get stronger, without getting bigger

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Get Stronger, Without Getting Bigger Most combat athletes need to cut weight before the fights. Weight control is often crucial for them, so this question of size versus strength becomes important. Therefore my focus in this article is to give you simple training tips of how to get stronger without getting bigger. http://www.mycprcertificationonline.com/

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Would it be big man with huge muscles protruding through his clothes, or medium-built, athletic guy? Probably the first one. It may be, but does not necessarily have to be true. Size matters if you want to be the strongest man on earth. http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/how-get-stronger-without-getting-bigger

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Page 1: Get stronger, without getting bigger

Get Stronger, Without Getting Bigger

Most combat athletes need to cut weight before the fights. Weight control is often crucial for them, so this question of size

versus strength becomes important. Therefore my focus in this article is to give

you simple training tips of how to get stronger without getting bigger.

http://www.mycprcertificationonline.com/

Page 2: Get stronger, without getting bigger

body adapts to training and gets stronger

It all depends how strong one wants to be. I came across an article on the Internet a while ago. The author described

strength as a “skilled act.” I really liked this description, as it implies you can teach your body to be strong.

 To start, let us focus on sports that require great amounts of

strength and/or power and at the same time involve weight limitations - combat sports (i.e. boxing, MMA, BJJ),

gymnastics, ballet (Yes, I do consider ballet dancers athletes), ice skating, and climbing. While sports like boxing or MMA

have explicit weight groups, in other sports like ice-skating, climbing, dance and gymnastics the lighter and stronger you

are the better off you are.

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Page 3: Get stronger, without getting bigger

The main mechanisms of neural adaptation

1. Increased Motor Unit Recruitment

This means neural adaptation to training that rapidly increases the strength of a novice who hasn’t yet experienced hypertrophy. What is a motor unit? A motor unit is made up of a single motor neuron, as well as all of the muscle fibers that neuron activates. This refers to our skeletal muscles, which are made of hundreds of thousands of fibers. These muscle fibers are activated by motor neurons when they receive signals from the brain to contract the muscle. A single motor neuron can control several hundred muscle fibers at a time, depending on the size and function of the muscle.

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Page 4: Get stronger, without getting bigger

2. Coordination of Motor Unit Recruitment

As the athlete training progresses, his or her ability to utilize multiple motor units increases. Please note that each muscle fiber in a motor unit is functionally identical, which means it is either slow twitch or fast twitch, never both in the single motor unit. Training increases the total number of motor units that affect a muscular contraction. In other words, trained individuals can recruit more motor units than novices.

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Page 5: Get stronger, without getting bigger

3. Increased Frequency of Firing

The frequency of motor unit firing increases with the training, as well as the total number of motor units that affect a muscular contraction. More motor units work together and they fire more rapidly (faster).

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Page 6: Get stronger, without getting bigger

4. Improved Technique and Skill Acquisition

Out of the two similarly sized men, the one whose technique is competent will be able to generate more force than the novice. Also, he will do so in a safer manner.

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Page 7: Get stronger, without getting bigger

5. Cross Education

Increased involvement of the neural pathways contributes to strength gains, too. For example, an untrained arm will gain significant strength in concert with a trained arm because of interaction between the nerves of either arm at the spinal column. This cross-education is one of the clearest demonstrations of neural adaptation.

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Page 8: Get stronger, without getting bigger

Best Exercises for Strength Development

So now you understand the

theory and you want to put this into practice. What exercises are best for this sort of strength development? My six fundamental exercises are:

Dead lift Front Squat Overhead Squat Pull Up (weighted or not) Military Press Push Up (weighted or not) + (extra / optional) Bench

Press

Page 9: Get stronger, without getting bigger

The Kinesiology of Exercise

Even more detailed guidelines as per The Kinesiology of Exercise by Michael Yessis:

1. 1-4 reps per set @ 2-4RM increase pure strength but do not increase muscle mass

2. 4-9 reps per set @ 5-9RM increase strength together with muscle mass3. 10-15 reps per set increase muscular strength, muscular endurance and

muscle mass4. 16-30 reps per set increase muscular endurance with little to no

increase in muscle mass5. 31-50 reps per set or circuit increase muscular endurance with no effect

on muscle mass6. 50-100 reps per set or circuit increase muscular endurance, cardio-

respiratory endurance, and there will be a possible loss of muscle mass (or fat) but absolutely no increase in strength

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Page 10: Get stronger, without getting bigger

REMEMBERWith all the guidelines above, just remember to stick to the numbers and be consistent and honest with your training. Be honest with yourself. If poor technique or mobility hinders you from lifting heavier, don’t stack more weight on the bar. Work on technique and mobility, as this is the problem. Changes will happen, as long as you are smart about your training and forget about the ego.

http://www.mycprcertificationonline.com/