Food & Drink -- 6 days ago
Words: Violet
Summer is coming and, for most of us, this fact brings with it that looming realisation that we should be exercising more than we are. So, in order to ensure that you are getting absolute optimisation from your workout, we have configured 10 helpful tips. Your summer beach body awaits, gents.
1. HOW MANY REPS YOU SHOULD BE DOING, According to the Australian National Strength and Conditioning Association, the ideal rep range for muscle growth is 8-12 reps.
3. GET ANGRY, Research by the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology found that expressing anger enables a 25% increased muscle force.
4. LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING IS THE BEST TIME TO BUILD MUSCLE, The Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that, compared to a morning session, you will on average lift up to 11% more weight in the late afternoon and evening.
2. GET CAFFEINATED, So apparently caffeine is your forgotten best friend when it comes to exercise. It makes exercise seem 5% easier, helps you burn fat faster and helps you like 2% more weight.
5. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF REST, We all know it is important to rest in between sets, but there is actually an advised perfect rest time. If you are looking to gain strength, that time is 3 minutes.
6. THE BEST MACHINE FOR CARDIO?, On average, people burn more calories per hour on the treadmill than the elliptical machine, rowing machine and bike. Want to burn even more? Get out of the gym and run outside. According to a study by the Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, the treadmill is 36% easier than outdoor running.
7. RE-ASSESS WHEN YOU STRETCH, We have long been told that we should stretch before a workout. However, research from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in the US found that pre-workout stretching had no effect on injury prevention. You must, however, stretch post workout.
8. COMBAT THE POST-WORKOUT SORENESS, Always find that you feel sore in the morning after a strength workout? Research has found that a 45 second cardio workout pre-weightlifting actually reduces soreness.
9. CONQUERING A PLATEAU, Repetitive exercises can quickly lead to a growth and strength plateau. Daniel Hollander, author of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning recommends that, because we can handle 40% more weight on the lowering portioning of an exercise than the raising, you should make the lowering section longer.
10. WATER IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT, This one might seem pretty obvious but do you know its effects in relation to the numbers? The Journal of Applied Physiology found that dehydration lowers testosterone and reduces strength.
