Kronz
04-03-09, 05:33 PM
jacked from bb dot com
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115336051
50 Most Important Bodybuilding Developments:
1 BEST FOR OVERALL CHEST MASS Dumbbell Bench Press
Recent research from Las Vegas-based StrengthPro, Inc., headed by David Sandier, MS, CSCS, showed that the dumbbell bench press uses far less front deltoid involvement than the barbell bench press, since the arms are allowed to come out to the sides more with dumbbells. Less delt involvement means more stimulation of the pecs, which is exactly what you want for maximal chest development.
2 BEST FOR LAT WIDTH Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
University of Miami researchers had 10 experienced lifters perform wide-grip pulldowns to the front, reverse- and neutral-grip pulldowns, and wide-grip pulldowns behind the neck while measuring muscle activity with electromyography. The wide-grip pulldowns to the front involved the most lat muscle fibers, with the reverse-grip version coming in a close second.
3 BEST FOR OVERALL DELTOID MASS Overhead Dumbbell Press
Research performed by StrengthPro found that the overhead dumbbell press activated more middle delt muscle fibers and fewer front delt fibers than the barbell version. Since the middle delts make up the most mass of the three heads and provide width and roundness to the shoulders, dumbbells should take precedence over a barbell when pressing for delt size.
4 BEST FOR BICEPS MASS Barbell Curl
Some may prefer an EZ-bar to a straight bar, but while variety is key to developing well-balanced arms, we suggest you stick mainly with barbell curls and throw in the EZ-bar for variety. We recently compared the two versions in a group of trained bodybuilders and found that the straight-bar curl allowed more weight to be lifted for 10-rep sets than the EZ-bar. More weight means greater muscle fiber stimulation and growth potential.
5 BEST FOR TRICEPS MASS Dip
You probably do triceps pressdowns until the cable is about to snap. But when was the last time you did dips? Since pressdowns are a single-joint exercise, you're limited in how much weight you can press, which is why dips win when it comes to mass-building. This multijoint exercise involves the shoulder and elbow joints, meaning you can handle more weight (your bodyweight plus added plates as you get more advanced) to build more size.
6 BEST FOR TARGETING THE QUADS Front Squat
Although most guys can back squat slightly more than they can front squat, traditional back squats involve far more hamstrings and glutes than the front version. The front squat better targets the quad muscles since your back is straighter during the movement, while still allowing you to pile on hundreds of pounds to blast your quads.
7 BEST FOR HAMSTRING AND GLUTE DEVELOPMENT Romanian Deadlift
Anyone can jump on the lying leg curl machine and bang out reps, but romanians allow you to use more weight to overload your hams and glutes. Keep doing your curls, but remember that a solid hamstring routine isn't complete without romanian deads.
8 BEST FOR UPPER TRAP MASS Barbell Shrug
Load up an Olympic bar with as many 45-pound plates as it can hold and get shrugging -- nothing builds the traps like these bad boys. Just ask guys with mountainous traps such as eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman and powerlifter-turned-IFBB-pro Johnnie Jackson, who religiously rely on basic old-school barbell moves such as the shrug.
9 BEST FOR CALF MASS Standing Calf Raise
How heavy can you go on seated calf raises? How about donkey calf raises? Our guess is, not as heavy as you can on the standing version. Building mass is all about using as much weight as possible in a hypertrophy-promoting rep range. So it's a no-brainer -- when you want huge lower legs, do your standing calf raises first, which directly targets the largest muscle on your lower leg, the gastrocnemius.
10 BEST OVERALL AB EXERCISE Crunch
In a 2004 study, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha) found that the basic crunch can hit all four muscles in the abdominal region (rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, transverse abdominis) with a simple modification. They measured muscle activity of the four muscles during two different crunch techniques. In the first method, they gave subjects the following instructions: 1) Push your belly button out by tightening your ab muscles; 2) try to shorten the distance between the bottom of the ribcage and the groin area when you curl up; and 3) focus on drawing your ribs down and in while you curl up. They reported that this modified crunch emphasized the rectus abdominis.
In the second method, they gave these instructions: l) Try to suck in your abs to move your belly button toward the floor; 2) keeping your abs tight, try to flatten your back against the floor; 3) focus on keeping your ribcage flared out as you curl up. This modified crunch targeted the external and internal obliques, and although it's impossible to directly measure transverse abdominis activity, the researchers surmised that when the internal oblique muscles are working, so is this deeper muscle. The conclusion: One movement (the crunch) plus two different techniques equals complete involvement of the midsection. Remember this when you're short on time on ab day.
11 BEST FOR CORE STRENGTH Plank
The best and simplest exercise when it comes to building core strength is the plank. It requires no equipment and almost anyone can do it. Get in a push-up position, resting on your forearms with your arms bent 90 degrees. Hold it right there for 30-60 seconds. Simple yet effective.
12 BEST OVERALL MASS-BUILDER Squat
While the front squat was our pick for focusing on the quadriceps, the traditional back squat is the hands-down choice for best overall movement. It's estimated to involve hundreds of muscles, acting as either prime movers or stabilizers, in the upper and lower body. (After all, you're squatting while supporting hundreds of pounds on your back.) Numerous research studies show that because the squat elicits so many muscle fibers, it boosts growth hormone (GH) levels the best of any exercise. More GH means greater muscle growth, as Japanese researchers confirmed in a 2006 study.
13 BEST OVERALL STRENGTH-BUILDER Deadlift
The deadlift, like the squat, uses hundreds of muscles. Yet unlike the squat, there's no negative (downward) portion of the rep before the positive (upward) rep. The negative rep allows , energy to be stored in the muscle fibers, like a spring, so that it aids strength on the positive part of the rep. The deadlift eliminates all this as you lift the bar off the floor with no springlike assistance. This is, why it's considered the true test of overall strength and why it comes last in powerlifting competitions.
14 BEST TYPES OF EXERCISES FOR BURNING FAT Free-Weight Multijoint Lifts
Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri) scientists measured the number of calories burned when eight college age females performed two sets of barbell squats or leg presses using their 10-rep max. They reported that the barbell squat burned almost 50% more calories than the leg press and concluded that this is likely due to the greater number of stabilizer muscles used during the squat. To drop bodyfat, use free-weight multijoint exercises that require greater stabilization -- such as the barbell squat, lunge, standing overhead dumbbell press, dumbbell bench press, dip and barbell row -- as opposed to machine exercises.
15 BEST EXERCISE DISCOVERY Reverse-Grip Bench Press
Most trainees perform reverse-grip bench presses to hit their triceps. Yet in a 2005 study, scientists at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (Toronto) discovered that in 12 trained men, the reverse-grip bench press increased muscle activity of the upper pecs by almost 30% compared to the regular bench press (using an overhand grip).
THE BEST ADVANCES IN WEIGHTLIFTING TECHNIQUE
16 BEST WAY TO ESTIMATE 1RM STRENGTH The 5RM Test
Research from the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque) using 70 trained male and female lifters showed that a five-rep test predicted their one-rep max (1RM) on the bench press with 99% accuracy and their 1RM on the leg press with 97% accuracy. These predictions were much more accurate than both 10RM and 20RM tests.
To accurately determine your 1RM on the bench press or any other upper-body exercise, find a weight you can lift for five reps to failure, then plug that weight into the following equation: (5RM weight x 1.1307) + 0.6998. To accurately determine your 1RM on the leg press or any other lower-body exercise, find a weight you can lift for five reps to failure and plug that weight into the following equation: (5RM weight x 1.09703) + 14.2546.
17 BEST REP RANGE FOR MUSCULAR GROWTH 8-12 Reps
Numerous studies in the last half-century support the notion that training with reps in the 8-12 range best encourages muscle growth. This is likely due to the fact that this rep range produces the highest GH levels.
18 BEST INTENSITY TECHNIQUE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH Forced Reps
Finnish researchers studied 16 male athletes after a standard leg workout (four sets of leg presses, two sets of squats and two sets of leg extensions, all for 12 reps taken to failure with two minutes of rest between sets) or a forced-rep leg workout (same exercises, sets and reps as in the standard leg workout, but with 15% heavier weight so athletes would have to rely on assistance from a spotter to complete all 12 reps). The forced-rep program resulted in slightly higher testosterone levels and much higher GH levels. Another study reported that athletes who used forced-rep training lost more bodyfat than those who stopped at failure.
19 BEST STRENGTH-TRAINING TECHNIQUE Ascending Sets
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Baltimore) researchers tested strength gains in 50 males after nine weeks of training three times a week on the leg extension. Subjects performed three sets of 10 reps using either the Delorme ascending pyramid technique (first set is 50% 10RM, second set is 75% 10RM and third set is 100% 10RM) or the Oxford descending pyramid technique (first set is 100% 10RM, and second and third sets reduce the weight just enough to allow 10 reps to be completed). The researchers discovered that the lifters who used the Delorme technique experienced strength gains on the leg extension that were an average 10 pounds greater than those in the Oxford group.
20 BEST WAY TO LIFT FOR BURNING FAT Heavy Weight, Short Rest Periods
Researchers from Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education (Oslo) discovered that using a weight that allows for only six reps increased resting metabolic rate higher and for longer after a workout than 12-rep sets. Another study, from the College of New Jersey (Ewing), reported that when men bench-pressed with just 30 seconds of rest between sets, they burned more than 50% more calories during the workout than when they rested three minutes. To burn more calories during and after workouts (which will help burn excess bodyfat), use a 6-8-rep range and keep rest periods to less than one minute.
21 BEST REP RANGE FOR MUSCULAR STRENGTH 2-6 Reps
Numerous studies support the idea that training with repetitions in the 2-6 range best develops muscle strength. This rep range best produces changes in both the muscle fibers and the nervous system that promote strength gains.
to be continued...
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=115336051
50 Most Important Bodybuilding Developments:
1 BEST FOR OVERALL CHEST MASS Dumbbell Bench Press
Recent research from Las Vegas-based StrengthPro, Inc., headed by David Sandier, MS, CSCS, showed that the dumbbell bench press uses far less front deltoid involvement than the barbell bench press, since the arms are allowed to come out to the sides more with dumbbells. Less delt involvement means more stimulation of the pecs, which is exactly what you want for maximal chest development.
2 BEST FOR LAT WIDTH Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
University of Miami researchers had 10 experienced lifters perform wide-grip pulldowns to the front, reverse- and neutral-grip pulldowns, and wide-grip pulldowns behind the neck while measuring muscle activity with electromyography. The wide-grip pulldowns to the front involved the most lat muscle fibers, with the reverse-grip version coming in a close second.
3 BEST FOR OVERALL DELTOID MASS Overhead Dumbbell Press
Research performed by StrengthPro found that the overhead dumbbell press activated more middle delt muscle fibers and fewer front delt fibers than the barbell version. Since the middle delts make up the most mass of the three heads and provide width and roundness to the shoulders, dumbbells should take precedence over a barbell when pressing for delt size.
4 BEST FOR BICEPS MASS Barbell Curl
Some may prefer an EZ-bar to a straight bar, but while variety is key to developing well-balanced arms, we suggest you stick mainly with barbell curls and throw in the EZ-bar for variety. We recently compared the two versions in a group of trained bodybuilders and found that the straight-bar curl allowed more weight to be lifted for 10-rep sets than the EZ-bar. More weight means greater muscle fiber stimulation and growth potential.
5 BEST FOR TRICEPS MASS Dip
You probably do triceps pressdowns until the cable is about to snap. But when was the last time you did dips? Since pressdowns are a single-joint exercise, you're limited in how much weight you can press, which is why dips win when it comes to mass-building. This multijoint exercise involves the shoulder and elbow joints, meaning you can handle more weight (your bodyweight plus added plates as you get more advanced) to build more size.
6 BEST FOR TARGETING THE QUADS Front Squat
Although most guys can back squat slightly more than they can front squat, traditional back squats involve far more hamstrings and glutes than the front version. The front squat better targets the quad muscles since your back is straighter during the movement, while still allowing you to pile on hundreds of pounds to blast your quads.
7 BEST FOR HAMSTRING AND GLUTE DEVELOPMENT Romanian Deadlift
Anyone can jump on the lying leg curl machine and bang out reps, but romanians allow you to use more weight to overload your hams and glutes. Keep doing your curls, but remember that a solid hamstring routine isn't complete without romanian deads.
8 BEST FOR UPPER TRAP MASS Barbell Shrug
Load up an Olympic bar with as many 45-pound plates as it can hold and get shrugging -- nothing builds the traps like these bad boys. Just ask guys with mountainous traps such as eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman and powerlifter-turned-IFBB-pro Johnnie Jackson, who religiously rely on basic old-school barbell moves such as the shrug.
9 BEST FOR CALF MASS Standing Calf Raise
How heavy can you go on seated calf raises? How about donkey calf raises? Our guess is, not as heavy as you can on the standing version. Building mass is all about using as much weight as possible in a hypertrophy-promoting rep range. So it's a no-brainer -- when you want huge lower legs, do your standing calf raises first, which directly targets the largest muscle on your lower leg, the gastrocnemius.
10 BEST OVERALL AB EXERCISE Crunch
In a 2004 study, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha) found that the basic crunch can hit all four muscles in the abdominal region (rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, transverse abdominis) with a simple modification. They measured muscle activity of the four muscles during two different crunch techniques. In the first method, they gave subjects the following instructions: 1) Push your belly button out by tightening your ab muscles; 2) try to shorten the distance between the bottom of the ribcage and the groin area when you curl up; and 3) focus on drawing your ribs down and in while you curl up. They reported that this modified crunch emphasized the rectus abdominis.
In the second method, they gave these instructions: l) Try to suck in your abs to move your belly button toward the floor; 2) keeping your abs tight, try to flatten your back against the floor; 3) focus on keeping your ribcage flared out as you curl up. This modified crunch targeted the external and internal obliques, and although it's impossible to directly measure transverse abdominis activity, the researchers surmised that when the internal oblique muscles are working, so is this deeper muscle. The conclusion: One movement (the crunch) plus two different techniques equals complete involvement of the midsection. Remember this when you're short on time on ab day.
11 BEST FOR CORE STRENGTH Plank
The best and simplest exercise when it comes to building core strength is the plank. It requires no equipment and almost anyone can do it. Get in a push-up position, resting on your forearms with your arms bent 90 degrees. Hold it right there for 30-60 seconds. Simple yet effective.
12 BEST OVERALL MASS-BUILDER Squat
While the front squat was our pick for focusing on the quadriceps, the traditional back squat is the hands-down choice for best overall movement. It's estimated to involve hundreds of muscles, acting as either prime movers or stabilizers, in the upper and lower body. (After all, you're squatting while supporting hundreds of pounds on your back.) Numerous research studies show that because the squat elicits so many muscle fibers, it boosts growth hormone (GH) levels the best of any exercise. More GH means greater muscle growth, as Japanese researchers confirmed in a 2006 study.
13 BEST OVERALL STRENGTH-BUILDER Deadlift
The deadlift, like the squat, uses hundreds of muscles. Yet unlike the squat, there's no negative (downward) portion of the rep before the positive (upward) rep. The negative rep allows , energy to be stored in the muscle fibers, like a spring, so that it aids strength on the positive part of the rep. The deadlift eliminates all this as you lift the bar off the floor with no springlike assistance. This is, why it's considered the true test of overall strength and why it comes last in powerlifting competitions.
14 BEST TYPES OF EXERCISES FOR BURNING FAT Free-Weight Multijoint Lifts
Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri) scientists measured the number of calories burned when eight college age females performed two sets of barbell squats or leg presses using their 10-rep max. They reported that the barbell squat burned almost 50% more calories than the leg press and concluded that this is likely due to the greater number of stabilizer muscles used during the squat. To drop bodyfat, use free-weight multijoint exercises that require greater stabilization -- such as the barbell squat, lunge, standing overhead dumbbell press, dumbbell bench press, dip and barbell row -- as opposed to machine exercises.
15 BEST EXERCISE DISCOVERY Reverse-Grip Bench Press
Most trainees perform reverse-grip bench presses to hit their triceps. Yet in a 2005 study, scientists at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (Toronto) discovered that in 12 trained men, the reverse-grip bench press increased muscle activity of the upper pecs by almost 30% compared to the regular bench press (using an overhand grip).
THE BEST ADVANCES IN WEIGHTLIFTING TECHNIQUE
16 BEST WAY TO ESTIMATE 1RM STRENGTH The 5RM Test
Research from the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque) using 70 trained male and female lifters showed that a five-rep test predicted their one-rep max (1RM) on the bench press with 99% accuracy and their 1RM on the leg press with 97% accuracy. These predictions were much more accurate than both 10RM and 20RM tests.
To accurately determine your 1RM on the bench press or any other upper-body exercise, find a weight you can lift for five reps to failure, then plug that weight into the following equation: (5RM weight x 1.1307) + 0.6998. To accurately determine your 1RM on the leg press or any other lower-body exercise, find a weight you can lift for five reps to failure and plug that weight into the following equation: (5RM weight x 1.09703) + 14.2546.
17 BEST REP RANGE FOR MUSCULAR GROWTH 8-12 Reps
Numerous studies in the last half-century support the notion that training with reps in the 8-12 range best encourages muscle growth. This is likely due to the fact that this rep range produces the highest GH levels.
18 BEST INTENSITY TECHNIQUE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH Forced Reps
Finnish researchers studied 16 male athletes after a standard leg workout (four sets of leg presses, two sets of squats and two sets of leg extensions, all for 12 reps taken to failure with two minutes of rest between sets) or a forced-rep leg workout (same exercises, sets and reps as in the standard leg workout, but with 15% heavier weight so athletes would have to rely on assistance from a spotter to complete all 12 reps). The forced-rep program resulted in slightly higher testosterone levels and much higher GH levels. Another study reported that athletes who used forced-rep training lost more bodyfat than those who stopped at failure.
19 BEST STRENGTH-TRAINING TECHNIQUE Ascending Sets
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Baltimore) researchers tested strength gains in 50 males after nine weeks of training three times a week on the leg extension. Subjects performed three sets of 10 reps using either the Delorme ascending pyramid technique (first set is 50% 10RM, second set is 75% 10RM and third set is 100% 10RM) or the Oxford descending pyramid technique (first set is 100% 10RM, and second and third sets reduce the weight just enough to allow 10 reps to be completed). The researchers discovered that the lifters who used the Delorme technique experienced strength gains on the leg extension that were an average 10 pounds greater than those in the Oxford group.
20 BEST WAY TO LIFT FOR BURNING FAT Heavy Weight, Short Rest Periods
Researchers from Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education (Oslo) discovered that using a weight that allows for only six reps increased resting metabolic rate higher and for longer after a workout than 12-rep sets. Another study, from the College of New Jersey (Ewing), reported that when men bench-pressed with just 30 seconds of rest between sets, they burned more than 50% more calories during the workout than when they rested three minutes. To burn more calories during and after workouts (which will help burn excess bodyfat), use a 6-8-rep range and keep rest periods to less than one minute.
21 BEST REP RANGE FOR MUSCULAR STRENGTH 2-6 Reps
Numerous studies support the idea that training with repetitions in the 2-6 range best develops muscle strength. This rep range best produces changes in both the muscle fibers and the nervous system that promote strength gains.
to be continued...