - then you are basically performing slightly bent over shoulder raises (shrugs) and using the latissimus and upper back only over a very limited range of motion. The trapezius will do most of the work. Trapezius training is great, but there are better ways to build the trapezius.
Just below the knees is the optimal point that allows you to move a reasonable amount of weight through the full range of motion with a useful amount of reps (8 to 12). It is true that the latissimus can be stretched further if you go a little lower, but you may compromise a stable and strong position of the lumbar spine.
Row the bar towards your lower abs
This is another one that confuses people. When you pull the bar towards your chest, the lever arm from the hip to the bar becomes very long and the lower back is put under a lot of stress as it has to compensate for this lever arm. Place less stress on the lower back so that the muscles of the middle back receive the most tension.
To train yourself, remember the following: Weight on your heels, load the posterior chain of muscles, elbows back to engage the latissimus, shoulder blades down to engage the upper back, lower the bar to just below your knees and pull the bar towards your abs. It's not that hard - now row some heavy weights.
Dorian deadlift
I refer to this exercise as the Dorian deadlift because Dorian Yates was the first person I saw perform deadlifts this way.
Despite all the talk about deadlifts being a great building exercise for the back, the first part of the exercise puts a lot of stress on the hamstrings and to a lesser extent the gluteus. The muscles of the back end up working in an isometric fashion to prevent your spine from shooting backwards out of your body.
Conventional deadlifts performed through the full range of motion are actually a performance of two exercises: a press from the floor and then a pull through the knees. The push from the floor is powered by the legs. Then, when the bar reaches about knee height and the hamstrings have done their part of the job, the rhomboids, latissimus and trapezius work isometrically to hold the position while the movement is completed.
Conventional deadlifts, which are performed through the full range of motion, have a number of deficiencies when it comes to building the back muscles.
- There is not much emphasis on the eccentric portion of the repetition where the growth potential is higher.
- There is not a large eccentric portion. The lumbar muscles, trapezius and rhomboids do most of their work over a short range of motion during the concentric movement to maintain proper spinal alignment.
With Dorian deadlifts you solve both of these problems. This exercise involves an emphasized eccentric movement and it generates more tension for the entire back musculature.
The execution:
Start with a full repetition and then lower the weight from the highest position to just below the knees before starting the next repetition. As the eccentric movement remains in a loaded position, the shoulder blades lose retraction. The concentric forces of the trapezius and upper back pull the shoulder blades back in proper alignment with the spine. Now we're talking about a lot of tension distribution from the back extensors and through the upper back. That's a good thing.
Why can't you just do rack pulls (deadlifts from a rack) from the same height? That is an option. The shortcoming of this option, however, is that unlike Dorian deadlifts, when you put the bar on the rack, all the muscles are released and you lose tension. In Dorian deadlifts, the lumbar muscles and upper back remain contracted to keep the spine in the correct position in the range of motion, where these muscles have to work the hardest.
Rope Pulldowns(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7neTy_9zbjg)
This exercise is rarely seen in most gyms, but this exercise is still a great back exercise as you can achieve a very strong maximum contraction in the latissimus. First allow a full stretch of the latissimus and then pull the elbows down and back as far as you can. Do this while forming a slight hollow back and sticking your chest out in front. It's not rocket science.
Pull-ups
This method will give you the fastest boost in pull-ups:
- After warming up, add some weight using a dip belt and perform 5 repetitions.
- Increase the weight a little on the next set and perform 4 repetitions.
- Increase the weight again and perform 3 repetitions.
- Add some more weight and perform 2 repetitions.
- Then perform a single repetition that is heavy for you but that you can still perform with strength and explosiveness.
- Then perform two sets of pull-ups using only your bodyweight and as many repetitions as possible.
Each week, try to increase the weight on the heaviest single repetition and the number of repetitions on the bodyweight sets.
The factor that drives this principle is using the correct amount of weight on the heaviest single repetition. This is the key to success as this heavy single repetition will be very difficult for you and will challenge your nervous system to the point where the subsequent bodyweight sets become demanding. You will no longer be able to perform as many repetitions with your own body weight as you normally would and without this heavy single repetition you would not reap the same benefits.
Train your back twice a week
If you really want to push your back strength and back development, then train twice a week. Choose a conventional exercise and then either barbell rowing or Dorian deadlifts.
Day 1
- Rope pulldowns: 4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Dorian deadlift: 2 sets of 6-8 repetitions
Day 2
- Pull-ups: 5,4,3,2,1 - 2 x as many bodyweight reps as possible
- Barbell rowing: 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions
How to train your back every day
You can also choose one of these exercises every day and perform them in a rotating order. Try this for three weeks. Aim to set a personal best and then take a week off from back training.
- Day 1: Dorian deadlift - 1 set of 6-8 repetitions
- Day 2: Pull-ups: 5,4,3,2,1 - 2 x as many bodyweight reps as possible
- Day 3: Rope pulldowns - 4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Day 4: Barbell rowing - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Day 5: Start the cycle from the beginning
Move some heavy iron
There will come a day when the basics and progressive overload won't get you much further. But you need to put some quality time into these two things before you turn over every stone to fill in the gaps.
If you want to build an impressive amount of base muscle, then start by building your strength with the basic exercises. Get to the point where you can move some really heavy iron. Stop neglecting your back if you want to achieve significantly more strength and power and better body development.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/the-simple-plan-for-ultimate-back-size
By Paul Carter
Build a bigger brachialis by using slow contractions and consciously tensing your muscles hard for 20 seconds at the highest point of the movement
The quickest way to improve the look of your biceps is to focus on the brachialis. The brachialis - the muscle located underneath the biceps - contributes more to upper arm circumference than the biceps. Getting the brachialis to grow is an easy way to make the arm thicker.
But unfortunately, the way most people train their arms leaves the brachialis understimulated. People believe that simply using a neutral grip/hammer grip is enough for optimal brachialis training. However, this is not the case. Although the grip can have an influence, the type of contraction is a much more important factor when it comes to putting the brachialis under tension. The brachialis is much more active during slower, isometric actions.
The more the speed of the movement increases, the more the activation of the brachialis decreases as more load is shifted to the biceps. So if you perform very heavy dumbbell hammer curls at high speed (and maybe even use momentum of the arms to move more weight), then the brachialis will not experience much stimulation as the brachioradialis will take over. To train the brachialis effectively, you should do hammer curls with a cable grip on the cable pulley.
Perform your training set as follows:
- Perform the repetitions using constant tension. This means that you perform the movement quite slowly and consciously contract the muscle hard during every centimeter of the movement. Imagine that you are squeezing your biceps between your shoulder muscles and your forearms.
- With each repetition, consciously contract your muscles as hard as you can for 2 seconds at the highest point of the movement.
- At the end of the set, maintain a maximum contraction at the highest point of the movement for 10 to 20 seconds, tensing the muscles as hard as possible.
If you really want to prioritize your brachialis development, then perform all of your curls using the above three guidelines: Reverse Curls, Hammer Curls and Regular Curls.
Use vinegar to get lean and build muscle
by TC Luoma
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-use-vinegar-to-get-lean-build-muscle
Insulin can make you fat or lean and muscular. It all depends on whether you have good insulin sensitivity or whether you are insulin resistant. Without optimal insulin sensitivity, all the protein you eat will never be fully transported to your muscles. Instead, a lot will end up as fat in your fat stores. So you should strive to maximize your insulin sensitivity.
Here's an easy way to achieve this: Pour vinegar over everything you eat. Vinegar not only reduces the glucose and insulin response after a carbohydrate-containing meal, but also increases insulin sensitivity. Several studies have confirmed that vinegar can increase insulin sensitivity by an impressive 34% 60 minutes after a meal. Vinegar does this because acetic acid suppresses the activity of the disaccharidase enzyme, which can give you similar physiological effects to acarbose or metformin - two drugs used to treat type II diabetes.
Another study divided 29 subjects into three groups:
- A group with type II diabetics
- A group with pre-diabetic symptoms
- One group with healthy subjects
All subjects were given vinegar before a meal. The results were quite impressive:
- All three groups showed better blood sugar levels with vinegar than with a placebo.
- In the diabetes group, blood sugar levels improved by 25%
- The group with prediabetic symptoms had the lowest blood glucose levels, which were even lower than those of the healthy volunteers.
- The group with prediabetic symptoms benefited the most, as their blood glucose levels were almost halved.
A follow-up study also showed that continued use of vinegar led to an average weight loss of 2 pounds within four weeks. Another study concluded that subjects suffering from type II diabetes who took two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bedtime had 4 to 6% lower fasting blood sugar levels the next morning.
Source:
- Johnston, Carol S., et al, Vinegar Improves Insulin Sensitivity to a High-Carbohydrate Meal in Subjects With Insulin Resistance or Type 2 Diabetes Care, January 2004 vol. 27 no. 1 281-282.
Use this workout to build up your puny calves
To build mass in your calves, you need to eliminate the stretch reflex and perform stretches under load
By Christian Thibaudeau
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-use-this-workout-to-build-your-puny-calves
The calves are the hardest muscle group to build up. Throughout history, humans have had to walk for several hours a day. The ankle is involved the most in this activity. If all the effort required to move the body upwards while running was only achieved by straining the calves, these muscles would tire too quickly.
This is the reason why the Achilles tendon is so stiff and strong: it is the stretch reflex of the Achilles tendon that is responsible for a large part of the work on the ankle. And the same thing that makes locomotion more efficient is also the reason why it's so hard to get the calves to grow. The Achilles tendon has a very strong and highly reactive stretch reflex. When you perform common repetitions during calf training, it is this reflex that does most of the work. As a result, the muscles themselves do not contribute as much to the movement and are therefore not optimally stimulated.
In addition, the range of motion for calf exercises is very small. If you perform 8 to 12 repetitions, the time during which the muscles are under tension is too short to stimulate maximum hypertrophy. Last but not least, the fascia surrounding the calves is the densest and firmest in the whole body. If it is too tight, it can limit muscle growth.
The solution for flabby calves
- Take the stretch reflex out of the equation. A 2 to 3 second pause in the stretched position can greatly inhibit the stretch reflex. The stretch reflex is activated to prevent your calf muscles from being damaged. A sudden stretch is what activates this reflex. When you pause in the stretched position, your body considers the situation to be safe and under control and the reflex is inhibited. By pausing at the lowest point of each repetition, you shift most of the work to the muscles.
- Initiate the concentric part (upward movement) of the movement slowly. You have just deactivated the stretch reflex by pausing - do not reactivate it by moving the weight quickly into a stretched position. The first few centimetres of the movement should be slow.
- Extend the time under tension. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions for your calves, but hold the highest point of contraction for 2 seconds on each repetition, consciously tensing the muscles as hard as you can. This will extend the time under tension to about 30 seconds per set. On your last repetition, hold the maximum contraction for 10 to 20 seconds. This will at least address the "time under tension" problem.
- Reduce tension in the fascia. Perform stretches under load when the muscle is inflated. After completing your set, step off the machine for 3 to 5 seconds to allow blood and fluids to enter the muscle. Then return to the machine and hold the lower, stretched position for 30 to 45 seconds.
Perform each set as follows:
- Perform 10 to 12 repetitions with a 2-second stretch at the lowest point of the movement and a 2-second maximum contraction at the highest point of the movement.
- On your last repetition, hold the maximum contraction for 10 to 20 seconds.
- Step out of the machine, wait 5 seconds and then return to the machine. Hold the stretched position for 30 to 45 seconds. Three sets are all you need.
Perform Farmers Walk in this way to get defined
Farmers Walks outperform everything else when it comes to metabolic conditioning and fat loss. Here's why and two ways to perform this exercise.
By Christian Thibaudeau
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-farmers-walks-like-this-to-get-ripped
Some people love weightlifting workouts to keep their body fat under control, but Farmers Walk or Trap Bar Carry are even better for this. This is partly because you are less likely to be limited by metabolic factors. Training with the weight sled causes pretty much the biggest oxygen debt in the shortest amount of time. This is partly due to the high demands of this exercise, but also because it is difficult to breathe while you are pushing.
The Farmers Walk is also metabolically demanding, but at least you can breathe properly while performing it. For this reason, you can carry heavier weights for a longer period of time than you can push heavy weights - and you will also recover faster between sets. This allows for a higher training density (doing a lot of work in a short period of time), which is important if you want to get as lean as possible.
Secondly, the Farmers Walk involves the use of a greater number of muscles. When training with the weight sled, you may work your legs a little harder, but you won't achieve the same trapezius, arm and abdominal muscle involvement as with the Farmers Walk. You will also experience growth in these muscles due to the occlusal stretch you generate, making the Framers Walk an exercise that will give you more for your efforts.
You can use the Farmers Walk for different goals as follows:
- For fat loss: 2 minute passes with one minute rest between passes.
- To build muscle and lose fat: Use heavier weights for one minute circuits with one minute rest between circuits.
- To build mass and strength while keeping excess body fat off: Use really heavy weights for 20 to 30 second reps with up to 2 minutes rest between reps.
Change your grip for stronger shoulder presses
These two simple tweaks can increase your strength for bigger and stronger shoulder muscles.
By Paul Carter | 10/25/15
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-change-your-grip-for-a-stronger-overhead-press
Nothing builds shoulders better than heavy overhead presses. Anyone who can do a few reps of shoulder presses at 130 kilos while sitting or standing will have big, strong shoulders. Two simple changes to your grip will help you achieve this:
1 - Use a "false" grip
This means that you don't wrap your thumb around the bar. You will feel much stronger with a "thumbless" grip. This grip allows for a better path of the bar as it shifts it slightly closer to the center line of the body. A thumbless grip is also easier on the shoulders and puts less strain on the wrists.
2 - Find the right grip width
I use a relatively narrow grip for shoulder presses and my shoulders thank me for this by no longer hurting. Start with a shoulder-width grip - or at least somewhere in that range. As a visual aid, turn your hands back towards your shoulders. When your thumbs are directly towards the outside of your shoulders, you have found the right position for powerful and pain-free pressing movements.
Perform heavier and fewer repetitions for excellent abs
Recruit more muscle by tensing the muscles hard before each repetition of an abdominal exercise
By Christian Thibaudeau
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-harder-fewer-reps-for-great-abs
When you do an abdominal workout, your goal should not be to do more repetitions, but to completely exhaust your abs with the least number of repetitions. Only then will you be efficient in recruiting your abs. If you train your abs in this way and you are lean enough, then you will achieve the six-pack you are striving for.
Here's how it works:
- Tighten your abs hard before starting the exercise. Imagine that someone is about to punch you in the stomach. When your abdominal muscles are contracted hard, you can start the repetition.
- Curl your torso upwards. The concentric part of the movement should be a small classic sit-up. The key to this movement is to move your torso upwards in a curl (crunch) motion. Imagine that you are trying to move your head towards your pelvis. It is also very important that you move slowly and never lose tension in the abdominal muscles. If you lose tension in your abdominal muscles, you are moving too fast.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles hard at the top of the range of motion (when your spine is curved upwards) with each repetition, while continuing to imagine that someone is punching you in the stomach.
- Then move back to the starting position, following the opposite movement pattern.
- Start the next repetition at step 1.
Aim for 8 to 12 repetitions - and no more. If you can perform more than 12 repetitions with perfect form as described above, then it's time to increase the resistance. Remember, however, that the goal is to make each repetition as heavy as possible - not just increase the weight. Try to exhaust your abs with the least number of repetitions possible.
Perform leg curls before squats
Pre-pumped leg curls will give you a better feel and more stability during squats
By John Meadows
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-hamstring-curls-before-squats
Most exercisers are extremely quadriceps dominant and leg curls are undervalued as a leg curl development exercise. Starting your training session with leg curls will allow you to emphasize your hamstrings rather than simply performing a few meaningless sets of leg curls at the end of the session.
With pumped-up leg curls, you'll also feel more stable in the lowest position during squats and your hips will feel more "lubricated" with each repetition of squats. And as strange as it may sound, you'll find that your knees will need less warming up if you start your leg training session with leg curls.
Perform 2 to 3 warm-up sets for the leg curls and then 3 sets of 8 repetitions with a hard contraction at the highest point of the movement. On the fourth set, perform 8 repetitions followed by 25 partial repetitions from the stretched position, moving the weight only 10 to 15 centimetres upwards. Then perform squats and see how it feels.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-for-bigger-arms-do-slow-hammer-curls
By Christian Thibaudeau
One of the most heated discussions in the field of weight training revolves around whether or not to perform crunches. It's amazing to see that this seemingly innocuous, short-range-of-motion exercise has caused such a rift between so many strength and conditioning professionals - and the debate continues.
At the center of this debate are studies using pig cadavers that show that repetitive flexion of the spine can lead to disc herniation. These in vitro studies seem to indicate that lumbar flexion is a potent disc herniation-inducing mechanism, and opponents of the use of crunches have extrapolated from these studies that the human spine can withstand a limited number of flexion cycles over its lifespan without damage.
Accordingly, these people recommend that exercises such as crunches that involve flexion of the spine should be avoided at all costs. However, while this may seem logical at first glance, this issue is more complex than it may initially appear.
Someone needs to stand up and do something about that 2000 pound gorilla soiling the carpet. We know dozens of respected strength coaches, physical therapists, personal trainers and medical professionals who have serious doubts about the dangers of crunches, but no one dares to seriously discuss this topic for fear of jeopardizing their reputation.
This must come to an end!
Fitness is a religion
Humans have a natural need to follow a school of thought, follow a leader, believe in supernatural phenomena and rebel against scientific principles. Throughout human history, scientists have been punished for questioning the current dogma. Sadly, this is no different in the fitness industry.
Many fitness professionals have looked for a culprit for lower back pain and jumped on the anti-crunches bandwagon without critical inquiry. These people have adopted absurdly rigid views regarding the lumbar spine, believing that you should move this area of the body as little as possible to protect the spine - going so far as to alter the normal biomechanics of daily life.
In the next step, they have put pressure on others to jump on this bandwagon as well and they become very emotional when confronted with this issue. This is the antithesis of scientific thinking. We are lucky that we are not under house arrest like Galileo for his hypothesis that the earth is not the center of the universe.
After taking a closer look at the subject, reviewing the scientific literature and applying our critical thinking skills, we have come to the conclusion that a reasonable dose of exercises that bend the spine is good for you and that it is not necessary to avoid these exercises.
We presented our position in a review paper published in the Strength & Conditioning Journal, and while we won't repeat everything from that review in this article, we continue to question the current "anti-crunches" movement and propose a plausible alternative theory.
In our journal article, we addressed the following topics, which we will only summarize briefly and concisely below. For more detailed explanations and study citations, we encourage the interested reader to read our journal article in full.
Methodological issues in studies against exercises involving lumbar flexion
- Removal of the muscles: The experiments used in the study to refute the use of lumbar flexion exercises used the spines of pigs from which the muscles had been removed, altering the biomechanics of the spine.
- No fluid in the cadavers: Spines in cadavers do not function in the same way as living spines because the fluid does not flow back into the intervertebral discs as it does in living tissue.
- The range of motion of the porcine spine: the porcine spine has a smaller flexion and extension range of motion than the lumbar spine in humans.
- The movement of crunches has not been mimicked correctly: when most people perform crunches, they perform a few sets of 10 or 20 repetitions and then wait a few days before performing the exercise again. This allows the discs to regenerate and remodel. However, the studies used to refute crunches involved thousands of cycles of lumbar spine flexion without rest, which in no way mimics athletic training. It should also be noted that cadaveric spines do not remodel, whereas living spines do.
- Genetics: In the world of disc degeneration, the role of genetics is enormous. It seems that some individuals are highly susceptible to disc problems, while others are not. This suggests that optimal design of an exercise program would require knowledge of genetic predispositions.
- Range of motion of the crunch exercise: many years ago, an NSCA Journal article described the proper execution of crunches, which involves a 30 degree flexion of the trunk, with the majority of the movement occurring in the thoracic spine rather than the lumbar spine. If the lumbar spine does not approach the point of maximal flexion when performing crunches, then these studies are not applicable to this exercise.
- Intra-abdominal pressure controversy: There is a possibility that models used to estimate compressive forces during the performance of crunches have been overestimated because the role of intra-abdominal pressure (pressure within the abdomen) has not been taken into account. If this is the case, then the studies may have used too much pressure in combination with the aforementioned excessive range of motion, which would make these studies inapplicable to crunches. However, there are a number of conflicting studies in this area and it is likely that this effect is not significant.
Potential benefits of lumbar flexion exercises
- Increased blood flow and nutrient delivery to the intervertebral discs: Flexion of the lumbar spine increases the delivery of nutrients to the intervertebral discs by increasing the supply of nutrient-transporting fluids to the discs.
- Increased tissue remodeling: the correct dosage of spinal flexion is likely to strengthen the tissues of the intervertebral discs, which would therefore increase resistance to lumbar flexion exercises and prevent future injuries.
- Sagittal plane mobility: some studies have linked a lack of spinal mobility to lower back pain, although the literature on this topic is somewhat contradictory. What is clear, however, is that crunches can prevent loss of spinal mobility, which may be important in preventing lower back pain.
- Rectus abdominis hypertrophy: when you consider the overall knowledge of hypertrophy, it quickly becomes clear that dynamic training is superior to isometric training when it comes to building muscle mass. Much of this has to do with the increased muscle damage caused by eccentric activity, as well as the increased metabolic stress. So if you want to improve the appearance of your six-pack, then flexion exercises will certainly help you achieve this goal.
- Performance enhancement: Contrary to what some have claimed, lumbar flexion is common in many athletic activities. Therefore, concentric/eccentric strengthening of the abdominal muscles may very well lead to increased athletic performance.
Anecdotes and other arguments
Let's now look at some anecdotal evidence to support our claims.
If there really is a finite number of flexion cycles, where does that number lie?
Several fitness experts have suggested that the human lumbar spine has a limited number of flexion cycles and they believe that we should save these cycles for activities of daily living such as tying shoes rather than wasting them on crunches. Even if you keep in mind that anecdotal evidence proves nothing, it is still interesting to look for such evidence and see if it can provide a basis for a theoretical justification.
- In 2003, the Brazilian fitness trainer Edmar Freitas performed 133,986 crunches within 30 hours, setting a world record. With this achievement, he surpassed his record from the previous year, which had been 111,000 sit-ups within 24 hours.
- Manny Pacquiao, one of the best boxers in the world, performs 4,000 sit-ups per day.
- And last but not least, there's Herschel Walker, American football legend, Olympic bobsledder and new MMA hopeful, who has been doing 3,500 sit-ups a day since his high school days. He started practicing sit-ups when he was 12 years old. Considering he's 49 years old today, that's the equivalent of 47,267,500 situps. That's almost 50 million flexion cycles under compression load!
Of course, you could argue that all of these individuals may have ruined their spine by doing this and that if you were to get MRI images of these people, you would probably see scary degeneration of the discs, but we doubt that this would be the case. Instead, we believe this is clear evidence that the discs can remodel and become stronger over time to resist the damage that spinal flexion exercise can cause.
Another argument that could be made is that these people are outliers and their exceptional genetics allow for such amazing flexion cycles. However, we disagree with this and believe that there are probably many individuals who unknowingly achieve similar numbers over the course of their lives. Rather, we believe that this is evidence that muscular balance, abdominal muscle strength and flexion exercises can protect the spine.
Should we shoot ourselves now?
If we were to target specific disc studies to determine what forms of exercise we should be doing, then we shouldn't really be doing anything at all.
We found 13 studies that suggest spinal flexion is a bad idea (Callaghan and McGill, 2001; Drake et al, 2005; Tampier et al, 2007; Drake and Callaghan, 2009; Marshall and McGill, 2010; Adams and Hutton, 1982; Adams and Hutton, 1983; Adams and Hutton, 1985; Lindblom 1957; Brown et al, 1957; Hardy, 1958; Veres et al, 2009; Court et al, 2001). This means neither crunches nor sit-ups.
We found 11 studies showing that combinations of spinal loading are not a good idea. (Gordon et al. 1991 (flexion and rotation); McNally et al. 1993 (flexion and external flexion); Shirazi 1989 (lateral flexion and rotation); Kelsey et al. 1984 (flexion and rotation); Adams et al. 2000 (complex); Marshall and McGill, 2010 (flexion/extension and rotation); Drake et al. 2005 (flexion and rotation); Veres et al, 2010 (flexion and rotation); Schmidt et al. 2007 (lateral bending and rotation, lateral bending and flexion, lateral bending and extension); Schmidt et al. 2007 (lateral bending and flexion, lateral bending and rotation, flexion and rotation); Schmidt et al. 2009 (lateral bending and flexion, lateral bending and extension). This does not include exercises such as sit-ups with rotation of the upper body or Russian twists(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeAtimSCxsY).
We also found a few studies showing that spinal extension is a big no-no (Adams et al., 2000; Shah et al., 1978). This means no supermans(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6PJMT2y8GQ).
Several studies show that spinal rotation is bad (Krismer et al, 1996; Aultman et al, 2004; Farfan et al, 1970). This means no wood chopping exercises on the cable pulley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoACGlPyQTI). And you'd better not do these exercises on a vibrating platform either, as this would be a double whammy for your spine. Other studies have shown that vibrations are bad for the intervertebral discs (Dupuis and Zerlett 1987).
There is research to suggest that side bending is bad for you (Costi et al. 2007; Natarajan et al. 2008). This does not mean side bending. Similarly, asymmetrical exercises have also been shown to lead to negative results (Natarajan et al. 2008). This does not mean unilateral exercises or loaded carries.
And here's where things start to get interesting. We found 18 different studies showing that static or dynamic compression is a very bad idea (Virgin 1951; Liu et al. 1983; Lai et al. 2008; Lotz et al. 1998; Tsai et al. 1998; Iatridis et al. 1999; Lotz et al. 1998; Kroeber et al. 2002; MacLean et al. 2003; Hsieh and Lotz 2003; MacLean et al. 2004; Ching et al. 2004; Masouka et al. 2007; Veres et al. 2008; Lai and Chow 2010; Nakamura et al. 2009; Wang et al. 2007; Huang and Gu 2008).
This means not only no squats, deadlifts and core stability exercises, but also no physical activities that involve free weights of any kind, as muscle contractions generate a compression load on the spine. We should have known this because training with heavy weights is bad for the back (Lee and Chiou 1994; Kelsey et al. 1984), as is overactivity (Videman and Battie, 1999). So now we know that training with weights and intensive training are out.
And it goes on and on. We have found studies that suggest that all kinds of daily activities are bad for the back - even sitting and bed rest. Perhaps we should shoot ourselves now before we become completely immobile.
In the second part of this article, we will address the question of whether crunches can have negative effects on posture and get to the bottom of whether crunches are a functional exercise. Finally, we will get to the bottom of the question of whether there is such a thing as healing and regeneration of the intervertebral discs.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/to-crunch-or-not-to-crunch
By Bret Contreras, Brad Schoenfeld, PhD
Q: Apart from milk thistle, do you know of any medicinal plants that athletes use for liver regeneration?
A: Yes, one of these plants is Picrorhiza kurroa, a small perennial plant that grows in the northwestern part of India in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 to 5000 meters. This plant is an important medicinal plant in the traditional Ayurvedic system of medicine and is used to treat liver and bronchial problems. Its root and root stem are used medicinally.
In an experimental setting, this medicinal plant has been shown to protect the liver from various stressors ranging from toxic fungi to Tylenol. This plant appears to be at least equivalent, if not superior, to milk thistle in many cases. In addition to strong antioxidant properties, strong liver regenerative effects have been demonstrated.
Picrorhiza kurroa is available in two dosage forms: tinctures and capsules standardized to 4% of the active ingredient cuctin. (However, if you are a real man, you will travel to the Himalayas and pick the plant yourself, as I used to do three times a year).
The normal dosage used is between 400 and 1500 mg. Many athletes report increased energy levels and gains in lean muscle mass after just 5 days of use. This is probably related to improved IGF-1 levels.
Swiss Ball use and abuse
Q: You have written a few articles in the past about the use of the Swiss Ball. Today it seems that stability balls and related products are being used incorrectly and far too often. Have you changed your mind about Swiss Balls?
A: The problem with Swiss Balls is that people start doing things with this equipment that their bodies are not made for. Doing squats on a Swiss Ball, for example, is pretty crazy. It's no longer a workout, it's more of a party trick. One of the problems is that you have to do squats with your legs bent. There is actually someone in the fitness industry who brags about demonstrating this exercise at a seminar. When he jumped off the ball, he tore his cruciate ligament. The problem is that you expose your ligaments to unfavorable stretching when you perform O-legged squats.
If you want to use a Swiss ball to modify the strength curve, as I do with some arm exercises, then that's fine.
For eccentric lean away curls, you start the exercise with your back against the ball and your triceps squatting in front of a Swiss ball. In this position, you perform the concentric part of the curl movement. As soon as the dumbbells are in the highest position of the curl movement, raise your hips so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. Your upper body should then lie flat on the top of the ball. Then lower the dumbbells down and away from you. Then lower your hips back to the starting position and repeat until you have completed the desired number of repetitions.
A Swiss ball is also good for certain core exercises. However, the problem starts when people say that Swiss Balls can cure cancer and perform infrared spectroscopy of the lower back. There are a lot of people out there making unsupportable claims.
Recent research has shown that Swiss Ball training for the core will only work for about 6 weeks. You will get more ab activation from squats and deadlifts than from Swiss Ball exercises - regardless of how difficult the Swiss Ball exercises are. If you are an untrained person, then you can use the Swiss Ball, but after 6 weeks you will have achieved the maximum gains.
About 70% of all Swiss Ball exercises are worthless. It's one of those things where people tend to take an idea too far. Swiss Ball training can have its benefits, but it's not a panacea.
Most personal trainers and strength coaches don't know how to make their clients stronger. I remember talking to a trainer who uses all these stability gimmicks. I asked him why he was using all this shit and he said "I'm not good and that's why I have to do all these weird things to get people to come to me."
I remember seeing him have a post-menopausal woman do one-arm split squats with a fat dumbbell. I wouldn't even let Adam Nelson - one of the best shot-putters in the world - do that. The risk of injury is simply too high.
The problem with using Duradisk and similar equipment is that you have to use weights that are so light that none of the primary muscles are activated. If a woman can do a 12.5 kilo overhead press, she will only be able to use 4 kilos if she performs this exercise on one of these stability training tools. Unfortunately, this will not overload her muscles.
I call this kind of thing "entertainment training" and not strength training. And every time I see something like this, I would like to kick the trainer in charge with a steel-toed shoe.
And the BOSU Ball? The BOSU ball is a Swiss ball for idiots! If you stand on it, you will always stand on your back. Why would you want to adopt a position that is not good for your knees and ankles? How about doing the whole thing on one foot? Then you would have to reduce the weight!
One of the stupidest things I've ever seen is doing dumbbell presses lying on a Swiss ball with only one arm. The heaviest an 80 kilo exerciser can use is about 20 kilos. Why? Because he would fall off the ball if he used more. The same exerciser can use much more than 20 kilos when doing regular dumbbell presses. So what's the point of training like this?
"It activates the core." Yes, and to what extent? All you're doing is activating a few stabilizers to prevent you from rolling off the ball, but you're not overloading the pressing muscles. Once again, this is nothing more than entertainment training. It's circus training, but it's not going to do anything.
Now, these pieces of equipment work well...as far as marketing goes. It's the same as running around pylons. How often do you run a perfect line in football or any other sport? It's never going to be perfect - especially when a 130 kilo defender is running at you in American football and trying to throw you off course.
The biggest training mistakes
Q: Apart from diet and lifestyle mistakes, what are the biggest training mistakes people make when their main goal is muscle hypertrophy?
A: The most common mistake is taking the easy way out, which means, among other things, choosing exercises that don't recruit the most muscle. Leg extensions instead of squats, hyperextensions instead of deadlifts, etc.
Basically, hypertrophy is a function of time under tension within a certain limit. It's always a question of how many motor units you can recruit. Bench presses with chains (adapted resistance) will always do more for you than the same number of repetitions on a chest machine. You need to choose the exercises that can give you the most bang for your buck.
Let's say you have ten pairs of identical twins that you divide into equal groups. One group does deadlifts with bands, squats with chains and pull-ups. The other group trains leg extensions, leg curls and chest presses on a machine. The difference in hypertrophy between the group with free weights and the group with the machine training will be monstrous.
Another example: Take one exerciser and have him do 10 hard sets of pull-ups for 6 reps each. Take his twin and have him do 10 sets of lat pull-ups of 6 reps. The difference in muscle mass will be like night and day as you recruit more muscle during pull-ups than lat pull-downs.
The problem with machines is often that the lever ratios are simply too good. Any teenager can do chest presses on a machine with 5 plates, but they won't be able to use that weight on any barbell exercise.
Another problem with machines is the fixed movement sequence. For the same reason, I also believe that dumbbells are a better choice than a barbell for most exercises - especially if you are dealing with athletes and not bodybuilders.
When I was in the Soviet Union in the eighties, I was amazed at how little variation the athletes there used in their equipment. They had a lot of barbells and a lot of dumbbells, but there was nothing fancy. It's what you do with the equipment that matters. And yet I saw a guy there doing 5 sets of bench presses of 8 reps with 2 seconds rest with the weight on his chest at 240 kilos. And he wasn't a weightlifter but a wrestler! He had built up his strength with basic equipment.
All of these machines can be a good source of variation for the exerciser who is only interested in a good beach body. In bodybuilding, muscles don't have to be functional. They just need to look good. It doesn't matter if you use boulders or machines with fancy resistance curves - as long as you use enough load and the time under tension is long enough, you can achieve hypertrophy (just change the exercises).
I'm not dogmatic enough to say that machines are "evil". It depends on the population that uses them. The businessman doesn't care if he can do incline bench presses with a pair of 40 kilo dumbbells - he just wants to look good by the pool of his 5 star hotel. Whether he uses machines or dumbbells for this doesn't matter.
Bicep exercises that are not for wimps
Q: When I look at your programs, I see that you often use Scott curls. Why is that? Just like kickbacks, this is an exercise for wimps.
A: Allow me to disagree. There is a big difference between scott curls and kickbacks. If you look at EMG studies, the two biceps exercises that recruit the most motor units are incline bench curls and scott curls. The main reason for this is that you don't need to activate motor units from other muscle groups.
How much weight can you use in kickbacks for triceps compared to lying tricep presses with dumbbells? Maybe 10%. The reason this percentage is so low is that we are dealing with poor motor unit recruitment in this exercise. You simply can't move much weight. The two best exercises for triceps recruitment are one-arm French presses and triceps presses on a reverse incline bench, both of which are isolation exercises, but the weight is very high compared to kickbacks.
Even though I like scott curls for biceps, you should always change the angle and equipment regardless of how good the exercise is. You can perform scott curls at different angles with a barbell, a dumbbell or on the cable pulley.
Equipment from the past: the arm blaster
Q: Since you like Scott curls, I'd like to know what you think of the good old arm blaster that Arnold used.
A: There's actually a study on the subject that shows that this equipment increases the recruitment of the elbow flexors, which is probably because it makes it harder to gain momentum by moving the upper arms.
If you try to gain momentum, this training tool will cut uncomfortably into your ribs.
It therefore increases muscle recruitment, although an easier way is to simply lean your back against a wall or other fixed object.
The last word on barbell rowing
Q: You've questioned the value of barbell rowing in the past. Why? Isn't this the best mass building exercise for the back?
A: One problem with barbell rowing is that many people find it really difficult to use the latissimus and elbow flexors in this exercise. They always unconsciously start working with momentum from their legs and using their gluteus and lower back.
The second problem is that the bar hits either the abdomen or the chest, which limits your range of motion. A better way is to use single arm dumbbell rowing.
This also allows you to move the elbow up in different pathways. One month you could move the elbow straight up, one month you could pretend to punch someone in the face with your elbow. This allows you to recruit different parts of the retractors of the shoulder blades. Barbell rowing is not a useless exercise, but dumbbell rowing is a better alternative.
People often want to hear that one particular exercise is the only way to go, but that's simply not true. Barbell rowing is fine, but after a few weeks you should do something else.
Strongman training for beginners
Q: I don't want to compete in Strongman competitions, but I would like to use some of their equipment for my training. What should I start with?
A: The two exercises that are easiest to learn are the weight sled pull and the farmers walk.
If you do intervals using a weight sled then depending on the load pattern you will improve your performance on squats, deadlifts or whatever you are working on.
Tire flipping is probably the most impractical exercise. You will have to make big jumps in the weight used and this exercise also includes a technical component. Of all the strongman exercises, tire flipping is associated with the most injuries. Bicep tears have been known to occur due to exercisers using the wrong technique. Farmers walk and sled pulls, on the other hand, are pretty self-explanatory, which is why I would start with these.
One of the best tests of athletic ability is to ask the trainee to walk with the farmer's yoke (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vc2WXGtk0Q)
Take an exerciser who uses a ton of weight on squats and lifts a whole house on deadlifts and ask them to run with a super heavy yoke. He'll look like an epileptic penguin who just had a seizure. We did an experiment where we had a previously strong person train for four months using only the Farmers Yoke. No squats, no deadlifts. At the end, their squat and deadlift weights had increased by one or two percent. That's true core training. Run 25 meters with a yoke and your abs will be activated like rarely before.
Many people say that you should use walking boots on the Farmers Walk to protect your ankles. I prefer to use running shoes so that you don't protect your ankles. I want the ankles to stabilize themselves and allow you to increase your ankle stability. Something like this works far better than a Duradisk!
Determining athletic potential
Q: What is a good way to tell if a child has good potential for weight training?
A: There is a study that was done with world-class Olympic weightlifters. If you have them do a hand dynamo grip test, you will find that their grip strength is only slightly stronger than it was at the age of 12. This is due to the fact that those who went on to become world champions in powerlifting disciplines were already 95% stronger than other children in their age group by the age of 12.
In other words, grip strength is a good selection criterion. Do you want to find a future world champion in weightlifting? Use a grip strength test for children aged 8 and 12. This will immediately show you who will be strong.
In China, they look for hairy upper arms in female weightlifters. If she is eight years old and has the forearms of a Lebanese cab driver, then she will be selected for weightlifting. This is because women with hairy forearms have higher androgen levels.
Source: https: //www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-33, Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-34
By Charles Poliquin
Learn how to put together a workout program that will help you train like an athlete while reaping the hypertrophy benefits of bodybuilding training.
A muscular and defined look is the goal of many men, but what is such a look worth if it lacks the associated performance? Sure, you might have thick arms that could rival Arnold in his prime, but if you can't even keep up with a game of beach volleyball on vacation, you've got a problem.
But where do you start if you don't have the money for a qualified trainer and have decided to put together your own training program? Which exercises are the best if you are concerned not only with appearance but also with performance? What's the best way to train like an athlete while still reaping the hypertrophy benefits of bodybuilding training?
Well, it's a good thing you found this article. I'm going to show you all of this step by step. I'll even give you a sample training program at the end of this article that will take you a big step closer to your goals.
All too often I see people get caught up in the non-essentials and analyze every aspect of their training down to the last detail - and unfortunately, I'm not immune to this either. However, it is important to look at your own training from an outsider's perspective from time to time. With this in mind, we should first ask ourselves what the top priorities are for each individual training program.
1. train well before you train often
There's no way around it - if you want to train like an athlete but grow like a bodybuilder, then you need progressive overload in the form of variations of exercises such as presses, pulls, squats, carries and lunges. Does this mean you need to perform classic squats or conventionally pull a weight up from the floor? No, and some people won't even be able to do this.
Let me make this clear: Some people will not be able to perform these exercises in a proper manner because they lack the mobility and/or stability necessary to get into a safe and efficient position to perform these exercises. Sure, I see people doing squats and deadlifts every day, but does that mean they should be doing them? Right now, probably not...
"How do I know which exercise variation is right for me?"
Ideally, you would work with a qualified strength and conditioning coach or personal trainer who is well versed in movement variability and compensatory movement patterns. Such a trainer would be able to help you adjust your training program and movement demands based on your athletic ability and any history of injury.
However, for the purpose of this article and the training program presented at the end, I will use a progression scheme that increases the range of motion over time as your mobility improves and your strength increases. This goes along the following lines: Note: > and larger numbers indicate a higher level of difficulty.
Squat variations
- Dumbbell goblet squats
- Front squats with two kettlebells
- Belt squats(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwweqpHU6_E)
- Safety bar squats(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2jmZyptN64)
- Front squats
- Classic squats
Variations of lunges
- Step-ups
- Split squats > front foot on an elevation
- Reverse lunges > front foot on an elevation
- One-legged squats on a bench
- Lateral lunges
- Bulgarian split squats (back foot on an elevation)
- Single-leg squats from a bench(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLQNCmrullk)
- Walking lunges
- Lunges to the front
- One-legged skater squats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH0qj4JuQGQ)
- Pistol squats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjxQrgLsty4)
Variations of the press (horizontal)
- Push-ups supported by bands(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_JeoSS87rE)
- Pure eccentric push-ups
- Push-ups
- Barbell floor press (bench press lying on the floor)
- Dumbbell floor press
- Dumbbell bench press
- Barbell band press
Variations of the press (vertical)
- Forearm Wall Slide(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqWvJ_11zEs)
- Half Kneeling Kettlebell Press(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSjQLfp_aBk)
- Kneeling Kettlebell Press
- Half Kneeling Landmine Press (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ovRm9BdOds)
- Standing Landmine Press (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clVS_j5EO-A)
- Dumbbell shoulder press sitting
- Standing one-arm dumbbell shoulder press
- Two-arm dumbbell shoulder press standing
- Neck press
- Barbell shoulder press standing
- Neck press with wide grip
- Push Press (barbell shoulder press with momentum from the legs)
Pulling variations (horizontal)
- Inverted rowing
- Incline bench dumbbell rowing with supported chest(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl2MnK1i504)
- Incline bench T-bar rowing with supported chest
- One-arm dumbbell rowing
- Rowing bent over with dumbbells
- Barbell rowing bent over
Pulling variations (vertical)
- Hanging with bent arms (jump up to a pull-up bar and hold your body in the upper position of a pull-up for as long as possible)
- Pull-ups supported by bands
- Pure eccentric pull-ups with an overhand grip
- Pure eccentric pull-ups with an underhand grip
- Pull-ups with overhand grip
- Pull-ups with an underhand grip
Bending exercises
- Torso bends with a bar: 3 contact points (back of the head, between the shoulder blades and tailbone)(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzsx03mQTOc)
- Cable pull-through(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT4HfQmmYsI)
- Kettlebell sumo deadlift
- Romanian deadlift
- Trap bar deadlift
- Sumo deadlift
- Conventional deadlift
Carrys
- Farmers Walk
- One Arm Farmers Carry
- Racked Kettlebell Carry(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PCziOj35ms)
- Kettlebell Crossover Walk(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gdcZL1thZQ)
- Overhead Kettlebell Carry
- Overhead Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Walk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgJFFlo4yn8)
- Barbell Carry overhead
This is a highly simplified version of potential exercise progressions and regressions. There are a million and one variations you could incorporate into any program. The sequencing of difficulty is also quite controversial, but that's a topic for another article.
"You place barbell band backs, classic squats and conventional deadlifts last - but why should I do these other boring exercises when I can use the exercises that will give me the most bang for my buck instead?"
Sure, you might not want to regress your exercises by doing push-ups with extra weight or Romanian deadlifts, but as I've said before, just because you're doing something right now doesn't necessarily mean you should.
You may love classic deadlifts, but if the next day you feel pain and tension in your lumbar spine and have trouble getting out of the car, then you should probably review your motor movement patterns and try to look at your training from a more long-term perspective.
If you look at some of the best athletes in the world (sprinters, gymnasts, wrestlers, swimmers, etc.), what qualities will they all share? They are masters of their body weight in space. You need to build a foundation first and get strong with the basics before you think about moving on to the heavy, "sexy" exercises that everyone wants to do.
2. a training program is more than just sets and reps
The best training program is one that you enjoy, one that you can do consistently, and one that keeps you healthy from a musculoskeletal and neural standpoint. However, if you look at the training programs of most exercisers, they pledge their undying love to bench presses and flying movements on the cable, but don't find time for pull-ups or inverse rowing during the rest of their training session.
Athletes, on the other hand, train with a very balanced approach most of the time, as they do not put together their own training programs. Bodybuilders, on the other hand, live for their 3 x 10 approach to everything and use such a high volume that they almost throw up or collapse. We'll address the hypertrophy component of periodization in the next point, but first here are a few basic requirements that should be incorporated into any well put together training program:
A 2:1 ratio of pulling to pushing exercises (3:1 for exercisers with shoulder issues).
This is more or less the standard protocol of most strength coaches, but many seem to forget this. When you consider that most exercisers are quite weak in their upper back and combine this with the fact that they overdo it with the vertical pull and horizontal press (i.e. lat pull and bench press), then it's always a good decision to train some more horizontal rowing.
Your upper back can handle a lot of volume, but most neglect this due to poor program design.
Train the hamstrings in both a stretched and extended position
The hamstrings are muscles that cross two joints (the hip and the knee) and can flex or extend both of these joints. For this reason, you need to train your leg flexors in positions of both hip and knee flexion or extension. For example, if you incorporate Romanian deadlifts (a hip extension workout in a knee extension position) into your training program, then you should also include something like hip thrusts (a hip extension workout in a knee extension position) in your training.
If you still don't understand what I'm getting at, here's another example: let's say you're doing incessant seated leg curls (knee flexion combined with hip flexion). Then you should also do something like glute ham raises (knee flexion combined with hip extension) to train your hamstrings optimally.
Learn how to perform squats correctly
Stop giving up on squats because they are too strenuous or too difficult - nothing commands more respect than flawless deep squats with a few slices on the bar. Find exercises that you enjoy and that suit your goals. Not a powerlifter? Cool, then you don't have to do classic squats, but you should check out one of the variations I've listed above.
Include single-leg training in your program
Hip stability is one of the key components that ensures proper leg swing mechanics during normal walking, jogging or sprinting. Don't care about sprinting? That's cool, but maybe you're one of those people who's always complaining about tight hip flexors. Do some single-leg training, build up your gluteus and learn how to achieve stability on one leg.
This doesn't mean you have to start doing lunges straight away from day 1 - start with split squats and work your way up (see the lunge progression above).
Include push-ups in your supportive training
I know, I know, you train flying movements, incline bench presses and even on the Hammer Strength machine. But the truth is, you may still have a weak serratus anterior.
The serratus is mainly responsible for protraction and upward rotation of the shoulder blades. However, in most variations of the bench press, the shoulder blades typically remain fixed on the bench to keep your shoulders in the most biomechanically advantageous position. While this is excellent for shoulder health, it's not so great when it comes to activating the serratus.
Push-ups, however, give you the best of both worlds as they allow the shoulder blades to move around the chest while the exerciser pushes up concentrically. You don't have to use the same old classic push-ups that everyone else is using - use bands, chains, repetition pyramids, tempo training or isometric holds to add some variety to your workout.
3. intensity first and volume second
If you want to build an impressive body and increase your athletic performance, then you need to consider a few different variables when structuring your set and repetition scheme.
If you're putting together your own training program with the goal of looking like Ronnie Coleman and moving like Barry Sanders, then you need to remember the following: stick to higher intensity exercises at the beginning of your training session when you're fresh and rested, and then transition to a more pump-oriented, bodybuilding-style workout during the second half of your training session.
Why? If you've read any of Brad Schoenfeld's work, you'll know that muscle hypertrophy can occur via 3 different mechanisms (1):
- Mechanical tension - This is the most powerful mechanism when it comes to achieving muscle adaptations.
- Muscle damage - This is a useful mechanism, but it is a bell curve, meaning that there is an optimal range, but you can overdo or underdo it.
- Metabolic stress - An accumulation of metabolic waste products from specific energy systems that become active during training with weights: Hydrogen ions, lactate, phosphates, etc.
Schoenfeld notes in his research that there is something like a maximum stimulus threshold for stress-induced hypertrophy, above which metabolic factors become more important than a further increase in load.
What does this mean for exercisers like you and me? After an exerciser has accumulated a certain volume at a high intensity (80%+), the other two hypertrophy factors (especially metabolic stress) become more important.
So from a practical standpoint, you should not only manipulate sets and reps, but also shorten rest intervals and increase your training density (more work in a shorter period of time). By shortening rest intervals, you will increase the amount of blood that can build up in a specific muscle due to the mild ischemic effects of repetitive contractions. This contributes to a phenomenon known as muscle swelling, known as a pump among bodybuilders.
Studies have shown that muscle cell swelling induces a threat-based survival mechanism due to potential cell rupture (2). This results in the initiation of anabolic signals and a strengthening of the cell membrane to prevent damage during future intense training sessions.
Your body will always try to adapt and manipulating rest intervals, sets and repetitions will ensure that you are truly optimizing every factor of your training.
Practical applications
- You need to build a foundation and get strong with the basics first before you can think about moving on to the big, "sexy" exercises that everyone wants to do.
- The intricacies of planning a training program go far beyond sets and reps. To create the best possible training plan, you need to consider certain physiological and biomechanical factors.
- Stick to more intense exercises at the beginning of your training sessions when you are fresh and rested, but transition to a more pump-oriented, bodybuilding-style workout during the second half of your training session.
- Your body is always trying to adapt, which is why you should manipulate rest intervals, sets and reps to ensure you are optimizing every single factor of your workout.
Example program
|
Day 1 - Exercise A |
Set |
|
|
A1: Front squats |
3,2 |
3,8 |
|
A2: Bench T-Spine Mobilization (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w33f18MQvM) |
5 |
4 |
|
B1: Romanian deadlift |
3 |
8-12 |
|
B2: Half kneeling pallof presses |
3 |
6 (per side) |
|
C1: Dumbbell Step-Ups |
3 |
3-10 (per leg) |
|
C2: Rowing with supported chest |
3 |
10-12 |
|
C3: Dumbbell hammer curls in front of the body |
3 |
12 (per arm) |
|
Day 2 - Exercise B |
Sets |
|
|
A1: Dumbbell incline bench press |
6 |
4 |
|
A2: Latissimus stretch on the rack |
3 |
5 (per side) |
|
B1: Dumbbell row |
4 |
8 (per arm) |
|
B2: 3-D band pullapart |
4 |
12 |
|
C1: Push-ups with chains |
3 |
8-10 |
|
C2: Hip thrusts with bands |
3 |
12-15 |
|
D1: Seated leg curls with rest |
3 |
15-20 |
|
D2: Dumbbell farmer's carry |
3 |
25 m |
|
Day 3 - Exercise C |
Set |
|
|
A1: Sumo deadlift |
8 |
2 |
|
A2: Lateral adductor mobilization |
5 |
3 (per leg) |
|
B1: Standing shoulder press |
3 |
6 |
|
B2: Glute-Ham Raises |
3 |
8 |
|
C1: Reverse lunges with dumbbells |
3 |
12 (per leg) |
|
C2: Physioball rollouts |
3 |
10-12 |
|
C3: Dumbbell triceps press lying down |
3 |
12-15 |
Simple and effective. Depending on your work capacity and recovery ability, this program could also be expanded to a 4-day-a-week plan.
Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/train-like-an-athlete-look-like-bodybuilder
