Perhaps the most low-tech form of exercise is walking. With all the fancy equipment and various exercise machines available, walking is often overlooked as an effective form of exercise. On the other hand, the most popular aerobic exercise I see at various commercial … [Read more...]
Exercise and Covid-19 by Jerry Brainum 12/24
Although many people have discarded their previously mandatory protective masks, COVID-19 remains. The notion expressed by certain politicians that the disease would naturally die out was wrong, as was the idea that if enough people contracted Covid, "herd immunity" … [Read more...]
Lacto-Resistance Training: A way to new growth and strength for advanced bodybuilders by Jerry Brainum 11/24
Muscle gains are most rapid when you begin regular resistance training. Indeed, this is a problem I have with many exercise studies that use untrained subjects to test various training techniques. The truth is that almost anything a beginner does will result in muscle gains, … [Read more...]
The Science of Light Resistance Training for Muscle Gains by Jerry Brainum 8/24
Until recently, bodybuilding dogma held that lifting heavy weights was the only way to develop increased muscle mass. Indeed, resistance training is based on a progressive system, where regular increases in the amount of weight lifted are essential for promoting size … [Read more...]
Weight or Repetitions for Muscle Growth? by Jerry Brainum 8/23
The three established requirements for exercise-induced muscle growth are mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscular damage. Unless these three factors are produced by exercise, no gains in muscle mass will result. Except under one condition. Testosterone alone was … [Read more...]
Optimal Triceps Training by Jerry Brainum 4/23
Most weight exercises can be divided into two basic types: isolation exercises and compound exercises. As the name implies, isolation exercises focus on specific portions of a muscle, such as training the upper back and the lower back. Or it can be even more specific, … [Read more...]
The Elements of Muscle and Strength Gains by Jerry Brainum 9/22
I've written previously that there is no one ideal way to train that will work for everyone. It takes experimentation with different training techniques to determine those that produce the best results for you, and this will vary among individuals. Some people, for instance, … [Read more...]
Minimum Exercise for Maximum Gains by Jerry Brainum 7/22
What is the least amount of training needed to produce maximal muscle gains? It's a question long debated among both bodybuilders and exercise scientists. Many bodybuilders follow the dictum that "more is better." They believe that the greater the training volume, or the … [Read more...]
Building Hamstrings With Squats By Jerry Brainum 11/20
The squat has been called "the king of exercises" for good reason. No other weight exercise works the body like squats. When I first began training over 55 years ago, squats were considered an essential exercise and just about everyone who lifted weights included … [Read more...]
How Often Should You Change Your Exercises? by Jerry Brainum 9/20
"I want you to write an article about muscle confusion." These words from the "Master Blaster" himself Joe Weider left me confused, much less my muscles. I had just arrived for a meeting with Joe at his Woodland Hills, California office. Surrounded by classic Western … [Read more...]