Hey Guys!
Those of you interested in adopting a stretching routine may be wondering, when should I stretch? This is where most experts disagree. There are always new findings in regards to stretching, and the fact is we cannot take them all at face value.
There is a lot of conflicting evidence on when you should stretch, so in this post I will discuss my experiences as well as information from books and articles I have read on the subject, which I believe are accurate and reliable.
I have heard in a particular study that you should not stretch before exercise because the muscles will naturally tighten after the stretch is performed. This study tested athletes stretching before practice and monitoring their performance on the field.
From what I know about stretching, this is not true. The only way your muscles will tighten is if you stretch too far, in which case this is a natural reaction of the nervous system to protect the muscle tissue from damage.
I cannot speak for every sport, team, or coach, but when you are an athlete you generally are not taught how to stretch properly. From what I have witnessed, many athletes simply go through the motions, not knowing exactly what they are doing. Since they do not know the science behind flexibility training, they will not know how to stretch to increase their performance.
Flexibility training is often overlooked in sports, and that can negatively affect athletes trying to increase their performance.
I recommend that you stretch before working out. Many professional bodybuilders stretched anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour before their workouts in order to activate the muscles they were targeting, and to lengthen the muscle to perform a greater range-of-motion in their exercises.
Another great time to stretch, from my experience, is an hour or two after a workout. I like to keep the muscles tense for a while to stimulate their growth, but after a couple hours, I want to release that tension in order for the muscles to relax and recover.
Remember, your muscles grow through rest, not through lifting weights. Lifting weights simply promotes muscle growth during rest.
Speaking of recovery, you should stretch 1 to 2 hours before going to bed. This allows your muscles to relax when they need it most. Stretching before bed will grant you better recovery during the time that your body recovers the most - sleep.
But if you feel pressed for time, stretch when you can. You do not have to perform your whole routine at once. You can stretch 5 minutes at a time throughout the day. What is important is that you take the time to stretch, to actually go through your routine.
Also, like exercise, your muscles need to recover from the stress you put on them while stretching. I recommend stretching anywhere from 4 to 6 days a week, but how often you stretch depends on the level of flexibility you want to achieve and your schedule.
If you guys want to learn any new stretches or have any general questions on flexibility training, leave a comment below.
Until next time.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
The Foam Roller: What is it, how does it Relate to Flexibility, and how do I use it?
Hey Guys!
Today's post is about a device you may or may not have heard about: the foam roller.
The foam roller acts as a deep-tissue massage, allowing you to break up any knots or scar tissue you might have built up over years and years of training.
Using this device elongates your muscles and stretches them out, granting you enhanced range-of-motion, and improving your flexibility. From my experience, the foam roller grants you flexibility much faster than static or dynamic stretching, and that flexibility seems to last longer. I remember having gone a considerable amount of time without foam rolling and stretching, but I found that when I went back to these activities my flexibility had not decreased drastically.
In addition, the foam roller is a great tool for completely healing previous injuries by breaking up the knots and scar tissue associated with said injuries. That does not mean that the foam roller is a miracle tool, but it is a more effective healer than conventional stretching.
Now, you might be wondering how you use the foam roller, and a good amount of people do not know how to use it properly.
To use the foam roller, select any muscle, tendon, or other area you want to foam roll. Now you want to place that area on top of the foam roller and roll back and forth SLOWLY, but not too slow. You want to do that for about 30 seconds. After that, you want to find your problem areas - the areas where you experience the most discomfort.
When you find a problem area, pause, and let your muscle relax. Stay in this position for about 30 seconds. If the pain persists, rock from side to side for a few moments to break up that tissue. Mentally tell the muscle or tendon to go to sleep.
Make sure you spend enough time on the foam roller. I often spend close to an hour foam rolling my entire body. You can literally foam roll any area of your body from your neck to your feet, and I recommend that you do so, especially if you exercise intensely. But if foam rolling takes you an hour, then foam roll for an hour.
You need some form of active release therapy in any exercise routine, and foam rolling can give you that. You do not want to allow your muscles to constantly build up tension and get tighter and tighter. Your muscles need to relax as well.
Now, should you foam roll, or should you stretch? I recommend both. There are areas you may be overlooking in your stretching or foam rolling routine, but if you practice both, the chance that you are not hitting every problem area becomes much slimmer.
After reading this post, I hope you all will consider buying a foam roller. They only cost around $30 and will last you a lifetime. Also, do not buy the basic foam roller. You want to have one the is spiked like the one above so that it can break up deeper tissue.
Just a bit of caution, when you first start to foam roll you will experience some extreme discomfort. That is normal, but the more you use it, the easier it becomes. When you use it for a few months you will not even feel any pain, rather, it will feel like a massage.
So that's all folks. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below, and more exercises, stretches, and tips coming soon.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
Today's post is about a device you may or may not have heard about: the foam roller.
The foam roller acts as a deep-tissue massage, allowing you to break up any knots or scar tissue you might have built up over years and years of training.
 |
| My Foam Roller |
In addition, the foam roller is a great tool for completely healing previous injuries by breaking up the knots and scar tissue associated with said injuries. That does not mean that the foam roller is a miracle tool, but it is a more effective healer than conventional stretching.
Now, you might be wondering how you use the foam roller, and a good amount of people do not know how to use it properly.
To use the foam roller, select any muscle, tendon, or other area you want to foam roll. Now you want to place that area on top of the foam roller and roll back and forth SLOWLY, but not too slow. You want to do that for about 30 seconds. After that, you want to find your problem areas - the areas where you experience the most discomfort.
When you find a problem area, pause, and let your muscle relax. Stay in this position for about 30 seconds. If the pain persists, rock from side to side for a few moments to break up that tissue. Mentally tell the muscle or tendon to go to sleep.
Make sure you spend enough time on the foam roller. I often spend close to an hour foam rolling my entire body. You can literally foam roll any area of your body from your neck to your feet, and I recommend that you do so, especially if you exercise intensely. But if foam rolling takes you an hour, then foam roll for an hour.
You need some form of active release therapy in any exercise routine, and foam rolling can give you that. You do not want to allow your muscles to constantly build up tension and get tighter and tighter. Your muscles need to relax as well.
Now, should you foam roll, or should you stretch? I recommend both. There are areas you may be overlooking in your stretching or foam rolling routine, but if you practice both, the chance that you are not hitting every problem area becomes much slimmer.
After reading this post, I hope you all will consider buying a foam roller. They only cost around $30 and will last you a lifetime. Also, do not buy the basic foam roller. You want to have one the is spiked like the one above so that it can break up deeper tissue.
Just a bit of caution, when you first start to foam roll you will experience some extreme discomfort. That is normal, but the more you use it, the easier it becomes. When you use it for a few months you will not even feel any pain, rather, it will feel like a massage.
So that's all folks. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below, and more exercises, stretches, and tips coming soon.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Front Shoulder Stretch
Hey guys!
This week I have a front deltoids stretch to introduce into your stretching or workout routine.
Some people have shoulder pain or limited range-of-motion because their front deltoids are tight or overdeveloped in relation to the other two heads of the shoulder. This usually results from too much emphasis on pressing movements in your routine.
This can affect the intensity of your workout to a great degree and limit the amount of exercises you can perform.
Some people cannot perform exercises such as dips, dumbbell flys, or behind-the-neck presses because of this limit in their range of motion, or they cannot perform as great a range-of-motion as they should.
If you are into bodybuilding, having adequate flexibility is a must. You need to have that increased range-of-motion in order to bring more muscle fibers into the exercise. Not only that, but if you have limited mobility you will not be able to perform the wide range of exercises needed to develop an aesthetic physique.
But those are just a few reasons to perform this stretch, here are the instructions to perform this stretch.
As with any other stretch, do not stretch too far. You want to stretch just enough so that your nervous system allows the stretch to happen without resisting. If you read my previous post you will know that your nervous system is designed to tighten your muscles if you stretch too far, too fast. Going too far in this stretch can cause you discomfort and hurt your shoulder joint.
This stretch can be an effective warm-up for dips and flys, exercises that put a lot of stress on the shoulder joint and require adequate shoulder flexibility to recruit more muscle fiber in the extended range-of-motion.
I know the pictures I used in this post are not the best, but I wanted to give you guys a visual aspect as well as a description of the movement. If you guys have any questions please let me know by leaving a comment. As always, more exercises, stretches, and advice coming soon.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
This week I have a front deltoids stretch to introduce into your stretching or workout routine.
Some people have shoulder pain or limited range-of-motion because their front deltoids are tight or overdeveloped in relation to the other two heads of the shoulder. This usually results from too much emphasis on pressing movements in your routine.
This can affect the intensity of your workout to a great degree and limit the amount of exercises you can perform.
Some people cannot perform exercises such as dips, dumbbell flys, or behind-the-neck presses because of this limit in their range of motion, or they cannot perform as great a range-of-motion as they should.
If you are into bodybuilding, having adequate flexibility is a must. You need to have that increased range-of-motion in order to bring more muscle fibers into the exercise. Not only that, but if you have limited mobility you will not be able to perform the wide range of exercises needed to develop an aesthetic physique.
But those are just a few reasons to perform this stretch, here are the instructions to perform this stretch.
- Start with your feet at shoulder-width, standing tall.
- Bring your hands behind your body, clasp them together, bring them as high as possible, and press them against your back.
- Press against your back with your hands and simultaneously push back with your chest to stretch the front deltoids.
 | ||
| Rear View |
As with any other stretch, do not stretch too far. You want to stretch just enough so that your nervous system allows the stretch to happen without resisting. If you read my previous post you will know that your nervous system is designed to tighten your muscles if you stretch too far, too fast. Going too far in this stretch can cause you discomfort and hurt your shoulder joint.
This stretch can be an effective warm-up for dips and flys, exercises that put a lot of stress on the shoulder joint and require adequate shoulder flexibility to recruit more muscle fiber in the extended range-of-motion.
I know the pictures I used in this post are not the best, but I wanted to give you guys a visual aspect as well as a description of the movement. If you guys have any questions please let me know by leaving a comment. As always, more exercises, stretches, and advice coming soon.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Flexibilty: Why you Should Stretch
Hey Guys!
So some of you may ask yourselves why should I stretch. Sure, flexibility training is not effective in losing fat or getting stronger, but there are numerous benefits to improving your flexibility. A flexible athlete is a better athlete.
You may have heard some people say that stretching does not decrease your risk of injury. Well, there is no way to effectively test that. We cannot go back in time for an injured athlete, put him through a flexibility program, and see if he does or does not get injured again.
But it is foolish to say that improved flexibility does not reduce your risk of injury. Many injuries are caused by the over-extension of a joint, muscle, or connective tissue. You know, sprains, strains, or pulled or torn muscles. These can all be prevented by increasing your range of motion, a.k.a. increasing your flexibility.
How many people have surgery on their shoulders or hips due to injury? These injuries can be prevented by strengthening and stretching the muscles associated with those areas. If you keep your injuries to a minimum you can maximize your time in the gym instead of a wheelchair.
Here is another reason you should stretch: stretching releases tension. You may wonder why that is important, but your muscles cannot recover fully or properly while tense. When a muscle is tense it is active. It is engaged. In order to heal, the muscle needs to rest, hence the importance of stretching. The best time to stretch for recovery purposes is one or two hours before bed so that your muscles can relax and heal.
The benefits of stretching do not stop there. Stretching also improves neuromuscular coordination and range of motion, allowing you to perform exercises you could not without adequate flexibility.
Some examples of exercises you cannot do without adequate flexibility are dead-lifts, front squats, dips, flys, behind-the-neck presses, and lunges. These exercises require wrist, ankle, shoulder, and hamstring flexibility. If you want to get stronger you need to be more flexible. Flexibility broadens your exercise options.
Flexibility is essential for everyone to live healthier lives. It is needed in any activity you do.
There are two types of stretching that are effective for improving flexibility. The first is static stretching where you hold yourself in a certain plane of motion for a specific period of time.
The second type of stretching is dynamic stretching. This type of stretching involves moving in and out of a stretch position in a slow, controlled manner. Studies have shown that dynamic stretching increases flexibility faster than static stretching, but both have their uses.
When you stretch, do not stretch hard enough that it hurts. Not only will this tear your muscle fibers, but your nervous system is designed to tighten the muscle when you stretch too far to prevent further damage. Stretching in this fashion will tighten your muscles instead of loosening them.
When you stretch you want your muscles to relax. You want to ease into the stretch to the point where it becomes challenging, or as I like to think of it, the point where the pain you experience is a good kind of pain. But do not go further than that.
You want your muscles to feel as though they are going to sleep. You do not want to stretch to the point where your brain is screaming in pain to stop the stretch.
Finally, stretch for as long as you think necessary. Some people say to hold each stretch for 30 seconds if it is a static stretch. If it is dynamic some people recommend performing the motion 10-12 times. Decide what is best for you. I find that holding a stretch until I can no longer feel it is the safest and most effective method.
If you guys have any questions about flexibility or want to learn new stretches for certain muscle groups, let me know in the comment section below. This month will be devoted to flexibility training.
Till next time.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
So some of you may ask yourselves why should I stretch. Sure, flexibility training is not effective in losing fat or getting stronger, but there are numerous benefits to improving your flexibility. A flexible athlete is a better athlete.
You may have heard some people say that stretching does not decrease your risk of injury. Well, there is no way to effectively test that. We cannot go back in time for an injured athlete, put him through a flexibility program, and see if he does or does not get injured again.
But it is foolish to say that improved flexibility does not reduce your risk of injury. Many injuries are caused by the over-extension of a joint, muscle, or connective tissue. You know, sprains, strains, or pulled or torn muscles. These can all be prevented by increasing your range of motion, a.k.a. increasing your flexibility.
How many people have surgery on their shoulders or hips due to injury? These injuries can be prevented by strengthening and stretching the muscles associated with those areas. If you keep your injuries to a minimum you can maximize your time in the gym instead of a wheelchair.
Here is another reason you should stretch: stretching releases tension. You may wonder why that is important, but your muscles cannot recover fully or properly while tense. When a muscle is tense it is active. It is engaged. In order to heal, the muscle needs to rest, hence the importance of stretching. The best time to stretch for recovery purposes is one or two hours before bed so that your muscles can relax and heal.
The benefits of stretching do not stop there. Stretching also improves neuromuscular coordination and range of motion, allowing you to perform exercises you could not without adequate flexibility.
Some examples of exercises you cannot do without adequate flexibility are dead-lifts, front squats, dips, flys, behind-the-neck presses, and lunges. These exercises require wrist, ankle, shoulder, and hamstring flexibility. If you want to get stronger you need to be more flexible. Flexibility broadens your exercise options.
Flexibility is essential for everyone to live healthier lives. It is needed in any activity you do.
There are two types of stretching that are effective for improving flexibility. The first is static stretching where you hold yourself in a certain plane of motion for a specific period of time.
The second type of stretching is dynamic stretching. This type of stretching involves moving in and out of a stretch position in a slow, controlled manner. Studies have shown that dynamic stretching increases flexibility faster than static stretching, but both have their uses.
When you stretch, do not stretch hard enough that it hurts. Not only will this tear your muscle fibers, but your nervous system is designed to tighten the muscle when you stretch too far to prevent further damage. Stretching in this fashion will tighten your muscles instead of loosening them.
When you stretch you want your muscles to relax. You want to ease into the stretch to the point where it becomes challenging, or as I like to think of it, the point where the pain you experience is a good kind of pain. But do not go further than that.
You want your muscles to feel as though they are going to sleep. You do not want to stretch to the point where your brain is screaming in pain to stop the stretch.
Finally, stretch for as long as you think necessary. Some people say to hold each stretch for 30 seconds if it is a static stretch. If it is dynamic some people recommend performing the motion 10-12 times. Decide what is best for you. I find that holding a stretch until I can no longer feel it is the safest and most effective method.
If you guys have any questions about flexibility or want to learn new stretches for certain muscle groups, let me know in the comment section below. This month will be devoted to flexibility training.
Till next time.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Developing Multiple Strengths Through Training
Hey Guys!
When we work out we develop physical strength. We are completely aware of this, but we may not be aware of the other strengths we develop through training.
Like I said in a previous post, there are multiple types of strength. When we work out we strengthen our bodies. We increase our physical strength, but we do so much more than that.
When we take this journey in the world of improving our health and fitness we are also strengthening our resolve. We decided to make a positive change to better our health or appearance. We chose to become stronger.
Many people are afraid to make this change. They are afraid of exercising, eating healthy, or both, and that can be for many different reasons. Others may not have the confidence to exercise in front of others. Others are simply too lazy or resistant to change.
So we are also developing character strengths like confidence and courage. We are becoming confident in ourselves, our appearance, and our abilities. We are less fearful of change. We are able to express ourselves with our bodies, which requires internal and external strength.
We also show strength of willpower when we take this journey. We constantly push through no matter how hard or frustrating that journey gets because we have strength of faith. Faith that we will live longer, healthier lives. Faith that we can do anything we set our minds to.
All of these strengths will carry over into our other activities and daily lives. You may not realize it, but we are developing, becoming stronger versions of ourselves all through training.
Through strength training we achieve true strength.
If you always put limits on what you can do, physically or anything else, it'll spread over into the rest of your life. It'll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.
- Bruce Lee
Get Stronger!
- Nas
When we work out we develop physical strength. We are completely aware of this, but we may not be aware of the other strengths we develop through training.
Like I said in a previous post, there are multiple types of strength. When we work out we strengthen our bodies. We increase our physical strength, but we do so much more than that.
When we take this journey in the world of improving our health and fitness we are also strengthening our resolve. We decided to make a positive change to better our health or appearance. We chose to become stronger.
Many people are afraid to make this change. They are afraid of exercising, eating healthy, or both, and that can be for many different reasons. Others may not have the confidence to exercise in front of others. Others are simply too lazy or resistant to change.
So we are also developing character strengths like confidence and courage. We are becoming confident in ourselves, our appearance, and our abilities. We are less fearful of change. We are able to express ourselves with our bodies, which requires internal and external strength.
We also show strength of willpower when we take this journey. We constantly push through no matter how hard or frustrating that journey gets because we have strength of faith. Faith that we will live longer, healthier lives. Faith that we can do anything we set our minds to.
All of these strengths will carry over into our other activities and daily lives. You may not realize it, but we are developing, becoming stronger versions of ourselves all through training.
Through strength training we achieve true strength.
If you always put limits on what you can do, physically or anything else, it'll spread over into the rest of your life. It'll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.
- Bruce Lee
Get Stronger!
- Nas
Friday, January 23, 2015
Getting Consistent Results while Working Out
Hey Guys!
I'm going to cut right to the chase and tell you that everyone who has practiced strength training ever has, at least once, stopped getting results from working out. This can be frustrating, but there are variables we can change that influence our progression.
When we work out, our bodies adapt to the stress we place it under. The reason you stop seeing results is that your body has adapted to the stress; now you need to add a new stress in place of the old stress to continue developing.
There are many ways we can change the parameters of our workout routines to promote growth. The variables I will discuss are Intensity (weight), Volume (sets and reps), frequency (how often you work out) and exercise variations (or cycling).
Intensity is where most people get stuck. Some people use the same weight for weeks, even months, on end. The worst thing you can do is use the same weight over and over again. Your body has adapted to that intensity. You now have to add or drop weight. Do not be discouraged to drop weight if you have to. Your pride can keep you from getting stronger - don't let it.
So you can either add or drop weight, but now you have to either lower or raise your volume. If you drop weight you should perform more sets and reps, and if you increase the weight you have to lower the amount of sets and reps you perform.
Just those three variables alone will provide enough change from workout to workout to promote consistent results, but I have two more variables for you guys.
Frequency, or how often you train a particular muscle (or muscle group) also influences your development. But the amount of stress you place upon your body will influence how often you can workout without overtraining. Beginners can easily train a muscle group twice a week, while intermediates and advanced lifters need more time to recover. After all, they handle much more stress than beginners.
What intermediates and advanced lifters can do is train muscle groups twice a week and have one day focus on volume while the other focuses on intensity. One day you would use heavy weights, the other you would use light weights. This way you would not place as much stress on your body.
Finally, you can add variety to your exercises. I'm not saying you have to perform completely different exercises. You can, but you can also make changes to the exercises you are currently doing. Every exercise has its variations. For example, instead of doing bench-press over and over you can do flat or incline dumbbell presses.
You can even keep it simpler by only changing your positioning - hand position, stance, grip, etc. For example, you can perform side lateral raises with a straight arm or with your elbows slightly bent. This will allow you to train different muscle fibers and build fully developed muscles.
I change at least one variable in my routine each time I work out. Some changes are more drastic than others, but each time I see results.
So that's all folks. Until next time. If you have any questions or comments leave them in the comment section below.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
I'm going to cut right to the chase and tell you that everyone who has practiced strength training ever has, at least once, stopped getting results from working out. This can be frustrating, but there are variables we can change that influence our progression.
When we work out, our bodies adapt to the stress we place it under. The reason you stop seeing results is that your body has adapted to the stress; now you need to add a new stress in place of the old stress to continue developing.
There are many ways we can change the parameters of our workout routines to promote growth. The variables I will discuss are Intensity (weight), Volume (sets and reps), frequency (how often you work out) and exercise variations (or cycling).
Intensity is where most people get stuck. Some people use the same weight for weeks, even months, on end. The worst thing you can do is use the same weight over and over again. Your body has adapted to that intensity. You now have to add or drop weight. Do not be discouraged to drop weight if you have to. Your pride can keep you from getting stronger - don't let it.
So you can either add or drop weight, but now you have to either lower or raise your volume. If you drop weight you should perform more sets and reps, and if you increase the weight you have to lower the amount of sets and reps you perform.
Just those three variables alone will provide enough change from workout to workout to promote consistent results, but I have two more variables for you guys.
Frequency, or how often you train a particular muscle (or muscle group) also influences your development. But the amount of stress you place upon your body will influence how often you can workout without overtraining. Beginners can easily train a muscle group twice a week, while intermediates and advanced lifters need more time to recover. After all, they handle much more stress than beginners.
What intermediates and advanced lifters can do is train muscle groups twice a week and have one day focus on volume while the other focuses on intensity. One day you would use heavy weights, the other you would use light weights. This way you would not place as much stress on your body.
Finally, you can add variety to your exercises. I'm not saying you have to perform completely different exercises. You can, but you can also make changes to the exercises you are currently doing. Every exercise has its variations. For example, instead of doing bench-press over and over you can do flat or incline dumbbell presses.
You can even keep it simpler by only changing your positioning - hand position, stance, grip, etc. For example, you can perform side lateral raises with a straight arm or with your elbows slightly bent. This will allow you to train different muscle fibers and build fully developed muscles.
I change at least one variable in my routine each time I work out. Some changes are more drastic than others, but each time I see results.
So that's all folks. Until next time. If you have any questions or comments leave them in the comment section below.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
Friday, January 16, 2015
How to Increase Muscle Mass
Hey guys!
This post is about increasing muscle mass. I'm not sure how many of you know this, but the amount of repetitions you perform during a particular exercise dictates whether you develop strength, mass, or endurance. Generally, sets ranging from 8 - 12 reps develop muscle mass. I find that sets of 10 work best, but that is my preference.
Now this may be a surprise to some of you, but lighter weights are better for building muscle mass. A common mistake people make when trying to get bigger is using heavy weight that they cannot control.
In order to promote muscle growth you must increase the time your muscles are under tension. This is best accomplished with high volume (lots of sets and lots of reps), good form, and focusing on the negative (eccentric) movement of each repetition.
The negative movement is often the second portion of a lift where the trainee lowers the weight back to the starting position. For example, the negative movement of a bicep curl is the part of the exercise where you lower the weight back down.
These negatives create the most micro-tears in the muscle, therefore placing it under much more stress than the positive (concentric) movement. As such, those focusing on increasing muscle mass would be wise to control their negative movements.
Gaining mass is all about control; focusing on squeezing, feeling the muscle ache, and controlling the movement.
And unless you are a beginner, you should be performing at least 5 sets of 8-10 reps. I often perform 10 sets of 10 reps on each exercise to increase muscle mass - though you do not need as many sets if your intensity (weight) is high. Varying intensity (weight) and volume (reps and sets) can provide enough variation for you in order to prevent plateaus - a piece of advice to keep in mind.
Finally, the best exercises to perform to get big are isolation exercises. Isolation exercises allow you to focus on not only individual muscles, but different portions of different muscles. For example, the flat bench press develops the lower chest, incline dumbbell presses work the upper chest, flys focus on the outer chest, and pullovers strengthens the inner chest.
So those who would like to have an aesthetically-pleasing body should focus on a variety of exercises. This will give your body a fully-developed look.
I hope this helps some of you in reaching your New Year's resolutions. If anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or whatever, please leave a comment down below. As always, more exercises, stretches, nutrition info, and general tips coming soon.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
This post is about increasing muscle mass. I'm not sure how many of you know this, but the amount of repetitions you perform during a particular exercise dictates whether you develop strength, mass, or endurance. Generally, sets ranging from 8 - 12 reps develop muscle mass. I find that sets of 10 work best, but that is my preference.
Now this may be a surprise to some of you, but lighter weights are better for building muscle mass. A common mistake people make when trying to get bigger is using heavy weight that they cannot control.
In order to promote muscle growth you must increase the time your muscles are under tension. This is best accomplished with high volume (lots of sets and lots of reps), good form, and focusing on the negative (eccentric) movement of each repetition.
The negative movement is often the second portion of a lift where the trainee lowers the weight back to the starting position. For example, the negative movement of a bicep curl is the part of the exercise where you lower the weight back down.
These negatives create the most micro-tears in the muscle, therefore placing it under much more stress than the positive (concentric) movement. As such, those focusing on increasing muscle mass would be wise to control their negative movements.
Gaining mass is all about control; focusing on squeezing, feeling the muscle ache, and controlling the movement.
And unless you are a beginner, you should be performing at least 5 sets of 8-10 reps. I often perform 10 sets of 10 reps on each exercise to increase muscle mass - though you do not need as many sets if your intensity (weight) is high. Varying intensity (weight) and volume (reps and sets) can provide enough variation for you in order to prevent plateaus - a piece of advice to keep in mind.
Finally, the best exercises to perform to get big are isolation exercises. Isolation exercises allow you to focus on not only individual muscles, but different portions of different muscles. For example, the flat bench press develops the lower chest, incline dumbbell presses work the upper chest, flys focus on the outer chest, and pullovers strengthens the inner chest.
So those who would like to have an aesthetically-pleasing body should focus on a variety of exercises. This will give your body a fully-developed look.
I hope this helps some of you in reaching your New Year's resolutions. If anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or whatever, please leave a comment down below. As always, more exercises, stretches, nutrition info, and general tips coming soon.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
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