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how much rest between sets ?

Many bodybuilders pride themselves on their ability to do multiple sets with no more than minute of rest between them. Short rest periods between sets help stimulate testoterone and growth hormone concentration in the blood if you work up to being able to lift the heavier weights within shorter rest period lengths. Muscle tension is the most important trigger that causes muscles to hypertrophy (get bigger). You can't put tension on the muscles when your're fatiqued.

Normally, it takes muscles at least three to five minutes to recover enough to exert full froce on another set Jump in too early and you may have to drop weight or resistance. On the other hand, you can't rest so lonng that you get stiff and sore. As a rule of thumb, rest long enough to recover fully, but not so loing that it takes you all day to complete your workout.

There is no ideal rest period- it depends on your fitness, motivation and experience. The bottom line is that adequate rest will allow you to train hard on the next set.

squats develop legs beTter than leg presses

An old syaing among bodybuilders and strength athletes is that "if you can't squat, then you ain't strong" However, equpment manufacturers have developed an array of space-age machines that are safer and more comfortable and attractive than doing squats, However, serious bodybuilders want to know which works best

Dr. Rafael Escamilla and colleaques from Duke University did a very elegant study that looked at the effetcs of various food position in the squat and lef press exercises on muscle forces and joint and ligment stresses. They found that overall muscle activity was greatest during squats. The food position did not affect muscle activation or tissue stress during the execcise. This means that you should adjust your feet to a comfortable position when doing squats or lef presses. the wide squat position produced less stress on the knee joint than the narrow position. Kneecap stress was less when subjects squatted to only 60 degree(above parallel). However, while partial squats put less stress on the knees, they don't work the quads, harms and glutes as much as going to parallel or below.

Weight belt improves explosive power in the squat

Use of wieght belt on the job and in the gym is very controversial. Many companies require their employees to wear belts at work because they thenk they wiell reduce back injuries. Unfortunately, studies show that wearing back belts actually increases the risk of injury. People think the belts protect them so they lift more weight than they should.

Most weight traingin books recommend that people wear belts when they lift, but many experts have questioned this. just as important for bodybuilers and weightlifters is how the belts affect strength and explosiveness. Cal State University, Northridge, researchers, headed by Attila Zink, found that using a weight belt during squats affects the path of the barbell and increases the speed of the lift without affecting the electrical acivity of the muscles. This means the belt increases explosive power during the lift