Massive Muscles

Does stretching help build muscle?

My friend told me that I should stretch more if I want to increase my muscle development. Does stretching before and after exercise help with muscle development?

Share and Enjoy:

August 6, 2006 | In Questions |

4 Comments »

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

First, a safe and effective flexibility training program increases physical performance. A flexible joint has the ability to move through a greater range of motion and requires less energy to do so, while greatly decreasing your risk of injury. Most professionals agree that stretching decreases resistance in tissue structures; you are, therefore, less likely to become injured by exceeding tissue extensibility during activity.

Reduced Muscle Soreness and Improved Posture. Recent studies show that slow, static stretching helps reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Static stretching involves a slow, gradual and controlled elongation of the muscle through the full range of motion and held for 15 seconds in the furthest comfortable position (without pain). Stretching also improves muscular balance and posture. Many people’s soft-tissue structures has adapted poorly to either the effects of gravity or poor postural habits. Stretching can help realign soft tissue structures, thus reducing the effort it takes to achieve and maintain good posture in the activities of daily living.

Reduced Risk of Low Back Pain

A key benefit, and one I wish more people would realize, is that stretching reduces the risk of low back pain. Stretching promotes muscular relaxation. A muscle in constant contraction requires more energy to accomplish activities. Flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, and other muscles attaching to the pelvis reduces stress to the low back. Stretching causes muscular relaxation, which encourages healthy nutrition directly to muscles; the resulting reduction in accumulated toxins reduces the potential for muscle shortening or tightening and thus reduces fatigue.

Increased Blood and Nutrients to Tissues

Another great benefit is that stretching increases blood supply and nutrients to joint structures. Stretching increases tissue temperature, which in turn increases circulation and nutrient transport. This allows greater elasticity of surrounding tissues and increases performance. Stretching also increases joint synovial fluid, which is a lubricating fluid that promotes the transport of more nutrients to the joints’ articular cartilage. This allows a greater range of motion and reduces joint degeneration.

Improved Muscle Coordination

Another little-known benefit is increased neuromuscular coordination. Studies show that nerve-impulse velocity (the time it takes an impulse to travel to the brain and back) is improved with stretching. This helps opposing muscle groups work in a more synergistic, coordinated fashion.

Enhanced Enjoyment of Physical Activities

Flexibility training also means enhanced enjoyment, and a fitness program should be fun if you want to stick with it. Not only does stretching decrease muscle soreness and increase performance, it also helps relax both mind and body and brings a heightened sense of well-being and personal gratification during exercise.

As you can see, flexibility training is one of the key components of a balanced fitness program and should be a part of your exercise routine. Without flexibility training, you are missing an important part of overall health. Flexibility training provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an effective flexibility training program.

Dave Parise C.P.T.

Comment by Dave Parise C.P.T. — September 8, 2006 #
Yes you should stretch before and after each workout. Be sure to stretch in a light manner until your muscles become more flexable. Agressive stretching can actually hurt the muscle. You can find some very basic yet beneficial stretching exercises on most exercise websites. Early morning and late evening stretches are great for keeping limber and preventing muscle cramps.

Power Health Always,
Dan Przyojski http://www.quikabs.com

Comment by DAN PRZYOJSKI — September 14, 2006 #
Break…fast / Lose fat

by Dave Parise C.P.T.

We have been told time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet nearly one-fifth of all adults choose to pass on the oatmeal, and go for the coffee. What is the big deal about breakfast? Can a solid breakfast really make or break your fitness goals? Read on as I answer your most pressing questions on this popular subject…

Why eat Breakfast?

Let’s dissect the word ‘breakfast’. When you take it apart you find two words with an all-important hidden message. Break – Fast. I can hear your wheels spinning on this one! That’s right, breakfast is the meal that breaks the fast that your body goes into each and every night when you sleep.

——————————————————————————–

When breakfast is skipped, your body continues to fast until you eat later in the day.

This is a problem for two reasons.

Problem #1: Your brain needs fuel to function at its peak. This fuel comes in the form of glucose derived from food and is needed to walk, talk and perform all other activities. When you skip breakfast your brain is forced to work extra hard in breaking down stored carbohydrates or to turn fats and proteins into usable forms of glucose. Eating breakfast has been proven to improve concentration, increase your problem solving capabilities, enhance overall mental performance and even boosts your memory and mood.

Problem #2: Your metabolism will go into ‘famine’ mode. Three to four hours after you eat, your metabolism shuts down and acts as if it needs to store food. This is a great function to have if a famine were to break out, leaving you without food for days. Since this is likely not the case for you, it is pretty annoying when your body starts packing on the pounds in an attempt to protect you from starvation! Eating breakfast communicates with your body the fact that you are healthy, well fed and not in need of extra fat storage.

What about the cut calories?
“Skipping breakfast is how I cut calories out of my diet.” I can’t tell you how often I hear this response when I encourage people to eat breakfast. What these “calorie cutters” don’t realize is that they are the ones who turn to snacking later in the day in an attempt to ward off low energy levels. Allowing your body to become over-hungry leads to distorted satiety signals, and leaves the door wide open for overeating later in the day.

Start your day with breakfast and then continue to eat smaller meals and snacks throughout the day for optimal calorie burning.

What’s for Breakfast?
Now that you are convinced that breakfast is worth your time, it’s time to decide what to have! A recent study done by FoodWatch, a Minnesota-based consulting firm that watches food trends, revealed that most people are basically eating dessert for breakfast, due to the high quantities of on-the-go breakfast foods that are processed, packaged and pumped full of refined carbohydrates. Another study recently proved that high fiber, low fat breakfasts promote healthy weight control much more effectively than highly refined breakfast foods.

Try the following On-The-Go Breakfast Selections for a blend of hearty carbohydrates, protein and fat and experience optimal morning energy.

· Low Fat Yogurt with Fresh Fruit

· Instant organic oatmeal, just add water

· Hard Boiled Egg and Whole Wheat Toast

· Scrambled Egg Whites on toasted rye

· Whole Wheat Tortilla rolled with Scrambled Egg Beaters and Salsa

· Soy Milk with Whole Grain Cereal and Fresh Fruit

As a fitness professional my goal is just to have you eat breakfast. If you just start with this, we will make a difference in your jouney to a better life!

Dave Parise C.P.T.

About the author:

Dave Parise is a recognized leader in the fitness industry. On the cutting edge of exercise today, Mr. Parise has been noted as one of the “Top 15 Trainers” in the United States and across Canada by the Association for Fitness Professionals, I.D.E.A.

Parise has 20 years of experience in Human Performance and Exercise Science. His creative culinary innovations with organic whole foods have been rated “very delicious” by top chefs in New York. Dave was born and raised in Hamden CT.

Dave Parise C.P.T.,
C.E.O. Results Plus Personal Training
N.A.S.M. R.T.S. 1,2. C.S.C.S.
http://www.resultsplus.com
203-288-8822

Comment by DAVE PARISE C.P.T. — July 12, 2007 #
Water: How much should you drink every day?
Dave Parise C.P.T.

How much water should you drink each day? — a simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.

——————————————————————————–

Though no single formula fits everyone, knowing more about your body’s need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.

Health benefits of water
Water is your body’s principal chemical component, comprising, on average, 60 percent of your weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions

Nearly all of the major systems in your body depend on water. How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.

A couple of approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate.

· Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is 1.5 liters a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.

· Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Even apart from the above approaches, it is generally the case that if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce between one and two liters of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.

WATER INTAKE CALCULATOR –

Multiply your bodyweight by .55-.75 (the higher value applies to people in a warmer climate, this calculator splits the difference at .65). The resulting number is the amount of water you should drink each day in ounces.

Factors that influence water needs
You may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are, the climate you live in, your health status, and if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.

· Exercise. The more you exercise, the more fluid you’ll need to keep your body hydrated. An extra 1 or 2 cups of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires additional fluid. How much additional fluid is needed depends on how much you sweat during the exercise, but 13 to26 ounces (or about 2 to 3 cups) an hour will generally be adequate, unless the weather is exceptionally warm.
Water: How much should you drink every day?
Dave Parise C.P.T.

How much water should you drink each day? — a simple question with no easy answers. Studies have produced varying recommendations over the years, but in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.

——————————————————————————–

Though no single formula fits everyone, knowing more about your body’s need for fluids will help you estimate how much water to drink each day.

Health benefits of water
Water is your body’s principal chemical component, comprising, on average, 60 percent of your weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions

Nearly all of the major systems in your body depend on water. How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.

A couple of approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate.

· Replacement approach. The average urine output for adults is 1.5 liters a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.

· Dietary recommendations. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Even apart from the above approaches, it is generally the case that if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce between one and two liters of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate.

WATER INTAKE CALCULATOR – Lift for Life.com

Multiply your bodyweight by .55-.75 (the higher value applies to people in a warmer climate, this calculator splits the difference at .65). The resulting number is the amount of water you should drink each day in ounces.
Body Weight: lbs.

Daily Water Intake: fl. oz.
cups
liters
gallons

Factors that influence water needs
You may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are, the climate you live in, your health status, and if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.

· Exercise. The more you exercise, the more fluid you’ll need to keep your body hydrated. An extra 1 or 2 cups of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires additional fluid. How much additional fluid is needed depends on how much you sweat during the exercise, but 13 to26 ounces (or about 2 to 3 cups) an hour will generally be adequate, unless the weather is exceptionally warm.

Body Builders: You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces. So take .55 and multiply it by your weight to determine how many ounces of water you need per day.

——————————————————————————–

About the author:

Dave Parise is a recognized leader in the fitness industry. On the cutting edge of exercise today, Mr. Parise has been noted as one of the “Top 15 Trainers” in the United States and across Canada by the Association for Fitness Professionals, I.D.E.A.

Parise has 20 years of experience in Human Performance and Exercise Science. His creative culinary innovations with organic whole foods have been rated “very delicious” by top chefs in New York. Dave was born and raised in Hamden CT.

Dave Parise C.P.T.,
C.E.O. Results Plus Personal Training
N.A.S.M. R.T.S. 1,2. C.S.C.S.
http://www.resultsplus.com
203-288-8822

Comment by DAVE PARISE C.P.T. — July 12, 2007 #