January Bodybuilding Column

Extending The Life Of Your Knees




You can train a muscle, and it will grow. You can specifically target a muscle group with exercises, and it will grow bigger and stronger. It will become more resistant to injury. You will help your body to fight muscle tears. Your body will fare better in accidents. You will be thicker and stronger in your muscle areas are a result of your weight training, bottom line.

The joints and tendons of body, however, do not work in this manner. They are fixed objects which, although than can be reinforced with consistently intelligent dieting and supplementation, do NOT grow as a result of weight training. Unless you're running growth hormone every week, you are enduring a very slow yet inevitable wearing away of joint tissue and cartilage.

And weight training is not very good at all for these parts of your body.

You can reduce the injury they face in several ways. Some injuries to them are going to be inevitable. If you live to be 100 years old, you are going to face joints wearing out and failing on you. It's part of aging, whether you eat superbly and train religiously, or sit on the couch eating potato chips watching Dancing With The Stars your entire life. It's going to happen. But you can postpone their inevitable failure thru intelligent rest 7 training.

Start by assigning an annual break from weight training for at least two weeks. If you love the gym so much that this is difficult, then schedule this break around a skiing trip or cruise, something in which you'll remain healthy and active.

See a chiropractor if you suffer from any small tweaks and other weak body areas which can, over time, become much worse. An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of regret down the road when you're having shoulder joint replacement surgery.

Don't go heavy all the time in the gym. Remember, you are trying to build your muscles, and not your ego. Unless you're a powerlifter using your lifts to put meals on the table, then there is no reason to max out on bench press or squats.

And speaking of squats - stop at parallel. We know, the training books recommend "@SS to grass squats" for maximum muscle growth. But the moment you break parallel, the weight is shifted from your thigh muscles (being targeted) to your joints.

Finally, train consistently. Build up the muscles around the tendons so that they are able to move as much of the weight as possible. Stay steady in the gym, take breaks, and with a little luck, you'll enjoy solid joint & tendon health!

If you want to get in the best shape of your life - you need to check out Primal Muscle. There you will find the hottest training strategies, nutrition tips, diet plans, and even custom workouts... plus you will have access to world-class sports supplements that will help you reach your goals fast...don't delay - visit Primal Muscle today!

Posted on: January 1, 2012.
Photo models: Sean Jones & Dana Bailey.
Photo by: Rob Bailey.
Written by: Dane C. Fletcher


Archived Topics:

  • All Bodybuilding Articles & Columns

  • Bench Press More

  • Cutting After Bulking

  • 6 Steps to Focus the Mind for Peak Muscle Mass Building

  • Rest Gives You Bigger Muscles

  • Increasing Grip Strength With Intense Exercises

  • The Inevitable Plateau and How to Get Back to Gains

  • Increase Biceps Size and Density

  • Core Exercises Versus Isolation Exercises

  • Negative Sets - A Way to Amp Up Your Workout

  • Building Strength With Dumbbell Power-Lifting

  • What You Must Know About Compound Muscle Building Routines

  • 9 Amazing Tips to Build Huge Arms

  • Take Your Body To The Next Level

  • Quick Muscle Building - How To Build Muscles In Minutes

  • The Physics Of Weight Lifting. Part 1, Gravity

  • Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty Training Advanced Secrets

  • Vince Gironda's Workout Routine for Fast Arm Growth

  • 10 Muscle Building Tips

  • Simple Ways To Test Your Body Fat Percentage

  • Heavy Duty Training Advanced Secret
    		•