What is your end goal?
If you are aiming to lose weight then it’s not just about training but it is also about Diet (I know diet is important for all aspects of training goals Some research compared 2 groups of women, 1 group exercising vigorously (averaged out at the end of the trail around 180 minutes a week) and one control group who just did their normal daily routines. With no change of diet the exercise group averaged a weight loss of 2kg over the year. The researchers calculated on average it too over 70 hours per kg of body mass lost. Although this will not completely relate to pure fat loss as there could have been muscle built too. However this is clear evidence that diet is so important when training for weight loss.
Building muscle strength, again diet is just as important as training. However some common misconceptions with people looking to build muscle strength are: keeping the exercises the same every week; working very linear positions without the reality of normal movements; and over working muscles thus not allowing enough recovery time for your body to repair and recover. There was some research completed with circuit training where the 2 groups were split between stable surface training and unstable surface training, there was no statistical difference in strength gains at all, whether 1 rep max, peak power and other tests. These were tested for bench press, back squat and squat jump exercises. When they were completing the exercises, the stable group worked at level 10 on the modified Borg scale for rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to achieve this the stable group weight was added, the unstable group additional weight was added to get to 5-7 and then the level of support was reduced until 10 was achieved. This shows that with a reduced weight strength gains can still be achieved. As strength and control improves it is recommended that instability training is required less however the benefits remain similar until at professional levels. However for those who are begging training, or even pushing on towards competitions it is a simple way to mix up your exercises to achieve more body control through your workouts.
Speed training, this is more common for people in team sports as well as some individual sports. What is important with speed training? It’s about preparation, if you focus on going fast, kicking, throwing or swinging with more power then you need to ensure that you can control the movement. This involves training the muscles to slow down the movement. Think of sprinters, the most common injury for them is a hamstring strain, this is often due to the leg speed driving them forward that the hamstring is unable to control. This is therefore simple to break down to improve speed performance, you both need to work on the muscles that accelerate, for example kicking is knee extensors, hip flexors and oblique.
As you can see in the image the knee is straight, the hip is ben and there is some rotation drawing the opposite shoulder and hip towards each other. These muscles all contract in sequence to allow the speed and thus power of the kick. However the brain will try to avoid over exertion of these muscles if there is not enough strength available to slow down the movement without injury. The importance for these exercises is targeting the correct muscle contraction. Concentric, this is the shortening of muscles to contract such as the straightening your knee and bending your hip during the initial kicking phase. Isometric, this is the contraction of muscle to hold yourself in that position, such as holding your arm out in front of you. Eccentric, this is the lengthening of muscles as they contract, such as lowering yourself from a pull up, your bicep muscle lengthens but it still controls the lowering, this is the major focus for speed training. Research has found that Eccentric contractions can control the lowering of up to 140% of your maximal concentric contraction. Therefore a big importance for training for speed is avoiding muscle imbalances as well as focusing on the eccentric control your muscles can achieve. It can sometimes be hard to find exercises to focus on eccentric control however a good personal trainer or physiotherapist will be able to isolate suitable exercises for your respective sports and movements.
Key points to take from this
1. Think on your goal so you can train appropriately for it.
2. Diet is very important, if you aren’t sure speak to someone who has additional knowledge on nutrition. Just remember what works or your friend might not work for you.
3. By adding instability you can reduce the weight you are lifting; this can be really effective for injuries as well as improving control and reducing pressure through joints and ligaments.
4. Ensure you maintain muscle balance as well as the ability to control the deceleration of movement.
5. If you are unsure of which training would suit you or how to modify your training then speak to a qualified physiotherapist or a good personal trainer.
Comentarios