Please don't believe everything you hear. Being at the gym, or anywhere for that matter, find out the facts.
1. Is Weight Lifting Dangerous?
Machines seem to be safer than free weights but are they? Weight lifting is used for (p)rehabilitation because it can prevent and fix injuries. If you use bad technique you can injure yourself and if you can't control your ego you end up using bad technique as well and can be injured. You need to use your head to think about what you are doing and this will keep you safe.
Weight lifting injuries seem to be lower than most sports.
Free weight lifting doesn't injure people when used correctly compared to machines.
2. Is Weight Lifting Actually Bad for Your Joints?
Running is more stressful on your joints than weightlifting. Weightlifting involves controlled, non-impact movements. Strength training will increase the health of your joints by strengthening the muscles and ligaments that hold them together.
3. Does Weight Lifting Cause High Blood Pressure?
Your blood pressure does increase when you are lifting heavy weights, but it returns to normal when you are finished your set. This is how weight lifting works your cardiovascular fitness. People who lift weights often have lower blood pressure than people that don't exercise. Studies show that regular weight lifting actually lowers your systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
4.Does Weight Lifting Make You Bulky?
Muscle is denser than fat! You actually look slimmer at the same body weight if you increase your muscle mass! Lots of "skinny" people train up to 6 times a week and still struggle;e to gain weight. Why is that? They don't eat enough. Getting bulky means to gain weight. To gain weight you must eat more. Training hard won't increase your weight without proper calories and nutrition.
5. Weight Lifting Will Make Women Bulky!?
Women in the magasines had to use steroids in order to get to this point in their life. Being a women you can gain strength, improve your physique and build muscle but you will never build as much muscle as a man because of your testosterone level is lower. You will always look feminine unless you use steroids.
6. Can Weight Lifting Stunt Your Growth?
The only way you can stunt your growth is if you damage the growth plate by letting the barbell fall on you. If you use the proper technique, you will be safer than with rugby or soccer where collisions are common. Supervising youth weight lifters can actually stimulate growth because it increases bone mineralization.
7. DoesWeight Lifting Decreases Flexability?
If you have been sedentary for a long time you will soon realize that weightlifting will make you regain your flexability and maintain it.Squating will help give your hip muscles a full stretch. Increasing your muscle mass or strength will not reduce your flexability.
8. Does Weight Lifting Make you Slow?
Strong muscles contract faster and generate more power. That's why professional athletes like Shaquille O'Neil or Tiger Woods do weight lifting: strength makes you faster.
9. Does Weight Lifting Cause Hemrroids?
The right way to breathe during a lift is to hold your breath and push it against your closed glottis. This will keep your lower back safe by increasing pressure in your abdomen. If you hold your breath and push it towards your anus you can get hemrroids. Try to breathe correctly to avoid this.
10.Does Muscle Turn to Fat if You Stop Weight Lifting?
Muscle never turns to fat. They are completely different tissues. If you stop training you have eat less than before because you won't be burning off the same calories. It is easier to regain muscle than to build it from scratch due to muscle memory.
11.Does Weight Lifting Increase Waist Size?
Power lifters in the heavy classes have big waists due to the fact they area focusing on getting stronger. Power lifters in the lighter categories have smaller waists. Squats and deadlifts work your abs hard. Many people who do these exercises for a couple of weeks report that they have lost inches on their waists.
12. Is Weight Lifting Boring?
If you have a plan at the gym and you are focused it is not boring. You will achieve results. Weight lifting is an intellectual and technical sport. You shouldn't get board because there is no time. You need to focus on so many things and pay attention during a lift. The constant challenge of increasing weight is far from boring. The real fun is when you start getting results.
Thursday, 18 August 2011
CANCER-FIGHTING NUTRITION TIPS
From "The Anti-Cancer Diet" by Helpguide.org(May 2011)
1. Focus on plant-based foods
Foods that come from plants: vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and beans do the best job of supporting your immune system and help your body fight off cancer.
2. Bulk up on Fibre
Fibre found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains help your digestive system and also move cancer-causing compounds out before they can harm you.
3. Cut down on meat
Meat lacks the fibre and nutrients that can help prevent cancer, and is high in fat which can be linked to cancer.
4. Choose your fats wisely
Unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids can decrease your cancer risk. Saturated fats and trans fats area the two most damaging fats.
5. Boost your immune system
Brightly coloured fruits and vegitables are full of antioxidant powers that prevent cell damage with in your body.
1. Focus on plant-based foods
Foods that come from plants: vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and beans do the best job of supporting your immune system and help your body fight off cancer.
2. Bulk up on Fibre
Fibre found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains help your digestive system and also move cancer-causing compounds out before they can harm you.
3. Cut down on meat
Meat lacks the fibre and nutrients that can help prevent cancer, and is high in fat which can be linked to cancer.
4. Choose your fats wisely
Unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids can decrease your cancer risk. Saturated fats and trans fats area the two most damaging fats.
5. Boost your immune system
Brightly coloured fruits and vegitables are full of antioxidant powers that prevent cell damage with in your body.
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Mind Over Matter-Mental Training Increases Physical Strength
At Bishops University, Erin Shackell and Lionel Standing conducted a study with 30 male athletes including football players, basketball players and rugby players. They were randomly picked to perform mental training of their hip flexor muscles, to use weight machines to physically exercise their hip flexors, or to form a control group which didn't get any mental or physical training. The hip strength was measured before and after the training session. Believe it or not but the group that practiced the mental training was increased by 24%. Strength was increased as well by physical training with a 28% increase! It did not change significally by the control group. The greatest gain was not surprisingly with the football players that were given the mental training. The physical and mental training produced similar heart rates, and both had a bit of a difference in the systolic blood pressure by a bit of a reduction. There were similar findings in 2004 by Ranganathan, Siemionow, Liu, Sahgal and Yue.
Mental training is becoming more and more common to enhance athletic performances. By using mental imagery of themselves performing an activity or cognitive skill, the participants are able to do the activity in their minds without actually doing the activity. They do this before doing it in the area of their expertise. Some professional sports teams often utilize mental training programs for their athletes almost as much as doing the physical training.
Mental training is becoming more and more common to enhance athletic performances. By using mental imagery of themselves performing an activity or cognitive skill, the participants are able to do the activity in their minds without actually doing the activity. They do this before doing it in the area of their expertise. Some professional sports teams often utilize mental training programs for their athletes almost as much as doing the physical training.
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