Students at Northeastern University have put an array of electrodes inside a compression shirt. The shirt is part of system called Squid. The Squid includes a smartphone app and an exercise tracking site. Squid can monitor and gauge muscle activity and count reps so you don’t have to keep track of them manually. The shirt most likely can’t tell the difference between a bench press and push up, but at least it can track reps and heart rate. Not available to the general population yet, but it looks like it has potential depending on the cost.

Via: Engadget

Video of the standing bicep curl. Don’t rock your body. Nice even reps. NO swinging the weight around. Moderate weight so that you can do 8 to 15 reps. Do 2 to 3 sets. Don’t overdue it because the bicep is a small muscle which also gets used during other compound movements. Slowing down will actually make this exercise or just about any exercise harder.

The speed in which you execute a certain movement refers to term tempo or rep speed. The tempo being used can determine the after effect the lift has on the muscle group. The movement can be of two things when you lift a weight. It can be mere work that tires out the muscle or it can be a means of stimulating more muscle mass. The main difference between these two movements is the rep speed. For now, we’ll concentrate our interest in the dangers of what tempo you use during your workouts.

When you are simply just working out and not training for muscle growth is when your main interest is satisfying your ego of lifting a heavy weight, or even finishing a particular number of repetitions for a given set. This type of training is dangerous as poor form while working out can cause a lot of injuries to your muscle tissue and connective joints. Poor form during exercise includes, swinging, jerking the weight around, using body momentum to get the weight up any way you can.
And last but not least, let’s get down to the training aspect of applying rep speed to your exercises. You might not think it, but it’s important to know how you apply rep speed to your exercises as it can determine whether or not you meet your goals that you are seeking out. If you want to train for power and strength, then you want to generally apply an explosive type of rep speed. Let’s take the bench press for example. When you are in position to go down with the weight, you want to go down with the weight in a controlled and slow manner. And then once you touch your chest, push the weight back up in a explosive manner.

To be more specific, we can use a time ratio for your workouts. For the example I have just set, you can use the ratio 3:0:1. The first number 3 represents the number of seconds it takes for you to go down. The number 0 represents the number of seconds when you touch your chest. And the last number represents the number of seconds it takes for you to push the weight back up. As you can see, applying the right tempo for your exercises is very important when going about achieving your goals.

So let’s say you want to apply a ratio that promotes size while bench pressing. You can use the ratio 2:0:2, or even 2:0:3. The concept of it is the slower you go while repping out, the more muscle fibers you’ll contract which will result in more damage to the fast twitch muscle fibers. At the same time, you have to pay attention to how much weight you’re using. That general way of thinking or saying does not always result in muscle mass, as you still need to apply a certain stimulus to your muscle when trying to gain muscle mass. As training for power also results in muscle size. Finding the fine line of gaining muscle size and strength is not something you can figure out on the first workout. It will take a lot of trial and error as you find out soon within your training.

Get Better Results in Less Time with Hybrid Workouts

Hybrid exercises, sometimes called complexes, consist of sets of several different exercises performed together in one giant set. They can be performed using barbells, dumbbells or a weight plates. Hybrids have proven to be an effective training tool for athletes although athletes are not the only ones who should incorporate hybrid training into their workout. Hybrids are an effective tool for anyone looking to improve their level of conditioning or increase strength. They are also an excellent workout to perform when you are limited for time, which most of us are during the holiday season. Hybrids, therefore give you no excuse to miss your workout.

Hybrids as a Warm-Up

Hybrid training can serve as an effective warm-up, much more so than walking on a treadmill or riding an exercise bike. When performing hybrids as part of a warm-up – perform each exercise for six repetitions, without any rest between exercises. Lighter weights will be used in this type of hybrid workout since your work sets are still to follow. Studies have shown that performing this type of workout as a warm-up allows for greater performance during the actual workout.

Hybrids as a Workout

When performing a hybrid workout, each hybrid is performed up to three times with a rest period between each hybrid. Up to five minutes rest should be allowed between each hybrid to ensure complete recovery of your metabolic system. Increase the weight or number of reps performed at each workout to increase its demands. The number of repetitions performed with each exercise should be based on your training goals. When training to improve conditioning levels or lose bodyfat, ten to twelve reps should be performed per exercise. Hybrid workouts train the entire body and are best performed on alternate days, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Example Hybrid Workouts

Upright row

While standing, grasp the bar slightly wider than shoulder width using an overhand grip. Pull the bar up to the top of the chest. Keep the elbows above the bar. Keep the shoulders back and the chest forward. Do not lean forward.

Hang Snatch High Pull

Grasp the bar with a wider than shoulder width grip. Feet should be under the armpits. Keep the shoulders back and chest forward. Knees slightly bent. Lower the bar down to the top of the knees making sure to keep the back flat. When the bar reaches the top of the knees drive the hips upward and shrug the shoulders extending the ankles, knees, and hips in a jumping motion. At the top of the shrug pull the elbows upward until the bar reaches the top of the chest.

Squat & Press

Start with the bar on the bottom of the traps. Squeeze the shoulder blades together keeping the chest expanded. Feet should be approximately shoulder width apart and toes slightly turned out. Sit the hips backward keeping the shins vertical, as in sitting in a chair. Keep the spinal erectors tight. Allow the knees to bend as the hips sit backward. Squat as deep as flexibility allows. After reaching the bottom, drive the head and chest upward when coming out of the bottom of the squat. After reaching the top of the squat, use the upward momentum to drive the bar overhead, as in a rear military press.

Bent over row

Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width. Bend over at the waist keeping the shoulders back and the eyes looking forward. Arch the back slightly and keep the knees slightly bent. Lower the bar close to the ground and pull it to the bottom of the chest. Do not use the legs to drive the weight up.

Conclusion

Hybrid exercises, if selected properly, condition the entire body and improve the body’s ability to recover. The total work performed in a workout using hybrid exercises forces the body to get stronger. For instance, 5 sets of 6 reps for three sets, performed three times is 270 reps of total work completed even before your workout is started. If done four times a week, 1080 additional reps are done each week. The number of reps can be altered to accommodate any strength and conditioning level. Hybrid workouts are also great when you do not have the time to perform a normal workout. The amount of workouts that can be developed by changing the movements or changing the number of reps used is unlimited. Give hybrid workouts a try as a warm-up before your next workout or as a workout next time you want to get a great workout in less time.

Deciding on the amount of repetitions that you do depends upon what you are trying to accomplish.

Do you want to gain muscle mass?

If you want to gain muscle mass you should be doing 6-10 repetitions at 70-80% of your maximum weight. Find out what your maximum weight is by doing a given exercise at your one repetition maximum. Your one rep maximum weight can be determined by doing an exercise with the maximum weight that you can handle safely for one repetition. Take this one rep maximum weight and multiply the amount by 70-80% to get your workout weight. If you are just beginning a weight training program start out with light weights and work yourself up to heavier weights. You don’t want to get really sore by lifting more than you are safely able to. Take 60-90 seconds between exercises in each set.

Do you want to have more endurance? Are you lifting weights for your general health and muscle tone?

If you are lifting weights for general health, muscle tone and endurance you should be doing 8 to 15 reps for an exercise. This increases the ability of the muscle to perform longer.