We all know that lifting weights will make your muscles become stronger but the question that often comes up is – do you need to take every set to complete failure to get the most out of your training? Just like most questions relating to health and fitness the answer is not that simple and to find what works best for you it requires a better understanding of how to use the appropriate amount of intensity with your training. For example, the difference between taking a set of squats with 1-3 reps to failure versus a set of 12-15 reps to failure is significant in many ways. In this article, I will look more closely at what it means to take a set to failure and provide you with my suggestion of how to get the most out of your workouts without posing risk of injury to your body.
We all know that strength training is a great way to build muscle and improve the way we move. However, it does come with great risk if you move poorly or exceed your body’s ability to withstand the resistance. These risks are much greater with beginners and people recovering from injury as there is a high chance that they do not have great technique to begin or a good understanding of how much their muscles and joints can tolerate. This is where the value of using isometric and eccentric training can be of great benefit to this population for the loads are much lighter and easier to control allowing for incredible strength gains without the risk of injury or loss of form. It also is one of the best ways to rebuild load tolerance into injured tendons and connective tissue to ensure full recovery from injury. In this article, we take a close look at several ways you can use these training methods to improve your overall strength and joint stability.
The role of inflammation within the body is one of the most misunderstood health problems in the modern world. We have been programmed to see this as “bad” and find ways to get rid of it as soon as possible using anti-inflammatory medication, ice, and rest. When in reality inflammation is a necessary process of the body to clear dead cells from injury sites, supply oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissue, and protect parts of the body from further damage. Finding ways to prevent this process from happening often leads to bigger problems and ongoing pain. Instead of trying to get rid of the pain there are four things you should focus on instead that will help you get to the root cause of your trouble and aid the body in healing itself.