Editor’s note – There is so much monthly science news when it comes to muscle fitness, that it’s probably hard for you to keep up. In these ~monthly posts, I’ll summarize various items of recent research. I’ll cite the official reports so that the hard-core of you can read the science for yourself. But for the rest of you, these summaries should save you some time…
Fat Burning Zone vs. Aerobic Zone Differences in Training
You’ve probably heard that there’s a fat-burning zone for cardio workouts, right? In fact, some machines even indicate a specific heart rate target to burn the most fat. But are they right? Is that the best place to target? What about improving aerobic capacity? Since it’s important to train for aerobic fitness too, does that mean you need to train twice, once in each zone?
Well, researchers at University of St. Thomas in Minnesota took 36 runners and did some detailed analysis of heart rates and fat oxidation vs. VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake, a measure of aerobic fitness). Here’s what they found:
The best aerobic zone was at about 68% to 87% of maximal heart rate, while the best fat burning zone was between 59% and 76%. Note the big overlap. Translation: you can simultaneously optimize fat burn and aerobic fitness by targeting between 68% and 76%.
If you dig deeper, there are two other points worth noting: a) the difference in fat calories burned can differ by a factor of 2 or so; this means there really is a fat-burning zone, and b) there is a high variability from individual to individual so you can’t just assume these averages apply to everyone; you’ll need to do some testing on yourself to see which range is best.
This comes from Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 23(7): p2090-2095 (2009).
Best Form For Lat Pulldown
If you are able, regular pull-ups and chin-ups are better than machine assisted variations. That said, this research on the lat pull-down is very interesting.
Scientists in Brazil compared three lat pull-down variations: behind the neck, in front of the neck, and using a V-bar (the V-bar is shaped so that you can pull straight down without hitting your head so it’s between “front” and “behind”).
The measured muscle activation of 4 muscles: your pecs, your lats, your rear deltoids, and your biceps.
The winner for biceps and rear deltoids was behind-the-neck. The winner for pecs was in front. For lats, no difference.
Surprisingly, the authors thus conclude that you should only do the lat pull down in front! I had to reread it to make sure it wasn’t a typo! They don’t really explain why they come to that conclusion except to say that behind the neck has “theoretical” dangers that “have not been proven”. To me this study shows that you should work both movements into your routine unless one of them causes you pain.
Skip The Leucine And Save Your Money
The University Of Texas released the findings of a study comparing the anabolic (muscle growth) effects of leucine added to a whey protein drink versus jus the whey protein drink. The timing was following a high intensity lower body workout. Turns out, there was no difference. So if you are paying extra for protein powder enhanced with leucine, save your money and just buy good old whey protein. This, from Applied Physiology and Nutrition Metabolism, 34: 151-161, 2009.
Does The Glycemic Index Of Foods Affect Exercise Performance?
Well here we have dueling scientists. Two different articles in the same journal (International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 4(3), September 2009) seem to have (more…)
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Continue reading about Science News For Building Lean Muscle – October 2009
Fellas, lunges ain’t just for girls. In fact, I’m willing to bet that if you aren’t already doing lunges, then adding them to your next leg workout will leave you crying. You won’t feel so manly then.
But the good news is that after a few weeks, you’ll start to love lunges. And you will start to feel more manly – in the sense that you’ll feel muscles growing that you either thought you were already hitting hard, or else didn’t know existed.
But don’t cut out your squats! There are some advantages to lunges, as I’ll explain, but they don’t replace squats. They complement them.
In this article you’ll learn what lunges are, how to do them (and variations), why they are effective, and how they compare to squats.
Let’s start with what lunges are… (more…)
Lots of you liked Caleb’s guest article last week and so here’s another guest post – this comes from Alain, which he wrote just for me – enjoy! (p.s. don’t forget to chime in with comments!)
Guest post by Alain Gonzalez of http://musclemonsters.com
- Do guys need to do exercises for their butt?
Since the beginning of men’s weight training, the question has rarely been approached. Do guys need to work on their butts? The answer to the question will be determined by your fitness goals. If your goals consist of any of the following, the answer is yes.
- Build muscle mass
- Fat burn
- Decrease risk of injury
- Better posture
- Increase testosterone levels
- Give women a little extra to… look at
If none of these are on your list of fitness goals, I would say no, completely ignore the butt. But honestly, if you don’t have at least one of these goals on your list, then why are you reading this blog ?! For those who do have one or more of these items on there list, let me go a little more in depth as to how working your butt can benefit you.
1.Build muscle mass Being stronger will allow you to lift heavier weights when training and also perform more strenuous workouts for other muscle groups. See, one key to building muscle mass is increasing weight to put more strain on certain muscle groups, This is so that the muscle feels obligated to grow in order to be able to perform those workouts without becoming strained the next time. Some great mass building butt exercises consist of (more…)
I started writing a post on box squats and had just finished it when I came across my buddy Caleb’s article on doubleyourgains – on the exact same subject! And his was much better than mine! Thankfully, he allowed me to reprint it in its entirety for you.
Why Box Squatting Sucks & Why You Should Do It Anyways!
by Caleb Lee from http://doubleyourgains.com/
- Dave Tate Coaching The Box Squat (from doubleyourgains.com)
I have discovered a new world of pain … agony … and ego-wrenching … and it’s name is the Box Squat.
Before I tell you of all the amazing benefits of box squatting and how you may have to end up buying clothes with a big “S” sewn on them after starting to squat on the box, let’s first discuss …
Why Box Squats SUCK!
Normally, when I say an exercise sucks … I’m talking about exercises that suck at actually doing something for your body. Throw bicep curls, tricep kick backs, any type of curling in the squat racks, leg extensions, etc in this list …
BUT … when I’m talking about box squatting — I simply mean it just plain SUCKS to do!
Why?
- Lower Weight – your ego is going to be bruised the first time you box squat and you realize you’re lifting almost 100 pounds less than your regular squat …
- No Cheating — you can’t cheat with a box squat. You go down the proper depth, and if you don’t (more…)
Continue reading about What Are Box Squats And Should You Do Them?
Last week I reminded you about LeanLifters and lots of you joined – that’s great!
I know it might be annoying to get notified about a new article on worldfitnessnetwork.com, only to find out that it’s an article just for my LeanLifter members. The best solution is for you to spend just $1 and try it out. Go here
and read about the benefits. Then at the bottom of that page you can sign up for a $1 trial. If you join and hate it, then just quit and cancel. This is a secure but automated system so once you (more…)
I’ve officially had it with fitness pros who tell people cardio is bad.
I wish I were kidding. But I’m not exaggerating here. There are fitness guys saying all cardio is bad for all people.
In fact, as a result of one of my (former) affiliate partner’s recent blog posts on his site, I am now totally dropping him. Even though he has some great products, I can’t recommend him any more because his approach is so far away from my philosophy. I don’t want to make this personal, so I won’t name him, but you can count on me not promoting his products anymore.
What am I so angry about? (My first draft of this article was so filled with venom that I had to edit it down heavily…!)
I’m so excited to see how many of you have joined LeanLifters – the members-only version of worldfitnessnetwork.com. It’s really cool to be able to provide more in-depth information and help those members out on a more one-on-one basis.
LeanLifters is absolutely where I’m going to be focusing more and more of my time. Not only do they get exclusive fitness articles from me, but they have also been getting free audios, free PDFs, discounts on my weight training programs, and more. All the benefits are listed here:
Thank you to everyone who sent in questions last week – we had plenty!
In fact, there were so many that I decided to record the answers – that way I could answer more and also get the answers out sooner (typing all those answers takes a lot of time!).
For LeanLifters members, I’ll send you a separate email with the MP3 download. Everyone else can listen here using the buttons on the new page from the link below.
I mention several resources in the call. Here are the links to those:
- Tom’s Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle
- My 6×6x6 Routine
- My Fat Burn Furnace routine
You can certainly check out the other resource links on the right while you listen (just right-click to open them in new windows so your audio isn’t interrupted).
If you have questions about these answers, add a comment below!
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