Cardio by Lee Hayward

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.

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&current=20090903175717.flv

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.

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!

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.

Tribustol address

http://www.tribustol.com/

Size Matters

Yes size does matter. Now get your mind out of the gutter. Did you or do you travel from one facility to another? How about competition? Did you ever lift great one day. Go to another bench and just lift horribly. Especially at a competition. Your warming up and it feels great. Every thing is running on eight cylinders. Your name is called. You get set up with a very comfortable opener. You bring it down nicely with confidence. You hear the press command and BAM!! Some were in the lift you just stall and miss the lift. You think things out and try to correct them. In turn you are making things worse. At one time or another it has happened to all of us. Especially the shorter lifters. Some times the taller lifters.
I spotted for my wife this last event. Our plan was to open with 132, then 143, then hit a PR of 165. She missed her opener. A weight she works out with every chest day. Though the judge called an early rack and she would have made the lift, she attempted it again. This time she fought right through it. One thing. There is no way she should be fighting this weight. Next up 137.5. She totally bombed!! She was so aggravated. As I walked her back to the locker room we past up the warm up area. I stopped her and told her not to look at the weight. Just lift it. She got in to the bench. I handed her out the bar. I counted to three then told her to start. She brought it down for a three second pause. I called press. She SMOKED it! She got up and asked the weight. 145! She could not figure it out. I did. I pulled out my tape measure. 16 inches by 12.
The bench she competed with. 171/2 by 11. Huge difference. The height effected her leg drive, the width effected her shoulders. So in the future. Bring a tape measure. Size up the competition bench. Know how it will effect you. If it's taller, your going to lose leg drive. If its narrower, your going to lose your shoulders. Adapt accordingly. For now on, we will be carrying 1 1/2 inch thick blocks. This way when I run into a 17 1/4 to 17 1/2 inch bench I'll just lift off of the 1 1/2 inch blocks. I'll be pressing off a 16-16 1/4 inch bench. Exactly what I train off of. A 16 inch bench.

Position of the bencher PG2

First, lay flat on the bench. Head, were your eyes are directly under the bar. Look straight up to the ceiling. Is the bench straight? The line of the bar even with the ceiling. If not. Get off the bench and straighten it up.
Now. Lay back on the bench. Eyes under the bar. Grip the bar, your hands in your normal evenly spaced position. Feet flat, as far into the rack as possible. Now adjust your hands out one half of a fingers width. Re-grip the bar. Now this will be different. While holding the bar. Move your whole body into (UP) the rack. Your arms at full extension. Bring your feet up (remember up) into the rack. Your body should hanging off the bench up to about your hips. Your buttock should be close to the head of the bench . Now. Put your feet flat on the floor, at shoulder width or a slight wider. Not to much. Make sure your toes are pointing straight forward. If an angle is needed. Never more than two inches. Toes! NOT HEELS! Heels should not move. Now swing your self back out of the rack towards the foot of the bench. Do not loose your foot position. When you come back on to the bench. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. You should have acquired an arch and on your toes. Take notice to tuck your chin during this swing out of the rack. Being on your toes should put you on the top of your traps. If your chin is tucked and your head is off the bench. You missed it. You are more than likely on your widest part of your back. Rear deltoids. Start over. Don't worry. It takes time to master. Just be conscience of what your doing. Set up is just as important as the lift itself. O.K. your back were you need to be. High on your traps, buttock on the bench, chin tucked, shoulders pinched and on your toes. ON YOUR TOES!? O.K. lets remedy that. Simple. Just move your feet away from the rack, slowly, until your heels are about 1/4-1/2 inch off the floor. Don't worry we will fix that soon. Now that your in the position. Grip the bar as tight as you can. Squeeze the juice out of it. Remember again. With your grip. The bar should be at about the top of the heel of the palm. Not just below the fingers. Now that your squeezing tight, as you bring the bar over your chest, Push your heels into the floor while keeping your buttocks on the bench. You should be squeezing your hands tight keeping your arms tight. Now pull the bar apart. As you pull the bar apart this will keep your shoulders tucked and your elbows at the most optimal position. Now bring the bar down with control while staying tight, pulling the bar apart, keeping all your body tight, and employing your legs at about 75% of there strength. Remember to breath! As the bar is descending take a deep breath that last as long as the bar decent does. Fill your belly full of air. When the bar meets the chest. Stay tight and hold your breath. On the command press. Drive your heels into the floor. Pushing your shoulder in to the rack. Not lifting your buttocks! As you drive your heels, employ 100% of your leg drive. Exhaling as the bar leaves. Your exhale should explode just like the movement of the bar off the chest. Fully extend the arms. Re rack. Note: the bar should come down just below the nipples. If you hold this position true. You should add scores of lbs to your bench in no time.

Next time we will cover sticky points and some tricks to get past them.

The bench

A few words on what the bench parts are. According to Bill.

The head of the bench.
Pretty simple. Where your head goes.
Foot of the bench.
Where your feet go.
Rack.
The uprights that hold the bar
Up
Towards the head
Down
Towards the foot
In
Towards the lifters side
Out
Away from the lifters side

Position of the bencher PG1

How many times have you gone to the gym and see a so called lifter with no right being on the bench? While there going through there routine, if that's what you want to call it. It seems they are doing more of an impression of a fish on the deck of your boat. The crappie flop I like to call it.
Or there feet are dancing around while turning and twitching because the weight is way to heavy? This one I like. They finally hold there feet still long enough to create this huge arch with there butt way up in the air while turning 5 shades of red from holding there breath. But hey. They look cool with there little sporty lifting gloves. Some with wrist wraps. WAY COOL!
Well if your one of those people I have described. SORRY. But facts are facts. YOUR DOING IT WRONG!! There are a list of things you will rid yourself of. All your bad habits must be forgotten. Lets start from the top. Your head. It will never leave the bench. Under no circumstance shall you ever lift your head. Chin will always stay tucked into your chest. Shoulders will always stayed tucked. You will never lay flat on the bench again. Your hands. Your hands will always be clinched tight as to squeeze the juice out of the bar. The fingers will never frolic around again. Again. Loose the gloves. This is a must. NO excuses. The elbows will stay tucked and never flop around like a bird in a head wind. Your back will stay tight and always arched keeping your shoulders and buttock on the bench. The buttocks will also stayed flexed to the maximum. Your feet will NEVER move again except during load up. The dance party is over people. Look for part two. Learn how to get the perfect position for your championship run!

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. Please feel free to join in any time. Take notice. This is a family backed sight. Only speak as if you were talking to your Grand-mother!
My history as a power lifter. Though I don't have twenty or thirty years under my belt. I do have some knowledge of the bench press movements. If you want to lift big. Read and follow my writings. As in any thing else in life. Remember. Everybody is different. Take out of this what works for you. Mix this in with other knowledgeable lifters ideas and hints. Put them together to create one awesome lifter. YOU!!