Science of Strength Training

Book excerpt: Is it time to lose weight, gain muscle, and speed up your metabolism? Discover the hard science needed to perfect each exercise and build your strongest body – at home or in the gym Packed with research that supports the notion that bodyweight exercises help you reach your weight and fitness goals, this simple to follow guide also gives you valuable insight into how nutrition and exercise can improve your health. Inside the pages of this strength training book, you’ll discover: • The physiology and benefits of strength training • Workout plans for beginners, enthusiasts, and personal trainers • The hard dietary science that debunks common myths and important information to properly fuel your body • Depictions of 33 exercises: how to do them, common mistakes, and the benefits of each Work towards your strength goals In this book, Author Austin Current takes readers through the science of strength training, weight loss, nutrition, and overall health. The book looks at why many people fear strength training, why they shouldn’t, and how they can incorporate it into their daily lives. Filled with CGI artwork and science-backed information, this exercise book will help you transform your body and improve your well-being. Not only that, but this title also includes full workout plans and over 100 individual exercises. You’ll learn how your muscles engage at each stage, how to do movements properly and without injury, and it shows you different variations for home and gym. This book is also packed with nutritional information and includes dietary advice for vegans and vegetarians. Discover more in the series DK's Science of series dives into the science of various types of exercises such as weight training, running, and yoga. Each book discusses the benefits of the specific type of workout and how you can transform your outlook about health and fitness. How The Book Works The first section — human physiology — introduces you to the wonder that is skeletal muscle and the mechanisms that underpin strength training’s demands on the body. It will help you understand how muscles work and grow, and how the resistance work stimulates muscles to develop strength and size, alongside its positive impacts on bones and connective tissue. It also explains how the body powers muscular work and shows you how to calculate your own daily macronutrient requirements. Lastly, you’re given an overview of the benefits to the brain, and the crucial role it plays in attitude and mental health. The second section — strength exercises — is devoted to a comprehensive collection of strength training exercises to perform, along with many variations offered to compliment your available training equipment, personal preferences, and level of challenge — at home or in the gym. Each exercise displays the muscles being used throughout the movement with detailed instruction on how to achieve proper form and technique; common mistakes are covered, too. The third section — preventing injury — explores common injuries related to resistance training, with explanations on how to avoid them and how to return to training if you do suffer an injury. A consistent and structured routine, including a proper warm-up, prepares the body for work, and the various mobility exercises and stretches given will help you tune in to how your body is responding to the training. The final section — how to train — outlines everything you need to know about the variables of effective strength training, such as training volume and fatigue management. Whether you want to build muscle, strength, or endurance, you’ll find an easy-to-follow program to suit, as well as alternatives for those wanting to workout more often. Then programs form the base of your training and can be adjusted in the months and years to come.