The 7 Deadly Sins of Strength Training

(Nutricise) — Are you guilty of one of them? Our exercise experts reveal the dos and don'ts of the seven most popular moves. Today, the first move: the lunge.

The secret to getting in great shape isn't necessarily the quantity of exercise; it's the quality. Get a little lax about your form, and you could turn a highly effective move into one that's useless at best, dangerous at worst. To get the most out of your workout, take the advice of the pros on avoiding the common pitfalls that stand between you and the buff body you deserve.

Lunge


Don't lean too far forward. Most people believe that the farther you extend your body forward as you lunge, the more you'll emphasize and develop your thigh muscles. Not true. 'Your weight needs to stay on your heels,' says Ann Marie Miller, codeveloper of the New York City Ballet Workout. 'Shifting too far forward transfers your weight onto your toes, putting excessive torque on your knee joint.'

Do keep your knee directly over your toes. Instead of lunging forward at a mirror, try standing sideways to it so you can watch how far you come down. If your knee moves past your toes, you're flexing your knee beyond 90 degrees and risking injury.

Build Muscles Without the Mass

A top trainer reveals the secrets to guys getting lean and strong.



(Nutricise) — Some men dream of having huge, bulging muscles. You know, the kind that force them to twist sideways at the waist to get their massive shoulders through the doorway. But looking like a pro wrestler on steroids (sorry if that's redundant) isn't something that many men really desire. Kappel LeRoy Clarke, an ACE-certified personal trainer in New York City, says he believes that 'bodybuilders often carry more weight and mass than most men want for themselves; most men aspire to be strong and lean.'

Why is the lean, mean model preferable to the profile cut by the average Mr. Universe? It turns out that finding a collar big enough to fit your neck could be the least of your worries if you're too muscular; being too big can actually be detrimental to your health. 'Poor flexibility, elevated blood pressure and an accelerated resting heart rate are just a few of the negative aspects of having enormous muscle volume,' says Clarke. 'The extra weight you're carrying can also cause musculoskeletal stress, because the excess mass puts a strain on your joints, tendons and bones.'

If your goal is to avoid getting too bulky, Clarke has the regimen for you: 'To avoid gaining mass but still become lean and strong, you have to have a well-rounded exercise routine consisting of strength training, cardiovascular training and some kind of speed work.'

Strength Training: You should aim to increase the amount of weight you lift only as long as you can maintain medium to high repetitions (meaning 10 to 12) with each exercise. Your muscle gain may be smaller, but your progress will be steady and your performance will remain consistent.

Cardiovascular: As your strength increases, you should continually improve your cardio training by regularly increasing the duration and/or intensity. Keep up your cardiovascular and strength training together; if you emphasize weight training over cardio, you're far more likely to gain mass without definition.

Speed work: The explosiveness and agility you develop doing speed work will help lay the foundation for things such as increased metabolism and functional strength. If you usually run, try doing wind sprints. Runners can also do bounds, in which you run with an exaggerated stride, skipping in the air from one foot to the other. Speedwork not only helps build strong, lean muscles but also improves your coordination.

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