AREAS OF INTEREST: SPORTCORD, RESISTANCE TRAINING, MUSCLE, METABOLISM, RANGE OF MOTION.
by: Tom Seabourne Ph. D
Training with your SportCord increases your lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. There is no better way to contour and streamline the physique than resistance training. We cannot spot-lose body fat, but we can tone up and increase the size of our muscles. Increasing the size of our shoulders and upper back creates the illusion of reducing our waistlines. Unless you inject illegal supplements, you should not be concerned about being transformed into the Hulk.
Individualize your strength program to meet your needs and goals. Before each workout, plan the order of your exercises, and the intensity of the training system you have designed. Get psyched up for each workout.
Music can be a great motivator. To become energized, think of your goals and visualize your ideal self. SportCord training can increase your strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance. Train with resistance three times each week for an hour. Perform one exercise per body part. Work the large muscle groups of the legs, back, and chest first.
Stretch each muscle group following each set. Do both high repetition, light resistance, and low repetition, heavy resistance, to stimulate slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers. Each of us has both slow and fast-twitch fibers in different combinations dispersed throughout our bodies.
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Focus your concentration on a specific muscle group. For example, to train your chest and triceps, focus on the pectoral muscles in your chest. Concentrate on pushing with the tricep muscles in the back of your arm. Relax the remainder of your body so a higher percentage of force is exerted behind the specific muscle groups you are working with.
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If you are training your triceps, keep your facial muscles relaxed. You can yell if you want, but the rest of your body should remain relaxed. Imagine a surge of power as the blood enters the working muscle. Explode into each movement with a controlled and yet one-hundred percent energized effort. Move through a full range of motion. Exhale on the exertion. Choose resistance you can comfortably control. Do not work out in extreme heat. If it is hot, drink water between sets.
If you train in cold weather, do a few calisthenics (i.e. push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups) to warm up. Ease into your workout. Start with some easy repetitions, then gradually increase the intensity. Breathe normally during an exercise; however, if you are exerting exhale during the contraction. Inhale on your short rests between each contraction.
Maintain good posture; keep your stomach in; relax your neck; keep your back flat (don’t arch). The amount of resistance should never dictate your form.
If one of your goals is to lose body fat, move quickly from one exercise to the next. You may see improvement after approximately five weeks. Keep charts to record how you are advancing in each of your muscle groups. Your muscles will adapt to the weight. As you increase the resistance and the number of repetitions, you will gain strength.
In one month, your body will have adapted to your resistance program.
| To continue to stimulate muscle growth you must add intensity to your workout. You can choose to increase the number of sets, repetitions, or the amount of resistance. Or you may decrease your rest time between sets. Listen to your body. If your muscles are growing stronger, and more flexible, and you are not gaining additional body fat, you are doing everything right. If your goal is to improve endurance, work your large muscle groups in rapid succession. Do not dawdle between exercises. If you rest too long you may lose “the pump,” and decide to quit for the day. |
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