Q: I’ve been doing most of my exercises standing. I like standing dumbbell curls instead of sitting. I even do my lat pull-ins standing. I figure that it helps me burn more calories by forcing my entire body to work, like my legs. Do you think standing during my exercises will help me get leaner?
A: You burn a few more calories, but not enough to make a difference. Plus, you may be sacrificing muscle-fiber recruitment when standing…
Here’s a quote from respected hypertrophy researcher Chris Beardsley that explains…
Greater postural demand—such as when standing versus sitting—increases mental effort. Mental effort is known to suppress the level of central motor command that can be generated at the maximum tolerable level of perceived effort that occurs at task failure. In practice, that means that reducing the postural demand in a strength-training exercise may allow higher levels of motor unit recruitment to be achieved at task failure.
So sitting during an exercise reduces the number of muscles your nervous system has to coordinate and allows more focus on the target muscle for a higher level of fast-twitch recruitment.
Does it make a huge difference? You’re not going to suddenly look like Arnold after sitting instead of standing, but if you want maximum efficiency in the gym, it may be worth it to sit during as many exercises as possible.
Also, many trainees don’t like to use straps or other grip aids, but it’s the same principle: If you don’t use grip help, you’re forcing your forearms to work hard to hold on. That appears to reduce back-fiber activation.
Strap-on hooks for pull-ins and scapulae retractions feel even better than straps. You can pull with complete focus on the back muscle you’re targeting.
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Your Efficient Mass-Building Handbook: For complete mass workouts that include Speed Sets, the ideal exercise for each muscle, and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves, get your copy of Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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