| You've decided to join a gym, but you're not | | | | lower weights very slowly, to keep the |
| sure the best way to work out, and don't want | | | | maximum tension while lowering weights! |
| to pay for a personal trainer who may not | | | | |
| really know what he's talking about? Already | | | | |
| an experienced weight lifter, but aren't | | | | |
| getting the results you want? Read on for | | | | But we can take that discovery one step |
| the best tips for working out if you have a | | | | further for ultimate results. Skip the |
| full gym facility, and the secret to extreme | | | | concentric motion because it's holding you |
| muscle growth. | | | | back! If you're only working out with weights |
| | | | that you can lift concentrically, you're not |
| | | | using the maximum power possible in your |
| | | | muscles. |
| Before and After | | | | |
| | | | |
| You should always warm up before lifting any | | | | |
| weights. This means a light jog or other | | | | Warning: the majority of muscle injuries |
| low-impact activity that will raise your | | | | happen during the eccentric phase of motion, |
| heart rate and raise your core temperature by | | | | and by trying this exercise, you are exposing |
| a few degrees. This should last at least 5 | | | | yourself to risk of injury. So be careful. |
| minutes, preferably 10 or more. After this, | | | | |
| you should do joint rotations. This is not a | | | | |
| stretch, it is preparing the joint for work | | | | |
| by encouraging blood flow. Then, do the | | | | You absolutely need a spotter for this, |
| resistance training. At the end, stretch all | | | | because you will need help to raise the |
| of the joints you have worked that day. | | | | weight. Load a bar with a bit more than you |
| Studies have shown that stretching before | | | | can lift. (If you can do 3 curls with 100 |
| weight training actually reduces the muscle's | | | | lbs, load the bar with 120 lbs.) With the |
| capacity, and does not prevent injury as was | | | | help of your spotter, raise the bar to the |
| previously thought. Stretching after the work | | | | top position of a bicep curl. Both of you |
| out will protect the joint and prevent | | | | will likely have to work a bit at this. Then, |
| cramping. | | | | as slowly as you can, lower the weight to the |
| | | | normal starting position of the curl, with |
| | | | your bicep at full extension. This should |
| | | | take about 3-5 seconds. If your muscle goes |
| After working out you will also need an | | | | slack or you drop the weight, you've put on |
| increased intake of protein because that is | | | | too much weight. But if you've got the right |
| what muscles are made of. | | | | amount, you should feel a burn like never |
| | | | before. After recovering for 2 minutes, you |
| | | | may want to do a second rep/set... aim for 3 |
| | | | if you can, but if your muscle is still |
| Length of Time | | | | burning and feels weak after two minutes, go |
| | | | on to a different muscle group. |
| The resistance training part of your workout | | | | |
| should not last longer than one hour. After a | | | | |
| warm up, your body is in an anabolic state, | | | | |
| meaning that it is ready to "build up" or | | | | And that's it. One rep per set, 1-3 sets. |
| repair any damage you do to it by running | | | | One controlled eccentric rep will stimulate |
| hard or doing other hard work. However, after | | | | your muscle to grow more than 3 sets of 10 |
| 45 minutes or so (again, this varies by | | | | reps because you're using the maximum |
| individual), your body goes into a catabolic | | | | overload possible. |
| state, meaning that your body is ready to | | | | |
| "break down" or eliminate anything that may | | | | |
| threaten your survival. Entering a catabolic | | | | |
| state is good for breaking down body fat and | | | | Why? Muscle overload is key to adaptation. |
| eliminating lactic acid from your muscles, | | | | When you're using the absolute peak muscular |
| but other tissues are equally damaged by | | | | output, it doesn't have to last long. And |
| being in a catabolic state. You should be | | | | since the peak is only possible during |
| mostly concerned about your kidneys and your | | | | eccentric contractions, only do eccentric |
| muscle fibers that will be compromised if you | | | | contractions. |
| continue to push yourself. I repeat: | | | | |
| working out for more than one hour will hurt | | | | |
| your muscles, not help them. | | | | |
| | | | I feel obliged to repeat the warning: always |
| | | | use a spotter, and only use weights that you |
| | | | can manage. If you are working out for the |
| The Isotonic Workout | | | | first time, get used to good form by doing |
| | | | traditional isotonics, and learn how much you |
| Isotonics is a fancy word for what | | | | can usually lift to determine your baseline. |
| traditional bodybuilders do: contract the | | | | Also, some exercises are more dangerous to do |
| muscle in order to move a load. In other | | | | eccentrically because the bar will fall on |
| words, lifting and lowering weights. | | | | you if you go slack: bench-press, squats, |
| | | | military press, etc. For those exercises, |
| | | | use a "Smith Machine" where the bar travels |
| | | | on vertical tracks, and you can set safety |
| As for the weight training itself, free | | | | measures to keep the bar from falling below a |
| weights are excellent because they make your | | | | certain height. |
| body balance while lifting them. However, | | | | |
| many people prefer nautilus machines for | | | | |
| exactly the same reason: they feel safer not | | | | |
| having to balance the weight. I will not give | | | | Hydration |
| you weights, sets and reps to do, because | | | | |
| there are a myriad of sources of routines | | | | Always remember while doing resistance |
| written by all sorts of experts. I recommend | | | | training that water is your best friend. |
| you experiment with various programs, because | | | | Drinking water will keep you from |
| although all muscles fundamentally work the | | | | dehydrating, will keep your energy high, will |
| same, everyone has different levels of | | | | encourage your body to cycle water and fluids |
| hormones, different metabolism, and different | | | | throughout your body, and keep your joints |
| levels of comfort. Pick up the latest fitness | | | | healthy while exercising. The main cause of |
| magazine of your choice for current work | | | | muscle cramps is insufficient hydration. For |
| outs. | | | | more information on the importance of Water, |
| | | | read the article all about it on my site. |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| The key to remember when following a routine | | | | |
| is this: If you are told to do 10 reps for 3 | | | | Caution |
| sets, this means that you should select a | | | | |
| weight that allows you to do only 10 in a | | | | For the beginner: start easy. Start at your |
| row, but not 11. You will feel tired at | | | | core and move outwards. Work big muscles |
| around 6, maybe shake a little at 8, and just | | | | before small muscles. Fat burning happens |
| pump out the 10th rep with no energy left to | | | | most in the largest muscles (legs and back), |
| do even one more. If you can do 11, then you | | | | so encouraging them to grow will give you the |
| shouldn't stop just because your routine says | | | | fastest fat-loss results. After your first |
| 10. Do the 11th and 12th if you can, knowing | | | | workout, you will be sore. It would be best |
| that you should be using slightly more weight | | | | to avoid going to your full overload |
| the next time. At the end of each set, rest | | | | potential the first week, to allow your |
| for about 2 minutes (unless your workout | | | | joints time to adjust to your new activity. |
| specifies something else) and then do your | | | | However, soon you will see growth, and best |
| next set. | | | | of all, you'll see the fat start to melt. |
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| The Eccentric Contraction | | | | The second-best resistance training (after |
| | | | eccentric contractions) does not even require |
| Most people who write workout routines | | | | weights, so you can do it at home without a |
| emphasize that you lower the weight slower | | | | gym membership. Read my article on the |
| than you raised it. This is partly for | | | | Weightless Workout on my site.David "Mr. |
| safety. But there is a big secret! But before | | | | Weightless" McCormick is the founder of |
| getting to that, let's back-up a little. | | | | Weightless Products, where you can learn to |
| Concentric motion is flexing the muscle to | | | | sculpt your body to look like a superhero. |
| SHORTEN it under load, and Eccentric motion | | | | In his series of articles, he covers |
| is flexing the muscle while LENGTHENING it | | | | everything every man needs to know to lose |
| under load. As your arm moves up in a bicep | | | | weight fast and keep burning fat. There are |
| curl, that is concentric, as your arm moves | | | | no banners, no pop-up ads, no need to sign |
| down, eccentric. Here is the secret: Your | | | | up, all articles are available in full for |
| muscle can create more power in eccentric | | | | FREE. |
| motions than in concentric ones. So always | | | | |