Q. My personal trainer told me to keep the duration of my exercise sessions down to forty-five minutes or shorter, as testosterone concentrations drop following this point. Is this true?
A. It’s correct that testosterone levels might lower slightly subsequent to a very high volume (50 sets) of strength training lasting 2 hours. However any change in testosterone levels following faster workouts are usually temporary and very soon go back to normal.
In addition, the fact that testosterone lowers after training isn’t necessarily negative. It may merely signify a greater rate of clearance (rather than a drop in production) or perhaps a difference in blood volume.
In other words, even if testosterone values do take a minor drop immediately after forty-five minutes in the fitness center, I’ve seen no data to indicate that this will make much of an impact on your rate of muscle growth or fat loss. If you would like increase muscle size, it’s acceptable for your workout sessions to last longer than forty-five minutes.
Q. What home fitness center do I need to purchase if I don’t have any space?
A. Go with some dumbbells (such as PowerBlocks) and a suspension trainer like the Jungle Gym XT. PowerBlocks are 2 rectangular dumbbells that will remove the need for changeable dumbbells and will replace more than 20 sets of dumbbells. You simply store them under the bed or in the cupboard when you’re finished.
Working out with PowerBlocks is a fantastic way to build muscle mass and burn fat. For instance, you’re able to do squats, deadlifts, and cleans – 3 movements that boost your fat burning capacity and add muscle mass.
With a couple of PowerBlocks and an adjustable bench you can actually replicate virtually any exercise you can perform in a health and fitness center at home or office. They give you immediate access to a complete rack of dumbbells in the home in the space of just 1 pair, and at a tiny fraction of the price of standard dumbbells.
Q. I seriously want to build muscle mass, but I’m not seeing the results I expected, despite the fact that I work out consistently. I believe the problem is that I have not been using progressive overload. What’s the correct way to apply it?
A. There exists no one “right” technique to include progressive overload in your training, and the actual tactics you utilize will be dependent largely on your objectives at the time.
A person who’s working out with the primary target of improving maximal strength, for instance, will train in a different way to a person whose major goal is to increase muscle size.
If you can do three sets of 8 in workout two, by way of example, then it is time to raise the amount of resistance you use in the following workout. Never hold back. Overload is a key element when it comes to stimulating muscular hypertrophy, and there is no point in reducing the rate at which you add kilograms to the bar simply to fit neatly into a pre-defined method of progression.
Q. How deep should I squat?
A. Ultimately, the proper squat depth is going to change from person to person based upon on their goals, bodily variables (leg size, lower limb flexibility) and so on. Whilst squatting to beneath ninety degrees has always been a controversial topic (in some circles anyway), there is very little evidence to demonstrate that it’s unhealthy for the knee joints if it’s done properly by a person with healthy knee joints.