Category: Strength Training

Jul 02

Are you confused about muscle confusion?

By: Lee Anne Siegmund

“Muscle confusion” is one of those terms that the fitness industry throws around.  It’s like “feel the burn” or “no pain no gain”.  I guess they are trying to convince us that muscles can only get stronger if they hurt and are terribly confused.  It doesn’t sound pleasant and what’s more, it doesn’t make any sense.

Muscles cannot be confused first of all.  They only do what they are told and have no clue why.  Here’s how skeletal muscles work.  First, a force of some sort is imposed on the body.  This could be the weight of your body along with gravity.  It could be a resistance band, a dumbbell or even the wind.  Something pushes or pulls on your body or a part of your body and your nervous system responds.

Your brain and spinal cord are capable of receiving the message that there is a “force” and then responding by sending electrical signals to the muscle.  These signals travel down the nerve (motor neuron) to a place on the muscle fibers called the motor unit.  This is where these electrical signals become messages that tell the fiber to contract, or shorten.  Likewise, the muscle will re-lengthen on command.  As a matter of fact, muscles on the opposite side of the limb will be temporarily inhibited in order to allow the limb to move. 

Does this sound like confusion?  Our nervous system and muscles are amazing!  The way they respond quickly and accurately to forces imposed on them is nothing short of miraculous.  The nervous system commands just enough muscle fibers and the right kind of fibers to contract to get the job done. 

Even more amazing is that our muscles will adapt based on the type of training we do.   We call this “imposed demand.”  The muscles will adapt appropriately and specifically to the imposed demand.  If we lift a 2# weight over and over, we may improve endurance, but won’t affect strength all that much.  But when the weight is heavy enough that we can only lift it 8 times or so, we will likely be improving or maintaining our strength. 

This “specific adaptation to imposed demand” is the result of planned progression.  The muscles are not confused at all.  On the contrary, the nervous system and motor unit together have created a very carefully planned orchestration of signals and contractions in order to overcome the force and as a result will strengthen the muscle.

There is no confusion involved in safe, planned progression of exercise.  Simply because muscles “get used to” a certain resistance or exercise does not mean we have to mix up our exercise routine haphazardly.  Randomly changing how we exercise, the weight we use or how we do it, predisposes to injury.  If you want to progress, don’t attempt to “confuse” your muscles.  Instead, carefully train your nervous system by strategically making gradual changes in quantity, direction and speed of the force.  That will give you results and more importantly, it will be safer.  No confusion about that.

To find a professional who will help you develop a strength training plan that will progress you safely and gradually, go to: http://www.resistancetrainingspecialist.com/roster.html

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Posted in Strength Training

Mar 22

Fit-it-in tip #23

“I don’t want to bulk up.”  “I want that long, lean look.”  “I don’t want big muscles; I just want to lose weight.”  These are just a few of the reasons women give for not wanting to lift weights or do resistance training.  The media has done a great job of convincing women that they might get bulky if they strength train with heavy weights.  Few realize the many benefits of strength training. Even fewer women realize that working with a heavier or more difficult weight can have added benefits.

First, women will not tend to bulk up.  Women who compete in weight lifting and body building competitions work out hours per day with very heavy weights and sadly, some do take steroids or other substances that aid in muscle growth.  On our own under normal circumstances, women just don’t have the testosterone necessary to grow large bulky muscles.

Second, when muscles are worked they grow slightly larger, not longer.  A long lean look comes from losing fat and having the muscles underneath show through.  There is no way to work the muscles to make them longer.  As a matter of fact, muscle contraction means muscle shortening.  Stretching won’t get you there either, but that is a topic for another day.

Finally, if a woman wants to lose weight and is only doing aerobic exercise, she is missing out on a very valuable benefit of strength training: an increase in resting metabolism.  The more you train your muscles, the more they will burn calories for you, even when you are resting.

So don’t overlook the strength training ladies.  Strong women are the ones who look and feel great.  Strong women are the ones who open their own jars, can get up off of the floor without help, can run to catch a cab and can lift the heavy bag of dog food without difficulty.  It is about beauty.  It is about independence.  Most of all, it is about health.  Take the challenge:  fit in a few push-ups and crunches today.

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Posted in Fit-it-in, Strength Training

Mar 19

Fit-it-in tip #21

If you are new to strength training and are not sure how to get started, try exercise bands or tubing.  These can be purchased very inexpensively at discount and sporting goods stores.  Often they come with package inserts that show a few exercises that can be done with tubing.  One area of the body that we often neglect is the back, and tubing is a great way to target it.  Our back muscles are not just the ones that lay along the spine.  We have a number of large back muscles that are involved in lifting, keeping good posture, securing our shoulder blades as well as moving our shoulder blades into position for various movements and lifts.  A strong back along with strong abdominal muscles helps to ensure a healthy spine.

It is important to note that we should strengthen our bodies in a balanced fashion.  That means we need to train left and right as well as front and back.  We can do push-ups and crunches for the chest and abdominals, but don’t forget the back!  We should work each muscle group 2 days per week, which means do a back exercise on 2, non-consecutive days every week. 

It’s easy to fit-it-in when you have an exercise band or tubing at work and at home. Here is a great link to show one exercise that you can do for these often neglected muscles:  http://www.acefitness.org/exerciselibrary/46/seated-high-back-row

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Posted in Fit-it-in, Strength Training