Category: General training (Page 12 of 18)

Test your strength with the Deadlift

March 16, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Men?s Fitness.com put together a strength test using your one rep max for the deadlift exercise.

HOW IT’S DONE
Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, your toes facing straight ahead. Squat down and grab the bar with an outside-shoulder-width, palms-down grip [1]. Keep your lower back in its natural arch, and drive your heels into the fl oor and push your hips forward, lifting the bar as you rise until it’s in front of your thighs [2]. Reverse the motion and return the bar to the fl oor. That’s one rep.
THE TEST
Estimate your deadlift one-rep max?the most weight you can lift for one rep?and compare it to the calculations below.
Your 1RM (one-rep max) is…
? Less than your body weight = Damn, you’re weak
? 1.25 x your body weight = You’re average
? 1.5 x body weight = You’re pretty strong
? 2 x body weight = You’re a beast!
A 200-pound guy who can deadlift 300 pounds for one rep is pretty strong. If your number falls in the weak or average categories, see below for tips on how to bring it up.

Click here to see MF.com?s guide to deadlifting more weight.

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Did you know?

March 12, 2009 / Mike Furci

Bullz-Eye.com Fitness Editor Mike Furci answers readers questions about water, U.S. hospitals and myths about salt.

…it?s not necessary to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to maintain optimum health? We?ve been told this arbitrary recommendation for years. There is little evidence for or against any of the supposed benefits of extra water, such as increased toxin excretion, improved skin tone, lessened hunger, and reduced headache frequency. A review of the available research concludes that for average healthy people, more water doesn?t mean better health. (Mercola.com newsletter)

To read the rest of the Q&A, click here.

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Rolling Triceps Extension

March 11, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Men’s Fitness.com breaks down the rolling tricpes extension and why it’s ideal for building arm size and strength.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie back on a bench with your arms locked out above your chest [1]. Bend your elbows until the dumbbells touch your shoulders, then “roll” your shoulders back so that your elbows go beside your head and you feel a stretch in your triceps and your lats. Reverse the motion by contracting your lats and triceps simultaneously to pull your arms forward and lock out your elbows [2]. That’s one rep.

Why It Works Essentially a combination of the lying triceps extension and pullover, the rolling extension allows you to use more weight as a result of the involvement of the lats. Perform the exercise for 10-12 reps, as going too heavy for low reps can be stressful on the elbow joint. Do not explosively lock out your elbows. “This is best used at the end of your workout,” says Ferruggia, “as a finisher after dips or bench presses.”

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NFL Combine not a predictor of performance.

March 6, 2009 / Mike Furci

Every year the NFL invites about 3% of approximately 10,000 college football players to participate in a series of tests called a combine. A combine is designed to assess the skills of promising college football players. These athletes give it their all in hopes of getting drafted and consequently being offered a contract. Although the tests used during the 5 days of the combine require skill and athleticism, its predictive value is in question.

The NFL uses the combine as a key element of the player-selection process. A recent study calls into question the validity of most of the exercises and suggests a significant amount of money is wasted. Researchers found combine skills clearly lack any meaningful predictive value of player performance, except for running backs and sprint times. One explanation the researchers give is the popularity of combine prep courses. Other than marketing claims, there is no research that shows any course improves combine performance. If they do, however, these programs could dilute performance differences. Unfortunately for the players being tested, and team owners who write the checks, these improvements in combine skills do not transfer to athletic ability on the field.
(Journal of Strength & conditioning Research 2008;22(6))

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Stretch for Muscle

February 21, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Are you typically a hardgainer or have you hit a plateau in the gym? Maybe stretching your muscles more is your answer to making gains again in the gym.

MensFitness.com lays out six ways to stretch for more muscle:

Chest. Grab a pair of dumbbells that you can perform 12-15 reps with on a dumbbell bench press, and get into the bottom position of the exercise (your hands near the outside of your chest).
Back. Hang from a chinup bar in the bottom position of a pullup, palms facing away from you.
Biceps. Set an incline bench to a 45-60-degree angle and sit on it with a dumbbell in each hand. Allow your arms to hang.
Triceps. Hold the end of a towel with one hand and grab the other end behind your back. Pull down with the hand behind your back so that your opposite elbow points upward and that arm’s triceps is stretched. You should look like you’re in position to do a one-arm overhead triceps extension.
Quads. Rest one foot on a bench set to a low incline, and bend the opposite knee so that you go into a split squat position. You should feel the stretch in your rear thigh and that leg’s hip.
Hamstrings. Rest one heel on a bench, step, or other surface that’s three or four feet off the floor. Bend forward and try to kiss your knee.

Click here to read the entire article.

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