Healthy Homes Asia

by Phillip Day

"Exercise to improve strength and endurance"

This is the idea of loading weight onto a muscle to force it to adapt. ‘Weight' training and resistance training in general are regarded as anaerobic (lit: in the absence of oxygen), as they are ‘short burst' activities in which oxygen is not the primary catalyst for a muscle's adaptive change, overcoming resistance is.

Resistance/weight training is ideal for people of all ages, especially the elderly, as these exercises build strong bones, firm muscles, strengthened tendons and create a butch immune system. As we age, resistance training becomes more important in overcoming natural somatopause, a term referring to the lowering of natural human growth hormone (HGH) production as we age, coupled with muscular atrophy and a build-up of fat in the adipose, or loose connective tissues.

Weight training the way this chapter will show you will accomplish a lot more than just tossing around a few barbells, then heading for the shower. We'll learn ways of manipulating the process not only to burn out fast and super fast twitch fibres to activate the production of HGH, but also to produce aerobic activity while training with weights.

If you don't want osteoporosis, arthritis, heart problems, cancer, stroke, diabetes, etc., resistance training must play its part in your day. If you've already got these problems, resistance training should play A MAJOR PART in your day.

Pump up the jam - INTENSITY US

Personal trainer Darin Steen writes:

"What I have witnessed from over 18,000 personal training sessions over the last 8 years is that most people are wasting their time when they work out. They're simply not exercising effectively to reap optimal results. The four most common mistakes I see people make are: 1) using the least effective type of exercise: regular cardio. 2) Too much cardio and not enough resistance training. 3) Doing too many sets per exercise. 4) Lifting a weight too fast."[1]

In a word, not enough INTENSITY.

The major message you should be getting by now is that the body will only adapt to serious physical stress, and the more INTENSITY you bring to bear on your exercises, the more results you'll see, the quicker you'll get them and the more time and money you'll save.

Let's try a barbell exercise to illustrate the technique. This is a bar with weights on either end which you raise up to your chest line using your biceps. Many gyms have a rack of these already set up with different weights so you can ‘run the rack', as we'll do in a minute. Through experience (and trial and error), choose a weight which will cause you to fail on the 8-10th repetition (rep/lift). A series of repetitions is called a set. A set of reps is finished when your muscles fail.

Make each lift deliberate and slow, breathing out as you exert. Imagine yourself as a piston-driven machine if it helps (with noises to match!). The key here is to make the positive motion (the concentric/exertion/lift/upward motion) as deliberate as possible, and the negative (the downward/eccentric/motion/release) as deliberate as possible. It's the combination of the two movements - load and unload - not just the lift, which builds muscular strength.[2]

Especially do not rush the release movement. Studies show that the eccentric/negative/release motion performed slowly helps preserve strength gains.[3] Some top bodybuilders sometimes do ‘negative' sets to achieve this effect. Do not arch your back, keep it straight. The work should all be done in the arms.

These are slow-twitch red muscle fibres you're working. By the eighth rep you should have a nice burn going (build-up of lactic acid) and things are getting harder. As you approach ten you feel that your muscles are about to fail. Go ahead and fail them and hold the fail position as long as you can.

Take a few deep breaths to dissipate the lactic acid burn while you go back to the rack and select a 30% lighter bar. IMMEDIATELY commence the lifts again. It'll seem easy to start with as there is less weight, but as you move towards the eighth rep, you'll notice the burn becomes sharper.

When you absolutely can't do another one because your biceps feel like chewing gum, inhale and exhale a couple of deep breaths, then pump out three quick ones, then carefully lower the weight and relax. On these last three reps grit your teeth and feel the body become suddenly warm. Again, it's important to gear the weight so you absolutely fail by the tenth rep. This will provide the requisite stress on the fast twitch muscle fibres which are now in play.

Take a few deep breaths to dissipate the lactic acid burn while selecting a further 30% lighter bar on the rack. IMMEDIATELY commence the lifts again. It seems deceptively easy to start with as there is even less weight than before, but as you move towards the eighth rep, you'll notice the burn sharpen again. When you absolutely can't do another one because your biceps feel like Bolognese, inhale and exhale a couple of deep breaths, then pump out three quick ones, then carefully lower the weight and relax.

On these last three reps grit your teeth and feel the body suddenly warm. Again, it's important to gear the weight so you absolutely fail by the tenth rep. This will provide the requisite stress on the super-fast twitch ‘white' fibres which are now in play.

This technique is known as ‘stripping', ‘super-setting' or ‘running the rack'. You're not just doing one set of ten reps, then going to have a natter with your friends, you're compounding three or four strips in one set and piling on the INTENSITY.

When you get some practice at this, you'll end up lifting an absurdly light weight, screaming the house down as the last of your super-fast twitchers run up the surrender flag. Notice that the bog-standard lift would only work the comfortable red muscle so you wouldn't get the faster twitch muscles activating the production of HGH. Adaptive change is the miracle contained in INTENSITY, and HEALING is the miracle contained in ADAPTIVE CHANGE. Ergo: you have to exercise with INTENSITY to stimulate the release of natural human growth hormone and GALVANISE THE HEALING PROCESS.

The weight/cycling regime
(3-4 times a week - no more!)

An ideal starting exercise regimen for 8/80-year-olds is laid out below - it's the one I use if time is tight. You'll need a gym for this lot so get serious, they are plenty cheap deals these days. Start meek and ease into it - you don't have to become a hardcore professional in one session - the body will thank you too.

You'll be doing initial exercises designed to work the largest muscle groups in the body. Ensure no more than one minute's rest between the sets[4] of any particular exercise to prevent the body cooling down and disrupting muscle stress. It is a good idea to work with trainers available in gyms to maximise the benefit of correct technique if you are unsure, but once you've got the action down, "The sky's the limit, baby!" as Ted Turner would undoubtedly say.

As you become more proficient at training with weights, you can move to the smaller muscle groups and work them directly, such as biceps, triceps, shoulder delts, spinal erectors, calves, etc. Notice that these smaller groups are hit anyway when you do the major lifts. For instance, when you are doing bench press, the triceps and front shoulder delts come into play on the positive (lift), and biceps and rear delts are working if the negative (down-cycle) is done slowly. Some beginners make the mistake of working their triceps before doing bench presses, which means their arms are shot and the chest won't get worked. It's dangerous too as the arms can suddenly fail and the weight crash down onto your chest. Always use a spotter (a buddy/member of staff) when lifting heavy weight which might injure you.

Here we go

WARM UP WITH PEAK PERFORMANCE
Cycling or stairmaster
(see previous chapter on aerobic exercise).

Barbell Leg Squats
(3 SETS X 10 REPETITIONS (REPS))

Place barbell across the back of the neck, raise your chin and squat down (the negative) with your back kept straight, toes pointed slightly out, chest out, buttocks out. (You can use dumbbells instead and simply hold them down by your sides if you prefer). Do not arch your back, the movement is all in the hips and leg. You should fold at the waist, everything above that being fixed. Stop when your thighs are almost parallel to the ground. Then press the weight up slowly and deliberately, taking the strain into the thighs, breathing out on the positive/exertion/lift. Do not arch your back on this bit either.

Do the first set as a warm-up, failing at the 8-10th rep. Then do the last two sets ‘running the rack', i.e. lowering the weight each time you fail until you end up with no weight, blubbing your eyes out as you press out those final three. You'll need a mate for this one to relieve you of the weight or assist you when your legs fail. Sounds dramatic and when you do it right, it is! Make sure there's a bench close by so you can rest.

Bench press
(3 SETS X 10 REPS)

Do the first set as a warm-up, failing at the 8-10th rep. Then do the last two sets ‘running the rack', i.e. lowering the weight each time you fail until you end up with a tiddly bar, groaning like Michael Winner over his tax return. Once again, when you absolutely can't do another one because your chest/arms are on fire, inhale and exhale a couple of deep breaths, then pump out two quick ones, then carefully lower the weight and relax. On these last reps, grit your teeth and feel the body suddenly warm. Again, it's important to gear the weight so you absolutely fail by the tenth rep. Lowering the weight by 30-40% in each case works for me. This provides the requisite stress on the fast twitch fibres which are now coming into play.

You'll need a staff member/mate for this one also to relieve you of the weight or assist if your arms fail.

Lat pull-downs (3 SETS X 10 REPS)

Be seated, choose a weight which will fail you at the 8-10th rep. anchor your rear-end on the seat and pull the bar down to your chest and back of the neck alternately. Do the first set as a warm-up, failing at the 8-10th rep. Then do the last two sets ‘running the rack', i.e. lowering the weight each time you fail until you end up with a miniscule weight, back muscles crawling like fleas as you press out those final three.

Seated rowing
(3 SETS X 10 REPS)

Same goes for the seated rowing machine - you're getting the pattern now.

Sit-ups (2 SETS UNTIL MUSCLE FAILURE)

We all know this one and avoid it like measles. Just get on with it, go for the burn, it's over before you know it, then go and see Mother.

Light cycling to finish of, raising the sweat, sheen and glow Hit the showers.

Do the weights in this regimen no more than twice a week for now. Recovery time is everything.

Aerobic supersets Although weight-training is primarily an anaerobic activity, you can ‘aerobicise' it by training different muscle groups together. For instance, you can do bench press sets interspersed with calves raises, which sends the blood rocketing from your top end, downstairs, then back up to your chest again, forcing the heart to work harder. Some trainers work chest in with back, arms with legs, etc. to get this effect.

Static contraction training Not for the faint-hearted or beginners. This is for serious power-lifters and those seeking bodybuilding effects. Increase the weight of a particular exercise so you fail on the second or third rep, then run the rack to burn out the fast and super-fast fibre by stripping weight off for subsequent reps. This brings incredible intensity to bear on a particular muscle group but you are using a lot more weight so you need to work safely. Very important: One static contraction workout across the basic muscle groups (chest, back, arms and legs) will be it for the week. Rest and recuperation are very important so don't overdo and get sick.

Notes

* It doesn't matter whether you are 8 or 80, ease into weight training if you've never done it before, you'll be amazed at how great the body feels afterwards. This is the New Frontier within you which you've never explored. There's healing and peace here, along with a whole host of remedial and anti-ageing benefits.

* Learn the ropes and get your technique right. If you don't want to join a gym, there's a fair bit you can do at home with a little imagination. For instance, you can do press-ups on the floor, then as you fail, drop your knees to the ground and pump out those last few before collapsing and munching the carpet. Squats can be done easily at home with or without weight (dumbbells).

* Bone density is sharply enhanced by weight-training, especially in the elderly. Natural News writes:

"If you don't want to spend your later years resting in a nursing home, losing your independence and draining your or your family's financial resources, you need to do something to remain independent. According to numerous studies and aging manuals, that "something" is strength training, an activity known to increase bone mass and thus decrease the possibility of osteoporosis."[5]

* As for children, Reuters Health writes:

"While strength training was once doubted to benefit kids, a new research review confirms that children and teenagers can boost their muscle strength with regular workouts.

The findings, researchers say, support recent recommendations from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) that kids strength-train two to three times a week - though only under professional supervision."[6]

* Females take note: Weight training will not make you bulky unless you are taking anabolic steroids. That unfeminine musculature on women in magazines can only be achieved pharmaceutically and with extreme diets. Females have only one hundredth of the androgen hormone levels of men, so all that's likely to happen if you work out hard is a lean and dangerous body like Halle Berry or Jamie Lee Curtis (shame). By exercising properly and naturally you will tone your muscles, burn excess fat, normalise hormones and blood-sugar and approach your lean bodyweight so long as your diet is right.

* Diet and hydration are important to assist in repair and recovery. You do not need heavy animal protein powders which can overload the body and produce protein poisoning. Your body makes proteins specific to you according to your DNA blueprint, not from dead cows. All you need to supply is a muscle destruction/impact effect via your exercise and lots of protein building blocks (amino acids) to repair the muscle and activate general healing systems and HGH in the body afterwards. The single greatest source of usable amino acids on Earth is the plant kingdom. Which means that raw plant foods should make up the bulk of your diet. More about this later

* Ensure you rest a muscle group for at least three to four days. A good guide is to wait until any muscle soreness dissipates before re-working. The more you exercise, the less sore your muscles will be as they adapt. Once they have adapted, though, you need to increase the weight and intensity to move to the next level, if you want to move to the next level. If you don't, you can maintain the weight and simply increase the number of reps until your fast and super-fast fibres fail, ensuring that you take advantage of this mechanism to generate natural human growth hormone and galvanise the body's cellular repair systems.

Resources

Excerpted from The Essential Guide to Exercise by Phillip Day

Health Wars (2011) by Phillip Day

References

[1] www.mercola.com

[2] Aurelius A, Why Exercise? op. cit.

[3] Colliander EB, Tesch, PA “Effects of detraining following short-term resistance training on eccentric and concentric muscle strength”, Acta Physiol Scand. 1992;144:23

[4] A set is a series of exercise repetitions (reps) comprising a unit of exercise, e.g. bench pressing a weight 10 times comprises 1 set of 10 reps.

[5] www.naturalnews.com/010528.html

[6] www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69P3M120101026.

See also Pediatrics November 2010; 126(5):e1199-210