WarriorFX

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

There exist some fundamental concepts for maximizing muscular force and size. Training sessions must use progressive overloads to surpass previous fitness thresholds. A bodybuilder must remain specific to a certain training goal – to gain muscle, lose fat, increase endurance or strength – which is especially crucial to the success of sports-specific training. Resistance training programs must also contain variations for long-term progression. The methodology of periodization provides structure in continuous training programs in a way that allows a fitness stimulus to remain optimal. The idea is to map out a plan for progressive overloads with variations in training.

It’s amazing how some people will remain consistent with the same resistance training program – some spend years being consistent in the gym, yet acquire little as a result. Bodybuilding is about building the body – it’s about progression in muscular size and force producing potential. Read more

It’s hard to refute, greater musculature brings the appearance of physical, emotional and professional health. A fit and muscular person survives through exhausting efforts, mental motivation, progressive planning – even resourceful time management techniques. Moreover, increasing muscle mass turns up the metabolic furnace in favor of burning stubborn fat stores.

People frequently wonder how fast muscle can reasonably be built. The fact is: increases in muscle mass are never linear. All through puberty, adolescents grow in development spurts. Strength athletes experience the same patterns. Fat mass can be consistently added but muscle mass is achieved in bursts; growth rate and frequency is primarily based on training experience. If bodybuilders could continue to grow without letting up, many would be well over 300 pounds – and rock hard. Read more

Muscle memory is a phrase commonly referenced by strength trainees and coaches; however, most use the term incorrectly or fail to totally grasp the relationship to general motor skill ability. The majority of strength athletes simply believe muscle memory refers to an ability to regain muscle, strength lost from an extended period of detraining. More accurately, muscle memory is not the cause of regaining strength but the effect strength training has on the nervous system’s ability to properly activate a muscle intended to perform a specific movement.

Motor memory refers to recalling specific motor skills. Proper motor skills are required for the muscles, brain, skeleton, joints and nervous system to work together efficiently toward accomplishing a task. Muscle memory is properly defined as the body’s collective ability to memorize and perform well rehearsed muscular contractions. Read more

The road to developing a big barbell Bench Press follows a chronological list of pivotal events. There is no specific time period to graduate to a greater level, only consistency and proper motivation will determine the success rate.

A man is often characterized by the size of his upper body while women fall victim to the shape of their legs. Men become so preoccupied with the bench press, they sometimes avoid the free-weight version to circumvent any obvious evidence of a weak upper body. However, free-weight movements are necessary components to building a larger upper body since the loads are moved through space, placing a natural resistance against the muscle - superior to machines which suspend loads from cables. Read more

Bodybuilders should take advantage of what science provides to create an optimal training program. Through research and personal experience, an ultimate program is created. The creation of new movements compels athletes to question the validity and effectiveness of previous routines. Bodybuilders and powerlifters want to know what exercises will produce the quickest, most effective and safest results. The real answer is: there is no best exercise or training technique, since each has an appropriate time and place in an athlete’s program.

Exercise selection inevitably depends on the phase of training along with the anatomical and physiological properties of the exercise. The first step toward proper exercise selection is the classification of all exercises according to their specific physiological response. Read more

German Volume Training is a method of strength and mass building endorsed by Charles Poliquin. Gains of 10 pounds or more in six weeks are not unusual. Poliquin’s research into strength training is extraordinary to say the least. His methods work. The following is based on his advanced GVT protocol. This routine is meant for advanced athletes with strong mind-muscle connections and abilities to cope with intense training. If training progression has stalled, then a new routine may be in order to get back on track. It may be necessary to take a few days of recovery and detraining, before beginning an advanced volume training split. One step back - three steps forward. Read more

New trainees frequently enter a resistance training routine understanding one basic principle: push or pull a load for a predetermined amount of repetitions. However, there is a lot more to understand about each repetition and how it affects muscular failure and subsequent growth.

Muscle contractions are often confused with muscle shortening due to the nature of the word “contract.” Muscular contractions are involved whenever the muscle produces tension - its sole purpose. Skeletal muscle can raise, lower or resist a load; classified as concentric, eccentric or isometric, respectfully. The type of muscle contraction is determined by the motion of the associated joints and how the muscle transforms in response to the load. Read more