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Perform reps with Maximum Intensity
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Strength Training
"Beginners don’t necessarily need to increase their Training Intensity because at this level even engaging in physical activities is enough to see progress.
But as you gain experience, the body adapts to the stimulus that because inefficient at stimulating the muscle to spark growth (so basically progress is halted). This is known as a “plateau”. Increasing the intensity of your training helps break the plateau and continue to see progress.
There are 2 ways to increase intensity:
1. Increase the amount of weight you use.
In this case you may have to recalculate your 1 Rep Max (Rule 7). If your 1 Rep Max hasn’t changed you should use the help of a spotter to “cheat” sets (use an amount of weight that you can’t handle on your own) until you are able to use the weight on your own or you pass the plateau.
2. Tweak the way you perform sets and reps.
The variables we will be working with are: repetition speed, tempo, tension on the muscle, rest periods, the superset technique.
I. Repetition speed.
Any given exercise has 2 parts – a concentric contraction when the muscle develops tension due to a shortening in length (example: upward movement of a dumbbell in a biceps curl) and a eccentric contraction when the muscle develops tension due to a lengthening of it (example: downward movement of a dumbbell in a biceps curl).
Most people use a 1sec up/ 1 sec down speed, not knowing that an increase in time spent on the eccentric part of the movement will improve the effectiveness of the exercise by 100%.
So remember to slow the speed down on the downward part of any exercise to:
• Keep the muscle under tension for a longer period of time
• Work the muscle on the downward part of the movement rather then letting gravity take over.
II. The Tempo.
A lifting tempo is a-b-c-d, where:
• a – time spent on the eccentric (downward) part of the movement
• b – time spent at the bottom of the movement
• c – time spent on the concentric (upward) part of the movement
• d – time spent at the top of the movement
An example of the tempo for the flat bench press: 5-0-3-2. This translates into a slow and controlled movement with 5 sec down movement, 0 sec pause at the bottom, 3 sec lifting time and a nice 2 sec squeeze of the chest at the top.
Varying the tempo can make exercising with the same weight more or less intense. Experiment with different tempos to see what works better for you. (Don’t forget the tip on Repetition speed when choosing a tempo)
III. The tension on the muscle.
By shortening the range of the exercise performed you can apply continuous tension to the muscle thereby increasing intensity.
Example: the flat bench press.
At the very bottom and top of the movement tension is totally of the chest muscle. But by shortening the range and using a 5-0-3-2 rep tempo, you will increase the intensity of the exercise by continually applying tension to the muscle.
IV. Super Sets.
While training “classically” any muscle gro"... read entire tip
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lifting tips, reps, tempo
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created by
trifm
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saved on 4/19/2008
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2
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20.9
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100 %
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Cardio on an Empty Stomach Boosts HGH
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Diet and Nutrition
"Doing cardio on an empty stomach is the best way to insure fat loss. Your natural fat burning hormone HGH, is boosted dramatically when you perform intense interval type cardio on an empty stomach. To enhance the effect of HGH release, don't eat immediately after your cardio session...wait one hour to allow a full HGH release. This is especially effective at targeting those last 10-15 pounds of "stubborn" body fat. I recommend not going near any type of food for 4 hours before your cardio workout.
This tip is for people who want the slim and toned "Hollywood" look. If you want the bulkier look than you will want to eat a fast digesting protein source immediately after working out. Use the tip and become Tyler Durden from Fight Club! Oh yeah...the first and second rule is to not talk about this tip!"
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cardio, fight club, hgh, burn fat, stubborn fat
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created by
Rusty
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saved on 4/19/2008
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12
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129.5
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80.0 %
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Understanding Your Body Fat Percentage
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Diet and Nutrition
"Body fat measurements and the measuring tape are recognized as superior methods for measuring "weight loss". When one declares that they want to "lose weight", what they often mean is that they want to lose fat. So, now that you've had your body fat percentage measured, what does the number really mean?
First, your body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your body contains. If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it means that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else).
A certain amount of fat is essential to bodily functions. Fat regulates body temperature, cushions and insulates organs and tissues and is the main form of the body's energy storage. The following table describes body fat ranges and their associated categories:
*General Body Fat Percentage Categories
Classification Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32% plus 25% plus
*American Council on Exercise
Knowing your body fat percentage can also help you determine if your weight loss goals are realistic. Remember, weight loss doesn't always mean fat loss. For example:
Let's say you're a 130# woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to "lose 20 pounds":
Initial body fat: 130# x 0.23 fat = 30 # body fat
Lean body mass: 130# total - 30# fat = 100# lean body mass (bones, organs and all else)
Goal: 130# - 20# = 110 pounds
As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100# of lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10#, or only 9% body fat. From the chart above, you can see that this is a dangerously low percentage.
A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat from 23% to 18%. In this case:
130# x 0.18 = 23 # body fat
100# lean body mass + 23 # = 123# goal weight
So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7 pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.
So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and body fat. Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat."
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created by
MleighS84
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saved on 4/19/2008
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7
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115.4
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100 %
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