Back Clinic Power & Strength Training. These types of conditioning programs are for both athletes and the general population. They can reach higher levels of personal power and strength, making them capable of achieving their personal fitness goals. Power is defined as the ability to generate as much force as fast as possible. It’s needed for athletic movements such as workouts (clean & jerk), swinging a bat, golf club, tennis racket, and running through a tackle.
Power requires strength and speed to develop force. Strength is the amount of force muscle/s can exert against an external load. One rep maximum test is performed where individuals assess the greatest weight they can lift while maintaining proper form. The movement’s speed is not important in a strength test. Dr. Alex Jimenez offers insight into various stretches and exercises and explains the possible risks of injury on strength training through his numerous article archives.
Occlusion training involves restricting the flow of blood to a muscle group while training. That is why it is also commonly called �blood flow restriction training.�
Basically you take a wrap or band and apply it to the top of your limb.
The aim of this�isn�t�to completely cut off circulation to the area as that is dangerous and painful.
This means that you aren�t restricting arterial flow to the area, but you are restricting the venous return from the muscles.
Arteries are what takes the blood from your heart to your muscles and it is then returned to your heart through a system of veins.
Restricting the blood flow back to your heart causes a pooling of the blood in the area that you are working.
This is what occlusion training uses to create an�anabolic effect�on your muscles.�
HOW DOES OCCLUSION TRAINING WORK?
The bloodstream is the network that connects the muscles in your body, providing oxygen and nutrients and carrying away waste products
Muscles require a steady flow of blood to operate.
That is why we aren�t cutting off the flow to the muscle, we are only slowing the rate at which the blood releases from it.
When performing any kind of resistance training your body directs more blood to your muscles performing the exercise.
The reason you get a �pump� when working out is that the speed at which your body is pumping blood into your muscles is faster than the amount of blood going out of them.
Your pump reduces when you rest between your sets as more blood is released from your muscle groups.
Blood flow restriction training prolongs and intensifies your pump.
This is done by placing wraps in one of two places during your working sets.
You wrap above your bicep for movements that involve your bicep�s, triceps, forearms, and even chest and back can benefit from this.
While wrapping in this position it makes sense that it would benefit your arms but how does it help your chest and back?
There is no possible way that you can restrict blood flow to your chest and back because of the positions they are located in.
However wrapping your arm allows you to pre-fatigue your arms and as a result chest and back exercises that you perform are going to require more involvement from those muscles rather than your biceps or triceps.
Wrap your upper thigh for movements that involve your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.
Building Muscle With Occlusion Training
During training you have two�types of muscle�that are responsible for all muscle growth in the gym.
Fast twitch fibers and slow twitch fibers.
Slow twitch muscle fibers are smaller muscle fibers and generate less power and strength than fast twitch fibers. However slow twitch fibers fatigue slower and can sustain activity for longer.
Fast twitch fibers are larger muscle fibers, generate more power and strength and have the most potential for growth.
Fast twitch fibers are recruited last during contractions and mostly don�t use oxygen. Slow twitch fibers on the other hand use oxygen and are recruited first in the movement.
This means that by restricting the blood flow to a muscle group you are pre-fatiguing the slow twitch fibers and forcing the fast twitch fibers to take control even when you�re using low weights.
Occlusion training seems to�trick your body�into thinking you are lifting heavy weights. This means you can get very�similar benefits�of heavy training by using 20-30% of your 1 rep max.
There are two main factors that lead to muscle growth during training. These are:
Metabolic Stress
Cellular Swelling
Metabolic Stress
When you�re working out your body is burning energy. As your body chews through its fuel stores, metabolic by-product accumulates in your muscles.
Metabolic by-products act as an anabolic signal, telling your body to increase size and strength.
Under normal training most of these by-products would be washed out by blood flow.
Occlusion training keeps them near the muscle helping to increase the anabolic effect that the by-products have on the muscles.�
Cellular Swelling
During resistance training your cells expand and fill with fluid and nutrients. This is known as cellular swelling and has also been shown to be an anabolic�signal for muscle growth.
Occlusion training isn�t a better option than heavy training, but that said it is a nice supplement.
Regularly pushing your muscles to the point of failure or at least close to it (1-2 reps) is an important factor of increasing your strength and muscle mass.
Occlusion training allows you to replicate this without putting anywhere near as much strain on your joints, ligaments and tendons as you would to get the same result from lifting heavy.
This means that you can do more volume without the risk of�overtraining.
Here are a couple of scenarios where this could be really beneficial for you:
If you suffer from joint issues
If you�re travelling and only have access to hotel weights
If you�re injured or have nagging aches and pains.
In short your body might not always feel up to another heavy training day. Occlusion training can be a great way to get a good workout in and help you maintain muscle mass.�
How To Do Blood Flow Restriction Training
As I mentioned earlier you only ever wrap yourself at the top of your biceps and the top of your thighs.
Elastic knee wraps, medical tourniquets and exercise band �are good options to use for your wraps.
Here�s two videos explaining how to wrap your arms and legs
Blood flow restriction training works best when with isolation exercises. If you are going to do compound movements do them at the start of your workout and save the blood flow restricted exercises for the end.
Layne Norton recommends performing lifts at 20%-30% of your 1rm for 20-30 reps of the first set and then the next three sets at 10-15 reps. Have a 30 second rest between sets before going again.
You want to keep the cuffs on your limbs for the entire 4 sets and then release them at the end.
If you�re in pain before the exercise starts that�s a good sign that your wraps are too tight.
Also if you can�t complete the prescribed sets either the wraps are too tight or the weight is too heavy.�
Conclusion
Blood flow restriction training has been getting a lot of hype lately.
While it isn�t better than regular strength training, it is a good supplement for it and can be beneficial when used in conjunction with your regular training.
This is more of an advanced training technique so if you are just starting out lifting it probably won�t give you any more benefits than your normal heavy training.
If you�re an advanced lifter, are injured, or don�t have access to heavier weights than this training technique could benefit you.
Deadlifts are one of the best strength and mass building exercises that you can perform.
When performing the deadlift you are working more muscles than any other exercise, including the squat.
Deadlifts have many different variations and forms. In this article we are going to focus on the difference between the Romanian Deadlift and standard deadlifts.
There are lots of valid arguments as to which exercise is better in a Romanian Deadlift vs regular deadlift battle.
Keep reading to learn the differences.
Romanian Deadlift Vs. Standard Deadlift
The Romanian Deadlift is one of the most�commonly used among the various deadlift techniques.
In fact a lot of people that think they are performing a deadlift are sometimes actually doing a Romanian Deadlift.
Both the conventional and Romanian Deadlifts are great strength and muscle building exercises.
Even though they are both deadlifts�variations the setup, execution and muscles activated are different.
Here�s a quick video that highlights the differences in form and setup between the two.
Regular Deadlift
As the name suggests the deadlift is a strength training exercise that involves�lifting dead weight.
The regular deadlift is one of the best total body exercises you can do as it works just about every fiber in your body.
The deadlift requires you to lift a weight off the ground�and lower it back down again. Although it may sound simple there is a lot going on in the movement and incorrect form can cause injuries.
One of the most common causes for injury while deadlifting is rounding the back. Your lower back must stay neutral during the whole movement. Rounding your lower back during heavy deadlifts puts uneven pressure on your spine. Always lift with a neutral lower back, allowing for the natural inward curve of your lower spine.
Don�t try and rush to lift heavier weights. the quickest way to improve your deadlift is through correct form. By pulling more efficiently you can use more muscles and deadlift heavier. So start out practicing correct form and build your way up.
The best way to approach the exercise is to think as if you were leg pressing the floor as opposed to�using your upper body to lift something. This will help you mentally focus on using your legs rather than your back (which can cause rounding) for the exercise.
The �dead� in deadlift stands for dead weight so each rep must start on the floor, from a dead stop. �Deadlifts are different to other exercises like the bench press or squat where the weight starts at the top. The deadlift movement�starts from the bottom and and you pull the weight up then return it to the floor�for one rep.
Here are�Stronglifts�5 steps to proper deadlift form:
Walk to the bar.�Stand with your mid-foot under the bar. Your shins shouldn�t touch it yet. Put your heels hip-width apart, narrower than on Squats. Point�your toes�out 15�.
Grab the bar.�Bend over without bending your legs. Grip the bar narrow, about shoulder-width apart like on the Overhead Press. Your arms must be vertical when looking from the front.
Bend your knees.�Drop into position by bending your knees until your shins touch the bar. Do NOT let the bar move away from your mid-foot. If it moves,�start from scratch with step one.
Lift your chest.�Straighten your back by raising you chest. Do not change your position � keep the bar over your mid-foot, your shins against the bar, and your hips where they are.
Pull.�Take a big breath, hold it and�stand up with the weight. Keep the bar in contact with your legs while you pull. Don�t shrug or lean back at the top.
Lower the bar by moving your hips back while keeping your legs almost straight. Once the bar is past your knees, bend your legs more. The bar will land over your mid-foot, ready for your next rep.
Rest a second between reps while staying in the setup position. Take a deep breath, get tight and pull again. Every rep must start from a dead stop on the floor. Don�t bounce the weight off the floor or you can end up lifting�with�bad form.
Isaiah Delgado�became involved with Push-as-Rx � to become stronger. Isaiah�began training at Push-as-Rx and with the help of Danny Alvarado and the other trainers, the strengthening routines he practiced greatly improved his performance in wrestling. Isaiah�continues to come to Push-as-Rx �.
PUSH-as-Rx � is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.� The�PUSH-as-Rx � System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. �Immediately,�we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance.� This highly adaptive system with continual�dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics.��PUSH-as-Rx � offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
Recommend: PUSH-as-Rx ��915-203-8122
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PUSH-as-Rx: www.push4fitness.com/team/
Diana Ramirez, Daniel Alvarado’s sister, has been training alongside her brother to gain strength, conditioning, and fitness. As a physical therapist, Diana knows how important it is for her to be physically and mentally strong in order to perform well in her in any given situation. For Diana Ramirez, Push-as-Rx �� has given her the opportunity to become the best person she can be, both in body and mind.
PUSH-as-Rx ���is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.� The�PUSH-as-Rx ���System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. �Immediately,�we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance.� This highly adaptive system with continual�dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics.��PUSH-as-Rx ���offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
Daniel Alvarado, owner of Push-as-Rx � and trainer, expresses the importance of overcoming your own doubts. He portrays that many times we can be our own worst critics but we have to keep in mind that it’s not all about us, it’s about how many people will have an impact with what we do. Daniel tells us to overcome our doubts and stop judging ourselves because what’s important is that you are doing what others aren’t. Daniel Alvarado believes people shouldn’t focus on the negative, instead, we should focus on being successful.
PUSH-as-Rx � is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.� The�PUSH-as-Rx � System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. �Immediately,�we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance.� This highly adaptive system with continual�dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics.��PUSH-as-Rx � offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
Luis Martinez chose to come to Push-as-Rx � in order to change his life and now he’s in the best shape he’s ever been. Mr. Martinez encountered health challenges despite taking care of his health but Push as Rx helped him overcome his hardships. Luis Martinez is grateful to the trainers for believing in him to succeed in regaining his health once more.
PUSH-as-Rx � is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.� The�PUSH-as-Rx � System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. �Immediately,�we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance.� This highly adaptive system with continual�dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics.��PUSH-as-Rx � offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
Adrienne Holguin, a wrestler faced with many challenges, pushed herself to strive high by training hard. It was then when she received a back injury that she joined Push-as-Rx �. The training was hard but the trainers at Push as Rx helped her through every step of the way, accommodating the exercises to her injury. Adrienne Holguin is grateful for the friendly atmosphere at Push as Rx and to the trainers for pushing her to become the best.
PUSH-as-Rx � is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs. The PUSH-as-Rx � System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. Immediately, we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance. This highly adaptive system with continual dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics. PUSH-as-Rx � offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
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