Small muscles require less volume, and recover faster. Basic logic says, a smaller muscle has less overall total volume of muscle fibres.

It takes LESS overall stimulus to fatigue these muscles and less overall training volume to exhaust glycogen stores (stored muscle energy).

Heavy weights are going to fatigue a greater overall percentage of muscle fibres in a shorter amount of time (aka less sets). Heavy weights also have the added benefit of stimulating ”high threshold motor units”.

These are the muscle fibres that require a lot more stimulus to grow and respond, but also the fibres that are more likely to be responsible for muscle hypertrophy or GROWTH!

3) ARMS REQUIRE A LOT OF STIMULUS ON A REGULAR BASIS

Arms receive a lot of stimulus on a regular basis. For most people, this tends to occur in the middle of the range of motion where the muscles are strongest.

In order to get the arms to grow and respond, it is necessary to subject them to a different type of stimulus. One of the best ways to improve arm development is to subject them to more tension and continuous tension at the extremes of the range of motion (a.k.a, when a muscle is fully lengthened or fully shortened –where muscles are weakest). This will allow for greater time under tension as well as targeting different points of the strength curve to force the nervous system to adapt and stimulate new muscle

growth.

4) YOU MUST ENGAGE THE TARGET MUSCLE FIRST IN ANY MOVEMENT

You can probably feel your arms growing just reading that. Great tips from Ben. If big arms are your interest, hit those tips up in your next TT workout.

By Dr. Mercola

The Power Plate might just be the best kept secret in the United States, as Tony Swain, Director of Education and Fitness at the Power Plate company explains in the interview above. Rarely have I come across tech-specs that read like an Infomercial—with the difference being that these claims are actually TRUE.

The Power Plate was born of decades of scientific research by the brightest minds in the fitness and aerospace industries.

I will soon post an interview with the President of the Power Plate company, Mark de Gorter, who helped me appreciate the many facets of this amazing machine. Keep your eyes open for that article, as it will provide a comprehensive overview about the history, research, and proven benefits of Whole Body Vibrational Training (WBVT), also known as Acceleration Training.

Now, let’s take a closer look at my favorite vibrational training device, the Power Plate—which can bring this valuable technology right into your living room.

Shaking Your Way to Fitness

This multi-directional vibration has a number of benefits for your health, beyond cardiovascular and metabolic aspects. For example, the vibrational action of the Power Plate can help improve the following:

• Strength
• Proprioception
• Balance
• Flexibility
• Circulation
• Neurological processes in general

The tri-directional movement promotes proprioception, which is just a medical term for sensing the relative position of neighboring parts of your body. Proprioception is an internal feedback mechanism crucial for balance, as your body constantly adjusts to uneven terrain as you walk.

The unique ability of the Power Plate to train and build your neurological system has huge implications for treating people with neurological problems—for example, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), peripheral neuropathy, and elderly individuals who are prone to falls because of instability.

If you have ever done any exercise training on an uneven surface, you’ll have noticed that it’s harder—you were recruiting more muscle fibers and more energetic pathways. The same idea applies to the Power Plate.

Any time you can increase your circulation, as Acceleration Training does, you deliver more oxygen and nutrients to your tissues, which is beneficial for just about everything. Additionally, the Power Plate’s ability to increase flexibility is one of its most exciting features, since muscle tightness is a major contributing factor to many injuries. You can maximize a stretch in 30 seconds.

Immediate Benefits for a Variety of Neurological Conditions

Beyond its applications for professional athletes, astronauts, and fitness enthusiasts, the Power Plate has been useful in treating a wide variety of clinical conditions.

If you have issues with circulation or blood flow, hormonal deficiencies, or mobility, you can use the Power Plate daily for these issues, and still use it for strength training two or three days a week as a bonus. It is highly versatile and can be used in a number of different ways, with a variety of specific exercises to meet your needs.

It’s truly much more than an exercise device—and the benefits can be immediate.

Really, the people who have more clinical issues see improvement much faster—for example, if you have any kind of circulatory problem or nervous system disorder, you will typically see benefits right away. Power Plate has been used in Europe for neurological rehabilitation and found to help relieve symptoms of MS, spinal cord injuries, stroke, and paralysis resulting from trauma.

If you have a limiting physical condition, the Power Plate allows you to get into some positions that you would not ordinarily be able to tolerate in conventional strength training. Finally, the Power Plate is an excellent and FAST way to warm up before any type of exercise routine. In 3 to 5 minutes, you are ready to roll in terms of increased circulation, nervous system activation, and body heat.

Acceleration Training Means Accelerated Healing

You are only as strong as your weakest link. An injury or weak area can compromise your efforts and really interfere with training. But with the Power Plate, you can “treat” your injured body part at the same time as you are training the stronger areas of your body—because the vibration permeates your WHOLE body.

By stimulating your white muscle fiber, the Power Plate kick-starts your pituitary gland into making more growth hormone, which helps you build lean body mass and burn fat. But one of the other great effects of HGH is its ability to accelerate tissue healing.

This healing-enhancing effect makes the Power Plate a great alternative to surgery at a fraction of the cost. If your injury doesn’t heal, you can always resort to surgery as a last resort. These machines are not inexpensive… but surgery is far MORE costly, both in terms of money and risk.

Don’t Just Stand There

Is the Power Plate completely passive?

No.

I don’t want to give the impression that you just step up on the platform and do nothing—although you CAN just stand on it, or even sit on it, and you still get many benefits!

For strength training, the vibrational motion is applied while you hold your body in various positions, depending on which areas you wish to target—lunges and squats for example. But the movement is much more static than if you were lifting weights because the machine is moving your muscle fibers for you.

And the best part?

Most people like to end their Power Plate session with a massage, letting the machine do all the work.

Good Vibrations

Is this vibrating platform hard to get used to? Power Plate users report acclimating pretty quickly to the feeling of the vibration, which was my experience as well. It’s an odd sensation initially, but within a few sessions those sensations become much less noticeable. Kind of like if you have ever used an electric toothbrush—the first time, the vibration feels very strange, but after a few brushings, you hardly notice it.

If you find it difficult to tolerate the vibration, there is a pad that can be placed on top of the platform that acts as a buffer. However, the company suggests you limit the use of the pad as much as possible, since it’s the full vibrational motion that will produce the highest benefits for you.

Beware of Cheap Imitations

This sort of equipment is a major investment, so you’ll want to do your due diligence before making a purchase. Granted, these machines are not inexpensive, but there are good reasons for the price tag, when you look at the precision and engineering involved.

There are other similar-appearing units being marketed that are really NOT the same technology as Power Plate. It is important to note that over 30 of the nearly 200 studies about WBVT were conducted with Power Plate brand equipment.

Power Plate is the real deal, and is my brand of choice. What makes Power Plate different from other vibrating devices?

1. It’s Not Just a “Wobble Board“: Many of the competing brands have vibrational movement in only two directions, right to left, front to back—basically a “wobble board.” That’s okay for making Jiffy Pop but not okay for Acceleration Training. It’s the vertical motion (up and down) that provides the neurological benefit, as a result of the G forces produced on your body.
2. The Harmonious Wave: Power Plate is engineered to produce a harmonious wave, which requires a very precise set of motors. You are exposed to harmonious vibrations all day long. Light is a harmonious vibration, for example. Your body responds to all sorts of vibration, and whether it responds favorably or unfavorably depends upon the type of wave.It’s analogous to the difference between listening to a beautifully played violin versus one played badly—the vibrations from the well-played one make your body feel good. Some companies that are less committed to quality produce a very “unclean curve,” which can actually do harm to your body.The motors in the Power Plate produce a synchronous curve that is optimal for your muscles as they contract and relax.
3. Good Warranty and Customer Service: How long has the company been around? You want a company that will be around long enough to honor its warranty. And you want accessible customer service in case you have questions or need assistance.

It took me four years of trials and thorough investigation to select a brand that met my standards of precision and versatility, before I decided on the Power Plate. It is distributed in more than 90 countries and is certified (MDD) as a Class IIa medical device in Europe.

Warning Beware of Cheap Imitations

The Power Plate is the leader in the field. It was developed by the Dutch Olympic Coach who was inspired by the Soviet space program and he effectively used it for his Olympic athletes. He really is the creator of this technology for the public.

There are a variety of cheap machines on the market being sold under different names. Typically, such machines are manufactured using vibrating equipment that is notoriously poor with faulty electronics, cheap bearings and buttons, and shoddy welds that often fail.

Beware of skinny support posts, platforms that are too small or unstable, weak motors and units with insufficient power to support the vibration capacity.

The Power Plate Acceleration Training equipment moves in all three axes and it is made of the highest quality materials and designed to give you many long years of effective training. In fact it has patents which prevent other companies from copying its radical innovations.

There are many cheaper imitations of the Power Plate that seek to copy it but none produce the same benefits. So before you decide to purchase Acceleration Training equipment, make sure you at least evaluate the Power Plate as you could be making a significant mistake by purchasing something cheaper that won’t give you the same benefits.

Stepping Up to the Plate

Acceleration Training requires that you change your fitness paradigm. You are used to thinking about working your muscles in isolation… working your biceps, then triceps, then your abs and your quads, and so on.

But Acceleration Training targets your whole body, focusing on fully integrated motor and neurological patterns, allowing you to work ALL your muscles and nerves at the same time. This is a truly revolutionary approach to fitness because it addresses your neuromuscular system as a whole, rather than one appendage or muscle group at a time.

Not to mention the HUGE advantage of trimming off several precious hours per week from your workout time, which is then available for other things.

Who wouldn’t love that?

Achieving or maintaining fitness is becoming more important with each passing year, and my goal has always been to provide information and tools that will help you with this challenge. The Power Plate is simply one more tool for your tool bag—and a powerful one indeed.

The Simple Exercise That Can Banish Your Bulging Belly

Posted by: Dr. Mercola | April 08 2011 | 247,462 views

A push-up not only helps you to get a stronger upper body, but also a stronger midsection. It incorporates the stabilization muscles of your core, combining an upper-body pushing movement with a plank. It is, in fact, one of the best and most basic exercises for your midsection.

According to The Post Game:
“Push-ups are a higher value plank. You’re not only strengthening your abdominals by holding them still while gravity’s trying to push your hips towards the ground, but you’re also strengthening your upper-body pushing muscles: your chest, shoulders and triceps.”
Take a look at the video above to learn how to do the perfect push-up.

The Post Game March 21, 2011

Indeed, push-ups don’t just give you a stronger upper body, they also train your abs—as long as you’re doing them correctly. Normally the accompanying videos to the article are useful to view but this video is imperative as Darin actually demonstrates the techniques described below and, as has been said for nearly a hundred years now:

“One picture is worth a thousand words “

Here, Darin Steen demonstrates the perfect push-up, and goes through the three key strategies for building great abs:

1. Proper form
2. Alternating your technique to target different muscle groups
3. The progression of exercises so that you can get stronger and gain muscle

Proper Form is Crucial to Avoid Injury and Get the Benefits

Common mistakes most people make when performing a push-up include:

• Going too fast
• Using only partial range of motion

First, slow it down and use a three-second contraction. Try to really feel the muscle groups you’re targeting, and do a full range of motion; starting all the way down at the floor and pushing all the way up.

Pay particular attention to the alignment of your elbows. The ideal angle from your sides is about 45 degrees. This allows you to effectively work your chest muscles.

I recommend watching Darin’s demonstration of the proper form, but here’s a summary of key points to remember:

• Keep your body stiff and straight as a plank
• Elbows at a 45 degree angle from your sides
• Breathe in on the way down
• Lower your body all the way down, allowing your sternum to gently touch the floor
• Breathe out on the way up

Techniques for Targeting Different Muscle Groups

Push-ups are traditionally used to work your chest muscles, but by altering your technique slightly, you can work different muscle groups, including your abs.

But first, you need to understand the structure of the abdominal wall.

Your transverse abdominis (TVA) is like an inner sheath that holds your gut in place. On top of that are your internal and external obliques, and on top of that, beneath your skin, is your six-pack rectus abdominis. You also have lower pelvic muscles that are responsible for sexual function and elimination of urine at the bottom of the abdominal wall. On top, you have the diaphragm.

The technique Darin demonstrates allows you to focus on and really feel those abdominal muscles at work while you’re doing the push-up.

Here are two key points:

• While in plank position, pull in your bellybutton. Your bellybutton is attached to your transverse abdominis, that inner sheath that holds your gut inside and gives your spine and vertebrae a nice, weight belt-tightening type of support. So by pulling it in, you begin to contract that deep inner transverse abdominis muscle.
• Next, do a Kegel squeeze. More women than men might be familiar with this term. A Kegel squeeze is performed by drawing your lower pelvic muscles up and holding them up high and tight. For men who aren’t familiar with that term, it’s similar to trying to stop urinating in the middle of the flow. This squeeze will allow you to feel and focus on your abdominal muscles.

If you want to work your six-pack rectus abdominis muscle, drive your chin down toward your toes while you’re focused on squeezing your bellybutton in.

These techniques are very effective, and will build the deep inner core muscles that lay the groundwork for that six-pack look. Keep in mind however, that in order to really get “six-pack” abs, you have to shed fat. Men need to get their body fat down to about six percent, and women around nine percent in order to achieve that classic six-pack.

How to Progressively Get Stronger and Build Muscle

Using a progression of exercises can help you focus on the abdominal techniques described above while stimulating the muscles in different ways.

You’re probably familiar with the advice to avoid doing the same exercises all the time. You need to “confuse” the muscle to keep building it. Darin demonstrates several unique techniques to accomplish this, no matter what level you’re starting out at.

How do you know when it’s time to progress to the next level?

Once you can do 12, 15, or 18 repetitions for two or three sets, move on to the next level or technique.

First, if you’re just starting out doing push-ups, you may want to begin by keeping your knees on the floor. Bring your heels up toward your buttocks, and keep your body straight. In this position you can still pull your bellybutton in and perform a Kegel squeeze to work those deeper ab muscles. Remember to go slow and use full range of motion, allowing your chest to gently touch the floor. By pulling your elbows closer to your sides, you can place more focus on your chest muscles.

Once you can comfortably perform about a dozen push-ups this way, advance to the regular push-up technique, keeping your legs straight and balancing on your toes.

A more advanced technique that will improve the strength and grip of your hands is to do push-ups off your fingertips.

Another advanced technique is to do push-ups off an unstable surface. Two medicine balls will work well for this. Place the palms of your hands on top of the balls and perform the push-up from there.

The next progression could be to put your feet higher than your hands. This will put additional weight on your chest- and ab muscles. Find a bench, stool or other level surface that is about 12-16 inches high, and with your feet on this surface, perform your push-up.

If at any point you find the push-up causing pain in your wrists, simply use a couple of light dumbbells. By gripping the dumbbell instead of having your palm flat on the floor, your wrist will stay nice and straight, preventing painful strain.

Lastly, here’s a very advanced technique called a push-up dumbbell row. This will give you great ab development!

In his demonstration, Darin uses 20-lb dumbbells, but you can start at a weight suitable to your current level of strength and fitness and progress into higher weights as you go along. Place the dumbbell’s at a 45-degree angle; pull in your bellybutton; draw up your lower pelvic muscles (Kegel squeeze), and breathe in as you lower your upper body to the floor. Breathe out on the way up, and once your arms are in the fully extended position, perform a row—pulling the right dumbbell up toward your chest.

On the next push-up, pull up with your left.

This technique will work your abs from side to side, and target those deep core muscles as well.

Push-Up Plyometrics—A Mini Peak 8 Exercise

To further stimulate the muscles of your core, try push-up plyometrics. Plyometrics are quick, explosive types of movement. To do a plyometric push-up, once your sternum touches the floor, hold your position and breathe for about three seconds, then perform an explosive push upward.

Another technique called the three-minute push-up challenge is extremely challenging, but delivers fantastic results.

It’s quite simply, how many push-ups can you do in three minutes?

You need to have good technique, good form, and a strategy. If you go all out you’ll lose your energy and likely won’t last for three minutes. So go at a pace of about 80 percent of your total ability, and when you can’t go any further, rest for 20-30 seconds; stretch, and then resume.

The last technique is super-advanced and works your shoulders, triceps and core—the handstand push-up.

Facing a wall, place your hands at a 45 degree angle about one-to two hand-lengths from the wall. Kick your legs up. You can use the wall to stabilize you as you perform the push-up. Breathe in as you lower yourself to the floor, and breathe out as you push yourself up.

Again, I recommend you watch the video to really get the proper forms and techniques before you try these on your own. It’ll definitely keep you from wasting time and effort on ineffective technique.