Tuesday, July 11, 2006

New Rule for Bodybuilding #17

17. Lift hard.

After enough emphasis about learning to do the exercises correctly, start lifting hard. One thing about life is that we're always learning; even when we're not actively choosing to do so. Learning is a part of daily life, not something done while seated in a classroom. We usually learn from our mistakes better than when everything goes as expected. You may be learning by using light weights but that still doesn't mean you're guaranteed to do them correctly.

Don't wait too long before lifting hard. A couple of weeks should have been enough. Lifting hard is a necessary part of learning correct form so there's no reason to put it off. Every exercise is a movement against resistance. The more challenging the resistance is, the better your muscle gets at working to counter the resistance. The resistance must increase to get the benefits of adaptation. Either lift harder, rest less between sets, or change your workout for a month or two. If you're not even breaking a sweat, you might as well go play a game of hoops, at least you might get a workout that way.

If a tennis player only plays against terrible players, it gets boring after only a couple of wins; there is no improvement; when compared to playing against a better player.

If there were no problems in life, it wouldn't be life. We have character which we build through dealing with resistance (problems and challenges) and it shapes who we are or become. If you never dare to leave your comfort zone, life begins to get very boring: no improvement, no growth, no satisfaction.

Lifting weights that are too light is the same way. The weights must be heavy enough to be challenging; so that one minute of rest, maybe two, is required before the next set. If you get back to your resting breathing rate... and just sit...and wait...and wait...then you're a powerlifter, not a bodybuilder. Being just short of breath is ideally the way the entire workout should go. When I break out of my comfort zone, I feel good. Endorphins and stuff.

My rest during leg workouts: when I've almost caught my breath after I've stopped panting hard. That's how I know it's time for the next set. When I work out upper body, I time out 30 seconds to 1 minute, I try to vary it. Sometimes, I just "run the rack," by doing sets without rest except to change weights: by decreasing weight for dumbbells, for every set. It is essentially one giant set with no rest, but challenging the muscles differently. At other times, I have to consciously remember to rest for a minute or two.

Run the Rack

Save time on the last dumbbell exercise in your workout. Instead of doing three sets of shoulder presses, biceps curls, or any dumbbell move, start with a weight that's about 50 percent of what you usually use to do 10 to 12 repetitions. Perform the exercise six times, then quickly grab the weight that's one increment heavier. Continue working your way up in weight until you finally find one that you can't lift six times using proper technique. Then reverse this process by grabbing a slightly lighter weight and completing as many repetitions as possible, even if you can only manage a few. Keep moving down the rack until you're left using the lightest set of dumbbells possible.

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