strength training

Every once in a while you just have to vent. I had to get the following off my chest;

If you've been keeping even a distant eye on the bodybuilding community, you've likely come across discussions (read: heated debates) on the issue of single vs. multiple sets.

Single set training, a variation of which is referred to as HIT (High Intensity Training), is characterized by maximal efforts performed in one set. Multiple set training, also termed "volume training," is lifting which involves multiple sets of usually sub-maximal efforts.

For the casual observer and the less seasoned lifter, the question might simply be "How many sets are optimal for strength gains?"

Are you bored of your current routine? Have you been off the gym wagon for a bit?

Here are some ideas to help infuse some interest back into your weight routines.

As I type this, not even 24 hours has passed since the legendary artist succumbed to cardiac arrest. In the wake of this tragedy, I can't help but think about Michael Jackson in his recent years. And, while I can't comment on the extent of his medical conditions - his prescription drug and supplement use, and the all-too-obvious psychological "not-rightness" - I remain shaken by his frailty.

Jackson's emaciated frame - absent of any noticeable muscle, could very well have been culpable in his early demise.

There are no shortages of opinions about the right way to lift weights - the best set/rep spectrum, the ideal rest periods, the optimal exercises, lifting tempo, sequence, etc, etc. Let's put those things aside for now and key in on some of the most foundational aspects of strength training.

Central London fitness centre Gymbox has come up with some killer PR: don't bother with weights made of iron and steel - just use humans of differing weights. "Creating a mental image or intention of what you want to happen or feel is proven to improve physical and psychological performance," said Gymbox owner Richard Hilton. "The human-weight lifting apparatus we have installed is the ultimate embodiment of visualisation theory."

Much like diet books, exercise books try to sell us on sex appeal - the promise of wash board abs, celebrity authors and endorsements and the words "chiseled", "ripped", "lean" and of course my personal favorite... "toned". Eric Cressey is of a different mold and so is his latest book, Maximum Strength. Cressey is highly accomplished strength coach that possesses a very unique blend of book smarts and practical know-how. Let's delve deeper in to his book.

When it comes to flexibility, it used to be the more, the better. Emerging research however is challenging what many of us thought we knew about stretching and flexibility. Here are some point form nuggets about stretching and flexibility based on recent research;

The New Rules of Lifting for Women is subtitled: "Lift like a man, look like a goddess". However, beneath the cover-page hyperbole is a book that is sensible, useful, and very much needed.

Research into anabolic steroid use shows that it isn't about cheating athletes or teenage sports wannabes. Most steroid users are in it for looks.

Convinced by the benefits of strength (or weight) training, you've decided to give it a go.

There are several options to work with depending on your individual needs and circumstances. You may decide to join a gym or buy some equipment.

You needn’t go out and spend a small fortune equipping your home gym. If you choose the home option, purchasing some dumbbells, exercise tubing, a mat and a ball is more than enough to get you started.

Here some basic guidelines for resistance training:

When counseling people on healthy living, most details are negotiable. What kind of veggies they eat and how they prepare them, what kind of cardio they do and when, whether they cut back or eliminate an item - you get the picture.

One thing that is not negotiable is resistance training (weight training). Every adult should train with weights. No cardio in the world will give you the multitude of benefits that resistance training provides.

Aside from the obvious benefit of getting stronger, here are some of the other benefits of throwing the iron around.

New research appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that strength training can reduce body fat, and attenuate abdominal fat gain.

The research applies to overweight or obese premenopausal women and was conducted over two years.

So what kind of exercise were these women doing?

Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus fitness equipment passed away recently at the age of 80. Arthur Jones was the founder of modern-day exercise; he had an incredible ability to create the interface between man and machine by incorporating biomechanics into exercise equipment. (from Nautilus VP Greg Webb)

I have no argument that Jones revolutionized exercise equipment and health clubs. I would make the argument though that the advent of exercise machines has set the fitness industry back, not forward. Machines give the illusion of offering an element of specialization, safety and user-friendliness, but we simply can’t duplicate human movement in a machine - no matter how well-designed.

Here are 5 reasons why dumbbells, barbells, body weight and cables will always rule.

Health experts tend to agree that to be healthy, you need to exercise. But as soon as the questions get more specific, the experts get a lot more quarrelsome. One of the biggest debates: do you really have to do vigorous, sweaty, aerobic exercise for good health?

In their recently updated Physical Activity Guidelines, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association took on this as well as other important questions. (The quick answer? Yep, looks like for optimal health, you may have to hit the showers after your workout.)

Fitness 'expert' Jim Karas has written a diet book claiming that cardio is a complete waste of time. The Cardio-Free Diet advises us to ditch the cardio: "it kills your time, your energy, your joints, and your motivation"

Call me cynical - but this reeks of sensationalism as a marketing tool.

My roommate knew how to eat.

Breakfast was a very large bowl of cereal topped with tinned fruit. The pile of food could only be described as mountainous. He would then make a packed lunch. This consisted of sandwiches - not just one or two - but enough to use up half a loaf of bread. The pile of sandwiches was almost a foot high - and those were just 2 meals of many.

One evening my friend complained that he couldn't stop losing weight - and it was annoying him. This confused me. At that time I thought weight loss was about dieting - and dieting meant eating nothing but lettuce and carrot sticks.

So what was the secret?