Strength

How important are foam rolling, stretching, massage and similar tools for injury prevention and how often should you use them?

Maximize Injury Prevention: Foam Rolling, Stretching & More

Jonas, super question. How important are foam rolling, stretching, massage, and similar tools for injury prevention? And how often should use them? So for me, foam rolling, massage, vibration products have a similar impact to the body. So the replenishment of hydration or hydrodynamics in and after bouts of exercise that can help speed up the recovery process. Because in that 48-hour window after a heavy bout of exercise, or high stress through exercise, then your dehydration of tissue puts you in a heightened situation, where potential risk or damage are high. So if you could help speed that recovery process up and do that on a daily basis and devote some of your time, 10 to 20 minutes per day if you have the time, would be advantageous to do that. Biggest thing you've mentioned for me is stretching. So looking at three dimensional stretching for primarily the joints, because when you look after the joints, the other tissue-- the other tissues of the body are automatically enhanced. So looking at mobility, stability, strength from a stretching perspective, so that you can access any and all situations. You can access more of your own tissue to accommodate to the training or sport demands that you're placing upon your body. And you have the necessary experience and robustness of your joints, connective tissues, and muscles, because you're impacting them on a daily basis through stretching. So I would be doing that on a daily basis. I hope that helps. Anything you need more clarity on, give me a shout.

Foam rolling, massages, and vibration products help speed up the recovery process after bouts of exercise. Stretching is key for injury prevention, as it helps strengthen joints, connective tissues, and muscles. It is recommended to do 10-20 minutes of stretching per day.

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Foam rolling, stretching, massage, and similar tools play an important role in injury prevention. They help replenish hydration and promote hydrodynamics in the body after exercise, which speeds up the recovery process. Within the 48-hour window after intense exercise, tissue dehydration increases the risk of potential damage. By dedicating 10 to 20 minutes per day to these practices, you can aid in the recovery process.

Stretching, in particular, is crucial. Three-dimensional stretching for joints enhances overall tissue health. It improves mobility, stability, and strength, allowing you to adapt to the demands of training or sports. Regular stretching ensures that your joints, connective tissues, and muscles remain robust and prepared for daily impact. It is recommended to incorporate stretching into your daily routine.

If you need further clarification or have additional questions, feel free to reach out.

Any tips on how to decrease body fat percentage and increase muscle mass at the same time?

High Intensity Interval Training: The Key to Building Muscle & Burning Fat

Tips on how to decrease body fat percentage and increase muscle mass at the same time. John Sinclair has done a fantastic job on the validation of high intensity interval training. The protocols around and the programming of which utilizes or elucidates these two physical outcomes substantially. What I would also add into the mix is, during the work phases of those high intensity interval sessions, look into and utilize the inclusion of loaded movement training exercises, or exercises that use submaximal load, whole body movements, and three planes of motion. What research has shown is that during whole body sessions, exercises that use many muscles under load, you produce high amounts of lactate levels and hydrogen ions in the bloodstream and in the muscles. Now, when you produce high amounts of blood lactate and hydrogen ions, you also secrete and signal IGF-1. Also, when you stretch muscles under load, you also produce high amounts of IGF-1. Now, IGF-1 is an anabolic hormone that is also highly anti-catabolic. So it increases muscle mass and it decreases body fat percentage. Also, when you stretch muscles under load, you also increase the amount of mTOR activated in the body. mTOR is also highly anabolic and highly anti-catabolic. So both these hormones, in high quantities, which loaded stretch training gives, build muscle and burn body fat. And lastly, when you stretch muscles on the load and many of them in loaded movement training, you also enable cells and muscle cells to be receptive or sensitive to IGF-1. So you produce more IGF-1, but you also uptake more IGF-1 to stimulate an increase in protein synthesis and drive down body fat.

Utilize high intensity interval training with the inclusion of loaded stretch and movement training exercises to produce high amounts of IGF-1 and mTOR, both highly anabolic hormones that increase muscle mass and decrease body fat.

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To decrease body fat percentage and increase muscle mass simultaneously, consider incorporating high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into your routine. HIIT has been validated by John Sinclair and is known to yield positive results in achieving both outcomes.

During the work phases of HIIT sessions, include loaded movement training exercises or exercises that involve submaximal load and engage multiple muscles in three planes of motion. Research has shown that these whole-body exercises lead to high levels of lactate and hydrogen ions in the bloodstream and muscles. This, in turn, triggers the secretion of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), an anabolic hormone that promotes muscle growth and reduces body fat percentage.

Stretching muscles under load also increases the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), another anabolic and anti-catabolic hormone. Loaded stretch training, which involves stretching muscles under load, helps produce higher quantities of IGF-1 and activates mTOR, leading to muscle building and fat burning effects.

Additionally, loaded movement training enables muscle cells to be more receptive and sensitive to IGF-1, allowing for increased protein synthesis and further reduction in body fat.

By incorporating HIIT with loaded movement training and focusing on stretching muscles under load, you can work towards decreasing body fat percentage and increasing muscle mass simultaneously.

What do most people misunderstand about human movement?

Unveiling the Misunderstandings of Human Movement

Hi, Sam. Love this question. What do most people misunderstand about human movement? I think it our fitness and movement industry. Often we forget or put an over-reliance on muscles. Consciously Contracting to get us from ABC to be able to do XYZ. When in reality we're very seldom, consciously driven, we are subconsciously driven, we are movement or task-based, Creatures, when we were babies, we were programmed to reach for this crawl to hear chase after mum, to grab this. And as a result of moving, our muscle subconsciously react to decelerate movement and its movement that drives muscles, not muscles, that drive movement. We've got it back to front a little bit. So muscles help us move in the gym but outside the four walls of a gym, its movement that drives muscle reaction and we should train that way. I think then we should also understand that we always do things as a whole body system. We're fully integrated, the foot is connected to the knee the knees connected to the hip and so on and so forth, your left foot and ankle can directly hinder or enhance your right shoulders performance. I'm we should train as a whole body system. Every joint, every muscle also can move in three planes of motion so we should appreciate that and trained that way for authentic transfer to life and Sport. And I think then the last one for me is that we should be proficient at moving. Our body weight in situations before we rush to load things. So learn the movement before you load the movement. So 99% of our If we are Against Gravity where a grants against ground reaction forces, and it's those two forces that are our most ubiquitous forces that we deal with. And we should be proficient at those, in all three, planes of motion, to give bodies unique variability and the tools to perform optimally in life and Sport. So, for me, That's the few things that I would hone in on.

People tend to put an over-reliance on muscles, when in reality it is movement that drives muscles. We should also train as a whole body system, appreciating the three planes of motion, and be proficient at moving our body weight before loading it.

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Most people misunderstand human movement in the fitness and movement industry. There is often an overemphasis on muscles and consciously contracting them to perform specific tasks. However, in reality, human movement is primarily driven by subconscious processes. We are task-based creatures, programmed from infancy to reach, crawl, chase, and grab. It is movement itself that drives muscle reactions, not the other way around.

It is important to recognize that our bodies function as a whole system. Every joint and muscle is interconnected, and the performance of one body part can directly impact another. Training should reflect this integrated approach, considering the three planes of motion and promoting authentic transfer to real-life situations and sports.

Before rushing to load movements with external weights, it is crucial to first become proficient in moving our own body weight. The majority of our movements involve working against gravity and ground reaction forces. Mastering these fundamental movements in all three planes of motion provides our bodies with unique variability and the ability to perform optimally in various activities.

In summary, understanding human movement requires recognizing the subconscious nature of our actions, training the body as a whole system, and prioritizing proficiency in bodyweight movements before adding external loads.

Supersets: Time-Efficient and Muscle-Building

Hi Jonas, thank you for the question. What is your opinion on supersets? So for anyone, not sure supersets are two back-to-back, exercises performed with no recovery between and I think they're a great thing to be doing in a program. Once someone's established a foundational strength and fitness level with the basic set or the multiset approach to the training. So super says, for me have to great Eyes number one, it makes workouts more time efficient. So you're shrinking the workout time by eliminating some of the recovery in a Time, Busy World. If we can get workouts down to a short, a time that's going to be more advantageous for a lot of people. So that's number one, number two, when you perform exercises back to back with a relatively degree of relative degree of high intensity, which people will be training at High. Intense is relative to them. Then with those two exercises, you're going to accumulate more lactic acid than the basic set of the multi set the one exercise. And when you're accumulating more lactic acid, a byproduct of that is growth hormones. Namely human growth hormone and the lesser-known igf-1 and both of these hormones have been shown to drive up muscle protein synthesis so building muscle And metabolically burning calories, and decrease in body fat. So, for people looking for aesthetic gain, there's your second benefits to supersets. So I feel very empowered to include them in a workout. I think there are great thing to include hope that helps. Thank you, Jonas.

Supersets are a great way to make workouts more efficient and stimulate muscle growth and fat burning. They can be a great addition to any workout program once someone has established a basic level of strength and fitness.

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Supersets, which are two back-to-back exercises performed without recovery, are a great addition to a training program once someone has established a foundational strength and fitness level. In my opinion, there are two main benefits to incorporating supersets.

First, they make workouts more time efficient. By eliminating some of the recovery time between exercises, you can shorten the overall duration of your workout. In a busy world, this can be advantageous for many people.

Second, performing exercises back to back with a relatively high intensity leads to the accumulation of lactic acid. This increase in lactic acid triggers the release of growth hormones, such as human growth hormone and igf-1. These hormones promote muscle protein synthesis, which helps build muscle, burn calories, and reduce body fat. So, for those seeking aesthetic gains, supersets can be beneficial.

Overall, I believe that incorporating supersets into a workout routine can be empowering and offer great benefits.

Would lifting to muscle failure help optimize my strength training?

Unlocking Strength Potential: Lifting to Muscle Failure is Key!

Hey Vanessa, thank you for your question would lift into muscle failure. Help maximize your strength training. Absolutely it will. You're looking for a rep range of 1 to 5 reps, with a substantially heavy, load of 85 to 100 percent of your one rep maximum load. When you lift using those protocols, your nervous system is intelligently, driving and adapting to that stimulus and your nervous system is Is what unlocks potential for strength, gain in the human body, not the muscular system. The things you can expect to attain and gain while strength training are, you'll increase rate coding, which is the amount of spikes, your nervous system drives into the muscle across the duration of a set. So think of it as more ammunition being supplied to the muscle more ammunition will take down the target more effectively. So strength output increases Number two, you're going to increase motor unit recruitment. So it's been said, you can tap into an unlock of further potential, 25% of motor units. When you strength train, then if you'd previously only ever been as far as endurance or hypertrophy on the resistance training, pyramid number three, you're going to increase motor unit Recruitment and synchronisation. So motor units begin to fire together at the same time during a contraction If a fire together, that's going to equate to more explosive strength than when motor units, fire intermittently. And number four, you're going to desensitize the Golgi tendon organs, which are mechanisms housed in the tendon that protect your body against high tension, high stress, when load is applied to that area, so, during most maximal lift. So the first things that shut down and But your strength gain. So you can override that mechanism when you lift heavy. For small repetitions, you'll get those for benefits which optimize your strength, and it all happens on the nervous system level, not the muscular system. Hope that helps. Good luck. Thank you.

Yes, lifting to muscle failure with a rep range of 1-5 and a heavy load of 85-100% of your one-rep max can help maximize your strength training. Benefits include increased rate coding, motor unit recruitment, motor unit synchronization, and desensitization of the Golgi tendon organs.

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Lifting to muscle failure can indeed help optimize your strength training. When aiming for strength gains, focus on a rep range of 1 to 5 reps with a heavy load of 85 to 100 percent of your one-rep maximum.

By following this approach, your nervous system intelligently adapts to the stimulus, unlocking your potential for strength gains. It's important to note that strength gains primarily come from the nervous system, not the muscular system.

When lifting to muscle failure, several benefits can be expected. First, you'll increase rate coding, which refers to the number of spikes your nervous system drives into the muscle during a set. This increased rate coding provides more ammunition to the muscle, resulting in improved strength output.

Second, you'll experience an increase in motor unit recruitment. This means that you tap into and unlock around 25% more motor units than if you had only focused on endurance or hypertrophy training.

Third, lifting to muscle failure enhances motor unit recruitment and synchronization. When motor units fire together simultaneously during a contraction, it leads to greater explosive strength compared to when they fire intermittently.

Lastly, lifting heavy weights for low repetitions helps desensitize the Golgi tendon organs, which are mechanisms in the tendons that protect against high tension and stress. By overriding this mechanism, you can further enhance your strength gains.

Remember, these benefits primarily occur at the nervous system level. Keep these principles in mind as you optimize your strength training. Good luck!

Can you increase your body's fast twitch muscles, or is it genetic?

Unlock Your Potential: Increasing Fast-Twitch Muscles Through Training

This one's a really cool question. Can you increase your body's fast-twitch muscles? Or is it genetics? We give I believe we give genetics too much credit in life in sport and in our existence. Because if you think about it we're complex adaptive biological organisms and on a regular basis 24 months or so all of your cells tissues and organs are being constantly Italy broken down and remodeled on an ongoing basis throughout your life span. So your skin, your connective tissue, your muscles, your nerves your sign, apses. Everything is remodeling based on how you use them. So if you're not using bone, for example and you're not loading bone, osteoclasts production will outweigh osteoblasts production and you will As the bone, you'll take away from the bones mineral density, which is osteoporosis, and you can enhance that bone material by loading the bone. You can produce more bone matter in your skeleton, through a loading process or a training process and skin muscle, connective tissue nerves. All of these structures are highly adaptive to training and yes, you can. Priests more of their being and that comes through intensity exposure, exercise selection, and so on, and so forth. So, for fast-twitch, muscles, you can increase their amount so type to be muscle fibers through short periods of time under tension, high intensity for moderate, kind of volume and sense. So yes, type two muscles. Yes fast-twitch muscles can be increased, their highly adaptive to training and genetics plays. A very, very small part, training plays a huge part, our adaptation, our life plays, the biggest part, in our tissues, how they Remodel and how they utilized.

Yes, fast-twitch muscles can be increased through training and exercise selection. Genetics plays a small role in this process, but training and adaptation play the biggest part.

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Can you increase your body's fast-twitch muscles, or is it genetic? This is a fascinating question. Often, we tend to give genetics too much credit in various aspects of life, including sports and our overall existence. However, as complex adaptive biological organisms, our bodies are constantly undergoing remodeling and adaptation.

Every 24 months or so, all of our cells, tissues, and organs are being broken down and rebuilt based on how we use them. This applies to our skin, connective tissue, muscles, nerves, and more. If we don't use certain structures, they may deteriorate, but if we engage in specific activities, we can enhance and strengthen them.

For example, if we don't load our bones, osteoclasts (cells that break down bone) may outweigh osteoblasts (cells that build bone), resulting in decreased bone density or osteoporosis. However, by loading our bones through activities like weight-bearing exercises, we can stimulate the production of more bone matter and increase bone density.

Similarly, our muscles, including fast-twitch muscles, are highly adaptive to training. By subjecting them to short periods of high-intensity exercises with moderate volume, we can increase the amount of type II muscle fibers, which are associated with fast-twitch capabilities.

While genetics may play a small role, training and our overall lifestyle have a significant impact on our body's ability to adapt and remodel its tissues. So, the bottom line is that yes, you can increase your body's fast-twitch muscles through targeted training and exercise selection.

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Paul currently works as a Lecturer at Bournemouth University, a tutor for T2 Fitness, and Bournemouth College, and is a Global Educator for Gray Institute, Stick Mobility, ViPR and TRX Training UK.

He has spoken at many of the worlds biggest fitness conferences (IDEA World, SIM Brazil, FitPro LIVE UK, AFC Bangkok, MEFITPRO Dubai) and authors many articles for FitPro, T-Nation, ViPRFit.com.

Researcher, and presenter, of the latest findings/concepts/truths within the world of Movement Training, Mobility, Strength and Hypertrophy.

My day-to-day is to coach everyday people to health and fitness outcomes and my ultimate passion is to coach the coaches - training and educating other professionals around the world is what gives me the most joy from all the great things I’m fortunate enough to do in this wonderful health and fitness industry.

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Paul Edmondson