Top 10 principles to Rev up your work out, National Men’s Health Week. Starting June 11th is National Men’s Health Week and no better time than now to get started or refine your health & fitness and your work outs. Use these Top 10 principles to Rev up your work out and you are sure to achieve some amazing results.
1. Follow the SAID principle.
The acronym for Specific Adaption to Imposed Demands, this principle encourages men to keep pushing the bar higher each week by making small and steady improvements that add up to massive gains over time.
2. Implement EDT.
The system of Escalating Density Training means that men should keep each workout to 45 minutes in length, cutting out all the “water-cooler talk” and rest periods in order to complete more work in less time or the same amount of time.
3. Move in multiple planes of motion.
By focusing on both side-to-side movements and rotational work, instead of just moving forward and backward, men can develop greater strength and become more functional and well-rounded lifters.
4. Focus on movements, not muscles.
More free-weight and cable-based exercises will help a man create a stronger, more functionally fit body. A body has to work much harder when not seated in a stationary machine.
5. Use full ROM.
Unless a physical therapist or doctor advises against it, Cabral recommends working through a full Range Of Motion in order to maximize the degree to which the muscle fiber is being stressed and recruited during each movement.
6. Push, pull, and twist.
Because the body can work in only three ways, men should ensure that they do pushing, pulling, and rotational work in each workout in order for their bodies to stay balanced and in proper alignment.
7. Use a fast-slow combo.
Since the goal is to increase strength and develop a lean, muscular body, Cabral wants men to use a 1-0-4 tempo for the majority of lifts. This means pushing the weight quickly over one second, not pausing at the top, then lowering the weight over approximately four seconds, creating greater muscle growth.
8. Lift with your legs.
Cabral stresses that running or doing cardio does not work the legs. To increase leg strength, functionality, balance, alignment, and shape, men must train them with some type of resistance.
9. Use only anabolic-based programs.
For men lifting three times a week, it is essential that they focus on major muscle groups and preferably total-body training sessions in each workout. “You want working out to be a part of your healthy lifestyle, not your workout to be your life,” says Cabral.
10. Rest.
Ignoring the forgotten principles of rest, recovery, and regeneration in strength training will lead to countless overuse injuries to joints and muscles.
There you have it guys, Top 10 principles to Rev up your work out, National Men’s Health Week.
“By using these principles, you will dramatically improve your chances for achieving your goals in gaining strength and muscle while keeping your body healthy,” Cabral concludes. “Once you’ve mastered the techniques and knowledge from these 10, you can begin to branch out from there and expand your exercise education.”
Written by Stephen Cabral, via HumanKinetics.com
Guest Authors and Friends of Pinstripe Magazine, Online Mens Magazine for Gear, Girls and Gadgets.
