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Biggest killer of humans:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/0sujnvIV4g4 It has a grammatical snafu midway and a misconception at the 2 minute mark, but otherwise the facts are correct and it's a good presentation. The more you can do to protect yourself from this killer, the more secure you will be. Note that I don't mean isolation (it doesn't work). You have to actively seek the imposition of restraints on this killer while simultaneously not getting its attention directed at you. |
I've written previously about the "debate" over free weights versus machines. If
you missed that and somehow harbor the notion that there really is anything to
debate, look through the archives to find the article. Now, let's look at another training "controversy." I've come across more than a few "experts" who pooh-pooh dumbbells. I mean the ones used in weight lifting, not the ones who "serve" in CONgress. Both seven time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger and eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney made extensive use of dumbbells in their prime and I know from speaking with Mr. Haney's son Josh that Mr. Haney still does. Haney even confirms this in an interview you can find on Youtube. Arnold, in fact, stated that he did not train much with the bench press but relied on flyes--a classic dumbbell exercise--to develop his pecs. |
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I use dumbbells to develop my back, and as you can see from the photo there's a
lot of muscle. And I'm "getting up there" in years. There are two ways the anti-dumbbell crowd has gone. One is to machines, and one is to complete reliance on compound exercises. In both cases, the primary motivation seems to be to work out with heavier weight. I've already spoken on machines. If you like injuries and failing to train for useful strength, then by all means stick with machines. But what about those compound exercises? Frank Zane, also a Mr. Olympia, was adamant about doing squats--the mother of compound exercises. Today, Dr. Zane is a chiropractor who adamantly opposes back squats. But Dr. Zane is big on front squats. And Dr. Zane has developed a special contraption to make front squatting even more inherently safe than it already is. But he never said to leave out dumbbells. Only a dumbbell would say such a thing. You need to combine various forms of training to correctly and fully stimulate the muscles. That's why, for example, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson does pullups from a chinning bar. So does Sylvester Stallone and just about every other person who's serious about building a strong back. When to use dumbbells Many gym rats use dumbbells just for biceps curls and lateral raises. This is a mistake. As mentioned previously, Arnold relied on flyes to develop his chest. Taking a cue from him (but of course coming nowhere near his size), I do a flyes workout every afternoon of a chest/triceps day (chest/triceps workout done in the AM). This is a highly focused workout done specifically to stimulate the pecs. I usually start with two 55lb dumbbells and lower them very slowly. Then I raise them very slowly. I do maybe 3 reps, then rest a minute before hitting another set. I complete the session with a few sets of intense flexes. You can do variations of the flat bench flyes I do, by inclining or declining the bench. In addition to that slow movement, you want to keep your shoulders back. If you rotate them forward, you recruit your front deltoids and diminish the effect on the pecs. I use dumbbells in every upper body workout. Exercises include bent-over pullovers, standing rear delt rotations, lying rear delt rotations, triceps extensions, and three variations of biceps curl. I do those three in the same workout, as each works the biceps in a different range of motion. Personally, I think the dumbbell is the most useful piece of exercise equipment a person can own, if you understand how to use it to train and if you apply yourself properly. Combine a set of dumbbells with a chinning rack, and you can have a world-class physique with no other equipment. Yes, you can even do squats with dumbbells. Even so, I recommend also having an Olympic bar and weights to go with it because this gives you a wider range of exercises. And the front squat (requires a bar, not dumbbells) is really hard to beat as a core exercise in your program. My cousin Carl says the same thing about Roman deadlifts, which he does with the bar (as you're supposed to) rather than dumbbells (which you could do, I suppose, but I really can't see it). It shows My friend Jerome, a fellow "oldie," is also serious about his training. He looks impressive. Women at his gym like to claim him as their "gym husband." Yep, his training regimen relies heavily on dumbbells. He has a body that proves this works. I said earlier that Arnold relied on flyes. If you do them, you understand why. People who do flyes correctly look like we do a lot of heavy bench pressing, but in fact we work flyes. People who try flyes and don't get results invariably pronate their shoulders. That's why they don't get pec developmeent from flyes. They don't get pec development from the bench press either, but they can cheat up some impressive weight there so mis-train with the bench press while claiming flyes are for sissies. Arnold a sissy? Lee a sissy? PUH-LEASE. There are fools everywhere. It doesn't mean you have to listen to them. Ignore the "flyes are for sissies" people. Stretch when done Don't forget to do pec stretches when you're done, or you'll be setting yourself up for some serious tendonitis problems. You don't need to go overboard with those, just make sure you do them. Leaving your pecs tight won't cause them to grow any bigger or stronger, but stretching them after (never before) working them helps in multiple ways including making the fascia less constrictive. But the main reason, IMO, is preventing tendon problems.
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At
www.supplecity.com, you'll find plenty of informative, authoritative
articles on maintaining a lean, strong physique. It has nothing to
do with long workouts or impossible to maintain diets. In fact:
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Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years. Members of CONgress seem to be corroded from the start, even with their heads buried up their (you know what). |
The deliberately stupid and willfully ignorant often want to "discuss" or "debate" irrational "points." Engaging them is at best a collective monologue that wastes your limited time. Simply walk away from "debates" with such folks and use your time for better things. |
Please forward this eNL to others.
Except where noted, this e-newsletter is entirely the work of Mark Lamendola. Anything presented as fact can be independently verified. Often, sources are given; but where not given, they are readily available to anyone who makes the effort.
Mark provides information from either research or his own areas of established expertise. Sometimes, what appears to be a personal opinion is the only possibility when applying sound logic--reason it out before judging! (That said, some personal opinions do appear on occasion).
The purpose of this publication is to inform and empower its readers (and save you money!).
Personal note from Mark: I value each and every one of you, and I hope that shows in the diligent effort I put into writing this e-newsletter. Thank you for being a faithful reader. Please pass this newsletter along to others.
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