Should I lift heavy?

This is a question which is asked by many and is never really answered. When I started training I was one of those people that believed going heavy resulted in bigger muscles, as in a simple sense it's a stronger muscle so surely it’s going to get bigger. Now this is somewhat true but muscle growth can also come from many other different ways and types of training. 

In simple terms strength is about increasing force production. Size, on the other hand, is about getting a pump through the increase of blood flow to the muscle and creating microscopic damage to the muscle, which then causes it to repair and grow larger. This is hypertrophy in a nutshell and now is the most common rep range where most people believe they should be training in order to add size to a given muscle group. 

What is Strength Training?

The general rule when training for strength is that the reps should be low and the resistance load should be high. Low-rep strength work is primarily neuromuscular, this involves teaching your Central Nervous System how to bring more muscle into the movement or in the correct terms increase motor unit recruitment. Strength training takes time, you wont just increase the weight you're lifting each week and where programming becomes the crucial element. The slow increase in weight over time shall force the muscle to grow stronger but, its a steady process and must not be rushed. Always stick to the big compound moves for this and also focus on form over the weight you're lifting. No one around you will care that you're deadlifting 5 plates if you're back is arched over and you're doing more harm than good. 

Hypertrophy?

Unlike strength training, the goal of training for size is more physiological than it is neurological. It's about upgrading your body's hardware, like bones, connective tissues, and muscles. Its about pushing the muscle past what it is already capable through the micro tears of the tissue so it will grow stronger and larger. These are four points to focus on:

• Using strict form. Most of the exercises are going to be isolating the muscle so form is the most crucial element, target the muscle you want to actually train!! 

• Using the tempo! This is the biggest thing that is neglected in the gym, people just lifting weights as fast as they can but tempo plays such an important part. You could cut the amount of weight you're lifting and focus on the contraction and eccentric phase of the moment. A count of three seconds each is perfect and will engage the muscle so much more.

• Mentally focusing on the muscles being worked and squeezing those muscles at the peak of contraction. Very much the same as tempo but at the peak of the movement push that little further and squeeze the muscle forcing blood directly into it. 

• Avoiding fully locking out so the muscles are under tension throughout the movement. Many people take the tension when performing an exercise away from the muscle by locking out at the joint and all the weight transferred onto this. Try to avoid this, especially when you're isolating the muscle, if you can’t, reduce the weight. 

For your workout to be the best it can be it needs a rounded rep scheme. Aim for the heavy, compound exercises at the beginning of the routine to really shock the muscle, recruit the most amount of muscles and predominantly build strength in the muscle. Then as the session wears on with the addition of isolated exercises aim for higher reps, focus paid to tempo and form to really break down the muscle further. Supersets, tri-sets and drop sets all added to push that little further but form always takes precedence over anything else.

There you have it, going heavy has it’s time and place but isn’t always essential. The best bit of advice I can give though is a big muscle doesn't always mean its a strong muscle!

Jack 

Late Night Legs

After a rather long 3 weeks away with very little training I got back late last night. With this amount of time away from a routine I was craving gym time and what could be more prevalent then kicking it off with a late night leg work out!

Now I normally stay away from training late, it's just never felt like the best time to train but last night was an exception to this. I always hit my legs with high volume beginning with back/front squat. Last night however I changed my squat slightly on advice from a video I had seen from Bradley Martyn, opting for a much closer, narrow back squat. This takes the stress away from the hamstrings and more onto the quads much like a front squat but allows for a heavier weight to be lifted. I went high volume with 8 sets of 12-15 reps, increasing weight over each set, hitting 125kg in the last set. 

Post these squats my legs were pretty much on fire but I moved onto hamstrings through variations of curls. 8 sets of 15 reps, focusing on the contraction and forcing blood into the muscle. This was very similar with leg extensions which I finished the workout off, super setting with weighted lunges. With the extensions pause at the top of the movement, when the leg is fully contracted. Dropset on each set really pushed my legs to the limited. A little finisher with tabata jump squats for 8 minutes. This is so simple but after all of the volume above was a killer.

1) Back Squat, warming up to 8 sets 12-15 reps. 

2) Leg Curl 8 sets 15 reps

3) Leg Extension drops sets, 12 reps each, weighted lunges 12 reps each leg. 6 sets.

4) Tabata Jump squats for 8 minutes.

My legs were totally busted after this workout, a fab workout. Needed a good foam roll out an stretch after this workout and they're hurting a lot this morning. Give the narrow squats a go, really worth it.

Good luck

Jack

Training at Reebok Sports Club!!!

I'm only just recovering from what was a crazy day yesterday! I had a pretty free day so decided to go and train with a old friend who lives in East London. She is a beast!! We decided we were going to do two sessions, one involving some high intense cardio followed by a weights session in the afternoon, with a trip to Nandos obviously in between!!!!

Now she called on me as she really wants to get her speed up when it comes to running. She has great speed over long distances but is lacking that quick turn of speed. Things we worked on:

1) Find gears when it comes to running. This is a must in any type of training but especially when running. It gets to the point where you can just turn it on and off, similar to a tap.

2) Stride. She's got a great long stride from distance running but over short distances, especially hills this doesn't bat in her favour. With bringing knees higher, weight shifted to the toes and a quicker drive from the calves we shredded 4 seconds off a 80m hill sprint over 5 attempts!!!! 

3) Leg Power. Over the short distances this is what you need so I took her to a hill with steps. Practiced running up the hill every other step and with the incline focused on the driving motion forward. This in turn will help with the short distance sprint work. 

After stuffing our faces in Nandos and grabbing a well needed coffee we headed to Reebok Sports Club in Canary Wharf. All I can say is wow!!!! This place is amazing, for anyone that's into their fitness it's like you're little again and you parents have just taken you into a sweet shop and said 'choose what you want'. There is just so much equipment for all different types of training. But when you have Ulisses training there and is one of the PT's what can you expect. We again focused on leg power through Deadlifts and Front Squats.

1) Deadlifts, we a focus on the power from the legs. This is the initial phase and where a majority of the momentum comes from for the lift. Really use this and not too much back. 

2) Taking the tension out of the bar. Make sure the bar is tight along with the rest of your body prior to lifting, it will reduce any jerking motion. She managed 5x5 at 105kg which I was impressed at considering she weights only 55kg. 

3) Front Squat, make sure you keep elbow high. If these drop then it will cause you to bend forward to catch the weight and therefore your form becomes compromised. 

We finished off with a few leg extensions, but after going into double figures with sets on deadlifts were pretty fatigued. 

So for any of you fitness freaks out there living in London get over to Reebok Sports Club. I cannot recommend it more!! You will never need to go anywhere else, plus the PT's are great even if you can't get Ulisses. Also there are so many people in great shape around you it motivates even more. The electronic locker system is also a huge plus!!! 

Have a great weekend 

Jack

Deadlifts

Now after squats I believe that deadlifts are one of the best exercises you can be performing in the gym. You may ask why? Deadlifts recruit so many different muscles. The explosive phrase coming from the legs, mainly through the hamstrings which are often a muscle group neglected. Then your recruiting all core muscles and upper back with your traps also coming into play, again an area neglected. Then there is the grip which is all coming from forearms. This is why deadlifts are a must to achieve an all round great body.

Deadlifts have always been in my programme but recently I've been suffering with a bit of lower back pain and posture generated issues. I usually perform deadlifts at the end of my back routine as a post exhaustion exercise, performing 100 reps in as few sets as possible. This burns out my whole posterior chain however, the only problem is you don't achieve the strength gains from this exercise. With the change to my split, with me now including a pull day in my routine, additional to my back routine I have added deadlifts to the beginning of the workout and wow, how I've missed them.

Due to me not going heavy on deadlifts for a while I haven't just dived in and gone as heavy as I can, as quickly as possible, I have built it up slowly. I've adopted the pyramid way of training, therefore working all rep ranges with the main attention paid to the top of the pyramid, when I'm working in the strength based reps ranges. Using the remainder of the pyramid more as a pre exhaustion for the the rest of my workout. 

I worked up to 210kg for 3 reps as seen in the photo. Points to note is explode at the beginning of the movement, use the power house that are your legs. Keep the bar as close to your shins and body as possible. Keep that back straight!!! Use your core to aid this, keep it tight. I find holding my breath till the top of the moment helps. A slight pause at the top, then lower the weight under control, again keeping back straight and feel the stretch in your hamstrings. This lowering phase under control requires so much more strength than just dropping the weight, so use it!!! Also you'll feel greater weight transferred to the lats on lowering the weight, as oppose to full concentration on the erector spinal. I am just one in general for performing all my reps slow, unless the muscle is really exhausted and I'm trying to push it that little further. Lastly don't be afraid of the movement and weight. As long as you're doing the right form and your always in control, there shouldn't be a problem. Start light and build yourself up. 

https://instagram.com/p/5hk5rPHOBE/?taken-by=jacksfitnessforyou

The day after I first done this routine my back was on fire for the next few days, a bit like leg DOMS. I hadn't felt like this for a long time!! So start including deadlifts into your routine. I targeted my inner back with close pull downs, rear delts and traps after this, which is an area I'm lacking. It was one of the best workouts I've had in a long while, coming just before I jet out to Oman to visit a friend where I'm going to rest mostly, I'm sure I'll get a few workouts in from my room.

So start DEADLIFTING!!!!!!

Jack