Contractile hypertrophy can occur either by adding sarcomeres in series or in parallel.  The majority of exercise-induced hypertrophy subsequent to traditional resistance training programs results from an increase of sarcomeres and myofibrils added in parallel.  When skeletal muscle is subjected to an overload stimulus, it causes perturbations in myofibers and the related extracellular matrix. This sets off a chain of myogenic events that ultimately leads to an increase in the size and amounts of the myofibrillar contractile proteins actin and myosin, and the total number of sarcomeres in parallel. This, in turn, augments the diameter of individual fibers and thereby results in an increase in muscle cross-sectional area.  A serial increase in sarcomeres results in a given muscle length corresponding to a shorter sarcomere length.

Inseries hypertrophy has been shown to occur when muscle is forced to adapt to a new functional length. This is seen with limbs that are placed in a cast, where immobilization of a joint at long muscle lengths results in an increased number of sarcomeres in series, whereas immobilization at shorter lengths causes a reduction.

There is some evidence that certain types of exercise can affect the number of sarcomeres in series. Lynn and Morgan showed that when rats climbed on a treadmill (i.e., incline), they had a lower sarcomere count in series than those who descended (i.e., decline). This suggests that repeated eccentric-only actions lead to a greater number of sarcomeres in series, whereas exercise consisting solely of concentric contractions results in a serial decrease in sarcomere length.

It is hypothesized that hypertrophy may be augmented by an increase in various noncontractile elements and fluid. This has been termed ‘‘sarcoplasmic hypertrophy,’’ and may result in greater muscle bulk without concomitant increases in strength.  Increases in sarcoplasmic hypertrophy are thought to be training specific, a belief perpetuated by studies showing that muscle hypertrophy is different in bodybuilders than in powerlifters.

Specifically, bodybuilders tend to display a greater proliferation of fibrous endomysial connective tissue and a greater glycogen content compared to powerlifters, presumably because of differences in training methodology. Although sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is often described as nonfunctional, it is plausible that chronic adaptations associated with its effects on cell swelling may mediate subsequent increases in protein synthesis that lead to greater contractile growth.

Some researchers have put forth the possibility that increases in cross-sectional area may be at least partly because of an increase in fiber number.  A meta-analysis by Kelley found that hyperplasia occurs in certain animal species under experimental conditions as a result of mechanical overload. Increases in muscle fiber number were greatest among those groups that used an avian vs. a mammalian model, and stretch overload yielded larger increases in fiber count than exercise. However, subsequent research suggests that such observations may be erroneous, with results attributed to a miscounting of the intricate arrangements of elongating fibers as a greater fiber number.  Evidence that hyperplasia occurs in human subjects is lacking and, if it does occur at all, the overall effects on muscle cross-sectional area would appear to be minimal.

Some common examples of cardio workouts are running, biking, weightlifting, kettlebells and swimming.

Top 7 Reasons Why Cardio Is Good

Add More Volume

• Cardio is a great way for you to add training volume, burning more fat, without putting your recovery at risk.

Fat For Fuel

• When you do cardio, you burn bodyfat for fuel. So it’s a great way to lose fat while you train your body’s cells to burn fat more efficiently.

Spares Muscle Mass

• Because it burns fat preferentially, cardio is a great way for you to add exercise volume to your training without running the risk of tapping into your muscle mass for fuel.

Aids Recovery

• By increasing blood flow, cardio can actually help you recover more quickly. Your cells get flooded with nutrition while toxins and other by-products of cell metabolism are flushed away.

Increased Work Capacity

• Cardio will improve your General Physical Preparedness. Your endurance capacity is a big factor in your overall fitness.  Cardio is still one of the best ways to develop it.

Moving Meditation

• Cardio is one of the best ways to get into a “groove” or practice intense concentration. The repetitive nature of cardio provide the perfect environment for losing yourself in your thoughts.

Perfect Match For Low Carb & Fasting Days

• When you’re following a Low Carb diet or using Intermittent Fasting, you’ll quickly get yourself into a glycogen depleted state. That just means the muscles and liver aren’t storing as much “sugar.” Since cardio uses fat for fuel, it’s a great match. That’s one of the reasons we love morning cardio before breakfast.

When participating in fitness programs individuals will often set goals focusing on improving muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and body composition. Many times flexibility is often overlooked due to lack of interest or not taking the time to incorporate it into a fitness program. Individuals should consider including flexibility into their training regimen to complete a thorough, well-rounded program.

Types of Flexibility Training

The four key types of stretching include the following:  static, dynamic, ballistic, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF).

They are defined as:

•   Static: The ability to maintain a stretch while elongating a muscle at a specific joint for an amount of time with mild discomfort. Static stretching may be considered the safest and most used method of flexibility training.

•   Dynamic Flexibility (warm-up): Incorporates bodily movements that are related to the activity or movement patterns needed for the specific event. Performing high-knees, walking lunges, and carioca are just a few examples of dynamic flexibility exercises.

•   Ballistic: Can be defined as a bouncing movement that is rhythmic in nature, where the end position of the stretch is not held. Performing a seated hamstring stretch with a bouncing movement instead of holding the stretch at the toes would be an example of a ballistic stretch.

• Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF): Incorporates concentric and isometric movements that involve three muscle actions (hold-relax, contract-relax, and hold-relax with an agonist contraction). PNF usually requires a partner to perform the stretches, or in the case where a partner is not present, a strap or band may be used for many of the stretches.

Flexibility Research

Warm-Up

Performing a dynamic warm-up prior to an athletic event or workout increases blood flow to the muscles, therefore increasing the temperature of the muscles. When the temperature of the muscles increases there is a positive shift in the metabolic rate, which leads to an increase in oxygen uptake and allows oxygen to be more readily available to the muscles. Incorporating a dynamic warm-up with proper progressions prior to a workout or event may lead to an increase in performance.

Decreased Injury Rates

Decreasing injuries during an activity or sport is a primary reason individuals include or add flexibility exercises to a training program. Although there are several recommendations stating flexibility training or stretching may lead to decreased injuries, the science and research is still lacking. It would be difficult to make a definitive statement that “adding static stretching to a program would lead to a decrease in injuries”.  That being said, individuals should still maintain a normal range of flexibility for optimal performance. Studies have shown that individuals who are hyper-flexible and inflexible may be at the highest risk for injury when participating in an athletic event.

Improved Performance

Several studies have been performed evaluating flexibility programs and the effect they may have on performance. Studies have shown individuals should maintain an optimal level of flexibility to improve overall performance. In a study conducted observing sprint performance, five different groups were observed. The group that included sprint training, resistance training, and flexibility training performed the best. This validates the importance of incorporating multiple components into a fitness program. Interestingly, a study that tested the effects of stretching, submaximal running, and practice jumps on vertical jump height found that static stretching had a negative impact on vertical jump height when performed immediately before the jump. The researchers also concluded that a general dynamic warm-up would be the most beneficial to enhance performance.

Stretching and Flexibility

There have been over 25 studies conducted since the early 1960s that have concluded that stretching is an effective way to increase muscle flexibility and increase the range of motion at specific joints. Individuals that adhere to a flexibility program can maintain flexibility improvements for several weeks.

Guidelines and Suggestions

The following flexibility training suggestions can be incorporated into a fitness program to develop a complete, well-rounded routine.

Dynamic Warm-Up

A dynamic warm-up can be implemented prior to a workout or event to increase core temperature of the muscles and prepare the individual for increased intensity and increased muscular performance. The dynamic warm-up should be progressive in nature, consisting of 6 – 8 exercises, and taking about 5 – 10 minutes to complete.

Static Stretching

After completing the workout routine, the individual can perform either static stretching or PNF stretching as part of the cool-down. Static stretching should be performed after each bout of activity incorporating stretches involving all the major muscles and the joints the muscles cross. Each stretch should be performed 3 – 5 times and held for approximately 30 – 60 seconds. The intensity should be slow, controlled, and held to mild discomfort. Static stretching is a simple way to incorporate flexibility training into a program because a partner is not needed and the exercises are simple.

PNF Stretching

PNF is another type of stretching that can be incorporated into a cool-down. PNF requires an experienced partner due to the complexity and possible risks associated with the stretches. If a partner is not present, then a strap or band may be used to perform PNF self-stretching. All three types of PNF involve three phases, which include a 10-second pre-stretch prior to performing the other phases of the specific stretches. The hold-relax phase begins with a passive pre-stretch to mild discomfort. While the partner applies force, the individual resists the movement with an isometric muscle contraction. The contract-relax phase begins with a passive pre-stretch to mild discomfort. The individual creates a concentric muscle action to complete a full range of motion. The hold-relax with agonist contraction phase adds a passive stretch and is the most beneficial due to both reciprocal and autogenic inhibition being utilized. There are six common stretches that target major areas of the body which includes hamstrings and hip extensors, calf and ankle, chest, groin, quadriceps and hip flexors, and shoulders.

Conclusion

Following these few simple guidelines and suggestions can be the key to developing a complete fitness program. Incorporating a dynamic warm-up prior to exercise and static or PNF stretching after exercise are just a few ways you can enhance your overall fitness performance.

“Effortlessly”

If anyone ever tells you that their method of getting in shape is “effortless”, 1 of 2 things are happening.

• Their definition of “getting in shape” is “getting back to average”.
• They’re lying or even worse, they have no clue what the hell they’re talking about.

The Truth About Effortless Work

• Realise that the path is not easy…
• It’s not a walk in the park.

But that’s what makes it SO VALUABLE.  You don’t need “tips and tricks”, all you need are the proven fundamentals that have worked time and time again.

If you’re stuck in a rut and trying to get back on track, don’t fall victim to  the fairytales about easy gains.  Get focused on what you want, take action, then analyse what happened, then refine your program.

That’s the basic process.

There is a well-known psychological effect that may be causing you problems with attaining your fitness goals.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

• The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their INCOMPETENCE denies them the metacognitive ability to recognise their mistakes.
• The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their ability as ABOVE AVERAGE, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled UNDERRATE their own abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority.
• Actual competence may weaken self-confidence, as competent individuals may falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding.
•  Kruger and Dunning conclude, the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others.

The effect is about paradoxical defects in cognitive ability, in oneself and others.

So what that all means is that there are two sides to this effect, both causing you stress.

The second side, has to do with you DOWNPLAYING your own competence because you ASSUME that everyone else is just as competent or BETTER.

This is very important to note.

The first side deals with that fact that most Coaches have NO COMPETENCE, especially when it comes to explaining “why” things work. Sure, they can get results, but lets be honest, getting results from an obese, unfit person isn’t exactly rocket science. However, the INCOMPETENCE comes when they try to EXPLAIN WHY IT WORKED.

Now, take the INCOMPETENCE of the Coach and couple that with your ASSUMPTION that others are just as competent or more competent than you are and you have a mis-understanding of epic proportions.

In other words, the Coach vastly OVERESTIMATES their own competence and ability while you vastly UNDERESTIMATE
your own competence and ability.

So even though have the knowledge to figure it out – you keep searching for the secret, because you ASSUME that somehow they all know something that you don’t!

Can you see how stressful that can be?

This isn’t just related to health and fitness either.  It’s prolific, everywhere. You could even say governments are being run like this.

The point is, just be very aware when you’re slipping into this Dunning-Kruger effect.

It’s like quicksand.

The only way to escape, is to calm down, quit struggling and let yourself float back up to the top 

A common thought that most people have, whether they admit to it or not, is: “Okay, I’ve mapped out my goal and I’ve planned my workouts, but how do I make progress? I do well for a couple days but then I fall off track.”

It’s actually pretty simple if you implement these two practices: deadlines and accountability.

You need to set in place your own deadlines for the goals that you want to achieve. Deadlines force you to get serious, to meet your targets, and to own up when you’re not staying true to your plan. Without firm deadlines it’s too easy to make excuses, to get caught up in endless procrastination loops, or to sidetrack yourself with busywork that has nothing to do with your goal.

The thing about deadlines, though, is that you actually have to mean it. It’s no good setting deadlines if you’re going to fluff them off every time. “Your word is law.” If you commit to it, you get it done. It doesn’t matter if you have to walk across the Sahara. It doesn’t matter if your friends are unhappy that you just don’t see them as much. You’ve made a commitment to yourself. Now stick to it. That’s where accountability comes in. You need some way to keep yourself accountable.

Don’t fall into the trap of lying to yourself and dreaming up fantasies about things you’ve never really done. Memory is fallible, and it’s easy to convince your imagination you’re accomplishing more than you really are, just because you’re”working on it.” A system of accountability gives you a way to track your progress. It encourages you when you achieve success and it brings “My word is law” into the physical, because you’ve written it down in your training diary, posted it online or told another person.

Implement these two simple practices and you’ll be amazed at the progress you make.

Are you going to be the person that talks about their dreams, or will you get down to work and actually live them?

Take your goals, write them down and come up with one simple method for keeping yourself accountable. Then set your first deadline and get
started.

There’s nothing holding you back.

1. Avoid walking lunges. Reverse lunges are far more safer for your knees.
2. Don’t bother with ‘dynamic warm ups’. A skill specific warm up is much more productive and will contribute to improved performance. Dynamic warm ups are a recent fad which will come and go along with all the ‘other ideas’.
3. Foam rolling is another trend that’s not necessary. Static stretching is much better.
4. Your body will respond to training stimulus.
5. Basics is best. You don’t need a huge arsenal of techniques, you just need to do what you do better than everyone else. Figure out what you need to know, not how much you can know.
6. Training is for life. Short term, fast fixes will leave you empty.

• antibodies that fight disease
• enzymes that digest food
• hormones that regulate growth and development
• muscles that let us move

Amino Acids

• the human body uses twenty different amino acids
• eleven of them are manufactured by the adult body
• nine cannot be manufactured and must be supplied by diet

Protein and Mental Alertness

• the brain has precursors assembled into neurotransmitters that carry instructions to move or to stay alert or to take a nap
• the two neurotransmitters necessary for alertness are norepinephrine and dopamine
• tyrosine is an essential precursor for their manufacture
• blood levels of tyrosine are elevated for several hours after eating protein rich food
• more protein leads to more alertness

Are Certain Types of Protein Better Than Others?

• nutritionists classify proteins by how many amino acids they provide
• protein which provides all of the essential amino acids is called a complete protein
• most animal proteins are complete proteins
• many plant-based proteins are incomplete
• two or more incomplete proteins can be combined to make a complete protein

“If you have the willpower to make the change, our system can work wonders for you.”

… which is rubbish.

In essence, this basically gives the company a free pass to blame you whole-heartedly if you don’t get results from their product.

Listen, if your “plan” requires willpower, it is…

100% DOOMED TO FAIL

Here’s why.

“Willpower” means a reactive state

Making positive change requires a PROACTIVE state.

Think about the last time you “reacted” to something.  Maybe someone annoyed you, maybe you said something you shouldn’t have and you regret it.

When you react, things NEVER go the way you want them to.  Ever.

So instead of trying to willpower your way through all of this, be proactive and control the environment that controls you.

Because that’s the unsaid reality between those that get results and those that don’t.

People that get results are just BETTER at controlling the environment that controls them.

For example:

A “willpower” person will buy snacky cakes at the store for “just in case”…

… knowing full well that the whole box will be gone TONIGHT – and then wonder what’s wrong with them.

A “willpower” person will go to the gym WITHOUT A PLAN, and in the process, not do anything because the machines are taken, or the dumbbells are broken.

Neither of these examples will ever get results.

“Willpower” people also try to do it all themselves.

Now, lets counter this with someone that’s being proactive about their environment.

They KNOW their trigger foods, so they make the easy choice and not have them in the house.

They KNOW their workout plan for going into the gym each day, which helps them stay FOCUSED on the task at hand.

They also KNOW that bouncing ideas and strategies off of other people IN THE KNOW multiplies their success and helps keep them on track.

Don’t spend the bulk of your time trying to control yourself.  Instead, focus the bulk of your energies on controlling YOUR ENVIRONMENT.

And that is why the great willpower myth is holding you back from the results you deserve.

Are you currently serving in the US Military?

Do one of these statuses apply to YOU?

• Active Duty
• Reservist (drilling)
• National Guard (active)
• Inactive Res/Guard (not drilling)
• Retired Military
• Veteran/Prior Service
• Parent/Legal Guardian
• Surviving Spouse and Family
• Spouse / Active
• Spouse / Veteran

If so, then it is absolutely IMPERATIVE that you take a few minutes to look at this unique ‘one of a kind’ website that has literally just been launched.

Failure to do so could mean you are losing out on THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in compensation and benefits!

It’s called ‘Military Benefits Report’

As the name suggests, it helps people who are connected with the US Military (active, veterans, families etc) find individual benefits, programs
and services at Federal, State, Local and Private levels… …benefits (mainly financial) which most of the time, they didn’t even realize they were entitled to.

What these benefits ARE is completely dependant on a VAST number of ranging factors such as age, state, military status and so on – and that is EXACTLY the
problem!

Because of the complexity of the US system, it is VERY difficult to find out precisely what you should be getting and as a result, a colossal number of military folk are missing out on what they are entitled and deserve to receive!

‘Military Benefits Report’ SOLVES this problem.

Here’s what you do:

Go to the website, enter your details, and fill in the answers to a few simple questions.

(you’ll see a continually changing cumulative total of the potential financial compensation or savings as you are doing this!)

When you have completed all the questions, the system will produce a customized PDF report specifically tailored to YOU, detailing all of the benefits, services and programs that you are
entitled to – and how to get them!

Try it now….

It only make a minute, is super easy and COULD be worth a fortune to you and your family!