Author: gary

Study on Lifting Lighter Weights: What It Means

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DB-bench-pressResults of a new study (Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men) were released recently leading to plenty of media coverage with headlines like these:

  • Lifting Lighter Weights Can Be Just as Effective as Heavy Ones

  • Lifting Lighter Weights Is Just As Effective As Heavy Weights

  • Lighter weights just as effective as heavier weights to gain muscle, build strength

  • New Study Finds Lifting Lighter Weights as Beneficial

  • New McMaster study says you can lift small and get big

It's nice to have strength training in the news, and most of the coverage hits the highlights, but it also tends to be rather misleading. Let's take a closer look.

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Does Muscle Burn More Calories Than Fat?

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cat-with-barbellSpecifically, does muscle burn more calories at rest. This is one of those questions that everyone seems to know the answer to (dangling preposition alert!), and they're mostly right. Sort of.

What got me thinking about this (again) was an article entitled 12 Workout Myths That Just Need To Die. It's not a bad article, but Myth #2 includes this: "...having more lean muscle will help your body burn more calories at rest."

Of course, right? Well, sort of.

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Heavy Bag Training For Fitness: Equipment

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wawawa-kneesAs you probably know, I'm a big proponent of hitting things...aka "wapping"...as a form of training for both strength and endurance (and winning arguments). While most of the references to wapping here have been using various pads like coaching mitts, Muay Thai pads, or kicking shields, those require a willing and able partner which is not always easy to find. But there are alternatives, the most practical being a heavy bag (sometimes called a "punching bag" but that's just wrong).

There are lots of options with heavy bags--in selecting (or making) one, setting it up, and using it. In this post, we'll take a look at getting ready for bag wapping. A near-future post will discuss some ways to use it in your workout.

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Form Cop Returns: Chin-ups

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Form-CopIt's been a long time since The Form Cop turned up in The Planet. So long, in fact, that he doesn't show up on this site! His return is long overdue, along with some background information on why he remains so important. (At least, he thinks so.)

A reminder from an early appearance of The Form Cop as to why form matters:

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Online Personal Training: Caveat Emptor

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online trainingI wrote a post last year about online personal training. (I even used this same image. Efficiency!) In a nutshell, I'm not convinced it can work well without at least some in-person sessions.

However, it's still a big thing on the internet, largely because it can be easy and profitable for trainers to implement. Still, I was a bit disturbed to see this article directed at personal trainers on the topic of online training. Some of it is fine, but this part in particular bugs me:

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Start Slow to Stay Fit

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gym sittingEvery January, zillons* of people start a new fitness program and the gyms fill up. By February, most of the newbies are missing workouts and by March things are pretty much back to normal (to the relief of the regular gym-goers). It doesn't only happen at the start of each new year, although that's a reliable occurrence. It would be nice to have statistics on the median lifespan of a new fitness routine. I'm confident it would be less than 30 days.

So what goes wrong? Why do so many people quit? Often, it's a case of doing too much too soon.

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