Cardio Vs Gains
The idea that doing cardio prevents strength gains is outdated and inaccurate in most cases. Exercisers, including beginners and professional athletes, benefit from incorporating some cardio into their lifting routines and vice versa.
Fitness For Mental Health
Fitness is one of the most powerful tools in your toolkit for managing mental health - when used properly. Here, I examine some of the science behind the use of fitness for managing mental health, as well as some of the under-discussed benefits.
How Lifting Made Me Smarter
Often, physical activity improves more of our lives than just our bodies, it helps our brains, too. Regular exercise can help with undertanding organization, practice, goal setting, and finding meaning in what you’re learning. When the things you learn personally mean something to you, it’s more likely you’ll retain that knowledge. Some of the physical benefits of lifting - energy regulation, improved sleep, and mood stabilization - helps us be more attentive and energetic, aiding in the learning process.
I Just Don't Like The Reverse Nordic Curl
The reverse nordic curl and the nordic curl have become especially popular recently becaue of the ongoing COVID pandemic and the fact that these are bodyweight exercises that can be done at home. Both of these exercises are tough and can be especially hard on the knees. The best thing you can do is listen to your body! If you don’t like an exercise or if it doesn’t feel right, there are plenty of alternatives out there.
A Humble Proposal: Factoring Percentage of Reps Into Reps In Reserve Calculations
RPE (ratings of perceived exertion) and RIR (reps in reserve) can be useful training tools for some sports where the goal is to train to failure or near failure, but there is no catch-all number that works for all exercises. Generally, RPE is used for managing heavy efforts of weight or reps, and not for exercises where training to failure or near failure would inhibit the continuation of training like working on endurance for running a marathon. Instead of static numbers, RPE/RIR can function as a percentage of total effort to be applied to a wider range of workouts.