Strength training is similar to watering a plant. It can't be done all at once in a short amount of time or the plant dies from too much water. Water the plant too little and infrequently then it withers away and dies.
A consistent schedule to water the plant is necessary to ensure it grows and matures well.
How can a person arrive to a destination before they've departed? The metaphor isn't meant to be understood in the literal sense. The passage's context describes an individual being close-minded and whose opinion is already formed. Read it once or twice more to let the text sink in.
Why should it be only the man who knows how things alternate and whose heart approves its own judgements who has such an authority?
The fool has one just as he has. For there to be 'That's it, that's not' before they are formed in the heart would be to 'go to Yueh today and have arrived yesterday.'
Affirmation: They're looking for someone to agree with them instead of learning more and expanding their knowledge.
Dismissal: It's not congruent with what they think thus making it incorrect.
Ignore: The information isn't understood and therefore not registered in their mind.
This is a great start for anyone who needs more direction. Most importantly, keep in mind everyone starts out the year strong but loses sight of their goal within a month or two.
Strength Training Gives the Best Results
- It also improves performance in cardio activities such as running.
- If you don't have access to a barbell you can do bodyweight exercises or purchase a dumbbell/kettlebell.
- I've posted workouts in the past. The Anne Meets Jane program is great for beginners.
Be a Role Model
- Contrary to what you think your goal is not only about your self. Your choices affect friends or family who are also looking to lose weight.
- Reinforce positive decisions by remembering what you want. In turn others will do the same by your influence and look to your for support.
Use Common Sense
- You know the basics. A product that advertises it's healthy probably isn't healthy. There aren't vegetable commercials but it's commonly known they're nutritious.
- The very least exercise should do is work up a light sweat and feel a bit challenging. Otherwise, can you really say you did something?
Add a Fast
- I grabbed this one from Mike T. Nelson - add a day without eating. You can drink water, plain tea, or black coffee (duh, no milk or sugar!).
- A day without food won't be the end of the world. If it's really tough, eat but space out the time between meals until you're able to fast the entire day. [Mike's full article]
- A bonus to fasting is it also frees up time that is spent on cooking and eating. Use your newfound time to do other things during this day.
The Minimum
- All is not lost for those truly busy individuals who have a jam packed schedule. Exercising 3, 4, or 5 days it isn't always feasible. However something is better than nothing.
- Workout 1-2 days using 2-3 exercises. For example, some squats and farmer's walks is a quality training session. Be sure to make it count.
- If I had to choose 4 exercises to prescribe someone for the New Year? Back squat, dumbbell bench press, chin-ups, and conventional deadlift.
The more creative you are the more exercises you can do, like partner deadlifts. Also be sure you have ample space to perform these. It's a great way to spend a little time this holiday weekend rather than do the usual gym routine. And above all else it's fun to do. When's the last time you did tug of war?
- Tug of War
- Grab a rolled up towel and start pulling. To tax the grip and forearms more, put a towel within a towel (towel-ception?) to make it thicker.
- Push or Be Pushed
- Sort of a prowler sled substitute, attempt to drive your partner back.
- The flip side of this, don't let your partner move you. Stand your ground as best as you can.
- Carries
- Either toss the other person on your back, carry them in your arms, or over one shoulder then walk for a set time or distance.
- Perturbations
- Have one person do an exercise as the other person throws off their balance and coordination. This can be done in the form of small pushes around the body (for example strikes during a pull-up) or one continuous effort (pressing down on the low back in a plank).
- The person doing the exercise can shut their eyes to make the strikes more unexpected.
Gripping the BarAnd that's the bench press. Not too complicated, right?
I've mentioned it before: position the bar near the palm and base of the thumb. Keeping the bar high in the hand tends to have the wrists cock backwards diminishing force output. Keep the wrists straight. However if the wrists are still lax, squeeze the hell out of the bar and try to pull it apart.
Secondly, to measure from the barbell's knurling (non-smooth part) with the thumbs never made sense to me. My friend taught me to practice the benching motion with my hands. Perform reps with only your hands and see where they align on the bar. Let that determine where to grab it then adjust if necessary.
Set-Up
The head, upper back, and glutes are in contact with the bench. As a result a space is created between the arching of the low back and the bench.
The further you can plant your feet towards your hips the better. Because flexibility issues vary person-to-person choose a stance that doesn't put any strain on you. For higher set benches or individuals with shorter legs, feel free to place something under each foot if you can't firmly ground them. A weight plate is the easiest to use, but aerobics platforms or hexagonal dumbbells work well too.
Execution
In 4 points:
- Drive/shove your feet through the floor.
- Pull your shoulder blades together and scrunch up your back like so,
- Keep your elbows close to your body and pull the bar down under your nipples or above the windpipe.
Aim for the blue line or slightly lower.
- After the bar touches your body press it up.
Other Tidbits
- Have someone help you unrack the bar. They should help move it out, NOT UP and out. This allows you to keep the back tight and saves your shoulders from pressing in an awkward position.
- The "suicide" grip is a thumbless grip. Some lifters swear it's a stronger pressing grip but run the risk of the barbell falling on the individual. The only justification I found for it is certain folks claim it relieves pain from past elbow issues.
- For beginners the bench press is a poor pec developer because the shoulders and triceps bear the brunt of the work. Substituting in dumbbells is a better alternative for hypertrophy.
- The incline variation shifts an emphasis onto the shoulders whereas the decline reduces it and shortens the range-of-motion. Additionally, the incline or decline doesn't need to be a significant angle change. The fixed incline benches are an example of too much of an incline (45 degree angle).
Personal Take
I bench press on and off, but for the majority of the year it's very little. Rather I utilize a variation of it or another horizontal press. In my first year of lifting DB pressing and flies were my main chest exercises. Since the latter began to irritate my shoulder I decided to drop it.
I enjoy bench pressing but I just don't do it often. It's as simple as that.
