We have reached an unnatural situation where part of humanity practically does not do physical work, while others are overloaded with hard, exhausting work.

With a little thought, it becomes clear that the countless diseases that have gripped humanity as a result of the decline of vitality in humans are the result of unnatural living conditions.

Every day, the average Western employee commits a health crime. However, the number of adults who play sports and exercise at least once every two days is very small.

It's easy to understand that in the hustle and bustle modern life those of us who are dedicated to mental work hardly have time for sports.

We live in a daily mental "routine" and do not give the body what it needs.

Our exercises consist only of a walk associated with the movement to work and home, which is reduced by the intensive use of trams, buses, trains, subways, cars, and even in the manipulation of a knife, fork and spoon while eating.

And it is not surprising that such a degenerative lifestyle reduces vitality so much that it can no longer resist disease.

Our knowledge workers live by physical inertia and easily fall prey to numerous diseases.

It is a well-known fact that regular exercise can relieve people of poor afternoon health due to the afternoon breakdowns that people fight hard against.

However, for persons who are engaged only in physical labor, one-sidedness physical activities is fraught with great flaws.

A factory worker, a bricklayer, does physical work from morning to night, but has neither good muscles nor genuine health.

Physical work can develop the body and increase its vitality only when it has different variations, as if we were playing a game in which every muscle must participate.

Naturally, physical exercises and an instinctive urge to sports games- human heritage.

While a person is in natural conditions, nature takes care that every muscle and part of the body develops and strengthens.

Both work and play are part human life but not the kind of work that is now being done by millions of workers. The present work gives nothing but exhaustion.

All Western sports can develop the body, but they should not be used very intensely.

All sports put a lot of stress on the heart, and the heart of the athlete is usually enlarged.

To this, with rare exceptions, it should be added that various sports give only one-sided muscular development.

The swordsman develops strongly the right arm and right leg, the tennis player develops his right arm, and the skater develops the leg muscles.

On the other hand, if we want to develop all muscles harmoniously, then we need to do different kinds sports at the same time. But where to get the time for this?

With the help of the ancient Indian method, anyone can develop a symmetrical, muscular body without expensive exercise equipment or a lot of time. The only thing we will need is a mirror and 15 minutes of time every day.

With a system of slow exercise, which consists of playful movements combined with strong mental concentration, strong muscles can be developed in a very short time. And everyone can do this kind of sports at home.

The oldest Indian system of muscle development, the dhandalibhiaski exercises, differs from Western gymnastics in that it does not consist of meaningless repetitions of exercises, but contains exercises performed with great interest.

During the exercises, straining our will or imagination, we observe the moving muscles and send a flow of prana into them.

By consciously and purposefully doing the exercises, we use our imagination and subconsciously overcome our doubts and skepticism.

If, for example, we slowly bend our right arm, continuously observing this movement, and imagine that at this moment a large amount of prana flows into our biceps, and the blood is strongly supplying the entire arm - we have already achieved success!

After several weeks of persistent practice of this simple physical exercise combined with mental concentration, we suddenly notice that the muscles in our arms have grown just as if we had been doing hard work for several months.

The creative power of consciousness gives the muscles the shape and size that we imagine.

Let's try this method on other parts of the body: if we use our imagination to send life force to various parts bodies, continuously increasing strength, and if we observe the work of muscles during exercise or observe them in a mirror, then we will soon build the body that was conceived and which God allowed us to build.

The secret of the "great effect" of slow exercises on the muscles and the whole organism lies in the creative work of consciousness.

Tiny endings of nerves that permeate all tissues of the body are charged with power consciously, at our will.

During exercise, these tiny reservoirs are filled with a certain amount of prana, and the building of muscles continues not only during the exercise, but also after, even during sleep; obedient to the dictatorship of our will, the nerves form the shape of the muscles drawn by our imagination.

In children and even in adults, the power of consciousness can transform even the skeleton, practically without limitation, in accordance with desire. This can be understood by those who have tried to do it not only in theory, but also in practice.

After a short period of practice, we can feel the creative power of consciousness throughout our body.

As a result of mental influence, these exercises, performed with the help of self-hypnosis and concentration, provide more benefits to the muscles and the body than any sports exercise performed mindlessly.

The Indian slow exercise system, if we practice persistently every day, is accompanied by miracles. No equipment is required as yoga provides simple, natural movements.

Javelin throw (Shiva's trident).

We clench the fist of our right hand, as if we were grabbing a dart or spear.

Standing with our legs apart, stretching our left hand to the side, we tilt our whole body back, as if about to throw a spear.

We take our right hand back and slightly bend the body back. This is the main point.

Now we go through all the movements when throwing the spear until the last phase, when the right hand holding the spear is extended forward and the left hand is behind.

During the exercise, we bend our knees, first the right and then the left.

We must move continuously, smoothly, rhythmically, plastically, gracefully.

Active movement is carried out as follows. We take the main position for throwing the javelin in front of the mirror and, tensing every muscle to the limit, we go through each phase of the exercise as slowly as if we were watching ourselves in slow motion.

The movement should be so slow that the exercise, which takes two to three seconds, would take from 30 seconds. up to 1 minute.

After completing the movement, we remain in the last phase of the exercise for a minute, and then slowly return to the basic position.

The exercise is repeated 2-3 times.

At the end, with a quick shake of the muscles, we relax those muscles that participated in the performance of this exercise.

The exercise ends with a few deep breaths.

Many Western athletes and trainers will laugh at this exercise. However, before expressing any opinion, they should have done them themselves for at least a week in order to achieve the effect of slow exercises.

They would see amazing results. There is no organ, for example, weak lungs, that would not respond to these conscious exercises and would not show signs of development, even in adults.

The second exercise that should be done daily is archery (Arjuna).

Standing, legs apart, turn slightly to the side, as if we were holding a bow in our left hand.

Standing firmly, we tighten the muscles of the thighs and arms, extend our left hand, draw the bow with our right hand and then release the string.

The entire exercise should take about a minute.

We finish the exercise by shaking the muscles and several full breaths.

Fencing on sticks of shepherd boys.

We take the position of a fencer. Keeping the sword in hand, we move forward and backward, striking blows to the right and to the left, but all this very slowly, at a snail's pace.

Weight lifting (Hanuman lifts Govardhan).

Bend forward, grab an imaginary heavy weight with both hands and raise it to shoulder level.

Bending our knees under the weight of the weight, legs apart, we finally raise our weight above our head on outstretched arms.

We perform this exercise slowly, so that it takes a whole minute.

Finally, as before, we shake the muscles to loosen them up and take a full breath.

Chopping wood (for your own cremation ceremony).

This is one of the most important simple exercises.

Standing, legs apart, raise our hands in front of the mirror, imagine that between two hands clenched into a fist is the handle of a heavy ax, which we slowly raise above an imaginary block of wood.

We prick slowly so that each hit takes one to two minutes.

At the end of the exercise, we relax the muscles and take deep breathing.

Pushing stones (building a bridge to Lanka to save Sita).

We run after Krishna, but we cannot catch up.

We go through all the movements of the runner, without leaving the original place.

We breathe slowly and consciously direct the prana to all the muscles involved in the exercise.

We finish the exercise by shaking the muscles in order to relax them and take several full breaths.

We conquer Kamsa.

Standing in front of the mirror, we take the position of a boxer, inflict several blows with the right and left hands to the imaginary opponent in the head and body.

All this is done as slowly as possible, with the full concentration of all our attention and with the full tension of all muscles.

We finish the exercise with relaxation.

Swimming in Yamuna.

The exercise corresponds to the swimming training exercise given in Europe.

Lying on our stomach on a low bench, we perform the movements of the swimmer, constantly thinking about the regulation of breathing.

Then we lie on our back and perform the movements of the swimmer on the back.

The importance of swimming as a natural sport has already been noted in connection with pranayama.

Here we emphasize once again that of all the physical exercises, swimming should be done by everyone for half an hour a day.

We mow the grass for the cows.

An excellent exercise for developing the muscles of the back and sides and to maintain the elasticity of the spine. Moving right and left stimulates the nerves that exit the spinal cord.

We go through all the movements of the mower to the right and left, then bend forward, "cut short grass with a sickle." This is all very slow.

We finish the exercise by relaxing the muscles and take a few deep breaths.

Banana tree climbing for Krishna.

A very important exercise for building the body. It can have several variations. Its purpose is to mimic the natural exercise of climbing a tree trunk. It is extremely simple.

If we do it outside, under the trees, then we grab a thick branch above our head.

If we do it at home, then we grab the door frame. First, we hang without moving for a few seconds, then, after resting a little, we again grab the branch or frame and hang as long as we can.

Crawling on all fours. We are Hanuman's ape warriors.

Civilized adults may consider this exercise beneath their dignity. However, it is very useful.

Crawling on all fours for at least five minutes has the same beneficial effects on blood circulation, the brain, and the endocrine gland system as inversion asanas.

When crawling on all fours, we should certainly not crawl on our knees; but we must move on outstretched arms and legs so that our head is below.

We should walk for one or two minutes on legs that are not bent as much as possible; then slowly on bent arms and legs; end the exercise should be crawling on the elbows.

This is the so-called "Indian crawl". If you practice this exercise for a few minutes, then it has an excellent effect on muscle development.

Drawing water from a sacred well (Sanatana Goswami at the Madana-Mohana temple).

We draw water from the well while standing, legs apart and slightly leaning forward.

We slowly go through movements corresponding to pulling out the rope on which a heavy bucket of water is tied.

We grab the imaginary rope alternately with both hands, pulling it out so that when the left arm is bent and is near the chest, the right reaches the floor in order to grab the rope as low as possible. Then we pull out the rope with our right hand and lower our left hand down.

Finish the exercise by relaxing the muscles and doing some full yogi breaths.

We pull the Rathayatra. We are taking Krishna back to Vrindavan.

Standing, legs apart, in front of the mirror, we extend our right hand, embrace an imaginary rope and pull it with all our might, bending the body to the right. Then we repeat the same movement with the left hand.

This alternating movement is one of the best for the back muscles.

It should not be forgotten that this movement should be performed as slowly as possible in order to accompany each phase of the movement with the concentration of consciousness.

Our movements must be completely harmonious.

Rope climbing for coconuts for Krishna.

This exercise is performed in the same way as the previous one, but the imaginary rope hangs vertically. Thus, we pass through the movements of a person climbing up the rope.

Fighting wrestlers in the Kamsa arena.

We are fighting an imaginary enemy. In this exercise, slow movements are especially important.

We relax all the time between different seizures.

In this exercise, you should never hold your breath for more than 7 seconds.

Conclusion.

Hindus do the exercises "dhandal and bxis" at the same time as their teacher. By concentrating attention, the student can observe the impressive play of the muscles of the beautiful symmetrical body of his teacher.

The student's subconscious mind registers a picture of the body of the teacher who has built his body through such exercises. A high degree of association and concentration of prana can only be achieved when we do the exercises with such a teacher.

This is not always possible in the west, and the mirror in this case is a substitute, although we should try to represent the beautiful forms of Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama.

This unparalleled ancient exercise system that combines faith, desire and imagination with physical movement is worthy of serious attention and scrutiny by physical education teachers and trainers in the West.

How do I do it?

I have at home large mirror... There is tantric music that is pleasing to my ear. There is a whole paradise garden of living exotic plants. And sometimes I can find half an hour of quiet time to study.

There are some strict prerequisites for performing The Miracle of Slow Exercise that must not be violated.
1. A mirror is required.
2. Audible, quiet, flowing music is required (it may not be quite music). There may be just mantras. The main condition: harmony of sound for perception and pulse
3. It is necessary to make a strict warning to relatives - do not disturb you for this half hour. Better to hang a sign - a reminder on the door "Knock only in case of fire!" This is very important condition: during exercise, there are high loads on the body. Such loads are completely safe in a state of harmonious trance. But a hail, a knock, a mobile phone ringing can abruptly "push" you out of a trance, and then there will be muscle pain. Least. Therefore, your Ecumenical peace for half an hour is a prerequisite.
4. Do not exercise after coffee, after alcohol, after a fatty, abundant meal.
5. Before class, you need to strip naked. Exercise is carried out only naked. Only alone. Just in front of the mirror.

Turn on the music. Take off your clothes. Examine yourself in front of the mirror carefully. Spin around to the music at random. Curse randomly. You are alone, no one sees you. Nobody will smile when looking at you. Remove all internal conformities from yourself. Part for half an hour with all your social masks. Just become a Human Body.

Try to "enter" the sounds of the music. Try to listen to yourself, your body. Try to continue any movements that your Body will generate. Watch yourself in the mirror, please yourself. Your breath can be any arbitrary. But complete enough, not superficial. For lovers of pranayama, you can breathe. But this is out of love for the exotic. In terms of meaning, it is not necessary.

When you enter a calm, harmonious state, stand in the archery pose.

Attention!!!

Now very slowly, maintaining deep measured breathing, strain all the muscles of the body and, looking at yourself in the mirror, slowly, slowly, pull the bowstring, aim and make a "shot". Slowly. Smoothly. Like a very, very slow motion movie. Without reducing tension! Put your hands down. The first exercise is complete. And now you can catch your breath.

Each muscle is made up of cells called muscle fibers (myofibrils). They are called "fibers" because these cells are very elongated: with a length of several centimeters, in cross section they are only 0.05-0.11 mm. Let's say there are more than 1,000,000 such fiber cells in the biceps! 10-50 myofibrils are collected in a muscle bundle with a common sheath, to which a common nerve (motoneuron) fits. At his command, the fiber bundle contracts or lengthens - these are the muscle movements that we make during training. And in everyday life, of course, too. Each bundle is made up of the same type of fibers.

Slow muscle fibers

They are red or oxidative, in sports terminology they are called "type I". They are quite thin and well supplied with enzymes that allow them to receive energy with the help of oxygen (hence the name "oxidative"). Please note that both fats and carbohydrates are converted into energy by oxidizing, that is, burning, these fibers are called "slow" because they are reduced by no more than 20% of the maximum, but they can work long and hard.

And "red" - because they contain a lot of the protein myoglobin, which in name, function and color is similar to blood hemoglobin.

Long-term uniform movement, endurance, weight loss, cardio and fat burning workouts, slim, sinewy figure.

Fast muscle fibers

Either white or glycolytic, they are called "type II". They are noticeably larger than the previous ones in diameter, they have little myoglobin (therefore, they are "white"), but large stock carbohydrates and an abundance of so-called glycolytic enzymes - substances with which the muscle extracts energy from carbohydrates without oxygen. Such a process, glycolysis, (hence the name "glycolytic") produces a rapid and large release of energy.

These fibers can provide a powerful push, a jerk, a hard hit. Alas, the energy release will not be enough for a long time, therefore fast fibers do not work long, they need to rest often. The strength training designed for them is therefore divided into several approaches: if you move continuously, the work is transferred to slow fibers.

What is associated with these muscle fibers. Strength training, sprints, acceleration, muscular, pumped-up figure, body modeling, voluminous muscles.

Two types of fast muscle fibers

Yes, it's not that simple! Fast muscle fibers are also divided into two "divisions."

Rapid oxidative-glycolytic or intermediate fibers (subtype IIa) - fast (white) fibers, which nevertheless contain the same enzymes as slow ones. In other words, they can receive energy with or without oxygen. They are reduced by 25-40% of the maximum, and they are “included” in work both in strength training and in weight loss exercises.

Fast non-oxidative fibers (subtype IIb) are designed exclusively for short-term and very powerful efforts. They are thicker than all others and during strength training they increase in cross section more noticeably than others, and decrease by 40-100%. It is at their expense that bodybuilders grow muscle volumes, weightlifters and sprinters set records. But for fat burning workouts, they are useless. It is important that about 10% of muscle fibers (those fastest intermediate - subtype IIa) can change their type.

If you often give your body a long-term load of medium intensity (one that includes a maximum of slow fibers in the work), then the intermediate ones will also be rebuilt into a slow mode in a few months. If you focus on strength, sprint training, then intermediate and even red fibers will approach the fast ones in terms of their parameters.

Muscle fibers: how to determine your type

Typically, a person has about 40% slow and 60% fast fibers. Their exact number is given genetically. Analyze your physique and perception of stress. As a rule, people who are naturally "wiry", short in stature, with thin bones, who can easily walk, jog, ride a bicycle and other long-term loads, have a slightly higher percentage of slow and intermediate fibers.

And those who have a wide bone, muscles easily grow even from small loads, but the fat layer is added literally from one glance at cakes or pasta, are often "carriers" of some excess of fast fibers. If you know a person who, without really exercising, suddenly amazes everyone with his strength - in front of you is the owner a large number fast non-oxidative fibers. On the net you can find tests that offer to determine your predominant type of muscle fibers. For example, doing an exercise with a weight of 80% of the maximum. Have mastered less than 8 repetitions - fast fibers prevail in you. More - slow.

In fact, this test is very conditional and rather speaks of fitness in this particular exercise.

Muscle fibers: exercise selection

The names "fast" and "slow", as you already understood, are not associated with the absolute speed of your movements in training, but with a combination of speed and power. In this case, of course, muscle fibers are not included in the work in isolation: the main load falls on one type or another, and the other acts "in the wings."

Remember: if you are working with weights, then the higher they are, the more actively fast fibers are trained. If the weights are small, the movements for training fast fibers should be sharper and more frequent. For example, jumping out instead of squats, sprinting 100 meters instead of leisurely cross-country, etc. But to train slow fibers, you need long calm workouts such as even rolling, walking, swimming, quiet dancing. Any acceleration and jerk will additionally connect fast fibers.

Muscle fibers: planning training

* If you need to add volume to a particular part of the body (say, swing your arms, shoulders or hips), train mainly fast fibers in these zones, doing weights and doing jumps, push-ups, pull-ups.

* Want to get rid of excess fat - "load" slow fibers throughout the body. Pole walking, jogging, swimming or dancing are best suited for this.

* For additional study of problem areas, add exercises for slow fibers: abduction-adduction of the leg, flexion, etc.

* Train both fiber types equally for overall muscle tone. Let's say, in the mode of a half-hour strength lesson and a half-hour cardio load after it 3-4 times a week.

By understanding what fast and slow muscle fibers are, you can train your workouts more efficiently.

Many beginners who are just getting started with exercise rarely wonder if they are exercising correctly. It seems to them that training in itself is good. And whatever it is, it will definitely bring results. Of course you're right. The fact that you show willpower and make your body work is wonderful and an honor and praise to you. But be sensible. Do you really want to waste your precious time and energy? I think no. Therefore, let's figure out how to work out in the gym or at home in order to achieve the best results.

We can do fast or slow repetitions depending on what weight we are working with. After taking the weight limit, you will not be able to do fast reps. Therefore, it is very important to first determine with what weight you need to work.

Fast and slow muscle fibers

In order to understand how our body works, it is necessary to explain to you that there are fast and slow muscle fibers. Our entire muscle frame consists of various muscle groups, including slow and fast fibers. They are so named because of their intensity of growth.

So, slow muscle fibers it is very difficult to increase in size, some argue that it is almost impossible. These muscles cannot withstand very large weights, but they can withstand long and prolonged stress. Such fibers are responsible for the dynamic work of muscles, keep our body in good shape throughout the day and produce the heat that a person needs. These muscle fibers give our muscles endurance. If a person is dominated by slow muscle fibers, then he rarely achieves great results in bodybuilding.

Fast muscle fibers- on the contrary, they have great strength, but not as good endurance as the slow ones. They get tired faster. The number of repetitions during the work of fast muscle fibers is much less, but the weight with which the exercise is performed can be extreme. That is, the maximum weight that a person is capable of.

Every person has an equal ratio of fast and slow muscle fibers by nature. But it is not always the case. Someone is dominated by fast, someone slow muscle fibers. You can determine your ratio using special equipment:

Determine Your Weight Limit for each muscle group, be it arms, chest, legs, etc. For this:

• Warm up your muscles before lifting the limit weight (lifting small weights this group muscles)
• Pick up a weight that you can do 2 to 5 reps with.
• Relax for 3 minutes.
• Take a weight with which you can only do 1 repetition. Attention!!! Be sure to ask someone to insure you to avoid injury.
• Write down the weight limit for each muscle group.
• Relax for 15 minutes.
• Take 80% of your weight limit for each exercise
• Perform as many repetitions as possible with this weight.
• Write down the result.

Test results:

• If you performed up to 8 repetitions, then fast muscle fibers predominate (for this muscle group)
• If you have performed up to 10 reps, then the ratio of fast and slow muscle fibers is the same (for this muscle group)
• If you have performed up to 12 repetitions or more, then slow muscle fibers predominate (for this muscle group)

Rapid repetitions

Rapid repetitions cause the pulse to beat at a high frequency and engage both fast and slow muscle fibers at once. It is the fast repetitions that work the main muscle groups. Many experiments have shown that fast repetitions use more muscles than slow, concentrated movements. For example, when building your abs, fast repetitions use some abdominal muscles that are not involved in slow exercises on specific abdominal muscles. Fast repetitions with loading builds up your muscle strength. The only condition is that the weight must be 50% of your weight limit. It is important that the number of quick reps is 25-30.

Slow repetitions

Slow repetitions, on the other hand, reduce impulse and allow the muscles to work at full strength. As a result of slow repetitions, the slow muscle fibers are initially recruited, and as fatigue builds up, the fast muscle fibers take over. These exercises help increase muscle size by damaging both fast and slow muscle fibers. By doing the exercises slowly, you put the muscle under tension for a long time. During lifting and return movement. Do slow exercises with a weight equal to 70% of your weight limit. There should be 5-6 repetitions in each approach, no more and no less. There should also be not many approaches - 2-3 approaches.

Fast + slow

In order to achieve results in the formation of beautiful muscle definition and increase those parts of the body that are necessary to create a proportional body, take advantage of both slow and fast repetitions.

• Alternate workouts with slow, normal and fast repetitions every 1-2 weeks
• Use a faster repetition rate at the start of your workout.
• Use 70% of your weight limit while doing slow reps
• Use weights that weigh 50% of your weight limit while doing quick reps.
• Rapid reps last from 1 to 3 seconds per rep, the number of approaches is 3
• Slow repetitions last from 15 to 20 seconds per rep, the number of approaches is 2

Output

So, in the dispute between fast and slow repetitions, friendship won out as always. You should never go to extremes, whether it be diet, exercise, or lifestyle in general. Personally, I do not support those who go to vegetarianism or those who only exercise and do not accept the load and vice versa.

Watch a unique video from the Russia TV channel, where you will learn in detail which muscles are more important and how they work. Very informative and just curious.

If for some reason you can only train lightly, you can still increase your strength and gain muscle mass. You just need to slow down the repetitions in the exercises. This conclusion was made by scientists from the University of Tokyo.

Strength training is the cure for all diseases! But not everyone can handle traditional schemes. 20% of people over the age of 70 develop joint and muscle problems when working with maximum weights, and doctors also consider it harmful to increase blood pressure and heart rate during traditional strength training in people with cardiovascular diseases.

In this case, the working weights should not be 80% of the maximum, but 50% will be sufficient. However, we know from textbooks that such training will not be very effective. It's no accident that bodybuilders train with a weight of 80-85% of the maximum.

According to a study by Japanese scientists, an alternative can be work with a short rest between sets - no more than 30 seconds. Studies show that this type of workout will also lead to increased strength and muscle mass. Another alternative could be the super-slow method, where 10 seconds are allotted for flexion and 4 seconds for extension. This is also proven by research.

Another alternative is Kaatsu, a strength training that restricts blood flow to muscle groups under stress. Researchers are wary of this method, since its use requires clear knowledge and skills that cannot be acquired by reading a couple of articles on the web.

The researchers looked at another training method, which involves working at a slow pace and building muscle tone. Training takes place with a weight of 50% of the maximum, but the speed of movement is selected such that you can do no more than 8 repetitions. According to research, for this you need to take 3 seconds for flexion and 3 seconds for extension.

The experiment involved 24 students who performed leg exercises on simulators 3 times a week for 12 weeks. The students were divided into 3 groups.

The LST group worked out according to the "Slow tempo with the creation of muscle tone" method (3 s lifting, 3 s lowering without stopping at the beginning and end of the movement (statodynamics. - Ed. Note). The used weight is 50% of the maximum.

Group HN was the control group, which trained in the traditional pattern, doing 8 reps at 80% of the maximum weight (1 second rise, 1 second lower, and 1 second rest between reps).

Group LN was the second control group to perform 8 reps per set, at the same pace as the previous group, but with a weight of 50% of the maximum. This group did not exercise to failure (1 second lift, 1 second lower, and 1 second rest between reps).

The experiment showed that the progress in strength and muscle mass was approximately the same in the LST and HN groups. The maximum gain in strength in the LST group was 28%, in the HN group it was slightly higher at 32%, and in the LN group the increase in strength was 16%.

Muscle mass increased in equal proportions in the LST and HN groups. The students in the LN group showed no muscle growth.

During the sets, the amount of oxygen in the muscles was significantly reduced in the LST athletes. Despite the low working weight, this was most likely due to the high concentration of lactic acid. The acidification level was the same in the LST and HN groups.

Scientists speculate that oxygen deficiency in muscle cells leads to muscle enlargement. This is not the only but significant growth factor. Oxygen deficiency leads to an increase in the level of lactic acid in the blood, which in turn leads to the synthesis and secretion of anabolic hormones such as somatropin and testosterone. Also, oxygen deficiency causes an increase in the amount of free radicals in

muscle cells, and as a result, such compensatory training leads to muscle building.

The scientists concluded: “Low intensity training with light weight, slow repetitions and muscle tone is effective for building strength and muscle mass. Since this exercise is not associated with lifting large weights, it can be recommended for initial stages sports training and during rehabilitation after orthopedic injuries ”.

And weight training programs in search of exactly the one that will help build incredible volumes. You stuck with a lot of reps and a small amount, you used a straight pyramid and an inverted one. But one variable that is very often overlooked by most bodybuilders is the repetition rate.

The prevailing repetition style is slow and calm, contracting the muscle being worked out to the maximum at the peak of each rep. Great method, undeniably ... but it could be done even better. Using the full range of repetition rates, you can create a unique mass training program that will significantly increase your muscle mass.

The speed of each repetition is directly dependent on the weight, the total number of repetitions, and the level of fatigue of the muscles being worked out. Typically, most reps in a three-day weight training program are done in a slow and controlled manner, one to two seconds for the positive portion of the rep (lifting weights) and the same for the negative portions (lowering weights).

Of course, as the working weight increases, muscle fatigue increases, the positive portion of the rep takes more time, and the negative portion accelerates. In general terms, the typical speed is about three to four seconds per rep.

Explosive repetitions in a weight training program

Reps workouts that are faster than the typical 3 to 4 seconds can bring a lot of benefits. When doing the positive portion of the rep in an explosive manner, with less than one second to complete the movement, your fast-twitch muscle fibers are recruited more. Fast twitch muscle fibers provide the greatest muscle strength and have the highest potential for muscle growth. The other main type of muscle fibers are slow-twitch fibers, which are smaller and offer less strength but have more endurance.

Fast repetitions help focus the load on the muscle you are working on. Some studies show that fast repetitions put more stress on the main muscle groups in a specific exercise, rather than on the supporting muscles. For example, one study found that a fast rep exercise "" uses the biceps muscle more than the brachialis muscle, which usually helps with this exercise. Slow repetitions, however, transfer the main load to the brachialis muscle.

It is reasonable to assume that this is true for other exercises as well. By doing chest exercises with very fast repetitions, you will mainly engage the pectoralis major muscle; doing quick reps on your back will use your latissimus muscles more, and so on.

The power of speed

Training with fast repetitions increases the speed at which the muscles can move a certain weight. The faster you can move a given weight, the more power you have. Power is extremely important to overall muscle strength as it helps you accelerate your weight, so increasing power successfully increases strength.

Research shows that The best way to train with fast repetitions is to choose a weight that is about 50% of your maximum weight or a weight with which you can do 25-30 repetitions. The trick is to do just 3-5 reps with that weight on each set. It is very important to prevent fatigue. Too many repetitions in fast rep workouts will negatively affect speed and can lead to if your technique is disturbed.

Perform each repetition with explosive force, completing the positive part as quickly as possible. Return the weight to its original position in a slow and controlled manner.

Fast rep workouts are commonly used in basic exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and dips. Do only three sets of exercises and only 2-3 exercises for each muscle group. Train each muscle group twice a week, as shown in the Accelerate workout schedule (see below).

Hey slow down

Just as training with fast repetitions has its benefits, training with slow repetitions can also be beneficial. Slow repetitions reduce momentum and force the muscles to do more real work. This will help improve your overall strength and muscle size. Both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers are involved. With slow repetitions, slow twitch fibers are predominantly used in the beginning. As soon as fatigue begins to roll in, fast-twitch fibers come to the rescue. When you reach complete failure, you have successfully hit all the muscle fibers that are being worked out in the exercise.

Time under stress

Depending on how slow the reps are and how many reps you do, some sets can last up to three minutes, increasing the amount of time the muscle is under tension. This will tire the muscles much more than you are used to. Muscle fatigue is essential - it enhances growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1. In addition, studies have shown that training with slow repetitions provides more benefits than training with regular repetitions.

To follow a muscle building program with slow repetitions, take 50-70% of the weight with which you can perform high quality 5 repetitions. Begin doing the positive part of the repetition slowly and methodically. This should take you about 10 seconds. Hold the weight for two seconds. The negative part of the rep will be even more painful as you have to take 10 seconds to return to the starting position. You need to get to complete exhaustion by the 5th rep.

If you can do six or more reps, increase the weight for the next set. If you cannot complete at least four reps, then reduce the weight.

When training with slow repetitions, choose isolation exercises and do only 1-2 sets per exercise and only 2-3 exercises per muscle group. Due to the high intensity of this mass training program, work each muscle group only once a week, as shown in the Slow Down graph.

Fast and Slow Reps

To take full advantage of repetition rate manipulation, follow "Fast / Slow" cycles:

1. Your weight training program will start at a normal repetition rate (three to five seconds per rep) and last for two weeks.
2. Then add some speed and drive to the program for two weeks (fast reps one to three seconds per rep).
3. Then we return to the normal repetition rate for another two weeks.
4. Now let's start a two week workout with slow repetitions (about 20-25 seconds per rep).
5. For the third time, return to normal repetition rate for two weeks.

This cycle can be continued indefinitely, provided that during the 8-week cycle you will see. When training at a normal repetition rate, use your current training program. The numbers in the "Rest" column indicate the number of minutes of rest between sets.

Speeding up

Slow down