news: How to Build Muscle Or Should I Be Strength Training ...

Muscle building versus strength training - is there a difference? I pose this question because of there seems to be some confusion on this subject.

As a backdrop, I recently read an article in which the writer emphatically stated that there is a difference. Those looking to strength training should be do more no than 3 to 5 reps a set, to include warming up with a set of 3 or 5 reps. He states that strength trainers should not do forced repetitions and the like.

His contention is that for those seeking to build muscle should be doing between 8 to 12 reps, and so forth. But mostly, his discussion was on what it took to build strength.

I think he misses the point. Had his discussion been about the training differences between power lifters and bodybuilders, perhaps he might have been closer to the mark. But for the general public, it was largely an irrelevant argument.

After all, most of us do not aspire to put on as much muscle as human possible nor is it to push the limits of how much a person can lift - although it may become a goal at a point. Rather, for a plethora of reasons, we want to look good, feel great, and be strong.

And to do that requires understanding this one fundamental truth, "it ain't rocket science." Or maybe it is, but I know this; this is a fairly straightforward proposition.

You exercise with enough intensity to challenge your body. You feed your body with enough nutrients to rebuild. And lastly, you get enough rest to allow your body to adapt and respond. That is it.

What, I think, is important is not to get lose sight of the forest by focusing too much on the trees. Rep schemes, exercise mix, and the like are not that critical to getting into shape.

You could to 1 set of 100 repetitions for the squat (good luck), 5 sets of 20 reps, or 10 sets of 10 reps. You could even do 6 sets of 20, 15, 10, 8, 6, and 6; or even a set of 15, 12, 10 and 8. They are all good. In fact, you could rotate what you do every few workouts, or every few months, to keep challenging yourself.

What is important is that for every workout that you do; you must do more than your last workout. That means you must do one more rep or lift one more pound or rest less. You must beat your last workout.

Whether you are maximizing your fast twitch muscle fibers and the like is getting lost in the weeds. Stay focused on hitting your body hard every workout, and doing it a just a bit harder each time.

After that, it's what happens after the work out that count. HIIT is a good example.

HIIT is so intense that for many hours after you finish, your body is still keyed up. Your body is still working to burn fat and making your body more efficient for the next HIIT session. And that's the value of training as intensely as you can each time.

That principle holds true whether you are doing sprints, circuit training, or the conventional weightlifting program.

As for the discussion of strength training versus muscle building - well - for most of us, it is not mutually exclusive. In fact, both are part and parcel of what we should be doing. We want to look good, feel great, and be strong.

I recommend days when you keep your reps in the 8 to 20 range and days when you hang in the 6 to 15 range. While there is great value to 5X5 work outs, I think a set of high rep, light weight warm-up is always advisable to start a set. Some exceptions obviously, such as there is less of a need to warm-up your biceps if you have just done a great back routine.

As you progressively challenge yourself, you will grow muscles and get stronger to your genetic potential. Your diet and intake of nutrients will determine how much fat you lose in the process. Exercise, diet, and rest all work together to get you where you want to go.

The rest of the stuff is just not really that important.

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Source: http://kaal-news.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-build-muscle-or-should-i-be.html

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