What About Needing a Full Range of Motion?

An article by Pete Sisco http://www.precisiontraining.com/

"You need to lift through a full range of motion in order to build maximum muscle."

Nearly every person who has trained with Static Contraction training has heard this comment in the gym. It's often from some person who thinks he's helping you out by passing on some physiology 'knowledge' he heard. Sometimes it's just a know-it-all who critiques everyone's workouts.

In any event, ask him this simple question, "Has there ever been a clinical study that demonstrates humans need a full range of motion to build muscle; or a study that demonstrates range of motion plays a bigger role in hypertrophy than the amount of weight lifted?"

Then wait for the silence.

Perhaps it will surprise you to know there is not a single study supporting either conclusion. Nor will there ever be. What? Pete, are you saying you can predict the outcome of future studies? No. What I'm saying is that there are billions of cases over thousands of years of humans building muscle without using a full range of motion. So if a future study concludes that can't happen, the study will be wrong.

The fact is, outside of the gym and exercise infomercial studios, humans just don't use a full range of motion when performing high intensity exercise. For example:

1. When you try to push a car you don't place your hands near your chest to push, you place them almost fully extended away from you
2. Likewise, when you push a car you also don't squat down on you haunches, you barely bend your knees
3. When you climb a ladder you don't go three rungs at a time even though you could
4. When we walk we automatically use a step that is in our strongest and most efficient range of motion, we don't use our full range of motion

There are millions of construction workers, mechanics, landscapers and others who have very muscular physiques without ever using a full range of motion in their daily jobs.

And if full range of motion was the crucial road to muscle growth, yoga instructors and martial artists would be winning all the bodybuilding titles because they consistently exercise with the absolute maximum range of motion to develop flexibility.

Sometimes you'll hear this variation: "If you don't use a full range of motion, you'll develop a short muscle." Again, there is not a single study to back up this assertion. The length and shape of your muscles is determined by who your parents are.

Furthermore, your muscles are permanently attached to your bones. If you do partial reps, your muscles do not disconnect themselves, creep along the bone and reattach themselves during the night in order to become shorter. Won't happen.

And when you lift the maximum weight possible it requires the work of the maximum number of muscle fibers. Maximum fiber recruitment leads to maximum muscle hypertrophy; which is just one more reason the "short muscle" remark is ridiculous.

For over fifteen years I've been showing people how to limit range of motion in favor of lifting more weight in a safer range. I now estimate that over 200,000 people have used my methods to build new muscle.

So the evidence is clear and unambiguous; in the realm of muscle building, range of motion has almost no significance whatsoever. The overwhelming factor of significance is how much weight a muscle lifts. It is better to lift 200 pounds 3 inches than to lift 100 pounds 6 inches. It is better still to lift 400 pounds 1.5 inches. All three lifts represent the same amount of work as far as physics is concerned, yet when you try them in the gym it is the greater weight that taxes your limits, not the greater distance.

"You need to lift through a full range of motion in order to build maximum muscle." It never was true and never will be true. My best advice is to use Static Contraction Training to lift the maximum amount of weight you can, in the smallest and safest possible range of motion...and watch your progress take off.

Train with your brain,

10 easy Steps To Combat Winter Depression

Sometimes without apparent reason, depression seems to take over. The best medicine is preventative. Looking after mental health is as essential as looking after physical health. A physically tired person will generally take a break. Rest replenishes the body’s energy. Exhaustion is released and the body feels better. The mind also needs to release the constant bombardment of stimulus, some pleasant, some not so pleasant, i.e. stress. Mind fitness is a prerequisite to maintaining a harmonious sense of well- being.
Help Yourself Feel Better, when depression hits, in 10 Easy Steps

Watch your diet. Eat “light”. Refrain from eating “heavy foods” which will make the body feel sluggish. Vegetables, fish etc. Studies have shown that depressed patients have a lower level of the natural amino acid tryptophan. This natural antidepressant can be found in bananas. Licorice is known to contains a natural MAO inhibitor (monoamine oxidase enzyme).

Get plenty of sleep. Ensure that your night’s sleep is undisturbed. If possible take a warm bath and drink a warm cup of tea before going to bed, camomile, passion flower, lemon balm are suggested. Burning incense, oils or scented candles prior to falling asleep can ensure a deep sleep. Recommended scents: marjoram, cedarwood, sandalwood, camomile.

Exercise. Depression responds to vigorous aerobic exercise rather than gentler types such as yoga. If going to an exercise class is not possible, a good exercise video can be used at home. 20 minutes a day is recommended but 10 minutes is better than nothing.

Seek Advice. Depression can be clinical, caused by hormonal deficiency, or environmental, caused by life situations. After ruling out medical causes for depression, seek friends or professionals who can offer different perspectives on life situations.

Dissect. The large picture always feels overwhelming. Break down the picture. Examine each area, i.e. life situation individually. Deal with one component at a time, as though tearing down a brick wall. (Good visualization exercise)

Contemplation. Meditation, visualization, affirmations are three essential methods of training your mind towards feeling better. Meditation does not have to done sitting cross legged staring into the infinite. A walk in the country contemplating the beauty of nature can be meditative. While in a totally relaxed state, either walking. sitting or lying down, visualize the depression lifting from the body. Affirm that your body’s natural state is healthy, and that it is achieving a healthier state second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.... Create whatever personal affirmations are applicable to the situation.

Massage. A good invigorating massage or an aromatherapy massage can stimulate the lymphatic system, clearing the body of toxins. Reflexology, either hand or foot is also beneficial. The site for the pituitary, the “king” of the hormone producing glands, is found in the “middle back” of the toes, and in the hands in the middle of the upper fleshy part of the thumb.

Fragrances. Use aromatherapy blends in the bath, as mist sprays for room and pillow and as massage oils.

Ritualistic routine. Create a distracting routine or ritual. Find a convenient time of day in which to perform an enjoyable routine or ritual. Select a time that can remain constant for a reasonable period of time, i.e. ten to twelve weeks.

Supplements. Vitamin supplements, and tinctures such as valerian root and passion flower can be used, but not long term. St. Johnswort, Motherswort and Ginko are highly recommended. Ginseng and Kava Kava are also useful but side effects may include higher blood pressure and hyperactivity respectively.

Frequently depression is anger turned within. If you let go depression can be eliminated. According to the Rev. Hanna Kroeger, pressing acupuncture points along the body’s meridians can help release blockages. Hold the following points for a few minutes: mid chin; tip of sternum; left side of knee.
Know thyself and stay happy.........

That Diet Soda Habit Might Be Killing Your Kidneys

From today's AOL Health
By Deborah R Huso

If you think you're doing yourself a favor by drinking diet soda instead of the real deal, think again. It's true you may be protecting your waistline from empty calories, but new research suggests you may be beating up your kidneys instead.

Over the weekend, researchers from the Nurses' Health Study in Boston released findings that indicate women who drink two or more diet sodas a day experienced a 30 percent drop in kidney function over the course of a two decades long study. More than 3,000 women participated in the study, the median age being 67. Lead researcher Julie Lin, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, says the outcomes were especially startling because the women surveyed all had health kidney function at the start of the research.

After critically analyzing the beverage intake of study participants, researchers found those who drank two or more diet sodas daily had a significant dip in the kidneys' glomerular filtration rate, which measures kidney function. Natural aging generally results in a decreased filtration rate of about 1 mL per minute per year after age 40. In contrast, the rate of those who consumed diet soda significantly decreased by 3mL per minute per year. The study showed no link between decreased kidney function and other beverages or any decreased function in women who had less than two diet sodas a day.

This doesn't mean your kidneys are safe, however, if you opt for regular sodas. A study published earlier this year in PLoS ONE, a journal of the Public Library of Science, showed that women drinking two or more cans of regular soda a day are nearly twice as likely to suffer from early signs of kidney disease as non-soda drinkers. Researchers don't understand the cause for certain but suspect it has to do with the intake of large amounts of high fructose corn syrup.

With some 26 million Americans suffering from chronic kidney disease, it's obviously become a national health problem. While studies to date on the relationship between kidney function and soda (diet or regular) have been small, they add more fuel to the fire for cutting soda intake, even if you're a diet drinker. When it comes to your health, water is always the best beverage.