BUILDING POWERFUL DELTOIDS
Building powerful deltoids is easy enough if you go about it the right way.
The delts are made up of the Anterior Deltoid in front of the shoulder, the Medial Deltoid in the centre of the shoulder, and the Posterior Deltoid at the back of the shoulder.
Not many doing shoulder exercises understand the importance of the medial delt. It’s the medial delt that does most of the lifting. It’s the medial delt that gives your shoulder that broad strong look but, 9 out of 10 end up shifting focus to the anterior delt although probably not intentionally. Problem is too much time is spent looking in the mirror when doing a shoulder exercise. They watch the anterior delt contracting, but the focus on the medial is lost and also, quite obviously, the posterior.
Similarly, and very little if any, focus is given to the posterior delt. It would seem because it can’t be seen it in the mirror it’s of no importance. As a consequence, looking side on, there is some anterior definition, some medial, but the posterior in some cases, is dead flat.
To get a true balance of muscle in the delts requires an equal amount of exercise for each of the delts. But it’s still the medial that should be the focus. The anterior and posterior delts will be taking some of the resistance anyway when doing a shoulder press.
A bar is the best for a shoulder press as it keeps an even balance of effort across the shoulders throughout the whole lift. Get your posture right by standing straight with your head in line with your back. A seated position takes too much of your energy because it shifts some of the focus to getting the posture correct. However seated is okay for high rep sets.
Keep your upper arms straight out to the side in line with your shoulder and, with your forearms pointing straight up push the bar up keeping your shoulders and arms hard back and in a straight line. This places the focus on the medial delts but certainly there will be some contraction in the anterior and the posterior. If your arms are forward of the line of the shoulders some of the effort will shift to the anterior delt with less on the medial delt and almost none on the posterior.
This is one of the reasons why a bunch of guys at gyms have more muscle in the anterior delt and none on the posterior.
There are of course, exercises more specifically for the anterior and posterior delts but, with correct posture and focus on the medial delt it’s still a good way to build up powerful, well proportioned shoulders. Practice will produce very good results.
BALANCING YOUR DIET FOR FASTER RECOVERY
LOOK AND FEEL BETTER
Have you wondered why it’s taking you so long to recover from an illness or it’s taking longer than usual to get over the last gym workout? Or are you suffering from ongoing low energy? If you are over say 60 (or even younger) the answer could be quite simple although the process might be a bit more complicated.
Firstly it can be a real problem for older folk whose absorption percentage rate of vitamins and minerals is on the decline and this seriously needs some serious compensation with a diet totally specific to your energy needs.
Even the smallest movement or action anywhere in the body uses energy. When you sleep the body requires energy to maintain processes so in the morning you’re still alive and you can kick off the day replacing some of the lost energy by having breakfast.
So the diet for you is not your average nutritional intake and requires a considerable of amount of self research to make a useful difference. Self research being the key. Advice from well meaning soles can be taken on board but be aware of the useless stuff that does not suit you. Your diet is solely about your very specific needs and only you can keep in touch with how your body reacts to different foods and accurately access what foods are useful for energy and what is not.
Protein is an essential part of any balanced diet but it’s not just about protein because that’s only the part of the process for muscle repair and maintenance. Which is fine in one sense but muscles can’t be maintained or made bigger without exercise and this takes muscle stimulation in the form of exercise. So the start of the process is getting plenty of carbohydrates to provide energy throughout all the muscles in all of the body and at the same time have an appropriate workout program
Your new diet will be mostly about feeding your muscles, organs, and your brain with carbohydrates for energy and that in turn will certainly make it a lot easier for protein digestion and absorption of nutrients in general. Particularly Zinc which amongst a lot of other things is very important for digestion.
Note this is not about adjusting a weight problem. However, with a significant increase in energy, weight imbalances will to a degree, along with a constructive exercise program, correct themselves.
The increase in energy from your new diet is going to take a huge amount of stress off you both physically and mentally. It’s not only going to help you recover faster from workouts and health issues but the drop in stress will make you look younger and generally give you a lift.
The process of looking younger and feeling younger isn’t necessarily easy but if you think about it the satisfaction of maintaining good health surely has to put a smile on your face
HAVE YOU EVER ENTERED THE ZONE?
It can happen when you are completely balanced physically and mentally during a highly physical and mentally intense activity. It’s an event, and you may not be conscious of it at the time, where the physical and mental components of the activity become synchronised to the point where, within acceptable limits, you don’t make mistakes.
You can’t just enter the zone at will, but it may be possible to prepare yourself mentally and physically in such a way that it could lead up to it happening.
High intensity physical exercise and focus during competitive events or, a very high level of intense non stop training may set you up for entering the zone. Total absorption in your activity is a prerequisite for entering the zone. Your mind and body must be completely absorbed with whatever you are doing. It’s a subconscious response set off by the intensity of the activity you are in and it’s probably in all of us. But the experience of entering the zone is not going to happen to all of us, in fact, only a very few are ever likely to enter the zone.
Keep in mind you can’t make it happen by a conscious thought because your conscious focus is somewhere else and it’s the primal inner self that is the zone. Top of their game athletes playing with enormous intensity mentally and physically are the ones most likely to experience it, although it’s still going to be a chance happening.
Remember, you can’t just will it to happen. It’ll happen or it won’t. If it does you must be really on your game and to all intent and purpose a true athlete.
So maybe if you put an extra amount of effort and focus into your training, who knows, maybe you’ll enter the zone and a goal that’s seemed way out of reach, is suddenly realised.
In the mean time all the very best with your, focused, high intensity, training.
FOCUSED PHYSICAL STRENGTH TRAINING
Achieving physical strength for most is going to a gym and by using a variety of exercises gain some muscle. It’s not a big deal and with an experienced instructor changes in strength will be equal to the amount of effort put in. So keep that in mind if you expect a good result. Hard training- hard muscles. Slack training-slack muscles.
But regular, hard on, hard out, training can be difficult to maintain without the right incentive, such as a particular goal perhaps involving sport, weight loss, weight gain, or getting set up for a lifetime of good health. Of course, it’s possible, to go hard out to get to a high level, but hard yards both physically and mentally on an ongoing basis will also be required to ensure there is enough input to keep it at that level.
Even so, time passes, and when the incentives are running out it follows the input and regularity of training take a hit, and it’s time to get your head around the fact that your discipline needs a serious nudge. This is where specific focus comes in to the act.
You might not have thought that specific focus can be such an active player in weight and fitness training however when the run of the mill technique is not doing such a great job of muscle building, then it’s time to get really, totally, focused. And it’s not hard. It’s about changing your whole image of training and it’s going to require you to use your head in the gym more than you have been doing. You will need to be aware of what and when to relax during the lift.
Here’s what the average lifter does with a barbell curl. You begin the lift in the usual way. Core on and start to bring the bar up. Part way up and it starts to get heavy but your whole body is straining and your head is telling you it’s too heavy. It’s hard to ignore. But it’s what you do next that dictates the result.
1. You can back off a bit and use less weight
2. You can grit your teeth
3. You can tighten every muscle in your body
4. You can use bad technique and posture
5. You can go home
Or…. when all of that has failed you can just relax….. Stand straight with knees slightly bent, head in line with your back and focus only on the biceps, the core, and the bar. Suck in some air and release as you start to bring the bar up. You are completely relaxed with the focus only on the core, the biceps and the bar. No other muscles are contracting.
You are now half way there and the biceps and core are still the only muscles taking the load. The rest of your body is still relaxed. Now remain relaxed. Just the biceps and core working. Stay that way and all that remains is to maintain total focus on completing the movement…. Let your mind, core, and biceps bring the bar up….
You’ve just completed a perfectly controlled lift.
Piece of cake……so be the crafty one in the gym and stay focused at all times.
SO, WHY DO YOU GO TO THE GYM?
Most of us would say “to work out of course…what else? Yes that’s correct however, if you take a look around the gym that’s not so for everyone.
Often seen is someone sitting on a bench and looking in the mirror with weights on the floor next to the bench. This practice is presumably to wait and see if the muscles will grow all by themselves. Despite the fact this method is frequently used the success rate to gain muscle is more than likely nil.
Another method is to sit at a station or bench in front of a mirror and txt vigorously, wait for a reply, and then txt vigorously again. This method of body building can continue on for quite some time and, in fact, may take up the whole session. It does not appear to produce muscle gains and therefore is not recommended.
A popular workout is to walk around the gym with cell phone in hand and make attempts with various facial expressions to look as though one has been hard at it for the last 2 hours. Of course you can’t knock it because for all we know the guy is nuts and his psychiatrist has recommended this method to him as an introduction to solving his fear of feeling good about himself. No muscle gain here.
Nobody’s perfect, however, if a membership fee has been paid and a gym is there to build up fitness and strength then the only way to do it is to use the facilities in the manner in which they are intended. Not working out can become a habit and is of no use to anyone. Working out can also be a habit and has to be the best of all habits and the greatest thing you can ever do to look after yourself. It can set you up physically and mentally for life. You can look good and feel good. Any obstacles in your way in life will be easier to overcome.
So, the next time you go to the gym remember what the hell you are going there for…
WHAT’S HAPPENED TO THE BASICS?
The basics can be made up of a small number of weight training exercises that cover the main muscle groups in a way that is suitable for individuals who want to build their physique quickly, proportionately, and achieve a good level of strength. In fact all of the above without trying to copy a dubious exercise that an uneducated member has copied by watching another uneducated member.
Take the guy who is attempting to do a tricep extension/pushdown by griping the bare end of a cable (no handle) and jerking it wildly up and down without thought to posture, breathing, core activation, and all the while achieving nothing, but no doubt thinking it looks pretty ‘cool’. ‘Looking Cool’ is using up energy and focus by trying to hang on to a bare cable end. It’s anything but cool and just a waste time.
‘Looking Cool’ needs to get real and use a d-handle, a press down bar, a straight bar, or a single tricep pushdown rope. These are basic cable attachments and are designed to give the optimum muscle contraction and are a helluva lot different from the totally useless end of a cable.
If you want to train for real then you might give some thought to the basics.
The basics are a concentrated group of exercises that will benefit someone who just wants to build up some muscle and have a reasonably good physic. Use a basic exercise program that will maintain that physic without needing to continually switch to a whole lot of exercises that will not only waste energy, but will have only very minimal results for the added effort.
A basic routine could be something like this. Change the order if you feel it would help
Do your usual warm up plus stretches.
1. Start with a deadlift as an added stretch and exercise combined.
2. Barbell bench press.
3. Lying Barbell pullover reaching back as far as possible.
4. Upright row with a barbell.
5. Forward lying rear delt raise with a barbell or dumbbells.
6. Overhead shoulder press with a barbell.
7. Overhead shoulder press behind the head with a barbell.
8. Squats with a barbell.
9. Barbell curl
10. Reverse barbell curl
11. Seated row with a wide grip
12. Tricep pushdown with a straight bar
Finish it with a fast 2 kilometre run and warm down stretches
Along with your cardio and core work this kind of workout is not for those lacking in motivation but, results are pretty much guaranteed if, you can handle the weights three times a week and fit in the cardio and core.
Initially you might have to spread out the sessions a bit to allow for sufficient recovery although, it might pay to start off with 2 sets of each or 1 set and use it as a circuit. If you use the circuit system try 20 seconds on each exercise and 20seconds off. If you use the 2 set method then use a set number of reps and rest period between exercises.
Finally if your session at the gym is half exercise and half social, then it’s NOT going to work well for you. Put in the effort and it’ll work. If you are going to go at it half-arsed then don’t expect good results. Still, in the end, it’s whatever turns your crank.
Good luck.
TRAINING THE CORE
It’s easy enough in that it’s a relatively specific area to concentrate on. Also once you’ve found the area needed to focus on, you can still be training the core even while you are doing other exercises.
The benefits of a strong core is that it stabilises your trunk and so with the correct posture you are able to exercise with better technique and lift more weight with safety including leg exercises. To have the core working effectively your back MUST be straight. The core won’t turn on properly unless your back is straight and your head is in line with your back. Realise this because, when it comes to any kind of weight or resistance training, the core and posture go together.
The point being, you can just go on into the gym and lift weights and your overall performance may get to below average, or you can train your core, have the correct posture, and your performance may get to top notch. Bottom line… put in the effort.
CORE EXERCISES.
There are quite a lot of exercises used for training the core. Some basics are…
ROLLOUTS. The rollouts can be performed with a rollout wheel or a lightweight bar with small plates. Knell down on a matt with your arms out in front holding the bar with hands about 100mm apart. Your back is straight and your head is in line with your back. Roll the bar forward pivoting on your knees and keeping your arms and back straight through the whole movement until your body is horizontal with the floor. Now roll the bar back to the start position once again keeping your back straight and head in line.
Throughout the whole movement you are using your core to hold your body straight. As a beginner you may not be able to go horizontal but keep practicing. Set a goal of 3 sets of 15 plus.
STRAIGHT PLANK. Face down on a matt up on your elbows and toes. Your whole body is straight with a very slight rise in your lower back. You will be using only your core to hold the position. Set a goal of 3 sets of 3 minutes plus.
QUADROPLEX. Face down on a matt and up on your knees and palms facing forward. Your back is straight and your head is in line with your back. Raise your right arm up horizontally ramrod straight and slightly out to the right. At the same time raise your left leg up perfectly horizontal and slightly out to the left. Hold that for a 2 count and lower. Do the same thing on the other side, that is, left arm up and right leg up. Set a goal of 3 sets of 15 plus
KNELLING ROLLOUTS. Knelling down behind a swiss ball place your palms down on top of the swiss ball and bring your feet off the floor so your knees become the pivot point. Roll the ball away from you until your chest drops. You should feel your core tighten. Continue to roll the ball away without straining your back. Hold for 2 seconds and return to the start. Set a goal of 3 sets of 12 plus
These will get you started. They will, done properly, help you to get the feel of the core working, especially the rollouts. However, there are a lot of other exercises useful to train the core. Performed 3 times a week alone with your other exercises it’s will make a noticeable difference in technique used in other areas of your workouts.
Mix them up a bit with your regular exercises. For instance, do a set of seated rows and then do a 3 minute plank. Or a set of bicep curls mixed with a set of rollouts.
It will be a tough but interesting workout and a break from the usual stuff week after week. Give it a shot.
Coming soon Training with your core. / Getting the best from your core
It’s the very core of your body where a bunch of muscles come together. The central point is 3 inches below your belly button and it’s from that central point that you control the ability to fully contract TARGETED muscles to safely lift free weights, and get optimum use of resistance machines. In other words, you lift with your core.
People say they know what and where it is. But the truth is, they wouldn’t know where it is if they fell over it. It’s generally thought, by the uneducated, to be the abs and although the abs are part of the core there are also the muscles as listed below.
TRANSVERSE ABDOMINUS (TVA) The deepest of the abdominal muscles, this core muscle lies under the obliques (muscles of the waist). It acts like a weight belt, wrapping around your spine for protection and stability.
MULTIFIDUS MUSCLE. The Multifidus muscle is a thin, yet stiff, core muscle deep inside the spine. It stabilises each joint, makes each vertebrae work more effectively, and reduces the degeneration of the joint structures.
EXTERNAL OBLIQUES. These core muscles are on the side and front of the abdomen, around your waist, and lie on top of the internal obliques.
INTERNAL OBLIQUES. These core muscles lay under the external obliques, running in the opposite direction.
RECTUS ABDOMINUS. It’s a long muscle that extends along the front of the abdomen. This is the ‘6 pack’ that becomes visible with reduced body fat.
ERECTOR SPINAE. The Erector Spinae is a collection of 3 core muscles along the neck to your lower back.
You might hear some mention of ‘other core muscles’ however it will simply be a reference to a ‘core’ or ‘primary’ muscle used in a particular movement like throwing a ball, or swinging a golf club, or doing a bicep curl where the bicep curl is the ‘core or primary muscle to lift’. But it’s the core muscles around the abdomen that have to be flexed first to give stability to your posture so you can focus on the bicep, as the primary muscle used in the exercise. So, target the Bicep but, target the Core first.
Because you lift with your core, and because it’s a group of muscles like any other, they require specific exercises in order to gain strength. So training your core muscles is absolutely essential if you are going to have workouts that will produce good results.
Remember the core always comes first. It provides stability to your upper and lower body muscles when exercising thereby transferring power to the target muscles.
Hence the term; ‘Lifting with your core’.
Coming soon TRAINING THE CORE
Given the number of gyms and individuals now entering the fitness industry it’s become more about the marketing and the money, than providing a quality personal service. Sure, there are plenty of people calling themselves ‘personal trainers’.
But what are they really doing, besides giving the client a whole variety of mostly ineffective exercises in an effort to try keeping their interest up, and in the process misleading the client into believing their trainer knows what he or she is doing.
It’s a bit of a harmless con really, unless of course, it’s detrimental to their health. But does the client know or care? In their ignorance probably neither. So where does that leave the client in terms of fitness and strength?
The reality is not a lot better off than when they started unless they have been with the same ‘trainer’ for some years in which case surely something must have been achieved.
The answer for people who are really keen to improve their health would be to use a TARGETED PERSONAL TRAINING method which has the benefit of training across the board for FITNESS, HEALTH, STRENGTH, MOBILITY and FLEXIBILTY.
This method is suitable for TARGETED TRAINING FOR ALL AGES AND ANY STATE OF HEALTH. It has very real benefits using an experienced trainer like PERSONALTRAINERNORTHSHOREAUCKLAND.NZ who can guide you through an exercise to increase your strength and, at the same time, focus on an increased range of motion and flexibility for optimum results.
Both METHODFITNESS.CO.NZ and PERSONALTRAINERNORTHSHOREAUCKLAND.NZ are based on AUCKLAND’S NORTH SHORE and are available in all areas from TAKAPUNA TO ALBANY.
Give it a shot. The assessment is free with no obligation to continue. Only good came come from it.
SO… WHAT DID YOU EAT FOR BREAKFAST?
The nutritionists used to get you to make a list of everything you ate, and the time when you ate it, for 7 days. Then they pretended to know what to do with the information. They’d conjure up a studious look on their face and proceed to write up an entirely new diet based on, in actual fact, not much information at all. No questions asked like ‘did any of your diet give you energy’ or ‘did any of your diet produce fatigue, or ‘how much sleep do you get’ or how much water do you drink per day’ or what’s your mental energy like during the day’ or ‘what time of the day do you feel best’ or do any of your blood tests show abnormalities?
The thing is with the people that eat coffee and cigarettes for breakfast, lunch, and God knows what for dinner, part of the solution is obvious to anyone. It may not happen quite like that however you can bet the farm it’s pretty close so it’s a waste of time to pursue the matter in this blog.
However being overweight or underweight can be habit forming especially after a long period of time doing nothing about it. People that have been overweight for a long time, to a degree, will have developed a mind set or eating habit in the way they habitually eat the wrong things or have too much of even the right things.
Relationships and poor interaction with others can play a part in being either overweight or underweight. It may be that your partner has dumped you. So what…. get another one and move on. It’s no reason to eat badly and be unhealthy because you haven’t been appreciated. So look after yourself with good food and good exercise.
Work-related stress and as a consequence not eating properly during the work day can only make stress worse especially if it carries over to your home life.
The bottom line is get the lead out and discipline yourself to do what you instinctively know is to be the right thing to do. And that is don’t eat stuff you already know is wrong for you. Have meals you really do know is right for you and makes you feel better. Eat only when you need to eat and not for the sake of eating. Do not eat takeaways when you know it’s just not the thing to help with any health problems you might have.
Eat to be healthy……Eat to have a good life