WarriorFX

The human body responds to exercise in various ways. Within the body, there are complicated chemical processes unfolding in response to training-induced stress. Dehydration is known to dramatically affect physical performance – as well as general health. The more specific effects of fluid loss in resistance training are usually less understood. When trying to increase musculature, or improve body composition, staying properly hydrated is a requirement.

Resistance training can stimulate internal processes to increase muscle density, in response to the applied stress on the muscular systems. However, anabolism must exceed catabolism for the subsequent synthesis of new muscle tissue. Simply put: a bucket without a bottom will never hold water. For optimal exercise prescription, athletes must promote growth and discourage wasting. Current research suggests that dehydration can disrupt the body’s muscle-building processes. Read more

Building greater musculature requires an open-minded and problem-solving attitude, one that continuously evolves with the athlete. In the beginning, changes in body composition come easily but continued success is never linear. Bodybuilders and powerlifters who repeatedly attempt a slow and steady pace ultimately hit progression plateaus; in which symptoms of overtraining and subsequent degradation of performance emerge. To continue to grow, eventually everyone must learn how to properly periodize an exercise program to inject more training variety. Using these principles, cycles of extreme intensity – bursts of hard and heavy training – can ignite new found gains. Read more

Despite the various magic solutions presented in numerous publications, no one-size-fits-all answers exist in proper exercise prescription. Several training theories are supported by accredited research, but conclusions are based on statistical averages. Studies examine how exercise affects the majority of particular populations – trained, untrained, young, old, men, women, healthy, sick – as well as combinations thereof. If a study finds one exercise performed to failure works for most participants, what about the few who didn’t benefit?

Humans contain numerous similarities; yet there are several distinct differences. Each individual has a unique capacity to tolerate and develop athletic abilities. Ideal methods for reaching fitness goals – more muscle, less fat, sports specific – will be affected by these variations. For instance, bodybuilding is the act of building up the body’s muscular systems by applying a progressive resistance. When attempting to maximize the training year, strength athletes quickly find they respond to training intensity, volume and frequency in unique ways. It’s the responsibility of the trainee, or coach, to discover individual physiological and psychological requirements, to overcome or exploit genetic traits. Read more

In general, overloading is the practice of applying a load greater than what a power-producing source is capable of withstanding. In machinery, this excessive burden can result in equipment failure. In the human body, this application results in adaptation to subsequently withstand even greater demands. When an athlete’s muscles are exposed to extreme tensions, an over compensation effect can occur. Fueled with proper rest and nutrition, bodybuilders routinely apply progressive overloads on their muscular systems to induce hypertrophy, or growth – to build their body.

Bodybuilding routines consist of several sets of exercise to induce a training stimulus that overloads a muscle’s functional capabilities. Within the structure of a multiple-set workout, there are five frequently used loading patterns: pyramids, inverted pyramids, double pyramids, flat pyramids and wave loading. Read more

As a bodybuilder progresses in size and conditioning, certain changes must be made for continued success. Frequently, an increase in food fills the void that is responsible for handicapping further progress. Sometimes a basic need for more quality sleep and rest is required. Other times, the resistance training program prescription needs a total overhaul to accommodate an advanced level of conditioning. For advanced strength athletes, performance inroads can become so pronounced that accommodations must be made to avoid over reaching. Eventually, strength athletes need to reorganize a program’s volume, intensity and frequency. High-intensity and low-volume programs have been successfully applied by many advanced bodybuilders. Read more

The human body is a magnificently adaptive organism. Unlike machinery, muscular systems can respond to escalating demands by becoming stronger. No matter how hard and fast a car is driven, an automobile remains the same. In response to a progressive training stimulus, muscles are capable of increasing fiber diameter, transforming architecture and manipulating energy systems. To truly maximize a training session, the period immediately prior to exercise must not be spent carelessly. Properly preparing for resistance training can greatly impact performance. Bodybuilders typically undergo specific rituals before to training, to include: warming up their core temperature, stretching a muscle belly and massaging an exercised area. Read more

Nearly everyone training in a fitness facility will say they are working hard; however, maximum training intensity is not so common. To stimulate the muscle growth, training efforts must soar above previous levels of exertion. Training with the same loads, repetitions and program design is not only monotonous and boring – it’s not productive! Without sufficient effort, there can be no physiological adaptation to exercise. To build a stronger and more muscular body, training performance must be intense enough to blast past previous fitness thresholds. Read more

Hard physical training requires massive amounts of energy and sustained mental focus. Caffeine has been employed as an ergogenic in athletics for many years – from recreational bodybuilders to competitive athletes. The substance positively affects time-to-exhaustion and endurance-training potential. Caffeine has a large number of reported physiological benefits to athletes; such as greater muscle contractions from antagonistic actions on adenosine receptors, delayed fatigue by stimulating the central nervous system, direct neuro-endocrine activation and direct actions on skeletal muscle function. It has been shown to support endurance athletes engaged in strenuous cycling, running and swimming. Caffeine has also been shown to improve performances in intermittent high-intensity team sports.
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It’s easy for new fitness enthusiasts to walk into a gym and get lost in all the tangled steel, chains and dumbbells. Even experienced strength athletes often find themselves learning new movements for many years – or how to perform old ones more effectively. Proper exercise execution is critical with increases in strength, to avoid injury while promoting further progression. The fundamentals of exercise selection, structure and sequence must also be understood to optimize a progressive program design. Read more

Strength training is often related to loads and repetitions as signs of progress. Fitness enthusiasts often make exaggerated claims of large loads, even maximum repetitions with a specific load. During a punishing workout, rest intervals play a major role in the training session’s ability to trigger anabolic hormone secretion, build endurance, encourage strength, as well as alter performance in succeeding sets.

In bodybuilding, a “rest interval” is the commonly applied term to the periods of rest in between sets of an exercise. During these intervals, the muscle is neither contracted nor extended – no resistance is applied. Proper rest interval length depends on training intensity, goals, fitness level and targeted energy systems. Read more