Archive for Weight Training
Strength training guidelines
Posted by: | CommentsThe guidelines of the American College of Medicine (ACSM) advocates the use of simpler training protocols for both beginners and experienced trainees. Here are some key ideas for effective weight training:
* Intensity can be effectively measured by “perceived effort.”
* A wide range of reps per set can be equally effective, depending on the effort spent.
* There is no evidence that there is a separate way to train for strength or endurance. Getting stronger also increases muscular endurance. (I’m not quite sure about this one actually. I think that the concept of training specificity can negate this claim.)
* Take about 3 seconds to raise the resistance and about 3 seconds to lower the resistance using a full range of motion for each repetition.
* To increase strength, training has to produce an overload beyond a minimal threshold. Focus on progression without compromising the form of the exercise, and using as complete a range of motion as is possible.
* The intensity of training can be increased by increasing the weight, number of repetitions, and by reducing momentum through increasing the repetition’s duration.
* A variety of exercises can be used for each muscle group, with some physiological and psychological benefits against “staleness.” The overall evidence does not support the superiority of higher volume training — eight to 10 exercises performed two to three days per week is sufficient.
Exercise guidelines and weight loss
Posted by: | CommentsGuidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend that adults should: (a) engage in moderately intense exercise for at least 30 minutes five days a week or vigorous exercise at least 20 minutes three days each week, and (b) weightlifting exercise to work on muscular strength and endurance, with eight to 10 different exercises on two nonconsecutive days a week. The new guidelines urged people 65 and older to lift weights and work on flexibility exercises and balance training.
One of my new clients has been running 5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour for about a year, before he approached me for help. He wanted to build more muscle, and control his blood sugar. In my initial meeting with him it appeared that his diet was a little bit off. We tweaked this a little bit. I also gave him a fifteen minute dumbell workout (20 lbs each) that he did 5 days a week.
Six weeks later, he called me and reported that he lost 16 pounds (he’s now 135 pounds on a 5′6” frame), and most importantly also lost two inches off his waist. He’s extremely excited because his six-pack abs is in sight. Most importantly, his blood sugar is now normal – with no medication — simply from the slight diet modification and weight training routine I gave him.
Moral of the story: A high nutrient diet, plus an intelligently designed weight training program can really turbo charge your health and weight loss goals.
