Archive for the ‘Strength Training’ Category

A Basic Model of Recovery.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 11:34 1 Comment

A client of mine recently had a sit-down with her doctor; seems the doctor was alarmed at her recent hypertension (high blood pressure) and elevated heart rate and wanted to do more bloodwork.  While I’m no doctor, one thing became apparent to me after talking to this client for a minute or two - she [...]

This was posted under category: Exercise Science, Sports Performance, Strength Training

Walking Isn’t Exercise.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 14:55 No Comments

Unless, of course, this is what you mean by “walking”:

Image credit: USAWA.com
It’s one of the most underrated exercises for pure gripping strength, but the Farmer’s Walk is a classic oldie-but-goodie.  Performed at the end of a workout, it improves conditioning and grip strength (and gives you one heckuva mental challenge, to boot).
Its instruction is simple: [...]

This was posted under category: Feats, Strength Training

Lift Slower, Not Faster.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:14 No Comments

Ok, I know it’s a poster study and as such I’m aware of its limitations, yet it’s great to see “slow” training validated (can’t wait to see the actual data).
Slow Exercise (Not Fast) Is Better For Menopausal Women.
Summary: Groups of menopausal women (45-55 yrs old) were trained “standard style” (normal speed), or SuperSlow (10 secs [...]

This was posted under category: Muscle and Strength Gain, Strength Training

How Strength Training Improves Bone Density.

Thursday, June 5, 2008 22:58 No Comments

Ken (a very spry 70 year old) asked me, “How does strength training increase bone density?”
Well, the basic mechanism is very simple: Think of your skeleton as the framework of the body, the base upon which the body is built. Load up that framework with weight, and the body, being that dynamic organism it [...]

This was posted under category: Exercise Science, Strength Training

How To Bounce Back From Illness (and Get Back To Working Out).

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 15:53 No Comments

There’s almost nothing quite as frustrating or annoying as feeling as though you’re making progress, then getting sick. Worst part is, if you try and force the issue, it’s all too easy to make yourself even more sick and lengthening your infirm time, setting you back even further.
Here’s a multi-part plan for you to [...]

This was posted under category: Program Design, Strength Training