Some weight training wisdom

CEBU, Philippines - Gone are the days when flabby abs was sexy, reminiscent of a pampered life of abundance. These days, everyone wants to possess the body of a laborer – hard, toned, and bumpy all over.

As surgical option can be very expensive, most take the bumpier road to achieve an Adoni-esque body. Months and even years of sweat, diet, and hard work at the gym, and they say every second is worth it. Well, considering the increase in serotonin levels with exercise, every second of it would really be worth it, as it would equate to feeling good for a significant amount of time. Serotonin, after all, did not just happen to get the tag as the “feel good” hormone for nothing.

As the demand for hunkier bodies increase, more establishments catering to this demand are cropping up. Sadly, not all of these places are as reliable as the machines and equipment that they contain. You see, exercise, especially resistance exercise, is not just about carrying the heaviest weights, there is science behind it, and if you want to get the most with your time in the gym, then spending it with someone who knows their tool would be the wise thing to do.

For the meantime, let me brush you through a few of the principles behind resistance exercise and weight training.

The first thing that we must understand is that muscles would start building up only after six to eight weeks of training. However, after two weeks in the gym, you would observe an increase in strength. This is not because your muscles have grown, or what we call hypertrophied, rather, this is because your muscle fibers have grown to learn how to work together.

They have become more efficient in contracting, so, really, looking at yourself in the mirror trying to convince yourself that your biceps are bigger than it was before, well, you are just kidding yourself. So, get on with the training and stop torturing the mirror with your moments of self-admiration. And if your trainer tells you that you’ll get those fab abs in a month, fire him and get another. He may not know the difference between his hams and his gluts.

A sad truth about weight training is that as much as it is very hard to gain those muscles, losing it can be very easy. It only takes two weeks of inactivity for you to lose everything that you gained, so be warned.

This is called the Reversibility Principle.

Another point to consider is that when carrying heavy weights one should not hold his breath. Holding one’s breath is called Valsalva Maneuver and what this does is that it increases one’s blood pressure significantly. The next time you’re in the toilet, observe yourself. See what happens when you hold your breath as you fight to remove the cause of your stomachache. Always, especially if it’s a hard one, you would notice blood flowing to your head and at times you would even see stars around your head. This indicates an increase in blood pressure, making it a total no, no especially for people who are high risk for stroke.

The increases in blood pressure due to the Valsalva maneuver can cause dizziness and even fainting in the least. According to Livestrong.com, Valsalva maneuver can cause “stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, retinal (eye) hemorrhage and retinal detachment.

It’s disconcerting to note that some so-called trainers actually advice weight lifters to hold their breath when lifting heavy loads. Breathing during weight training is just like your normal breathing, and definitely no holding of breaths. However, studies have shown that when the extremity is moving against gravity, it is advisable to exhale, while when the extremity moves with gravity, inhalation would be the most appropriate breathing phase. Just please, don’t hold your breath.

Lastly, before starting your weight training session do at least five to ten minutes of warm up and stretches to condition your body and muscles for the grueling work ahead. After the exercise a five to ten-minute cool down composed of light endurance exercises like jogging in place or a few stretches would prove to be rejuvenating and would make your work out less exhausting.