Cardio Can Help You Build MuscleBy leehayward On December 20, 2009No Comments
Regular cardio has been shown to improve digestion, strengthen bones, improve sleep, increase energy levels, strengthen the heart and lungs, and improve circulation. Cardio also helps to rid the body of lactic acid build up.
Lactic acid is what causes the burn that you feel after a hard set. It slows recovery and can contribute to muscle soreness. Since cardio exercise enhances circulation and oxidation of toxic compounds, your body rids itself of post workout lactic acid more quickly when you do regular cardio.
When you add up all of the benefits of cardio, from increasing your energy levels to improving your bodies ability to utilize nutrients, and get rid of toxins. It becomes clear that moderate cardio combined with weight training will help speed your muscle gains.
Here are some good basic guidelines to follow for your cardio workouts:
Do at least 20 minutes of cardio 3 times per week.
Work in your Target Heart Rate Zone. To find your “target heart rate” you just subtract your age from 220 to determine your maximum heart rate. Then multiply that number by 0.65 this will give you your “lower target heart rate level”, multiply by 0.8 to determine your “upper target heart rate level”.
To make things easier you can get a exercise heart rate monitors that you wear on your wrist just like a watch. This will accurately tell you if you are working at the correct intensity level. These cardio heart rate monitors are available at most any department store in the sporting goods section.
Choose a form of cardio exercise that you enjoy. One type is not necessarily better then another. There is no “best cardio exercise”, cardio is cardio, it makes no difference what type of cardio you do. What does matter is how hard you work. Your body will burn the same number of calories at a certain heart rate whether you are riding an exercise bike, using the stair master, or hiking through the woods, it makes no difference in terms of real world results.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Benching Film
Feel free and enjoy the footage of our work outs. My partners consist of Mary Blackstone Age 49 BW 182, Jim Waullett Age 43 BW 215. BBlackstone Age 48 11 months BW 219
http://s702.photobucket.com/albums/ww28/bigarm19/?action=view¤t=20090903175717.flv
http://s702.photobucket.com/albums/ww28/bigarm19/?action=view¤t=20090903175717.flv
Friday, May 29, 2009
Percentage lifting
Well here is my take on percentage lifting.
I read several post of work outs that describe lifting by percentage. 50%x10-60%x8-70%x6-80%x4-90%x2. Now say I follow this routine. Lets say my max is 200lbs. I would be doing sets of 100x10-120x8-140x6-160x4-180x2. Now what if I blow through the set of 10 and 8. Fail on 6. Hit all on 4 and totally blow 2. How has this benefitted me? It has not. Not one bit. Now because I follow this method, do I continue to lift these numbers or not. If not what do I do? Do I re-scramble the percentages? Me personally I set my work outs for a method I call until failure. I constantly push my self to the highest limits. I feel it does me no good to continually try to lift numbers I blow through or numbers I can't get. This is one of the keys to big bench numbers. Always lift heavy.(except burn out day and speed day) If I'm doing the reverse pyramid. The final 1 or 2 presses will be very difficult. To the point of failure with out a touch from the spotter. A touch, not a pull. I must do at least 85% of the lift with out help. So. If I'm doing 8 reps. 7 may be slow and rough 8 will be a grinder to 15% failure.
If we go back up and record what I did before. 10 and 8 rep I may add 5-10lbs depending how easy I went through them. On 6 reps, did I fail on 6 totally or just needed a touch. If I needed any kind of help I lower the weight. Why? Because I have raised the 8-10 rep weight. Just continue with this method. After 3 sessions you should have it figured out. So for the reverse pyramid. Starting with percentage is OK. Just don't make it gospel and totaly stick with it.
Now for sets of 3 and 5. According to percentages with my 200lb bench. My 3 rep set should be. 170lbs and my 5 rep set should be 150lbs. What if I can hit the 5 reps and not the 3 reps? What if I hit the 3 reps set on the first set but miss a little on the second? What I would do is stick with that weight until I bomb on it. Then lower the weight. Don't be afraid to adjust your lifting as you go. You do not have to get 5 sets of 5 with 150. You can hit one set with 155 the second and third with 150 and the fourth with 145 and finally the fifth with 135 if needed. Just don't have a set number of pounds per rep per set. Move the numbers accordingly. Remember. It does not pay to lift the weight if you can get them all with out struggle. Your muscles need to struggle to get stronger. One reminder. If you are struggling with a weight and you loose form to try achieving the lift. Your weight is to heavy. Only push yourself to lift the weight that you can struggle with and continue your form. The key is to lift heavy but stay healthy.
I read several post of work outs that describe lifting by percentage. 50%x10-60%x8-70%x6-80%x4-90%x2. Now say I follow this routine. Lets say my max is 200lbs. I would be doing sets of 100x10-120x8-140x6-160x4-180x2. Now what if I blow through the set of 10 and 8. Fail on 6. Hit all on 4 and totally blow 2. How has this benefitted me? It has not. Not one bit. Now because I follow this method, do I continue to lift these numbers or not. If not what do I do? Do I re-scramble the percentages? Me personally I set my work outs for a method I call until failure. I constantly push my self to the highest limits. I feel it does me no good to continually try to lift numbers I blow through or numbers I can't get. This is one of the keys to big bench numbers. Always lift heavy.(except burn out day and speed day) If I'm doing the reverse pyramid. The final 1 or 2 presses will be very difficult. To the point of failure with out a touch from the spotter. A touch, not a pull. I must do at least 85% of the lift with out help. So. If I'm doing 8 reps. 7 may be slow and rough 8 will be a grinder to 15% failure.
If we go back up and record what I did before. 10 and 8 rep I may add 5-10lbs depending how easy I went through them. On 6 reps, did I fail on 6 totally or just needed a touch. If I needed any kind of help I lower the weight. Why? Because I have raised the 8-10 rep weight. Just continue with this method. After 3 sessions you should have it figured out. So for the reverse pyramid. Starting with percentage is OK. Just don't make it gospel and totaly stick with it.
Now for sets of 3 and 5. According to percentages with my 200lb bench. My 3 rep set should be. 170lbs and my 5 rep set should be 150lbs. What if I can hit the 5 reps and not the 3 reps? What if I hit the 3 reps set on the first set but miss a little on the second? What I would do is stick with that weight until I bomb on it. Then lower the weight. Don't be afraid to adjust your lifting as you go. You do not have to get 5 sets of 5 with 150. You can hit one set with 155 the second and third with 150 and the fourth with 145 and finally the fifth with 135 if needed. Just don't have a set number of pounds per rep per set. Move the numbers accordingly. Remember. It does not pay to lift the weight if you can get them all with out struggle. Your muscles need to struggle to get stronger. One reminder. If you are struggling with a weight and you loose form to try achieving the lift. Your weight is to heavy. Only push yourself to lift the weight that you can struggle with and continue your form. The key is to lift heavy but stay healthy.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Take a look
Ever get to a point of a lift were you just don't have any more? Well if you have kicked properly your breathing like your giving birth to an elephant. just try this simple movement. With out turning your head. Just moving your eyes. Look at your dominant hand. This will subconsciously tell your other hand it needs to push harder. AND IT WILL. Mind over matter. Next time your stuck. Just look at your good hand. It just may give you a personal if not World record!
Breathing
I have been watching a lot of videos as of late. One thing I have noticed, lifters holding there breath. Why? The only answer I can come up with is. That's what you do in the other two lifts. Well let me tell you. Not at the bench you don't. Breathing can actually get you through a lift.
The basic breathing technique on the bench is. Deep breath before lift off. Exhale as the weight is handed off. As you bring the bar down, start a long deep breath. The inhaled air should take as long as the decent of the bar. Hold the breath while in the pause position. This will help you stay tight. Exhale according to the press. Then just start the process all over. Continuing to bring in fresh oxygen to the system. The oxygen will be carried to the muscles with the fresh blood. The more oxygen the faster the blood travel. The oxygen will be pumped into the muscles along with the blood. The combination expands the muscle while under strain. The expanding muscles will give you the pop you need to grind through the lift. If you start to grind out to a point were you use all your breath. Simple. Just start rapid breathing. Just like the women do during child birth. This can get you through your next grinder. This technique is not limited to repetition lifting. Use this on your one rep lifts also. When ever your grinding. BREATH!
The basic breathing technique on the bench is. Deep breath before lift off. Exhale as the weight is handed off. As you bring the bar down, start a long deep breath. The inhaled air should take as long as the decent of the bar. Hold the breath while in the pause position. This will help you stay tight. Exhale according to the press. Then just start the process all over. Continuing to bring in fresh oxygen to the system. The oxygen will be carried to the muscles with the fresh blood. The more oxygen the faster the blood travel. The oxygen will be pumped into the muscles along with the blood. The combination expands the muscle while under strain. The expanding muscles will give you the pop you need to grind through the lift. If you start to grind out to a point were you use all your breath. Simple. Just start rapid breathing. Just like the women do during child birth. This can get you through your next grinder. This technique is not limited to repetition lifting. Use this on your one rep lifts also. When ever your grinding. BREATH!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Moving Latic acid
Lee Hayward has just sent me a e-mail on moving lactic acid from the chest to the rear delts.
Reverse dumbbell flys will move blood and lactic acid from the chest to the rear delts. This will help with the increase your reps. Also I have added a article on Lactic acid to help you understand what lactic acid is.
Plenty of research has swirled around about lactic acid in recent years and now scientists have debunked many of the myths that lactic impairs performance. In fact, now it is believed that lactic acid actually provides another fuel source for working muscles.
Lactic acid may still be behind the burning sensation during intense exercise but new research has confirmed that delayed onset muscle soreness is from the are microscopic tears and trauma to the muscles and inflammation.
Lactic acid was always seen as a by-product of metabolizing glucose for energy and a waste product that caused a burning sensation in the muscles. Now it is seen as another important fuel source in the body. Lactic acid is formed from glucose, and used by working muscles for energy. Now it is thought that muscle cells convert glucose or glycogen to lactic acid. Then lactic acid is absorbed converted to a fuel by mitochondria in muscle cells.
Reverse dumbbell flys will move blood and lactic acid from the chest to the rear delts. This will help with the increase your reps. Also I have added a article on Lactic acid to help you understand what lactic acid is.
Plenty of research has swirled around about lactic acid in recent years and now scientists have debunked many of the myths that lactic impairs performance. In fact, now it is believed that lactic acid actually provides another fuel source for working muscles.
Lactic acid may still be behind the burning sensation during intense exercise but new research has confirmed that delayed onset muscle soreness is from the are microscopic tears and trauma to the muscles and inflammation.
Lactic acid was always seen as a by-product of metabolizing glucose for energy and a waste product that caused a burning sensation in the muscles. Now it is seen as another important fuel source in the body. Lactic acid is formed from glucose, and used by working muscles for energy. Now it is thought that muscle cells convert glucose or glycogen to lactic acid. Then lactic acid is absorbed converted to a fuel by mitochondria in muscle cells.
Friday, April 24, 2009
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