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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Feature Article- Strength Training Part 3
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1. ARTICLE:
Strength Training Principles and Guidelines: Part Three
By Chad Tackett
Online
Fitness Programs
This article is part three of a five part series discussing the very
important principles and guidelines of a safe and effective
strength training program. This article discusses the importance
of proper lifting technique, exercising through the full range of
motion, proper exercise sequence, and the correct number of
sets to do for what you're trying to achieve. The following
exercise guidelines are extremely important for your safety and
the effectiveness of your strength training program
Form / Technique
The most common and critical training mistakes may be those
of exercise technique. The tendency to use too much weight
typically results in poor form, which decreases your ability to
get results, and increases the risk of injury. Examples of poor
form or technique are: bouncing the bar off the chest in the
Bench Press; using hip and back extension to initiate Bicep
Curls; arching the back or bending backward under Shoulder
Presses; using any sort of momentum in any exercise; and
training at fast speeds. These mistakes will not send the blood
you need into your muscles and will work counter to your
goals. Be aware of these mistakes and eliminate them from
your program.
Exercise Through Full Range of Motion
Perform each exercise through a full range of motion, with
emphasis on the end of the positive phase. Full range exercise
movements are advantageous for strengthening the prime-mover,
or agonist muscles--the muscles directly trained in the exercise,
such as the biceps in the biceps curl. Lifting in the full range of
motion is also advantageous for stretching the antagonist
muscles, the muscles that act in opposition to the agonist. In
the Biceps Curl, the triceps is the antagonist. Training in the
full range of motion enhances both muscle strength and joint
flexibility.
Exercise Selection
It is very important to select at least one exercise for each
major muscle group to promote well-balanced muscle
development. Training only a few muscle groups or
training one muscle group more increases the risk of injury.
Exercise Sequence
Another important element of strength training is exercise
sequence. When performing a variety of weightlifting exercises,
it is advisable to proceed from the larger muscle groups to the
smaller muscle groups. This allows optimal performance of
the most demanding exercises when fatigue levels are the
lowest and you feel fresh. Another reason, one that is often
overlooked, is illustrated by the common example of training
both back and biceps. Ordinarily, you would want to train your
back first, since it is the larger muscle group of the two; let's say
you are doing the Rear Lat. Pull-down. In that exercise, you are
indirectly working your biceps, too, since both muscle groups
are at work in the pulling motion. This means that your biceps will
actually be warmed up and ready to train when you get to them.
This is the same for exercises requiring pushing motions such
as the chest, shoulders, and triceps. By the time you are done
with your chest exercises, both your shoulders and your triceps
are warm and ready to train. Of course, you might not always
do your "pulling" (back and biceps) and your "pushing" (chest,
shoulders, triceps) motions on the same day--because as you
reach a plateau you will want to change your exercises, the order
that you do them, and the muscles that you train together, to
provide a new stimulus and interest for yourself. This will be
discussed soon.
Sets
Another important element is exercise sets. An exercise set
is the number of successive repetitions performed without
resting. The number of sets per exercise is largely a matter
of goals, interests and personal preference. We recommend
that people treat their first set as a warm-up--12-20 reps with
relatively light weight (done slowly). Then you can do either one,
two, or three more sets--even up to six (strength and power
program)--depending on whether you are at a beginning,
intermediate, or advanced level and what you are trying to
accomplish.
If you are working on your second exercise for a particular muscle
group, we recommend that you do either two or three sets for that
exercise since that muscle is already warmed-up from the first
exercise. Regardless of the number of sets performed, each set
--and each repetition--should be done in proper exercise form
and under control.
Good luck, and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of strength training.
Global Online Fitness Programs
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