H
honeybunch
Guest
I found this of interest from the Men's Health Newsletter.
FROM THE FITNESS MESSAGE BOARD AT MENSHEALTH.COM
Q: I'm confused about what muscle groups to work first. I've always been told to start with my largest muscles and finish with my smallest. But a friend recently told me that I can get bigger arms by working them at the beginning of my workout instead of at the end. Is this true?
A: Conventional lifting wisdom tells guys to start their workout by working their largest muscles -- legs, chest, and back -- first. That's because those muscles need your smaller muscles -- calves, arms, and shoulders -- to help them perform the movements. So if you tire out your smaller muscles first, you won't be able to work your larger muscles as intensely. And since smaller muscles don't normally need as much work as larger ones, it normally makes sense to work them last.
However, like most things in resistance training there's a time for everything. If you train your largest muscles first all of the time, your smaller muscles won't have a chance to get a lot stronger. And since you're only as strong as your weakest link -- your arms, for instance -- it's important that you occasionally prioritize your smaller body parts to ensure that you keep them up to speed with your larger muscles. That way, your smaller muscles won't hold your larger muscles back.
One thing to remember is that when you prioritize a smaller muscle group by working it at the beginning of your workout, your performance in subsequent exercises will suffer. So if you work your arms first, then your chest, you'll lift less in the bench press than you would normally. And that'll result in less improvement than you're used to. But once you train your arms first for a training cycle and then switch back to training your chest first, you'll probably set a new personal record in the bench press -- since the increased strength in your arms will help you ultimately lift more weight.
But remember to pick your battles. You can't specialize in quadriceps, chest, shoulders, and biceps in a single training cycle. You have to choose one weak spot. The best approach: Rotate which muscles you train first once every 3 weeks.
FROM THE FITNESS MESSAGE BOARD AT MENSHEALTH.COM
Q: I'm confused about what muscle groups to work first. I've always been told to start with my largest muscles and finish with my smallest. But a friend recently told me that I can get bigger arms by working them at the beginning of my workout instead of at the end. Is this true?
A: Conventional lifting wisdom tells guys to start their workout by working their largest muscles -- legs, chest, and back -- first. That's because those muscles need your smaller muscles -- calves, arms, and shoulders -- to help them perform the movements. So if you tire out your smaller muscles first, you won't be able to work your larger muscles as intensely. And since smaller muscles don't normally need as much work as larger ones, it normally makes sense to work them last.
However, like most things in resistance training there's a time for everything. If you train your largest muscles first all of the time, your smaller muscles won't have a chance to get a lot stronger. And since you're only as strong as your weakest link -- your arms, for instance -- it's important that you occasionally prioritize your smaller body parts to ensure that you keep them up to speed with your larger muscles. That way, your smaller muscles won't hold your larger muscles back.
One thing to remember is that when you prioritize a smaller muscle group by working it at the beginning of your workout, your performance in subsequent exercises will suffer. So if you work your arms first, then your chest, you'll lift less in the bench press than you would normally. And that'll result in less improvement than you're used to. But once you train your arms first for a training cycle and then switch back to training your chest first, you'll probably set a new personal record in the bench press -- since the increased strength in your arms will help you ultimately lift more weight.
But remember to pick your battles. You can't specialize in quadriceps, chest, shoulders, and biceps in a single training cycle. You have to choose one weak spot. The best approach: Rotate which muscles you train first once every 3 weeks.
