Previously it was thought Physical Therapists should withhold strength training from endurance athletes or have athletes perform exercises with high reps (>15) and low weights (30-45% 1 rep max). These incorrect guidelines and prescriptions created insufficient training loads in endurance athletes and even worse led many endurance coaches and athletes to avoid weight training all...
Many high level and recreational runners avoid weight training due to fear of building muscle or bulk which may be detrimental to their performance. On the surface this argument makes sense because a larger runner would have to expend more resources (fuel, oxygen) at at given speed and distance. One of the first flaws in...
Sarcopenia is the age related loss of muscle mass found in all adults during the aging process. Specifically, the average male can expect to lose 8-10% of his muscle mass each decade after age 30. Thankfully both the amount and speed of this loss can be attenuated through strength training. Females and males participating in...
Strength training creates a positive stress on the nervous and musculoskeletal systems leading to well established gains in mental, emotional, and physical health. This stress must be continually progressed in a gradual fashion to ensure these gains do not plateau. It is no surprise many novice exercisers, and some patients in Physical Therapy, quit their...
Exercise selection is one of the most important variables in a weekly strength training program. In general, individuals should look for multi joint (ex. lat pulldown) exercises instead of single joint exercises (barbell curl). At our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we recommend participants select one exercise from each of the following categories: vertical push, vertical...
Strength and muscle hypertrophy (growth) are two separate benefits of strength training. In some participants these occur together, but in other participants (age, sex, training status, nutrition) strength gains often occur without significant increases in muscle size. This is an important point for individuals who refrain from weight training due to fear of “bulking up”...
Isometrics, muscle contractions without movement of a joint, have been utilized for many decades as a form of strength training and performance, but have recently been highlighted as an effective treatment for tendon pain. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, isometrics are helpful to initially load a tissue after surgery or injury, as well as,...
One of the reasons our species reached the top of the food chain involves our ability to thrive under a variety of environments and circumstances. Our ability to conserve energy and resources during times of scarcity has ensured our survival, but in times of abundance these physiological mechanisms likely hold us back from our fitness...
If you only had time for one strength training exercise it would be hard to beat the squat due to its’ high recruitment of lower quarter muscles including the legs and core. Numerous variations of the squat including sit to stand, goblet squat, front squat, back squat, split squat, and zercher squats exist allowing individuals...
Resistance training is an essential part of any weekly workout program, but can become neglected when other activities compete for our time. On these shortened training days we should aim to improve our efficiency in the gym by utilizing methods which reduce our workout time but maintain its’ effectiveness. Supersets, performance of a set of...