Single Joint Exercices & Isolating Muscles

Isolating muscles by executing single-joint type exercises is used by everyone, from soccer moms to elite athletes, from rehab specialists to performance enhancement gurus. In some cases, isolating a muscle may be beneficial. In most cases (99% of the time), muscles should not be worked in isolation, especially when the goal is fat loss, optimal health, improved performance and/or muscle hypertrophy. A single joint exercise (i.e., bicep curls, triceps kick backs, leg extensions, etc.) has very little or no value in a training program.

The body doesn’t normally function in isolated patterns, so why spend time on this kind of training? How would an overweight middle-aged woman benefit from a seated dumbbell bicep curl? How would a computer programmer benefit from calf raises and overhead tricep extensions? For some people, these types of exercises may be helpful, especially if they’re training for good muscle definition.

However, most people would derive greater overall benefit from compound-movement exercises i.e., pushing and pulling exercises such as squatting, lunging, rowing, pull-ups, push-ups, etc. With compound exercises, more calories are burned and greater lean tissue is gained This, in turn, improves body composition and increases strength. Take a look at a gymnast’s body - how many bicep curls do you it took to get these muscles? NONE.

My Significant 7 Exercises:

1. Squat
2. Deadlift
3. Lunge
4. Push- Ups
5. Vertical Pull-Ups
6. Horizontal Pull-ups
7. Planks

10% is the formula for success

I say, enough with verbal abuse; I say, enough with negative thoughts. Stop telling yourself “I can’t do this, I can’t do that, I’ll never be able to do that.” Start setting realistic and attainable goals for yourself. For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds and set that as a goal, you may make valiant attempt and fail. So now you don’t have the motivation or the desire to keep going and give up! Why don’t you set a 10 % goal for starters? Start off with five pounds, since that’s what your ten percent of fifty pounds actually is. Now it sounds realistic and possible! Once you have achieved this goal you will feel successful and highly motivated to keep going because you are now ten percent closer to your outcome goal. It’s very important to find success in everything that you do, because if you don’t see success and only see the struggles and the battles you will stop whatever it is you’re doing and give up. It is very important not to get caught up in the numbers game and to set realistic goals for yourself.

If i recall correctly I believe it was Michael Jordan that said something along the lines of - "Small daily wins lead to big wins!"

Fatigue - How hard should I train ?(I'm a recreational trainee)

Fatigue, sweating and a high heart rate are just more of these popular indicators people use to rate the productivity of their workouts. Take a few steps backwards and try to remember what the purpose of joining a club and training was. Most of us want to feel better and more energized after a workout, but instead most trainees leave the gym looking like they are ready to fall over and die. So the goal of your workout should dictate how good you feel after, not the other way around. For example, if I am working with a competitive swimmer whose goal is to improve their vertical jump, in order to acquire a powerful launch off the starting block, then they should not feel exhausted, rather they should be fired up. On the other hand it is good to be exhausted after a training session if it was designed to put you into your “game shape” for your given sport. Again if you are not an elite athlete then you do not have to kill yourself! And this does not mean that a training session is never hard; it should always be hard and you should always challenge yourself. The point that I am trying to make is using fatigue, sweat, and other common myths as your indicators is not the most efficient way to monitor your progress. Most of us sweat on a hot summer day while working on our tan at the beach. Your heart rate will skyrocket when you are free falling out of a plane or riding a crazy roller coaster ride. You see, it is not how hard you train, but how smart you train!

My Vision My Life

This is a summarized version of my philosophy on life. You will be able to read the full piece once my web site is up.

Until then, enjoy the capped version.

In my 25 years of human experience, I have been on a very interesting journey. I’ve been through a lot of highs and lows, I’ve made a lot of great choices and I’ve made a lot of mistakes, from which I have learned a great deal. I’ve grown to love life and believe in myself. I believe in my dreams and I believe that I choose my own destiny in this journey of life. It’s up to me to reach my mountain top. The man I am today is a reflection of all the choices I made in the past, and the choices I make today will define the man I will be tomorrow. I choose to evolve in all areas of my life and live my life to its fullest. I dare to dream big by running towards my fears each and every day.

You are a limitless human being with the potential to grow and evolve, and yet something is holding you back. That something is you! Most people are very analytical and logical in one area of their lives but are often completely neglectful in other areas. By not fully developing, they are limiting themselves. There is more to life than just what we usually expose ourselves to on a day-to-day basis.

You are an intellect so choose to evolve the mind. Learn, explore, be curious and grow.

You are a world class athlete. No, you don’t have to build the biggest muscles or run the longest distances. But you shouldn’t neglect your body either.

Become a world class human being, the best you can possibly be. Develop and further yourself to your fullest potential. Use the gifts you’ve been blessed with. I believe that is why we’re here.

RK

Bulking :::Lean Muscle vs Fat Gains:::

One of my pet peeves is hearing all the guys in the gym talking about bulking up during the winter months. What usually happens is they end up gaining 10-20 pounds of fat and barely any lean muscle. That’s not bulking! I know, I know, you hear it everywhere: if you want to gain weight you must EAT! I agree with the eating part, but what most people don’t understand is you have to eat for your demand of the day (nutrient timing, eating frequency, etc.) Eating everything in sight and thinking that it’ll somehow turn into muscle one day is not the way to go, especially if you have a hard time getting leaner for the summer months. If you’re not a competitive bodybuilder, bulking is nothing more than just an excuse to get lazy and eat junk food.

I can understand where this type of behavior comes from. You starved yourself all summer, you did way too much cardio and light weights with way too many reps to lean down for the beach, and now you want to bulk back up again? Isn’t that what you did last year? You bulked up (i.e., gained 20lbs) and then got leaner for the summer, but you didn’t look any different this summer than you did last. When bulking up, you want to gain lean muscle only, and if you do it the right way, you can control your muscle vs. fat gain.

Of course, if you want to gain lean muscle you need to be in positive energy balance (more energy going in than coming out, i.e., eating vs. training). Yes, you can eat more (you got that part right), but you can’t eat too much of the wrong stuff. Foods that have empty calories and no nutritional value will not help you gain lean tissue.

When bulking, you need to stick to clean foods like veggies and fruits, proteins & smart fats. These foods are high in nutritional value and have all the minerals and vitamins to provide you with the “training-energy” you need to lift heavier weights. Include some sort of a starchy carb like pasta or rice immediately after your workouts to feed the monster. This way, you’ll be feeding those hungry muscles and not your fat cells. Don’t have too many “cheat meals” just because you’re bulking again. They will not contribute to lean muscle gain, only fat, and you’ll have to work that much hard to get a six-pack back for next summer.

Keep in mind that there are individuals out there who are blessed with a gene that most of us don’t possess. These people handle carbs very well and need to eat more carbs to gain muscle than those of us who are “carb sensitive.” However, even these people should not eat garbage. Remember, it’s lean muscle you need, so how can cake help you build muscle? Calories you say? Ever heard of the saying “a calorie is not a calorie”? Stick to whole foods and you’ll be better off.

RK

What’s holding you back?

When we hit the weights, most of us work on what we were either told to do by a friend, read in the latest issue of Oxygen or Men’s Health, or what we enjoy most. We start our workouts by training our favorite body parts or by performing our favorite exercise. Heaven forbid that we might get tired by the end of our workout and not be able to curl a BB in a squat rack (sarcasm). Have you ever started your training week with squats and deadlifts? Have you ever skipped a chest day when you didn’t feel your best? How often have you thrown in the towel on a leg day? How’s your intensity when you squat vs. bench press? We’re always neglecting some of the most important aspects of developing a healthy and pleasing physique. You need to understand that working on your weaknesses and correcting them will have the greatest impact on your results! You will not only stay healthier over your lifting years but you’ll also make gains in your favorite lifts and develop an overall symmetrical and a well-balanced body.