The Science of Training | Six Lab Findings to Boost Muscle Growth
The Science of Training
Six Lab Findings to Boost Muscle Growth
1) Best Program Design for Strength and Power
Strength and power exercises are critical for high power athletes such as throwers, jumpers and sprinters. Performance in basic strength exercises such as deadlift and bench press are highly correlated to performance in basic athletic events. Current training philosophy is that athletes should train movements and not muscles. Greek researchers showed that strength gains were similar when training strength and power on separate days compared to during the same workout. Power increased best when training strength and power on separate days. This was a small study conducted over six weeks, so the results may not have practical application to experienced power athletes. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, published online February 24, 2015)
2) The Link Between Muscle Protein Synthesis and Muscle Growth
Weight training as well as the availability of dietary protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis. Scientists from the University of São Paulo in Brazil, in a review of literature, concluded that weight training stimulates muscle protein synthesis most in untrained people. However, there is little relationship between muscle protein synthesis, protein availability and subsequent muscle growth. This finding is confusing to scientists and athletes alike. We need long-term studies showing the relationship between training loads, muscle protein synthesis and long-term muscle adaptations that occur in the real world of bodybuilding. (Sports Medicine, published online March 6, 2015)
3) Muscles Adapt Rapidly to Eccentric Exercise
Muscles contract concentrically when they exert force as they shorten and contract eccentrically when they exert force as they lengthen. Muscles have a greater capacity for exerting force eccentrically than concentrically. Intense levels of eccentric contractions damage muscle structures (Z lines) and trigger muscle soreness. A Danish study showed that muscles adapt quickly to eccentric exercise. They measured blood flow and muscle activation during two bouts of eccentric exercise scheduled seven days apart. During and following the first exercise, muscle activation was greater during exercise and blood flow greater during recovery than during the second exercise a week later. This study shows how muscles adapt quickly to protect themselves from excessive stresses. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 29: 1017-1026, 2015)
4) Rope Training Is a Vigorous Cardiovascular Exercise
Rope training involves vigorously undulating one or two large ropes using upper body muscles and stabilizing the body with the lower body and core muscles. It is an extremely popular functional training method used frequently in cross training programs such as CrossFit. Charles Fontaine from the University of Minnesota Duluth and Brad Schmidt from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska found that a 10-minute rope interval workout (10 sets of 15 seconds rope waving followed by 45 seconds of rest) increased heart rate to 163 beats a minute and metabolic rate 10 times above rest. Rope training is a vigorous functional training method that develops physical fitness. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 29:889-893, 2015)
5) Aerobics Interfere with Strength Training
Most recreational athletes combined aerobics and strength training so that they can develop well-rounded fitness and not spend too much time in the gym. A Brazilian study showed that the order of training was important for optimizing strength performance. Performing either treadmill or stationary bike exercise prior to strength training decreased the quality of the strength training workout, with the stationary bike causing a greater decrease than the treadmill. Train for strength first and then practice aerobics. In other studies, Japanese researchers found that practicing aerobics after strength exercises was healthier for blood vessels. (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 29: 1077-1082, 2015)
6) Mastering the Snatch and Clean From Full Extension
Performing either the squat snatch or squat clean requires lightning speed and good body position. Athletes must complete the pull during both lifts before going into the squat. Mark DiSanto from the Old Greenwich Sports and Wellness Center in Connecticut, and colleagues, described full-extension exercises for improving performance in the snatch and clean. For the snatch, hold an empty barbell with the snatch grip and go into a full extension by rising up on your toes, extending the knees and hips, elevating the shoulders, and pulling the bar to the chest while holding the elbows outward. Pause for two seconds, and then snatch the bar overhead while going into a squat. Stand up with the bar overhead. The movement is similar for the clean, except that you use a shoulder-width grip, extend fully, go into a front squat and then push up to a standing position. These are terrific exercises for emphasizing full extension during the snatch and clean. (Strength and Conditioning Journal, 37 (1): 1-4, 2015)