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Strength Training Terminology
By Jassen | December 29, 2007
Some people could care less about things like terminology, whereas other people will tell you that to speak the jargon of a field is to know that field. Either way, here are some terms that you may want to know as you embark on your journey towards Total Fitness.
Abduction and Adduction
Abduction is defined as those bodily movements which involve actions that are away from the midline of the body or one of its body parts. Abduction occurs in the frontal plain. The muscle that causes this movement is called the abductor.
Adduction is the opposite of abduction and involves movement towards the midline of the body. The muscle that causes adduction at a joint is called adductor.
Agonist
The agonist is the muscle which is directly responsible for the movement at a joint.
Anaerobic Activity
Anaerobic activity is a term used to define activities undertaken without the presence of oxygen e.g. weight lifting and sprinting. Such activities cannot be undertaken for long periods of time.
Anaerobic Capacity Test
A test that is used to measure the ability of the body to undertake exercises of short durations and of very high intensity.
Antagonist
An antagonist is a muscle that has an action opposite to muscles directly responsible for the movement of a joint.
Concentric Muscle Contraction
Concentric muscle contraction involves muscle shortening while contracting, such as the bicep while lifting the weight during the bicep curl.
Eccentric Muscle Contraction
Eccentric muscle contraction involves the lengthening of a muscle during movement, such as the bicep while lowering the weight during the bicep curl.
Extension
Extension may be defined as any movement that involves an increase in the angle of the articulating bones, such as straightening a bent elbow. The muscle which causes an extension is called an extensor.
Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber
Fast twitch muscle fiber is a type of muscle fiber that is suited for high intensity exercise.
Flexion
Flexion is a movement that leads to a decrease in the angle between two articulating bones, such as at the elbow during the bicep curl when the weight is bought up towards the shoulder. The muscle that causes flexion is called the flexor.
Isokinetic Muscle Contraction
Isokinetic muscle contraction occurs when the speed of shortening of the muscle remains constant over the entire range of motion. This type of contraction usually relies on special gym equipment.
Isometric Muscle Contraction
Isometric muscle contraction occurs when the muscle length remains static during exercise. This occurs when the force of the muscle equals the weight of the force applied on the muscle, such as if you hold a weight in your hand with an outstretched arm for 10 seconds.
Isotonic Muscle Contraction
Isotonic muscle contraction occurs when the tension remains constant and where the muscle shortens. Weight training is a classic example of isotonic muscle contraction.
Ligament
Ligaments are strong fibrous connective tissue that attaches one bone to another.
Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance refers to the ability of a muscle to undergo repeated contractions without fatigue.
Plyometrics
Plyometrics is a type of training that is designed to improve both power and strength. It usually involves exercises such as an athlete jumping from one block to the floor and then to another block.
Progressive Overload
In order to improve the body’s strength or endurance, we must put it under some kind of stress, and as the body becomes stronger we should increase the amount of stress in order to continue achieving gains.
Resistance Training
Resistance training refers to any type of training or exercise where resistance is applied to the body
Slow Twitch Muscle Fiber
Slow twitch muscle fibers are the muscle fibers that are designed for endurance and high aerobic activity. They can produce a large amount of energy using oxygen. For example, marathon runners and cyclists have a lot of slow twitch fibers.
Strength
Strength refers to the maximum force that can be developed within a muscle or group of muscles during a single contraction.
Synergist
Synergist is the muscle which contracts to enhance the efficiency of the muscle primarily important for the movement of a joint.
Tendon
Tendons are connective tissues which are responsible for attaching skeletal muscle to bone.
Topics: Jargon Watch, Journal, Strength Training | No Comments »
Pain and Overtraining
By Jassen | December 29, 2007
The old adage, “No pain, no gain” really isn’t true. When it comes to weight training, you must stop you feel pain. It should be noted that there is a difference between real pain and “the burn.” This is the burning sensation that you get when you are doing a lot of hard repetitions to full capacity. That burning feeling is due to the build up of lactic acid in the muscles and is different from injury. The burning is an indication that the muscles are working to full capacity and you can push them a little further (but still avoiding injury). If you can feel a pain that is not associated with the burning sensation, it is time to stop. It is better to call off that day’s exercise plan than to run the risk of not exercising for a whole month if an injury takes place.
Over-enthusiasm leads to excessive exercise, which in turn causes over-training. Over exercising can lead to not only injury and wear and tear, but it can also cause mental fatigue. It is one of the biggest reasons why people give up exercising. Training should be done only to the point that it is comfortable to the mind and body. The maxim “more is better” does not always hold true while exercising. In case the muscles have been over fatigued, they usually recover after 48 hours of rest. If the problem seems to be a muscle tear, sprain or issue related to the bone, you must treat it as a sports injury and seek medical attention.
Topics: Cardio, Fitness, Health, Journal, Strength Training | No Comments »
4 1/2 Minute Abs
By Jassen | December 28, 2007
Killing yourself with extensive ab workouts is a whole lot of pointless, wasted effort if you’re not cutting calories and doing cardio. It’s imperative that you cut your gut fat if you want your abs to show through. You MUST do cardio to get that ripped, six pack look.
A lot of individuals with incredible looking abs do very little in the way of regular ab workouts. Ray, for example, does ONE ab workout per week, for about 15 to 20 minutes.
In this video, Ray presents a pretty intense ab workout that takes less than 5 minutes. Do this 2 or 3 times per week, in conjunction with your daily walking, running, or other cardio, and you’ll be strengthening the core muscles while also dropping body fat, helping that six pack come to the surface.
Topics: Calories, Exercises, Health, Journal, Muscle Building, Strength Training, Videos, Weight Loss | No Comments »