Post by ef1 on Mar 20, 2008 13:16:15 GMT
TO GET STRONG YOU HAVE TO TRAIN HARD BUT ALSO EAT WELL AND REST WELL. IF YOU NEGLECT ONE OF THESE ASPECTS YOU WILL EITHER STALL IN YOUR TRAINING OR GET INJURED.
WATER plays a massive part in training and should not be neglected.
A knowledge of waming up(jog+dynamic stretching) and warming down(jog+static stretching) will help you.
You will also need to understand a bit about food
FOOD = carbohydrates, proteins and fats
carbohydrates: provide your bodies energy requierments
proteins: are what rebuild your muscles
fat: provides insulation for heat and protection of organs
this is a very basic guide, here is a link that gos into a lot more detail providing information on how much of each type you should be aiming for in your dietry intake, if you dont understand some of the terms let me know.
rjsfitness.com/macronutrients_carbohydrates_proteins_fats.htm
Now there are recomended daily intakes for carbs ,fat and proteins for normal day to day adults based on the indivduals weight but for a strength increase training athlete you will need more protein in your diet, that doesnt mean just to take protein, it still needs to be part of a healthy balanced diet. Again this is very basic so here is another link
www.essortment.com/family/proteinmuscleg_syza.htm
At a basic beginers level its all about building a general level of fitness
strength=age,height and weight would be calculated, then you would form an excercise program that would include all the major muscle groups
stamina=the ability to jog,run,swim,cycle certain distances without being out of breath
suppleness=the ability of your joints and muscles to achive full range of motion
strength increase training:
Now when ever you try and increase strength you will be doing three things .
1 : execises that target specific muscle groups forcing the blood into the specified muscle
When blood is forced into your muscles during your training program it potentiates the "microtrauma" or tiny little tears in your muscles . When this happens, your muscle tissues repair and rebuild themselves bigger and stronger than they were--if you allow ample resting time. This is why you never train the same muscle group two days in a row; if you do, you cut off the rebuilding process.
2: Food to give the body the neccesary nutrients needed in the rebuilding stage.
3: Rest to give the body the neccesary recovery time needed in the rebuilding stage.
These three stages work together and can not be avoided.
Other common mistakes are eating right before your training and eating too soon after you have finished your training. This can cause your heart and digestive system to work too hard and compromise the oxygen and nutrient delivery to the working muscles. Eating just before or too soon after your workout will not allow you to get enough blood into the muscles you are training.
Digestion takes a lot of blood to work effectively. The more blood your body sends to digest your food the less blood is available to go to your muscles, to rebuild and increase strength. You should wait at least 60 minutes after eating before you start your conditioning.
Similarly, do not eat too soon after ending your workout because you want the blood that you just targeted into each specific muscle to remain there as long as possible. If you eat food too soon after your workout, the blood will be forced out of your muscles and into your digestive system. You should wait at least 60 minutes after your training before you eat a meal.
These are BASIC tips, geared towards a BEGINNING weightlifter aimed at establishing a strength base. These are not geared towards powerlifters, Olympic lifters, bodybuilders, etc., all of whom require specialized training.
Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes on the treadmill, stairmaster, etc. Heading straight for the weights without warming up is a good way to get injured, ESPECIALLY in cold climates. If your main goal is strength development then only go hard enough to break a light sweat. If your main goal is to build strength and endurance then go as hard as you can.
Exercise selection: push something off your body (e.g. bench press), pull something towards your body (e.g. pull-ups), bend your arms (e.g. dumbbell curls), straighten your arms (e.g. dips), push something away with your legs (e.g. squat), bend your legs (e.g. hamstring curl), work your calves (e.g. calf raises), bend your body forward (crunches), bend your body backwards (e.g. hyperextensions). You DON"T need to do three different exercises for your biceps when starting out.
Do at least one 'warmup' set for each exercise, followed by two to three 'working' sets.
Do your heaviest, hardest exercises early in the workout. Do squats before leg curls, do pull-ups before bicep curls.
The squat is one of the most important exercises for overall strength development, but make sure that your form is good. Don't let the knees wobble, don't let the ass come up before the head, make sure that you can go down with your knees somewhere between 90 degrees bent and thighs parallel (even if you have to go lighter).
Work with 8 to 12 repetitions per set. Stay at a given weight until you can do more than 12 repetitions, then increase the weight so that you can do only 8. Now stay at this weight until you can do 12 repetitions with it
Unless you are injured use free weights instead of machines. You won't be able to use as much weight in a free squat as you will using a smith machine or leg press machine, but you will build functional strength faster
Stay well hydrated before, during and after your workout by drinking water or sports drinks to avoid cramping and muscle tears
Eat a small snack containing some carbs before you go workout to keep your energy levels up.
Make sure you eat some carbs and protein within an hour of finishing your workout - this will help you recover faster
Limit your workouts to one hour or less - workouts longer than one hour tend to break you down rather than build you up
Lifting weights once a week is good for maintaining strength; lift two or three times a week to make advances
Be wary of the training routines in the bodybuilding magazines. They reflect the workouts of bodybuilders who are soaked in steroids and have been lifting for decades. They do not apply to the beginning weightlifter.
Be wary of supplement advice you receive from the bodybuilding magazines and supplement stores. These businesses exist to sell gullible people the latest, greatest supplement. Protein powder works. Creatine works. Not much else works
To get strong you have to train hard, but also eat well and rest well. If you neglect one of these aspects you will either stall in your training or get injured.
Weightlifting does not mean becoming inflexible - you will maintain your flexibility if you continue to stretch.
Expect rapid strength gains initially. Most people will become up to 40% stronger initially as their nervous system adapts to the stress of lifting. After this your progress will slow down a bit and most strength gains will result from actual growth of muscle.
If you strain the same muscle or body part day after day it will get weaker, not stronger, and eventually get injured. Don't work a body part until it is no longer sore from your last workout.
If you are new to lifting weights stick with slow, controlled movements. Plyometrics, Olympic lifts and other rapid movements are appropriate only once your strength base is established.
www.grapplearts.com/Basic-Weight-Lifting.htm
Once your basic fitness levels are sorted, then you would customise your training according to your individual needs and your sports requirements.
At a beginners level most conditioning will be about building strength, stamina and flexibility ,giving the beginner the necesary body armour and tools to partake in his chosen sport safely.
For athletes at a more advanced level, sport specific excercise conditioning and identifying weak area conditioning becomes much more of a personal thing. e.g. the conditioning to do bboy flares is totally different to the conditioning needed to climb a mountain.
These should now be your targets:
strength=strong enough muscles to cope with whatever strains your chosen sport demands
stamina=enough endurance to cope with whatever your chosen sport demands
suppleness=having the necesary flexibilty to cope with whatever your chosen sport demands
speed/power= having the necesary speed and power that any explosive technique in your sport will need.
Dont bother rushing anything because you will burn out, set yourself some goals that you hope to achive by the end of next year.
Exposiveness and endurance:
explosiveness and endurance are determined by the percentage of fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibres in the human body.
What are slow twitch and fast twitch muscles?
There are actually three types of muscle fibers found in the human body: slow twitch, fast twitch A, and fast twitch B. Slow twitch muscle fibers are used primarily in aerobic activity. These longer muscle fibers are highly resistant to fatigue, but they have a slower contraction time than fast twitch muscles. Endurance athletes, such as distance runners, have a high percentage of slow twitch muscle fibers in the body. Furthermore, the activities of daily life, most importantly, maintaining correct posture, are run by these slow twitch or long muscle fibers.
Meanwhile, fast twitch muscle fibers have a quick contraction time and have a low tolerance for extended activities. These muscles are used primarily for anaerobic activities, or exercise that is conducted in quick, strong bursts. These fast twitch or short muscle fibers are divided into two categories: A, and B. Fast twitch A fibers are used for "prolonged" anaerobic activity, such as sprinting 400 meters or swimming a 50 meter race. Fast twitch B fibers have an extremely low resistance to fatigue-- these muscles tire the most easily of any muscle fibers. B fibers are used for very short anaerobic activities such as heavy weight lifting, extremely short sprints (50-100 meters), shot put, and long jump.
mr20nza
The "white meat" you eat in chicken is primarily made up of fast fibers. The "red meat" is mainly slow fibers.
Several experimental procedures can change the ratio of fast and slow fibers in a muscle, apparently by converting one into the other. Tests on different athletes have displayed distributions of fast and slow fibers in the quadriceps femoris (the Quad). One explanation is the affects of training. Another explanation is genetic factors at work and may play an important role in determining a person's aptitude for a particular type of sport. Probably the truth is represented by a combination of these two.
Just some stats on fast/slow percentages of the quad in different athletes:
Marathoner
-Fast Fibers: 18%
-Slow Fibers: 82%
Swimmer
-Fast Fibers: 26%
-Slow Fibers: 74%
Average Man
-Fast Fibers: 55%
-Slow Fibers: 45%
Weight Lifter
-Fast Fibers: 55%
-Slow Fibers: 45%
Sprinter
-Fast Fibers: 63%
-Slow Fibers: 37%
Jumper
-Fast Fibers: 63%
-Slow Fibers: 37%
Information provided by my Anatomy/Physiology Lecture Manual.
Hopefully by now you will be stronger and you will understand the reasons why you are conditioning and what targets you hope to achive.
a helping hand
Conditioning is defined as putting your body or muscles in a set number of routines to improve the specific target muscle strength towards a certain athletic aspect. Now this is a common conception to hear most people tell others to condition, but I will point out the main reasons why this may be so.
Firstly conditioning your body allows your body to strengthen itself and gear it towards a future specific task. Most tracures will say to a beginner not only to practise but also conditioning, but why not? Practising pull-ups or pistols cannot be a bad thing. Sure maybe by itself, conditioning is pointless, but together with practise and a plausible goal, conditioning is the obvious path to follow.
Secondly as mentioned earlier conditioning your body can help prevent certain injuries. In basically every type of physical activity, injury is certain. It is a fact. But some can be prevented. For example by conditioning ankles they can be put to higher trains and so less ankle troubles such as sprain will occur. Or by strengthening arms, less strain will be placed on ligaments and tendons.
We also see that from conditioning performance can increase dramatically. When we talk about conditioning we not only talk about a physical muscular point of view but also from a, flexibility point of view. Usually seen in martial arts and tricking, the body can be held back from certain kicks or moves, due to the fact that the muscles are not supple enough to move that freely. By conditioning your body, a greater range of motion will help the once restricted moves to become a feasible reality.
For any people that are interested in conditioning, I have provided a few links to excellent resources that will allow you to see and learn how to condition your body, overall or towards a specific goal:
Youtube Conditioning Pages
Amish - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=amishconditioning
Bobby - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=bobbyconditioning
Calisthenicskingz - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=calisthenicskingz
Emjays - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=emjays101
Livewire- uk.youtube.com/profile?user=timmyconditioning
Scott Pallet - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=scottmeijing
Traceur Zeno - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=TraceurZeno
Will’s - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=Willconditioning
General Conditioning Websites
Beastskills - www.beastskills.com
Dragon Door - www.dragondoor.com
Power Athletes Magazine - www.powerathletesmag.com/archives/index.htm
Tricks Tutorials Stretching - trickstutorials.com/index.php?page=content/flx3
i hope this guide helps and if you need any help understanding any of the subjects just ask or p.m. me.
I wish you all the best in your training.
WATER plays a massive part in training and should not be neglected.
A knowledge of waming up(jog+dynamic stretching) and warming down(jog+static stretching) will help you.
You will also need to understand a bit about food
FOOD = carbohydrates, proteins and fats
carbohydrates: provide your bodies energy requierments
proteins: are what rebuild your muscles
fat: provides insulation for heat and protection of organs
this is a very basic guide, here is a link that gos into a lot more detail providing information on how much of each type you should be aiming for in your dietry intake, if you dont understand some of the terms let me know.
rjsfitness.com/macronutrients_carbohydrates_proteins_fats.htm
Now there are recomended daily intakes for carbs ,fat and proteins for normal day to day adults based on the indivduals weight but for a strength increase training athlete you will need more protein in your diet, that doesnt mean just to take protein, it still needs to be part of a healthy balanced diet. Again this is very basic so here is another link
www.essortment.com/family/proteinmuscleg_syza.htm
At a basic beginers level its all about building a general level of fitness
strength=age,height and weight would be calculated, then you would form an excercise program that would include all the major muscle groups
stamina=the ability to jog,run,swim,cycle certain distances without being out of breath
suppleness=the ability of your joints and muscles to achive full range of motion
strength increase training:
Now when ever you try and increase strength you will be doing three things .
1 : execises that target specific muscle groups forcing the blood into the specified muscle
When blood is forced into your muscles during your training program it potentiates the "microtrauma" or tiny little tears in your muscles . When this happens, your muscle tissues repair and rebuild themselves bigger and stronger than they were--if you allow ample resting time. This is why you never train the same muscle group two days in a row; if you do, you cut off the rebuilding process.
2: Food to give the body the neccesary nutrients needed in the rebuilding stage.
3: Rest to give the body the neccesary recovery time needed in the rebuilding stage.
These three stages work together and can not be avoided.
Other common mistakes are eating right before your training and eating too soon after you have finished your training. This can cause your heart and digestive system to work too hard and compromise the oxygen and nutrient delivery to the working muscles. Eating just before or too soon after your workout will not allow you to get enough blood into the muscles you are training.
Digestion takes a lot of blood to work effectively. The more blood your body sends to digest your food the less blood is available to go to your muscles, to rebuild and increase strength. You should wait at least 60 minutes after eating before you start your conditioning.
Similarly, do not eat too soon after ending your workout because you want the blood that you just targeted into each specific muscle to remain there as long as possible. If you eat food too soon after your workout, the blood will be forced out of your muscles and into your digestive system. You should wait at least 60 minutes after your training before you eat a meal.
These are BASIC tips, geared towards a BEGINNING weightlifter aimed at establishing a strength base. These are not geared towards powerlifters, Olympic lifters, bodybuilders, etc., all of whom require specialized training.
Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes on the treadmill, stairmaster, etc. Heading straight for the weights without warming up is a good way to get injured, ESPECIALLY in cold climates. If your main goal is strength development then only go hard enough to break a light sweat. If your main goal is to build strength and endurance then go as hard as you can.
Exercise selection: push something off your body (e.g. bench press), pull something towards your body (e.g. pull-ups), bend your arms (e.g. dumbbell curls), straighten your arms (e.g. dips), push something away with your legs (e.g. squat), bend your legs (e.g. hamstring curl), work your calves (e.g. calf raises), bend your body forward (crunches), bend your body backwards (e.g. hyperextensions). You DON"T need to do three different exercises for your biceps when starting out.
Do at least one 'warmup' set for each exercise, followed by two to three 'working' sets.
Do your heaviest, hardest exercises early in the workout. Do squats before leg curls, do pull-ups before bicep curls.
The squat is one of the most important exercises for overall strength development, but make sure that your form is good. Don't let the knees wobble, don't let the ass come up before the head, make sure that you can go down with your knees somewhere between 90 degrees bent and thighs parallel (even if you have to go lighter).
Work with 8 to 12 repetitions per set. Stay at a given weight until you can do more than 12 repetitions, then increase the weight so that you can do only 8. Now stay at this weight until you can do 12 repetitions with it
Unless you are injured use free weights instead of machines. You won't be able to use as much weight in a free squat as you will using a smith machine or leg press machine, but you will build functional strength faster
Stay well hydrated before, during and after your workout by drinking water or sports drinks to avoid cramping and muscle tears
Eat a small snack containing some carbs before you go workout to keep your energy levels up.
Make sure you eat some carbs and protein within an hour of finishing your workout - this will help you recover faster
Limit your workouts to one hour or less - workouts longer than one hour tend to break you down rather than build you up
Lifting weights once a week is good for maintaining strength; lift two or three times a week to make advances
Be wary of the training routines in the bodybuilding magazines. They reflect the workouts of bodybuilders who are soaked in steroids and have been lifting for decades. They do not apply to the beginning weightlifter.
Be wary of supplement advice you receive from the bodybuilding magazines and supplement stores. These businesses exist to sell gullible people the latest, greatest supplement. Protein powder works. Creatine works. Not much else works
To get strong you have to train hard, but also eat well and rest well. If you neglect one of these aspects you will either stall in your training or get injured.
Weightlifting does not mean becoming inflexible - you will maintain your flexibility if you continue to stretch.
Expect rapid strength gains initially. Most people will become up to 40% stronger initially as their nervous system adapts to the stress of lifting. After this your progress will slow down a bit and most strength gains will result from actual growth of muscle.
If you strain the same muscle or body part day after day it will get weaker, not stronger, and eventually get injured. Don't work a body part until it is no longer sore from your last workout.
If you are new to lifting weights stick with slow, controlled movements. Plyometrics, Olympic lifts and other rapid movements are appropriate only once your strength base is established.
www.grapplearts.com/Basic-Weight-Lifting.htm
Once your basic fitness levels are sorted, then you would customise your training according to your individual needs and your sports requirements.
At a beginners level most conditioning will be about building strength, stamina and flexibility ,giving the beginner the necesary body armour and tools to partake in his chosen sport safely.
For athletes at a more advanced level, sport specific excercise conditioning and identifying weak area conditioning becomes much more of a personal thing. e.g. the conditioning to do bboy flares is totally different to the conditioning needed to climb a mountain.
These should now be your targets:
strength=strong enough muscles to cope with whatever strains your chosen sport demands
stamina=enough endurance to cope with whatever your chosen sport demands
suppleness=having the necesary flexibilty to cope with whatever your chosen sport demands
speed/power= having the necesary speed and power that any explosive technique in your sport will need.
Dont bother rushing anything because you will burn out, set yourself some goals that you hope to achive by the end of next year.
Exposiveness and endurance:
explosiveness and endurance are determined by the percentage of fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibres in the human body.
What are slow twitch and fast twitch muscles?
There are actually three types of muscle fibers found in the human body: slow twitch, fast twitch A, and fast twitch B. Slow twitch muscle fibers are used primarily in aerobic activity. These longer muscle fibers are highly resistant to fatigue, but they have a slower contraction time than fast twitch muscles. Endurance athletes, such as distance runners, have a high percentage of slow twitch muscle fibers in the body. Furthermore, the activities of daily life, most importantly, maintaining correct posture, are run by these slow twitch or long muscle fibers.
Meanwhile, fast twitch muscle fibers have a quick contraction time and have a low tolerance for extended activities. These muscles are used primarily for anaerobic activities, or exercise that is conducted in quick, strong bursts. These fast twitch or short muscle fibers are divided into two categories: A, and B. Fast twitch A fibers are used for "prolonged" anaerobic activity, such as sprinting 400 meters or swimming a 50 meter race. Fast twitch B fibers have an extremely low resistance to fatigue-- these muscles tire the most easily of any muscle fibers. B fibers are used for very short anaerobic activities such as heavy weight lifting, extremely short sprints (50-100 meters), shot put, and long jump.
mr20nza
The "white meat" you eat in chicken is primarily made up of fast fibers. The "red meat" is mainly slow fibers.
Several experimental procedures can change the ratio of fast and slow fibers in a muscle, apparently by converting one into the other. Tests on different athletes have displayed distributions of fast and slow fibers in the quadriceps femoris (the Quad). One explanation is the affects of training. Another explanation is genetic factors at work and may play an important role in determining a person's aptitude for a particular type of sport. Probably the truth is represented by a combination of these two.
Just some stats on fast/slow percentages of the quad in different athletes:
Marathoner
-Fast Fibers: 18%
-Slow Fibers: 82%
Swimmer
-Fast Fibers: 26%
-Slow Fibers: 74%
Average Man
-Fast Fibers: 55%
-Slow Fibers: 45%
Weight Lifter
-Fast Fibers: 55%
-Slow Fibers: 45%
Sprinter
-Fast Fibers: 63%
-Slow Fibers: 37%
Jumper
-Fast Fibers: 63%
-Slow Fibers: 37%
Information provided by my Anatomy/Physiology Lecture Manual.
Hopefully by now you will be stronger and you will understand the reasons why you are conditioning and what targets you hope to achive.
a helping hand
Conditioning is defined as putting your body or muscles in a set number of routines to improve the specific target muscle strength towards a certain athletic aspect. Now this is a common conception to hear most people tell others to condition, but I will point out the main reasons why this may be so.
Firstly conditioning your body allows your body to strengthen itself and gear it towards a future specific task. Most tracures will say to a beginner not only to practise but also conditioning, but why not? Practising pull-ups or pistols cannot be a bad thing. Sure maybe by itself, conditioning is pointless, but together with practise and a plausible goal, conditioning is the obvious path to follow.
Secondly as mentioned earlier conditioning your body can help prevent certain injuries. In basically every type of physical activity, injury is certain. It is a fact. But some can be prevented. For example by conditioning ankles they can be put to higher trains and so less ankle troubles such as sprain will occur. Or by strengthening arms, less strain will be placed on ligaments and tendons.
We also see that from conditioning performance can increase dramatically. When we talk about conditioning we not only talk about a physical muscular point of view but also from a, flexibility point of view. Usually seen in martial arts and tricking, the body can be held back from certain kicks or moves, due to the fact that the muscles are not supple enough to move that freely. By conditioning your body, a greater range of motion will help the once restricted moves to become a feasible reality.
For any people that are interested in conditioning, I have provided a few links to excellent resources that will allow you to see and learn how to condition your body, overall or towards a specific goal:
Youtube Conditioning Pages
Amish - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=amishconditioning
Bobby - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=bobbyconditioning
Calisthenicskingz - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=calisthenicskingz
Emjays - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=emjays101
Livewire- uk.youtube.com/profile?user=timmyconditioning
Scott Pallet - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=scottmeijing
Traceur Zeno - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=TraceurZeno
Will’s - uk.youtube.com/profile?user=Willconditioning
General Conditioning Websites
Beastskills - www.beastskills.com
Dragon Door - www.dragondoor.com
Power Athletes Magazine - www.powerathletesmag.com/archives/index.htm
Tricks Tutorials Stretching - trickstutorials.com/index.php?page=content/flx3
i hope this guide helps and if you need any help understanding any of the subjects just ask or p.m. me.
I wish you all the best in your training.
