DESIGNING BETTER LIVING THROUGH STRENGTH
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a personal training blog

From the category archives:

Strength Training

A Small Observation (or Two).

October 2, 2008

Your body is not 100% efficient.  At doing anything.
This implies:
Not all of the energy you apply to an exercise will be used in moving the weights.  This is why technique is so critical.
Not all the weight you lose on a fat-burning program is fat.  This is why you should lift heavy things while eating for [...]

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A Basic Model of Recovery.

September 24, 2008

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 [...]

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Walking Isn’t Exercise.

September 23, 2008

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: [...]

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Lift Slower, Not Faster.

July 9, 2008

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 [...]

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How Strength Training Improves Bone Density.

June 5, 2008

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 [...]

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

June 3, 2008

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 [...]

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Strength Training Relieves Chronic Neck Pain.

May 21, 2008

If you read the Harvard Women’s Health Watch, then chances are you’ve already caught wind of a study published in the January 2008 issue of the journal Arthritis Care and Research.  This small study compared the effectiveness of strength training and general fitness training on reducing chronic work-related neck pain.
Result: The group who participated in “general [...]

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Healthier Joints Through Strength Training.

May 20, 2008

One fear that clients (particularly older individuals) have regarding strength training is the integrity of their joints:  “Won’t I hurt my back (or knee/elbow/shoulder) lifting weights?” 
If you’re concerned at all about joint integrity on a resistance training program, don’t be.  Assuming you choose weights that are appropriately heavy, your joints should get stronger.  Here’s why:
First, [...]

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More Than You Ever Cared To Know About The Repetition.

May 15, 2008

What is the magical allure of a 5 x 5?  Or a well performed set of 15 reps?  How do I choose how many reps to do in a given set and what is the rationale for using one or the other?
Moreover, why do you never (intentionally) see a set of 17? Or a set [...]

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“But Are His Muscles Healthy?”

May 14, 2008

NY Times’ Gina Kolata writes about strength training and the relationship of muscle to health:
More Than an Exercise in Vanity.
What’s excellent about this article is that it stresses the importance of strength training vis a vis the concept of “muscle health.”  Seem like a misnomer?  Not really – studies show positive correlation of muscle strength [...]

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