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Muscle strengthening

Strengthening the back and stomach muscles were treated on the  cardiovascular exercise page because they’re the most important groups to exercise. Whether or not you engage in strengthening the other muscle groups, you would be wise to include the back and abdominals in your fitness efforts. Too many people have their quality of life diminished by back immobility and pain owing to a weak and inflexible back musculature.   

The stomach and back exercises are associated because of a central principle in muscle  strengthening. That is, always exercise opposing muscle groups in a balanced manner. “Opposing” means paired extending and contracting groups. The back muscles extend the body, the stomach muscles contract it. Similarly, the bicep muscles contract the arm, the triceps extend it. 

Strengthening only one set of muscles can cause it to be dominant over the other. That in turn can lead to an unbalanced "muscle boundness",  joint misalignments, uneven stress and joint damage. 

Adding muscle

Fitness strength training is far easier than “body building”, which involves a lot of effort, with hours regularly spent and intense efforts to get that weight up just one more time. Some of the really hard-core weight lifters will work so hard that they sometimes cause themselves to vomit. 

Women who train with weights don’t build up masses of muscle tissue in the way some men can under intense training (assuming they don’t take steroid drugs). This is because of hormonal differences between males and females. 

How far someone wants to go in developing their musculature is obviously a subjective question. However, acquiring a large mass of unnecessary muscle has an unhealthy aspect. The heart has to work harder to service that muscle tissue just as it does for people overweight with fat.

In fitness training, the goal is to strengthen and tone with only moderate additions of new muscle. The pay off is that you are stronger, healthier, look good and feel more confident. Not only your muscles benefit from weight training. The tendons and ligaments that hold things together also become stronger and more flexible. This decreases the chances for injuries in everyday activities.

Some inside details on muscle strengthening

When you do weight training you break down muscle fibers that then grow back slightly thicker and stronger. An abundance of broken-down fibers is what creates soreness the day after an intense work out. The harder you work out, the more fibers you break down and the bigger the job the body has in repairing them. After exercising a muscle group with weights, the next day should be rest and recuperation for it.

Strength gains come fast in the beginning stages of weight training. After the first few months you may be using 20 or 30 percent more weight than you started off with. After a time, the muscle fibers get thick and strong and take increasing effort to stress them (that is, more weight and probably more perceived exertion). 

The number and original thickness of your muscle fibers are genetically controlled. A male who engages in weight training will gain strength and bulk dependent on his genetic disposition. A female who does comparable strength training will gain strength but with a much lower tendency to put on muscle bulk.

Mental attitude and a technique

Fitness training with weights doesn't really require pushing yourself much. My advice is to start off very easy and to end each exercise BEFORE the muscles are too tired to get anther repetition done. That helps avoid the problem of muscle soreness that can be pretty intense if have been inactive for a long time.

Then, after an easy month or so of breaking-in with weight training, you should do each exercise until you can't get another repetition out. 

However, truth is, I'm sure the average person can maintain good muscle fitness using weights without ever pushing themselves to the last repetition they can eke out. You can quit when the muscles get "kind of tired" and probably get more than 80 percent of the fitness benefit achieved from pushing to the last repetition possible. 

Doing easy workouts where you don’t push yourself to the last possible repetition has an advantage in the speed with which you can complete your weight training routine. If you don’t exhaust your muscles, then you don’t need the 2 to 4 minutes break normally required between exercises to recuperate, before moving on to the next one. 

Instead, you can go through each exercise routine one-after-another and complete the entire routine of 14 exercises in 10 to 15 minutes. (That should make it really difficult to conjure up excuses about not having time.)

On the other hand, it's sometimes fun to push yourself. Engage in fitness training for long and you will come to realize that it can involve not only physical exertion, but also discipline and mental effort. Every time you do your work out routine you reaffirm that you’re a person who can make a plan carry through with it. Every time you drive yourself to get a last arduous repetition performed you’re reinforcing the habit of being a doer.

Some of the best athletes develop the ability during training to visualize themselves performing at their peaks. This helps them later when it’s for real. When you’re at the end of a set of repetitions and have tired the muscles, try mentally visualizing yourself being successful in driving out yet another repetition - then go for it. 

Things to learn early on

Many people can double their strength by doing weight exercises. Weight training is different and better than calisthenics or aerobic routines. These involve endless repetitions that cause the muscles to become exhausted from lack of oxygen rather than genuine muscular fatigue. Muscular fatigue preferable - it returns the best strength gain for effort given. 

Five important objectives during the first weeks

1. Learning the correct form of movement of the exercises. Usually the routine should be done over the entire range of movement of the primary muscles involved.

2. Developing the habit of exhaling during the "positive" portion of an exercise movement (raising weight against gravity) and inhaling during the "negative" part (lowering weight with gravity). This is important. Don't hold your breath while exerting yourself.

3. Learning pace and execution of a repetition (one entire cycle of movement). A total up and down cycle of an exercise is called a “repetition” or “rep”.  It’s not uncommon to see beginners almost let a weight fall down after a positive movement. That can cause a torn muscle or tendon. Also, the muscles are supposed to do the work of lowering the weight in addition to raising it - that’s part of the workout. Pace yourself with a 1-2-3 count on the positive movement and a 4-5-6 count on the negative.

4. Minimizing the pauses during most of an exercise. As soon as you’ve raised the weight, start lowering it and vice versa. Near the end of a routine it’s OK to pause for 2 or 3 seconds to regain strength for a last effort to get 1 or 2 more repetitions. Repetitions are normally done without jerky actions. Concentrate on making it a smooth cycle of motion.         
               When you’re past the beginning stage, there is nothing wrong with jerking the weight slightly as part of fighting out a last rep or two. Everybody who pushes themselves does it. However, the weight you use should be low enough so that all or 90 percent of your reps can be done smoothly. Otherwise you’re sacrificing proper form. People sometimes load up on weight to impress themselves and others, and then do poorly executed exercises over a diminished span of movement. This is counterproductive.

5. Determining the amount of weight you should be using for each exercise. This is dependent upon the number of repetitions you want to be working at. The number of repetitions that gives the most benefit for the least effort in weight training spans from 6 to 15. The lower end (6 reps) favors size and power increases of the muscle. At the high end (15 reps) increases in stamina and muscle definition are favored. ("Muscle definition" means how your muscles appear on your body. The outline of muscles showing through the skin looks good, i.e. “having good definition”.

Generally, 8 to 12 repetitions are recommended for fitness strength training. In a given exercise as you strengthen to exceed 12 reps you increase the weight by about 5 percent. That should put you back to around 8 reps. Keep written records in the experimentation phase and thereafter - it saves a lot of time during a workout and allows you to chart your progress.

What order your exercises should be in, when you're using barbells?

• The “scientific way” is to exercise the largest muscle groups first and work down to the smallest.

• The “body builder” way is to exercise the muscles you’re most interested in developing first.

• The time efficient way.

The time efficient way

Instead of constantly adding and removing barbell weight plates, start with the exercise that demands the most weight and work on down to the one using the least. In other words, the number of weight plates used determines the order in which you do your routines. This simple procedure makes using barbell weights smooth and time efficient. Any compromise caused by straying from the scientific “ideal” is trivial compared with the benefit of encouraging regular time-efficient workouts.

A “set” refers to a set of repetitions involved in one exercise, normally 8 to 12 as mentioned above. In other words, a "set" of bench presses; a "set" of curls, etc. The number of sets of repetitions you do relates to your intentions in weight training. 

One set is fine for a fitness program. People trying to build up muscle mass commonly do 3 or even more sets of each exercise. This gets time consuming. If you want to do more than one set here's a hint to save time and bother. Instead of removing plates from one set of the same exercise to the next, use a weight that allows you to do about 15 reps on the first set, 10 the next and 6 on the third.

Just three inexpensive things are needed for weight lifting at home   

1.      A barbell set. Bar’s commonly come in 5 or 6-foot lengths - some of the Olympic sets are longer. For home workout 5 feet is probably best.   The plates are available in two types: plastic covered stone or iron. Iron is denser so these are a little less bulky. You can find barbell sets in many sporting goods stores. If you ever need to add weight, extra plates are inexpensive and available in many sports stores. You may find two 2 ½ pound plates to be good additions. This lets you "fine tune" the amount of weight on the bar in 5 pound increments. 

When you get a barbell set use a tape measure to position the collars to ensure that the weight is balanced. Then find the center point of the length inside the collars. Mark that with colored tape. Then measure off to either side of the center ½ your shoulder width. Mark those 2 points with tape also. This gives you shoulder width reference points when you grasp the barbell for exercising. That avoids working with an unbalanced weight.

2.      A workout bench with a back that can be adjusted to a 45-degree angle. It also should have a rack that barbells can be set on. These benches start at about $40 and are commonly available in sports  stores. (Note: don’t change plates on a barbell when it’s on this rack, it unbalances the barbell and it may tip off. Add and remove plates only while the weights are on the floor).

3.      One or two stools of about the same height as the bench. Perhaps you already have these. That’s it for necessary equipment, although some people like to wear gloves when weight training to avoid calluses. Cheap cotton work gloves function just as well as fashionable expensive leather ones, and of course the cotton ones are washable.

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Stance

 While doing exercises in a standing position, there is a tendency to curve the back and jerk the body to get the weight up one more time. To avoid that and to maintain correct pelvic rotation, take a stance where the feet are about shoulder width apart. Put one foot ½ step forward of the other. Bend the forward knee slightly and lock the rear knee. That should keep your pelvis rotated correctly and give you a good solid stance for doing your standing exercises. On standing exercises, you will usually have good form if you do two things: 1) keep good posture; 2) move only the parts of the body that are required to perform the exercise.

Grip

 Two types of grip will be referred to in the descriptions of the weight exercises.

1.      Thumbs-in as you grasp the bar.

2.      Thumbs-out as you grasp the bar.    

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Don’t grit your teeth

People sometimes grit their teeth when they’re exerting themselves. Not a good practice. Done repetitiously, it could cause you to loosen your fillings.  Keep your teeth slightly separated during exertion.

How much weight to use for the different exercises?

Determining the amount of weight to use can be annoying and time consuming in the beginning. To help you along I developed a rule of thumb method that keys off how much weight you use in the biceps curl exercise. This is an easy exercise to experiment with until you become confident that you have determined your correct weight to use.

First, set up the barbell and measure and tape the right grasping points as discussed above. Then experiment with the biceps curling exercise (number 5 below) until you’re convinced you’ve got the right weight for you to do 10 reps properly. Then use the ratios given beside each exercise below to multiply times the biceps curl weight for the starting out weights. Adjust up or down from there as needed. Keep a written record and in a few sessions you’ll be well oriented about what weights to be using.

The exercises are listed in an order that favors using the most plates first and working on down to the lightest weight. But everybody is different. If you find you need to, just reorder the sequence in which you do these exercises to fit your own weight usage from heaviest to lightest. This minimizes adding and removing weight plates during a workout.

Determining the amount of weight to use when starting

Fourteen strength training exercises

A good way to learn correct exercise form is to carefully go through a practice run of all these exercises with just a 20-pound barbell.

1) Bench press:

This is the traditional bench press. For most people it will be done with the heaviest weight of any of the exercises. Primarily, this works the pectorals; secondarily it works the deltoids and triceps.

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Put the barbell on the rack, don’t change the weight once it’s up there or it might tip off. Lie on the bench. Grasp the bar with a thumbs-in grip about 6 inches out from each shoulder, perhaps as wide as the bar allows. A wide grip emphasizes pectoral involvement; a narrow grip emphasizes the triceps, which is not what this exercise is for.

Lower the weight to your upper chest lightly touching your chest with the bar.

As you’re doing reps do not arch your back, keep lying flat on the bench. Don’t bounce the weight off your chest, just use smooth movements.

When you’re ready to work hard let the bar rest on your extended arms with elbows locked, after you’ve done the last rep you can. Relax for a few seconds then get another rep out. If you have a workout partner, they can assist you in squeezing out the last possible reps.

If you’re working out alone, be sure to gauge your strength so that you can get the weight up the last time.  If you’re not sure how much strength you have left, keep the weight extended up on your fully extended arms while your muscles recuperate a bit before going for that last rep. If you do get stuck and can’t get the last press out, just let the weight rest on your chest while your arms recuperate for a full minute. Then drive the weight up and onto the rack.

2) Bent over rowing

This primarily works the latissimus dorsi, secondarily the biceps and anterior deltoids. It also stretches your back if you lock your knees.

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Step up to the barbell, touch your insteps to the bar. Bend your back to a 90 degree angle, grasp the bar at shoulder width, thumbs-in grip and raise the barbell to within an inch or two of the chest using your arms only. Don’t bounce or jerk the weight, use a smooth motion, keep your back in a constant 90 degree position.

3) Inclined bench

Raise the back of the workout bench to 45 degrees. This exercise primarily works the upper pectorals, secondarily the deltoids and triceps.  

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With each heel beside the bench legs and the barbell at your insteps, pick up the weight with a shoulder width grip, thumbs-in and raise it straight up your body to an upper chest position as though you were going do a standing press with it. Carefully sit down onto the bench and lean back. Let the weight rest against your chest. Slide your hands outward to get a grip of the same width you used in the bench press above. Press the weight up, on the down move touch it to your chest. When you’re finished, ease the weight down from your upper chest as you stand up and lower it to the floor.

4) Sanding rowing

This primarily exercises the deltoids, secondarily the trapezius and biceps. This exercise works the deltoids through their lower range of motion. The standing presses, which you will do further on, work them through their upper range of motion.

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With the barbell at your insteps, grasp the bar with narrow 10 inch wide grip, thumbs-in. You may want to let your thumbs lie on top of the bar rather than the usual grip (thumbs under). This makes it easier to raise the weight high. Come to a standing position with the weight at your waist. Raise the weight straight up your body and touch your chin with the bar. Toward the end you won’t quite make it the last few inches to your chin.

When you can’t do another repetition, do a few shoulder shrug motions, which primarily work the trapezius muscles just below the neck.

5) Biceps wide curl

 This exercises the biceps.

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Grasp the barbell with a thumbs-out grip just a little wider than your shoulder width. Come to a standing position with the barbell below your waist. Keep the elbows into your sides and curl the weight all the way up. Nothing on your body should be moving during this exercise other than your forearms.

 6) Standing Press

 This primarily exercises the deltoids and secondarily the triceps.

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With the barbell at your insteps, grasp the bar with thumbs-in and a shoulder width grip. Bring the weight straight up the body and into position with the arms beneath it at chest level. Press (or extend) the weight all the way up. Bring it down behind the head, and then press it up again, lowering it the next time to the chest. In other words, alternate the presses in front and behind the head. This gives the deltoids a good range of exercise. Keep the elbows out away from the body while doing the reps.

Tall people may run into the problem of hitting the weights on the ceiling. If you do that, just bring the weight up to chest position, carefully sit down onto the bench and perform the exercise sitting with your back vertical.

 7) Front press

This primarily exercises the frontal deltoids and secondarily the triceps.

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Grasp the barbell with a thumbs out grip about 2 inches less than shoulder width. Pick the weight up and bring it to your upper chest. Keep your elbows tucked in touching your sides. Press (or extend) the weight all the way up above your head and then lower it to your chest. All these presses will be closely in front of your head (not behind like the "standing press"). You can do these sitting as described above.

8) Biceps narrow curl

 This exercises the biceps in a different way than exercise no.5.

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Grasp the barbell in a narrow 8 inch width grip with thumbs-in. With the weight at waist level curl it to the chest as far as possible. Nothing on your body should be moving during this exercise other than your forearms. This exercise taxes the grip. If you have a problem maintaining your grip go to a thumbs out grip until your wrists get stronger.

 9) Pullover

This exercise works and stretches several different muscles. Its main focus is on the latissimus dorsi and the intercostal muscles of the rib cage.

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Place a stool at the end of the bench without the weight rack. This effectively extends the length of the bench. Place the barbell onto the stool. Then lie down on the bench with the back of your head at or on the weight. Grasp the barbell with a shoulder width thumbs out grip. “Triceps curl” the weight up to above your body so that your arms are vertical. Then, keeping the elbows moderately stiff and locked, arc the weight down over your head as far back and down as possible. A lot of muscles get stretched and that’s good. When it’s as far extended as possible, arc the weight back up to above your upper chest. After the last rep, return the weight to the stool.

 10) Tricep curls

Exercises the triceps.

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Place a stool at the end of the bench without the weight rack. This effectively extends the length of the bench. Place the barbell onto the stool. Then lie down on the bench with the back of your head at or on the weight. Grasp the barbell with a shoulder width thumbs out grip. Bring the weight over your head to a position so that your arms are vertical. Now, keeping your elbows above your body, curl the weight down to the top of your head. Only your forearms should be moving. Maintain the elbows’ position and raise the weight.

 11) Dips

 This exercises the pectorals and the triceps.

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You will need 2 stools (or chairs ?) and the bench. Set the stools up about 1.2 shoulder widths apart. They should be about a leg’s length from the bench. Support yourself with your hands between the 2 stools and put your feet up on the bench. Resting your feet on the floor versus the bench will make the exercise easier. Lower your body down between the stools as far as you can go or until your rear touches the floor. Then raise yourself up.

If you want, you can extend the range of the exercise by placing something thick like phone books on the stools to raise your hand elevation. If you place the stools behind your shoulders, the triceps are then worked the hardest. You can experiment with positions and find the one that best works both muscle groups. If the exercise is too hard, move the stools and bench closer changing the leverage point of your legs. As a lesser alternative, you can limit how low you go on the down movement.

12) Step downs

This focuses on the leg quadriceps and the buttocks (or leg extending muscles). It’s a good “cosmetic” exercise in the sense that it improves the looks of the legs and rear.

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Most people will not need to use any weight in this exercise, just your body. Use a normal stairs or construct a step down with about 8 inches of vertical rise. Simulate stepping down and then rising up with one leg at a time. In other words, lower yourself on one leg touching the other foot to the next step down and then rise up again. Use your arms for balance. Repeat for the other leg.

If you have trouble doing 8 or more repetitions going “down stairs”, try simulating going “up stairs”. If even that is too difficult work with both legs simultaneously over an 8 inch vertical distance.

This exercise deliberately departs from the others in exercising the primary muscles over a limited span of their possible movement. The knee joint is probably the most vulnerable one in the human body. Doing full motion exercises with weights (called “squats”) has been known to lead to knee trouble.

This exercise is not only safe in that regard, but some orthopedic surgeons recommend it as a treatment for a condition called chondromalacia (or “runners’ knee”). This is a problem that people of all ages can develop, and is particularly common in runners and other athletes. Its symptoms include a grinding noise coming from the knee when using the stairs. A slight pain may accompany this suggesting the knee will give way, but without it ever actually doing so. It’s an annoying condition and this “stair step down” exercise has been known to reduce it greatly in a high percentage of cases, often avoiding the need for a surgical solution. It strengthens muscles that keep the knee joint components in the right places during movement. It can also serve as a preventative measure for people who have not yet had any of these symptoms. If you’re a runner, then this exercise may be particularly beneficial to you in avoiding development of "runners knee".

13) Leg curls

This focuses on the hamstring muscles that contract the legs in paired opposition to the above exercise, which strengthens the leg extenders. In this exercise also you use your own body weight for resistance.

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Look around for a solid surface about waist high on which you can set the heels of your feet while lying on floor. The weight bench with the back up at 45 degrees might work for you. The starting position is such that you are on your back, legs up vertical, knees straight, with heels set firmly on this surface. From this position lift your body by contracting (or curling) your legs. Use your elbows to control your position on the floor.

An alternative method is to use one of the stools. Lie on your back on the floor, set your heels up on the stool, raise your body up by straightening your arms, then lift your lower body by curling your legs. Whichever method you use, contract the legs starting from a straight knee position.

These two legs exercises (numbers 12 & 13) can be important in maintaining healthy knee joints. Weak or unbalanced muscles may often be more a source of knee problems than is the stress from running and other athletic activities.  

 14) Neck

Four exercises that strengthen the neck muscles that control head movement in the forward, backward and side directions. The pictures demonstrate the movements using a weight, which is optional.

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The neck muscles are often ignored in fitness. But if you play sports involving contact or quick motion, it’s wise to protect these muscles by keeping them exercised. Also, all of us have some exposure to the risk of an auto accident that might cause a violent jarring, with the result of whiplash injuries. These exercises add some protection from what can be painful and long lasting harm.

Do these neck exercises without any weight, at first. If you find yourself doing more than 12 repetitions, then try using  a light weight, perhaps an ankle weight, a 2 to 5 pound weight plate, a small dumbbell or even just a book.

Lie down on the weight bench or at the top of a stairs on your back with your shoulders extending out a few inches unsupported. This allows maximum range of movement for your head. Move your head through a maximum cycle of up and down motion to a 123 and 456 count. 

Next, do a quarter turn to your side. Repeat moving the head in a maximum arc against gravity.  Do another quarter turn onto your stomach and repeat the exercise. Finally, another quarter turn and you work the remaining side. You may find it convenient to make the neck exercises an every other day part of your stretching routines, since in both cases you’re on the floor.

Until you have gained some experience at strength training and your body has become accustomed to using weights, there is little need to worry about intensifying your work-outs. Past that point, some people might want to push their training to a more strenuous level. The most obvious method for that is to just add more sets of repetitions, 3 sets being common for people who want to add some muscle bulk and strength past a normal fitness level.

However, many people don’t have the time for doing 3 sets. Here’s a couple techniques that can add intensity to your weight lifting without adding much time to the whole process.  And, these can be applied regardless of how many sets you choose to do.

1.      After you’ve done the last repetition you can force out in a continuous sequence, pause a few seconds with the weight at a resting level, let the muscles recuperate a bit, then drive for another rep or two.

A word of caution: when you are doing bench presses, don’t wear your muscles out only to find that you can’t lift the weight up off your chest and onto the rack. If you are working with a partner who can spot you and assist in the last rep then it’s O.K. - otherwise you are in for a very annoying experience. (Obviously, not being able to get a last rep done isn’t a problem with the other types of exercises.)

For bench presses without a partner, the best compromise is to let the weight rest on your fully extended arms while the muscles recuperate, then go for a couple more reps lowering the barbell only about 10 inches instead of the whole distance to your chest. With some experience, you will be able to gauge your remaining strength and avoid the “pinned by a barbell” experience.

2.      Next, when you have the weight up on what you know is going to be the last possible rep you can squeeze out, let the weight down about 20 percent of the distance and then hold it there, fighting hard against it as it wants to come down in response to your exhausted muscles giving way. This is a good one for testing your mental resolve.

That concludes the weights exercises. One set 3 times a week will do a good job of getting you fit and capable over a period of months. Nothing too demanding is required. Consistent moderate effort is the best way to go for fitness in general and the same goes for strength training. Free weights are the preferred method. They can be used at home very effectively with an economy of time and money.

Muscle Growth and Steroids

Anabolic steroids, or as they’re more commonly known “steroids”, are dangerous. Kids nowadays (both guys and girls) are using this stuff to promote muscle growth - and it does to a phenomenal degree. If you see someone putting on muscle (or “bulking up”) at a quick rate, they’re probably using them. They’ve been around a long time and many professional and Olympian athletes used them before they were outlawed. The problem lies in the side effects that include cancer, intestinal bleeding, sterility, liver disease, dizziness, wide variations in sexual desire and aggressive behavior. Anabolic steroids are illegal for good reasons and should not be used.

Unbalanced Weight Training  

Lester's older brother introduced him to weight training when he was only 12 years old. Everyday after school the two would go down into the basement and work out. Like most young guys in their teens, Lester didn't think so much in terms of physical fitness as he did in looking formidable and impressive. 

The teens are the age span when boys typically butt heads with each other frequently. Being built up means that a young guy can avoid bullying from older boys and gain acceptance among his peers more easily than a kid who is skinny and lacking in muscle development. Lester never had to prove himself by actually fighting because of his formidable appearance.   

Weight training had a real effect on Lester’s musculature. He worked at it with the intensity of youth and bulked-up in a way that was surprising not only to his school mates, but also to the coaches. Even though he was only 14 years old, Lester had a well developed “V” upper body and perhaps most surprising of all, had actually developed stretch marks on his arms due to the extraordinary size he had added to his biceps. 

No one upon first meeting him thought he could be as young as he was.  The coaches saw him as a potential star - but it didn't last long. Gym class baseball games and the tryout's for football and the wrestling team revealed something unfortunate had occurred in his development. In baseball, when he attempted to throw, his motion was stiffly over-hand and the ball’s flight path would vector into the ground 20 or 30 feet in front of him. At bat, he couldn't hit a thing. In football he was useless because he couldn't run far. The musculature of his thick legs was so mis-developed that he couldn't assume a fluid motion. Instead he had a comical lurching gait that would exhaust him quickly. Even in wrestling, he had problems in developing the quick fluid motions necessary to develop winning moves. It wasn't long before far less muscularly developed guys were pinning him regularly. He dropped out.  

So what happened? Lester was a victim of a poor weight training program. During those sessions in his basement during which he had worked so hard, he had concentrated on bulking up muscle groups that create an impressive appearance. He had used excessively heavy weights and limited motion exercises to build up eye-catching muscles like the biceps, the pectorals and the quadriceps of the legs. He short changed the less eye-catching muscles like the triceps and leg hamstrings. Instead of exercising his muscles over the full span of their movement, he favored the method of pumping-up by doing his repetitions over a movement span of only several inches. The result was pounds of added muscle that was useless due to the way in which it had been developed. What's done by a poor weight training program like this is unlikely to ever be un-done. 

 

Push Hard and Excel 

Dan is one of those people who likes to push hard and excel in everything they do. He kept a tight busy schedule taking in family and business obligations.   Therefore, when he decided that it was time to start paying attention to his health and fitness, he was faced with a quandary. 

There was no way he could fit in the time for daily visits to an athletic club, so he decided to adopt a workout plan that allowed him to exercise at home. That way he could share time with his family and accomplish his fitness goals without conflict. And it wouldn't hurt for his two youngsters to see their Dad improving himself with exercise.   

After several months he noticed substantial gains in his muscular strength. He became enamored with the idea of pushing his strength beyond his initial goals in his physical fitness program. His time constraints didn't allow him to go beyond the 30 or 40 minutes that he was devoting to weight training every other day, so he couldn't very well add depth to his workouts by doing two or three sets of each exercise instead of one. So he compromised by taking another approach to intensifying his weight training.  

He focused on the goal of maximizing his muscle exhaustion at the end of each exercise. He would do the normal 8 to 12 repetitions of an exercise to the point of normal muscular fatigue. Then, instead of calling an end to that particular exercise, he would pause for a few seconds with the weight at a resting position, while his muscles recuperated a bit. Then he would force out 1 or 2 more repetitions. Then on the last possible repetition to force out, he did not lower the weight as usual. Instead, he fought to hold the weight’s position every inch of the way against the downward pull of gravity. 

It wasn't long before the rewards of this extra effort were showing up in the need to add weight to the barbells, and in the mirror in the form of larger well-defined muscles.  Dan’s workouts became a healthy habit that he maintained through the years. When his kids became teenagers, another unexpected benefit revealed itself. It turned out that they both wanted to start regular fitness programs for themselves in addition to the school athletic activities they joined in. Dan was in a good position to introduce both of them to fitness training. From first-hand experience, he knew exactly how to guide them. 

At a time when many parents lose contact with their kids, Dan instead entered a period of increased bonding with them during workouts, not to mention while playing various sports with them as they entered the age in which kids like to discover and test their athletic abilities. He discovered the obvious: that children bond to parents that teach them, and share experiences with them.  

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