Even More Quick Tips!
Mr Delia Steele
18.11.2011
The good thing about quick tips is that they are easy to read but might teach you valuable lessons about stuff & things. Read these, you might learn a thing or two and we've linked them up to articles and videos so you can find out more. If you want to.
Respect your force couples!
Your muscles act as force couples around a joint. If you train in an imbalanced manner, the muscles acting on one part of your joint will overpower the muscles on the other part of the joint and you will be a bit messed up. The classic is to hammer your mirror muscles, neglecting the rest and ending up looking like a gorilla. Don't be that guy.
Chalk: YES! / Gloves: NO!
Wherever possible use chalk in the gym. The chalk makes your hands dryer and firmer, reducing the chance of blisters or skin folding under heavy weights. So, it gives you a better grip, reduces the risk of injury and eliminates the need for silly gloves (which make it a lot harder and less safe as there is loose material between you and the weight)...... Stick with chalk!..You can always use moisturiser afterwards if you're so inclined.
Neutral Neck
You need neutral neck. This is where the 'C-Spine' sits in it's natural position - this is It's home. It is safe here. But sadly it's all too rare....For the vast majority of exercises in the gym - this is the position your head should be in all the time. Learn it, practice it & learn to love it. You will be in better shape, stronger, taller and more injury resistant as a result.
Core Training = Tail to Neck
Core training isn't just about the mid section. If you want to train your core so you can see your six pack you need a re-education (see the iron law of the six pack), if you want performance then you need to train for strength and stability from your ass to your neck, as the entire spine needs to be stable for you to have a strong core! If one piece is weak, another piece will pay the price.
Random Self Harming
Performance is the goal, not fatigue. There are no prizes for slaughtering yourself - there is nothing to be won for leaving the gym with 4 dead limbs, lungs on fire and a nervous system that will be knackered for days. Sweat is irrelevant - not something to work toward. Get a program, make steady progress and avoid hitting the wall. Leave random self harming to those with issues. Train, eat, recover - repeat.
Test your Squatting Instinct!
They say that when we are under pressure we resort to our training. When speed or difficulty increases, we squat by instinct. Use the kneeling jump squat to test your bodies squatting instinct. If you have an imbalance - a restricted ankle or weak hip - this will show it up pretty quick.
More isn't always better!
Quality is what matters. As shown in the recent Horizon documentary on BBC, you don't have to spend ages training to get the most out of it. Just get moving, move more and sometimes move vigorously. But exercise is a stress - listen to your body, more isn't always better!
Beginner's Push Up Tip
(Like it or not this probably means you!)
If you can't plank, you can't push up. Watch most guys do push ups and you will see saggy hips, rounded spines, protruded shoulders and twisted torsos.
If you want your push ups to look respectable, you need to be able to hold a perfect plank position whilst doing your push ups. Hence it makes sense to work on your plank before trying to do push ups.
Build a Real Training Toolbox
To be successful at training you need to be really good at a handful of things, but continue to vary and offer different stimulus to your programmes. To build a quality toolbox of exercises - first master 2/3 , then simply add 1 new piece of knowledge each week. Sounds simple but so few do this! Keep learning and you will have more options when you need them.
FAT LOSS EQUALS CALORIE CONTROL - But do you need the maths?
Different folks will do better on different ratios of carbs & fat, but if you want fat loss, you certainly need to limit calories. Aim to eat a good sized piece of lean protein at every meal, a good sized portion of veg for health and fullness and then make sure you don't overdo the rest and you will be in business! Sometimes you need the maths - sometimes you just need to just focus on eating the good stuff first to fill yourself up.
Try Plyometrics!
Mainly used to train speed and power in the legs, Plyos are also useful for the upper body. Basically we are looking for a rapid stretch of the muscle followed by an explosive contraction. Don't do these for high reps, they are about speed and quality. Only do them with some decent training experience behind you or pain is inevitable. Here's Pero on a press up variety.
Explosive Pull Ups
There ain't nothing wrong with a little bump and grind - but sometimes you need a weight light enough to pull fast - without grinding out the rep. Once suitably skilled, explosive training on Pull Ups for example can be a great way of stimulating your high threshold muscle fibres. These are the ones we need to get involved if you want strength, growth or speed!
Find an Expert - But Still Take Responsibility.
How to make real progress in your training if you use a coach:
1) Find an expert.
2) Ask expert to coach you in a mutually agreeable arrangement.
3) Give expert money in exchange for coaching.
4) Pay attention & do as you're told or it's a waste of time!
Organise. Load. Dominate.
Every time you go for a heavy lift, make sure you get your body set BEFORE you get started. Once you lose form under a heavy load - whatever the exercise - it's hard/impossible to recover proper technique. ORGANISE - LOAD - DOMINATE - in that order.
Shit Happens.
This tip is being written about what to do when shit happens. From an injured state, by a knowledgeable trainer. It happens. If you get injured, rest, recover, and if needed get it treated by physiotherapist/other specialist. Then ask why? Was my technique bad? Have I spent too much time in flexed posture? Was I greedy? Seek answers. Remember - everybody hurts, sometimes - but that's no excuse to do stupid stuff. It's still better to be More-Athletic.
Spiderman Crawl
Master press ups, then master the good old spiderman crawl! This is more dynamic and requires both more strength and more skill than a simple bodyweight push up. As demonstrated here as you push up, you go through a greater range of motion your leg moves which takes great Ab control & hip range of motion. (if you do it correctly). Read more about it here.
Spot The Difference: Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift
Can you spot the difference between good form and ugly form? If you can't spot good technique, there's not much hope you can perform good technique. Learn how to move to get More-Athletic without doing yourself in. Here's the first vid in the series.
Apply 80/20 thinking to gym importanceness
The details of your programme are a distant second to good technique, lifting 'heavy' stuff, being consistent and putting some effort in. Most of your effort should be focused on improving these areas of your training. This is at least 80% of what's important. The programme design could be seen as the remaining 20% - especially for inexperienced gym folk.
Week Off, Anyone?
There's nothing wrong with a week off - as long as you earn it! A week off can give your muscles, joints and tendons some much needed recovery time and can be lovely psychologically. If you have a week off coming up consider ramping up your volume and intensity in the week before and make sure you have a stimulus to adapt to while you're chilling on the couch.
Rate your Sets
Ask anyone who lifts weights seriously - the battle to hold your form together and not lift with horrible teckas will always be there. To keep yourself from doing anything stupid and to make sure you get the most out of every set, count your reps but also rate the quality of every set you do. This will certainly help you get stronger and keep your mind on business.
Throw Stuff
Need more power? Power is the ability to exert force quickly. An ideal power programme will be packed with good old fashioned strength exercises to build your potential, as well as a bit of sprinting, jumping and throwing to unleash it. Various Med Ball exercises would be perfect for developing serious power. Slams are a great way to start.
Get a Spotter
Your spotter is not there to lift the weight for you, not there to assist you through the last 2-6 reps. That's poor training. The spotters job is to watch your technique and stop you from dropping a 30kg dumbbell on your head. If your spotter gets a bit too involved, tell him if he touches the weight the sets over...only count the reps you can do on your own.
