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[ { "answer_id": 42224, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Probably your leg muscles are under-developed. </p>\n\n<p>Strength is also control, and it is certainly possible to gain control of muscles you couldn't directly command before by strengthening them. The most common example is the famous chest bounce many men do, it's possible only for men who developed a certain chest strength. </p>\n\n<p>I would suggest training your ankles, the feet toe muscles work just like the finger muscles, they can help in flexing the wrist/ankle which means you can train your toe muscles by doing calf raises. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42234, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As with most exercises that you can't do initially, progressions are probably key. If you can't lift the big toe separately from the others, I suspect you can at least modify the amount of pressure. Try reducing and increasing pressure in your big toe. Even if you can't see movement, I suspect you can feel the difference and you can practice that. Secondly, you may just need better strength in general to be able to coordinate the movement. Doing repeated pressing and flexing of your toes will help you build strength in that movement, which will help in being able to coordinate them moving more separately. Lastly, you might try a parallel exercise of toe coordination, like balancing on one foot. That sort of balance requires independent variation of pressure by the toes (or at least of the big toe and little toe) so it will help if both building up strength and physical coordination. Doing it on command will just take practice.</p>\n\n<p>FWIW, <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/29171/is-it-possible-to-move-each-toe-individually\">Is it possible to move each toe individually?</a> indicates that you can learn to move every toe individually, something I will admit is beyond me.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42222", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33416/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42243, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Several articles on T nation as well as other fitness experts agree the best workout for mass, strength are 3 day full body workouts with 4 or 5 heavy compound movements replicating the basic 6 motions(pick your reps based on goals):</p>\n\n<p>Horizontal pushing</p>\n\n<p>Vertical pushing</p>\n\n<p>Horizontal pulling</p>\n\n<p>Vertical pulling</p>\n\n<p>Anterior chain(quads)</p>\n\n<p>Posterior chain-(glutes, hamstrings)</p>\n\n<p>This can be done in an hour, so 3 hours a week, you get 3x frequency a week which is very optimal, and all the compound movements will hit every muscle group you have. </p>\n\n<p>Sample day:</p>\n\n<p>Bench press</p>\n\n<p>Bent over row</p>\n\n<p>Deadlift</p>\n\n<p>Squat</p>\n\n<p>Chinups</p>\n\n<p>Sample day 2:</p>\n\n<p>Incline press</p>\n\n<p>Rdl</p>\n\n<p>Zercher squat</p>\n\n<p>Pullups</p>\n\n<p>Shoulder press</p>\n\n<p>Edit: I'd like to add that the question is vague, so as far as most time efficient.. it really depends on the person, the goals, etc.. technically a person can workout a majority of their muscles in one 45 minute workout. It's not the best workout by any means but by definition it's time efficient</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42245, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There is no \"most\" time efficient workout. All that exists are preferences, opinions, and thoughts on what is best, because there are easily dozens of ways to accomplish your stated goal and no clear metric by which to differentiate them. </p>\n\n<p>Furthermore, even if there was an ideal workout, it wouldn't apply to everyone. Different people have different needs and abilities so there's very literally no such thing as a universally applicable workout program.</p>\n\n<p>Stop looking for universal ideals. Instead look honestly at your own current situation, desired outcomes, and available tools, then synthesize a solution, <em>try it</em>, and iteratively improve and adapt it over time. If you want help during this process you need to say something about your current state, what works for you, and what doesn't.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42241", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42274, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You could keep your bodyweight mass down, lose fat if you have any, and do several lat exercises such as landmine rows with t bar, or lat bars, one armed rows, etc. Use an endurance type rep scheme(15-20). Working your forearm strength and grip as well as core and biceps to some degree with additional training. Try adding weight here and there but focus more on increasing reps since this is your goal. Outside of this.. just do 6 sets of amap reps of pullups a couple times a week and try to increase your numbers each time. If you fail, stop and start a new set. At the end of the month., try the pull up challenge again. Eventually you'll hit a very high number of reps to where muscular endurance and cardio are going to be the factors that get you that high. You will have to truly work on yourself, and be very lean. Try to not gain too much muscle, even losing muscle in legs might help you. </p>\n\n<p>Reevaluate where you are at the end of each month.. what breaks first, your grip, energy, back, shoulders? And work on those things first. </p>\n\n<p>To reach record high nymbers, you'll have to lose as much weight as you can while keeping your muscles strong. You'll potentially even have to lose muscle in places that don't matter just to she'd a few pounds off such as chest, triceps, legs, etc.. </p>\n\n<p>Genetics can play a key role too.. for instance a 5'4 person is going to weigh less and be more mechanically advantages to do more pullups than a 6,0 person</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42276, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How does [someone] prepare to do 110 pull ups in a row</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Start by recognizing this as an extreme goal. I bet the people achieving >75 pull-ups got there by doing gymnastics or bar calisthenics for <em>years</em>. Coming even close to this number of pull-ups in one set is such a rare skill that you shouldn't ask anyone who hasn't done it. (Elite training is so <em>incredibly different</em> from even advanced intermediate training that usually-helpful answers stop making sense.)</p>\n\n<p>Someone who does a hundred pull-ups in a set <em>loves pull-ups</em>. Their motivation to do pull-ups is not just better than anyone they know, it's better than anyone in their country--in the whole world. They may enjoy training for pull-ups more than they enjoy anything else in the world. <strong>You don't know if you like training for pull-ups <em>at all.</em></strong></p>\n\n<p>What I recommend is this: get acquainted with pull-ups. Get moderately good at them then decide whether you love the process (not the goal!) so much that you're willing to sacrifice unreasonable amounts of time, effort, and relationships to work on it. Then decide if more pull-ups are still your goal.</p>\n\n<p>Here's what I'd try: begin with fitting 100 pull-ups into every workout. Then fit those reps into as few sets as possible. Try all the different grips, and prove to yourself that you're at least good at all of them, even if you have a favorite. Then increase the total number of pull-ups -- I'd add 10 every week until I doubled it. At the same time I'd start doing some workouts with pull-up variants: weighted, one-arm progressions, holds, archers, playing with tempo and partial reps, and so on. After this point you'll have to get a little creative, a little crazy: start optimizing your bodyweight for this task, and finding accessory exercises which address your weak points. By now you may have experienced a training injury forcing you to get familiar with some anatomy and amateur physical therapy or other medical or medical-adjacent topics. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42281, "author": "Did It", "author_id": 33433, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33433", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Kipping!</p>\n\n<p>When I started doing pull-ups I could barely do 2 or 3. One day I strapped myself in to a machine that was designed to lighten my weight. I adjusted the machine so I weighed nothing. Then I did 20 pull-ups. I kept removing counterweights and doing 20 more pull-ups each time. Within an hour my body had learned to do the pull-ups without assistance from the counterweights. I didn't weigh much at the time, probably 120lbs. So, that would have been 240 pull-ups in an hour, with brief breaks in between to remove counterweights.</p>\n\n<p>My upper body strength did not magically improve in that hour, but my body had learned how to perform the necessary movements.</p>\n\n<p>Soon after (within minutes - I was sitting on my cot, resting), I was called out to a pull-up bar and told to do pull-ups. I knocked out 20 easily, but was not allowed to dismount. Instead, I was told to keep going. Without much effort, I belted out another 15 before I was told to dismount. Really, hanging there waiting to dismount was more tiring. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42282, "author": "Adam Barnes", "author_id": 33436, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33436", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Don't.</p>\n\n<p>If you can do 100 pullups, unless you're doing it to prove a point or show off, training to do 110 is a huge waste of time, because the majority of your time is spent slowly reaching your limit, at which point gains can be made.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, make the exercise harder until you're reaching your limit at, say, ten reps. For pullups, perhaps make moves towards one-armed pullups, starting with doing them from side to side, progressing to holding on to a towel with one arm instead of the bar, etc.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42264", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42274, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You could keep your bodyweight mass down, lose fat if you have any, and do several lat exercises such as landmine rows with t bar, or lat bars, one armed rows, etc. Use an endurance type rep scheme(15-20). Working your forearm strength and grip as well as core and biceps to some degree with additional training. Try adding weight here and there but focus more on increasing reps since this is your goal. Outside of this.. just do 6 sets of amap reps of pullups a couple times a week and try to increase your numbers each time. If you fail, stop and start a new set. At the end of the month., try the pull up challenge again. Eventually you'll hit a very high number of reps to where muscular endurance and cardio are going to be the factors that get you that high. You will have to truly work on yourself, and be very lean. Try to not gain too much muscle, even losing muscle in legs might help you. </p>\n\n<p>Reevaluate where you are at the end of each month.. what breaks first, your grip, energy, back, shoulders? And work on those things first. </p>\n\n<p>To reach record high nymbers, you'll have to lose as much weight as you can while keeping your muscles strong. You'll potentially even have to lose muscle in places that don't matter just to she'd a few pounds off such as chest, triceps, legs, etc.. </p>\n\n<p>Genetics can play a key role too.. for instance a 5'4 person is going to weigh less and be more mechanically advantages to do more pullups than a 6,0 person</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42276, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How does [someone] prepare to do 110 pull ups in a row</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Start by recognizing this as an extreme goal. I bet the people achieving >75 pull-ups got there by doing gymnastics or bar calisthenics for <em>years</em>. Coming even close to this number of pull-ups in one set is such a rare skill that you shouldn't ask anyone who hasn't done it. (Elite training is so <em>incredibly different</em> from even advanced intermediate training that usually-helpful answers stop making sense.)</p>\n\n<p>Someone who does a hundred pull-ups in a set <em>loves pull-ups</em>. Their motivation to do pull-ups is not just better than anyone they know, it's better than anyone in their country--in the whole world. They may enjoy training for pull-ups more than they enjoy anything else in the world. <strong>You don't know if you like training for pull-ups <em>at all.</em></strong></p>\n\n<p>What I recommend is this: get acquainted with pull-ups. Get moderately good at them then decide whether you love the process (not the goal!) so much that you're willing to sacrifice unreasonable amounts of time, effort, and relationships to work on it. Then decide if more pull-ups are still your goal.</p>\n\n<p>Here's what I'd try: begin with fitting 100 pull-ups into every workout. Then fit those reps into as few sets as possible. Try all the different grips, and prove to yourself that you're at least good at all of them, even if you have a favorite. Then increase the total number of pull-ups -- I'd add 10 every week until I doubled it. At the same time I'd start doing some workouts with pull-up variants: weighted, one-arm progressions, holds, archers, playing with tempo and partial reps, and so on. After this point you'll have to get a little creative, a little crazy: start optimizing your bodyweight for this task, and finding accessory exercises which address your weak points. By now you may have experienced a training injury forcing you to get familiar with some anatomy and amateur physical therapy or other medical or medical-adjacent topics. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42281, "author": "Did It", "author_id": 33433, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33433", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Kipping!</p>\n\n<p>When I started doing pull-ups I could barely do 2 or 3. One day I strapped myself in to a machine that was designed to lighten my weight. I adjusted the machine so I weighed nothing. Then I did 20 pull-ups. I kept removing counterweights and doing 20 more pull-ups each time. Within an hour my body had learned to do the pull-ups without assistance from the counterweights. I didn't weigh much at the time, probably 120lbs. So, that would have been 240 pull-ups in an hour, with brief breaks in between to remove counterweights.</p>\n\n<p>My upper body strength did not magically improve in that hour, but my body had learned how to perform the necessary movements.</p>\n\n<p>Soon after (within minutes - I was sitting on my cot, resting), I was called out to a pull-up bar and told to do pull-ups. I knocked out 20 easily, but was not allowed to dismount. Instead, I was told to keep going. Without much effort, I belted out another 15 before I was told to dismount. Really, hanging there waiting to dismount was more tiring. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42282, "author": "Adam Barnes", "author_id": 33436, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33436", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Don't.</p>\n\n<p>If you can do 100 pullups, unless you're doing it to prove a point or show off, training to do 110 is a huge waste of time, because the majority of your time is spent slowly reaching your limit, at which point gains can be made.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, make the exercise harder until you're reaching your limit at, say, ten reps. For pullups, perhaps make moves towards one-armed pullups, starting with doing them from side to side, progressing to holding on to a towel with one arm instead of the bar, etc.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42294", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33451/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42309, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Squatting through the full range, or “ass to the grass”, is entirely natural for anyone who possesses normal, healthy function. Once we can stand and walk confidently—that is, by about 1½ or 2 years of age—we all squat to the ground effortlessly, with a neutral spine and with our (proportionally large) head perfectly positioned over our centre of balance. This position is functionally imperative, of course, because our undeveloped muscles have no reserve of strength to allow us to hold a position that is not optimal.</p>\n<p>By the time that we are about a year older, however, we have often already begun to develop poor habits—relying on our (now present) strength reserves to approach the ground by leaning forward excessively and flexing the spine, whilst keeping the legs relatively straight. With the functional imperative gone, we favour economy of movement. And it exerts us less to lift half of our body towards the ground than the whole.</p>\n<p>Cultural norms such as chair-sitting further exacerbate our muscular biases, weaknesses, and tightnesses. And although mobility is highly individual and the product of our skeletal geometry, it is also heavily influenced by our activities. If our joints are not exercised through full range-of-motion, their mobility gradually deteriorates. So too our muscles and fasciae.</p>\n<p><em>This is why most adults have difficulty squatting through the full range—the most common areas of weakness being mobility of the shoulder and ankle.</em></p>\n<p>It should be noted that this is <em>not</em> a pattern that is seen in cultures of which squatting is a natural part. People from certain socio-economic demographics of many Asian and African nations, for example, often squat perfectly through full range without any training or instruction. This is because it is common for them to squat as part of their day-to-day activities such as waiting, talking in a group, or playing games.</p>\n<p><em>Thus, it is our inability to squat that is unnatural—the consequence of the modern First-World lifestyle, which has removed the need for us to use the fullness of our strength and range of motion.</em></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42314, "author": "Ray Arifin", "author_id": 33470, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33470", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It is a natural pattern of movements. Hunter-gatherer tribesmen squat ass-to-grass all the time to &quot;sit&quot;. Chairs require effort to make and you risk insect bites if you sit on the ground, so they squat instead.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/m7BFU.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/m7BFU.jpg\" alt=\"Hunter-gatherer tribesmen squat ass-to-grass all the time to &quot;sit&quot;.\" /></a></p>\n<p>Since chairs require resource to make, they are usually reserved for people of authority while everyone else squat. That's how the term &quot;chairman&quot; becomes associated with position of authority.</p>\n<p>Western cultures had largely abandoned squatting. While it may or may not be the primary cause, western-style sitting toilet (as opposed to squatting toilet common in Asia) means that Westerners rarely squat anymore, thus losing the ability to.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/kJqeC.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/kJqeC.jpg\" alt=\"Squat toilet vs sitting toilet\" /></a></p>\n<p>Now that we have established that ass-to-grass squat is natural, the next question is: should you?</p>\n<p>Since this is Physical Fitness Stack Exchange, I'll focus on the sport perspective, more precisely, squatting with weight. <em>However, I recommend also reading <a href=\"https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/squatty-potty-what-is#1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the effect of squatting on bowel movements</a>. Long story short, squatting allows easier bowel movements compared to sitting.</em></p>\n<p>First of all, are you a professional athlete? If you are, follow your coach's instructions. If you're not, then do what feels comfortable for you. <strong>Do not force yourself to imitate professional athletes.</strong> They know the risk of their sport and they likely had the talent or physical build to excel in it.</p>\n<p>Then ask yourself, do I really need to squat ass-to-grass? Unless you're a professional athlete (or looking to compete), there is really no reason for you to squat ass-to-grass. Believe it or not, <strong>full squat is not universally superior compared to half or quarter squat.</strong> For example, this <a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304607794_Joint-Angle_Specific_Strength_Adaptations_Influence_Improvements_in_Power_in_Highly_Trained_Athletes\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study</a> found that quarter squat is better than full squat at increasing your vertical jump and sprints. If you just want to jump higher or run faster, there is no need to do full squat. This is significant because full squat is harder to recover from compared to quarter squat. A sprinter focusing on quarter squat will be able to train more often than one using full squat, without losing any benefits from squats.</p>\n<p>Next question is, can I maintain proper posture while squatting ass-to-grass? Squatting is not just about depth, a lot of things need to go correctly. One frequent pitfall is your spine. Oftentimes the lumbar spine would round in the deepest portion of the squat. If you are using heavy weight, this could be dangerous. <strong>Only go as deep as you can maintain proper posture.</strong></p>\n<p>Finally, can I attain enough flexibility to properly squat ass-to-grass? It's easy to think that with enough stretching, you could be flexible enough, but <strong>sometimes flexibility issues rise not from the soft tissue, but from the bones.</strong> If you don't have the right bone structure, no amount of stretching would allow you to attain the flexibility required. This is important because if you don't squat ass-to-grass in your youth, your bones may develop in a way that doesn't allow you to, thus permanently losing the ability to do so.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42307", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33461/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42312, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's a couple scenarios behind this.. I think the first 3 are the most likely..:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>Hypertrophy(muscle gain) does not equal strength. In fact, it's possible to lose muscle while gaining strength, and gaining muscle while losing strength. It all depends on your workout, how many reps are you doing and what is your workout like?</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Adaptation. If you do the same thing everyday, your body will adapt to those habits, and quit trying to adapt. In terms of working out, your body's adapted to the same exercises everyday and chemical changes are happening that are stunting your growth or backtrack your progress. It is usually not very severe unless you've been doing this for months, but mild strength loss is possible after a couple months.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Nutrition. You've given some details about diet, but are you getting all your vitamins, minerals, zinc, amino acids, EAAs and BCAAs? Eating complex carbs throughout the day and simple carbs before and after a workout? Feel free to bump up your protein.. I think 0.5 to 0.75grams of protein per lb of bodyweight is a good estimate..I don't know your weight but I'd shoot for 100 grams at least. Not an issue if you're doing 50 bit 50 is the bare minimum for health reasons, and not the best for mass or strength</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Calorie intake-is your calorie intake the same as when you started?are your goals muscle gain or strength loss? You can weigh yourself each week and make sure your gaining weight each week to ensure muscle gain. Your body might just need more calories than it use to.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Too much sleep- 12 hours of sleep!? Having excess sleep has negative performance on he body ironically. I am not sure if this affects strength, but I do know it can lead to fatigue and depression.again, people don't think too much sleep is bad but it can cause fatigue.</p>\n<p>Quality sleep-lets assume you're only sleeping 8 hours.. is that quality sleep? Even conditions like sleep apnea can turn 8 hours into 5 hours of quality sleep and cut REM cycles in half.</p>\n<p>Water-staying hydrated?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42500, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>I’ve taken at least 2 weeks off in the 3-4 weeks and don’t push myself to particular hard exercises.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>When I take every other week off and don't push myself hard, I expect to stagnate or get weaker. This is especially true if my &quot;on&quot; weeks might only have 2 workouts.</p>\n<p>If you want more results, put in more work.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42311", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33121/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42335, "author": "Bernard", "author_id": 33521, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33521", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When you run, do not lift your toes and foot up. This will eliminate the pain on the shins.</p>\n<p>Every time you lift your leg up, let the foot loose, relax it. Use your calf muscles only, not your shin muscles.</p>\n<p>If you keep running like you do, which is by many considered to be bad form, eventually you will get a shin split injury or you will get used to the pain and build huge tibial muscles, one of the two. But I wouldn't risk it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42336, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If you've never exercised, your first step is to start, simple as that. I can speak from experience, of course, that it's not necessarily so easy as that. Your first few sessions, you're probably going to want to quit after a few minutes both because you start feeling out of breath and because exercise can be <strong>boring</strong> if you don't feel you're making progress. There are a ton of exercise programs out there, and choosing one means you need to figure out what you want to accomplish. If the intent is just to get moving and become more healthy, I'd recommend starting with brisk walking. It's not that terribly intensive, but it does get you moving. After that, try very brief runs, something like 30 seconds at a time, not running faster than what you can maintain while talking without getting out of breath, after a few minutes of walking. The <a href=\"http://www.c25k.com/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">C25k</a> (Couch to 5k) program takes this approach and there are a ton of free (or at least free with ads) smartphone apps to help keep you on-track.</p>\n<p>Skipping, whether it's skipping rope or the movement, is actually not such a bad idea. If requires more cardiovascular activity and muscle effort than just walking, and it can be fun. FWIW, the Six to Start app, <em><a href=\"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sixtostart.zombies5ktraining&amp;hl=en_US\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Zombies Run 5k</a></em> includes skipping and leg lifts in its version of the C25k plan and includes an amusing narrative in the process.</p>\n<p>Aside from that, I'd say work in a few bodyweight exercises, things like pushups, squats, jumping jacks, and torso twists. The key I've found is to set yourself a goal (starting with a modest one. Ten pushups in a row may very well be beyond you, and 20 jumping jacks is more challenging than many people credit) and to push yourself with that carrot of that you &quot;just&quot; need to do that many. This isn't going to blast your fitness or anything like that, but it once again gets you used to the idea of exercising, and they generally don't require much warmup (warmups and cool-downs are the bane of my &quot;quick workout&quot; experience since they take five minutes of exercise and turn it into fifteen). Another common suggestion is &quot;greasing the groove&quot; by just pumping out a handful of them whenever you have a spare moment, not pushing yourself into real exertion, but just doing the movement. If you do video games or the computer, you may be able to do it during loading screens.</p>\n<p>Above all, good on you for trying to get more exercise! Secondly, don't feel discouraged if you fall off on it a bit. Just starting this will help with your health, and taking a week off because you're busy with work, or because you overdid it in a workout, is perfectly normal, and won't really hurt you in your fitness goals.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42340, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My advice is to start out walking everyday.. the simplest exercise needs mastered. If you're out of breath, that's your energy systems needing work, not your muscles. Look up anaerobic and aerobic workouts. You should start out with cardio, walk for a couple weeks, then add a few min of jogging at the end of each session. Keep going until you are jogging more than walking. Add a couple rounds of high intensity jump roping or 10 second Sprint rounds(do 8 sets).</p>\n<p>In addition to this, you can do high rep sets such as 20 reps which are really easy on the body and build up your endurance and lactic threshold. Decrease your weps and increase your weight.</p>\n<p>To be honest, the first 2 or 3 weeks of working out are horrible, but your body will adapt and it'll become super easy</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42332", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33517/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42335, "author": "Bernard", "author_id": 33521, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33521", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When you run, do not lift your toes and foot up. This will eliminate the pain on the shins.</p>\n<p>Every time you lift your leg up, let the foot loose, relax it. Use your calf muscles only, not your shin muscles.</p>\n<p>If you keep running like you do, which is by many considered to be bad form, eventually you will get a shin split injury or you will get used to the pain and build huge tibial muscles, one of the two. But I wouldn't risk it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42336, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If you've never exercised, your first step is to start, simple as that. I can speak from experience, of course, that it's not necessarily so easy as that. Your first few sessions, you're probably going to want to quit after a few minutes both because you start feeling out of breath and because exercise can be <strong>boring</strong> if you don't feel you're making progress. There are a ton of exercise programs out there, and choosing one means you need to figure out what you want to accomplish. If the intent is just to get moving and become more healthy, I'd recommend starting with brisk walking. It's not that terribly intensive, but it does get you moving. After that, try very brief runs, something like 30 seconds at a time, not running faster than what you can maintain while talking without getting out of breath, after a few minutes of walking. The <a href=\"http://www.c25k.com/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">C25k</a> (Couch to 5k) program takes this approach and there are a ton of free (or at least free with ads) smartphone apps to help keep you on-track.</p>\n<p>Skipping, whether it's skipping rope or the movement, is actually not such a bad idea. If requires more cardiovascular activity and muscle effort than just walking, and it can be fun. FWIW, the Six to Start app, <em><a href=\"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sixtostart.zombies5ktraining&amp;hl=en_US\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Zombies Run 5k</a></em> includes skipping and leg lifts in its version of the C25k plan and includes an amusing narrative in the process.</p>\n<p>Aside from that, I'd say work in a few bodyweight exercises, things like pushups, squats, jumping jacks, and torso twists. The key I've found is to set yourself a goal (starting with a modest one. Ten pushups in a row may very well be beyond you, and 20 jumping jacks is more challenging than many people credit) and to push yourself with that carrot of that you &quot;just&quot; need to do that many. This isn't going to blast your fitness or anything like that, but it once again gets you used to the idea of exercising, and they generally don't require much warmup (warmups and cool-downs are the bane of my &quot;quick workout&quot; experience since they take five minutes of exercise and turn it into fifteen). Another common suggestion is &quot;greasing the groove&quot; by just pumping out a handful of them whenever you have a spare moment, not pushing yourself into real exertion, but just doing the movement. If you do video games or the computer, you may be able to do it during loading screens.</p>\n<p>Above all, good on you for trying to get more exercise! Secondly, don't feel discouraged if you fall off on it a bit. Just starting this will help with your health, and taking a week off because you're busy with work, or because you overdid it in a workout, is perfectly normal, and won't really hurt you in your fitness goals.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42340, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My advice is to start out walking everyday.. the simplest exercise needs mastered. If you're out of breath, that's your energy systems needing work, not your muscles. Look up anaerobic and aerobic workouts. You should start out with cardio, walk for a couple weeks, then add a few min of jogging at the end of each session. Keep going until you are jogging more than walking. Add a couple rounds of high intensity jump roping or 10 second Sprint rounds(do 8 sets).</p>\n<p>In addition to this, you can do high rep sets such as 20 reps which are really easy on the body and build up your endurance and lactic threshold. Decrease your weps and increase your weight.</p>\n<p>To be honest, the first 2 or 3 weeks of working out are horrible, but your body will adapt and it'll become super easy</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42333", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33478/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42343, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Soreness is not an indicator of a good workout. Just because you’re sore in the “wrong” places doesn’t mean your working that muscle group properly. There’s a good chance, that because the lat, pec, and tricep all meet in the same area that there’s something about your technique causing this.</p>\n<p>Furthermore, while it can be argued that the standing military press is probably a better measure of upper body strength, and more functional, the bench press can still provide heavier loading to the chest and triceps than virtually any other exercise. After all, there was an 800 pound bench attempt (failed) the other day. Good luck attaching a weight belt with 800 pounds to do pull-ups with.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42345, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The function of all muscles depends upon the relative positions of the bones that they control. Most anatomy references analyse muscle movement from <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_anatomical_position\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">standard anatomical position</a>, and hence fail document the full breadth of movement that some muscles can affect. And this is particularly true of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder_girdle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">shoulder girdle</a>, since it is comprised of a shallow <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball-and-socket_joint\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ball-and-socket</a> joint, which itself is translatable through movement of the whole joint structure. The <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_major\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis major</a>, for example, is exemplary in this regard because it can adduct, flex and extend, and medially rotate the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humerus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">humerus</a>, but also depress and protract the whole shoulder girdle.</p>\n<p><em>Thus, a single muscle can be dominant in numerous distinct or opposing movements—hence the apparent paradox of the pectoralis major's performing both pushing and pulling.</em></p>\n<p>The complexity of the body's musculature is such that distinct muscles, muscle heads, and even the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_fascicle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">muscle fascicles</a> within different regions of a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennate_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">penniform muscle</a> work most efficiently through certain ranges of motion. Indeed, the very reason that the body contains such a large amount of apparent redundancy is that it is designed to handle complex movement through a vast range of angles and positions efficiently.</p>\n<p>Hence, the regions or fibres of the pectoralis major that are dominant (and therefore most heavily loaded and stressed) in a pull-over are different from those which are dominant in a bench press, dip, fly, or other movement. And this is why one of the fundamental principles of hypertrophy is to employ a large variety of exercises, and variations on those exercises.</p>\n<p><em>Without such variety and variation, our muscles are more specialised, but consequently less balanced and defined. That is, we develop size and strength for a particular purpose, but not for a broad range of purposes.</em></p>\n<p>So whilst the pull-over and other pulling movements certainly do involve the pectoralis major, they will not develop it well for pushing movements. And the size and shape of the pectoralis major will reflect that difference.</p>\n<p>I hope that answers your question.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42342", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33524/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42348, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>High protein</strong></p>\n<p>High protein foods are very satiating. It'll also help with muscle retention.</p>\n<p><strong>High fiber</strong></p>\n<p>Broccoli, cauliflower, squash (when in season), and basically a lot of vegetables are highly satiating. <strong>Do not</strong> buy bars or processed foods that are labeled &quot;high fiber&quot;. They are absolutely lying, and you'll end up eating a ton of sugar for a few grams of fiber.</p>\n<p><strong>Low calorie, high volume foods</strong></p>\n<p>There's a lot of low calorie foods that are also high volume. Low fat greek yogurt, watermelon, unbuttered popcorn, and pretzels are some good examples.</p>\n<p><strong>Don't eat a lot of sugar</strong></p>\n<p>Aside from being high calorie, low volume foods, junk food that's high in sugar also causes hunger.</p>\n<p><strong>Diet break</strong></p>\n<p>For one or two days a week, depending on how long you've been dieting and what your time goal is, eat at maintenance or slightly above. This is usually enough to keep you satiated for the remaining week. Another option is to diet for two or three weeks, and then eat at maintenance for one week.</p>\n<p>You of course have to be mindful if your trying to make weight for some sport, but for the average person just trying to lose weight, it can be a very effective long-term strategy.</p>\n<p><strong>Diet/zero calorie drinks</strong></p>\n<p>I'm not going to argue the potential health problems that fake sugars may or may not cause. There's plenty of evidence that people that you can lose weight while drinking diet sodas. They can be used as a distraction when you just <em>need</em> something. These days there are also a lot of flavored waters that don't have fake sugars which can be used for the same purpose. Regular water of course is still the preferred drink but sometimes they don't fulfill that... <em>itch</em>.</p>\n<p>Caffeinated drinks like coffee are also very helpful. Caffeine can cause hunger to go away for some people. Be mindful of additives as they often contain a lot of sugar (see &quot;<strong>Don't eat a lot of sugar</strong>&quot;).</p>\n<p><strong>Get a hobby</strong></p>\n<p>As you've noted, doing something can distract you from being hungry. Sometimes you're not really hungry. You're just bored. You can work, exercise, study, build a model train village in your basement, or whatever. Just keep your mind focused on something else and it can help alleviate hunger.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42366, "author": "BrieAnna Spatarella", "author_id": 22002, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/22002", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You certainly can &quot;lose weight, without being hungry.&quot;</p>\n<p>When it comes down to the science of it all, losing actual fat is simply math. That calorie deficit you mentioned is key. In order to lose fat, you <em><strong>NEED</strong></em> to be in a caloric deficit. Technically, you can eat whatever you like—as long as you are still in a deficit.</p>\n<p>The reason we lean towards the theories you mentioned above (primarily volume foods, lower in calories) is because they are all methods to stay in deficit... because let's face it: you'll be way less hungry if you eat <strong><strong>3 <strong>CUPS</strong></strong> of broccoli (120 Cals) vs only 2.5 individual chicken nuggets (~48 Cals <em><strong>EACH</strong></em>).</strong></p>\n<p>Not to mention, these &quot;filler foods&quot; tend to be nutrient-dense options which also attribute to your level of satiety and overall fullness. You'll actually find that many clean, whole foods (meaning single ingredient/minimally processed) will keep you quite full for hours.</p>\n<p>Drinking plenty of water also helps! We often mistake hunger for thirst, and ensuring you're hydrated will assist in avoiding this.</p>\n<p>And of course, always consult with a RD or local Certified Nutrition Specialist when it comes to crafting a weight-loss plan that works best for you! They'll be able to safely guide you to a proper deficit. :)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42550, "author": "BKE", "author_id": 5752, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5752", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can not avoid feeling hunger sometimes when losing weight.</p>\n<p>You can't expect never being hungry when losing weight. Hunger is a signal, that your body wants to maintain its weight.</p>\n<p>Instead, you need to <strong>manage</strong> hunger:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>Replace foods with high glycemic index with low glycemic index, to control your blood glucose levels and insulin response.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Eat according to proper schedule, eg. plan how much and when you eat and stick to that, even if you feel hungry. As you get used to the schedule, hunger will lessen.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Decrease stress. Prioritize your weight loss goals such that you can have times of lower stress and activity.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42347", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33527/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42351, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Obviously, this is a stretch for the hip adductors, but the question is whether there is any way it could also stretch the hip flexors. Personally, I just don't see it. Here is what you might be feeling: The stretch in this picture is going to stretch the ligaments of the hip joint, such as the iliofemoral ligament. <a href=\"https://cdn.britannica.com/37/55337-050-630B64BE/view-hip-ligaments-pelvis-femur-ischium-attachment.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here</a> is a nice picture of the hip ligaments. These ligaments are part of a joint capsule. Now, the iliofemoral ligament is very close to the illiospoas (hip flexors). What you are feeling might not be a stretch of your hip flexors, but rather it may be a stretch of these hip ligaments. The two are so close together that you might not be able to tell the difference.</p>\n<p>If you are stretching the hip joint capsule, as I suspect, be very careful. I danced for ten years and I did lots and lots of stretches like the one in that picture. Now, I have FAI (its easy to look up). FAI is fairly common among dancers and yoga teachers, and this kind of stretch is the reason why. I would recommend against this stretch.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42352, "author": "Brian", "author_id": 33446, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33446", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Generally, stretching is accomplished by elongating muscle fibers (<a href=\"https://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_2.html#SEC13\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">technical summary</a>).</p>\n<p>In the kneeling hip flexor stretch, we stretch the hip flexors of the leg with the knee on the ground. In the picture below, we'd be stretching our left leg. Here, our left hip is <em>extended</em> in order to stretch our <em>flexors</em>.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/2A8KI.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/2A8KI.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>In the picture you shared, both hips are flexed. In this position, our hip extensors (glutes, hamstrings, etc.) are lengthened -- and therefore being stretched -- while our hip flexors are actually shortened. This can get confusing so here's a diagram for what hip flexion and extension looks like in their extremes, below.</p>\n<p>As you mentioned, if we go far down enough, we can also stretch our hip <em>adductors</em> as our hips are also being <em>abducted</em>.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/idoTa.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/idoTa.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>If you're having trouble stretching your hip flexors in the kneeling position, you might want to try <a href=\"https://youtu.be/qHwyBHS6MQs\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">a progression</a> while paying special attention to form.</p>\n<p>If you're stretching to alleviate pain in your hip flexors, remember that muscles in our body work together; sometimes pain in one muscle due to overcompensating for an inflexible muscle elsewhere :)</p>\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42349", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33416/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42355, "author": "Bjorn", "author_id": 33535, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33535", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If it's about farmer walks, or ‘walking the load’, then the author is on point.\nFarmer walks can be adjusted in different ways to train pretty much the entire body and different systems of the body: cardiovascular, nervous, or muscular system.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>up stairs to prioritize the legs</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>one-sided only to build strong obliques and back muscles</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>odd handles to build crushing or pinching power</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>running to build power</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>super-heavy to build shoulder and arm muscles</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>light-weight for long walks to burn calories and maintain muscle while getting older</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>And these are a few examples, the farmer carry can be used in many more ways for more specific purposes, it is safe to assume that yes one can build fitness from just walking with weights.\nLiterally walking your way to a healthier life or and stronger body.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43714, "author": "Benny Hayes", "author_id": 35120, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35120", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The heart works much harder when the weights are pumped at higher levels, with a weight that you can vary the movements. Examples are see saw presses, alternating high strides, backing down with hammer curls, etc. If you are a beginner, even 2 pound weights will be difficult to manage a very brisk pace. This is the essence of the exercise. Your breathing and heart rate will be greatly elevated, and if you do this for 15 to 30 minutes, you will feel it. As you find it easier, gradually add higher weights. After a few weeks, check your progress as far as resting heart rate and overall endurance. I bet your shoulders will feel fantastic, due to all the different planes of motion. Great for deskbound people.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42354", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5771/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42372, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>&quot;Strength&quot; or what others consider strength comes in waves, a continous up and down.</p>\n<p>To make an example: you are incredibly weak, getting your first push ups is an uphill work, it's hard. After you learned how to do push ups, getting from your very first repetition to doing 30 in a row is downhill in terms of effort.</p>\n<p>Then if you wanted to do them with weights or doing one arm push ups, you are going uphill again and everything slows down once more.\nThis because we already have the strength to do those movements, but we do not know how to active the strength. Once we learned then it's easier to progress from there, but learning a new level of strength takes further work.\nStrength is a skill. Muscle is not the cause of strength but the adaptation to strength.</p>\n<p>Growing muscle is like growing calluses, it makes you better at resisting damage.</p>\n<p>This graph Shows how the <strong>difficulty</strong> in increasing strength works.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/yk6lq.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/yk6lq.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42373, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>(In this answer I am only addressing muscle growth.)</em></p>\n<p>Muscle growth occurs on a per need basis within certain genetic and environmental parameters. Presenting a challenge to the muscles (typically by <a href=\"https://renaissanceperiodization.com/hypertrophy-training-guide-central-hub/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">training</a>) creates a stimulus for growth. Environmental factors (relative to the muscle tissue) such as stress and nutrition can promote or discourage additional muscle growth.</p>\n<p>How fast can muscle growth occur then? In an optimal scenario, <a href=\"https://www.rntfitness.co.uk/realistic-rates-muscle-gain/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">researchers Lyle McDonald and Alan Aragon have weighed in on this</a>. <a href=\"https://i.imgur.com/hMryOOl.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Lyle's model</a> sees individuals gaining 12-24 pounds of muscle in the first year each subsequent year is capable of half of its predecessor with women's rates typically being half of what men can do. Alan's model suggests a percentage based model where beginners gain 1.0-1.5% of their total body weight per month, intermediates see 0.5-1.0%, and advanced individuals see 0.25-0.5% per month.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/your-drug-free-muscle-and-strength-potential-part-1/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">But what about genetic parameters</a>? <a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/your-drug-free-muscle-and-strength-potential-part-2/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This determines how far an individual could potentially go with regards to muscle growth</a>. And distance from genetic potential determines speed of growth with faster rates occurring the further one is from that potential.</p>\n<p>So the ideal rates look something like this,\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/EW2EA.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/EW2EA.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>However, professional bodybuilder and coach Greg Doucette suggests that realistic models are much more modest. With such rates looking more like this.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/rjqAP.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/rjqAP.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>Each category represents a &quot;tier&quot; of genetic predisposition for muscle growth. With women seeing half of these numbers.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>High-High totals at 48 lbs of muscle in 10 years.</li>\n<li>Med-High totals at 31.5 lbs of muscle in 10 years.</li>\n<li>Low-Med totals at 21.5 lbs of muscle in 10 years.</li>\n<li>Low-Low totals at 16 lbs of muscle in 10 years.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42370", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33554/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42376, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To address your question directly, <em>you should</em> <em><strong>not</strong></em> <em>do any running or HIIT training until your Achilles tendinitis has healed fully. And that recovery should include a tentative and gradual return to your regular training volume and intensity.</em></p>\n<p>Loads equivalent to 2–3 times the body's weight are typically exerted on each leg during running, and the ‘high’ part of HIIT is precisely what you want to avoid during this time of recovery. Whilst there are a few exercises within those circuits that you may be able perform safely, it would be prudent to practice them in a more traditional set-and-rest format.</p>\n<p>Of course, I understand that that is not what you would like to hear—we've all been there—but training success is strongly associated with discipline, and that discipline applies not only to our dedication to exercise, but also to our dedication to recovery. Indeed, it is worth reminding yourself that performance improves not during training, but recovery. And a few weeks lost now will save you a few months lost later.</p>\n<p>Any exercise that involves rapid or cyclical dorsi- or plantar flexion—running, skipping, jumping—should be avoided. So too anything that loads the calves significantly.</p>\n<p><em>Your best choice for aerobic training is cycling, since it involves no ankle flexion or impact. And of course, upper-body exercises like hand cycling (or ‘grinding’), speed ball, or floor-to-ceiling ball work can be performed without trouble, if you have the skills and equipment.</em></p>\n<p>Be patient, and you'll be back into regular training soon. Good luck!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42384, "author": "rrirower", "author_id": 7242, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7242", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As an on-water rower, I am partial to rowing on an <a href=\"https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">erg</a> for my aerobic work. Assuming you get permission from a physical therapist, using an erg can supplement your training safely and efficiently. A proper rowing technique on the erg consists of “legs, back, arms” (“catch, drive, release”) in that order. This movement allows a total body workout. The typical erg movement involves vertical shins at the “catch”. This would be contraindicated for your condition. However, you may be able to complete the movement if you experience no pain and keep your feet flat on the footplates. That would translate to your shins at less than 90 degrees thus reducing the stress on your heel and Achilles. You may be able to tolerate a partial rowing movement and still maintain some sort of fitness. Either way, seek the advice of a therapist before trying an erg.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=13839#:%7E:text=Achilles%20Tendinopathy%20An%20aching%20Achilles,while%20resting%20your%20Achilles%20tendon\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">From the Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>“<strong>Achilles Tendinopathy</strong> An aching Achilles tendon has been the downfall\nof many athletes. So, if you feel pain, do not ignore it. Take a break\nfrom all sports that make it worse, especially running or activities\nthat involve running. Using a rowing machine is a good way to stay fit\nwhile resting your Achilles tendon. You may be able to use an\nelliptical trainer as well. “</p>\n</blockquote>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42375", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33487/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42379, "author": "You know the rules and so do I", "author_id": 33559, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33559", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Depends on what you want. Various studies have shown that you can gain muscle while losing fat but a slower rate.\nDeficit calories build 20% less muscle mass than surpluss calories but there are other caviats.\nIf you are already skinny, going into a deficit will turn you into a skinny shredded pole, think Bruce lee.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/VsMFA.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>Being skinny might be considered unhealthy by some but there is evidence suggesting that being &quot;too&quot; skinny is incredibly hard and people live longer when <strong>underweight</strong>, the longest living populations in the world were poor people with poor diets with small BMI. So if you just want to lose fat and live longer and look like Bruce Lee, go for a slight deficit like 10% or 15% less than what your doctors says you need to eat.</p>\n<p>But if you wanna go into a surplus then you will build muscle faster, noticeably faster. But will also build fat, so don't hope having visible abdominal muscle cuts.</p>\n<p>After 1 year in surplus you might expect to look like that by putting on just 4 kilograms of muscle and 5 kilograms of fat. Which is the <strong>lowest</strong> average, the majority of people can put on more muscle than that in just a year.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vrm4a.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>But what happens if you eat at maintenance calories? You will still look like Bruce Lee, because you will lose weight but your frame will get smaller as you gain some muscle, it will just be kind of slower.</p>\n<p>Also being in a calorie surplus gives you more energy to train more, in some sports being heavier is always a benefit while in others you can never be too skinny and small, it depends.</p>\n<p>So it depends on a lot of factors:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>you train for strength : go in a surplus</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>you train to look good : go in a surplus and then lose weight</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>you train to be agile: go in a deficit/maintenance</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>But those are not rules set in stone, they are just guidances.\nIf you train for any specific sport like tricking or powerlifting do not believe when people say you need to lose weight to be a good acrobat or to be fat to be a good powerlifter...you can be a skinny powerlifter and be strong pound per pound and you can be heavy and fly like a butterfly.</p>\n<p>This guy, Olive Segapolu weights 151 kilograms, that's like 340 pounds, and look him fly into a backflip.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/qZuJ6.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42407, "author": "BrieAnna Spatarella", "author_id": 22002, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/22002", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Best advice I have for a diet beginner is to keep it separate (&amp; simple).</p>\n<p>Though nutrition and exercise go hand-in-hand, I advise my clients starting out on a new diet plan, to keep it separate from their workout goals. It’s been established that losing fat is math; you <strong>MUST</strong> be in a caloric deficit to lose fat.</p>\n<p>Because of this, diet and exercise are paired together to more easily reach a deficit (or greaten the deficit making the fat loss faster), but if you’re just getting started, don’t over complicate the formula by trying to add in your <a href=\"https://tdeecalculator.net/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">TDEE</a>(total daily energy expenditure) + <a href=\"https://lifehacker.com/use-neat-activities-to-burn-more-calories-5323740#:%7E:text=It%27s%20called%20Non%2DExercise%20Activity,an%20hour%20by%20increasing%20NEAT.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">NEAT</a> (non exercise activity thermogenesis).</p>\n<p>That equation you referenced above is likely working off of your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and then estimating activity burn based on lifestyle. <strong>It’s hard to say how accurate that burn rate is, and this is why I advise working strictly off caloric consumption control for new dieters</strong>.</p>\n<p>It gets very complicated, very quick trying to guess activity level and burn if you aren’t wearing an accurate tracker 100% of the time, or consulting with an expert. When new dieters start to do this and try to add in their workout burns to adjust their daily consumption plan, <strong>it often leads to a miscalculation and the deficit gets lost.</strong></p>\n<p>Instead, try using a <a href=\"https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html?ctype=standard&amp;cage=31&amp;csex=f&amp;cheightfeet=6&amp;cheightinch=0&amp;cpound=169.8&amp;cheightmeter=180&amp;ckg=60&amp;cmop=0&amp;coutunit=c&amp;cformula=m&amp;cfatpct=20&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">BMR CALCULATOR</a> to establish a daily consumption baseline and be conservative when selecting your “activity level.”</p>\n<p>Work off that strictly when it comes to your nutrition. The activity you do complete, is then an extra bonus! It’s something you end up enjoying more, rather than overthinking or counting every bit to change daily calorie intake.</p>\n<p>As a diet beginner, don’t bite off more than you can chew (pun intended!) Keep it simple, remembering calories in (FOOD), must be less than calories out (MOVEMENT/ACTIVITY). Extra activity and workouts will help you reach fat loss goals quicker, but don’t overcomplicate burn calculations.</p>\n<p><strong>The TL;DR</strong></p>\n<p><em>It’s universal. 1lb of fat = 3,500kcals. So to lose that 1lb you NEED to be in a weekly caloric deficit of ~3,500. Use exercise as a way to contribute to the deficit, but don’t work an entire calculation off of it, since it’s easy to misjudge energy expenditure, especially as a beginner.</em></p>\n<p><em>Instead, create a baseline solution that is conservatively based in your everyday burn. Aim for -500kcal deficit per day on that. Movement activity is a helpful increase to speed progress along.</em></p>\n<p><em>As always, it’s best to consult directly with an RD or Certified Nutrition Specialist to get the specific numbers and a deficit program that safely works for you.</em></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42378", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33558/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42391, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yoga, daily warm-ups/stretching, and careful strength training focused on full ranges of motion have been my most beneficial solo practices for me to prevent, notice, and fix minor mobility issues like tightness or weakness. Self myofascial release has been helpful in specific scenarios but not as consistently as those three. Of course external experts (physios, masseuses) are occasionally helpful but some of it has to be discovering and maintaining one's own body.</p>\n<p>All three of these practices are most useful because they ask the practitioner to use their body properly in some context: putting arms overhead, lunging, bending forward or to the side. If something doesn't work as it should, then the practice tells you to fix it and provides one possible start to doing so. Personally, the most beneficial and problem-detecting strength exercises I've found have been squats, deadlifts, upper-body pulling exercises, and things which require the whole body to work properly in a variety of ways, such as Turkish get-ups.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42392, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>There is a crazy amount of ‘information’ on the internet about different physical syndromes and rehab techniques. Likewise, physical therapy is big business.</p>\n<p>Instead, I think you could do gentle exercise that strengthens your body indirectly. Walking is good—particularly walking on uneven terrain (e.g. in a forest). Swimming is also good. Bodyweight squats and push-ups build some general strength, and may be a good place to start strength training if you are out of shape. Some carrying is also good. Instead of time effective but intense strength training programs that have you doing, for example, 3 sets × 5 reps, I think you should first try to get ‘farm strength’. That means walking, carrying, lifting, and lot of it—but not very intense.</p>\n<p>You should also try to ‘listen to your body’. Yoga may be good for this. However, I think you can achieve similar things on your own. When doing exercises, you can do them in a controlled and calm manner focusing on the muscles. Throughout the day, you can move the limbs through their range of motion, searching for any tightness. You can also focus on the breath and make sure to breathe deeply.</p>\n<p>I think a problem many of us have is that we have become somewhat disconnected from our bodies. And I think the solution is maybe not an intellectual one. After all, people have lived happily for 1000s of years without the knowledge we have today. Instead, maybe you should somewhat adapt the mindset of a child. <em>What is this marvellous muscle? What can it do, and how does that feel?</em> Practicing the basic movement patterns such as the squat (the hinge, etc.) could be a part of this. <em>How does it feel to squat today? Can I stay a bit longer in the bottom position?</em></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42396, "author": "Lars Wissler", "author_id": 33569, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33569", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have always had problem with space of movement as well. I don't know how severely limiting your issues are. For me relatively straightforward movements were quite easy but for example things like yoga are very hard to do. It triggers so many movement stops and pain points it takes a lot of motivational effort. Of course the other answers are correct and the whole point of doing such things like yoga is finding those points and working towards solving the issues. But for me that has always been a very frustrating experience and reading your text I get the feeling there is a lot of bodily frustration as well on your side.</p>\n<p>I needed and wanted some form of activity, that is easy to do, gets me going and is fun, so I could get back my motivation back for the more work oriented exercises. I spent many years looking for that and found it this winter. It may sound and look weird but its this boxing ball on a headband (<a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=headband+boxing\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.google.com/search?q=headband+boxing</a>). Since you wrote you wanted to get into martial arts, maybe it does the same for you. Its light exercise, more coordination and movement than anything else. I find it incredible fun, I can do it in a 15min break a few times a day. Headphones on and just working up a bit of a sweat and hitting stuff. There are a ton of movement variations and it helps to listen to the whole body from foot to fist. Sometimes I do it standing on one leg. I think its great or core and balance improvements.</p>\n<p>Hope you get the same positive exercise feeling as me from that. Just don't overdo it. At first, I was so amazed I boxed for hours a day. After a few weeks I had to take a break because my joints complained.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42527, "author": "Terry Ray", "author_id": 33702, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33702", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, yoga can help. The main reason for all your muscle issues is, for sure, sedentary way of life &amp; stress.</p>\n<p>I would recommend you to start with gentle morning routine to strengthen your muscles. For instance, the routine may look like this:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>joint warm-up</li>\n<li>Surya Namaskar (12 cycles). Please listen to your body while performing and don't forget about breathing.</li>\n<li>inner thighs workout (3 sets):\na) 20 wide squats\nb) 40 side leg raises\nc) 20 deep side lunges\nd) 20 leg extensions\ne) 20 side leg extension\nf) 40 side leg raises (lying position)</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You may also try backward-facing reverse pushup (12 times) after each cycle. Place your hands behind you on a bench or chair instead of the floor.</p>\n<p>Practice: 3 days\nRest: 1 day\nRepeat</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42386", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42393, "author": "Val", "author_id": 33567, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33567", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Learn how to bat hang... It's basically when you grip a pull up bar with your feet.</p>\n<p>Hold on the bar with your feet and then do sit ups upside down, alternatively you can grip the bar with your thighs by curling the leg over the bar and then squishing it really tight.</p>\n<p>Another option is to make a roman-chair. Basically sit on a chair and find a way to block your feet on something so you don't fall when you try to do sit ups on air.</p>\n<p>You can have a partnener holding your feet or even using a bed and achoring your toes under it or maybe a table.</p>\n<p>Is there any specific reason you do sit ups? If you must be good at doing sit ups for some physical test or competition, I suggest the Roman-chair version because it's literally a normal sit up but way harder. So normal sit ups will feel easy after that.</p>\n<p>If you do them for hip strength then there are better exercises, try learning the L-sit pose and then the V-sit pose...you may think they are flexibility limited exercises, but in reality they are just about hip strength.</p>\n<p>If you do sit ups just for abdominal strength, then I suggest switching them with <strong>curl ups</strong> and then progress with other exercises.</p>\n<p>Once you are able to do 100 slow and good form curl ups, switch to <strong>deficit-curl ups</strong> they are basically the same exercise but on the edge of a bed so you can go down with your spine and bend it backwards just to then flex it up again.... Make sure to have something holding your feet or use a roman chair with a pillow on it.</p>\n<p>After you are able to do 100 slow and controlled deficit curl ups in a row, there's isn't anymore you can do to train your abdomen without weights.</p>\n<p>You might want to train the front lever or dragon press which are the next step in therms of abdominal strength in the bodyweight realm, but they are a great jump in difficulty. A good option to make more strength gains for your abdomen is to use weighted versions for the exercises I listed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42395, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p><em>The key difference between a floor and a bench sit-up is that the latter affords us the ability to alter our load profile.</em></p>\n<p>In a sit-up from the floor, the greatest load on the hip flexors and abdominals occurs at the very bottom of the lift. The load decreases progressively thereafter, with the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_mass\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">centre-of-upper-body-mass</a> drawing closer to the <a href=\"https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fulcrum\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">fulcrum</a>, and the resultant load being a function of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigonometric_functions#cos\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">cosine</a> of the angle of the torso from the floor. Depending on the angle of knee-bend and range-of-motion through which the sit-ups are performed, the hip flexors and abdominals may be unloaded completely by the top of the lift. Thus, the greatest load occurs when the hip flexors are only partially shortened, and when the abdominals are at resting length, hence being in their strongest position to develop tension.</p>\n<p><em>The disadvantages of floor sit-ups are twofold: (1) we have limited control of the loading profile across the range-of-motion, and (2) our muscles are completely unloaded at the top of the lift. Their advantage lies in the fact that the greatest load occurs when the muscles can develop the greatest tension.</em></p>\n<p>Provided that we can anchor our feet somewhere, we can load a floor sit-up as much as we wish by holding an additional mass to our chest or behind our head. (The latter shifts the combined centre-of-mass away from the fulcrum, thereby increasing the load geometrically.) And of course, we can simply limit our range-of-motion in order to ensure that the muscles are never unloaded completely.</p>\n<p>In a bench sit-up, we adjust the starting angle of the bench, thereby altering the relationship between the angle of our body and the tension that can be developed by the hip flexors and abdominals. The greatest load does not occur at the bottom of the movement, but rather when the torso reaches horizontal (0°). Thus, the capacity of the muscles to develop tension is reduced when the load is at its greatest, and they remain loaded even at the very top of the lift.</p>\n<p><em>The advantages of bench sit-ups are that we have considerable control of the loading profile—that is, where in the range-of-motion peak load is developed—and that we can ensure that the muscles are loaded throughout. Their key disadvantage is that the loading pattern produced is unnatural for most real-world functional movements, with peak loads being developed when the muscles are already significantly shortened.</em></p>\n<p>Neither version is ‘better’ <em>per se</em>, and neither produces greater hypertrophy. However, bench sit-ups will naturally develop strength throughout the heavily shortened range-of-motion, while floor sit-ups will develop greater strength through a more general range. The combination of the two will likely maximise hypertrophy. The better choice, therefore, will depend on our training goals.</p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42390", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19512/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42393, "author": "Val", "author_id": 33567, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33567", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Learn how to bat hang... It's basically when you grip a pull up bar with your feet.</p>\n<p>Hold on the bar with your feet and then do sit ups upside down, alternatively you can grip the bar with your thighs by curling the leg over the bar and then squishing it really tight.</p>\n<p>Another option is to make a roman-chair. Basically sit on a chair and find a way to block your feet on something so you don't fall when you try to do sit ups on air.</p>\n<p>You can have a partnener holding your feet or even using a bed and achoring your toes under it or maybe a table.</p>\n<p>Is there any specific reason you do sit ups? If you must be good at doing sit ups for some physical test or competition, I suggest the Roman-chair version because it's literally a normal sit up but way harder. So normal sit ups will feel easy after that.</p>\n<p>If you do them for hip strength then there are better exercises, try learning the L-sit pose and then the V-sit pose...you may think they are flexibility limited exercises, but in reality they are just about hip strength.</p>\n<p>If you do sit ups just for abdominal strength, then I suggest switching them with <strong>curl ups</strong> and then progress with other exercises.</p>\n<p>Once you are able to do 100 slow and good form curl ups, switch to <strong>deficit-curl ups</strong> they are basically the same exercise but on the edge of a bed so you can go down with your spine and bend it backwards just to then flex it up again.... Make sure to have something holding your feet or use a roman chair with a pillow on it.</p>\n<p>After you are able to do 100 slow and controlled deficit curl ups in a row, there's isn't anymore you can do to train your abdomen without weights.</p>\n<p>You might want to train the front lever or dragon press which are the next step in therms of abdominal strength in the bodyweight realm, but they are a great jump in difficulty. A good option to make more strength gains for your abdomen is to use weighted versions for the exercises I listed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42395, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p><em>The key difference between a floor and a bench sit-up is that the latter affords us the ability to alter our load profile.</em></p>\n<p>In a sit-up from the floor, the greatest load on the hip flexors and abdominals occurs at the very bottom of the lift. The load decreases progressively thereafter, with the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_mass\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">centre-of-upper-body-mass</a> drawing closer to the <a href=\"https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fulcrum\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">fulcrum</a>, and the resultant load being a function of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigonometric_functions#cos\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">cosine</a> of the angle of the torso from the floor. Depending on the angle of knee-bend and range-of-motion through which the sit-ups are performed, the hip flexors and abdominals may be unloaded completely by the top of the lift. Thus, the greatest load occurs when the hip flexors are only partially shortened, and when the abdominals are at resting length, hence being in their strongest position to develop tension.</p>\n<p><em>The disadvantages of floor sit-ups are twofold: (1) we have limited control of the loading profile across the range-of-motion, and (2) our muscles are completely unloaded at the top of the lift. Their advantage lies in the fact that the greatest load occurs when the muscles can develop the greatest tension.</em></p>\n<p>Provided that we can anchor our feet somewhere, we can load a floor sit-up as much as we wish by holding an additional mass to our chest or behind our head. (The latter shifts the combined centre-of-mass away from the fulcrum, thereby increasing the load geometrically.) And of course, we can simply limit our range-of-motion in order to ensure that the muscles are never unloaded completely.</p>\n<p>In a bench sit-up, we adjust the starting angle of the bench, thereby altering the relationship between the angle of our body and the tension that can be developed by the hip flexors and abdominals. The greatest load does not occur at the bottom of the movement, but rather when the torso reaches horizontal (0°). Thus, the capacity of the muscles to develop tension is reduced when the load is at its greatest, and they remain loaded even at the very top of the lift.</p>\n<p><em>The advantages of bench sit-ups are that we have considerable control of the loading profile—that is, where in the range-of-motion peak load is developed—and that we can ensure that the muscles are loaded throughout. Their key disadvantage is that the loading pattern produced is unnatural for most real-world functional movements, with peak loads being developed when the muscles are already significantly shortened.</em></p>\n<p>Neither version is ‘better’ <em>per se</em>, and neither produces greater hypertrophy. However, bench sit-ups will naturally develop strength throughout the heavily shortened range-of-motion, while floor sit-ups will develop greater strength through a more general range. The combination of the two will likely maximise hypertrophy. The better choice, therefore, will depend on our training goals.</p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42394", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33568/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42408, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The short answer is that &quot;kipping&quot; for a muscle-up may involve more overall muscular effort, but detracts from the area you wish to train. If your goal is to perform a single muscle-up (say, just so that you can start when you can't even do one, or because you need to do one in the field because you have wild dingos biting at your heels), then there's some virtue to it because your only goal is to get up. When you're doing it as an exercise goal, however, you're sabotaging yourself because the goal of the exercise is to train specific parts of your upper body to get stronger, but you are, instead, using other parts of your body to bypass the exercise in question.</p>\n<p>So someone doing &quot;kip up&quot; muscle-ups is basically training for the (as you admit) less efficient movement rather than training their body to do the proper, more efficient, movement. If the goal is to just get it done, then you're there. If the goal is to learn to move efficiently, it's counter-productive.</p>\n<p>To use another movement dear to my heart, when I started training spinning kicks in Capoeira, I'd wind up my arms to make my leg movement faster, which let me do the complete kick at a reasonable speed. With better training, I now only move my arms in a way that properly guides the kick, which means I can do multiple spinning kicks with precision, and with less effort, although I now know that I have the option to do larger arm movements if I need to adjust my balance, or perform the kick at a different speed than when I started launching it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42409, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>It should be understood that unlike squats and jump-squats, pull-ups and kip-ups are two distinct exercises. Yes, they both elevate the chest to the bar, but the mechanics and muscular activity in performing that movement are entirely different. And it is this difference that makes kip-ups muscularly easier to perform, but technically more difficult.</em></p>\n<p>Consider the 12 frames below, which illustrate an athlete's performing the full cycle of a kip-up.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/YDxnM.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/YDxnM.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>From <em>Frame 1</em> in the top left corner, the athlete begins with hyperflexion of the shoulders, hyperextension of the spine and hip, and flexion of the knee. (Of course, this is a dynamic posture, which can only be achieved after swinging.) Her <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_mass\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">centre-of-mass</a>, which lies posterior to the navel, is forward, thereby creating a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">moment</a> around the pivot point—the bar.</p>\n<p>At this time, she engages the pectorals (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_major\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis major</a>), abdominals, (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectus_abdominis_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rectus abdominis</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_external_oblique_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">external obliques</a>), hip flexors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliopsoas\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">iliopsoas</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensor_fasciae_latae_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tensor fascia latae</a>, and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectus_femoris_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rectus femoris</a>), and knee extensors (remaining <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriceps_femoris_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">quadriceps femoris</a>), simultaneously accelerating her centre-of-mass backwards and central mass (that is, the mass of the torso) backwards relative to the mass of her periphery (arms and legs).</p>\n<p>Once directly underneath the bar (between <em>Frames 3 and 4</em>), she flexes the hips and knees, raising her centre-of-mass. This is an important step, since the body is essentially elevated without exertion from the arms. The swinging moment elevates the body further, and shifts its mass behind the bar. Towards the end of the swing, the body is entirely realigned such that the bar is forward of the chest, and at little more than forearms' length. See <em>Frame 5</em>.</p>\n<p>From here, she pulls backward and slightly downward (<em>Frames 5 and 6</em>) relative to the alignment of her body, simultaneously kicking outward—that is, extending the hips and knees—in order to employ the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_momentum\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">momentum conserved</a> in her legs to help lift the torso. The pull, itself, is more akin to a t-bar row than a pull-up.</p>\n<p>The kip-up is a dynamic, functional exercise—its function being to lift the chest to the bar efficiently and by any means necessary. And it employs mechanics, as described above, to do this with minimal effort from any single muscle group. This is why it is ‘easier’, <em>per se</em>. However, whilst the lats (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latissimus_dorsi_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">latissimus dorsi</a>) and biceps (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biceps\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">biceps brachii</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachialis_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">brachialis</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachioradialis\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">brachioradialis</a>) are activated less in a kip-up than they are in a clean pull-up, activation of the abdominals (rectus abdominis and external obliques) and hip flexors (iliopsoas and tensor fascia latae) are <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14763141.2018.1452971?src=recsys&amp;journalCode=rspb20\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">greater</a>.</p>\n<p>By contrast, the clean pull-up is intended for pure (isolated) strength development and demonstration.</p>\n<p>As always, the choice between these exercises comes down to fitness for purpose. <em>What are we trying to achieve, and why?</em> If we want to be able to pull ourselves up to, or above, a bar using full-body athleticism, a kip-up is a more appropriate exercise. However, if we want to develop muscle mass and raw muscle strength, a clean pull-up is more appropriate.</p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42405", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33577/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42414, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For any readers who don't know what a back lever is, here's an image from Wikipedia.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/SGFac.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/SGFac.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>In its most basic form, you simply hold this pose statically.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I believe the chest and shoulders are literally at rest when holding a back lever because if one has any level of latissumus dorsi developed the lats, their size and volume will get in the way and will work like scaffolding where the arms rest in that position blocking the body from falling down</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I would disagree with this. The back lever is quite a chest-intensive position, because your arms are being pulled backwards (relative to your body), and you need to engage the chest and front delts to pull your arms forward to keep from collapsing.</p>\n<p>In order to train for this movement, you can lay on a high bench with a couple heavy dumbbells in your hands, and lower the weights to below the bench, and try to pull the dumbbells back up in a sort of front raise movement with almost straight arms. Almost like a fly, but instead of sending the arms out away from you, you raise the arms along, and close to your torso. The weights should come up to bench level near your hips.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>So the effort of back levers come from the spinal muscles keeping the torso in a straight line and not the chest or deltoids</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is true. It certainly requires a decent amount of core strength - spinal erectors and glutes included - in order to maintain a straight posture. But that's not to say that this is mutually exclusive with the muscles required to stay attached to the bar, and keeping a static position between the bar and torso.</p>\n<p>It's nice to think of this move as a two-parter in that sense. Keeping the chest in a static position relative to the bar (chest and shoulders), and keeping the body straight (core, back, glutes).</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Because wide lats block the body from falling down</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That's an interesting take. I suppose if you have well-developed lats, it would have an effect on how this &quot;fly&quot; is performed, since the arms will be travelling along the side of the torso. Large lats are known to be a colliding factor in exercises that do this. That said, I don't think it trivializes chest engagement, unless the lats are so large and firm that they act as straight-up walls that you can lock your elbows behind. But again, that's an interesting view. I'd love to see someone with particularly developed lats do this.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42415, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In examining any posture, it helps to imagine what would happen if there were no muscles or fasciae—that is, in this case, if there were just a skeleton hanging in a prone position with its arms held laterally and posterior to the spine, with the spine hyperextended, and legs held straight. We can thereby ask ourselves, <em>what would happen to the skeleton?</em></p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_mass\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">centre-of-mass</a> of the body, which typically lies around the navel would immediately cause the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humerus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">humerus</a> to hyperextend, extend/abduct horizontally, and externally rotate—and it would cause the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder_girdle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">shoulder girdle</a> to retract and elevate. The spine would flex, and the mass of the lower extremities would further cause the hips to flex and pelvis to tilt posteriorly.</p>\n<p>With those actions identified, so too are the structures at play in stabilising the posture. <em>The muscles and fasciae that counteract the actions identified—those which perform the</em> <em><strong>opposite</strong></em> <em>actions—must be engaged in maintaining the posture.</em> Without them, the posture simply would not be possible.</p>\n<p>It follows, therefore, that the muscles involved are the humeral flexors and horizontal flexors/adductors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_major\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis major</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deltoid_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">anterior deltoid</a>, and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biceps\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">biceps brachii</a>); the shoulder girdle protractors and depressors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serratus_anterior_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">serratus anterior</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_minor\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis minor</a>); the spinal extensors, which also tilt the pelvis anteriorly (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_spinae_muscles\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">erector spinae</a>); and the hip extensors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteal_muscles\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">gluteals</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamstring\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">hamstrings</a>).</p>\n<p>The body cannot ‘rest’ on the muscles as you have hypothesised, but in such a stretched position, it is assisted by passive tension of the structures—in particular, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill%27s_muscle_model#Three-element_model\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">elastic tension</a> held in the highly-elongated humeral flexors and horizontal flexors/adductors. The bulk of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latissimus_dorsi_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">latissimus dorsi</a> could theoretically offer some support, but such support would be negligible since its fibres and fasciae are positioned at the posterior of the torso. It could , however, potentially contribute some <em>active and passive tension</em> from such a hyperextended position.</p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42413", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33585/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42414, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For any readers who don't know what a back lever is, here's an image from Wikipedia.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/SGFac.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/SGFac.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>In its most basic form, you simply hold this pose statically.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I believe the chest and shoulders are literally at rest when holding a back lever because if one has any level of latissumus dorsi developed the lats, their size and volume will get in the way and will work like scaffolding where the arms rest in that position blocking the body from falling down</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I would disagree with this. The back lever is quite a chest-intensive position, because your arms are being pulled backwards (relative to your body), and you need to engage the chest and front delts to pull your arms forward to keep from collapsing.</p>\n<p>In order to train for this movement, you can lay on a high bench with a couple heavy dumbbells in your hands, and lower the weights to below the bench, and try to pull the dumbbells back up in a sort of front raise movement with almost straight arms. Almost like a fly, but instead of sending the arms out away from you, you raise the arms along, and close to your torso. The weights should come up to bench level near your hips.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>So the effort of back levers come from the spinal muscles keeping the torso in a straight line and not the chest or deltoids</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is true. It certainly requires a decent amount of core strength - spinal erectors and glutes included - in order to maintain a straight posture. But that's not to say that this is mutually exclusive with the muscles required to stay attached to the bar, and keeping a static position between the bar and torso.</p>\n<p>It's nice to think of this move as a two-parter in that sense. Keeping the chest in a static position relative to the bar (chest and shoulders), and keeping the body straight (core, back, glutes).</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Because wide lats block the body from falling down</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That's an interesting take. I suppose if you have well-developed lats, it would have an effect on how this &quot;fly&quot; is performed, since the arms will be travelling along the side of the torso. Large lats are known to be a colliding factor in exercises that do this. That said, I don't think it trivializes chest engagement, unless the lats are so large and firm that they act as straight-up walls that you can lock your elbows behind. But again, that's an interesting view. I'd love to see someone with particularly developed lats do this.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42415, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In examining any posture, it helps to imagine what would happen if there were no muscles or fasciae—that is, in this case, if there were just a skeleton hanging in a prone position with its arms held laterally and posterior to the spine, with the spine hyperextended, and legs held straight. We can thereby ask ourselves, <em>what would happen to the skeleton?</em></p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_mass\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">centre-of-mass</a> of the body, which typically lies around the navel would immediately cause the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humerus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">humerus</a> to hyperextend, extend/abduct horizontally, and externally rotate—and it would cause the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder_girdle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">shoulder girdle</a> to retract and elevate. The spine would flex, and the mass of the lower extremities would further cause the hips to flex and pelvis to tilt posteriorly.</p>\n<p>With those actions identified, so too are the structures at play in stabilising the posture. <em>The muscles and fasciae that counteract the actions identified—those which perform the</em> <em><strong>opposite</strong></em> <em>actions—must be engaged in maintaining the posture.</em> Without them, the posture simply would not be possible.</p>\n<p>It follows, therefore, that the muscles involved are the humeral flexors and horizontal flexors/adductors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_major\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis major</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deltoid_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">anterior deltoid</a>, and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biceps\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">biceps brachii</a>); the shoulder girdle protractors and depressors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serratus_anterior_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">serratus anterior</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_minor\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis minor</a>); the spinal extensors, which also tilt the pelvis anteriorly (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_spinae_muscles\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">erector spinae</a>); and the hip extensors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteal_muscles\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">gluteals</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamstring\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">hamstrings</a>).</p>\n<p>The body cannot ‘rest’ on the muscles as you have hypothesised, but in such a stretched position, it is assisted by passive tension of the structures—in particular, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill%27s_muscle_model#Three-element_model\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">elastic tension</a> held in the highly-elongated humeral flexors and horizontal flexors/adductors. The bulk of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latissimus_dorsi_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">latissimus dorsi</a> could theoretically offer some support, but such support would be negligible since its fibres and fasciae are positioned at the posterior of the torso. It could , however, potentially contribute some <em>active and passive tension</em> from such a hyperextended position.</p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42420", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1898/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42439, "author": "Africa", "author_id": 33606, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33606", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Broke my leg last year...3 different bones broken and 2 cracked.</p>\n<p>Speaking from experience, injuries increase your mental endurance. After being able to walk again I noticed my running endurance having greatly increased, I think this because being in pain for so long makes you more used to strenuous exercises, at least mentally.</p>\n<p>But if you are talking about painless injuries which are simply debilitating, then no...one kilometer might be not enough. Instead I would switch to some weight or bodyweight exercise which makes your muscles sore and use that as &quot;cardio&quot; if you can, for example sets of 200 bodyweight squats or stuff like that, it won't affect the cardiovascular system much but it will increase your tollerance to muscular pain from endurance training...plus that's like 80 kilocalories burned in like 4 minutes.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42452, "author": "BrieAnna Spatarella", "author_id": 22002, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/22002", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Injuries can certainly hinder our training routine, but endurance is something you can continue to practice!</p>\n<p>Mental endurance can be just as important as physical endurance, and they tend to work hand-in-hand. Our mental fortitude contributes to our ability to withstand prolonged physical effort. Given your injury is currently physically limiting, it is a great time to focus on the mindset portion of endurance!</p>\n<p>As a marathon-runner myself, I can ensure you that mental strength plays an incredibly large role in my training regimen. Utilizing mantras and performance-enhancing thoughts have been proven to be effective in several studies such as these: <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10413200.2017.1395930\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Motivational Self-Talk Intervention on Endurance Performance </a> &amp; <a href=\"https://cybermedlife.eu/attachments/article/1736/Talking%20yourself%20out%20of%20exhaustion%20-%20the%20effects%20of%20self-talk%20on%20endurance%20performance..pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Talking Yourself Out of Exhaustion: The Effects of Self-Talk on Endurance Performance.</a></p>\n<p>If your injury is allowing for running still, it may be a good time to try out some positive self-talk and mantras that will improve your performance. Meditation and yoga can also contribute to mental endurance.</p>\n<p>In regard to your aerobic capacity <em>(assuming this may have been more top of mind in your question given the HIIT/workout reference)</em> walking, if still injury approved, is also a great way to keep cardiovascular health and endurance levels strong.</p>\n<p>You won’t be reaching VO2 max or overexerting yourself as you would in a HIIT, but you can practice LISS (low intensity steady state cardio) to keep endurance up. <strong>LISS is the opposite of HIIT; the goal is to keep your heart rate (HR) around 50-65% of your maximum HR for a longer term, opposed to HIIT where you will be aiming for 80-95% of your maximum HR for a short period.</strong></p>\n<p>LISS has actually even been proven as an effective way to <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657417/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">train for endurance events</a> because exercising at a lower intensity for a long period of time puts less stress on your heart and lungs than a more-intense workout.</p>\n<p><strong>The TL;DR:</strong></p>\n<p><strong>Your fitness routine may be impacted by an injury, but you can still maintain both your mental and physical endurance levels. Utilizing mantras and positive self-talk could lead to increased performance in activities you are typically less accustomed to in your training. LISS cardio will also be a great way to maintain (and even potentially elevate) your physical endurance levels.</strong></p>\n<p><strong>&quot;Easier&quot; exercises from a HR exertion level perspective, can actually contribute to endurance.</strong></p>\n<p>Examples to try:</p>\n<p><em>My fav LISS: 45 min treadmill walk at 3.5mph on incline of 15</em></p>\n<p><em>My fav mantra running: &quot;Easy. Strong. This is easy. I am strong.&quot;</em></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42438", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33604/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42443, "author": "Åâäãāæ", "author_id": 33614, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33614", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just do the valsava manouver for time or repetitions.....that's the only thing actually activating the abdomen to some extent during squats and deadlift. And the good thing is, a valsava maneuver while lifting a ton is as heavy as lifting 0 weight for the abdomen...because the weight doesn't go on the abdomen. This because the only thing increasing abdominal pressure is the abdominal wall not a barbell hanging in front of you.</p>\n<p>That's why people like hafthor or Eddie hall who only ever do squats and deadlift struggle doing a few sit ups and crunches...but hey, seems the steroids are giving them big abs, you should try them too as suggested by the user Frank!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42444, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For lifting, the most important function of abdominal strength is to provide intra-abdominal pressure to counteract sheer and compressional forces on the lumbar spine. This is performed primarily by the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_abdominal_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">transversus abdominus</a>, the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoracic_diaphragm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">diaphragm</a>, and the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvic_floor\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pelvic floor</a> complex (sometimes known as the <em>pelvic</em> diaphragm), and assisted by the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectus_abdominis_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rectus abdominis</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_internal_oblique_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">internal obliques</a>. These muscles collectively form a functional unit that compresses the organs of the abdominal cavity. <em>The three former ones can only be activated through posture and breathing, and they should therefore be trained in conjunction with lifting.</em></p>\n<p>Abdominal pressure is produced through simultaneous contraction of the three major muscle groups—transversus abdominis, diaphragm, and pelvic diaphragm—which push inward, downward, and upward, respectively. Without cooperation from all of them, the potential for intra-abdominal pressure is limited. Hence, our objective should be to ensure that they are all engaged during our lifts.</p>\n<p>In order to activate these ‘<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_(anatomy)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">core</a>’ muscles maximally, the spine <em>must</em> remain in a ‘<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_spine\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">neutral</a>’ position. Hold a tall and erect posture before commencing. This aligns the spine and engages the transversus abdominis and pelvic diaphragm. (The abdominals should reflexively tighten and draw inward, and the muscles of the pelvic floor should contract discernibly.) Draw a breath in, relaxing the abdominals to allow for full and natural expansion of the lungs. (The belly should rise, <em>not the chest</em>.) Then, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver#Strength_training\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">holding the breath</a>, draw the abdominals forcedly towards the spine before commencing the squat or deadlift. Force your breath against a closed glottis at the beginning of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_contraction#Concentric_contraction\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">concentric phase</a>, then exhale gradually after passing the most difficult portion or ‘sticking point’ of the lift.</p>\n<p>For lower-load and higher-repetition lifts, the breath can be drawn in gradually during the eccentric phase, and forced out gradually from the beginning of the concentric phase. This permits a more continuous and cyclical lift whilst nevertheless approximating the valsalva manoeuvre.</p>\n<p>It is important to note that these requirements directly contradict two common lifting practices: hyperextension of the lumbar spine by “lifting the chest”, and forcing the abdominals outwards. Other than disallowing activation of the transversus abdominis, the former increases risk of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_disc_herniation\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">herniation</a> of the anterior of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intervertebral_disc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">annulus fibrosis</a> by loading the intervertebral discs unevenly. And the latter limits the amount of intra-abdominal pressure that can be developed.</p>\n<p>Lifting, itself, can be supplemented with isometric training of the rectus abdominus and internal obliques, which support the transversus abdominis in resisting and hence maintaining intra-abdominal pressure. Bridges, roll-outs, straight-arm pull-downs, hanging leg raises, or any other similar movement in which the spine is loaded in its neutral position are <em>all</em> good choices.</p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42442", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32983/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42453, "author": "Michał Zaborowski", "author_id": 20149, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20149", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Interesting question.</p>\n<p>Big muscle is kind of cost for the body. It obvious that, when not used it shrinks. When new stimulus appears body adopts by building muscle. Then, somehow like in business there is time for cost optimisation...</p>\n<p>Hormones, food plays role here, but still, that is more about levels, not limits. We are not fishes, so our body is not growing whole life. Longer muscles brings more space, so potentially the limit is higher, but still we are only humans :)</p>\n<p>To be a bit more precise. Fast twitch fibers require energy to stay relaxed. That is a bit of simplification, however after death muscles twitch, and that is due to lack of active relaxing. Even if not precise - it shows that there are costs, not only while exercising, but at while sleeping as well. So I would expect that the cost can be so high that stops any grow.</p>\n<p>Long running constant progress has some problems. First our body optimises to deal with training. Age has influence on hormones, and them on muscle building regeneration. Our joints are not made of steel, so constant grow brings stress also there. On the other hand - our body tries to deal with training with minimal effort, removing all not needed cells...</p>\n<p>Hope I've helped.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42454, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/your-drug-free-muscle-and-strength-potential-part-1/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">One's muscle potential appears to be limited by one's body frame.</a> People with small bone structures aren't able to build as much muscle as people with really large bone structures. In experiments measuring top athletes muscle to bone ratio, they all seemed to have gone up to a certain point and just... stopped. As noted:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>“One bookcase that is four inches wider than another will weigh only slightly more. But fill both cases with books and suddenly the little bit of extra width on the broader bookcase translates to a considerable amount of weight. Such is the case with the human skeleton.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>“In measurements of thousands of elite athletes from soccer to weight lifting, judo, rugby, and more, Holway has found that each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of bone supports a maximum of five kilograms (11 pounds) of muscle. Five-to-one, then, is a general limit of the human muscle bookcase. The limit for women is closer to 4.1 to 1.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>“Holway experimented on himself, spending years in heavy weight training with a diet high in protein and supplemented by creatine. But as he closed in on five-to-one, inhaling more steaks and shakes only added fat, not muscle.”</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This seems to indicate that one way to build a massive amount of muscle is to grow your bones (Drink your milk kids!). Of course weightlifting will increase the density of your bones to some degree, but the overall size seems to be pretty much set in stone. We reach <a href=\"https://www.nof.org/preventing-fractures/nutrition-for-bone-health/peak-bone-mass/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">peak bone mass</a> in our late teens and early twenties. After that there isn't any known way to dramatically increase bone mass like we can increase muscle mass.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42446", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33619/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42462, "author": "Ben", "author_id": 33635, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33635", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Realistically speaking we do not know enough about you to judge...it could be just mental or maybe you didn't sleep or eat right this week.</p>\n<p>Some may say you need to rest every other day, but I don't think 100 push ups are enough stress that force you to need a rest day.</p>\n<p>If your goal is to do 100 push ups in a day, use a 10 second interval timer and do 1 of up to 20 push ups every 10 seconds.\nI suggest starting with 1 push up every 10 seconds and progressing by adding more reps through the interval.</p>\n<p>1 push up every 10 seconds takes about 16 minutes to complete.</p>\n<p>This is a nice warm up or morning routine to wake up, but unless you are a completely beginner who never did any sport in their life, don't expect to grow any muscle from such little work.</p>\n<p>Here is an interval timer of 10 seconds on YouTube if you need it or otherwise download an app from the play store or app store.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://youtu.be/Xjv2-F6Quls\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/Xjv2-F6Quls</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42464, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've answered a similar question that covers some of the same points: <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41674/my-pushups-dont-increase/41676#41676\">My pushups don&#39;t increase</a></p>\n<p><strong>Why you're not progressing</strong></p>\n<p>If you're wondering why you're not progressing here, it's because you're doing the same thing over and over. Your body simply adapts to doing just that, and doesn't get challenged. Imagine trying to learn math by solving 5+7 over and over. At some point, we're just repeating a routine rather than actually working to figure things out. The challenge is gone, and with it goes our chance to progress to the next level.</p>\n<p><strong>What's missing</strong></p>\n<p>There's a lot more than just the actual working out that goes into improving your performance. The big trifecta we usually preach is</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>the workout</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>the diet</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>the sleep</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You can't focus on two out of three here, and expect results. It needs to be all three.</p>\n<p>Since there are some details missing with regards to the quality of your diet and sleep, I will forego that for now, and focus on the training. But keep in mind that none of these tips will serve you unless you eat well, and sleep well. If at any point you feel more fatigued than you've used to, a reduced quality of eating and sleeping habits are the usual suspects.</p>\n<p><strong>Neglecting the bigger picture</strong></p>\n<p>A common mistake is to look in the mirror, find a point you want to work on, and focusing exclusively on that. You mention you want to get some bulk on your arms by November, and I'd say that's doable. But if you only work out your upper body, this has a tendency to cause imbalances in your body, which leads to back pain, neck pain, hip pain, and from there it just branches out.</p>\n<p>Since you have a short-term goal in mind (some arm bulk with a 4 month timeframe), I'd say it's fine to concentrate more on the upper body, so long as that's not a permanent thing.</p>\n<p><strong>How to start progressing again</strong></p>\n<p>Here's what I'd recommend:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>Pushups are good, but stop focusing on increasing the number of repetitions, and find a way to add some weight to it. Rather than doing 20 reps per set, find a weight that limits you to 8-10 reps per set. It could be in the form of someone placing some light weight on your back, or you could find a weighted vest that allows you to adjust the weight.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Definitely continue trying to do pullups or chinups. If you focus only on pushing exercises, and too little on pulling exercises, we're once again concerned about muscular imbalances, this time in the shoulder/neck region.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Add at least one exercise for your legs to your routine. I would suggest <a href=\"https://youtu.be/xrPteyQLGAo\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">reverse lunges</a>, and also here, if you find yourself being able to do dozens of repetitions, start challenging yourself to holding some weight in your hands.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Age</strong></p>\n<p>I suppose there is a point to be made about seeking progress in an advanced age, but 62 isn't too old to get in shape and look good. But keep in mind that any and all pain should be scrutinized, preferably with the consultation of a doctor or a physical therapist. That goes for all ages, but it becomes more important with every birthday.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42478, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>20 reps mainly build muscular endurance not muscle mass.\nFor muscle mass you should be in the 5-12 rep range. So you need to increase the difficulty of the push-ups somehow.\nYou could try doing push-ups with an elastic resistance band or a backpack with some books in it on your back. You could also try elevating your feet slightly.\nDo not go completely to failure except for on the last set.</p>\n<p>If you can do dips, a combination of dips and push-ups may also be an option. Dips are heavier than push-ups. You could for instance do 1 set of push-ups followed by two sets of dips followed by one set of push-ups.</p>\n<p>You should do pull exercises at least as much as you push.\nRegarding the pull-ups you will need to start with a simpler version so I think you should lower the bar to ca. 1 meter above ground and do australian pullups (inverted rows): <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB3X4TjTIes\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB3X4TjTIes</a>.\nIf moving the bar is impractical you could attach suspension trainer (TRX) cords to it. With these you can also do facepulls, which are really good for the shoulders.</p>\n<p><strong>It is really important that you initiate any pulling movement by pulling your shoulderblades together and down</strong>: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixd8Aib5ZPc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixd8Aib5ZPc</a>\nDo not increase weight faster than you can manage this. You may be able to move more weight by using mostly biceps but this will lead to a muscular imbalance that causes forward rounded shoulders.\nFor the same reason it is a good idea to alternate between horizontal (australian pull-ups are horizontal) and vertical pulling (it is easier to engage the muscles pulling your shoulderblades together and down with horizontal pulls).</p>\n<p>Also occasionally do some <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ooIhKYs7c\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">wall angels</a>.</p>\n<p>Also you should not train the same muscles every day. <strong>Muscles need rest to grow.</strong>\nAnd the older we get the more rest they need.\nYou should cut it down to 3 days a week or every other day.\n3-4 sets of push-ups per workout are probably enough.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42479, "author": "Andy is wrong", "author_id": 33651, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33651", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unlike what the user Andy says</p>\n<p>It was been shown that there is no difference in hypertrophy when comparing high lod training to low load and high repetitions training.</p>\n<p>Apparently even <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404827/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">30% of 1 RM is enough to build muscle</a> which translates to roughly the 100s and above rep range.</p>\n<p>So do not worry, you don't need to use books or buy weights, even when you will reach the point of doing 100 push ups in one single set. You will still build muscle.</p>\n<p>Also as suggested by Mike Israetel, 3 sets of chest training a week are barely enough to maintain size...not even remotely enough to build muscle.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42482, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>The primary issue here is almost certainly insufficient rest. You have begun with a nominal volume and are working toward higher intensity. But our tolerance to volume is entirely a function of our conditioning, so straight away—unless, of course, you were already very well conditioned—you have begun with a workload that is in excess of your ability to recover and adapt.</em></p>\n<p>To put this into perspective, it is akin to preparing for a marathon by running 42.2 kilometres (26.2 miles) every day. Needless to say, such an approach would be untenable.</p>\n<p>A better approach is to perform a volume from which you can recover in a day, then gradually increase that volume. <em>If you are performing your sets to failure, that is likely just</em> <em><strong>one</strong></em> <em>set—and whatever number of repetitions that amounts to.</em> (Record them!) Alternatively, you might prefer to do a nominal number of sub-maximal sets and repetitions. Two sets of 15, for example, would represent more volume and practice, but would likely result in comparable stimulus and fatigue.</p>\n<p>As your condition improves, you will be able to tolerate a higher volume of work. However, for better multilateral development, you should not limit yourself to modifying volume alone. You will benefit more by changing the other variables too—in particular <em>tempo</em> and <em>type</em>. Slowing down your repetitions will increase time under tension; speeding up your repetitions will increase peak force output for the same load, which in this case is limited by your body weight. Push-ups can further be modified by changing the position of the hands (wide, narrow, Ace-of-Spades, <em>et cetera</em>) which, in turn, changes muscular recruitment significantly. So too changing the elevation of the feet and the depth of push-up (shallow, floor, between chairs, <em>et cetera</em>).</p>\n<p>If your objective is not to be a push-up specialist, but rather to develop your physique, varying your choice of exercises will be far more effective than simply increasing your repetitions.</p>\n<p>I hope that adds something to the discussion.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42459", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33634/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42561, "author": "Fr.", "author_id": 33155, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33155", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Look for the kind of plastic that you find in children playgrounds. I find it ideal for jumping rope, and have seen lots of boxers practice on similar surfaces when practicing outdoors.</p>\n<p>It looks like the plastic I am referring to is called <a href=\"https://playsmartuk.co.uk/2020/01/09/best-surface-for-a-playground/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">either 'bonded rubber mulch' or 'wet pour'</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42565, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would avoid gravel as you might catapult stones behind you if the rope catches them, but aside from that I'd jumped rope on a concrete driveway, a beach (that adds some interesting difficulty), grass, paving slabs and gym flooring.</p>\n<p>As long as you're not going to damage yourself (I jump rope barefoot), then it doesn't really matter that much. Yes, you might get a little extra shock absorption from a rubberised surface, but I don't think it's worth the cost if your feet and ankles are healthy.</p>\n<p>(Note: I don't use a steel cable jump rope, I use a plastic one. That hurts enough when I mistime and whip it into my toes, a steel cable one would probably end up doing some damage).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42460", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25619/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42463, "author": "Ben", "author_id": 33635, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33635", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Do many quick warm ups through the day. This makes muscles warmer and more elastic and the mind more ready for any challenge.</p>\n<p>Stationary things tend to remain stationary, whilst things in motion tend to remain in motion.</p>\n<p>This is why it is hard for really active people to become inactive, and it is really hard for inactive people to do basic taks .</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42465, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The answer here should be fairly obvious. If you want to be agile, then you need to train for agility. But what does that look like? Explosive movements, sports associated training, and technique specific training (if you want to do flips better, do flips).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42461", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3330/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42476, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Protein requirement is a function of training workload. The literature suggests that optimal recovery and hypertrophy occur with dietary protein intake <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42065/more-protein-more-potential-for-muscle-growth/42083#42083\">ranging from between about 1.2–2.0 grams per kilogram of body mass per day</a> (g/kg/d), with serious endurance, strength, and power athletes requiring around 1.6 g/kg/d.</p>\n<p>Based upon your description, we would expect the workload that you are performing to be at the lower end of that range, perhaps requiring 1.2–1.4 g/kg/d. For reference, this value is slightly <em>lower</em> than daily protein intake in the <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/well/eat/how-much-protein-do-we-need.html#:%7E:text=Most%20American%20adults%20eat%20about,nuts%2C%20broccoli%20and%20whole%20grains.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">average American diet</a>. Thus, the question really boils down to the adequacy and quality of <em>your</em> diet.</p>\n<p>If you have a good, varied diet consisting of <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42153/how-do-you-meet-your-daily-protein-goals/42166#42166\">quality protein sources</a> and a significant proportion of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate#Terminology\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">complex carbohydrates</a>, it is probably already optimal for recovery with your current workload. You would not benefit in any way from a supplement, and it would simply contribute to your gaining fat mass. And of course if it is poor, it would be preferable to improve your diet first, for both recovery and general health. <em>However, from a purely utilitarian point of view, if your diet is poor, and if for whatever reason it is impractical to improve it markedly, then yes, you certainly might benefit from taking a supplement.</em></p>\n<p>There is seldom any reliable evidence to support the superiority of one specific supplement over another. Any research that might be conducted will surely be sponsored by the manufacturer, and therefore have questionable conclusions. And whilst there exists <em>some</em> general agreement as to what nutrient profile is ideal, the literature is equivocal. It may be prudent to compare reviews for specific products, but given the wild variation typically found in those, it is probably a matter of personal preference and experience.</p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42486, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Honestly, the answer whether mass gainer would be a useful addition to your diet is the following.</p>\n<p>Assuming you workout a few days a week, whether or not you should be using mass gainer has little to do with the intensity of the workouts. It has everything to do with time investment. Mass gainers are simply there for those who don't always have the time or option to eat an actual meal with real food.</p>\n<p>If you're traveling for example, or if you have a job where you can't eat a meal every 2 hours. If you have the time to eat regular food instead of a shake it's always going to be better for your body and give you the same, if not better results than a shake.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42489, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I was having mass gainer shakes a few years back when bulking up... the main reason I used them was because I have a fast metabolism and it was a convenient way to pack in a load of extra calories without filling myself up as much as I would have through eating nothing but whole foods.</p>\n<p>So if your situation is similar to mine, then go for it. Just compare how many calories are in them (aswell as the cost) compared to the kinds of foods you eat... peoples' reviews don't really matter unless you're wondering what they taste like etc.</p>\n<p>Maybe don't go too crazy on the shakes though unless you don't mind spending a lot of time on the toilet.</p>\n<p>As a side note though you'd need to do a lot more training than what you've listed above if you were looking to bulk up. So best to look at some routines too.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42469", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42491, "author": "Guy", "author_id": 33664, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33664", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Used to have rounded shoulders, extreme lordosis and nerd neck.</p>\n<p>Fixed everything just by doing weighted planks for one month.</p>\n<p>It is counter intuitive but if you study the anatomy of the human back you will understand that the trapezius muscle and the roumboid muscles are among the most important when it comes to holding a plank.</p>\n<p>Why? In summary, because muscles can do opposing actions, the same way your biceps can pull a weight up to your shoulder, it can also pull your body to a pull up bar.</p>\n<p>With this mechanism the muscles which move the scapulae can pull the thorax in a stable position when doing a plank.</p>\n<p>If I had to suggest a sport, and not just an exercise then rowing would be my best guess.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42498, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>An illustration of your problem:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbhhk.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/tbhhk.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>your weight training may improve or worsen the problem.\nIt depends on which exercises you do and how you do them.</p>\n<p>First thing is you want to &quot;stop&quot; training your chest.\nThat is &quot;stop&quot; doing bench press. When doing bench press use a narrow grip that shifts the load onto the triceps muscles instead. Prefer (narrow) push-ups to bench press.</p>\n<p>Here are the muscles you want to train instead:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/opYXa.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/opYXa.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>The rhomboids work together to pull and squeeze the shoulder blades towards the spine. The rhomboids also help us to maintain good posture.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAE6E.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAE6E.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>The lower trapezius muscles pull the shoulder blades downward.</p>\n<p>So you want to pull your shoulder blades together and downward against an external force. You do this eg. by training <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCImzhsJEQ8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rows</a> and <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiRAi2KOfRQ\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">facepulls and overhead trap pulls</a>.</p>\n<p>Do not use too much weight when you row. Move the weight slowly. Imagine someone poking a finger in between your shoulderblades. You want to squeeze this finger with your shoulderblades.</p>\n<p>When you do pull downs initiate the movement by pulling your shoulder blades down. Do not use too much weight. Move the weight slowly and controlled. Perfect form must always be first priority. Focus on pulling the shoulder blades down.</p>\n<p>Here is an example weight training program:</p>\n<p><strong>Workout A</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Squat: 3x5</li>\n<li>Narrow push-ups and or dips (or narrow bench press): 3 sets</li>\n<li>Seated rows: 3x10</li>\n<li>Facepulls followed by overhead trap pulls: 3x10</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Workout B</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Squat: 3x5</li>\n<li>Deadlift: 1x5</li>\n<li>Overhead press: 3x5</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/v-bar-pull-down\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">V bar pulldowns</a>: 3x10</li>\n<li>Facepulls followed by overhead trap pulls: 3x10</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You alternate A and B 3 times a week.</p>\n<p>The main points of this program:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do a lot more pulling than pushing.</li>\n<li>Use triceps for pushing instead of chest.</li>\n<li>Alternate between horizontal pulling (shoulderblades together) and vertical pulling (shoulderblades down).</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You should keep an elastic resistance band at work and do <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pacgY9eO_Sw\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">band pull-aparts</a> troughout the day.</p>\n<p>It may be a good idea to have a suspension trainer set-up at home.\nThat way you can do <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKrTvPSIi0w\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rows</a> and <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vPWCNkdcKg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">facepulls and overhead trap pulls</a> at home.</p>\n<p>Occasionally (in particular day after push-ups or bench press) do some <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ooIhKYs7c\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">wall angels</a>.</p>\n<p>Also do some <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzWOECAhsAM\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Thoracic Extensions on Foam Roller</a> occasionally.</p>\n<p>Also anterior pelvic tilt or lordosis may predispose you for kyphosis.\nProlonged sitting may cause anterior pelvic tilt.\nTo counteract this you should strengthen your glutes and abs.\nGlutes should be covered by squats. <a href=\"https://www.niashanks.com/squats-dont-work-your-glutes/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Fairly deep low bar squats with a fairly wide stance</a> is the best in this respect.\nFor abs planks and sideplanks on the days you are not doing weight training is a good idea. Glute bridges on some of these days may also be a good idea.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42490", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42505, "author": "Rick", "author_id": 33678, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33678", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have low T also (390) and have been able to gain muscle by training hard 3x a week (5 sets, 6 reps of bench, press, squats, pull downs, dead lifts). The key, however, it eating a ton (4 protein shakes a day with 30-50 grams of protein, along with three big meals a day). Do this and I GUARANTEE you that you’ll gain muscle, but you HAVE to train three days a week CONSISTENTLY! DONT MISS A WORKOUT!!!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42509, "author": "Dyh", "author_id": 33676, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33676", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Low testosterone in men is only caused by two main factors, there are actually more possible things happening here but the two most common are being fat and old.</p>\n<p>Some people look skinny, even though they are fat. You can be a stick man of 60 kilos ( 144 pounds) but 25% bodyfat...which means you are borderline obese. Obesity is not about how much you weight but about how much of you is pure fat.</p>\n<p>The other factor is age. In the first case you can just lose weight and have normal testosterone. In the second factor a medical doctor can prescribe you testosterone. It is legal and safe and healthy if monitored by a doctor, after all you are not taking excess testosterone which can cause various problems, but you are just restoring your normal healthy amount.</p>\n<p>But what if you want to avoid injectable testosterone and being reliant on drugs? Guess what?! Women have 15 times less testosterone than men and they can build muscle up 60% or 70% as fast as males.</p>\n<p>And unless you are a woman or your testicles were removed surgically, then there's no way you have such low testosterone.</p>\n<p>So women can build muscle with 15 (ng/dL) of testosterone, not as fast as men but half as fast or slightly faster than half the speed of a man. You have 350 (ng/dL), that's way more than enough.</p>\n<p>After the age of 20 males lose testosterone every single passing year, but they are never gonna get to the level of a female.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42511, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You do not have &quot;low testosterone&quot; and even if you did, you would build muscle and overall fitness the same way that everyone else does - through training. 350 ng/dL is within a normal range for a 35 year old man, <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5698798/pdf/nihms920534.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">for reference</a> 450 ng/dL is the 50th percentile (the exact middle, neither high nor low).</p>\n<p>Getting to a healthy bodyfat level will likely improve testosterone levels, being too high or too low will decrease testosterone however. Based purely off of observation, I would imagine that 10-20% bodyfat for a male is the range that you'd want to be in. To that end, your nutrition and training can help to improve testosterone if you aren't within that\nbodyfat range. However, changing your testosterone levels within a normal range <a href=\"https://legionathletics.com/how-testosterone-levels-affect-muscle-growth-and-fat-loss/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">isn't going to change much</a>.</p>\n<p>However, I would strongly urge you to not worry about it. If you really want to do TRT, that's fine if your doctor thinks it's fine. It would likely improve your capacity to build muscle and get fit, but you still have to put in the work to make it happen. TRT isn't going to provide the stimulus that causes your body to adapt towards building muscle and being fit. Instead, TRT will simply make such efforts more effective.</p>\n<p><strong>What should you do then?</strong> Focus the majority of your training efforts on big compound lifts like deadlifts, squats, and bench press. Including things like overhead press, lat pulldown/pullups, and rows would help to ensure everything is being worked. Include some cardio training if you want to improve cardiovascular fitness and burn extra calories. For nutrition, eat an appropriate amount of calories (start with your <a href=\"https://www.freedieting.com/calorie-calculator\" rel=\"noreferrer\">TDEE</a> and adjust from there) and get enough protein (2.2g per kg of lean mass) and you'll be on the right track.</p>\n<p>For further reading, I would recommend the following article. <a href=\"https://examine.com/nutrition/increase-testosterone-naturally/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://examine.com/nutrition/increase-testosterone-naturally/</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42494", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31772/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42502, "author": "Dyh", "author_id": 33676, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33676", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Nordic curls.</p>\n<p>Hold your feet under a bed while standing in your knees and use your body as a lever going up and down.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42503, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>There is no single alternative to the deadlift, because the whole point of the deadlift is that it does so many things so dramatically.</p>\n<p>It can be loaded more than nearly any other exercise. If this is what you're after, then a <strong>heavy</strong> barbell squat is close. In a home gym, you might be out of luck. Maybe try building an isometric pulling platform.</p>\n<p>It works the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, middle back, upper back, and grip. If one of those is what you want, you need to find an exercise that replicates that part of the deadlift. For instance the grip can be targetd with pull-ups or farmer's walks, and the upper back with dumbbell rows.</p>\n<p>It's a hinge motion. Home gym hinge exercises include the Jefferson curl, dumbbell/kettlebell swing, and to a much lesser extent &quot;deadlifts&quot; (really a pseudo-deadlift or deadlift-like movement) with an exercise band.</p>\n<p>But it's important to remember that few of the best exercises can be simply replaced with another. The greats are great because they're uniquely powerful.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42557, "author": "phargart", "author_id": 32983, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32983", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I agree with @DaveLiepmann; the deadlift is irreplaceable. Yet, the motion of a\none-legged deadlift with a resistance band might help you mimic the deadlift strength. It is certainly better than nothing.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=one+legged+deadlift+band&amp;oq=one+legged+deadlift+band&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j0l4.7167j0j1&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.google.com/search?q=one+legged+deadlift+band&amp;oq=one+legged+deadlift+band&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j0l4.7167j0j1&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42501", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42516, "author": "Dyh", "author_id": 33676, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33676", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just do knee push ups\n<img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/YXabn.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>The only thing that comes to mind which could cause your knees to hit the ground when you are actually supposed to touch the ground with your chest is that your abodomen is week and your spine collapses bending back, use a mirror by your side to see that.</p>\n<p>I suggest doing planks and knee push ups until you are able to do proper push ups.</p>\n<p>Personally when I started training I was able to do 0 push ups, did only the negative part. Just going down for hundreds of times in a day, and a few hours later I was able to do 5 push ups in a row, the day later it was 20 and by the end of the week I could do 60 in a row.</p>\n<p>Beginners grow in strength really fast.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42518, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>What you are describing suggests that your knee extensors, and particularly the single-joint <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriceps_femoris_muscle\" rel=\"noreferrer\">quadriceps</a> muscles—<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastus_lateralis_muscle\" rel=\"noreferrer\">vastus lateralis</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastus_medialis\" rel=\"noreferrer\">vastus medialis</a>, and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vastus_intermedius_muscle\" rel=\"noreferrer\">vastus intermedius</a>—are weak. The closer that you are too the floor, the greater the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_(physics)\" rel=\"noreferrer\">moment</a> produced at the knee. At 0°—that is, parallel to the floor—the moment is at a maximum due to the weights of the upper and lower extremities acting perpendicularly to their alignment. Thus, it is at this time that the knee extensors must work the hardest. And it is also, consequently, when they are most likely to fail.</p>\n<p><em>To answer your question directly, it is</em> <em><strong>not</strong></em> <em>something that you are doing incorrectly, but rather a weakness in the chain. And doing push-ups on your knees will</em> <em><strong>not</strong></em> <em>help your development in this regard because that will simply circumnavigate the problem rather than addressing it.</em></p>\n<p>A better choice is to perform your push-ups on an adjustable incline, such that you can progress gradually toward parallel. This ensures that your posture and muscular recruitment are unchanged, and that only the load is altered. If you have access to a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_machine\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Smith Machine</a>, the bar provides a perfect adjustable platform from which you can perform your push-ups. (The lower you set the bar, the more closely the exercise approximates a push-up from the floor.) Otherwise, a low wall, stool, or similar stable platform will suffice, albeit with limited variability.</p>\n<p>If you do not have access to equipment, you can still progress with careful attention to your position and posture. The muscles will develop with time and effort.</p>\n<p>Attention should be given to bracing the abdominals and forcing the legs out straight, such that the body is rigid and immovable from head to toe throughout the movement. This is particularly important as you approach parallel.</p>\n<p>And finally, you might also benefit from supplementary exercises that target the knee extensors.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42520, "author": "user33689", "author_id": 33689, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33689", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A question to an easier answer: Are you actually doing the push-ups with proper form-tension (stiffness of the bodyparts which do not move?)</p>\n<p>By which I mean the you should make your body stiff as a plank from the chest down.</p>\n<p>I don't think your knee-extensors are too weak to do push-ups, otherwise you wouldn't be able to actually walk.</p>\n<p>Don't navigate around any problems by doing exercises differently: solve the issue.\nTense up your legs.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42514", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33683/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42533, "author": "Mr. Snrub", "author_id": 33709, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33709", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>I'm far from an expert but I'm happy to pass along what little I do know...</em></p>\n<p>The real core of your question is &quot;how can I get beyond this plateau?&quot; Everything else is just details.</p>\n<p>The standard rule of getting past any plateau is <strong>try something different</strong>. Walking is terrific, but it sounds like that is your only mode of exercise. The trouble with that is that you get good at it! As you do one exercise more and more, your body gets more efficient at it. Bodybuilders always talk about the concept of &quot;muscle confusion&quot; -- doing a bunch of different exercises to exert the muscle in a bunch of different ways, to make it strong. The same idea holds here -- you should be training your body in more than one way.</p>\n<p>One specific recommendation I would make is <strong>do some strength training</strong> in addition to your walking or cardiovascular routine. This doesn't need to be weight training to build big muscles, but you need to make sure all the muscles in your body are in good strong condition. There are three big reasons to add strength training:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Better fat burning.</strong> When you do cardiovascular exercise (including walking), your body is using muscle tissue to burn fat. Having more muscle tissue (or just muscle tissue in better condition) will help your body burn fat better.</li>\n<li><strong>Improved appearance.</strong> You mentioned having excess belly fat. I don't know the details of your situation, but could your real issue be how the belly <em>looks</em> versus the actual amount of fat that is there? Perhaps the issue is that the abdominal muscles are hanging loosely, and having good tone in the abdominal muscles would greatly improve the appearance.</li>\n<li><strong>Good body mechanics.</strong> Good strength and flexibility are always important just to make sure your body is well balanced. Without these, you can start to develop bad habits with posture and sitting (I know I did!) that turn into problems later on. Prevent that now.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>I would recommend basic body-weight exercise, with a focus on 1) having strong and stable core muscles and 2) making sure your lower body (those muscles you use for all that walking!) have good strength. I would recommend just basic planks, pushups, squats, and lunges. No weights needed, just do everything with your own body weight. And, as I was saying, do lots of different exercises; keep mixing it up.</p>\n<p>About those details...</p>\n<p><em>Why is all the remaining extra weight concentrated in the belly?</em></p>\n<p>Per my notes above, one possibility is that it just <em>looks</em> that way. But if you Google &quot;body fat types&quot; you'll see lots of discussions about how different people store fat in different ways (the &quot;thyroid&quot; body type, the &quot;pituitary&quot; body type, etc). I'm nowhere near convinced that there is good science behind this, but I absolutely have seen how different people store body fat in different ways, and &quot;primarily storing fat in the belly area&quot; is certainly one of those. Perhaps that is just your body type.</p>\n<p><em>Is it possible that all my walking caused me to lose a lot of muscle and not a lot of fat?</em></p>\n<p>Doubtful, unless there is some medical problem. (I am certainly not a doctor, so please don't construe this as medical advice.) If you've been doing walking and no strength training, then you've certainly been doing nothing to <em>keep</em> muscle, and it's certainly possible that you lost muscle during the process. But it's most likely that you've lost more fat than muscle.</p>\n<p><em>How do I get below that 80kg plateau?</em></p>\n<p>I would strongly recommend that you <strong>worry less about the total body weight and worry more about body fat</strong>. If your weight remained stubbornly at 80kg but you lost all your bodyfat you'd still be happy, yes? (If your answer is &quot;no&quot;, then skip the doctor and personal trainer and go find yourself a psychiatrist ;-) So instead of a simple scale, I would suggest just using the mirror as your guide or, if you prefer to think about numbers, then get a body fat monitor scale or some other way to assess total body fat. <strong>This isn't about weight. It's about fitness.</strong></p>\n<p><em>Phew, for someone who knows only a little, I sure did say a lot...</em> Best of luck to you.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42653, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, congratulations on having lost so much fat! That is not a trivial amount, nor a trivial achievement. And yes, <em>you have every reason to believe that you can do this on your own.</em></p>\n<p>To answer your first question, the variability of fat deposition is driven by a complex combination of dietary, <a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6300(1999)11:2%3C209::AID-AJHB9%3E3.0.CO;2-G\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">hormonal</a>, and <a href=\"https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/47/2/229/4694838\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">genetic</a> factors. It is notable that higher carbohydrate intake <a href=\"https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/7/1717.short\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">appears to lead to greater waist adiposity</a>, and that overweight and obesity <a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nigel_John_Crowther/publication/49648144_Insulin_Resistance_in_the_Control_of_Body_Fat_Distribution_A_New_Hypothesis/links/02e7e5388211fc0d0c000000.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">appears to stimulate</a> physiological changes that lead to greater waist circumference and visceral adiposity.</p>\n<p><em>Outside of factors that are beyond your control, therefore, you should benefit from limiting your carbohydrate intake, and especially, of course, sugars. You should consume low-<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">glycaemic-index</a> (GI) foods where possible, and consider also consider the total <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_load\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">glycaemic load</a> of your meals. In simple terms, have smaller meals more often, and consume carbohydrate-rich foods with fibre, protein, and fat to reduce their glycaemic response.</em> Longer-term changes to your body composition and physiology should gradually alter the way in which body fat is deposited.</p>\n<p>In response to your second question, <em>no, it is <a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12143\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">implausible that you would have lost a large proportion of muscle relative to fat</a>, given that your diet was not excessively restrictive, that it contained a relatively <a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200636030-00005\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">high quantity of protein</a>, and that your training regimen was characterised by low-intensity exercise.</em> It is probable that you lost some lean mass, especially if your were not doing a significant amount of <a href=\"http://users.auth.gr/users/5/7/003775/public_html/2008/documents/41%20(Kazaki%202006%20proof).pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">high-intensity</a> or strength training. However, <a href=\"https://www.jci.org/articles/view/113450\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">fasting stimulates growth hormone secretion</a>, which tends to preserve muscle mass during energy deficit.</p>\n<p>Finally, the primary change that I would recommend now is to <em>focus on function and performance rather than fat loss</em>. <em><strong>Form follows function.</strong></em> So if you focus on improving your strength, power, and speed, your body will adapt to be able to accommodate those functions. Programme slow, gradual increments in the volume and intensity of your exercise, and keep records of everything so you know what you have done.</p>\n<p>See my answer <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42180/how-do-i-know-if-im-working-out-right/42551#42551\">here</a> for more information.</p>\n<p>I hope you find that helpful. Good luck!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42523", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28630/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42529, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Ring rows but explosive.</p>\n<p>Inverted inclined dips</p>\n<p>Front lever pull ups</p>\n<p>Those are the only rowing variations that activate the abdomen.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42530, "author": "Uber", "author_id": 33706, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33706", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The difficulty of renegade rows comes from your body resisting twisting on itself and falling on the ground when you pull one arm up.</p>\n<p>Rotation and contra-rotation of the body is controlled by latissimus dorsi, spinal erectors, external and internal obliques, lower abdomen and by pulling the opposing scapula the trapezius. Teres and rhomboids can help too.</p>\n<p>Holding a simple one arm plank with no weight trains the same exact muscles in an isometric fashion.\nWhat adding a rowing motion with weight does is training the lats, rhomboids, teres, trapezius and shoulders in a dynamic fashion.</p>\n<p>If you can't do renegade rows, holding an one arm plank is a beginner friendly exercise to build the needed strength.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42528", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1867/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42556, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Actually there are 2 reasons this is occuring..</p>\n<p>#1 let's assume your scale is accurate.. then this means you're losing muscle mass, if you're losing weight but Bodyfat goes up. Bodyfat is a percentage of your total weight, but muscle, fat, and water account for your weight.. so make sure what your losing is actual fat. See below how to.</p>\n<p>#2 the scale is inaccurate.. the most accurate way to measure Bodyfat without going to get a dexa scan or something is using Bodyfat calipers and measuring your Bodyfat using the 3 point or 7 point test and plug your measurements into a Bodyfat calculator online. Be sure to be persistent with the same method, as it is most accurate if you keep doing the same thing.</p>\n<p>try measuring your waist, stomach, or fat measurements using the method in #2, and keep track of your measurements rather than actual bodyfat</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42608, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The fact that the impedance scale can't tell your bodyfat whether your a man or woman shows how inaccurate they really are.</p>\n<p>Bodyfat impedance scales work by sending an electrical pulse through your body. It measures the amount of resistance that the pulse encounters. It then performs some analysis to determine who much of that resistance is caused by fat, muscle, water, etc.</p>\n<p>Since everything in your body produces some form of resistance, the scale can't determine what is causing the resistance very well. It just guesses. Woman typically have a higher bodyfat percentage than men naturally. Men typically will naturally have more lean mass than women. The scale just assumes that men will have lower body fat percentage and more lean mass so it assumes that some resistance is caused by lean body mass rather than fat. It may in fact be very wrong.</p>\n<p>I've also seen scales where you have to put your activity level. If you say that you're &quot;very active&quot;, it would just subtract the body fat percentage because it assumes that a very active person has more lean mass.</p>\n<p>The best use of those scales is to track progress over time. It's a very cheap and quick solution. The errors that it produces will be there same each time you use it (unless it automatically changes your gender), so you can see if you're gaining or losing fat. The number itself should not be taken seriously.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42541", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31604/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42556, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Actually there are 2 reasons this is occuring..</p>\n<p>#1 let's assume your scale is accurate.. then this means you're losing muscle mass, if you're losing weight but Bodyfat goes up. Bodyfat is a percentage of your total weight, but muscle, fat, and water account for your weight.. so make sure what your losing is actual fat. See below how to.</p>\n<p>#2 the scale is inaccurate.. the most accurate way to measure Bodyfat without going to get a dexa scan or something is using Bodyfat calipers and measuring your Bodyfat using the 3 point or 7 point test and plug your measurements into a Bodyfat calculator online. Be sure to be persistent with the same method, as it is most accurate if you keep doing the same thing.</p>\n<p>try measuring your waist, stomach, or fat measurements using the method in #2, and keep track of your measurements rather than actual bodyfat</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42608, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The fact that the impedance scale can't tell your bodyfat whether your a man or woman shows how inaccurate they really are.</p>\n<p>Bodyfat impedance scales work by sending an electrical pulse through your body. It measures the amount of resistance that the pulse encounters. It then performs some analysis to determine who much of that resistance is caused by fat, muscle, water, etc.</p>\n<p>Since everything in your body produces some form of resistance, the scale can't determine what is causing the resistance very well. It just guesses. Woman typically have a higher bodyfat percentage than men naturally. Men typically will naturally have more lean mass than women. The scale just assumes that men will have lower body fat percentage and more lean mass so it assumes that some resistance is caused by lean body mass rather than fat. It may in fact be very wrong.</p>\n<p>I've also seen scales where you have to put your activity level. If you say that you're &quot;very active&quot;, it would just subtract the body fat percentage because it assumes that a very active person has more lean mass.</p>\n<p>The best use of those scales is to track progress over time. It's a very cheap and quick solution. The errors that it produces will be there same each time you use it (unless it automatically changes your gender), so you can see if you're gaining or losing fat. The number itself should not be taken seriously.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42560", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33736/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42567, "author": "Felix Niedermann", "author_id": 33716, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33716", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>No</strong>. 1.5 miles isn't that long but is good to burn some extra calories. Just be sure to change up which muscles you are using (Not only Upper Body for example) in your strength session, then this is a good routine.</p>\n<p><strong>Overtraining</strong> would be if you workout that much that your body can't recover from the damages you are doing to it during your workouts.</p>\n<p>I wouldn't recommend working out when you're too sore, give yourself a rest day (Speaking from experience).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42568, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Will the above routine be considered over training?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>No, because it's impossible for a routine to be considered overtraining. Even a program as obviously impossible for mortals as &quot;600 sets of 3 back squats at 95% 1RM, 7 days a week, with a marathon for cardio&quot; isn't overtraining, because <em>programs</em> aren't overtraining, an <em>individual trainee's response</em> to a program is overtraining. And even then, it's not a pure program/trainee relationship, but the program/trainee/circumstances relationship. Work or relationship stress, or insomnia, or summer heat, or missing meals can all cause overtraining when normally someone would do fine on a program.</p>\n<p>Some people run a marathon every day for a year and aren't overworked. Other people need couch-to-5k programs. That's okay. The question is whether <em>you</em> are doing well on this program. Did you add too much physical stress too fast or was this was a gradual increase over time? Do you feel okay with your training load right now? Are you eating well? Sleeping well? Do you feel sore, and if so, is it too much? Do you have trouble getting out of bed? These are the questions to ask yourself.</p>\n<p>But I bet that two twenty-minute walks aren't too much to worry about, on top of a strength training program. Make sure you drink enough water.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42573, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It depends on the person. My dad, in his 70s now, walk 2-3 kilometres on an average every morning and evening, followed by light Yoga movements. And throughout the day, he would do gardening activities, cycling/walking again to the market or bank, post office, others. He doesn't feel weak after all these.</p>\n<p>Also, I have some friends who runs 5-6 kms every morning (sometimes 6 days a week), and in the evening they either play football or lift weight.</p>\n<p>If you want to start your fitness goal (I did too), I would recommend increasing the load gradually. By that I mean, during the first month don't lift too heavy.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42577, "author": "Sofia", "author_id": 33755, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33755", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Will the above routine be considered over training ?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Most certainly simply no. Depends imensly on the intensity of strenght workout.\nI assume you are somewhat fit.\nJust make sure you are eating and drinking enough and clean.</p>\n<p>Just keep in mind that our bodies were MADE to do physical things, the way most of us live our live can be considered under training...</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42566", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33744/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42570, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>I have no option beside protein powders. Just, because I cannot eat more than [a piece of chicken, 2 eggs, and a serving fish per day].</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yeah, right. There's no reason not to eat six eggs, double the chicken, and an extra serving of fish except you don't want to put in the effort. Two eggs? Two eggs is how many you eat when you're trying to <em>lose</em> weight! Get a hold of yourself and eat more!</p>\n<p>Powders are fine. Go ahead and have a whey protein shake. Have two a day. It doesn't make a difference for health; it's just expensive. The reason you shouldn't do that is that you clearly want to use them as an excuse. That should worry you. There's no way around it: <a href=\"https://startingstrength.com/articles/eating_points_reynolds.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">you've got to eat</a>. Trying to use supplements will only fool you for a little while. If you try to cheat, the only person who gets screwed is you. Focus on the lifting and the eating, not the supplements.</p>\n<p>If you're deadlifting heavy enough then you should have The Hunger anyway, and this wouldn't be a question.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42572, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>First, it must be noted that the quantity of protein that is being recommended by the calculator you have found is <em>not</em> supported by science. The literature suggests that optimal recovery occurs with a maximum of about 2 grams per kilogram of (lean) body mass per day (g/kg/d), with most of the world's institutes of sport, for example, recommending <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42065/more-protein-more-potential-for-muscle-growth/42083#42083\">between 1.5 and 1.8 g/kg/d for bodybuilders, strength and power athletes</a>. Proportioning higher amounts of protein <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4022420/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">appears</a> not to have any effect on recovery, and may be harmful to your health. Certainly, such high proportions pose challenges to your achieving those goals through a normal diet—as you are finding.</p>\n<p>The problem with the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) formula employed by the calculator is that whilst it <em>does</em> reasonably estimate your daily energy requirement, it appears to consider neither your macronutrient requirements, as is supported by science, nor the practicality of meeting those requirements. <em>For bulking, it is both beneficial (anabolic) and sensible to achieve most of your energy from carbohydrate.</em></p>\n<p>So the good news is that (making assumptions about your body composition and activity level) your optimal protein intake is much lower than you have been led to believe—about 95 and 115 grams per day. You are already consuming very close to that amount! And it should be noted, also, that if you are finding it difficult to eat more, it is likely that your optimal protein intake is, in fact, lower still.</p>\n<p>To answer your question directly, however, <em>whilst <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42469/when-should-someone-with-skinny-physique-buy-mass-gain-powder/42476#42476\">it is always preferable to achieve your nutrient requirements from a varied diet</a>, there is</em> <em><strong>no danger</strong></em> <em>in achieving your protein requirements through supplements. And even very high protein intake appears not to be harmful <a href=\"https://examine.com/nutrition/can-eating-too-much-protein-be-bad-for-you/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">if you have no pre-existing health conditions.</a></em></p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42585, "author": "AnoE", "author_id": 25048, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25048", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to <a href=\"https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/features/protein-powder#1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this source</a>,</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>protein powders come in various forms. The three common ones are whey,\nsoy, and casein protein.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wikipedia</a>).</p>\n<p>Soy protein is a protein that is isolated from soybean. It is made from soybean meal that has been dehulled and defatted (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_protein\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">dito</a>).</p>\n<p>Casein proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, comprising c. 80% of the proteins in cow's milk (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">dito</a>).</p>\n<p>As you see, all three, and hence most protein powders consist of macromolecules that come more or less straight out of nature. I feel hard pressed to understand how one could say that you should not replace protein powders by &quot;real&quot; food - except of course that, as you found out, you simply cannot eat enough of it due to the carbs and fats that come on top of it.</p>\n<p>As long as you get all the other nutrients you need (correct total amount of calories, plus vitamins etc.) from other sources, there's not much of the difference. At the end of the day, you are simply eating more concentrated forms of the same molecules.</p>\n<p>You should still take a good look at the actual powders you consume, though. Some of them have very high amounts of sugar added. There are also indirect/invisible risks, summarized in <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-hidden-dangers-of-protein-powders\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this article from health.harvard.edu</a>; for example you don't know if the list of ingredients is exactly as advertised; or your digestive system may be upset due to the form the protein is taken - i.e. as a very one-sided fluid without fiber, and so on.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42586, "author": "user91988", "author_id": 31395, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31395", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First of all, the calculator is entirely wrong. The only way to know how many calories your body uses is to measure every day for a period of several months. Track every calorie you eat and your median weekly weight. Then you'll be able to calculate your maintenance calories, i.e., the number of calories you need to eat per day to maintain your current weight. You can use online calculators for a very rough guess to start with, but everyone is different, and it's best to track calories anyway if you're serious about fitness.</p>\n<p>After that's done, you need to understand that &quot;bulking&quot; is not a useful or necessary thing to do, unless your goal is to gain fat. You can build muscle while in a calorie deficit. All that matters is that you're getting enough protein, not eating in TOO much of a deficit (100-300 calories below your maintenance level is fine), and doing the work to break down the muscle (i.e., lifting heavy weights).</p>\n<p>Also, at 31, be aware that you can only gain about 2-3 pounds (.9-1.3 kg) of muscle per year MAX. All other weight you may gain from &quot;bulking&quot; is fat. You're simply too old to make the kinds of insane gains that a 15-20 year-old could. If you want to do something about this, the only (legal) solution is to talk to a men's health physician about HRT.</p>\n<p>Finally, once you understand all of the above, no, it doesn't matter where your protein comes from. You could drink protein powder all day, eat no other source of protein, and still gain muscle. It has all the amino acids you need. And 1 gram of protein per pound (1 lb = .45 kg) of muscle is MORE than enough for anyone. You should be eating 165 g protein per day at the most; really, 150 g will be fine and should be easily doable.</p>\n<p>It is <em>very</em> hard to not eat enough protein. In your daily estimate, it sounds like you're only accounting for the obvious animal-based proteins, when there is likely protein in many of the other things you eat (such as bread or milk). Take this example: Chug two protein shakes in the morning and you're already at 50 g protein. Three eggs and a piece of toast is another 23. A tall glass of milk is another 16 g. Add an extra egg white to your eggs and that's another 5. This is not even an especially large breakfast for most active men (it's about 770 calories), and afterward you'd only need 56 more grams of protein in the entire rest of your day. A nice, large chicken breast for lunch will get you basically there, and you haven't even had dinner yet.</p>\n<p>The main reason bodybuilders like protein powder is that it's a <em>low calorie</em> AND convenient way of getting protein that tastes decent (it's also often the cheapest). They want to watch their calories so that they don't gain fat, but they also need to get enough protein within their calorie limit. Chicken breast is also very low in calories, but it's high in time and effort to cook. Eggs take less time and effort, but are high in calories. Same with milk. Egg whites are drinkable from the carton, but don't taste super good and need to be refrigerated. Protein powder, on the other hand, is super convenient and does the exact same thing inside your body as the others, so why not use it?</p>\n<p>(BTW, if you're a total newbie, i.e., never lifted before, then you should expect to gain a lot more than 3 pounds of muscle in your first year at any age. But only in your first year. After that, 2-3 pounds or .9-1.3 kg of muscle per year max for a 31 year-old. And I do want to stress that's the <em>max</em>, and after 35 gains diminish even faster. Still, that's 10-20 pounds or 4.5-9 kg of solid muscle by the time you're 40, which will look great if you stay trim. Many people don't realize the insane difference that just 10 pounds of muscle will make in your appearance.)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42588, "author": "Loren Pechtel", "author_id": 29120, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29120", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The problem here is that &quot;protein&quot; isn't one item, but many and despite what the nutritional advice normally says you don't actually need it. What you need are amino acids, the usual source for them is protein. The problem is that there are 9 of them that you must have and not all sources have them in the same ratios. Eating a lot of protein from a source that doesn't have all 9 in a reasonable ratio can leave you deficient in the ones that aren't there even though the total amount of &quot;protein&quot; you consumed was above requirements. This is also why vegetarians must be careful with their diet--they have basically nothing that has all 9, they must eat combinations that cover over the holes.</p>\n<p>It <strong>is</strong> possible to live on protein powder rather than meat if you know what you're doing. When my food sensitivities are acting up I have no choice--but I have spreadsheets carefully calculating amino acids, vitamins, and minerals to ensure I'm getting what I need.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42569", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33394/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42593, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>TLDR: You need to do more than just psuedo planche pushups.</strong></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>if it's possible to learn a planche by only doing psuedo planche push ups?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I wouldn't say so. Doing psuedo planche pushups helps and it a good progression tool, but you need to work your entire body to be able to hold a planche. Chest, shoulders, scapula, core. To a certain extent you even need to train your glutes and hamstrings, you need to improve all of this in order to keep your body in that position.</p>\n<p>I would advice to start out with easier exercises that complement each other in order to grow into the planche, psuedo planche pushups is one of them. Other exercises can be normal pushups, scapula pushpus, dips, planks, frog stand, advanced frog stand, tuck planche, you name it.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>if it's possible to learn a planche without static training</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>What exactly do you mean by static training? If you mean weight training, no you don't need to do any weight training (though it could help a lot). You can train every part of the body without going to a gym.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42601, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You sound really picky.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>i don't like weight training</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I find that a lot of people have a knee-jerk hatred of the gym and lifting weights. In a lot of cases it seems to be some weird social thing. I guess many folks were turned off by the steroids-driven bodybuilding craze of the 1980s.</p>\n<p>This is not a good reason to avoid lifting weights if you actually want to get strong.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>he idea of having to travel to the gym, having to deal with people and waiting for machines or barbells sucks.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Have you even <em>tried</em> it? It's not so bad. Give it a shot instead of making up reasons not to.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I like training shirtless, which I can't in a gym.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>You know, there are barbells and dumbbells and kettlebells you could buy to lift at home, as nude as you care to be.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>i also hate normal push ups...I just don't like the sensation</p>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I don't like chest training generally</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Your reasons to avoid training are starting to sound pathological. If you don't want to train chest, don't train chest. But horizontal pressing motions are going to require working your chest. Avoiding chest training is another thing I see from people who want to get strong but have an aversion to somehow being &quot;like&quot; or training like Arnold Schwarzennegger. This is not a productive attitude to have.</p>\n<p>I encourage you to prove me wrong, to train hard as hell but not do any chest work, and prove me wrong. That would be badass. But so would overcoming your dislike of weights and getting strong as hell with whole-body resistance training.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42590", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33783/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42616, "author": "Uriel.Gi", "author_id": 33812, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33812", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Never thought about this before, i think it may be related to the fact that german hang is more passive. the load falls on the passive tissue in the shoulder. and doesnt transfer much to the sternum through the chest.\nwhile in dips you actively contract the pecs which try to &quot;pull&quot; the sternum towards the arm. this active pull through the chest directs more of the load towards the sternum.\nthats in my opinion the reason. (im not proffesional or claiming to be one, just my knowledge)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42617, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First and most importantly, <em>pain of this sort should</em> <em><strong>never</strong></em> <em>accompany exercise, whether we are beginning or we are more advanced. If you are experiencing pain, there is something wrong with what you are doing.</em></p>\n<p>What you are describing is symptomatic of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costochondritis\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">costochondritis</a>, an inflammation of the medial <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costal_cartilage\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">costal cartilages</a>. Since the (sternocostal head of the) <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectoralis_major\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pectoralis major</a> muscle originates at the sternum and costal cartilages, and since the pectoralis major is the prime mover involved in dips, acute or chronic injury due to overloading or overuse, respectively, will likely present itself at this site.</p>\n<p><em>It should be noted, of course, that a diagnosis of your injury can only be made by a physiotherapist or sports doctor.</em></p>\n<p>Despite your level of conditioning, dips present unique loading characteristics that—especially dependent on the way in which you are performing push-ups and bench press—may be quite distinct from what your body is accustomed to. Most notably, the line of pull in the dip is more vertical than horizontal, and elongation or pre-stretching of the pectoralis major is typically far greater than it is with forward presses.</p>\n<p>The German hang, whilst appearing to be a more advanced form of dip, is really a distinct exercise. And as with the push-ups and bench press, the angles and orientation of the humerus is very different. Specifically, at the extreme of humeral hyperextension—that is, at the bottom of the movement—the humerus is internally rotated. Since the pectoralis major inserts at the anterior of the humerus in the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicipital_groove\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">bicipital groove</a>, internal rotation reduces tension on the pectoralis major significantly, transferring much of that load to the passive structures of the anterior deltiod and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder_joint\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">glenohumeral joint capsule</a>. By contrast, in the dip, the humerus is fixed in a neutral or externally rotated position, forcing the pectoralis major to bear most of the load and tension.</p>\n<p>I hope that explanation is helpful.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42591", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33784/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42597, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>From my experience, yes, you should be fine, but you're going to have to gauge it for yourself. Try for week 5 once you start back up, but keep in mind the week 4 goals, and switch to them if you find that week 5 is too challenging.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42598, "author": "DSway", "author_id": 33773, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33773", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Life happens to all of us, so if you have to take a break, do it. You have little to lose by taking a week off from a running perspective. Just make sure you have a reasonable plan to resume and maintain your fitness. I've found that with running, consistency is key for progress. If you let one week off become 2 and then 3, it will be much harder to get back out there. An alternative would be to put your specific training plan on hold for a week, but still do whatever running works for you. If you can squeeze 1 workout in during the week, that may make it easier to resume your plan right where you left off.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42594", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33361/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42615, "author": "Uriel.Gi", "author_id": 33812, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33812", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<ol>\n<li><p>No, muscle fatigue doesn't have to be expressed by pain, usually a burning sensation in the muscle is a good feedback, but its not a must. About the Deltoid muscle pain ,which i assume you mean by &quot;there is no pain on my shoulders&quot;. The Deltoid is a muscle that tends to use other muscles as assistance in heavy loaded exercises. If the feeling of burning in the muscle is what you are looking for, I would go for slow controlled lateral raises. You can even add them after the military press as an extra set.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>When comparing squats to military presses, squats put a heavier load on the body as a whole. Yes it targets mainly the legs, but your core works hard to stabilize your body, your back and hands work on holding the bar and all of that happens while your whole body moves up and down with many muscle groups actively working.\nWhile in military press the rest of the body does work to provide stability, but it's not as drastic as in the squat.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42622, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "<p>What you are describing is referred to as <em>Delayed-Onset Muscular Soreness</em>, or DOMS. Despite its ubiquity, <a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200333020-00005?sponsor=3398153\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the phenomenon is still not fully understood</a>. However, amongst the many theories attempting to explain it, <a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Szymanski/publication/235614725_Recommendations_to_Avoid_DOMS/links/09e41511e70d8e993d000000/Recommendations-to-Avoid-DOMS.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the literature</a> suggests that delayed-onset soreness is most likely caused by a combination of muscle cell damage and acute inflammation.</p>\n<p>The factors that contribute to the degree of soreness experienced are, by contrast, generally well understood—the most influential being:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>the <strong>novelty</strong> of the exercise</li>\n<li>its <strong>volume</strong> and <strong>intensity</strong></li>\n<li>the amount of <strong>eccentric loading</strong> involved, and</li>\n<li>the <strong>size of the muscles</strong> involved</li>\n</ul>\n<p>A high volume of moderate and eccentric loads tends to result in the greatest amount of subsequent soreness, particularly when exercise that is novel to the lifter. Smaller muscle groups tend to experience less delayed-onset soreness, possibly due to their (generally) greater fatigability—the consequence of their lacking coupled agonists and synergists that would allow the movement to continue.</p>\n<p>It is notable that training protocol characterised accordingly is also closely associated with hypertrophy. <em>Delayed-onset muscular soreness is therefore reasonably associate with hypertrophy.</em></p>\n<p>However, the key to training effectively is not only to provide the ‘right’ stimulus, but to observe adequate recovery. It is the balance of stimulus to recovery, as described by the <a href=\"https://medium.com/@peterodonnell_29125/the-two-most-important-principles-of-training-explained-66f131d01d65\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">theory of super-compensation</a>, that determines the effectiveness of our training. We should understand, therefore, that training is about proportion. <em>Muscular soreness is</em> <em><strong>not</strong></em> <em>a good gauge of training effectiveness. Rather, it is a gauge of the optimal length of our recovery.</em> We can train with high volume and intensity, resulting in signficant muscular soreness, then observe a longer recovery period. Or alternatively, and equally effectively, we can train with lower volume and intensity, resulting in only light muscular soreness, and train more often.</p>\n<p>The second part of your question has a simple answer: the difference between a squat and a military press is the amount of physical <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_(physics)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">work</a> being performed, the size of the muscles groups being recruited, and consequently <em>the amount of energy required to perform the action.</em> Greater energy requires a greater amount of oxygen, and results in a greater amount of heat production.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42600", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33394/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42615, "author": "Uriel.Gi", "author_id": 33812, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33812", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<ol>\n<li><p>No, muscle fatigue doesn't have to be expressed by pain, usually a burning sensation in the muscle is a good feedback, but its not a must. About the Deltoid muscle pain ,which i assume you mean by &quot;there is no pain on my shoulders&quot;. The Deltoid is a muscle that tends to use other muscles as assistance in heavy loaded exercises. If the feeling of burning in the muscle is what you are looking for, I would go for slow controlled lateral raises. You can even add them after the military press as an extra set.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>When comparing squats to military presses, squats put a heavier load on the body as a whole. Yes it targets mainly the legs, but your core works hard to stabilize your body, your back and hands work on holding the bar and all of that happens while your whole body moves up and down with many muscle groups actively working.\nWhile in military press the rest of the body does work to provide stability, but it's not as drastic as in the squat.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42622, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "<p>What you are describing is referred to as <em>Delayed-Onset Muscular Soreness</em>, or DOMS. Despite its ubiquity, <a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200333020-00005?sponsor=3398153\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the phenomenon is still not fully understood</a>. However, amongst the many theories attempting to explain it, <a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Szymanski/publication/235614725_Recommendations_to_Avoid_DOMS/links/09e41511e70d8e993d000000/Recommendations-to-Avoid-DOMS.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the literature</a> suggests that delayed-onset soreness is most likely caused by a combination of muscle cell damage and acute inflammation.</p>\n<p>The factors that contribute to the degree of soreness experienced are, by contrast, generally well understood—the most influential being:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>the <strong>novelty</strong> of the exercise</li>\n<li>its <strong>volume</strong> and <strong>intensity</strong></li>\n<li>the amount of <strong>eccentric loading</strong> involved, and</li>\n<li>the <strong>size of the muscles</strong> involved</li>\n</ul>\n<p>A high volume of moderate and eccentric loads tends to result in the greatest amount of subsequent soreness, particularly when exercise that is novel to the lifter. Smaller muscle groups tend to experience less delayed-onset soreness, possibly due to their (generally) greater fatigability—the consequence of their lacking coupled agonists and synergists that would allow the movement to continue.</p>\n<p>It is notable that training protocol characterised accordingly is also closely associated with hypertrophy. <em>Delayed-onset muscular soreness is therefore reasonably associate with hypertrophy.</em></p>\n<p>However, the key to training effectively is not only to provide the ‘right’ stimulus, but to observe adequate recovery. It is the balance of stimulus to recovery, as described by the <a href=\"https://medium.com/@peterodonnell_29125/the-two-most-important-principles-of-training-explained-66f131d01d65\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">theory of super-compensation</a>, that determines the effectiveness of our training. We should understand, therefore, that training is about proportion. <em>Muscular soreness is</em> <em><strong>not</strong></em> <em>a good gauge of training effectiveness. Rather, it is a gauge of the optimal length of our recovery.</em> We can train with high volume and intensity, resulting in signficant muscular soreness, then observe a longer recovery period. Or alternatively, and equally effectively, we can train with lower volume and intensity, resulting in only light muscular soreness, and train more often.</p>\n<p>The second part of your question has a simple answer: the difference between a squat and a military press is the amount of physical <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_(physics)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">work</a> being performed, the size of the muscles groups being recruited, and consequently <em>the amount of energy required to perform the action.</em> Greater energy requires a greater amount of oxygen, and results in a greater amount of heat production.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42610", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28281/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42614, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Stronglifts and Starting Strength are beginner strength programs designed for all ages and body types. Whether you're young, old, weak, obese, male, female, new to the gym, coming back from an injury, etc. The focus is strength gain as opposed to increasing muscle mass. With these two factors in mind, the programs target the largest muscle groups for a strength based goal.</p>\n<p>Starting Strength should almost always be used as a starting platform into a more intermediate program. If you're a testosterone fueled male in your early 20's, you'll likely outgrow the program very quickly. If you're a 70 year old grandma, this will last you a long time (they have videos where they show elderly using this program).</p>\n<p>If you're looking for a more advanced program you can check out something like the Calgary Barbell 16-week program. You'll have 15-20+ sets of each various squat, bench, and deadlift exercises n a week.</p>\n<hr />\n<p><em>Addendum:</em> to answer the question asked, of course you could add one more set, you could add more workouts too. You can add deload weeks, you could add RPE sets in, you could run it in blocks, and more. It just isn't Starting Strength anymore at the point. At some point the recipe is too different and it breaks off into another program (e.g. Stronglifts, Madcow, and the Texas Method).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42623, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Starting Strength feels like a low-volume program because it uses a powerlifting template to push mostly the squat as far as possible, with the goal of turning scrawny young men into thick young men ready to play sports like American football. The template works pretty well for other people and other purposes but <code>&quot;too weak to be on the field safely&quot; -&gt; squatting 405</code> is its origin story. To this end, it prioritizes escalating intensity over volume.</p>\n<p>It does that quite well with nine progressively heavier squat sets of five per week, plus a short list of other barbell exercises with a high return on investment. Done properly this becomes a grueling challenge that gets the trainee well acquainted with a progressive resistance approach to lifting. (This is far more important than the physical effects, the argument goes, because focusing on adding weight to the bar according to a schedule is a more effective template than a more traditional bodybuilding approach based on momentary muscular failure.)</p>\n<h2>Two rabbits</h2>\n<p>Once the centrality of pushing the squat is understood, it's clear why Starting Strength doesn't have more volume: adding sets does not contribute to this goal. It is also clear why it's a bad idea to &quot;just add volume&quot; to the program: you will not have a good time with the rapidly increasing weight on the bar. Squatting three days a week, with a little more weight on the bar <em>every single time</em>, is more than enough signal to inform the body that it <strong>must</strong> grow to adapt to this stress.</p>\n<p>People who add extra sets to the program will find themselves spending their recovery budget on that additional volume rather than on the ever-rising intensity of more plates on the bar. This is often unpleasant to experience firsthand, as the discovery comes to you underneath a bar you can't lift.</p>\n<p>Plenty of programs accept these limitations and pick a different rabbit for the beginner to chase. For instance, they may reduce squat volume and increase upper-body volume, like Greyskull LP. Or, they may vary the rep ranges in more exercise-targeted sessions, like 5/3/1.</p>\n<p>In contrast, the appeal of Starting Strength is in its plain simplicity. This doesn't just make it easy to understand. Its simplicity resists people screwing with it. More complex programs are more amenable to tuning and fiddling, which is often compelling but not optimal for the beginner who knows little — and can lift less. When running Starting Strength the goal is clear: add a little weight to the bar on a frequent schedule. Everything else — the sets of five, the limited exercise selection, the relatively few sets — is in support of that.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42613", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33811/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42614, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Stronglifts and Starting Strength are beginner strength programs designed for all ages and body types. Whether you're young, old, weak, obese, male, female, new to the gym, coming back from an injury, etc. The focus is strength gain as opposed to increasing muscle mass. With these two factors in mind, the programs target the largest muscle groups for a strength based goal.</p>\n<p>Starting Strength should almost always be used as a starting platform into a more intermediate program. If you're a testosterone fueled male in your early 20's, you'll likely outgrow the program very quickly. If you're a 70 year old grandma, this will last you a long time (they have videos where they show elderly using this program).</p>\n<p>If you're looking for a more advanced program you can check out something like the Calgary Barbell 16-week program. You'll have 15-20+ sets of each various squat, bench, and deadlift exercises n a week.</p>\n<hr />\n<p><em>Addendum:</em> to answer the question asked, of course you could add one more set, you could add more workouts too. You can add deload weeks, you could add RPE sets in, you could run it in blocks, and more. It just isn't Starting Strength anymore at the point. At some point the recipe is too different and it breaks off into another program (e.g. Stronglifts, Madcow, and the Texas Method).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42623, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Starting Strength feels like a low-volume program because it uses a powerlifting template to push mostly the squat as far as possible, with the goal of turning scrawny young men into thick young men ready to play sports like American football. The template works pretty well for other people and other purposes but <code>&quot;too weak to be on the field safely&quot; -&gt; squatting 405</code> is its origin story. To this end, it prioritizes escalating intensity over volume.</p>\n<p>It does that quite well with nine progressively heavier squat sets of five per week, plus a short list of other barbell exercises with a high return on investment. Done properly this becomes a grueling challenge that gets the trainee well acquainted with a progressive resistance approach to lifting. (This is far more important than the physical effects, the argument goes, because focusing on adding weight to the bar according to a schedule is a more effective template than a more traditional bodybuilding approach based on momentary muscular failure.)</p>\n<h2>Two rabbits</h2>\n<p>Once the centrality of pushing the squat is understood, it's clear why Starting Strength doesn't have more volume: adding sets does not contribute to this goal. It is also clear why it's a bad idea to &quot;just add volume&quot; to the program: you will not have a good time with the rapidly increasing weight on the bar. Squatting three days a week, with a little more weight on the bar <em>every single time</em>, is more than enough signal to inform the body that it <strong>must</strong> grow to adapt to this stress.</p>\n<p>People who add extra sets to the program will find themselves spending their recovery budget on that additional volume rather than on the ever-rising intensity of more plates on the bar. This is often unpleasant to experience firsthand, as the discovery comes to you underneath a bar you can't lift.</p>\n<p>Plenty of programs accept these limitations and pick a different rabbit for the beginner to chase. For instance, they may reduce squat volume and increase upper-body volume, like Greyskull LP. Or, they may vary the rep ranges in more exercise-targeted sessions, like 5/3/1.</p>\n<p>In contrast, the appeal of Starting Strength is in its plain simplicity. This doesn't just make it easy to understand. Its simplicity resists people screwing with it. More complex programs are more amenable to tuning and fiddling, which is often compelling but not optimal for the beginner who knows little — and can lift less. When running Starting Strength the goal is clear: add a little weight to the bar on a frequent schedule. Everything else — the sets of five, the limited exercise selection, the relatively few sets — is in support of that.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42633", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33828/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42644, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><a href=\"https://youtu.be/0Sd1AZZ77aw?t=129\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">You're allowed to bend your knees in RDLs.</a> I think if you look closely in the first image, you'll see the guy is bending his knees slightly too. Although he has short femurs so he doesn't have to bend as much.</p>\n<p>You perform an RDL by unlocking your knees and pushing your butt back as you would a deadlift. It's about creating a <a href=\"https://www.bsrphysicaltherapy.com/2018/04/15/hip-hinge-basics\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">hip hinge</a> so that you can lower the bar while maintaining a flat back. You shouldn't be <em>lowering</em> your body as you would in a squat. If you push your butt back, you'll bend your knees, your femurs will move back with your hips and your shins will stay straight. If your knees push forward, then you are not performing a hip hinge. You are lowering down to position.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42645, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>you either let it hang or contract the upper part of your dorsal muscles to pull the bar onto your legs.</p>\n<p>the latter version puts the latissimus dorsi in a weaker position which causes more hypertrophy but also makes you lift less weight.</p>\n<p>both versions train the latissimus dorsi because the same muscle can also extend the spine, but the latter has a double isometric hold, the lats are not just isometrically contracted to keep you straight but also to keep the bar glued to you.</p>\n<p>haver you ever seen a front lever or a straight arm row? same logic, but with deadlifts.\ndepending on who you ask, one version is better.</p>\n<p>in your opinion what is better? lifting the most amount of weight possible or getting the strongest muscular contraction, activation and better control overall?</p>\n<p>both are good and bad depending on your goals and sport.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42647, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>Romanian deadlifts are not synonymous with stiff-leg deadlifts.</em> In the Romanian deadlift, we hinge at the hip and rock backwards, allowing the knees to bend only enough to align our combined centre of mass with our base of support—that is, somewhere between our heel and forefoot, and ideally midway.</p>\n<p>For large loads—those that are high relative to our body mass—the bar should be suspended over our feet. To achieve this, the knees should be supple, and tibias vertical or slightly aft-tilted. <em>(That latter point is perhaps the key distinction between a Romanian deadlift and a conventional deadlift.)</em> The hips do not fall significantly in height.</p>\n<p>With relatively small loads, the bar may pass forward of the toes since our body mass counterbalances the mass of the barbell. In such cases, our combined centre of mass remains over our base of support.</p>\n<p>To answer your first question, <em>yes, in the stock image above, the lifter</em> <em><strong>is</strong></em> <em>pulling the bar towards himself unnaturally—something that could easily be corrected with a minor adjustment to either his degree of knee bend or the angle of his tibias.</em> However, his posture and position are otherwise excellent, and it is likely, given how close the bar is to his shin, that there is in fact no need for adjustment. His combined centre of mass would likely be above his base of support without it.</p>\n<p>In reference to the second image, the caption may read ‘Romanian Deadlifts’, but that is <em><strong>not</strong></em> really what Duffin is performing. <em>He is performing what would best be described as a hybrid between a Romanian and conventional deadlift. Notable to his technique is the fact that his knees bend not only to centre the mass over his base of support, but also to lower his hips towards the floor. So really, it should not be considered in relation to this discussion.</em></p>\n<p>Finally, though, it should be mentioned that names only exist to communicate a common idea. If, for example, Duffin and his colleagues understand that to be a Romanian deadlift, then the name serves its purpose. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ technique, only right or wrong for our agreed understanding, or for a specific purpose.</p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42640", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33828/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42646, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unfortunately, there can be no &quot;the best&quot; exercise, because any attempt to build your biceps will require you to do a lot of <em>different</em> exercises.</p>\n<p>Bicep curls can be varied in so many ways, and there is no single exercise that can cover all of them.</p>\n<p>You can</p>\n<ul>\n<li>grip supinated, pronated, or neutral</li>\n<li>use dumbbells, a straight bar, or a curl bar</li>\n<li>do them seated or standing</li>\n<li>focus on the concentric or eccentric portion of the lift</li>\n<li>pause at any point during the rep for an isometric element</li>\n<li>eliminate cheating, or use cheating to get a heavier eccentric</li>\n<li>use heavy weights, light weights, or anything in between</li>\n<li>do lots of reps, few reps, or anything in between, depending on the previous factor</li>\n</ul>\n<p>...and more. And on top of all this, you should also include exercises where the biceps need to work in an ensemble of a bunch of different muscle groups. Examples include any pulling and rowing type exercise. Getting your muscles to cooperate with other muscle groups is exactly why we focus so much on compound movements. It builds general athleticism, and stimulates growth.</p>\n<p>And again, the key to building biceps (or any other muscle group) is to incorporate a large variety to make sure the muscles get challenged in lots of different ways, and never become complacent.</p>\n<p>See also: <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/1296/biceps-gaining-slower-than-the-rest?rq=1\">biceps gaining slower than the rest</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42655, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>Most time efficient exercises for bicep growth if you want only bicep growth and nothing else:</strong></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/siIFR.gif\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>muscular growth happens for three reasons:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>the muscle adapts to bigger loads, like increasing weight.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>the muscle adapts to more work, reducing rest or increasing reps and sets or training days</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>the muscle adapts to physical damage to the musclur structure</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>any exercise which allows for all those things to happen at maximum degree is superior, incline bicep curls damage the biceps more than any other isolation bicep exercise because it puts the bicep in an already stretched position, and stretching alone is good enough to cause muscle trauma and give you doms for days, but without progression stretching alone doesn't build muscle. At least not in humans, in various other animals it was shown that weighted stretching is enough to build muscle.</p>\n<p>just to be sure we won't take the risk and actually perform the curling motion by progressively increasing weight, sets and reps over the years.</p>\n<p><strong>The best multi-chain full body bicep exercise ever is the Hefesto</strong></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUOyg.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>the Hefesto is basically a bodyweight incline bicep curl, but also works the chest and triceps as well as back muscles. It can be weighted up with a dipping belt or a weighted vest or even ankle weights.</p>\n<p>Ankle weights are the better options because of levers, they do not change the shape of the movement while resulting heavier than they really are, they are also the cheaper option.</p>\n<p>progression by increasing reps and sets is also possible.</p>\n<p>an EASIER version to start off would be the Entrada de Angel which can take 40 to 120 days to learn if you are a complete beginner (not obese), and while learning the movement you will also build huge arms. But by the 20 day mark you will already be able to do the nevative version.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42643", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33834/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42649, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I’m not a big lunge fan myself, but they are certainly a useful exercise. While they aren’t an exercise that can be appropriately performed within lower rep ranges (say 10 or less), you certainly don’t need to do 50 reps to have an effective set. Anything between 15 and 30 should be fine, just work to (or close to) failure with reps done in good form. There’s no sense in torturing yourself with an exercise that is more mentally taxing than it is physically taxing.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42654, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>you can reduce repetition goal to 1 rep maxes and go with heavy weight.... obviously by ramping up the weight slowly first starting with warm up sets.</p>\n<p>or by doing 5 x 5 with heavy weight. Any exercise can be loaded heavily if you dislike high rep work.</p>\n<p>another option is to substitute Lunges with Shrimp squats, they are better at building glutes... as a matter of fact many people who can squat twice their weight can't do one shrimp squat because its more a glute exercise than a leg one.</p>\n<p>if you struggle doing high repetitions on lunges, split squats will be worse.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42657, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If an exercise seems challenging to you, that's usually a bodybuilder/athlete's way of knowing that they are weak in that area and need to do it more often... although 50 reps is not very common at all for many people, especially lunges. Lunges burn a lot of calories which make an exercise seem &quot;winded&quot;. 50 reps or &quot;half-century&quot; set can sometimes be more grueling than a simple 3 set of 10 with 4 times the weight. Lactic acid accumulates and your muscles get a lot of endurance. You could try variations of lunges, such as walking, static, dynamic, or other lunges. reverse lunges are different as they tend to target hamstrings and glutes a bit more, and quads a bit less, than regular lunges. It might be easier to do regular lunges. To be honest, I've done century sets, and its usually with exercises that are deemed &quot;easy&quot; such as cable machine exercises or isolation exercises like dumbbell curls. You could do leg extensions or something else that isn't so tough, but I'd say stick with it and just perform the regular lunges rather than reverse lunges. Overtime, the workout will get easier as your body adapts and doesn't release as much lactic acid and your muscles get stronger</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42648", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32186/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42659, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>the only side effects are digestive ones if the mass gainer is processed in a safe manner.</p>\n<p>the worst thing you can expect happening to you is diarrhea in the most extreme case, or farting a little more in the most mild cases.</p>\n<p>depending on how everything is processed, it can be carcinogenic, I would first inform myself by directly contacting the producer and asking how its made.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42660, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'd strongly suggest looking at the ingredients and avoiding mass gainers where the first few ingredients are dextrose, or some similar form of sugar. most of these products are just a scoop of whey protein and a lot of low glycemic sugar. Look for some that have healthy carbs like sweet potato or oat powder. By the way, you can also make your own mass gainer.. blend some oats in a food processor to make &quot;oat powder&quot;, and mix that with some casein protein(or whey protein), and its healthy mass gainer! you can also add peanut butter and a banana to make it test better and add more calories, but research all you can</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42666, "author": "EnTo", "author_id": 33842, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33842", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Don't buy mass gainers, make your own!</p>\n<p>Whey protein, whole milk, a banana, a scoop of peanutbutter, and you are practically at 1000 kcals, dependent on how much of each ingredient you add.</p>\n<p>Avoid mass gainers, they contain too much crap.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42658", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42663, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>if you train for many years you will get muscular even with the most stupid training routine...</p>\n<p>do you wanna get big and muscular in 8 years of training or only in 3?</p>\n<p>make your choice.</p>\n<p>there's many ways to reach a point, but there is always one road which is incredibly worse than others and one road which is the most time efficient.</p>\n<p>also you are categorizing people you don't even know in your own gym and generalising them as being a worldwide thing. And someone like you who make such types of question has probably been to only one gym in their entire life and not for long.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42664, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>That's because your gym is a typical commercial gym where majority of people don't have any idea what they're doing and they're just going with the motions. Go to a gym that caters to strength athletes or bodybuilders and your experience will be extremely different.</p>\n<p>Problems with bro splits:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>Not enough volume. You have to practice <a href=\"https://bretcontreras.com/progressive-overload/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">progressive overload</a> to build muscle. You have to. There's no way around it. You have to lift more than you did previously. A bro split typically will only work any particular muscle group once, maybe twice a week. Any full-body routine, even beginner ones, will work every muscle group to some degree at least <em>three</em> times a week. A sufficiently advanced person may work every muscle group at least <em>five</em> times a week, while adding a small &quot;bro-split&quot; routine to fill out neglected areas. So while bro-splits will work at first, it'll be difficult to add volume when you're only working a body-part once, maybe twice a week.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Neglected muscle groups. Most &quot;bro-split&quot; routines are trash. They focus on the glamour muscles, and as such don't build your entire body. Doing so will prevent you from advancing, thus prevent you from practicing <a href=\"https://bretcontreras.com/progressive-overload/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">progressive overload</a> because other parts of you aren't keeping up.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Wasted time and effort. Why do leg extensions, leg press, leg curls, calf raises, donkey kicks, and planks when a heavy squat will work all those for me? Even though squats neglect hamstrings more than quads, I could squat first then finish with leg curls and be out of the gym before the bro is even on his fourth workout. Or better yet, squat first and finish with Romanian Deadlifts so work my upper back a bit more while I'm at it.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Is it <em>possible</em> to get very muscular on a completely isolated &quot;bro-split&quot;? Of course. People do it all the time. The difference is it's usually very well planned out and executed very meticulously by people who know what they're doing.</p>\n<hr />\n<blockquote>\n<p>So clearly, compound movements seem better suited for guys that want to get BIG and STRONG (read: fat and huge), whereas bro-splits genuinely do work for guys that just want to get a decent muscular build but remain lean and athletic.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>People who are BIG and STRONG now had &quot;decent muscular builds&quot; before they became BIG and STRONG. They didn't wake up with that muscle. They built up to the decent muscular build people and surpassed them. Compound movements got them to those levels at a much faster rate than the bro-split guys.</p>\n<p>Also, people who train for strength don't care much for the aesthetic so they eat to perform. If they kept calories in check and cut every once in a while, they'd be &quot;yoked&quot;.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42668, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The critique of bodybuilder split routines is not that they don't work. They obviously work, so anyone who says they don't is either ignorant or speaking without thinking. It's that a bodybuilder routine may be sub-optimal for some goals. Usually the critique is that a powerlifting foundation is more effective to build whole-body mass. Personally I think that the distinctions are drawn too clearly, and we should all be open to a more &quot;powerbuilding&quot; hybrid approach when called for.</p>\n<p>My most recent three or four gyms have not had a population distribution like yours. Crucially, you omit one category they each have had: a plentiful minority of lean, athletic men and women who use powerlifting and Oly lifting exercises and rep schemes to either look better at their current weight or to get bigger.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42677, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here is sort of an outsider perspective: as a climber, you have very specific training goals that are almost completely opposed to body-building for muscle mass. For a climber, weight efficiency is very important and you need two kind of strengths: the instantly available maximum power for a single move, and the continuously available power for moving in overhanging terrain. Also much of the short-time actuation is delivered through arms and fingers and the respective sinews and tendons are quite slower to change under training than muscles, so strength coming at the cost of weight, even if it is proportionate to weight, is detrimental to your health.</p>\n<p>For the first kind of strength, the ratio of muscle fibres that can be activated is important, for the second, the continuous provision of resources to operating muscles through circulation and capillaries is important.</p>\n<p>For neither, muscle mass is helpful: it's more a matter of the constitution of the muscles. What muscle mass provides is local storage of nutrients for more than a moment but still quite limited amounts of time, like when doing a weightlifting contest.</p>\n<p>So climbers tend to do things for training muscle utilisation at 5 reps or less, and power endurance at 20 reps or more, and avoid the muscle-mass building in-between like the plague, assuming that you are not just idling but working close to capacity.</p>\n<p>Building muscles, in contrast, relies on starving muscles regularly in a manner that can be fixed by local nutrient depots. Those kind of extraneous depot is something that a body will not keep around without need, particularly if other muscle groups are clamoring for them. You don't want your body to transfer its resources around on a weekly schedule, you want to keep stocking up.</p>\n<p>Now of course it depends on your own personal goals where you want to go. If you take a look at &quot;Conan the Barbarian&quot; movies that were made near the time where the main actor was crowned &quot;Mister Universe&quot;, you'll see that the kind of leg musculature makes for very awkward running scenes because there just isn't enough room for all those muscles to get around one another.</p>\n<p>Also when you keep inflating muscles with isolated routines without allowing for &quot;natural deflation&quot; in between, the visual balance of your muscle groups is not determined by natural use cases (and thus idealised natural proportions) but by your training plan and design, and that can lead to outrightly bizarre results.</p>\n<p>A &quot;bro&quot; routine is a bit more self-stabilising in its results when you don't actually have a sensible plan and/or a good control over its progress. So there is little wonder it gets the &quot;works for me&quot; tag for people who aren't actively competing athletes.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42679, "author": "Jared Smith", "author_id": 30584, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30584", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's a big reason why you can't just copy the routine of the biggest meathead at your local big box gym and call it a day:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selection_bias\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Selection Bias</a>.</p>\n<p>Much like a diet, a better test of an exercise regimen is not whether or not one <em>could</em> achieve the desired outcome, but <em>what percentage</em> of people on the regimen achieve their desired outcome. Those guys you see doing bro splits and looking jacked are the gifted: the genetic lottery winners.</p>\n<p>And just like by looking at lottery winners and neglecting the entire cohort of lottery ticket purchasers you can erroneously conclude that the lottery is a good investment, you can't just look at the teeny tiny sliver of people who tried a bro split and had success and think that it would work for you. Even in the handful of years I worked at the gym in college I watched a lot of people try bro splits and... not achieve their goals. They moved on to better programs or just quit showing up. You're only seeing the handful of survivors.</p>\n<p>And even if you are amongst the blessed, as other answers have said there are more optimal ways to get there.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42702, "author": "Dr. Funk", "author_id": 33897, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33897", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>By &quot;Bro Splits&quot;, it seems that you are referring to a split routine wherein a different muscle group is targeted each day with machines or dumbbells, completely avoiding any compound lifts.</p>\n<p>Do Bro Splits work? Well, that depends on what you mean by &quot;work&quot;, which of course depends on your goals. If your goal is to get sweaty and burn a few calories each day in the gym while avoiding boredom, then Bro Splits definitely work. If your goal is to put on a little bit of muscle mass over the course of months of training, Bro Splits might work (depending on the details of the training schedule). If your goal is to gain some hypertrophy in specific muscle groups strictly for aesthetics and not for useful strength, then Bro Splits might work (again depending on the details of the training program).</p>\n<p>If your goal is to build useful strength as fast as possible without wasting time, then Bro Splits do not work. This is especially true of routines where a given muscle group is only targeted once per week.</p>\n<p>The problem with isolation exercises is that we do not activate our muscles in isolation when performing normal movement patterns. When moving our bodies and exerting force against external resistances, we activate multiple muscle groups at the same time. To stand up, we activate our quads, our hamstrings, our hips, our calves, and our back. To pull something off a shelf, we activate our biceps, our triceps, our shoulders, our abs, our back, our quads, our hamstrings, etc. Normal human movement patterns always involve multiple muscle groups working in concert. When trying to maximize useful strength, all muscles involved in the movement pattern need to be strengthened. Otherwise, the weakest link will limit useful strength. The problem in trying to accomplish this strictly with isolation exercises is that it's basically impossible to know how much to strengthen each muscle group relative to the others.</p>\n<p>Let's say your goal is to be able to lift 100 lbs from your chest over your head. How strong do your various muscle groups need to be in isolation in order to achieve that goal? How much weight should you be using with tricep extensions in order to achieve that goal? How much weight should you be pulling on the deltoid machine in order to achieve that goal? How much should you be pulling on the pec fly machine in order to achieve that goal? It's essentially impossible to answer these questions.</p>\n<p>How strong should your triceps be relative to your biceps in order for the two muscle groups to be in balance? How strong should your quads be relative to your hamstrings in order for the two muscle groups to be in balance?</p>\n<p>Attempting to build useful strength strictly with isolation exercises is essentially impossible, because it's impossible to know how strong each muscle group needs to be relative to its complementary or supporting muscle groups, and it is often difficult to mimic useful movement patterns using isolation exercises.</p>\n<p>The most effective way to build useful strength is with compound movements. There's no guesswork needed to determine how to balance complementary or supporting muscle groups. All muscles involved get trained at the same time and to the degree necessary to complete the movement in question. The movement patterns are also natural. People squat. People pick things up off the floor. People lift things over their head. People push things. The compound lifts that mimic these movements are the most effective way to increase useful strength.</p>\n<p>As for why the &quot;lean, athletic&quot; types prefer Bro Splits?</p>\n<p>Well, I'd argue that looking athletic and being athletic are not the same thing. What you're probably observing is people with low bodyfat who are trying to enhance the aesthetics of specific muscle groups. But they are probably not very strong, and if they're athletic, it's despite their Bro Split training regimen, not because of it. But Bro Splits certainly could work for them, if their goal is to gain some hypertrophy in specific muscle groups.</p>\n<p>The most effective way to increase general strength, for anyone of any age, is with compound barbell lifts (squat, deadlift, press, bench).</p>\n<p>Are split routines in general bad? No, they have their place. Split routines are a perfectly legitimate (and effective) way to train around scheduling difficulties. Training three times per week is ideal, because it maximizes rest between lifting days. The downside of this is that each lifting session will get to be quite long, especially as the rest times between sets increase. A split routine typically separates upper-body-targeted lifts from whole-body lifts, and has the trainee lifting more days per week. The upside is that this shortens each session to a more manageable length. The downside is that rest between sessions is less than ideal. When you do bench and press one day and squats and deadlifts the next, your back didn't really get complete rest on the first day like it would if you were taking a complete day of rest prior to a lifting day.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42716, "author": "TMuffin", "author_id": 33904, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33904", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The question was &quot;why do people focus on one muscle group a day&quot;, not &quot;why should I not focus on one muscle group a day&quot;, so I'll answer that.</p>\n<p>One of the most essential parts that building muscle is <a href=\"https://www.theactivetimes.com/why-rest-days-are-just-important-working-out\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">having rest days</a>. The idea of focusing on one muscle group at a time is that each day you are resting the muscles you worked the previous day and working out a new group of muscles.</p>\n<p>Before I started working out 1-2 muscle groups in a day, I knew nothing at all about how to build muscle. I would usually find some crappy full-body routine and try to do that every day. The result was usually a week of improvement followed by two weeks of steadily getting worse as I didn't give my muscles time to recover, then giving up in frustration. Switching to a more focused routine allowed me to actually improve.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42721, "author": "RockyRoad", "author_id": 33910, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33910", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It depends on what you mean by &quot;don't work&quot;.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24714538/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here is a study that looks at weightlifting routines' effects on body mass / strength</a>. It concludes that &quot;both bodybuilding- and powerlifting-type training promote similar increases in muscular size, but powerlifting-type training is superior for enhancing maximal strength&quot;.</p>\n<p>The bro-split is more of a bodybuilding routine. It isn't going to be as good at building strength, but if your goal is only to increase the size of your muscles (hypertrophy) then it will work as well as most other routines <em>of similar volume</em>. Also by focusing on individual muscle groups more, the &quot;stabilizing muscles&quot; aren't going to be worked as much: if my routine focuses on bench/squats/deadlifts then my abs are getting work constantly which I won't be getting much of in a bro-split.</p>\n<p>Bro-splits work <em>fine</em> for the goal of looking better. But you'd achieve the same appearance change with additional health benefits from getting stronger if you used a strength based program.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44983, "author": "Beast Inblack", "author_id": 37887, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37887", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Until your CNS and lumbar discs tell you otherwise…</p>\n<p>Upper lower 4 workouts a week work great for me. Plenty of rest days and twice a week each muscle gets quality stimulation.</p>\n<p>I used to do bro split, all those leg sets in one session each week made it unbearable to recover from. No junk volume and legs never get sore.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42662", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33828/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42686, "author": "Ora", "author_id": 33869, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33869", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>quad dominant means that your quads are bigger than the remaining muscles.</p>\n<p>the body doesn't magically pick one muscle at random to use in an exercise, it always uses the strongest and most rested muscle first.</p>\n<p>for normal humans the gluteus is the biggest muscle in the body, so it will be the muscle to be used the most, it will also be the muscle to get tired and burn the least.</p>\n<p>if you feel a muscle burning, it's not because you are that muscle dominant but because it was the weakest in the chain.</p>\n<p>the Glute is made of 2 giant muscles and 1 smaller one, the quads are made of 4 small muscles which together create a big lump of muscle. Obviously the quad will always be weaker.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42692, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To answer your question.. yes, You can do every squat with your butt to the ground, rather than a regular squat, which engages the glutes more. the glutes activate more at the bottom and take some pressure away from quads. Stay away from front squats as those primarily target quads. You might be quad dominant due to a weak posterior, so if you have strong glutes as you say, are all your other posterior chain muscles strong too?</p>\n<ul>\n<li>hamstrings</li>\n<li>glutes medius</li>\n<li>glutes minimus</li>\n<li>calves</li>\n<li>tibias</li>\n<li>various hip flexor/extensor muscles</li>\n<li>core</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Also do you have correct form and lower the bar with your heels?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42693, "author": "Curiosity", "author_id": 33860, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33860", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you squat with proper form - sitting back as you squat down and pushing through your heels rather than leaning forward onto your toes - and if you go ATG, backsquat will always work the glutes more than quads. If you can't go ATG due to ankle mobility, use weightlifting shoes or a plate under your heels.</p>\n<p>Front squat loads the quads up more when done correctly, that's just the nature of it. If you want to focus on glutes, substitute deadlifts for the front squat. Both regular and Romanian deadlifts. Do some box jumps as well if you can.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42694, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Most importantly you have to make sure you are (back)squatting below paralell and with a fairly wide stance: <a href=\"https://www.niashanks.com/squats-dont-work-your-glutes/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">&quot;Squats Don’t Work Your Glutes (Because You’re Squatting Wrong)&quot;</a>.</p>\n<p>Make sure you do not use too heavy weights. If you use too heavy weights; your body will shift the weight forward onto the stronger quads to accomplish the task you give it.</p>\n<p>You should &quot;prime&quot; your glutes before squatting.\nYou do this by eg. performing say two sets of glute bridges before squatting.\nPerform two sets of the plank as well to activate the abs.\nWhen you do the glute bridges you focus on the glutes and make sure that they are activated. When a muscle has been activated repeatedly beforehand it is a lot easier for the central nervous system to activate it again.</p>\n<p>Also do many warm up sets of backsquat before your work sets. With less weight it is easier to focus on correct form and activating the glutes.</p>\n<p>In addition to backsquat you should also deadlift.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42701, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>To understand <em>how</em> to correct the problem, it often helps to think carefully about <em>what</em>, exactly, might be happening. But in summary, it may help to:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>take a shoulder-width stance</strong>,</li>\n<li><strong>externally rotate your feet—slightly, but not excessively</strong>,</li>\n<li><strong>allow the knees to go over the toes</strong>,</li>\n<li><strong>squat to the ankles (i.e. sit down, not ‘back’)</strong>,</li>\n<li><strong>maintain neutral anterior pelvic tilt</strong>,</li>\n<li><strong>maintain a knee angle that is the same as the hip angle</strong>, and</li>\n<li><strong>extend the hip and knees simultaneously, and at the same rate</strong>.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>(Now, if you want to understand why, please bear with me.)</p>\n<p>Single-joint or ‘isolation’ exercises are generally controlled by a small number of muscles, whose involvement is dependent only upon bone orientation and joint angle. The consequent expression of movement, therefore, closely describes how, and to what degree, the relevant <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatomical_terms_of_muscle#Actions_of_skeletal_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">agonists, antagonists, and synergists</a> are being activated.</p>\n<p>Multi-joint or ‘compound’ exercises, by contrast, are controlled by a large number of muscle groups, whose involvement is dependent upon interactions between the joints involved, and upon the degree of freedom afforded by the exercise. The lesser the degree of freedom, the more variant the possibilities of muscle activation. <em>This is why ‘free-weight’ exercises are generally superior for developing functional strength: the greater degree of freedom afforded by these exercises forces the lifter to activate the muscles in a certain way.</em></p>\n<p>To illustrate this point, consider three common variations of the chest press: machine, barbell, and dumbbell. Each of these exercises involves the same primary joint actions—humeral flexion and horizontal adduction, and elbow extension. Yet the potential variation in muscle activation between them is enormous. The machine chest press, being a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_kinetic_chain_exercises\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">closed chain</a> exercise, can be performed with almost any permutation of muscle activation. The lifter could theoretically have no activation of the pectoralis major or deltoids whatsoever, and perform the movement exclusively with the triceps brachii! <em>This is possible because the final position of the load is a function of any one of the joint angles involved.</em> Similarly, the barbell bench press could be performed without any activation of the pectoralis major, and the dumbbell press could be performed without any activation of the triceps brachii.</p>\n<p>So too is enormous variation possible with the squat. The squat involves leg ‘triple extension’—that is, extension of the hip, knees, and ankles—and therefore engages some combination of the hip, knee, and ankle extensors. Involvement of the ankle extensors (the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triceps_surae_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">triceps surae</a>) is dependent upon the position of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_mass\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">centre of mass</a> relative to the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcaneus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">calcaneal tuberosity</a>. Again, theoretically, the triceps surae could be completely uninvolved if the centre of mass passed perfectly through the point of contact between the heel and the floor—that is, if our weight were as far backward as it could be without our falling over.</p>\n<p>However, since the kinetic chain is open at the top—that is, since the barbell and body are free to migrate forwards and backwards—the load <strong>must</strong> be supported by both the knee extensors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriceps_femoris_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">quadriceps femoris</a>) and one- and one-/two-joint hip extensors (the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteal_muscles\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">gluteals</a> and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamstring\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">hamstrings</a>, respectively) in some capacity that results in a net upward vector. <em>It is the relationship between the three joint angles that determines the degree of muscle activation required of each group; or alternatively, it is our muscle action that determines the posture that we tend to adopt in performing the squat. And contrary to the statements of some commentators, since the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_(physics)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">moments</a> at the joints must be balanced, we cannot over-emphasise one muscle group without also altering our position and/or emphasis of the others.</em></p>\n<p>Of course, it should be mentioned that our physical geometry influences our technique—both that which is optimal and that which is possible. But of the criteria that we can modify, those that alter muscle activation are the <strong>depth</strong> and <strong>uprightness</strong> of our squat. The depth of our squat is, in turn, limited by the <strong>width</strong> of our stance and the <strong>flexibility</strong> of our ankles. Since the hamstrings are bi-articular, their activation depends on the difference between the hip and knee angles. The more positive the difference, the less the hamstrings are activated, and the more, therefore, that the gluteals must be activated in order to balance the moment created by the quadriceps. Maintenance of an <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvic_tilt\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">anterior pelvic tilt</a> through the activation of the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_spinae_muscles\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">erector spinae</a> increases the effective angle of the hip.</p>\n<p><em>The key to maximising activation of the gluteals, therefore, is to adopt a stance that allows us to squat to full depth. The feet should generally be spaced at shoulder width, and slightly externally rotated. The knees should be held outward (which further engages the gluteals) such the the knees track in the direction of the feet. And the erector spinae should be activated powerfully to counteract the force generated by the hip extensors. The squat should be performed such that the knee and hip angles are equal. This is achieved by squatting towards the ankles—not ‘sitting back’—and allowing the knees to track forward freely. If the knees are not permitted to move freely past the line of the toes, both the depth of the squat and the angle of knee bend will thereby be limited. Finally, the hip and knee should be extended at the same rate, thus discouraging a two-phase lift in which the tail is lifted before the back is extended.</em></p>\n<p>I hope that is helpful. Please feel free to ask for clarification for any of these points.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42685", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/15556/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42708, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Water should be your top priority and your priorities after that might include a preworkout (or simply caffeine) and/or a small bite to eat such as a fruit.</p>\n<p>If you are working out shortly after waking up, your body should still be full (or mostly full) on glycogen from the night before unless you did some intense activity after your last meal. Your body will use that glycogen as well as fat as fuel during your training session. It doesn’t seem entirely unlikely that protein may also be used, but it hardly seems justified to assume that most or even a notable portion of the energy requirements would come from it. Instead, you are likely looking at negligible losses. Unless of course your workouts are ridiculously long, &gt;1.5 hours. Even then, it’s going to be less about fuel source and more about your capacity to keep going and actually have a productive training session.</p>\n<p>I’m not sure why you are bringing up blood sugar, but I’ll address it anyway. If you have no problems with blood sugar, working out on an empty stomach won’t cause problems with that. However, if you do have such problems you might be endangering yourself and you should reconsider. Speak to a medical professional.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42709, "author": "matousc", "author_id": 20424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20424", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Good question. However, people are not really united on what you should eat before training in general. Even if mankind would come to an agreement on this topic, it would still be workout specific. From your question, it seems that you have two concerns (correct me if I am wrong):</p>\n<ul>\n<li>you are unable to eat a short time before a workout</li>\n<li>you are afraid that your body will not handle workout in a good way only with nutrients from the previous day</li>\n</ul>\n<p>In this case, I would approach it via testing what will work for me, for example in this order:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>small portion food (yogurt, rice... whatever you consider important before training in general - this is again more &quot;religion&quot; related question). If this does not feel good, then:</li>\n<li>protein shake (or a protein shake with something extra - for example honey). If this is still too much:</li>\n<li>BCAA in any form or any other nutrients in pills</li>\n</ol>\n<p>I guess some people would suggest using some stimulants like caffeine. However, if you sleep and rest enough, there should not be a need for such a &quot;cheating&quot; at all.</p>\n<p>Note: If you ask 10 different people how to tackle this problem, you probably get 10 different answers. And they all can be wrong (or good).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42706", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7826/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42767, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Within the narrow focus of <em>just</em> strength training, the Rippetoe &amp; Kilgore definition is useful:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Simply put, a <strong>novice</strong>, as we use the term here, is a trainee for whom the stress applied during a single workout and the recovery from that single stress is sufficient to cause an adaptation by the next workout. The end of the novice phase is marked by a performance plateau, typically occurring between the third and ninth month of training...</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>(From page 12, Practical Programming 2nd edition, Rippetoe &amp; Kilgore.)</p>\n<p>This definition is about whether someone can add weight to the bar every session. That is, a beginner can progress linearly rather than needing periodization, so <a href=\"https://startingstrength.com/article/who_wants_to_be_a_novice_you_do\" rel=\"noreferrer\">you want to be a novice</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A “novice” lifter is a trainee who is so unadapted to the stress of lifting weights that he can make progress as rapidly as he can stress himself and get recovered, a process that actually takes no more than 48-72 hours.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Take care when carrying this definition outside the bounds of its assumptions.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42788, "author": "Jason", "author_id": 8485, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8485", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I love this question because it is so universally important to everyone getting into a sport requiring some form of physical fitness. Dave's answer is the specific information that you need and his sources will likely help you get into the next phase of training.</p>\n<p>Here is a more general answer to the more general question your asking. When can I do my next workout to optimize gains and continue to improve?</p>\n<p>Answer: Determine how long it takes to recover from a workout. (Greg McMillan)</p>\n<p>I love and hate this answer. The quickest answer (to how long) is to join a club or pay for a coach or trainer to get the answer. The slowest and most dangerous answer is to figure it out on your own.</p>\n<p>Myself, I run, and I chose the dumb slow way but I've learned a lot from it. One simple rule I came up with is to successfully run one easy run before the next hard one (aka the next workout), but of course even determining what is easy is tricky in its own way. Another one was to do the same workout after the recovery period and if I couldn't repeat the same performance then I didn't recover.</p>\n<p>After you figure out how long it takes to recover then you've got to figure out how to recover faster. For me this means protein within 30 min of a workout, eating and sleeping good, doing some exercise that helps get blood flowing to the fatigued muscles, stretching the fatigued muscles at least twice a day then massaging them afterwards once a day.</p>\n<p>Hope you find your way without injuries!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42718", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33905/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42740, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To start, I'm going to assume you waste no time free hanging on the bar between reps, and that you are doing perfect form...</p>\n<p>I'd focus more on the rep count, and keep the time the same, or ignore the time altogether . You only want to change one variable at a time</p>\n<ul>\n<li>time to do the reps</li>\n<li>amount of reps(speed)</li>\n<li>sets</li>\n<li>rest</li>\n</ul>\n<p>The time to do the reps, if too long, will increase your endurance solely. The amount of reps within that time will increase your speed. Hypertrophy applies by the same rules with timed sets.. time under tension makes muscle growth, or around 8-12 reps will be optimal for hypertrophy. Look at this example,</p>\n<p>Person a does 10 pullups in 30 seconds</p>\n<p>Person b does 10 pullups in 60 seconds.</p>\n<p>Assuming no one is resting during a free hang, person b has to do much slower reps, about 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down.. this is a LOT harder to to than person A doing 3 second pull ups.. as you can see, speed here does not equal greater growth.. it actually equals less. Slow negatives and concentrics really help muscle growth\nSpeed is its own factor.. look at this equation-</p>\n<p>Power=Force x distance/time. Force=mass x acceleration.</p>\n<p>To make the math simple, just reduce time in the power equation, which represents speed, or increase acceleration in the force equation. With less time, the power increases.. you can see you produce more power, but does not have anything to do with force. You will build speed, which will be great, especially if you plan to powerlift, as speed assists strength in producing more power.</p>\n<p>In scenario 2:</p>\n<p>Person a does 20 reps in 60 seconds</p>\n<p>Person b does 10 reps in 30 seconds</p>\n<p>In this case, you are doing more reps which will result in better growth but will mostly improve endurance. The time here does not matter.</p>\n<p>To summarize, work on perfect form, and try adding weight to your pullups to assist in hypertroph, or do more reps but forget timed sets unless you want to focus on speed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42745, "author": "GAUTAM S.K", "author_id": 33921, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33921", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>no it is not useless it is almost like you are doing one part of hardcore training.but i strictly would advice you sir that you should do stretching before and after you have execised to avoid injuries and also not to sit after doing excercises.Take a feww jumps or walk a little to lower your heart beat.I would highly recommend using timer and doing excercise which would not make doing excercise boring.[the fun fact:i cant even do one pull up)</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42719", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33905/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42734, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>First off: 140kg deadlift / 95kg squat is slightly unbalanced, but not tremendously so. I have at times had a 100kg squat when able to deadlift 140kg. So it's worth looking at but not necessarily pathological. It's also still not clear where exactly the two lifts diverged in your progression scheme, which is key information.</p>\n<p>A few possibilities:</p>\n<h3>Anthropometry</h3>\n<p>You might have good anthropometry for the deadlift. This seems unlikely - long torso and short femurs is ideal for the squat, whereas the deadlift is easier for those with comparatively long legs. Addressing this simply means squatting more and maybe always squatting relatively less than you deadlift.</p>\n<h3>Volume</h3>\n<p>Some people consider the deadlift to need less volume to progress than the squat. Since you're doing roughly similar amount of work for each of the deadlift and squat, it's possible that you are simply pushing your deadlift better.</p>\n<p>To fix this I'd just try 5 sets of the squat, and optionally dropping the deadlift to 1 set to make room for other exercises, possibly including a brief squat, maybe done light.</p>\n<h3>Technique</h3>\n<p>You could have a technical error or mobility issue with the squat. Diagnosing this would require form checks.</p>\n<h3>Mental pressure</h3>\n<p>With the rate of progress you report I wonder if you're running into a mental block with the squat. It's an intimidating lift. In contrast, the deadlift – perhaps especially sumo style – presents much less psychological pressure, so I wouldn't expect you to be hitting the same wall there yet.</p>\n<p>If you worry about the squat, or are hesitant to add weight to the bar in a way that you're not with the deadlift, this could be it, or one element of the problem.</p>\n<p>Solving a mental block with the squat demands squatting a <em>lot</em>. Make it your best friend. Make your squat form something people compliment out of the blue. Squat every day, and squat with a bar every time you can. Most importantly, as you approach the bar for every set, conclude decisively that you are going to smash it. And then smash that bar with every rep. Attack the squat with more certainty as it gets heavier each week.</p>\n<h3>The Wall</h3>\n<p>Your lifts &amp; bodyweight being what they are, it's also possible you're simply at that stage where adding weight to the squat requires a <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/33136/1771\">qualitatively different kind of effort</a>.</p>\n<p>I suspect this might be the problem because 95kg is right where relatively athletic men your size often first experience adversity in the squat. It's where the lift stops being a challenge that can be overcome by blindly pushing a little harder. This happens later with the deadlift. But squats with errors (like a good-morning'd squat) often stop working-without-thought around this relative weight (a little more than bodyweight). That's when you have to actually lift the weight correctly or it will not work. I've noticed in myself and other guys roughly my size (80±3kg, 180±5cm) encounter it circa 100kg, maybe 115kg if they're really risk-inclined and stubborn. It's different for everybody but doing it wrong stops working around this stage.</p>\n<p>Fixing this requires a mix of basically all the prior fixes. You have to dial in your mobility, and your form, and your mental game, and you have to squat more often. Build a really reliable squat and then you should be able to add weight.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42735, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Some people are afraid of heavy squats mainly due to the fear of being crushed. This mental block on the lift might make some people increase the weight at a slower pace just to make sure they're safe. I don't know if this is your case but if it rings a bell there are a couple of things to try.</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>Squat in a power rack with safety bars/straps or a squat rack with safety arms, and test them. With safety bars set at a proper height, failing a squat isn't scary at all. Essentially, you squat to depth, realize <em>&quot;Hey, this weight isn't going back up&quot;</em>, and then you gently set it on the bars/straps/arms.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Try doing <em>static holds</em> or <em>walkouts</em> with more weight than you can squat. I know some powerlifters that use this as a confidence booster. To do it super safely, set the rack safeties just below shoulder level. Load the bar up with your squat weight plus, say, 100 lb and just unrack the bar. Hold it for 10-15 seconds and put it back down.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>My only other comment is you say you squat narrow and very deep. Consider how deep you're going and that <em>maybe</em> you're going too deep. I'd have to see your form to say but once you're deeper than just below parallel you can very easily lose any bracing you had.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42724", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33911/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42726, "author": "Michael", "author_id": 21796, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21796", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>From personal experience being good at running doesn’t translate to being good at cycling and vice versa. The muscles used are different and the motion/technique is different. I’d be especially careful when going from cycling to running because it’s much more injury prone. If your main goal is to be good at cycling, don’t go running (unless running is the only option, for example on a business trip where you can’t bring the bike. In such a situation it’s better than nothing of course.).</p>\n<p>A cyclist starting to run will probably be too heavy and muscular (unless he’s a climber) and really struggle with running form and injuries. A runner starting to cycle will probably lack muscles, will be bad at nutrition (cyclists eat <em>a lot</em> more during rides than runners while running) and will lack riding skills (especially going downhill) and tactics.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42727, "author": "DSway", "author_id": 33773, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33773", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have been running for more than a decade. In 2018, I accepted a challenged to complete a sprint triathlon. I borrowed a CX bike and started training. My only previous bike experience was riding bmx bikes as a kid, which was ancient history. I can definitely say that my running fitness made it much easier to get up to speed on a bike. After only 2 months of cycling, I had a respectable showing on the bike and did well on the run (swim, not so good).</p>\n<p>There are many articles about why running can help cycling performance. <a href=\"https://www.roadbikerider.com/running-101-for-cyclists/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">This one</a> - is pretty good and backs up their claims with published studies. Some of the benefits they list include</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Improved cardio and VO2 Max</li>\n<li>Better travel option</li>\n<li>Increased bone density</li>\n<li>Better fat burn</li>\n</ol>\n<p>The article also points out that you have to start slowly and be careful to build up incrementally. Many people suffer injuries when they start running and if you're 40+, be especially cautious. I would recommend the run/walk approach suggested in that same article. You're probably better off maintaining your cycling routine and running one day each week to being with. That will allow you to see how your body handles running and if/how it improves your cycling with minimal risk and investment.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42728, "author": "Weiwen Ng", "author_id": 34152, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34152", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As @thosphor pointed out in comments, the very existence of the sport of triathlon proves that it's possible to be good in up to three endurance sports simultaneously. Thus, with respect to the OP, the question in the title is trivial.</p>\n<h2><em>Should</em> we try to be good at more than one sport?</h2>\n<p>This may be a more interesting question, and some of the OP's phrasing implies that this may be the question they were getting at. I'm going to answer based on what I know of physiological and sports training principles, but I am not a specialist in the subject and I would welcome corrections from someone who actually knows the science.</p>\n<p>When you start a new sport, part of the initial physiological response involves your brain learning to recruit the muscles involved. Thus, when you first lift weights, you don't actually gain much muscle mass, but you do gain strength as your brain learns how to fire your muscles. I would expect that all sports involve some sport-specific fitness as well as generic fitness. This corresponds to the sensation of fatigue that the OP reported after taking some time off for running.</p>\n<p>The OP identified running as the chosen supplementary sport. Running is an endurance sport like cycling. Thus, once you achieve running-specific fitness, you would merely be adding to your general endurance. For that reason, it wasn't clear to me that you would <em>expect</em> running to improve your cycling fitness, provided you are getting sufficient overall training stimulus to achieve your goals. I have not digested the source that DSway provided in his answer yet, and I note that running has some logistical benefits (can exercise when away, can get the same training stimulus in less time).</p>\n<p>Offsetting that is that you will need some minimum amount of training before you can run far enough to get enough of a supplemental training effect. Presumably, former runners will need to train less than complete novices, but even former runners who have not run in some time will have lost their running-specific conditioning. I can attest to this from personal experience.</p>\n<h2>Children should <em>not</em> be forced to specialize</h2>\n<p>Admittedly, this doesn't have anything to do with the OP's direct question, but I argue it's a reasonable tangent, and it is related to the question if we <em>should</em> diversify our sports.</p>\n<p>Ross Tucker, a sports scientist who writes for the blog the Science of Sport, <a href=\"https://sportsscientists.com/2016/02/11111/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">argued that</a> forcing children to specialize early is counterproductive. Kids should instead be allowed to sample various sports, and to decide if they want to specialize at their own pace. If anything they should be pushed to <em>delay</em> specialization. Early specialization seems to be associated with both injuries and burnout. So, one might actually want to push a child to try out other sports.</p>\n<p>The goal of his statement is to avoid the latter two outcomes, not necessarily to promote diversification for its own sake. Extrapolating from that to adult cyclists, I would argue that we should sample some other sports to see if there are any we like. I think we should not feel obliged to pick up running, or any particular sport, if we don't like that sport.</p>\n<p>One potential exception is that sometimes, multi-sport training can help address overuse injuries. For example, I know that I benefit from weight training, as I would otherwise have more back and shoulder pain. For someone who runs very long distances, I wonder if they would benefit from diversifying into a non-weight bearing endurance sport (presuming that they enjoy it!) to reduce overuse injuries from running. Because cycling is not weight-bearing, perhaps those of us who are at risk for low bone density should try to find a second sport that is weight-bearing, like running or weight training.</p>\n<p>As a side note, some sports do inevitably require early specialization to achieve an elite level. I believe these would tend to be sports that require a very high level of technical prowess, like gymnastics. These would be exceptions to the header. Related to this, swimming is very technique-intensive, and I suspect that most triathletes who do not have early swimming experience will have the swim as their weak sport.</p>\n<h2>Can athletes achieve a professional or elite level in multiple sports?</h2>\n<p>This is another question that may be related to the title, although I assume the OP may not find this personally relevant. Can an athlete achieve a high performance in multiple sports? Related but <em>not</em> identical, we might ask if it's possible to be world class in more than one sport, or world class in one sport and to play at a very high level in another. For example, I recall that Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players and that he turned professional in baseball, even if he didn't come anywhere near the same level.</p>\n<p>In addition to triathlon, decathlon and related multiple track and field sports, biathlon (shooting and skiing, derived from alpine warfare), and Crossfit all attempt to build proficiency in multiple related sports. So, clearly it is possible to perform at a high level in multiple related sports, e.g. different endurance sports, different ball sports, different combat sports, different strength or speed events. Some comments below noted athletes performing at high levels across multiple similar sports. In addition, Mavi Garcia came (late!) to professional road cycling from a duathlon (run + bike) background. She nearly won the <a href=\"https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/meet-mavi-garcia-the-woman-who-very-nearly-won-strade-bianche/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">2020 Strade Bianchi race</a>, beaten by Annemiek Van Vleuten, who is the dominant women's road rider of the moment.</p>\n<p>However, we do not regularly hear of multi-sport athletes being in contention for world class status in related single sports or single track and field events. By world class, I mean being in regular contention for a podium spot in multiple high-prestige races in a chosen sport. I suspect that each individual sport requires a great deal of sport-specific fitness and technique and other forms of specialization. In cycling, the sport-specific techniques and skills include racecraft (e.g. which line to take in a hectic race, how to identify a break that must be covered, which rider to get behind for a sprint, etc) and bike handling. Those posters here who have also tried running can probably attest to the fact that they probably had <em>different</em> muscles being sore after a run than after their usual rides - this is an example of sport-specific fitness, even between two endurance sports that use the legs for propulsion.</p>\n<p>I would suspect that to achieve world class status in one sport requires an immense amount of training in that sport. I would wager that most athletes don't have the time in the day or even during their entire careers to achieve world class status across multiple sports. If this were possible, we should more regularly hear of, for example, world class decathletes winning prestigious 1500m races on the track or Crossfit athletes transitioning to powerlifting, or vice versa. Perhaps we shall do so as time goes on and as multisport events gain more prestige.</p>\n<p>With technique-based sports like ball sports or combat sports, there is the additional complication that the techniques and rules are very different, and there is a lot of muscle memory that one would have to un-learn. Most readers probably just remember that Michael Jordan didn't make the truly elite level in baseball, but that misses the point that they are <em>very</em> different games. This makes his transition doubly impressive.</p>\n<p>It seems intuitively obvious that attaining a high level in <em>different</em> types of sports, e.g. strength and endurance sports, is impossible. <a href=\"https://www.8weeksout.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Molecular-Bases-of-Training-Adaptation-Coffey+et+al+2007.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Coffey and Hawley write</a> that the metabolic pathways used to adapt to aerobic training will inhibit the pathways used to adapt to resistance training, and vice versa. Thus, it should be impossible for a world-class marathoner to simultaneously be competitive in 100-400m sprints, let alone to be world class at those shorter distances. This is not to say that endurance athletes should not work on strength exercises to enable their endurance pursuits and to enhance general fitness; it merely means that endurance athletes will not be able to attain their optimal strength if they were specializing in strength sports.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42729, "author": "R. Chung", "author_id": 2813, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2813", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>Can</em> one be good at both? There is a reasonable correlation between run and bike speed for athletes who do both, so if you are good at one there's a reasonable chance you <em>could</em> be good at the other. Here is a plot that shows performance for a run-bike-run duathlon. Each dot in each panel shows the speed of an individual athlete in two of the three segments of this race. As you can see, the correlations between bike speed and run speed for the opening 3K run and the ending 15K run are 0.78 and 0.76. Note that the correlation between the two running legs is only 0.88, so a bike-run correlation of 0.77 isn't bad.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjSQg.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjSQg.png\" alt=\"pairwise plot of speed for duathlon splits\" /></a></p>\n<p>Although there are techniques and specific physical demands that differ between the sports both cycling and running (other than sprinting) are endurance sports, so we could reasonably expect that ability in each are related. Your question was about the potential for a single individual to be &quot;good&quot; in each activity. A slightly related question is how to predict performance in one from performance in the other. This was addressed in an answer to another bike.SE question, &quot;<a href=\"https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/9764/how-many-miles-of-riding-require-the-same-effort-as-one-mile-of-running/9876#9876\">How many miles of riding require the same effort as one mile of running?</a>&quot;</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42725", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42726, "author": "Michael", "author_id": 21796, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21796", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>From personal experience being good at running doesn’t translate to being good at cycling and vice versa. The muscles used are different and the motion/technique is different. I’d be especially careful when going from cycling to running because it’s much more injury prone. If your main goal is to be good at cycling, don’t go running (unless running is the only option, for example on a business trip where you can’t bring the bike. In such a situation it’s better than nothing of course.).</p>\n<p>A cyclist starting to run will probably be too heavy and muscular (unless he’s a climber) and really struggle with running form and injuries. A runner starting to cycle will probably lack muscles, will be bad at nutrition (cyclists eat <em>a lot</em> more during rides than runners while running) and will lack riding skills (especially going downhill) and tactics.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42727, "author": "DSway", "author_id": 33773, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33773", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have been running for more than a decade. In 2018, I accepted a challenged to complete a sprint triathlon. I borrowed a CX bike and started training. My only previous bike experience was riding bmx bikes as a kid, which was ancient history. I can definitely say that my running fitness made it much easier to get up to speed on a bike. After only 2 months of cycling, I had a respectable showing on the bike and did well on the run (swim, not so good).</p>\n<p>There are many articles about why running can help cycling performance. <a href=\"https://www.roadbikerider.com/running-101-for-cyclists/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">This one</a> - is pretty good and backs up their claims with published studies. Some of the benefits they list include</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Improved cardio and VO2 Max</li>\n<li>Better travel option</li>\n<li>Increased bone density</li>\n<li>Better fat burn</li>\n</ol>\n<p>The article also points out that you have to start slowly and be careful to build up incrementally. Many people suffer injuries when they start running and if you're 40+, be especially cautious. I would recommend the run/walk approach suggested in that same article. You're probably better off maintaining your cycling routine and running one day each week to being with. That will allow you to see how your body handles running and if/how it improves your cycling with minimal risk and investment.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42728, "author": "Weiwen Ng", "author_id": 34152, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34152", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As @thosphor pointed out in comments, the very existence of the sport of triathlon proves that it's possible to be good in up to three endurance sports simultaneously. Thus, with respect to the OP, the question in the title is trivial.</p>\n<h2><em>Should</em> we try to be good at more than one sport?</h2>\n<p>This may be a more interesting question, and some of the OP's phrasing implies that this may be the question they were getting at. I'm going to answer based on what I know of physiological and sports training principles, but I am not a specialist in the subject and I would welcome corrections from someone who actually knows the science.</p>\n<p>When you start a new sport, part of the initial physiological response involves your brain learning to recruit the muscles involved. Thus, when you first lift weights, you don't actually gain much muscle mass, but you do gain strength as your brain learns how to fire your muscles. I would expect that all sports involve some sport-specific fitness as well as generic fitness. This corresponds to the sensation of fatigue that the OP reported after taking some time off for running.</p>\n<p>The OP identified running as the chosen supplementary sport. Running is an endurance sport like cycling. Thus, once you achieve running-specific fitness, you would merely be adding to your general endurance. For that reason, it wasn't clear to me that you would <em>expect</em> running to improve your cycling fitness, provided you are getting sufficient overall training stimulus to achieve your goals. I have not digested the source that DSway provided in his answer yet, and I note that running has some logistical benefits (can exercise when away, can get the same training stimulus in less time).</p>\n<p>Offsetting that is that you will need some minimum amount of training before you can run far enough to get enough of a supplemental training effect. Presumably, former runners will need to train less than complete novices, but even former runners who have not run in some time will have lost their running-specific conditioning. I can attest to this from personal experience.</p>\n<h2>Children should <em>not</em> be forced to specialize</h2>\n<p>Admittedly, this doesn't have anything to do with the OP's direct question, but I argue it's a reasonable tangent, and it is related to the question if we <em>should</em> diversify our sports.</p>\n<p>Ross Tucker, a sports scientist who writes for the blog the Science of Sport, <a href=\"https://sportsscientists.com/2016/02/11111/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">argued that</a> forcing children to specialize early is counterproductive. Kids should instead be allowed to sample various sports, and to decide if they want to specialize at their own pace. If anything they should be pushed to <em>delay</em> specialization. Early specialization seems to be associated with both injuries and burnout. So, one might actually want to push a child to try out other sports.</p>\n<p>The goal of his statement is to avoid the latter two outcomes, not necessarily to promote diversification for its own sake. Extrapolating from that to adult cyclists, I would argue that we should sample some other sports to see if there are any we like. I think we should not feel obliged to pick up running, or any particular sport, if we don't like that sport.</p>\n<p>One potential exception is that sometimes, multi-sport training can help address overuse injuries. For example, I know that I benefit from weight training, as I would otherwise have more back and shoulder pain. For someone who runs very long distances, I wonder if they would benefit from diversifying into a non-weight bearing endurance sport (presuming that they enjoy it!) to reduce overuse injuries from running. Because cycling is not weight-bearing, perhaps those of us who are at risk for low bone density should try to find a second sport that is weight-bearing, like running or weight training.</p>\n<p>As a side note, some sports do inevitably require early specialization to achieve an elite level. I believe these would tend to be sports that require a very high level of technical prowess, like gymnastics. These would be exceptions to the header. Related to this, swimming is very technique-intensive, and I suspect that most triathletes who do not have early swimming experience will have the swim as their weak sport.</p>\n<h2>Can athletes achieve a professional or elite level in multiple sports?</h2>\n<p>This is another question that may be related to the title, although I assume the OP may not find this personally relevant. Can an athlete achieve a high performance in multiple sports? Related but <em>not</em> identical, we might ask if it's possible to be world class in more than one sport, or world class in one sport and to play at a very high level in another. For example, I recall that Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players and that he turned professional in baseball, even if he didn't come anywhere near the same level.</p>\n<p>In addition to triathlon, decathlon and related multiple track and field sports, biathlon (shooting and skiing, derived from alpine warfare), and Crossfit all attempt to build proficiency in multiple related sports. So, clearly it is possible to perform at a high level in multiple related sports, e.g. different endurance sports, different ball sports, different combat sports, different strength or speed events. Some comments below noted athletes performing at high levels across multiple similar sports. In addition, Mavi Garcia came (late!) to professional road cycling from a duathlon (run + bike) background. She nearly won the <a href=\"https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/meet-mavi-garcia-the-woman-who-very-nearly-won-strade-bianche/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">2020 Strade Bianchi race</a>, beaten by Annemiek Van Vleuten, who is the dominant women's road rider of the moment.</p>\n<p>However, we do not regularly hear of multi-sport athletes being in contention for world class status in related single sports or single track and field events. By world class, I mean being in regular contention for a podium spot in multiple high-prestige races in a chosen sport. I suspect that each individual sport requires a great deal of sport-specific fitness and technique and other forms of specialization. In cycling, the sport-specific techniques and skills include racecraft (e.g. which line to take in a hectic race, how to identify a break that must be covered, which rider to get behind for a sprint, etc) and bike handling. Those posters here who have also tried running can probably attest to the fact that they probably had <em>different</em> muscles being sore after a run than after their usual rides - this is an example of sport-specific fitness, even between two endurance sports that use the legs for propulsion.</p>\n<p>I would suspect that to achieve world class status in one sport requires an immense amount of training in that sport. I would wager that most athletes don't have the time in the day or even during their entire careers to achieve world class status across multiple sports. If this were possible, we should more regularly hear of, for example, world class decathletes winning prestigious 1500m races on the track or Crossfit athletes transitioning to powerlifting, or vice versa. Perhaps we shall do so as time goes on and as multisport events gain more prestige.</p>\n<p>With technique-based sports like ball sports or combat sports, there is the additional complication that the techniques and rules are very different, and there is a lot of muscle memory that one would have to un-learn. Most readers probably just remember that Michael Jordan didn't make the truly elite level in baseball, but that misses the point that they are <em>very</em> different games. This makes his transition doubly impressive.</p>\n<p>It seems intuitively obvious that attaining a high level in <em>different</em> types of sports, e.g. strength and endurance sports, is impossible. <a href=\"https://www.8weeksout.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Molecular-Bases-of-Training-Adaptation-Coffey+et+al+2007.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Coffey and Hawley write</a> that the metabolic pathways used to adapt to aerobic training will inhibit the pathways used to adapt to resistance training, and vice versa. Thus, it should be impossible for a world-class marathoner to simultaneously be competitive in 100-400m sprints, let alone to be world class at those shorter distances. This is not to say that endurance athletes should not work on strength exercises to enable their endurance pursuits and to enhance general fitness; it merely means that endurance athletes will not be able to attain their optimal strength if they were specializing in strength sports.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42729, "author": "R. Chung", "author_id": 2813, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2813", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>Can</em> one be good at both? There is a reasonable correlation between run and bike speed for athletes who do both, so if you are good at one there's a reasonable chance you <em>could</em> be good at the other. Here is a plot that shows performance for a run-bike-run duathlon. Each dot in each panel shows the speed of an individual athlete in two of the three segments of this race. As you can see, the correlations between bike speed and run speed for the opening 3K run and the ending 15K run are 0.78 and 0.76. Note that the correlation between the two running legs is only 0.88, so a bike-run correlation of 0.77 isn't bad.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjSQg.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/JjSQg.png\" alt=\"pairwise plot of speed for duathlon splits\" /></a></p>\n<p>Although there are techniques and specific physical demands that differ between the sports both cycling and running (other than sprinting) are endurance sports, so we could reasonably expect that ability in each are related. Your question was about the potential for a single individual to be &quot;good&quot; in each activity. A slightly related question is how to predict performance in one from performance in the other. This was addressed in an answer to another bike.SE question, &quot;<a href=\"https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/9764/how-many-miles-of-riding-require-the-same-effort-as-one-mile-of-running/9876#9876\">How many miles of riding require the same effort as one mile of running?</a>&quot;</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42730", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31822/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42774, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is very broad as there are probably a thousand exercises to compare..and you cannot scientifically compare the hypertrophy gain in terms of &quot;the greatest number of muscles&quot;.. for example, your back has several muscles.. so simply pulling on a doorknob activates 3 times as many muscles as pushing a door closed.. does this mean I can say it causes greater hypertrophy? As for elite training, some exercises can be difficult for average person, but bodyweight is using ones own body, so skinny people sometimes excel at these well.. for instance, arnold schwarzenegger had trouble doing an extensive number of leg raises according to his book &quot;encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding&quot; because most bodybuilders have heavy legs, but that doesn't mean someone else who does these exercises are necessarily more elite. But I can suggest exercises that hit a lot of muscle groups that are known to be good hypertrophy exercises</p>\n<p>Some contenders for great bodyweight exercises in terms of overall hypertrophy gains that hit every major muscle group, that would be considered &quot;elite training&quot;.:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pullups/chinups - these hit a lot of muscle groups and are difficult enough to stimulate hypertrophy. You can also add weight to them to make them more difficult. As far as elite training, it's not common to be able to do 30.. unless your really skinny and don't weigh a lot.</li>\n<li>Renegade row</li>\n<li>Renegade row slider variation- this is a renegade row but done by also using the weights to crawl forward.. having your feet in a pair of sliders, and dragging your body forward without leaving the plank position. This is already an exercise by itself where you use your hands to drag your body forward while you plank with your feet on sliders, but this version also adds a renegade row so you workout your back, rotational abs, TA.</li>\n<li>Step ups with knee high box</li>\n<li>Box jumps</li>\n<li>One-legged squats</li>\n<li>Hanging leg raises</li>\n<li>Hanging pikes(touching feet to bar)</li>\n<li>jump squats</li>\n<li>dips/chest dips-great for chest and tricep development, hard to do 30.</li>\n<li>bosu ball pushups-really I think push-ups are easy and rough on joints so I don't consider pushups elite training, but with a body ball it makes it quite a bit more challenging.</li>\n<li>swiss ball pike-hands on floor, bring the ball to your hands from a plank position bending only your waist.</li>\n<li>one legged glute bridge</li>\n<li>one legged L glute bridge</li>\n<li>Hamstring slide using sliders</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42780, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Any assessment of the ‘best’ exercise for a purpose intrinsically contains some level of subjectivity, but your two criteria shorten the list of of exercises that we might consider. Body-weighted exercises, by definition, limit our working load, and thereby present challenges to their physical difficulty and the degree to which they can stimulate hypertrophy.</p>\n<p><em>The difficulty of body-weight exercises tends to be governed, therefore, by their technicality, or by the loads that they place on small muscles. And both of those factors disqualify them from being considered in this assessment.</em></p>\n<p>The second problem, of course, is that exercises are functionally distinct, and that <strong>all</strong> exercises therefore tend to stress one functional ‘set’ of muscles, leaving others only to assist, control, or stabilise. That is, if we are pulling, we are not pushing; if we are lifting our body weight with our torso, we are neglecting our legs.</p>\n<p><em>Yes, there are certainly gross compound exercises that incorporate the majority of the body in some way, but our body weight is unavoidably distributed amongst them.</em></p>\n<p>Thus, your criteria tend to favour a multi-phase exercise, and/or an exercise that inherently stresses a large functional chain of muscles. And since there is, as mentioned, a subjective element here, we might therefore consider either:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>muscle-ups</strong>, or</li>\n<li><strong>one-legged squats</strong>.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Muscle-ups are a multi-phase exercise that contains elements of push and pull, and further incorporate the core and lower body for stability, balance, and inertia. And one-legged squats stress the whole leg chain, whilst requiring significant activation of the core in order to counteract the imbalance of lateral loading at the hip.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42754", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42774, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is very broad as there are probably a thousand exercises to compare..and you cannot scientifically compare the hypertrophy gain in terms of &quot;the greatest number of muscles&quot;.. for example, your back has several muscles.. so simply pulling on a doorknob activates 3 times as many muscles as pushing a door closed.. does this mean I can say it causes greater hypertrophy? As for elite training, some exercises can be difficult for average person, but bodyweight is using ones own body, so skinny people sometimes excel at these well.. for instance, arnold schwarzenegger had trouble doing an extensive number of leg raises according to his book &quot;encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding&quot; because most bodybuilders have heavy legs, but that doesn't mean someone else who does these exercises are necessarily more elite. But I can suggest exercises that hit a lot of muscle groups that are known to be good hypertrophy exercises</p>\n<p>Some contenders for great bodyweight exercises in terms of overall hypertrophy gains that hit every major muscle group, that would be considered &quot;elite training&quot;.:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pullups/chinups - these hit a lot of muscle groups and are difficult enough to stimulate hypertrophy. You can also add weight to them to make them more difficult. As far as elite training, it's not common to be able to do 30.. unless your really skinny and don't weigh a lot.</li>\n<li>Renegade row</li>\n<li>Renegade row slider variation- this is a renegade row but done by also using the weights to crawl forward.. having your feet in a pair of sliders, and dragging your body forward without leaving the plank position. This is already an exercise by itself where you use your hands to drag your body forward while you plank with your feet on sliders, but this version also adds a renegade row so you workout your back, rotational abs, TA.</li>\n<li>Step ups with knee high box</li>\n<li>Box jumps</li>\n<li>One-legged squats</li>\n<li>Hanging leg raises</li>\n<li>Hanging pikes(touching feet to bar)</li>\n<li>jump squats</li>\n<li>dips/chest dips-great for chest and tricep development, hard to do 30.</li>\n<li>bosu ball pushups-really I think push-ups are easy and rough on joints so I don't consider pushups elite training, but with a body ball it makes it quite a bit more challenging.</li>\n<li>swiss ball pike-hands on floor, bring the ball to your hands from a plank position bending only your waist.</li>\n<li>one legged glute bridge</li>\n<li>one legged L glute bridge</li>\n<li>Hamstring slide using sliders</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42780, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Any assessment of the ‘best’ exercise for a purpose intrinsically contains some level of subjectivity, but your two criteria shorten the list of of exercises that we might consider. Body-weighted exercises, by definition, limit our working load, and thereby present challenges to their physical difficulty and the degree to which they can stimulate hypertrophy.</p>\n<p><em>The difficulty of body-weight exercises tends to be governed, therefore, by their technicality, or by the loads that they place on small muscles. And both of those factors disqualify them from being considered in this assessment.</em></p>\n<p>The second problem, of course, is that exercises are functionally distinct, and that <strong>all</strong> exercises therefore tend to stress one functional ‘set’ of muscles, leaving others only to assist, control, or stabilise. That is, if we are pulling, we are not pushing; if we are lifting our body weight with our torso, we are neglecting our legs.</p>\n<p><em>Yes, there are certainly gross compound exercises that incorporate the majority of the body in some way, but our body weight is unavoidably distributed amongst them.</em></p>\n<p>Thus, your criteria tend to favour a multi-phase exercise, and/or an exercise that inherently stresses a large functional chain of muscles. And since there is, as mentioned, a subjective element here, we might therefore consider either:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>muscle-ups</strong>, or</li>\n<li><strong>one-legged squats</strong>.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Muscle-ups are a multi-phase exercise that contains elements of push and pull, and further incorporate the core and lower body for stability, balance, and inertia. And one-legged squats stress the whole leg chain, whilst requiring significant activation of the core in order to counteract the imbalance of lateral loading at the hip.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42760", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42783, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've scoured the web to find an answer to this, as static strength is its own science, this is quite a difficult concept. I did find out there is a relationship to <em>rate of force development</em>, and explosive strength, since they all involve single contractions of the muscle. There are also multiple types of isometrics, such as overcoming isometrics and yielding isometrics, or even ballistic training. Your question seems to be aimed at yeilding isometrics(holding a weight). It's not a linear formula, for instance, if you plank for 5 minutes, 10 pounds on your back could reduce that to 2.5 minutes, or maybe 4 minutes, it depends on your static strength.</p>\n<p>according to T-nation, a load of 50 to 80% for a duration of 20 to 60 seconds is best for hypertrophy. Everything is based off a 1-rep max, so planks might be hard to calculate but an isometic bench press, just take your 1-rep max, for instance, 250, and 50% would be 125lbs for 60 seconds, or 80% would be 200lbs for 20 seconds. so for 250 lbs 1 rep max, 125 for 60 seconds on the high end, 200 for 20 seconds on the low end. Try adding weight to a plank and see how much weight you can hold for 2 seconds, which is when &quot;peak force of development&quot; occurs, so you can definitely hold for 2 seconds.. you could use this as your 1 rep max, and use the same percantages, lets say you can do 100lb 2 sec max.. 50 lbs could be done for 60 seconds, or 80 lbs for 20 seconds. According to the research done by this article, <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/training/isometrics-for-mass\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.t-nation.com/training/isometrics-for-mass</a>, you should only do 20-60 seconds for maximal hypertrophy.. anything more is not beneficial, depending on your goals.</p>\n<p>overcoming isometrics is trying to push weight that you impossibly cant move, but it stimulates muscle growth either way.. try pushing a car for 6 seconds.. you cant move it but you can gain muscle growth. This doesn't apply here but the weight doesn't matter.</p>\n<p>To summarize, 50% of 1rm for 60 seconds or 80% for a 20 seconds. Anything more than 20-60 seconds is not hypertrophy but a combination of joint strength, tendon strength, explosiveness and speed. If you need an exact formula, I'm sure a skilled Health scientist/mathematician could use the rate of force formula against isometrics to calculate a length, but other than some estimations done by bodybuilders, there is not an EXACT formula for this, but really an estimation.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42804, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p><em>No, there is unfortunately no such formula.</em></p>\n<p>But I am going to go further and make a stronger claim: <em>there will never be such a formula!</em> The reason is that the correlation between repetitions and time-under-tension is very poor, and it is even poorer when we compare <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotonic_contraction\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">isotonic</a> contraction with <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_exercise\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">isometric</a> exercise.</p>\n<p>Suppose, for example, that we were able to perform 60 push-ups in 60 seconds. In order to achieve that objective, we would be required to perform one push-up per second, during which time we would have to brake the fall of our mass to the floor and accelerate it back to the starting point with arms fully extended. This rapid cycle of negative and positive accelerations, respectively, demands that we produce forces far greater than the relevant <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force#Descriptions\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">component</a> of our body weight. Hence, the more slowly we perform the movement, the closer our effort approaches to our weight. That is, the more slowly we do our push-ups, the less force we have to produce in doing them.</p>\n<p>So suppose, instead, that we decide to perform the push-ups more slowly, hence moderating the force required for each repetition—the idea being that we should fatigue more slowly, and thereby be able to perform more repetitions in total. This causes another problem: our muscles are now under tension for a longer period of time, requiring muscular effort.</p>\n<p>In practice, changes to our rate of repetition makes very little difference to the total number of repetitions we can perform. In the above example, even with a reduction in rate of 20 or 30 per cent, we would likely perform only two or three repetitions fewer! Similarly, the strength that we can demonstrate in an isotonic contraction has very little bearing on how long we can hold a sub-maximal isometric contraction.</p>\n<p><em>The length of an isometric hold appears to be related far more closely to our total energy consumption than it does to the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_(physics)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">physical work</a> we perform. Indeed, isometrics are essentially a distinct physical skill, and one which cannot be compared meaningfully with isotonic contractions.</em></p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42761", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32131/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42779, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>learn back levers, they are beginner friendly and can be adjusted to target the back more.</p>\n<p>(if you can bench your own weight then you can easily back lever)</p>\n<p>an even easier version is the nordic hinge.\nhere's a tutorial on how to do it</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://youtu.be/w1b5H_loiVU\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://youtu.be/w1b5H_loiVU</a></p>\n<p>after about 2 weeks the nordic hinge will become too easy, to make it harder use weighted plates or put some pillows 80 centimetres in front of you and do glute hamstring raises instead.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42844, "author": "Patrick89", "author_id": 34015, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34015", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>No doubt strengthening lower back can make your workout to the next-level. Following workout can be helpful in strengthening your back\n1-Pelvic tilts\n2-Laying lateral leg tilts\n3-Cat stretches\n4-Supermans\n5-Partial Curls\nThe most important aspect of exercises for lower back is you should keep your posture correct and wear the necessary equipment to support your back. If you are looking for advanced exercises for back then you can follow this workout plan <a href=\"https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/advanced-back-training-1.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/advanced-back-training-1.htm</a>\nWhile for supporting your back during advanced training you should wear weight lifting belt because it supports the back muscles and spin. Here <a href=\"https://www.aqfsports.com/blogs/news/definitive-weightlifting-belts-guide\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.aqfsports.com/blogs/news/definitive-weightlifting-belts-guide</a> you can see the benefits of wearing it during lifting heavy weight.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42778", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19512/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42815, "author": "Chris H", "author_id": 6482, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6482", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This answer is based on thinking (almost) purely of the metal mechanics of the machine; others can address the biomechanics far better than me.</p>\n<p>In at least some manufacturers there can easily be a factor of 2 difference between notionally similar machines if one (often <a href=\"https://www.technogym.com/gb/cable-stations-dual-adjustable-pulley.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">more versatile</a> though I'm thinking of an older model) routes the cable round a pulley to give a mechanical advantage and another doesn't. Labels on the plates don't take this into account. Lat pulldowns are an example exercise 2 adjacent machines can differ like this.</p>\n<p>So any conversion is per machine/exercise, even for a very rough approximation, and even if the movement is the same. Then the leverage often changes through the range of motion, meaning a single conversion factor only holds for one point.</p>\n<p>Taking another simple example, a <a href=\"https://www.technogym.com/gb/linear-leg-press-pure.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">linear leg press</a> is illustrative. Compared to a squat it of course gives much more support, but I'll neglect that (important) aspect. The effective mass of the plates can be calculated by trignometry (the machine axis is at about 40° on that model, and <code>sin(40) = 0.64</code>, so each plate presses down on you by about 64% of what it says on the label). But you have to add on the mass of the carriage that supports the plates, so <code>load = 0.64*(plate_mass + carriage_ mass)</code>. But when you're accelerating those plates, the inertia comes from the whole mass, not the mass reduced by trigonometry. The load is then different in the static and dynamic cases, and therefore varies depending on how fast you move, in a different way to a vertical lift.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42817, "author": "Curiosity", "author_id": 33860, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33860", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't think you'll find a universal conversion factor. And even if you find the conversion factor for a specific machine, it still won't be super useful because it may not necessarily transfer for you specifically to free weights.</p>\n<p>How much much you can lift with free weights depends a lot on technique and whole body tension to produce the necessary force, whereas machines isolate muscle groups a lot more and they are a lot more forgiving with technique, only the major muscle group needs to contract to move the weight, without much concern for direction.</p>\n<p>This means that the conversion factor will vary a lot from person to person and even for the same person for different exercises or angles.</p>\n<p>Instead of that, I instead propose you measure your 1RMs on both machine and free weight. Then you'll know your conversion factor for that exercise.</p>\n<p>This doesn't mean that it will go up linearly though if you only train one of the two. You could train on just machines for a while and increase your absolute force production 1.5x, but your free weights 1RM will be perhaps only slightly higher than it was before because you haven't trained technique and the stabilizing and tension muscle structures. Conversely you could spend a lot of time on free weights and improve your technique loads, allowing you to lift a lot more weight without necessarily improving your maximum force production by much.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42786", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33963/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42815, "author": "Chris H", "author_id": 6482, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/6482", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This answer is based on thinking (almost) purely of the metal mechanics of the machine; others can address the biomechanics far better than me.</p>\n<p>In at least some manufacturers there can easily be a factor of 2 difference between notionally similar machines if one (often <a href=\"https://www.technogym.com/gb/cable-stations-dual-adjustable-pulley.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">more versatile</a> though I'm thinking of an older model) routes the cable round a pulley to give a mechanical advantage and another doesn't. Labels on the plates don't take this into account. Lat pulldowns are an example exercise 2 adjacent machines can differ like this.</p>\n<p>So any conversion is per machine/exercise, even for a very rough approximation, and even if the movement is the same. Then the leverage often changes through the range of motion, meaning a single conversion factor only holds for one point.</p>\n<p>Taking another simple example, a <a href=\"https://www.technogym.com/gb/linear-leg-press-pure.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">linear leg press</a> is illustrative. Compared to a squat it of course gives much more support, but I'll neglect that (important) aspect. The effective mass of the plates can be calculated by trignometry (the machine axis is at about 40° on that model, and <code>sin(40) = 0.64</code>, so each plate presses down on you by about 64% of what it says on the label). But you have to add on the mass of the carriage that supports the plates, so <code>load = 0.64*(plate_mass + carriage_ mass)</code>. But when you're accelerating those plates, the inertia comes from the whole mass, not the mass reduced by trigonometry. The load is then different in the static and dynamic cases, and therefore varies depending on how fast you move, in a different way to a vertical lift.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42817, "author": "Curiosity", "author_id": 33860, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33860", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't think you'll find a universal conversion factor. And even if you find the conversion factor for a specific machine, it still won't be super useful because it may not necessarily transfer for you specifically to free weights.</p>\n<p>How much much you can lift with free weights depends a lot on technique and whole body tension to produce the necessary force, whereas machines isolate muscle groups a lot more and they are a lot more forgiving with technique, only the major muscle group needs to contract to move the weight, without much concern for direction.</p>\n<p>This means that the conversion factor will vary a lot from person to person and even for the same person for different exercises or angles.</p>\n<p>Instead of that, I instead propose you measure your 1RMs on both machine and free weight. Then you'll know your conversion factor for that exercise.</p>\n<p>This doesn't mean that it will go up linearly though if you only train one of the two. You could train on just machines for a while and increase your absolute force production 1.5x, but your free weights 1RM will be perhaps only slightly higher than it was before because you haven't trained technique and the stabilizing and tension muscle structures. Conversely you could spend a lot of time on free weights and improve your technique loads, allowing you to lift a lot more weight without necessarily improving your maximum force production by much.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42787", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32186/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42794, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>A workout should ideally follow a relatively strict ordering.</p>\n<ol start=\"0\">\n<li>(Warm-up)</li>\n<li>High-skill/coordination exercises or movements which you are still learning, e.g. agility drills, Olympic lifts, gymnastics</li>\n<li>Speed drills or explosive efforts, e.g. sprints, throws, Olympic lifts, power variants of the Olympic lifts</li>\n<li>Strength exercises, e.g. squats, deadlifts, presses, pull-ups</li>\n<li>Endurance exercises and longer-duration efforts, e.g. jogging, bodyweight squats and other calisthenics</li>\n</ol>\n<p>This optimizes recovery, learning of motor patterns, and speed and strength development. It can also be dangerous to do highly-loaded strength exercises or high-skill movements while fatigued. (Much of this is taken from Science of Sports Training, Thomas Kurz, from several parts but leaning heavily on a summary on page 14.)</p>\n<p>So for example, Olympic lifters often put their squats last. They know that squats are a tremendously important exercise that they value highly, but they also have a lot of technique work to do, which requires a lot of coordination and fresh focus.</p>\n<p>For another example, a wrestler should ideally learn new movements soon or immediately after warming up, then do drills, then wrestle, and finally hit the weight room for a few lifts. This way they are at their best physical readiness to learn a new skill, and then transition into skilled movements that they already know well. Wrestling after that requires coordination but also some strength and endurance. Their lifting goes last so it does not interfere with the more important and more skilled wrestling movements.</p>\n<p>In general, when deciding a tie between exercises, the higher-priority movement goes first. So, if both barbell squats and overhead press are equally well-trained, there is little difference between them. Then the choice is simply which one you want to progress more with.</p>\n<p>But optimization is not always the goal. If you feel better jogging for half an hour before squatting, don't let guidelines hold you back. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.</p>\n<p>For instance, to continue the earlier squat/press example, the deadlift is generally put after both because it is so draining. But if you don't particularly care about your squat, and you find squats more draining than most, then it might make sense to put them closer to the end so that you can put more fresh energy into the bench press and pull-ups (or whatever).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42839, "author": "Patrick89", "author_id": 34015, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34015", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I usually do squats after doing other workouts in the gym, because of its complexity and more challenging. Warm-ups and gentle stretching must be done before exercise to increase the flexibility of muscles and enhancing the blood flow. Doing hard exercise before a workout can result in muscular injury.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42882, "author": "The Testosterone Fanatic", "author_id": 23391, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23391", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My plan in the gym was usually doing just one set of high intensity low rep (about 3-5) squats in the beginning so as to not compromise too much on the squat, and after that I'd do bench press, overhead press, Pendlay rows and only after that would I complete the remaining sets of the squat (followed by the deadlift and other exercises). This is sort of a middle route where you compromise a bit on the squat and a bit on other lifts but not too much on either.</p>\n<p>You can also take extended cold showers before your workout in order to maximize endurance and minimize fatigue. Taking a cold shower for about 20-25 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of biking to warm up, would induce a mild hypothermia along with vigorous shivering and this would help me immensely in the first few sets in the gym without having me feel tired. However, this is obviously an extreme measure and I would not recommend this to anyone with heart disease or other serious physical ailments.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42793", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33961/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42797, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, it's the right thing to do. Your shoulders should be retracted at the end of a deadlift rep.</p>\n<p>Those videos have the answer. The deadlift is not finished until you achieve full (but not over-) extension, and that includes thoracic extension. &quot;You can't cheat the [deadlift] by leaving your shoulders forward&quot; is exactly correct.</p>\n<p>I don't agree that the person demonstrating the deadlift is uncomfortable finishing the thoracic extension part of the deadlift.</p>\n<p>If this feels uncomfortable for you, I wonder whether your set-up is correct (i.e. perhaps you are allowing your upper back to round), I suspect your upper back could be weak, and I worry that you – like many many modern people with sedentary jobs – have some trouble with kyphosis. That is, I worry that your shoulders are excessively forward in your everyday posture. Or, maybe you are over-exaggerating the movement into global spinal hyper-extension. These are all possibilities to check out.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42798, "author": "Nike Dattani", "author_id": 29342, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29342", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The 2019 IPF Technical Rules Book includes these items which will lead to your deadlift being disqualified in a competition (see <a href=\"https://www.powerlifting.sport/fileadmin/ipf/data/rules/technical-rules/english/IPF_Technical_Rules_Book_2019.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Page 9 of this PDF</a>):</p>\n<ul>\n<li>&quot;Failure to lock the knees straight at the completion of the lift.&quot;</li>\n<li>&quot;Failure to stand erect with the shoulders back.&quot;</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You describe a severe amount of agony in ending the deadlift with your shoulders back. That is okay. It just means that you have some weaknesses in certain muscles, especially at the top of the deadlift.</p>\n<p>I was a competitive powerlifter for years, and deadlift was my best (and favorite) lift. In 2011, I deadlifted 2.5kg more than the national record for my age and weight category in Canada and the UK, so I have deadlifted a lot in my life, and more weight than most people ever do.</p>\n<p>The &quot;lockout&quot; was never a major problem for me on the deadlift (though everyone has their own share of problems: mine for a long time was simply being able to get the bar high enough off the ground when the weight got extremely heavy, and not being able to keep my back from rounding a lot .. once I managed to get the bar high enough off the ground, it was usually not too hard to &quot;finish&quot; and &quot;lockout&quot;).</p>\n<p>Why did I never have a problem with finishing with my shoulders back? We will probably never know the exact reason, but I <em>loved</em> to do &quot;shrugs&quot; with heavy weights for years before I started deadlifting. Often the first thing I did when I walked in the gym, was a set of shrugs with the heaviest dumbbells I could hold, and I would try to increase the weight every week or so. This is a <em>quick</em> exercise, it's <em>easy</em>, it uses <em>barely any energy</em> and doesn't make you tired, and it lets you look strong because you can likely use dumbbells much heavier than what most people ever dream of touching for other exercises (I was a skinny and whimpy looking guy, so this exercise helped me feel good about myself, which I'm not ashamed to say). I progressed faster through the weight sizes on this exercise, than on any other exercise I can remember, until I started using the heaviest dumbbells in the gym (where it actually starts to become quite a <em>grip</em>-strengthening exercise). Here's the beginning and ending positions for the exercise:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/CM3Hp.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/CM3Hp.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>I didn't notice, but I got comments from friends saying that I had &quot;huge traps&quot; (referring to the &quot;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapezius\" rel=\"noreferrer\">trapezius muscle</a>&quot;), which was quite nice to hear since I was the skinniest guy in my class for far too long. Shrugs are for most people the first exercise for which they reach the highest dumbbell weight in their gym, at which point it's time to switch to the bar (where we can put more weight):</p>\n<img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5kW1.png\" width=\"650\">\n<p>These pictures do not depict the <em>exact</em> movement that you need to strengthen at the top of your deadlift, but:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>This exercise will strengthen your trapezius muscle, which will help you with your problem,</li>\n<li>Some people when they do shrugs, don't just move their shoulders <em>up</em> but move them up <em>and back</em>, which is exactly what will help you to be able to keep your shoulders back at the top of a deadlift,</li>\n<li>I credit my love for this exercise during my early years in the gym, for the fact that I never had major problems &quot;locking out&quot; at the top of my deadlift in the way that you describe.</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Concluding remarks:</h3>\n<p><a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/42797/29342\">Dave's answer</a>, <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42795/at-the-top-of-the-deadlift-i-e-when-you-have-picked-up-the-barbell-are-you#comment67097_42795\">C. Lang's comment</a>, <em><strong>and the IPF rules</strong></em> confirm what all the videos in your question say: it is not improper to end your deadlift with your shoulders back.</p>\n<p>Your description of what it feels like for you to do this, even when you say &quot;I wasn't using heavy weights; I don't have any problem with how much weight I am lifting&quot; tell us that you just have a weakness in certain muscles (quite possible your traps and shoulders) which I think can be improved by doing the right exercises (if you already regularly do barbbell &quot;shrugs&quot; with weight much heavier than what you're deadlifting, which is possible if you start the bar at an elevated position by using the side bars of a squat rack, then perhaps your problem is elsewhere and you may which to do a shoulder exercise such as the <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z15_WdXmVw\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Arnold Press</a>).</p>\n<p>Finally: It is not unusual for you to have &quot;no problem&quot; deadlifting the weight, but have serious problems locking out, or with some portion of the lift. This happens all the time in many different lifts, when for example someone is &quot;leg dominant&quot; or &quot;arm dominant&quot; or has some muscle group that is stronger (relatively) than another. Your job now is to get your shoulders and traps strengthened so that they are not longer stopping you from deadlifting the way you want. This often (perhaps unfortunately) means dropping your deadlift weight and increasing it only once you're able to do it exactly the way you want: but if you do this and you increase the weight patiently, you are <em>less likely to get injured</em> and more likely to be able to lift more in the long run. Feel free to comment 6 months from now, as I'd be keen to see how you progress!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42795", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29392/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42809, "author": "Fr.", "author_id": 33155, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33155", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">From the July 2004 issue of the <em>Harvard Health Letter</em></a>, for 30 minutes of jumping rope:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>125-pound (56.6 kg) person: 300 calories</li>\n<li>155-pound (70.3 kg) person: 372 calories</li>\n<li>185-pound (83.9 kg) person: 444 calories</li>\n</ul>\n<p>The figures are deceptively accurate, but perhaps you can use them as a starting point. They all revolve around 5 calories per minute of activity.</p>\n<p>The 'Harvard figures' (for lack of a better name) are also useful for comparison. They put jumping rope in the same league as running and swimming.</p>\n<p>Re:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>How can we calculate the amount of calories burnt?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>In my view, counting skips is one of the worst ways of doing so (imagine counting strokes on front crawl, or steps on running). Weight and duration of exercise are much more reliable factors.</p>\n<p>Your question does not really ask whether jumping rope is a 'good way' of burning calories, but just in case: I think it is, and also think it has many, many more advantages and benefits.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42838, "author": "Patrick89", "author_id": 34015, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34015", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A person burns 200-300 calories on average in a 15-minute workout, but it depends upon the weight and intensity of skipping.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42801", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33975/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42805, "author": "lost-mid", "author_id": 33977, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33977", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Muscle growth physiology is not a pseudoscience as researchers are using scientific methods to collect and analyze data and make logical deductions.</p>\n<p>It is true that our knowledge of muscle growth is limited and the statistical studies do not explain and prove the results, but this does not make the field non-scientific.</p>\n<p>It would be called pseudoscience, if researchers were using methods that are either logically or scientifically wrong, which is not the case.</p>\n<p>As far as contradicting studies are concerned, I have seen quite a few myself, this is mostly due to the fact that, as you mentioned, we can't know all the variables, and there is of course some error. This however doesn't imply that non-scientific methods were\nused.</p>\n<p>I agree that statistical analysis is a poor method to actually prove a physical phenomenon, but sometimes it's the best we have, biological phenomena are extremely complex and hard to model.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42806, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I do not agree with your insistence on a mechanism.\nIn 1964 the U.S. Surgeon General published a report where he concluded that smoking causes cancer. At that time the mechanisms behind this was not understood. However there was statistical evidence in the form of a study with over 1 million subjects that showed that smoking and cancer were highly correlated.\nThat meant that either</p>\n<ul>\n<li>A. smoking causes cancer</li>\n<li>B. cancer causes smoking</li>\n<li>C. another third factor causes both smoking and cancer</li>\n</ul>\n<p>B. was easily be ruled out by only including those who reported to have smoked for some time prior to getting cancer. From what I understand C. was ruled out by adjusting for plausible third factors.</p>\n<p>However I agree with your sentiment that much of the research within this field is low quality (underfunded but performed according to scientific methodology).\nLooking at the <a href=\"https://elementssystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Schoenfeld-17-altas-bajas.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">metastudy</a> linked by JustSnilloc I see some problems with many of the studies included:</p>\n<p><strong>1. The number of subjects is too low</strong></p>\n<p>3 of the studies have n = 7, 9 and 11. I doubt much trust can be placed in the results of a study with so few subjects. There is appearantly a statistical method called MBI that lets you conclude with high certanity from extremely small sample groups. This method has however been disproved and the only field where it is being used is <a href=\"https://amp.smh.com.au/national/cold-water-poured-on-scientific-studies-based-on-statistical-cult-20191108-p538t6.html?__twitter_impression=true\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">sports science.</a></p>\n<p><strong>2. The timespan of the study is too short</strong></p>\n<p>For untrained subjects in particular the &quot;newbie effect&quot; causes hypertrophy and strength increases almost regardless of protocol to begin with.</p>\n<p><strong>3. It test the wrong hypothesis</strong></p>\n<p>It does not test the hypothesis coming from experience in the bodybuilding and strength\ncommunities: 3-5 repetitions are ideal for strength whereas 8-12 is\nideal for hypertrophy. Instead it typically compares 8 repetitions\nwith 20 repetitions. There seems to be a general problem with papers being produced by people with little or no practical weight training experience: Rippetoe: <a href=\"https://startingstrength.com/article/the_problem_with_exercise_science\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Problem with “Exercise Science”</a></p>\n<p><strong>4. The methodology in the included studies are too different.</strong></p>\n<p>I also question the value of pooling many studies with slightly varying experiments in a metastudy. As an example say that study A says that 15 reps are better than 10 reps for hypertrophy in the leg press for young men. However study B says that 5 reps are better than 12 reps for hypertrophy in the bench press for women over 40. What are we to conclude from this? The statistical method used to combine all the studies seems highly complex. It also seems to involve a lot of weights and assumptions. I remember the quote &quot;With four parameters I can fit an elephant&quot;. Meta-analysis seems to have been used to generate some <a href=\"https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/pseudoscience/even-best-scientific-studies-can-lie-case-craniosacral-therapy\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">strange conclusions.</a> This <a href=\"http://antonioarruda.com.br/artigos/artigo05.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">paper</a> questions the use of meta-analyses to evaluate resistance training: &quot;In conclusion, considering the large number of variables\ninvolved in resistance training and the methodological inconsistencies in the current literature, it seems impossible to make\ncomparisons of different studies or include different studies in\nthe same analysis&quot;.</p>\n<p>To me it seems that within this field a lot of reasearch is produced, but much of it is low quality or not really relevant.\nThere may be a problem with funding.\nThere seems to be enough funding for running journals and doing peer reviews etc. but maybe not enough funding to actually do long running experiments with a large number of subjects. Instead many resort to trying to extract more info from existing studies by doing meta-studies of questionable quality.</p>\n<p>It may also be that such experiments have been conducted by large olympic teams in the past (USSR in particular) but never published. The result may now be common knowledge among top level coaches and they see no need to rerun the same costly experiments.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42811, "author": "indigochild", "author_id": 29898, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29898", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is not much of a fitness question, but a question about what constitutes science and whether a specific body of research is scientific.</p>\n<p>One of the most common distinctions between science and pseudoscience comes from Karl Popper, who is perhaps familiar to you from your physics background. For Popper, what makes science different from pseudoscience is that tests or experiments have clear point of demarcation that distinguish in a black and white way true from false. All statistical hypothesis tests are therefore scientific (because they have a clear demarcation in the critical values that distinguishes true from false unambiguously), but things like astrology and tarot reading are not.</p>\n<p>Is research on muscle growth scientific? According to this simple presentation of Popper's view, yes - absolutely. In fact, any body of research based on null-hypothesis significance testing is, so long as the critical values are clearly specified.</p>\n<p>There are of course other ideas, but I would recommend you to the <a href=\"https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pseudo-science/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">SEP article</a> for a better review.</p>\n<p>Perhaps at the heart of this question is a concern about the quality of the research being conducted. Being scientific doesn't imply that the research is high quality or substantively correct. That being said, the methods being used are similar to the clinical methods used in my current field (education) and other fields in which I am familiar. I would suggest that carrying over your own field's lens of what constitutes proper research methods may not be appropriate to other fields.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42803", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33976/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42821, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't think this can truly be answered accurately unless you provide a lot more information that you probably shouldn't post on an internet board, but I can hopefully make some comments that help interpret what's going on.</p>\n<p>For one, 10,6% BF is really low for a woman. While it's not impossible, my guess is you're probably slightly higher than that. Body fat percentages are really, really difficult to determine. The most accurate methods are expensive and/or invasive and/or difficult to do. The cheap, easy, and less invasive methods are typically not as accurate. InBody themselves claim they're within 98% accurate to a DEXA but.... I have my doubts. Especially since only <em>they</em> make this claim.</p>\n<p>Even so, 174 cm at weight: 56,2 kg is still pretty lean. The simplest answer to &quot;Why I don't look like a bodybuilder&quot; is you don't have a lot of lean mass. While &quot;You make abs in the kitchen&quot; is the common phrase. The truth is, you still need some muscle mass to have that &quot;fit&quot; look.</p>\n<p>So while I don't want to over-step and say what you <em>should do</em>. I will say that you can consider a different approach. Rather than losing weight, maintain your current weight and build muscle in to it. If you eat at a maintenance, you can build muscle and you may change your composition to look more &quot;fit&quot;.</p>\n<p>Side Note: ECW stands for &quot;ExtraCellular Water&quot; and &quot;ECW Ratio&quot; means &quot;ExtraCellular Water to Total Body Water&quot; ratio. According to their website:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>EXTRACELLULAR WATER/TOTAL BODY WATER ANALYSIS (ECW/TBW):\nRatio of Extracellular Water to Total Body Water; an important indicator of body water balance. In a healthy state, your ECW/TBW ratio should fall within the range 0.360 to 0.390. A value closer to 0.360 (or below) is commonly observed in athletes and reflects more Intracellular Water, Lean Body Mass, and strong cellular nutrient retention. Conversely, a value nearing 0.390 is indicative of greater Extracellular Water, Body Fat Mass, inflammation/water retention, and dehydration. If your ECW/TBW ratio exceeds 0.400, it is recommended that you consult your physician.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>So a really low number means you're really lean. Personally, I don't see how this is really useful and seems to have just been added to make it sound fancier.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42822, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The bodyfat test is likely inaccurate. All testing methods have predicted ranges of accuracy with some being wider than others, but they are often internally consistent. The only way to know for sure is autopsy and short of that you're looking at obtaining an estimation regardless of the method.</p>\n<p>Looking at your situation in a more practical manner, at the bodyfat estimation you were given, you would have enough lean body mass to look notably athletic for a woman and you would also have little to no visible fat. Based on your description this does not seem to be the case. If we instead assume that you are actually 20% bodyfat, then your description suddenly sounds spot on to what the numbers suggest. You would be average in terms of lean body mass (more specifically muscle mass), and while your bodyfat is still fairly low for a woman it isn't too low to be abnormal.</p>\n<p>So should you continue trying to lose another 3-5 kg? I wouldn't recommend it. Not if your goal is to look better. And while that's entirely subjective, you'll likely just end up looking like a smaller version of your current self. If that's your goal, then that's the path for you. But if you are wanting more shape and tone to your frame, then I would recommend eating enough to maintain weight while employing progressive overload in your training routine. This should elicit what is known as a body recomposition wherein you lose fat at approximately the same rate that you gain muscle (which is why weight stays the same). You still lose fat this way, but you pose much less risk to your hormones.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42819", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34000/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42821, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't think this can truly be answered accurately unless you provide a lot more information that you probably shouldn't post on an internet board, but I can hopefully make some comments that help interpret what's going on.</p>\n<p>For one, 10,6% BF is really low for a woman. While it's not impossible, my guess is you're probably slightly higher than that. Body fat percentages are really, really difficult to determine. The most accurate methods are expensive and/or invasive and/or difficult to do. The cheap, easy, and less invasive methods are typically not as accurate. InBody themselves claim they're within 98% accurate to a DEXA but.... I have my doubts. Especially since only <em>they</em> make this claim.</p>\n<p>Even so, 174 cm at weight: 56,2 kg is still pretty lean. The simplest answer to &quot;Why I don't look like a bodybuilder&quot; is you don't have a lot of lean mass. While &quot;You make abs in the kitchen&quot; is the common phrase. The truth is, you still need some muscle mass to have that &quot;fit&quot; look.</p>\n<p>So while I don't want to over-step and say what you <em>should do</em>. I will say that you can consider a different approach. Rather than losing weight, maintain your current weight and build muscle in to it. If you eat at a maintenance, you can build muscle and you may change your composition to look more &quot;fit&quot;.</p>\n<p>Side Note: ECW stands for &quot;ExtraCellular Water&quot; and &quot;ECW Ratio&quot; means &quot;ExtraCellular Water to Total Body Water&quot; ratio. According to their website:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>EXTRACELLULAR WATER/TOTAL BODY WATER ANALYSIS (ECW/TBW):\nRatio of Extracellular Water to Total Body Water; an important indicator of body water balance. In a healthy state, your ECW/TBW ratio should fall within the range 0.360 to 0.390. A value closer to 0.360 (or below) is commonly observed in athletes and reflects more Intracellular Water, Lean Body Mass, and strong cellular nutrient retention. Conversely, a value nearing 0.390 is indicative of greater Extracellular Water, Body Fat Mass, inflammation/water retention, and dehydration. If your ECW/TBW ratio exceeds 0.400, it is recommended that you consult your physician.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>So a really low number means you're really lean. Personally, I don't see how this is really useful and seems to have just been added to make it sound fancier.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42822, "author": "JustSnilloc", "author_id": 27881, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27881", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The bodyfat test is likely inaccurate. All testing methods have predicted ranges of accuracy with some being wider than others, but they are often internally consistent. The only way to know for sure is autopsy and short of that you're looking at obtaining an estimation regardless of the method.</p>\n<p>Looking at your situation in a more practical manner, at the bodyfat estimation you were given, you would have enough lean body mass to look notably athletic for a woman and you would also have little to no visible fat. Based on your description this does not seem to be the case. If we instead assume that you are actually 20% bodyfat, then your description suddenly sounds spot on to what the numbers suggest. You would be average in terms of lean body mass (more specifically muscle mass), and while your bodyfat is still fairly low for a woman it isn't too low to be abnormal.</p>\n<p>So should you continue trying to lose another 3-5 kg? I wouldn't recommend it. Not if your goal is to look better. And while that's entirely subjective, you'll likely just end up looking like a smaller version of your current self. If that's your goal, then that's the path for you. But if you are wanting more shape and tone to your frame, then I would recommend eating enough to maintain weight while employing progressive overload in your training routine. This should elicit what is known as a body recomposition wherein you lose fat at approximately the same rate that you gain muscle (which is why weight stays the same). You still lose fat this way, but you pose much less risk to your hormones.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42842", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33642/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42851, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What you're referring to is <em>overcoming isometrics</em> or moving an immovable weight. This is a great method to add to the end of a set.. for instance after doing a set of a deadlift, then try to move the rusty barbell for 5 seconds. As a hypertrophy move.. no. It be like doing an incomplete 1 rep power move. It's a great tool to add to the basics but not stand alone</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42852, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>What you are saying is correct in principle: <em>we are able to support greater loads isometrically than we are able to move concentrically</em>. However, the degree of the difference is not as pronounced as you remember. Isometric strength is typically in the order of 10 per cent greater than concentric strength. That is, if we can bench press 100 kilograms (220 lbs) for a one-repetition maximum, we would likely be able to support around 110 kilograms (242 lbs) at the weakest range for a similar period of time. There is individual variation, of course, due to our genetics (relative dominance of distinct muscle fibres) and training, but the difference will be within that range.</p>\n<p>So to rearrange our wording to the way that you presented it above, <em>if you can pull 200 kilograms isometrically, that would be the equivalent of pulling with a ‘force’ of around 182 kilograms concentrically</em>. Yes, there is a difference; no, it is not so great as we might think.</p>\n<p>That still leaves the question of hypertrophy. Whilst it has been <a href=\"https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1957.11.1.29\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">long established</a> that isometric exercise stimulates hypertrophy, it has generally been observed that concentric exercise stimulates more than isometric exercise, and isometric exercise more than concentric exercise—the theory being that greater hypertrophy is a function of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_hypertrophy\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">muscle fibre damage</a>. Nevertheless, isometric exercise, and particularly maximal isometric loading (like you are performing) has <a href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-002-0604-6\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">been observed</a> to stimulate significant hypertrophy.</p>\n<p><em>In summary, therefore, pulling maximally, or even sub-maximally, against an immovable object should certainly stimulate significant strength development and hypertrophy, albeit somewhat less than we would expect with normal (concentric) lifting.</em></p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42850", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42855, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>I came across an article which said that a good starting weight for men is around 2.5kg - 5.0kg, then how should I modify this recommendation to make it more applicable to my &quot;rather unique stature&quot;? Does it make sense to me take these numbers with the face value or should I round these numbers down by default?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>In other circumstances it may make sense to round down absolute kilogram recommendations. For a starting weight, 5kg dumbbells are already quite light for most adults. This is fine.</p>\n<p>You are correct that your hormonal advantages make the use of women's standards inappropriate.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If I want to check if my body is as strong and healthy as man in his thirties should be, then what adjustments (if any) should I make to the numbers I happened to come across?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Search for recommendations based on your bodyweight rather than absolute values. For instance in the world of barbells, being able to squat a bar equaling your bodyweight is a good first goal, and a double bodyweight deadlift is a good medium-term goal. If you're focused on dumbbells then pressing one-quarter bodyweight overhead with each hand is a good near-to-medium goal.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42859, "author": "Lawnmower Man", "author_id": 31355, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31355", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h1>Leverage</h1>\n<p>Dave Liepmann gave an excellent answer about scaling your resistance to your body weight. Note that doing so most likely gives you an <em>advantage</em> rather than a <em>disadvantage</em>, because:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Your limbs have a shorter distance to travel, unless they are disproportionately long for your height</li>\n<li>Shorter limbs == shorter moment arm, for any motion that is cantilevered (like shoulder raises, curls, etc.)</li>\n<li>Shorter limbs == <a href=\"https://www.catalystathletics.com/article/1927/Leverage-Weightlifting-Ability/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">better muscle leverage</a></li>\n</ol>\n<p>I have a long torso for my height, with correspondingly shorter legs and arms. I believe this gives me more leverage than the average man my height, which actually makes me appear stronger than I otherwise would be. The difference is probably very small, but quite noticeable compared to my tall, gangly, long-limbed friends.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42854", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34043/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42875, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You hit on some common misconceptions, but you also hit on some truths. For instance, you compare the human body to inanimate objects with respect to damage, but you also accurately point out that</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Obviously, living organisms are not the same as inanimate objects</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>So, what's the difference?</p>\n<p><strong>The repair process</strong></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Man-made objects tend to wear out faster with more use.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Imagine you have an axe. The axe undergoes wear and tear and becomes dull and damaged. Dullness can be worked around by grinding the blade even more, but eventually, the blade will get cracked or even break. And that's not something that can be trivially repaired.</p>\n<p>But imagine if the blade got a crack, and all you had to do was throw some iron ore on it, and let it rest for a couple days, and come back to a blade that was even stronger than before. The crack is not only repaired, but that's now the <em>strongest</em> part of the blade. It was rebuilt more dense than before.</p>\n<p>That sounds farfetched for an axe blade, but that's how our body copes with exercise. Exercise is the act of damaging your tissue - be it muscle, tendons, or what have you - then giving your body time to eat and rest while it repairs itself under the assumption that &quot;we'll be doing this exercise more, so let's prepare for that&quot;. And that's where we get our longevity too. With wear and tear, your muscles get stronger, your tendons get more durable, your lung capacity increases, and more.</p>\n<p><strong>More acute damage</strong></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>You hear about people developing an injury because of their workout</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>So when you go to the gym and lift some weights, you damage the muscle tissue, which is then repaired stronger. What about if you actually injure yourself during training?</p>\n<p>Anyone who works out for any non-trivial period of time will need to spend some time learning how to do each exercise in a way that minimizes or outright prevents unexpected injuries like falling, breaking bones, dislocating a joint etc. But at the end of the day, it only takes a momentary lapse in judgement to sustain an injury like that. So every individual has to make that decision for themselves. But it's not like you go to the gym and immediately start doing dangerous things. One thing we preach harder than anything else is &quot;start light, and use proper form&quot;. Proper form is what prevents injuries, and if you're unable to do an exercise with proper form, then you're using weights that are too heavy. Exercising with proper form is and feels safe. At any and all points, you should feel like you're controlling the weight, and at no point should you feel like you're being yanked around by the weight, or having to catch it falling from a height. That <em>would</em> make you more injury-prone.</p>\n<p><strong>Other concerns</strong></p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>And I've heard about exercise releasing more &quot;free radicals&quot; into your body which are supposedly bad for you.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Pretty bad. It causes cancer! But then again, we subject ourselves to so many things that cause cancer. So why is it that so few of us actually get cancer? Because our body has ways of dealing with things that might develop in that direction.</p>\n<p>I use the term &quot;cause&quot; pretty loosely here in an attempt to mimic alarmists. Like a lot of things that &quot;cause&quot; cancer, free radicals are an important part of our bodily functions. I'm no expert on free radicals, so I'm not going to spend too much time on it, but I found <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/on-call-exercise-and-free-radicals#:%7E:text=Exercise%20speeds%20up%20the%20metabolism,boosts%20the%20body%27s%20control%20mechanisms.\" rel=\"noreferrer\">this Q&amp;A</a> by Dr. Harvey B. Simon of Harvard, who is probably more suited to explain it.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>As well as &quot;increasing inflammation&quot; and other bad-sounding things.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I'm not sure this is a concern, per se. An inflammation is your body's <em>response</em> to something. It's how it deals with certain types of injuries or infections. It would be like being worried about how blood is leaking from your skin, rather than being worried about the knife stuck in your arm.</p>\n<p>There are diseases that cause inflammations where it's not needed, but if you have problems with inflammations after exercising, it's likely you've been injured in some minor way, and we're back to preaching proper form.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But if exercise causes these problems for people, why do we believe that it is somehow healthier for you? Is it because studies indicate that exercise helps avoid things like heart disease and cancer? Do those benefits come at the lesser cost of those downsides to exercise? So we might say, &quot;Years of jogging gave me a bad knee but it helped me avoid heart disease, so it's a net win.&quot;</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head on this one. I would argue that most runners do NOT suffer from bad knees though, so the vast majority simply enjoy the improved cardiac functions. Most of us do NOT drop weights on our heads, so we simply enjoy having stronger muscles compared to before we started training.</p>\n<p>There are pains we go into the gym expecting, though. Like <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness\" rel=\"noreferrer\">delayed-onset muscle soreness</a> and &quot;the burn&quot;. But these are the harmless, temporary pains that are your muscles' way of saying &quot;phew, that was exhausting, I need a break&quot;. And then that, combined with a proper diet and plenty of rest, is what gives us that repair that separates us from inanimate objects.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But I'm wondering if somebody can point to why it's true. Rather than just taking it in good faith.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I just had to quote this one too. In the fitness sphere, it's very easy to find some guru on youtube who says &quot;do this exercise, and don't do that one&quot;, and millions will just take it for granted that this must be great advice, because this guru has six-pack abs. Meanwhile, if you make sure to learn WHY an exercise is good or bad, not only are you equipping yourself to work out smarter, you're also learning anatomy.</p>\n<p>Working out is an endless learning process about how the body works. Hell, I'm not an expert by any means, and probably never will be.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>EDIT: @Jester, in a comment on the question, points out a truly good point that I overlooked. The body's &quot;use it or lose it&quot; response to inactivity. You're not using your muscles much? Then your body won't spend energy preserving them either, and they atrophy.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42878, "author": "Eddie Summers", "author_id": 34074, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34074", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is an interesting question that had me thinking for a while. It's difficult to answer &quot;why&quot; exactly, other than saying &quot;it is that way&quot;, so I'll try to describe the need for exercise and a few benefits it gives. <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/42875/34067\">@Alec's answer</a> has neatly addressed your questions about wear and tear so I won't address those.</p>\n<p>One of the things humans have evolved to do well is output a lot of work over a long time, most likely for persistence hunting. The metabolic systems that allow us to do that require at least some work (exercise) to function properly. They make up the core part of our physiology - exchange of energy with the environment - so they can't be neglected. It seems that for biological systems, the price of being able to do something is that you must do it, and none of us can now opt out of this trade.</p>\n<p>You can think of metabolism as having two sides - the Exercise side and the Feeding side. On the Exercise side, the body uses stored energy and incurs damage to its tissues. This is balanced by the Feeding side, where consumed food is used to replenish the stores and lay down new tissue. Both are obviously happening all the time, but the balance swings back and forth as you exercise, eat, sleep etc.</p>\n<p>The point is that the chemistry of each side doesn't work particularly well when the other doesn't happen enough. They require each other: to oscillate between the two sides is better than to stay in the middle. If you burn 300 extra calories in a day and eat an additional 300, there will be no effect on your weight, but you will be healthier than if you did neither.</p>\n<p>Type-2 diabetes happens when the body becomes insensitive to insulin, i.e. becomes unable to reduce its blood sugar level. This has a number of causes, but the most important one is persistently high blood sugar (over-Feeding). The most effective way to increase insulin sensitivity is regular strenuous exercise.</p>\n<p>Also, atrophy (use it or lose it) is absolutely a concern. The atrophy associated with inactivity extends beyond losing muscle size, to decreased bone mass (osteoporosis) and risk of Alzheimer's.</p>\n<p>They say that you don't stop moving when you get old; you get old when you stop moving:</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/55ff0e9ce4b0f86318ea24b4/1442782940888-7HA6GTHSAP22M2A6CE8G/psm.2011.09.1933_fig5.jpg?content-type=image%2Fjpeg\" alt=\"Atrophy vs training\" /></p>\n<p>These are thigh cross-sections. Body composition like the middle images - with low muscle mass and lots of fat tissue - is highly correlated with all sorts of diseases, especially cardiovascular disease. Conversely, muscle strength and mass in old age is a good predictor of remaining healthy lifespan.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Is it because studies indicate that exercise helps avoid things like heart disease and cancer? Do those benefits come at the lesser cost of those downsides to exercise?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is a much easier question to answer - overwhelmingly yes, and there are many more benefits than that.</p>\n<p>If you want a far better explanation than mine I'd recommend reading <a href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/486024.Survival_Of_The_Fittest\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Survival of the Fittest by Mike Stroud</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42880, "author": "dgmulf", "author_id": 34075, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34075", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It could be partly related to resource conservation. For example, if your body waits for activity in a particular muscle group to cue the growth of those muscles, it doesn't waste calories building muscle mass in excess of the strength that you actually need, which would be particularly important in times of scarcity.</p>\n<p>Another hypothesis, perhaps better illustrated by mental exercise such as playing video games (which has been demonstrated to have mental health benefits in <a href=\"https://www.jneurosci.org/content/35/49/16116\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">controlled studies such as this one</a>), is that it gives you immediate feedback on problem-solving faculties, which then helps shape their development over time. While a business venture may take years to come to fruition, a game may be won or lost in the span of an hour.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42886, "author": "kackle123", "author_id": 34084, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34084", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think you're barking up the right tree: The body is made of many different chemicals, so logically some parts will wear faster than others. And the body can try to repair some parts, but not others (no new eyeballs, for example).</p>\n<p>Following, certain exercises might be good for certain body parts while be arguably bad for others. And the degree of exercise also matters in efficacy and damage. For example, some heavy weight-lifters actually wear wide straps to keep their abdomens from herniating outward, which would require surgery to correct!</p>\n<p>As to the specific benefits to specific areas of the body, one could spend a long time studying the theories and clinical studies. Here are a few ideas that I know about...</p>\n<p>The lymphatic system proximal to the intestines has been proposed to benefit from any muscular contractions there, <a href=\"https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/exercise-and-the-lymphatic-system.h20-1592991.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">helping to propel the lymph along</a>.</p>\n<p>Altering blood pressure is believed to help keep the vascular walls remain pliable, making them <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/exercise-and-your-arteries\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">less prone to damage and blockage</a>.</p>\n<p>Stronger heart muscle can rise to the occasion in times of emergency instead of failing or becoming prematurely exhausted. <a href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/3-kinds-of-exercise-that-boost-heart-health\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Other benefits include better blood pressure</a>.</p>\n<p>There is a <a href=\"https://doctorschierling.com/blog/why-so-much-information-about-adhesed-fascia-fibrosis-and-microscopic-scar-tissue\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">growing school of thought that the fascia (sheets)</a> that surrounds many organs can restrict those organs if it becomes stiff/fibrotic, actually causing the organs to under/malfunction (directly or indirectly) and/or <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6656920/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">causing referred nerve pain</a>.</p>\n<p>If you begin looking up medical definitions and following link after link, you could spend years studying it; I know because I have.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42894, "author": "user34099", "author_id": 34099, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34099", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In addition to what other answers already say, I think there's a point to be made: Our bodies DO wear out with heavy use. If you push your body to its limits every day, it does tend to wear out. If you go to gym every day without a proper training regimen designed to alleviate these kinds of issues, you start to accumulate muscle damage, joint damage and so on. And not all of that will be healed, so you can end up causing significant permanent damage to yourself.</p>\n<p>However, our bodies are the results of a billion years of evolving in hostile conditions. Light to moderate damage is not only expected, but that expectation is built into the design.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42895, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Exercising is good for you for a myriad of reasons that act through an impressive numbers of processes.</p>\n<p>Understand that mental and physical health are closely related and intertwined. You cannot separate one from the other. They affect each other in a way that I think we severely underestimate nowadays. However, for the sake of a clearer explanation, I will split the two aspects.</p>\n<p>Also, you must understand that living things are not objects. We don't really have a certain amount of material that we can spend and then it's over. Like a car that has a finite amount of fuel and then stops when empty. Humans don't have like e.g. a &quot;spine currency&quot; that if you use it too much then it's worn out and you cannot use it ever again. Rather, we have processes that when you age become slower, less efficient, ... And that is what causes &quot;issues&quot; when you become older (you repair slower, you lose muscle density, ...). However, exercising will rather help those processes remain efficient as long as possible because you stimulate them. Wearing due to exercising happens because people do things in an incorrect way (too much, too intense, improper technique, using bones instead of muscles, ...)</p>\n<p>Now, for the explanation to your question. For the physical aspects.</p>\n<p>First, exercise is good for you physical health because it makes your body more resilient to external aggression. By exercising you become more resilient to shocks, falls and everyday fatigue (think walking, carrying your groceries, carrying your kids, ...). This happens through thickening of the muscles, bones, connective tissues but also transformation of those same tissues e.g. endurance training creates capillaries through your muscles to better transport oxygen to them and better remove waste products from them.</p>\n<p>Second, connecting to my previous point, exercise is good for your physical health because it helps your body move and remove waste. Indeed when you exercise you circulate blood flow &amp; oxygen faster and in a greater amount. This acts like a cleansing operation allowing your body to more easily remove accumulated wastes products (due to exercise but also daily-life stress).</p>\n<p>Thirdly, it's good for your physical health because you avoid turning your body into a non-optimal structure by accumulating fats which causes a lot of health problems : cardiovascular issues (think clogging, harder for your hearth to push blood through clogged vessels, ...), pulmonary issues, mechanical constraints on your structures (bones, cartilage) because you don't develop the muscles to support you and instead rely on your structure to carry you (which makes them wear out faster).</p>\n<p>Next, there are the mental health aspects. It has been proven and is now coming more and more in the studies that inactivity causes mental health issues (anxiety, depression). I am not knowledgeable enough to provide a clear and detailed explanation but this is something I truly believe will come in force in the coming years. Also, it recently (some years) became apparent that some chemicals are really important for cognitive functions e.g. it seems that lactate (which was before thought to be a bad thing) is one of the primary fuel for your brain. And when you don't move/exercise... You diminish your capacity to produce and use lactate as a fuel. So there are studies that analyze the impact of lactate production on your cognitive functions.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42937, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The body is mainly a biochemical &quot;machine&quot;, that can at least partially regenerate itself, which have evolved through 100,000s of years. However our society has, for the last 100 years, progressed much faster than evolution can keep up with, to the point where one hardly has to use one's body at all. However if you do not exercise, you run the &quot;machine&quot; outside the area of operation it was &quot;built for&quot;. It seems that since this &quot;machine&quot; has evolved under the condition of constant use, certain design &quot;decisions&quot; (&quot;shortcuts&quot;) have been made that requires use.</p>\n<p>An example of this is cartilage, that do not have blood supply, but rather is dependent on movement to pump nutrients into the joint.</p>\n<p>Another example is that the resting blood flow rate is too low.\nA sedentary lifestyle may cause the build up of fat on the artery walls. This is called atherosclerosis and is the number one cause of death and disability in the developed world. In this case the shear forces caused by the low flow rate due to a low heart rate are not sufficient to prevent the fat from attaching itself to the artery walls.</p>\n<p>Likewise the blood supply to the brain is less than ideal. A low heart rate causes less blood and therefore less oxygen and energy to the brain. Increasing the heart rate, e.g. by going for a short walk in the middle of the workday, is good for the brain. In fact the brain works best when using the body (1):\n&quot;When our ancestors worked up a sweat, they were probably fleeing a predator or chasing their next meal. During such emergencies, extra blood flow to the brain could have helped them react quickly and cleverly to an impending threat or kill prey that was critical to their survival.&quot;</p>\n<p>Exercise allows muscle cells to absorb energy in the form of glucose from the blod without any insulin (normally insulin is required for the cells to &quot;open&quot; for glucose).\nThis in turn makes the cells more sensitive to insulin, which prevent insulin resistance (5).\nInsulin resistance is the cause of type 2 diabetes which afflict ca. 9 % of the US population and is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. (6).</p>\n<p>Strength is part muscle mass but also part the ability inside the brain to generate a strong high frequent firing pulse. Therefore strength training <a href=\"https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/02/11/strength-training-can-help-protect-the-brain-from-degeneration.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">improves cognitive function</a>.</p>\n<p>It seems highly likely that prehistoric man lived with very uncertain food supply.\nMaybe he could kill an animal, consume it and gain a lot of calories, but then have to go for, say, a week without consuming many calories.</p>\n<p>White fat stores calories. When feasting on the animal, his body would use some of the calories to rebuild muscle mass and store the rest as white fat.\nHe would then burn this fat during the coming week.\n(Re)building muscle and tendons is very energy costly. The body therefore only (re)builds the muscle that is needed.\nThe body determines this based on what has been used: &quot;use it or lose it&quot; (2).</p>\n<p>In our modern society acquiring calories is a simple and certain process.\nThe body's predisposition to store energy as fat instead of (re)building muscles and tendons has therefore become a problem.</p>\n<p>This is a biomechanical problem: if you do not train strength, you gradually get weak, which is not a problem until you suddenly need strength and then risk getting injured.\nYour muscles and tendons stabilize and protect your bones and cartilage. Since cartilage almost does not regenerate, this is very important.\nLikewise, having a strong heart protects you from cardiac damage if you suddenly should need to, e.g., sprint.</p>\n<p>It is also a biochemical problem. The body is a chemical &quot;machine&quot;. It signals using different hormones. Both muscle mass and fat send hormonal signals. If one has a lot of fat and little muscle mass, the hormone balance becomes wrong.</p>\n<p>Physical activity in itself also releases hormones. Among these are neurotrophins, proteins that promote <a href=\"https://www.the-scientist.com/features/this-is-your-brain-on-exercise-64934\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">growth and repair of brain cells</a>.\nPhysical activity also releases serotonin hormone, which makes you sleep better,\nwhich in turn is important for the brain. Along with serotonin physical activity, it also stimulates the release of dopamine and norepinephrine. These brain chemicals <a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/exercise#Exercise-and-brain-chemistry\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">regulates the mood and prevent depression</a>.\nThe increased blood flow to the brain caused by elevated heart rate is also important for energizing and repairing the brain.\nPhysical activity also increases insulin sensitivity, which is important in order to avoid type 2 diabetes.</p>\n<p>The result of a sedentary lifestyle may be a wrong amount of signal hormones,\nwhich in turn may cause many lifestyle diseases.</p>\n<p>Another problem is that most of the time not being spent working out we spend sitting down. This causes muscular imbalances that in turn causes poor posture.</p>\n<p>When one exercises, the body responds to the stimulus by adapting. E.g., the muscles become stronger, that is unless you exceed the body's ability to adopt, in which case you risk injury.</p>\n<p>A simplified conclusion from this may be:\nUse it or gradually lose it, but do not overuse it or you may suddenly lose it.</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-you-think-better-after-walk-exercise/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Why Do I Think Better after I Exercise?</a> Scientific American.</p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2010/10/genetics-of-obesity-thrifty-gene.html?v=47e5dceea252\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Genetics of Obesity: The Thrifty Gene Hypothesis.</a> The science of running.</p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-study-links-exercise-to-longevity/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Work It Out: More Activity = Slower Aging.</a> Scientific American.</p>\n<p>(4) <a href=\"https://www.newscientist.com/article/2082126-brains-of-elderly-people-who-exercise-look-10-years-younger/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Brains of elderly people who exercise look 10 years younger.</a> New Scientist.</p>\n<p>(5) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9ECrZ_6Xus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Type 2 Diabetes Pt III: Exercise and Diet with Jonathon Sullivan.</a> Starting Strength</p>\n<p>(6) <a href=\"https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318472\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Statistics and facts about type 2 diabetes.</a> Medical News Today</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42874", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34067/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42890, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The bar does not appear to be making contact with your shins. It’s a bit difficult to tell for sure, but that definitely needs to happen. Imgur sucks for form checks because you can’t slow the video down.</p>\n<p>Personally, I wouldn’t be doing deficits if I were you until my regular deadlift was over at least 400 pounds. There’s no need to, and I believe you probably have a way to go until that point.</p>\n<p>A little bit of lumbar flexion isn’t a one-way ticket to Snap City, but the problem is that the muscles that need to contract in order to make your back erect have a short range of motion. Might not be a big deal at 225 pounds, but get back with me at 400+ and see how you feel.</p>\n<p>Let your shoulders hang. Your arms are toe ropes in the deadlift.</p>\n<p>Your knees are snapping back because you’re lifting “around” them. Knee flexion is what moves the bar off the ground. Your knees are still quite bent when the bar is above them meaning that the bar didn’t follow a straight path, but rather moved around your knees. This is worsened by the possibility that the bar does not appear to be in contact with your shins, making the bar path suboptimal.</p>\n<p>I’d like to see your regular deadlift setup because I suspect you’re not setting up properly for it either.</p>\n<p>Check out Starting Strength and how to deadlift. They have a 5 step process that makes it pretty simple.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42891, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Shoulder engagement: I used to let them hang in regular deadlifts\nsince they were relatively weak, I’m trying to avoid that esp. with\ndeficit DLs by resetting between reps but I have no idea if it’s\nworking.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Resetting between the lifts on a deadlift is an excellent strategy. The idea of a deadlift is to lift the weight from a <em>dead</em>-stop and resetting really works the muscles harder. Shoulder engagement: you want to aim to pull your shoulders into your back pockets and push your chest out. It looks to me like you're doing this just make sure to keep it tight.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Sometimes my knees snap back into lockout, nfi if that’s bad and where\nit comes from. (My first guess was the bar being off-balance but I\ncan’t quite see it in these vids.)</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Honestly, I think you just have more mobility in your knee that others do. I can't really push my knee back into that spot. One thing I can see is that you look like you're driving through your heels; you often rock back on lockout and your toes come up. If that's the case, try thinking about your foot like a <a href=\"http://barbell-strength.com/tripod-foot/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tripod</a> and focus on driving through the anchor points. It will help with stability (and possibly the knee-snap-back). Deadlift can be thought of as a leg press -- you're just pressing the earth away from the bar.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>My lower back rounded a bit when finishing the last rep of the second\nset. I believe a bit of back rounding is deemed okay in deadlifts, but\nI’m not sure if that’s the case here.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>A bit of back rounding is fine in the deadlift. <a href=\"https://powerliftingtechnique.com/rounded-back-deadlift/#:%7E:text=It%20is%20okay%20to%20deadlift,be%20more%20likely%20to%20occur.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">A neutral back is more like a range</a> and the larger idea is that whatever position you find works best for your leverage, you maintain that position.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>General setup: I use one plate under each foot and a wideish but not\nawkward grip, does this count as a deficit? (I did manage to do a set\nfrom two plates once but I definitely felt the effect of starting from\na full hinge, and I’m worried this would cause me to round my back too\nmuch in response.)</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>You want 1-2&quot; deficit usually, so 1 plate under each foot is good as long as that makes a solid and safe lifting platform.</p>\n<p>Your grip is really wide. This is the first thing I noticed when I saw the video. You're almost doing a <em>snatch-grip</em> deficit deadlift. You want the setup for a deficit deadlift to be the same as your regular deadlift: you're only extending the range of motion through the use of the platform (or plates-under-feet). I would personally try using a more narrow grip, if that's comfortable for you, as that will let you pull your shoulders back more.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What the heck are you supposed to do with your neck during bent over\nexercises. Mine is way too back because bad posture, but I don’t know\nthe cue to avoid just staring into the mirror by default.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Neutral neck. As much as you can try not to look up into the mirror; this rounds your neck and just causes some soreness over time. I usually stare at the floor at some point in front of me.</p>\n<p>You can place a <a href=\"https://seriouslystrongtraining.com/5-conventional-deadlift-cues-that-suck/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tennis ball under your chin</a> if you really need a hard cue. Usually people look up to check their form in the mirror. You can also try: set up form &gt; check form in mirror &gt; look back to neutral and perform lift &gt; check lockout form at top. Just do the lifting portion with a neutral neck.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>Overall, they look like good reps to me. I would narrow your grip and focus on pushing through the entire sole of your feet. It can be hard to think of using multiple muscles at the same time but remember that you need to drive with your quads, hips, and back <em>together</em>.</p>\n<p>In agreement with @Frank, I think a form-check on your standard deadlift would be helpful. I'm not sure if your hips are too high or if that's just the deficit deadlift.</p>\n<p>After thought, it looks like you're just doing a double overhand grip? You're coming up to the point where grip is going to start failing you. Your options are hook-grip, mixed-grip, or wrist straps. You might want to look into the pros/cons of all those options and learn earlier in your lifting career.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42896, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Shoulder engagement: I used to let them hang in regular deadlifts since they were relatively weak, I’m trying to avoid that esp. with deficit DLs by resetting between reps but I have no idea if it’s working.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I can't tell from this what you intend to do or why. But what you should want is your shoulderblades a little back and a lot down. C. Lange has the correct cue: put them in your back pockets. You're not doing this and it's an error. Specifically, letting your shoulders hang forward <em>negates the point</em> of deficit deadlifts with a wide grip. The exercise is meant to work your upper back, so why relax it? The exercise is meant to force your hips/hamstrings into a longer range of motion, so why cheat that ROM?</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Sometimes my knees snap back into lockout, [not sure if] if that’s bad and where it comes from.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I see this, and it's not great but not yet a major fault. Others might have more insight.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>My lower back rounded a bit when finishing the last rep of the second set.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I don't like your lower back on any of the reps, frankly. I'd like to see an attempt to arch the back a little in your resets, because you're just a hair short of proper position as I see it.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I use one plate under each foot and a wideish but not awkward grip, does this count as a deficit?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yup, looks great.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I did manage to do a set from two plates once but I definitely felt the effect of starting from a full hinge, and I’m worried this would cause me to round my back too much in response.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That's probably correct. It makes me suspect you should focus on regular deadlift and Romanian deadlifts until you have better lower back proprioception.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What the heck are you supposed to do with your neck during bent over exercises.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Neutral position in relation to the spine. Your gaze shifts as you hinge.</p>\n<p>I noticed your grip had some issues. I strongly recommend a chalk brick (keep it in a double bag, don't make a mess, never let gym staff see it) and a hook grip.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42889", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32186/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42890, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The bar does not appear to be making contact with your shins. It’s a bit difficult to tell for sure, but that definitely needs to happen. Imgur sucks for form checks because you can’t slow the video down.</p>\n<p>Personally, I wouldn’t be doing deficits if I were you until my regular deadlift was over at least 400 pounds. There’s no need to, and I believe you probably have a way to go until that point.</p>\n<p>A little bit of lumbar flexion isn’t a one-way ticket to Snap City, but the problem is that the muscles that need to contract in order to make your back erect have a short range of motion. Might not be a big deal at 225 pounds, but get back with me at 400+ and see how you feel.</p>\n<p>Let your shoulders hang. Your arms are toe ropes in the deadlift.</p>\n<p>Your knees are snapping back because you’re lifting “around” them. Knee flexion is what moves the bar off the ground. Your knees are still quite bent when the bar is above them meaning that the bar didn’t follow a straight path, but rather moved around your knees. This is worsened by the possibility that the bar does not appear to be in contact with your shins, making the bar path suboptimal.</p>\n<p>I’d like to see your regular deadlift setup because I suspect you’re not setting up properly for it either.</p>\n<p>Check out Starting Strength and how to deadlift. They have a 5 step process that makes it pretty simple.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42891, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Shoulder engagement: I used to let them hang in regular deadlifts\nsince they were relatively weak, I’m trying to avoid that esp. with\ndeficit DLs by resetting between reps but I have no idea if it’s\nworking.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Resetting between the lifts on a deadlift is an excellent strategy. The idea of a deadlift is to lift the weight from a <em>dead</em>-stop and resetting really works the muscles harder. Shoulder engagement: you want to aim to pull your shoulders into your back pockets and push your chest out. It looks to me like you're doing this just make sure to keep it tight.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Sometimes my knees snap back into lockout, nfi if that’s bad and where\nit comes from. (My first guess was the bar being off-balance but I\ncan’t quite see it in these vids.)</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Honestly, I think you just have more mobility in your knee that others do. I can't really push my knee back into that spot. One thing I can see is that you look like you're driving through your heels; you often rock back on lockout and your toes come up. If that's the case, try thinking about your foot like a <a href=\"http://barbell-strength.com/tripod-foot/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tripod</a> and focus on driving through the anchor points. It will help with stability (and possibly the knee-snap-back). Deadlift can be thought of as a leg press -- you're just pressing the earth away from the bar.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>My lower back rounded a bit when finishing the last rep of the second\nset. I believe a bit of back rounding is deemed okay in deadlifts, but\nI’m not sure if that’s the case here.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>A bit of back rounding is fine in the deadlift. <a href=\"https://powerliftingtechnique.com/rounded-back-deadlift/#:%7E:text=It%20is%20okay%20to%20deadlift,be%20more%20likely%20to%20occur.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">A neutral back is more like a range</a> and the larger idea is that whatever position you find works best for your leverage, you maintain that position.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>General setup: I use one plate under each foot and a wideish but not\nawkward grip, does this count as a deficit? (I did manage to do a set\nfrom two plates once but I definitely felt the effect of starting from\na full hinge, and I’m worried this would cause me to round my back too\nmuch in response.)</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>You want 1-2&quot; deficit usually, so 1 plate under each foot is good as long as that makes a solid and safe lifting platform.</p>\n<p>Your grip is really wide. This is the first thing I noticed when I saw the video. You're almost doing a <em>snatch-grip</em> deficit deadlift. You want the setup for a deficit deadlift to be the same as your regular deadlift: you're only extending the range of motion through the use of the platform (or plates-under-feet). I would personally try using a more narrow grip, if that's comfortable for you, as that will let you pull your shoulders back more.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What the heck are you supposed to do with your neck during bent over\nexercises. Mine is way too back because bad posture, but I don’t know\nthe cue to avoid just staring into the mirror by default.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Neutral neck. As much as you can try not to look up into the mirror; this rounds your neck and just causes some soreness over time. I usually stare at the floor at some point in front of me.</p>\n<p>You can place a <a href=\"https://seriouslystrongtraining.com/5-conventional-deadlift-cues-that-suck/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tennis ball under your chin</a> if you really need a hard cue. Usually people look up to check their form in the mirror. You can also try: set up form &gt; check form in mirror &gt; look back to neutral and perform lift &gt; check lockout form at top. Just do the lifting portion with a neutral neck.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>Overall, they look like good reps to me. I would narrow your grip and focus on pushing through the entire sole of your feet. It can be hard to think of using multiple muscles at the same time but remember that you need to drive with your quads, hips, and back <em>together</em>.</p>\n<p>In agreement with @Frank, I think a form-check on your standard deadlift would be helpful. I'm not sure if your hips are too high or if that's just the deficit deadlift.</p>\n<p>After thought, it looks like you're just doing a double overhand grip? You're coming up to the point where grip is going to start failing you. Your options are hook-grip, mixed-grip, or wrist straps. You might want to look into the pros/cons of all those options and learn earlier in your lifting career.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42896, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Shoulder engagement: I used to let them hang in regular deadlifts since they were relatively weak, I’m trying to avoid that esp. with deficit DLs by resetting between reps but I have no idea if it’s working.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I can't tell from this what you intend to do or why. But what you should want is your shoulderblades a little back and a lot down. C. Lange has the correct cue: put them in your back pockets. You're not doing this and it's an error. Specifically, letting your shoulders hang forward <em>negates the point</em> of deficit deadlifts with a wide grip. The exercise is meant to work your upper back, so why relax it? The exercise is meant to force your hips/hamstrings into a longer range of motion, so why cheat that ROM?</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Sometimes my knees snap back into lockout, [not sure if] if that’s bad and where it comes from.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I see this, and it's not great but not yet a major fault. Others might have more insight.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>My lower back rounded a bit when finishing the last rep of the second set.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I don't like your lower back on any of the reps, frankly. I'd like to see an attempt to arch the back a little in your resets, because you're just a hair short of proper position as I see it.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I use one plate under each foot and a wideish but not awkward grip, does this count as a deficit?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yup, looks great.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I did manage to do a set from two plates once but I definitely felt the effect of starting from a full hinge, and I’m worried this would cause me to round my back too much in response.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That's probably correct. It makes me suspect you should focus on regular deadlift and Romanian deadlifts until you have better lower back proprioception.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What the heck are you supposed to do with your neck during bent over exercises.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Neutral position in relation to the spine. Your gaze shifts as you hinge.</p>\n<p>I noticed your grip had some issues. I strongly recommend a chalk brick (keep it in a double bag, don't make a mess, never let gym staff see it) and a hook grip.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42909", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33727/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43042, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Sprinting</p>\n<p>Sprinting is the best way to achieve your body's full capacity and work yourself the hardest. It can also be done outside or on a track so if your gym doesn't have a track you can go outside and do it. Here are some other examples that require equipment but are in many gyms:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jump rope (speed or double unders)</li>\n<li>Box jumps(speed or height can be added)</li>\n<li>weighted jump squats(speed or weight can be added)</li>\n<li>Zercher walks (use a lot of weight)</li>\n<li>Farmers walks (use a lot of weight)</li>\n<li>circuit training with weights(see below for an example of a fun one)</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Cardioacceleration</p>\n<p>Cardioacceleration is the idea of skipping rest periods between sets of weightlifting and doing an intense cardio move, such as jump ropes, box jumps, lunges, etc.. this mimics HIIT by using strong weightlifting and switching to a less intense but still intense cardio.</p>\n<p>You can also increase the time you do hiit. For instance instead of 10 minute round, you can try a 20 minute round(I wouldn't do more than this).</p>\n<p>Circuit training challenge</p>\n<p>Do 4 or 5 full body compound barbell movements as a circuit. Rest a minute between sets. Here's the kicker.. start with a weight you can do 15 reps with but start at 5. At the end of each round of a circuit, add a rep. If you cannot complete an exercise due to fatigue, skip it and go to the next one. Keep going until you've exhausted yourself. The rest ratio between the workload creates an hiit like environment which gets harder as you go. Here is an example:</p>\n<p>Bench press 5 reps</p>\n<p>Rest a minute</p>\n<p>Row 5 reps</p>\n<p>Rest a minute</p>\n<p>Rdl 5 reps</p>\n<p>Rest a minute</p>\n<p>Squat 5 reps</p>\n<p>Rest a minute</p>\n<p>Bench press 6 reps</p>\n<p>Finish round at 6 reps\n...\n7 reps\n...\n8 reps..\n...\n9 reps...</p>\n<p>Can't complete rdl, so do just bench press, row, and squat for 10 reps</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43097, "author": "Fr.", "author_id": 33155, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33155", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>How do I improvise to do HIIT to the cardio level of battle rope and sledge hammer?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h2>Jump rope like a boxer</h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Pick up a jump rope.</li>\n<li>Learn to jump to the point where you can do a full 3-minute round.</li>\n<li>Do 5 x 3-minute rounds, with slightly less than 1-minute rest in-between.</li>\n<li>Add criss-cross and double-unders (also mentioned in Ace Cabbie's answer).</li>\n<li>Decrease rest periods to 30 seconds.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Getting through this will involve learning the 'boxer skip'.</p>\n<p>When you will be done, you will be training like a boxer. The cardio gains will very likely surpass those of your current training routine.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42929", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19274/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42954, "author": "ThatOneNerdyBoy", "author_id": 32255, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32255", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>There is some dispute over heart rate ranges and what is dangerous and what is okay. Personally, I think that anything ranging 180 is a good high-intensity/max effort heart rate. While I was in my running phase, I would often push up to 200ish during HIIT, but some may feel as though that is not safe. Assuming you are in your 20's, a heart rate between 170-185 is good anaerobic activity, basically high-intensity.</p>\n<p>As you run more, your body will become accustomed to running and that type of cardio, as well as your heart. You should notice that your heart rates decrease over time as your heart gets stronger.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42956, "author": "kamran", "author_id": 19612, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19612", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am 73 years old. Have been running from high school. 29 marathons, including the last March LA marathon at the height of worldwide spread of Covid 19.</p>\n<p>Everyone is different. It could be that heartbeat is not the first cause for concern. As we know it is heart- longs- vascular and blood composition.</p>\n<p>I run 9-10 miles 6 days a week.\nMy heartbeat goes above 195 when i run uphill for 1o-15 minutes. I push myself to pant. It may not be safe fore some.</p>\n<p>For me muscle injury is first cause for concern. Because healing at my age takes time. So I listen to my muscles carefully.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42952", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34190/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42962, "author": "ThatOneNerdyBoy", "author_id": 32255, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32255", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First of all, good on you for starting with eating as that's the biggest thing when wanting to lose weight/fat. However, be careful to not decrease your calorie intake too much. Be more concerned with the kinds of calories you are eating. As far as macros go for weight loss, you'll want to have lots of protein, about the same amount of carbs, and about a quarter the number of fats. Lots of clean protein like chicken, beef, spinach, nuts, etc.</p>\n<p>Once you got your diet nailed down (which truly is the hardest part), you can be concerned with how you exercise. My advice to you is to keep working on running or some other form of cardio as your main stamina builder. Your body will become more accustomed to it the more you do it. But, there are other ways you can incorporate fat-burning exercises without weights. Number one for me would easily be calisthenics, using your body as the weight for your exercises.</p>\n<p>Unfortunately, I can't just provide you with every calisthenics exercise that you would enjoy or that would benefit you, that'll take some research on your own part. But, things like burpees, mountain climbers, planks, lunges, press-ups, sit-ups, etc. In your case, you might want to include more Plyometrics (jump-based exercises) in your routine, as this will help build intensity and strengthen your lower body, which will be good for running/playing soccer.</p>\n<p>Hope it goes well!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42968, "author": "jrima12", "author_id": 34184, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34184", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Diet is definitely a huge factor in this, tons of vegetables, and as little processed foods and soft drinks as you can (preferably none). In terms of exercise regiment, lifting weights is perfectly okay. You can do low weights and more reps and if something starts to feel not right, look up a video on how to do it with good form.</p>\n<p>Also you're going to want to mix up the kind of cardio you do. it could be running, swimming, boxing (a personal favorite), running up and down steps etc. and even if you have to stop early, just continue on but slower, like walking the rest of the way.</p>\n<p>Lastly and possibly most important, is to not have a sedentary lifestyle. Throughout the day, just stand up and walk around as much as possible. You don't have to go crazy with it, relax and sit down too, but even if its as simple as walking around while on the phone, or just going up and down a flight of stairs now and again. it really makes a HUGE difference.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42984, "author": "G__", "author_id": 22, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/22", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A few high-impact tips that have worked well for me over the years:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Track what you eat religiously with an app. I’m currently using Chronometer. MyFitnessPal is another popular choice; there are many. It’s not so important that you stick to any arbitrary set of goals or adhere every day. Just track it.</li>\n<li>Lose fat (not necessarily weight) slowly. Think in terms of months and years and sustainable changes, which means changes that you’re happy adopting permanently. “Diets” don’t work, full stop.</li>\n<li>Lift weights. I like barbells, but train your strength however you can even if being “strong” isn’t a primary goal for you. Many resources on this site.</li>\n<li>Get enough protein. After that, the balance is more about what you can enjoy (see point above about sustainability). And don’t neglect the veggies.</li>\n<li>For me, skipping breakfast is highly correlated to losing fat - I don’t eat so much more at lunchtime as to undo the net deficit. I find that black coffee is excellent at keeping me satisfied enough through the morning. Doesn’t have to be every day - just often.</li>\n<li>Prioritize sleep.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>As for the running: attack it progressively. Run short distances, slowly at first. Gradually push yourself.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42986, "author": "Aaryan Dewan", "author_id": 33727, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33727", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm 21M, 170cm, current weight=70Kg. I started when I was 89Kg</p>\n<p>Here are some tips:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Count your calories.</li>\n<li>Remain in a 1000 caloric deficit till you reach 90 Kg. (1000 is the max deficit you should ever be in). When you reach below 90, reduce the deficit to 700. And when you reach 80, reduce it to 500. And keep it there.</li>\n<li>Don't do a lot of cardio right now. You are extremely heavy for your height. That cardio would affect your joints. Just walk briskly. ~45 mins of brisk walking would help you brun approx 350 calories.</li>\n<li>Start hitting the gym when you reach 85 Kgs.</li>\n</ol>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42960", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34196/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42966, "author": "Fr.", "author_id": 33155, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33155", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your question cites many parameters, but the crucial one seems to be:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I jump […] barefoot</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Simply do not do that. Jump with shoes on, on a proper surface, as seems to be the case (&quot;thick foam mats&quot;).</p>\n<p>Jumping rope barefoot, especially for long periods like those that your report, requires impeccable technique, excellent surface and unusually good bones, muscles and ligaments/tendons if you want to avoid injury.</p>\n<p>The signals you are getting from your body (from your feet) are pretty clear: stop pushing your feet towards injury point. Jumping rope is a low-impact activity, but that does not mean that you should not take some basic precautions to preserve your feet, but also your ankles, shins and knees.</p>\n<p>Jumping rope with shoes will not tamper with your cardio goals at all.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42967, "author": "jrima12", "author_id": 34184, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34184", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Wearing proper shoes will keep you feet secure allowing you to jump longer and safer. But even if with shoes its still your feet that's the constricting element, its simply about the ratio of whats in best shape. for me, my calves are usually the thing that starts to feel the most strain, while for others, its their breathing. Its just about what has been trained more in comparison to everything else.</p>\n<p>But use sneakers to jump rope, its much safer and you can go for longer</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43001, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Same issue occured to me, here is what happened:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Feet were killing me (plantar fasciitis)</li>\n<li>Calves were getting a killer workout but prevented me from jumping</li>\n<li>Forearms could get tired</li>\n</ul>\n<p>How to fix:</p>\n<p>Feet- get HIIT shoes or shoes specifically for jumping, with good pads inside. Mine have orthotics but the shoes also have two huge rubber ball point$, one at each end of the shoe, that puts a spring in your jump and takes tension off.</p>\n<p>Calves-the shoes might help but otherwise you could try strengthening your calves in the gym to tolerate this. Otherwise there are plenty other cardio exercises to do that don't hurt your calves. This will get better with more exercise but if they are hurting before you get a good workout you can also try jumping on a slight downslope which takes pressure off, and wear good shoes!</p>\n<p>Forearms-therrs several different types of jump ropes.. buy a lighter weight one if your forearms are getting too tired.</p>\n<p>Breathing-great! It's an aerobic/anabolic exercise this is the desired outcome.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42965", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33708/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42979, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>As you've discovered, the 10% rule isn't really applicable to someone who is completely new to running. It requires that you already have an established weekly running volume that you can tolerate, so it's really only for already established runners.</p>\n<p>As a beginner, you'd be better off starting with a dedicated beginner program, such as <a href=\"http://www.c25k.com/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Couch to 5k</a>, which can take you from having never run before to a point where you can either begin a different, intermediate-targeted program, or just start using the 10% rule.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45423, "author": "Dill-Pickle", "author_id": 38575, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38575", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The answer from David Scarlett is a very good point that the 10% rule doesn't really work if you are starting at 1 mile a week or something similar.\nA couch to 5k plan is a good start, but one of the other important factors, after you have completed that plan, is to increase volume while also preventing injury. Sometimes heart and legs will tell you they want to run faster and longer on a day, but your joints and stabilizing muscles may not be ready yet, so make small changes. You might feel good for two days after running longer and faster but there is a good chance that two weeks later you have an odd injury in your feet or groin or elsewhere. (and don't forget to stretch, sleep, and drink water!)</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42978", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34216/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42993, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Stretching is not beneficial to weightlifting or strength training, unless a lack of flexibility prevents you from performing an exercise. E.g. If your shoulders are so inflexible that you can't hold the bar in a back squat or catch the bar in a snatch, stretching your shoulders may help you perform those specific exercises.</p>\n<p>But there is no benefit to stretching in terms of reduction in soreness or injury risk. Stretching before exercise can also cause temporary reductions in stretch which can negatively impact your workout. Increased flexibility can also result in chronic performance reductions - e.g. flexible pecs are inefficient for the bench press, and flexible calves are inefficient for running.</p>\n<p>If you want to stretch because it feels good or because you have specific flexibility goals, then you can stretch after a strength workout, but this certainly isn't necessary if you have no other reason to do it.</p>\n<p>For more information, see: <a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/benefits-of-static-stretching-stretched-out-of-proportion/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.strongerbyscience.com/benefits-of-static-stretching-stretched-out-of-proportion/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42995, "author": "TravisJ", "author_id": 34241, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34241", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A favorite book of mine is: <a href=\"https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/1628600837\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Becoming a Supple Leopard</a> by Dr. Kelly Starrett.</p>\n<p>It is far more comprehensive than <em>just stretching</em> but it provides lots advice and techniques for improving mobility for the purpose of being able to perform exercizes with proper technique (helping to avoid injury). It also serves as a very good guide to proper technique and some basic biomechanics.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42992", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2806/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43018, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are two things to be aware of. One is your rectus transverse abdominus, which the best way to think of it is as a corset around your stomach.. that's how the muscle works.\nThe other is tilting your pelvis.\nYour TA muscle gets activated by clenching your corset and bracing your abs--act as if someone is about to punch you, you'd tighten and contract them, not push them out, right? So get in a deadbug position and forget about the pelvic tilt for now, and act like someone is stepping on your stomach, clench your stomach! Now think about how your lower back isn't touching the floor. Try to get your lower back to touch the floor, and to remain touching it. This requires a pelvic tilt, and if you can touch the floor, then you did it. The act of keeping your back on the floor is the key to a deadbug. I noticed it is much easier to do with your knees at a bent angle, to activate your pelvic tilt. Another way is to practice on a stability ball. Roll the ball forward and back using only your butt/abs. The forward position is a pelvic tilt.</p>\n<p>Another way is to act like you are trying to defecate (don't actually do this!). The muscles used to have a bowel movement kind of force you into a pelvic tilt position, which is what you're doing on the toilet. So remember to brace your abs as you try to tilt your pelvis. Practice with a bent knee position and practice using your abs and pelvis with leaving your back on the floor to bring your legs up (leg raise)\n<img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hLaTb.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>Try looking in a mirror while using the ball to practice the movement. It takes lots of practice before you can do it on command; it's really a mind/muscle awareness connection. Try bracing your abs and tilting your pelvis during an &quot;exhale&quot; of breath, this will help ensure you're only moving the right muscles, not your diaphragm or something. Keep in mind, if these are weak muscles you may have to start out just lying down and practicing these before your muscles can tighten well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43145, "author": "dcborg", "author_id": 27481, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27481", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For posterior pelvic tilt or crunches, I happened to imagine crushing walnuts between my abs muscles. Alternatively, I place my index finger in between my abs muscles (rectus abdominis) and try to squeeze my finger. The finger can also gently poke the muscles to help create that mind-body connection and activate the area.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/bMqAt.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/bMqAt.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43016", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34261/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43018, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are two things to be aware of. One is your rectus transverse abdominus, which the best way to think of it is as a corset around your stomach.. that's how the muscle works.\nThe other is tilting your pelvis.\nYour TA muscle gets activated by clenching your corset and bracing your abs--act as if someone is about to punch you, you'd tighten and contract them, not push them out, right? So get in a deadbug position and forget about the pelvic tilt for now, and act like someone is stepping on your stomach, clench your stomach! Now think about how your lower back isn't touching the floor. Try to get your lower back to touch the floor, and to remain touching it. This requires a pelvic tilt, and if you can touch the floor, then you did it. The act of keeping your back on the floor is the key to a deadbug. I noticed it is much easier to do with your knees at a bent angle, to activate your pelvic tilt. Another way is to practice on a stability ball. Roll the ball forward and back using only your butt/abs. The forward position is a pelvic tilt.</p>\n<p>Another way is to act like you are trying to defecate (don't actually do this!). The muscles used to have a bowel movement kind of force you into a pelvic tilt position, which is what you're doing on the toilet. So remember to brace your abs as you try to tilt your pelvis. Practice with a bent knee position and practice using your abs and pelvis with leaving your back on the floor to bring your legs up (leg raise)\n<img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hLaTb.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>Try looking in a mirror while using the ball to practice the movement. It takes lots of practice before you can do it on command; it's really a mind/muscle awareness connection. Try bracing your abs and tilting your pelvis during an &quot;exhale&quot; of breath, this will help ensure you're only moving the right muscles, not your diaphragm or something. Keep in mind, if these are weak muscles you may have to start out just lying down and practicing these before your muscles can tighten well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43145, "author": "dcborg", "author_id": 27481, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27481", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For posterior pelvic tilt or crunches, I happened to imagine crushing walnuts between my abs muscles. Alternatively, I place my index finger in between my abs muscles (rectus abdominis) and try to squeeze my finger. The finger can also gently poke the muscles to help create that mind-body connection and activate the area.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/bMqAt.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/bMqAt.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43021", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43027, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>None of this is necessary. Plenty of people just &quot;eat food, a lot of it, mostly protein&quot; (to repurpose Michael Pollan) and find that plenty to fuel a heavy lifting regimen or strength &amp; conditioning program. As long as you're roughly cognizant enough of all three macros such that you don't become tremendously unbalanced, you don't have to track carbs, fat, or anything else specifically.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43030, "author": "YisraelU", "author_id": 19416, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19416", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>No you don't.\nIt won't affect body composition in any serious fashion.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43026", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33727/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43038, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I think this is a very broad question as injuries resulting from bodybuilding or strength based exercise can range wildly depending on the intensity that someone does. The typical person that's just trying to stay fit and strong is going to have a wildly different experience and train in a wildly different manner than someone trying to get their IFBB pro card.</p>\n<p><strong>Physical Injuries</strong></p>\n<p>Barring any freak accidents, most injuries that result from resistance training are <a href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/overuse-injury/art-20045875#:%7E:text=An%20overuse%20injury%20is%20any,much%20physical%20activity%20too%20quickly.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">overuse injuries</a>. The most common and prolific being DOMs (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which can range from mild annoyance to debilitating. Even at its worst, it will recover in about a week. Another common, more severe instances would be muscle strain (<a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/strains#:%7E:text=A%20muscle%20strain%2C%20or%20pulled,the%20muscle%20behind%20your%20thigh.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pulled muscle</a>) and <a href=\"https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/understanding-sprains-strains#1\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pulled or torn ligaments and tendons</a>. These require a lot longer time to recover and usually require you to stop training entirely until healed.</p>\n<p>A couple mitigations techniques:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Do not train a muscle that feels too fatigued. Most people say &quot;listen to your body&quot;. Basically if something feels off, then assume it is. Wait a day and train something else in the meantime. You'll most likely be back to normal the next day.</li>\n<li>Do not train at excessively heavy weight. In RPE scale, stay around a 7 or &quot;three reps in the tank&quot;. Don't go above an 8 or &quot;two reps in the tank&quot;. Training to technical failure could cause you to slip up and pull a muscle that's overly fatigued.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>More longer term kinds of injuries that develop over a long period of time may be <a href=\"https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175596#:%7E:text=Tendinitis%2C%20also%20known%20as%20tendonitis,other%20parts%20of%20the%20body.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">tendinitis</a>. Tendinitis can develop from constant repetitive motion while putting far too much stress on the tendon. It can be a sign of bad form. Correcting the error can reduce and eventually eliminate it.</p>\n<p>Arthritis seems to be a concern among some people. However, <a href=\"https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/09/14/does-lifting-weights-cause-arthritis/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">There is scant evidence that weightlifting can cause arthritis later in life</a>. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1010273/?page=3\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Heavier people tend to get arthritis than lighter people.</a> So being significantly heavier because of bodybuilding could, maybe, theoretically increase chances of arthritis. <a href=\"https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/does-exercise-contribute-to-arthritis-cinnamon-treatment-for-diabetes\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Though weight training itself is not a direct cause of arthritis.</a> To my knowledge, there is nothing that shows a correlation between arthritis and people who are heavier <em>because</em> they weight train. The benefits of weight lifting far exceed any chance of getting arthritis.</p>\n<p>Finally, the absolute most extreme injuries I can think of are <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhabdomyolysis\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rhabdomyolysis</a> and, if you're Louie Simmons, a broken spine. If you're training hard enough to be at risk for these, then you're not worried about injuries. Do not concern yourself with them as they most likely will not happen.</p>\n<p><strong>Supplements safety</strong></p>\n<p>There is a saying in toxicology in that &quot;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dose_makes_the_poison\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the dose makes the poison</a>&quot;. Most supplements from reputable dealers are safe to take at the doses described on the labels. Taking beyond that, you start getting in to potentially dangerous territory.</p>\n<p>Although there have been <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/article/us-doj-investigation-dietarysupplements/u-s-files-criminal-charges-against-sellers-of-jack3d-other-supplements-idUSKCN0T628320151118\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">cases where manufacturers push the boundaries</a> of legality and safety to make a more potent product. Though if the product has been on the market for many years, and isn't banned in multiple countries, then it's probably safe to consume. Whether or not they're effective is for another question.</p>\n<p><strong>Long term effects of diet</strong></p>\n<p>There is a lot of concern about whether high protein diets are unhealthy, particularly for the kidneys.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-too-much-protein-bad-for-you#:%7E:text=A%20high%20protein%20intake%20has,kidney%20function%20in%20healthy%20people.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">People with healthy kidneys</a> do not need to worry about high protein diets. People with kidney disease may have to worry.</p>\n<p>Most of the other studies I've seen dealing with high protein diets usually are structured in which one group eats an insanely high amount of protein in their daily diet vs barely eating any at all. The thing is, if you're <em>only</em> eating protein, then you're also <em>not</em> eating a lot of other things that you need to function. <em>Not</em> eating foods with vitamins and minerals and healthy fats for many months or years will of course lead to health complications.</p>\n<p>Eat your vegetables. Have some healthy fats. Drink a lot of water. Then you should be good.</p>\n<p><strong>Mental Health</strong></p>\n<p>As brought up in the comments, there is also mental health aspects related to bodybuilding. People who get really in to bodybuilding are at risk of a few issues that I think are important to be aware of.</p>\n<p>People who bodybuild, especially in the days of social media, will compare themselves to other people. This can lead to <a href=\"https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938#:%7E:text=Overview,may%20avoid%20many%20social%20situations.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">body dysmorphia</a> in which you believe that you're not nearly as fit as you believe. Some people can believe they're way fatter or skinnier than they really are. Some people believe they're way weaker than they really are. This is hard to combat. Just be aware that the most successful people on social media are typically either on the upper end of the genetic spectrum, on PEDs, or both. They also live lifestyles that let them have the physiques that make them appealing online, which may not be a lifestyle you can emulate.</p>\n<p>Body dysmorphia can lead to becoming obsessed with fitness. People will just workout constantly. Spend every minute of free time in the gym. Unfortunately, this obsession may be necessary for those that are trying to compete (because let's face it. Your competition is obsessed). The average recreational person should not have their life ripped up.</p>\n<p>This obsession can also lead to eating disorders. This can lead to eating in a very unhealthy way. Anorexia and bulimia are the most commonly known, but there are other types. For example, a lot of people will pick and choose a diet they believe will lead them to their goal, but they don't have the nutritional know-how to eat that diet in a healthy manner. So they will eat that diet in the most extreme way possible which means they're cutting out nutrition from sources that they need to be healthy (see earlier comments about not eating vitamins and minerals). These diets are sometimes also so restrictive that people will reject any kind of social life that may cause them to break it. If your diet starts pushing away your friends and family, you have a problem.</p>\n<p>I do not have the training to know how to break away from these traps if someone falls in to one. To help stay out of them, just keep in mind that perfection is not always obtainable. Try to go half-way there, and you'll still be better off than 99% of the population.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43044, "author": "Superuser", "author_id": 19274, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19274", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, joint wearing risk of bodybuilding is true, as you can see from this <a href=\"https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/joint-troubles.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">resource</a> by a consultant and writer for various health, bodybuilding.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>osteoarthritis is by far the most common to bodybuilders and other\nathletes</li>\n<li>Tendonitis is probably the most common cause of pain to\nbodybuilders and other athletes and is (luckily) the easiest to\ntreat.</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43045, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Summarising the systematic review, <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27328853/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">'The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Training Sports', by Keogh &amp; Winwood, 2017</a>:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bodybuilding had the lowest injury rates of all weight-training sports, at 0.12-0.7 injuries per lifter per year, or 0.24-1 injury per 1000 hours.</li>\n<li>Strongman was found to be the riskiest weight-training sport, with an injury rate around 10 times that of bodybuilding.</li>\n<li>Strains, tendinitis, and sprains were the most common injury types.</li>\n<li>The shoulder, lower back, knee, elbow, and wrist/hand were generally the most commonly injured anatomical locations.</li>\n<li>Injury risk in weight training sports is low compared to that of team sports.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Note that this answer does not look at the separate issue of the many dangers of steroid use, as steroid use is not an inherent part of bodybuilding.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43036", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19274/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43046, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Women, on average, have less muscle mass than men<a href=\"https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.2000.89.1.81\" rel=\"noreferrer\">¹</a>, and have a lesser proportion of their muscle in the upper body<a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969804397000961\" rel=\"noreferrer\">²</a>. These make it less likely than a random woman will have the upper body strength needed to perform a pushup compared to a random man.</p>\n<p>The point raised by C. Lange regarding cultural impact is also an important one - if a society perceives strength training as an unfeminine activity, then the odds are further stacked against women, because a smaller proportion of women will engage in strength training compared to men.</p>\n<p>Women do still respond to upper body strength training though<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4756754/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">³</a>, and so can certainly train to perform pushups.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43047, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Simply looking at the biology of the male and female human body tells us enough to answer this question.</p>\n<p>Men have far <strong>higher base testosterone</strong>, which is why men have a higher base musscle mass compared to women. Men also have a <strong>larger and stronger bone structure</strong> and <strong>more lung capacity</strong>, resulting in being able to train harder than women.</p>\n<p>Females also have <strong>less of their muscle mass in the upperbody</strong> compared to males, another factor that makes pushups in particular harder to do for a woman.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43041", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34295/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43053, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>You should be sitting &quot;down&quot; rather than &quot;back&quot; in a front squat.</strong></p>\n<p>&quot;Sit back&quot; is a cue used in powerlifting for the low-bar style squat, especially in equipped powerlifting, where using maximal hip flexion (and hence strong forward lean of the torso) and minimal forward knee travel helps get the most assistance out of the lifter's squat suit. For a front squat, the aim is generally to keep the torso upright so that the weight of the bar can rest on the shoulders, rather than needing to be held up by the hands. This necessitates a lot of forward travel of the knees. If a heavy front squat were performed with minimal forward knee travel and a strong forward lean of the torso, the weight of the bar would shift to the hands and the bar would most likely then be dropped.</p>\n<p>Note that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your knees moving forwards beyond your toes. In fact, Olympic weightlifters wear shoes with elevated heels designed to allow increased forward knee travel!</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Aw5Bj.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Aw5Bj.jpg\" alt=\"Spanish weightlifter Lidia Valentin cleaning 135kg\" /></a></p>\n<p>The quads and upper back muscles are typically the limiting muscles in a front squat, so you can expect to feel fatigue in those. You should not worry about developing knee problems, because the only consequence of a squat style that puts the demands primarily on your knees is that your knees will be the limiting factor in how much weight you can lift. There is no more potential for causing knee problems by performing a knee-dominant lift than there is potential for causing elbow problems by doing bicep curls, or shoulder problems by bench pressing. Overuse injuries are caused by excessive volume, not exercise selection.</p>\n<p>Finally, if you want to develop your glutes, front squats are not a great choice. Consider adding deadlifts, RDLs, or hip thrusts to your routine for that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43063, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you were to sit back in a front squat, you may lose balance as the weights are now acting in front of your centre of mass.\nI would also like to highlight again that there is nothing wrong with the knees coming forward, as long as it is not excessive. It is just how we move biomechanically.</p>\n<p>You can see this great article by Squat University on the front squat: <a href=\"https://www.google.com.sg/amp/s/squatuniversity.com/2017/08/08/is-your-squat-quad-dominant-or-hip-dominant/amp/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.google.com.sg/amp/s/squatuniversity.com/2017/08/08/is-your-squat-quad-dominant-or-hip-dominant/amp/</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43051", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43056, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Using non-medical face masks during exercise does cause some minor discomfort, however, it appears to be safe when used by <em><strong>healthy individuals</strong></em> in <em>short-term sub-vigorous intensities</em>. Long term effects have not been studied.</p>\n<hr />\n<p><a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/sms.13832\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Epstein, D, et al.</a> found that;</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&quot;In healthy subjects, aerobic exercise with either a surgical mask or N95 respirator is safe and feasible. Although it may be associated\nwith some discomfort, masking has only minor effects on physiological\nparameters during exercise.</em>&quot;</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Additionally, the above study noted no major differences in heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, or RPE between the three trials (no mask, surgical mask, N95 respirator):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fka2X.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/Fka2X.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 1\" /></a>\n_{<em>Figure 1: Mean changes in physiological parameters throughout the exercise test performed by 16 subjects without a mask, with a surgical mask, and with N95 respirator. A, Heart rate (beats/min). B, Respiratory rate (breaths/min). C, Oxygen saturation (%). D, Rated Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale (score). Error bars represent 95% confidence interval</em>}</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Similarly, <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214687320300674#!\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Wong, A, et al.</a> found that heart rates of participants were 3% higher while wearing a mask. By contrast, they found that reported RPE's of participants were 17% higher while wearing a mask. The study concluded a different finding from the previous stating that:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&quot;The laboratory study to investigate the physiological effect of wearing a facemask found that it significantly elevated heart rate and perceived exertion.&quot;</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&quot;Exercise with a facemask definitely has a toll on the human body and it is advised to adjust the exercise intensity when masked.&quot;</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<hr />\n<p>With RPE being a self-reported factor, one could conclude that the psychological effects of wearing a mask while exercising are individualized, while heart rate is increased regardless. Increased heart rate could definitely be attributed to an increase in air flow resistance: <em>&quot;Previous studies found that the use of N95 respirators leads to a mean increment of 126% and 122% in inspiratory and expiratory flow resistances</em>&quot;^{<a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/sms.13832\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">1</a>}.</p>\n<p>Both studies noted that exercising with a mask was generally uncomfortable with the face becoming more humid and warm. Neither study looked at these effects in detail. Additionally, both studies were conducted on healthy individuals and advise against exercising while wearing a mask if you already suffer from obstructive lung diseases.</p>\n<p>Finally, this <a href=\"http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1015-51632020000100021&amp;script=sci_arttext&amp;tlng=es\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">short report</a> has some cleanliness guidelines. They suggest washing masks frequently to prevent the mask from becoming contaminated, using a more breathable material (when selecting a cloth mask), and using multiple masks if your mask gets too wet while working out (as breathing through a damp mask would be even more strenuous).</p>\n<hr />\n<p>A bit of anecdotal addition: I have definitely noticed getting warmer and I have been going through more water than usual. I think this is just because I'm sweating more; like if I worked out with a hoodie and toque on. Breathing wise, I've realized that I am simply more <em>aware</em> of my breathing with the mask on. It seems like I'm breathing heavier but when I stop and think, I'm not, I just feel it blowing back on me. I've now done heavy squat/bench and dead/bench days as well as a cardio day while wearing a mask. It is definitely annoying but not at all life-threatening. Bring more water, keep the gyms open.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43075, "author": "LazyReader", "author_id": 34327, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34327", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The biggest health concern with fabric masks if &quot;Fomites&quot; bacterial/fungal agents that more easily proliferate in the humidity and mask confinement of human breath, which is why disposable paper masks are more practical. If you have a fabric mask, clean it daily. Just dunk it in soapy water for a minute, then ring and dry off with a paper towel, then place it in the microwave and sterilize it. One minute in the microwave should kill all germs.\nAs for respiration, there's no quantifiable data supporting breathing hazards, though the risk of breathing in fibers is some.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43052", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43073, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The cheapest way would be to see if there are any other added amino acids other than protein that aren't listed on the label. Companies will add cheap amino acids to increase the nitrogen balance in the powder which is what is needed to fool tests. If you look at the ingredients list and see taurine, glycine, arginine, glutamine, creatine, etc. then it is evidence that they're spiking the protein content. It's not a guarantee that they're spiking, but it is a good indication.</p>\n<p>The exception would be if the label <em>specifically specifies that they add these ingredients to it</em>. They may say something like &quot;fortified with creatine and amino acids&quot; or something. In which case, they're being honest with the additives. Some of the higher quality powders will even have an amino acid break down like this:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4fxp.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4fxp.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>If you're paranoid, then look for a supplement that just says &quot;whey protein concentrate&quot; and whatever additives they add to make it taste ok like &quot;cocoa powder&quot;, &quot;artificial flavor&quot;, &quot;sugar&quot; or whatever. The same goes for any other kind of protein powder. The primary source should be the main ingredient with no added amino acids.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43074, "author": "LazyReader", "author_id": 34327, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34327", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Most protein powders are &quot;amino spiked&quot;. The cost of whey protein and other protein sources has increased considerably over the past few years. The bottom line is.............. :free form amino acids are often cheaper than pure protein powder, especially since they can often be sourced from food sources we wouldn't normally ingest as part of diet, like bones, cartilidge, waste meats (organs), eyeballs, tongue, ANY part we usually don't source as a typical source of food. Read the ingredients label, if it says &quot;Glycine&quot; or Di-gylcerides it's a scam and stay away. If it derives from corn syrups.......also bulk with no nutritional value. Also maltodextrin.....which is basically sugar. There's plenty of cheap protein sources you can down without having to resort to powder.<br />\nSource/ Protein per unit</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Natural peanut butter (4 grams per Tablespoon)</li>\n<li>Eggs (6 grams per large egg)</li>\n<li>Edamame beans (17 grams per cup)</li>\n<li>Canned tuna (VASTLY cheaper than fresh fish, with about 20 grams per can)</li>\n<li>Plain greek yogurt (17 grams per cup)</li>\n<li>Sunflower seeds / 6 grams per ounce</li>\n<li>Blackbeans / 15g per cup</li>\n<li>sardines / 23g per typical can</li>\n<li>cottage cheese / 23 grams per cup</li>\n<li>lentils</li>\n<li>oats</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43077, "author": "Nielsvh", "author_id": 34333, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34333", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just saying, you could just get whey isolate powder or other isolate powders in the bulk section of your grocery store and mix with your choice of flavors, carbohydrates, and/or salts. Sprouts, for example, sells the stuff for $12/lb, which is not bad if you consider that most powders are ~$10/lb and stuffed with fillers. I usually just grab the powder and unsweetened cocoa powder. If you're looking for some protein sparing action, add a hint of plain sugar. If you want some creatine or something else in there, you can get those and mix in as you see fit. Whey, being a complete protein, is a great source of non-junk amino acids, is digested well, and mixes well with water.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://shop.sprouts.com/product/7848/whey-isolate-protein-powder\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://shop.sprouts.com/product/7848/whey-isolate-protein-powder</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43072", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43081, "author": "LazyReader", "author_id": 34327, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34327", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you heat it vegetables past 140 degrees Fahrenheit some value is lost.\nRaw foods are <em>enzymatically alive</em> which means these foods have enzymes present and chemically active within them to help digest 40 to 60% of that. Since cooking can brea down these enzymes, cooked and processed foods are <em>enzymatically dead</em> which means there are no live enzymes within that food to help with digestion.</p>\n<p>Vitamins can breakdown (water soluble vitamins like B's and C) when cooked in water.\nFruits and vegetables are best comsumed fresh. research in digestive health and enzymatic proficiency has been documented\n<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4923703/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4923703/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43085, "author": "Just_Alex", "author_id": 13761, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13761", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes steaming vegetables changes their absorption properties.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rice cannot be digested until it is cooked. Burnt food is of little nutritional value.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Your peanut vs peanut butter hypothesis is more focused on processed food vs unprocessed food.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>One point raised by Lazy is the discussion about enzymes in &quot;living food&quot; vs processed food which usually pasteurized, sterilized, or stabilized.</li>\n<li>The other point you mentioned is the removal of fiber from processed food. This can negatively impact your diet (Behavioral eating, not the action of going on a diet) because fiber keeps you fuller for longer since it takes longer to digest and typically fibrous foods are full of the good stuff.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>This <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7x1aaZ03xU&amp;list=PLB0AYRZmsMake5dK42lB2hkSlRgpDVsWl\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">video lecture series</a> is practical if you have the time.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43086, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Cooking breaks down the vegetable and sometimes releases extra vitamins or minerals. For instance, cooking spinach(steaming) increases it's vitamin K content from 72 micrograms to 442 micrograms. <a href=\"https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/much-vitamin-k-half-cup-spinach-micrograms-4934.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/much-vitamin-k-half-cup-spinach-micrograms-4934.html</a></p>\n<p>Not an exact science but your body will spend more time breaking down food which consumes calories if its more &quot;full&quot;, such as eating a handful of strawberries with all the fiber content is healthy, but blending them and drinking them removes the fiber(even though youre technically still drinking it) and essentially gives you pure sugary drink, which will make you gain weigh faster. fiber negates the effect of carbs and slows down the absorption of fructose. It could be a volume amount too, for example, you could eat a handful of peanuts, but a serving size of peanut butter contains 45 peanuts, so youre eating a lot more, plus added sugar and oil which are high calorie. If you were to do a study eating 45 whole peanuts, some oil, molasses, etc vs 2 tablespoons of peanut butter theyd be equivalent in calories, but might absorb differently.</p>\n<p>To answer your question, steaming a vegetable does not change the calories, and it is not necessarily an issue with vegetables or starches but fructose more often, in which case eating whole fruits is healthier than cooked or blended fruits, despite the calorie content remaining the same</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43076", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23226/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43342, "author": "Display name", "author_id": 34644, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34644", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>I SUGGEST 3 SETS OF 1 REPETITION MAYBE EVEN JUST 1 SET IS ENOUGH</strong></p>\n<p><strong>Trust me that for one arm pull ups you dont need volume?</strong></p>\n<p>Why?</p>\n<p>Let's say that your actual weighted pull up is something like 40% of your total body weight but added to you. Kinda impressive but still beginner.</p>\n<p>As a beginner you are expected to progress fast, incredibly fast. In 5 or 6 months you will be able to pull up about 60% of your bodyweight (if you are not obese)\nBut to do a one arm pull up with bad form you only need 55%...the problem is that at this point the one arm pull up is a freaking <strong>ONE REP MAX</strong></p>\n<p>So tell me, would you do thousanss of deadlift variations to freaking exhaustion to raise your deadlift?</p>\n<p>If you do so, you will gain muscle but get cumulative fatigue and never be able to release it, you will get weaker in the deadlift due to fatigue regardless of getting more muscular.</p>\n<p>Same goes around for pull ups, you will get a huge back but if you can't pull 100% of your strength it may take you 3 o 5 years to reach the one arm pull up because you will always be fatigued.... If you are always fresh then one day you get it by mistake just by training your pull up like a deadlift.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44999, "author": "Dude", "author_id": 32346, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32346", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>getting stronger in general will help improve your pull-ups depending on your current level of strength and how many pull-ups you can do right now. Human physiology works as such that normal human movement does not rely on individual muscles but on the entirety of the system working as a whole. This means the most effective way to get stronger will be to strengthen the body as a whole rather than focussing on individual muscles. Squat, bench press, overhead press, deadlift, and power clean are the 5 most efficient exercises for building overall strength. The chin-up (b/c the chin-up also includes slightly more musculature than the pull-up) is the most important accessory exercise for a basic strength training program and should eventually develop into weighted chins.</p>\n<p>Help for the chin-up should best come in the form of doing more chin-ups unless you are unable to do them. In such a case the lat pull-down machine is a great alternative. Remember that if you are gaining weight and your chin-up reps stay the same or increase then you are getting stronger as you are chinning more weight.</p>\n<p>Best of success with your training</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43099", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31231/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43130, "author": "Michael C.", "author_id": 13772, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13772", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Progressive overload is the way to build muscle. However, many people think that only weights are a loading factor, whereas time under tension, number of sets&amp;reps, and rest times are all factors in progressive overload. So, you can stick with the same weight and increase the number of reps or sets, or decrease rest time. It would help you build muscle too.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43136, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think you should progressively overload barbell weights using, for example, the barbell overhead press to build shoulder strength. You can increase the weight on the bar by half a pound if you make a small investment in micro plates and I would argue that it’s a better overall exercise for shoulder strength.</p>\n<p>Getting your overhead press from 45 pounds to, say, 135 will improve your lateral raise without ever having to do the lateral raise.</p>\n<p>But, if you must do the lateral raise you can buy micro weights made for dumbbells to graduate the weights.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43137, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Double progression is the most common way of maintaining progressive overload when the minimum increment in weight is too much for you. It consists of increasing the reps at a single weight until some target or threshold maximum number of reps is reached, and then increasing the weight while reducing the reps performed, and beginning to work up the rep range with the new weight.</p>\n<p>Let's say you're aiming for 3 sets of 12 reps, then your progression might look like this.</p>\n<pre><code>+-----------+--------+---------------+------------------------+\n| Workout # | Weight | Reps each set | Completed target 3x12? |\n+-----------+--------+---------------+------------------------+\n| 1 | 5kg | 10,10,9 | No |\n| 2 | 5kg | 11,11,10 | No |\n| 3 | 5kg | 12,11,10 | No |\n| 4 | 5kg | 12,12,11 | No |\n| 5 | 5kg | 13,12,12 | YES |\n| 6 | 6kg | 8,8,7 | No |\n| 7 | 6kg | 9,9,8 | No |\n| 8 | 6kg | 10,9,9 | No |\n| 9 | 6kg | 11,10,10 | No |\n| 10 | 6kg | 11,11,10 | No |\n| 11 | 6kg | 12,12,11 | No |\n| 12 | 6kg | 12,12,12 | YES |\n| 13 | 7kg | 8,8,7 | No |\n+-----------+--------+---------------+------------------------+\n</code></pre>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43104", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24672/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43107, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Jump squats with a dumbbell in each hand seem to be a good option. Twenty pounds is light for dumbbell swings but they'd still provide some fast-twitch stimulus for the glutes and hamstrings. Don't forget sprints and unweighted jumping &amp; hopping drills, too.</p>\n<p>Strength work would provide a good foundation to the explosive efforts, so lunges, rear-leg-elevated split squats, and other single-leg work with the dumbbells would be useful.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43109, "author": "Kaszanas", "author_id": 30813, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30813", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You need to go to the basic of what in fact is &quot;power&quot; to understand on how to properly develop it.</p>\n<p>The best example would be using physics definition of mechanical power:</p>\n<p>Power = Force * velocity</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yet3.jpg\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yet3.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>The part You want to maximize is the balance between two variables in that equation. Please note that there is a tradeoff between Force and velocity. I would say You should provide a stimulus of perceived maximum velocity at any given available Force. This will be different for each muscle You want to target.</p>\n<p>I would say that it is totally possible to practice with the means that you have. Even throwing the dumbbells' forward from squatting position initiating a short 2 step run should be sufficient. This is sometimes done in track and field training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43113, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Get your players access to real weights, such as barbells, and have them to do the squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench, and power clean. Otherwise, after a week of training teenage boys who are full of testosterone and HGH, they will have adapted to everything rubber bands and 20 pound dumbbells can be done with.</p>\n<p>20 pound dumbbells and bands won’t make you very strong or very powerful. If they did, that’s what the World’s Strongest Man competitors would train with. Olympic\nLifting would be about demonstrating your ability to stand one legged on a trampoline while twirling dumbbells like a baton. Complexity does not equal better training.</p>\n<p>Also, if these kids aren’t in Tanner Stage 4 yet, they’re not ready to train. You’ll just wonder why nothing is happening.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43105", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34350/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43107, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Jump squats with a dumbbell in each hand seem to be a good option. Twenty pounds is light for dumbbell swings but they'd still provide some fast-twitch stimulus for the glutes and hamstrings. Don't forget sprints and unweighted jumping &amp; hopping drills, too.</p>\n<p>Strength work would provide a good foundation to the explosive efforts, so lunges, rear-leg-elevated split squats, and other single-leg work with the dumbbells would be useful.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43109, "author": "Kaszanas", "author_id": 30813, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30813", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You need to go to the basic of what in fact is &quot;power&quot; to understand on how to properly develop it.</p>\n<p>The best example would be using physics definition of mechanical power:</p>\n<p>Power = Force * velocity</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yet3.jpg\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yet3.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>The part You want to maximize is the balance between two variables in that equation. Please note that there is a tradeoff between Force and velocity. I would say You should provide a stimulus of perceived maximum velocity at any given available Force. This will be different for each muscle You want to target.</p>\n<p>I would say that it is totally possible to practice with the means that you have. Even throwing the dumbbells' forward from squatting position initiating a short 2 step run should be sufficient. This is sometimes done in track and field training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43113, "author": "Frank", "author_id": 24487, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/24487", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Get your players access to real weights, such as barbells, and have them to do the squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench, and power clean. Otherwise, after a week of training teenage boys who are full of testosterone and HGH, they will have adapted to everything rubber bands and 20 pound dumbbells can be done with.</p>\n<p>20 pound dumbbells and bands won’t make you very strong or very powerful. If they did, that’s what the World’s Strongest Man competitors would train with. Olympic\nLifting would be about demonstrating your ability to stand one legged on a trampoline while twirling dumbbells like a baton. Complexity does not equal better training.</p>\n<p>Also, if these kids aren’t in Tanner Stage 4 yet, they’re not ready to train. You’ll just wonder why nothing is happening.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43112", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34376/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43134, "author": "Dennis Haarbrink", "author_id": 26232, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26232", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't really understand the question. Effort never becomes null, it doesn't even approach null.</p>\n<p>Let's take your example of lifting a feather. How far do you lift it? How do you lift it? Do you lay it on a finger and lift it 1 millimeter? Or do you hold it in your hand with your arm hanging by your side and lifting it overhead? Huge difference.</p>\n<p>External resistance is the same: the weight of the feather. Range of motion is way different, but so is the total resistance: you also have to lift the weight of your arm.</p>\n<p>Walking is a good example. Everybody can walk and make thousands of 'reps' (steps) a day. The reason we can is because it is a bio mechanically efficient movement, our bodies are built for taking thousands of steps a day and we literally start practicing it from about 1 year old.</p>\n<p>But still, effort doesn't become null. Most people should be able to walk 10-15 km fairly easily. With some training you can get to 20, 30 or even 50 km and beyond. But I don't think there is anybody in the world who would say it was effortless.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43147, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29564973/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This 2018 study</a> looked at the hypertrophy effect of training at different loads (20%, 40%, 60% and 80% of 1RM), in which training at lower loads would be involve a higher number of repetitions, and higher loads would involve fewer repetitions. This would have reasonable applicability to high repetition bodyweight training, as you can compare the results of this study based on the number of reps that trainees were able to perform in each exercise group, rather than the load. Specifically, the mean number of reps reached for each load were as follows.</p>\n<pre><code>+-------+-------------------------+---------------------+\n| % 1RM | Mean reps elbow flexion | Mean reps leg press |\n+-------+-------------------------+---------------------+\n| 20 | 67.7 ± 18.7 | 61.1 ± 29.9 |\n+-------+-------------------------+---------------------+\n| 40 | 28.2 ± 10.5 | 30.8 ± 8.0 |\n+-------+-------------------------+---------------------+\n| 60 | 14.5 ± 4.7 | 18.8 ± 5.9 |\n+-------+-------------------------+---------------------+\n| 80 | 10.2 ± 2.8 | 14.0 ± 4.6 |\n+-------+-------------------------+---------------------+\n</code></pre>\n<p>What they found was that there was no difference in hypertrophy between the 40%, 60% or 80% groups, but the 20% only experienced about half as much growth as the other groups. From this we can infer that if you're doing more than about 30 reps of an exercise, you're getting to the point where the benefit will probably diminish as you continue to increase the reps, and once you get up to 60-70 reps, you're only getting about half the hypertrophy benefit that you would if you could load the exercise to make it harder. (Note: This assumes that you're going until failure. So if you can do 70 pushups, but choose to stop at 30, that's not better than a set of 70 just because you only did 30 reps. In fact, it's certainly worse. To get the benefit of a set of 30 done to failure, the resistance has to be great enough that you can only do 30 reps.)</p>\n<p>There's a good summary of this study in the May 2018 addendum of <a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/hypertrophy-range-fact-fiction/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this Stronger By Science article on hypertrophy rep ranges</a>.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43133", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43140, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Are you sure that it's triceps tendonitis that you're experiencing? Medial epicondylitis (&quot;golfer's elbow&quot;) is much more common among climbers, which makes sense, as this is where the origin of the finger flexor muscles attaches, whereas the triceps really don't get used much in climbing.</p>\n<p>If you hold your arm out in front of you, with elbow bent to 90° such that your forearm is horizontal, then the medial epicondyle is the lump at the bottom of your elbow. Is this where you feel pain? It's pretty much right next to the triceps insertion point, so they're easy to confuse.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/cYaNC.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/cYaNC.jpg\" alt=\"medial epicondyle\" /></a></p>\n<p>In any case, the usual active prevention for tendinitis is workload management, either formally though logging all your climbing activities and applying limits on the basis of tools like <a href=\"https://www.scienceforsport.com/acutechronic-workload-ratio/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">acute:chronic workload ratio</a>, or just informally trying to avoid sudden big increases in the frequency or intensity with which you are climbing. A person can become accustomed to climbing 6 days per week, but if a 3 day/week climber decides that they're suddenly going to start climbing twice as often, then they're risking injuries like this. The key is slow and gradual increases in volume, and backing off and working your way back up if symptoms appear.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43143, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I had tricep tendonitis (tendonosis in my case, to be more specific) for years and have only recently got over it.</p>\n<p>Whilst you're looking to prevent it in the first place, I imagine you could do the same as what I did to cure it.</p>\n<p>I found the best ways of treating it was with a combination of eccentric exercise and 'heavy slow resistance' training in order to strengthen / repair my tendons.</p>\n<p>Eccentrics are better for when it's really bad, simply do an exercise like cable tricep extensions and use your <em>good arm</em> to bring the cable down, and then use your <em>bad arm</em> to <strong>slowly</strong> bring the cable back up again.</p>\n<p>HSR is what I did after a few weeks of eccentrics, which involves really slow-tempo reps... 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. Start off with a light weight of 15 reps and over the course of a few weeks, increase weight to heavier sets of 6–8 reps.</p>\n<p>Which method you choose will depend on how bad your tendonitis is. But if you're simply looking to prevent it, I'd just do a few sets of the above each week to keep your tendons strong.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43135", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43140, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Are you sure that it's triceps tendonitis that you're experiencing? Medial epicondylitis (&quot;golfer's elbow&quot;) is much more common among climbers, which makes sense, as this is where the origin of the finger flexor muscles attaches, whereas the triceps really don't get used much in climbing.</p>\n<p>If you hold your arm out in front of you, with elbow bent to 90° such that your forearm is horizontal, then the medial epicondyle is the lump at the bottom of your elbow. Is this where you feel pain? It's pretty much right next to the triceps insertion point, so they're easy to confuse.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/cYaNC.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/cYaNC.jpg\" alt=\"medial epicondyle\" /></a></p>\n<p>In any case, the usual active prevention for tendinitis is workload management, either formally though logging all your climbing activities and applying limits on the basis of tools like <a href=\"https://www.scienceforsport.com/acutechronic-workload-ratio/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">acute:chronic workload ratio</a>, or just informally trying to avoid sudden big increases in the frequency or intensity with which you are climbing. A person can become accustomed to climbing 6 days per week, but if a 3 day/week climber decides that they're suddenly going to start climbing twice as often, then they're risking injuries like this. The key is slow and gradual increases in volume, and backing off and working your way back up if symptoms appear.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43143, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I had tricep tendonitis (tendonosis in my case, to be more specific) for years and have only recently got over it.</p>\n<p>Whilst you're looking to prevent it in the first place, I imagine you could do the same as what I did to cure it.</p>\n<p>I found the best ways of treating it was with a combination of eccentric exercise and 'heavy slow resistance' training in order to strengthen / repair my tendons.</p>\n<p>Eccentrics are better for when it's really bad, simply do an exercise like cable tricep extensions and use your <em>good arm</em> to bring the cable down, and then use your <em>bad arm</em> to <strong>slowly</strong> bring the cable back up again.</p>\n<p>HSR is what I did after a few weeks of eccentrics, which involves really slow-tempo reps... 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. Start off with a light weight of 15 reps and over the course of a few weeks, increase weight to heavier sets of 6–8 reps.</p>\n<p>Which method you choose will depend on how bad your tendonitis is. But if you're simply looking to prevent it, I'd just do a few sets of the above each week to keep your tendons strong.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43138", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31231/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43169, "author": "Olav", "author_id": 2094, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2094", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For the kind of &quot;Yoga&quot; where you are sweating, you often put a &quot;Yoga Towel&quot; on top of the mat. If you look on Amazon, some have keywords like &quot;grip&quot;, &quot;sticky&quot;, &quot;Non Slip&quot;. I think they often have knots or small areas with rubber.</p>\n<p>I am not aware of Yoga Mats performing better than others when sweaty, but I can imagine a slightly rough surface does this. (I see some announced as &quot;Sweat-Grip&quot;)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45385, "author": "Tomuno Athletics", "author_id": 38531, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38531", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am the former owner of the #1 rated yoga mat company on Amazon (Tomuno).</p>\n<p>BUT I no longer sell yoga mats. So I hope I can provide an unbiased answer?</p>\n<p>If you are doing 'hot yoga', e.g., Bikram where the room is heated, typically you would use a hot yoga towel placed over a yoga mat. In this case you would want a 'closed cell' yoga mat. Closed cell means it has a SMOOTH surface so sweat beads and rolls off the mat and does not get absorbed by the mat. This way your mat won't get moldy or smelly and will stay clean.</p>\n<p>If you are NOT doing 'hot yoga' but just sweat a lot via your hands and feet then usually yoga studio owners recommend natural rubber. It is generally considered to provide the best grip (hence the price premium it commands). After that in descending order of grippiness would be TPE and then PVC yoga mats.</p>\n<p>With all that said, there are a lot of tradeoffs to consider for your boyfriend. If he wants a durable mat that lasts longer than 1 year he might NOT want a rubber mat. Instead he might want a TPE mat and just reconcile himself to bringing a dry cotton towel to wipe off his mat during practice periodically. Rubber mats are pricy so some yogis rightfully do not want to spend that much money each year replacing one just for grip.</p>\n<p>Other tradeoffs include: cushion vs. grip. vs. weight vs. &quot;can I use skin moisturizers with this mat&quot; ...etc...</p>\n<p>To help you choose the right mat, yoga studio owners typically ask a whole bunch of questions... &quot;Do you need cushion?&quot; &quot;Do you use essential oils to clean your mat?&quot;, etc...</p>\n<p>How do I know this? I LITERALLY spoke with almost every single yoga studio owner from the top of Maine to the bottom of North Carolina when I ran Tomuno which was a joy; yoga studio owners are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet in my opinion.</p>\n<p>For fun, I made an <a href=\"https://www.striiim.com/guides/yogamat\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">interactive quiz</a> which simulates this Q&amp;A with a yoga studio owner to help people filter down and find their right mat if interested.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43151", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34415/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43169, "author": "Olav", "author_id": 2094, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2094", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For the kind of &quot;Yoga&quot; where you are sweating, you often put a &quot;Yoga Towel&quot; on top of the mat. If you look on Amazon, some have keywords like &quot;grip&quot;, &quot;sticky&quot;, &quot;Non Slip&quot;. I think they often have knots or small areas with rubber.</p>\n<p>I am not aware of Yoga Mats performing better than others when sweaty, but I can imagine a slightly rough surface does this. (I see some announced as &quot;Sweat-Grip&quot;)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45385, "author": "Tomuno Athletics", "author_id": 38531, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38531", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am the former owner of the #1 rated yoga mat company on Amazon (Tomuno).</p>\n<p>BUT I no longer sell yoga mats. So I hope I can provide an unbiased answer?</p>\n<p>If you are doing 'hot yoga', e.g., Bikram where the room is heated, typically you would use a hot yoga towel placed over a yoga mat. In this case you would want a 'closed cell' yoga mat. Closed cell means it has a SMOOTH surface so sweat beads and rolls off the mat and does not get absorbed by the mat. This way your mat won't get moldy or smelly and will stay clean.</p>\n<p>If you are NOT doing 'hot yoga' but just sweat a lot via your hands and feet then usually yoga studio owners recommend natural rubber. It is generally considered to provide the best grip (hence the price premium it commands). After that in descending order of grippiness would be TPE and then PVC yoga mats.</p>\n<p>With all that said, there are a lot of tradeoffs to consider for your boyfriend. If he wants a durable mat that lasts longer than 1 year he might NOT want a rubber mat. Instead he might want a TPE mat and just reconcile himself to bringing a dry cotton towel to wipe off his mat during practice periodically. Rubber mats are pricy so some yogis rightfully do not want to spend that much money each year replacing one just for grip.</p>\n<p>Other tradeoffs include: cushion vs. grip. vs. weight vs. &quot;can I use skin moisturizers with this mat&quot; ...etc...</p>\n<p>To help you choose the right mat, yoga studio owners typically ask a whole bunch of questions... &quot;Do you need cushion?&quot; &quot;Do you use essential oils to clean your mat?&quot;, etc...</p>\n<p>How do I know this? I LITERALLY spoke with almost every single yoga studio owner from the top of Maine to the bottom of North Carolina when I ran Tomuno which was a joy; yoga studio owners are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet in my opinion.</p>\n<p>For fun, I made an <a href=\"https://www.striiim.com/guides/yogamat\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">interactive quiz</a> which simulates this Q&amp;A with a yoga studio owner to help people filter down and find their right mat if interested.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43153", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34418/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43160, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am not well versed with hand stands (need to wait for an expert in that) but I’m speaking from a biomechanic’s point of view.</p>\n<p>For your to hold the hand stand, it seems like you need strength and endurance in your shoulders, triceps and core. Core is especially important to stabilise your entire body and reduce unnecessary “energy wastage” by trying to maintain your balance. I would think wrist mobility is important for a handstand as well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43179, "author": "Ryan GM", "author_id": 34436, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34436", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are two methods I'm aware of that make riding a handstand on a skateboard less difficult.\nMy answer is assuming you are going to be using a standard popsicle deck with nose and tail angling up slightly past the truck base and some concave along the wheelbase.</p>\n<p>One method is to set your hands flat on the top of the deck, fingers apart, over where the trucks are mounted or as far apart as they can be without being on the angled portions of the nose and tail. For this method your fingers should all generally face one edge of the deck. This method is most like doing a handstand on the ground with your fingers perpendicular to plane created by your back.</p>\n<p>Another method is the old school wrap style. You see in vintage skateboarding pictures and footage when the boards were flat. Wrap your fingers around either end of the board on the nose and tail with your inner forearms facing the center of the deck. When executing the handstand, rest your weight on the heels of your palms on the nose and tail. My father taught me this method in his fifties on a modern skateboard so it translates even if the board is not flat. The big thing back in the day was to lock out your elbows, point your feet straight up and slalom down a hill.</p>\n<p>Be aware if you intend to become advanced with freestyle skateboarding the first method is generally used as a precursor to doing things like fingerflips back to a standing position.</p>\n<p>Pick whichever method feels more natural. Find a clean, flat block of concrete to practice on. You might don some bulky layers and a helmet then sweep your practice area well because you'll almost certainly wind up rolling on the ground while you learn to handstand on a skateboard.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43155", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 43157, "author": "Rain", "author_id": 34422, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34422", "pm_score": -1, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You don't know.</p>\n<p>There's only two certain things in exercise science</p>\n<p>More = better</p>\n<p>Too much = you screwed up</p>\n<p>So you gotta find your own balance, everyone has different threshold and following a pre-made schedule means you are either doing more than you can or less than what's your true potential.</p>\n<p>Not training enough because you follow a routine which worked on other people is wasted potential.</p>\n<p>Training too much cause you follow someone else is probably destroy both your body and mind.</p>\n<p>Grab a pen, paper and test yourself based on the results of others... See what routines have been tested on others and see how your results compare, then adjust it to yourself.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43159, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can also change them if you start to get bored and not motivated to workout. New exercises tend to be more exciting and make us raring to go.</p>\n<p>If you find that you have plateau, you can consider changing any of the variable you have mentioned. You can structure a one year plan (macro cycle) and break them up into 1 or 2 month blocks (meso cycle) and then plan the exercises you want to do.</p>\n<p>I don’t think you need to keep changing them periodically.\nDepends on your goal as well. For example, if I want to be able to hit a certain weight for bench press and I plateaued using the method of progressively adding weight every week, I’ll look at changing my reps and sets, and tempo of my lifts.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43162, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To quote Dan John (who I think quoted someone else)</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If you're a lawyer and you represent yourself, you have an idiot for a client. If you're a trainer and you write your own program...</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>How do you know when to change the variables? If you're asking the question, then you're not experienced enough to know when to change them.</p>\n<p>Your best bet is to find a pre-written routine that matches your goals and follow it. The period of time you follow it for is determined by the program itself. If you're following a &quot;4 weeks to bigger quadz&quot; program, then you follow it exactly for 4 weeks. If you're following something like Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program, then I'd say stick with it for at least 6 month, then do a more focused, set duration program, then go back to 5/3/1.</p>\n<p>The main issue most people have is program hopping, they'll start one program and assume that it's not optimal for them and that they know better, so modify it, usually in completely stupid ways</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Your Super Squats program didn't work for me, I didn't increase my squat or put on any muscle! What? Oh, yeah, I don't like squats, so I swapped them out for leg extensions, but it's the programs fault! - Some guy on T-Nation years back</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I would say you probably want a good 5 years of solid lifting experience before you even think about modifying any program you're running. And that's 5 years of following programs and progressing in some way. You need experience, a lot of experience.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 43163, "author": "rrirower", "author_id": 7242, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7242", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Self-evaluation should be part of any routine. It's used to gauge whether you are reaching your goal(s). Using your goal, you should decide what it means to “progress”.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is adding more sets or reps consider progress for you?</li>\n<li>Is adding more weight for a particular exercise progress?</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Using a training journal may help you keep track of your progress. Plan to “put in the work”. If you train without the use of drugs, progress typically takes time. Learn what works for you.</p>\n<p>Lastly, it's not a bad idea to plan periodic breaks from training. For example, you may wish to take a few days off every 6 to 8 weeks. This break will allow you to recover from any soreness/injuries, and allow you to take stock in what progress you may have made. Using this information will allow you to make the necessary changes to keep “progressing”.</p>\n" } ]

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