Conflicting Information

[MarsAttacks]

Hello,

 

I'm starting a new training program. It's pretty high intensity - less volume and more frequency. My main goal is balanced strength (equal amount of focus on push/pull). I want to add in some energy systems work and flexibility. So in my research for finding the best, most beneficial methods for both, I simply found conflicting ideas...

 

1) Slow cardio is best when training for strength because the very low intensity won't interfere with recovery.

 

...... slow cardio is horrible for strength athletes because it converts fast twitch fibers to slow twitch fibers. So it's better to perform high intensity cardio when training for strength.

 

2) Static stretching is the best way to increase mobility and flexibility. Best performed after a workout.

 

....... it's much better to perform dynamic stretching before a workout and on off days. Static stretching is proved to do little for joint flexibility because you cannot stretch the connective tissues.

 

 

I know this thread may be pretty similar to some of my other threads but I've been doing tons of research and find that there's equal information defending both sides of the coin. Very frustrating!

 

I would love to hear what some of you guys do and what you've found works better then others.

 

cheers

[zinzen]

Real quickly, I have tons of training in just this type of shit.

You will not be readly converting fast twich into slow, which is why by birth some cats are better sprinters and some are better long distance.

And new studies have shown that you will elongate your tissues, gaining much more overall flexibility much faster with dynamic.

As a matter of fact I could demonstrate this very thing on you, and increase your ROM greatly right before your eyes, depending on if I ever actually see you, doubtful, but I could I swear

[Jeffrw]

The only reason you could ever have for doing steady-state or "slow" cardio is if you are an endurance athlete.

 

It's a waste of time. You only burn calories while doing it, and not that many.

 

Interval training on the other hand triggers a HORMONAL response. You can raise you GH and test with it, it buids a healthier heart and a better VO2max.

 

As far as recovery goes or interfering with weightlifting, that's just going to depend on you. You'll have to experiment. Maybe you don't do 20 minutes, maybe you just do tabata drills or go for 10 minutes.

 

 

Joint mobility drills are the best before a workout.

Dynamic and fascia stretches right afterward.

 

For "static" stretches", forget what you know and go by the book "Relax into stretch" (or look for it free on the internet) and learn how to stretch the proper way.

 

For joint mobility drillls, there is a great Steve Maxwell article here: http://www.mikemahler.com/articles/jointmobility.html

 

and why it's important:

 

Mobility Training May Be the Most Important Factor in Musculoskeletal Health

By Steve Maxwell

 

Mobility, or joint mobility, is the ability to move a limb through the full range of motion--with control. Mobility is based on voluntary movement while flexibility involves static holds and is often dependent upon gravity or passive forces. Mobility demands strength to produce full-range movement, whereas flexibility is passive, thus not strength-dependent. Some authorities refer to mobility as 'active flexibility'. It is possible to have good mobility without being especially flexible, just as one can be flexible with poor mobility, i.e., control. Of the two, mobility is more important. It is better to be inflexible with good mobility than flexible with poor mobility. The percent difference between your mobility and flexibility is the same percent chance of creating a musculo-skeletal injury during physical activities.

 

Sports, recreational activities and other daily physical practices can result in reduced range of movement in any participating joint. When the joint is unable to move through its full range, we call it compromised. When compromised movement is present in a joint, surrounding joints take up the slack, creating extra stress all around. A typical example are immobile ankles and feet underlying stress and injury to the knees, hips, and lumbar spine. It's a cascade effect, albeit in reverse: the body tissues are held together with sheets of connective tissue called fascia, so stress extends upwards from the feet. Poor mobility in one area can cause pain and stress in seemingly unrelated areas, but once fascial anatomy is understood, the idea that immobile feet could cause neck or shoulder stiffness is no longer a conundrum.

 

Mobility work reduces the potential body imbalances inherent in our athletic and recreational pursuits. For example, it's widely accepted that running for distance shortens the hamstrings, calf muscles and hip flexors, resulting in decreased free movement in simple full-range exercises, such as bodyweight squats. Well-documented is the compromised range produced by heavy weight-lifting and body building strength sports--yet, properly conducted, weight training can improve range of motion! All too often, in practice, weight lifters endow themselves with tight, restrictive movement by over emphasizing short-range movements and excessive hypertrophy. Worse, especially in the U.S., is that ubiquitous non-activity: sitting. Sitting in a chair, at a desk, while hunching over a computer is a recipe for a compromised structure full of imbalance and continual pain.

 

The solution? A joint mobility program. Joint mobility exercise stimulates and circulates the synovial fluid in the bursa, which 'washes' the joint. The joints have no direct blood supply and are nourished by this synovial fluid, which simultaneously removes waste products. Joint salts, or calcium deposits, are dissolved and dispersed with the same gentle, high-repetition movement patterns. Properly learned, joint mobility can restore complete freedom of motion to the ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, neck, elbows, wrists and fingers. It's especially important to keep the spine supple and free and if there were such a thing as a fountain of youth, joint mobility exercises come very close.

 

Use mobility exercises as a warm up, an active recovery during other activities, or as a stand-alone workout. You can rejuvenate yourself and reclaim the movement of a child with a good joint mobility program. Joint mobility makes a wonderful, energizing morning recharge and sets the day up on the right foot.

[MarsAttacks]

Thanks for the great info!!!!!!

 

- "You will not be readly converting fast twich into slow, which is why by birth some cats are better sprinters and some are better long distance."

 

Are you suggesting that low intensity is better for strength athletes?