Sunday, March 8, 2020

What are the most efficient training methods and exercises?

What are the most efficient training methods and exercises?
The most efficient training exercises involve compound, multi-joint movements performed in full range of motion (ROM) using free weights. In other words, the exercises that most people hate to do! These will give you the greatest bang for your training buck.

The following statement from the Ebben & Jensen, 1998 commentary sums things up quite nicely:

"Since well-designed strength training programs include exercises with free weights and dumbbells and exercises that use body weight resistance, both women and men should include these in their training, and women should train at the same intensities as men."


"The use of strength training machines and abdominal exercises need not be discontinued, but emphasis should be placed on the use of free-weight exercises including foot-based lower-body exercises such as the lunge, diagonal lunge, walking lunge, step-up, lateral step-up, and squat. Women should also include upper-body exercises that employ multiple muscle groups such as the bench press, incline press, latissimus dorsi pull-downs, pull-ups, and back extensions. Finally, women who have developed a strength base should consider total-body exercises such as the push press, hang clean, power clean, clean and jerk, and snatch."

"A training program should also stress multi-planar, multi-joint, functional exercises because they develop intermuscular coordination, proprioception, and balance and result in strength that transfers to sports and daily activities. For example, the step-up exercise is superior to using the leg-extension machine because it offers functional strength for walking up a flight of stairs while carrying bags of groceries. For athletes who play foot-based sports such as basketball, the squat is superior to using the leg-press machine, since the squat is functionally more similar to the sport and requires greater balance and weight and body control in all three planes of motion."


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