Triple Add Sets - A Revolutionary New Intensity Technique
That Will Work ALL Your Muscle Fibers In One Set!
Normal sets only work a select type and number of muscle
fibers. Find out how the Triple Add Set technique can
work EVERY muscle fiber you've got in a single set.
By Nick Nilsson
Looking for a new challenge in your workouts? The Triple Add
Set is just what you need. It is very a tough intensity
technique, but it is extremely effective. The Triple Add
Set will strongly work all three of the major muscle fiber
types (I, IIa, and IIb) in one extended set, pushing the very
limits of your body's strength and endurance. If this sounds
good to you, you're going to love this technique!
To fully understand the effectiveness of the Triple Add Set,
let's take a look at the muscle fiber types and why it's such
a good thing to work all three of the major types at once.
- Type I muscle fibers are endurance-oriented muscle fibers.
They primarily work in higher rep ranges and during aerobic
exercise.
- Type IIa muscle fibers work when the weight used is
moderate-to-heavy. This fiber type is most active in
moderate rep range weight training (e.g. 5 to 10 reps per
set)
- Type IIb muscle fibers are the explosive muscle fibers.
They are called upon when the weight is very heavy and
great power or explosiveness is needed.
When you lift a weight, your body recruits a certain number
of muscle fibers to get the job done. It recruits a certain
percentage of each type of fiber, depending on how heavy the
load is. For instance, the lighter the load, the more Type I
fibers will be called upon. The heavier the load, the more
Type IIa fibers will be called upon. With very heavy loads,
Type IIb fibers will be the most heavily recruited.
With regular training, your body learns to become more
efficient with this recruitment and tries to get away with
firing as few fibers as possible to get the job done. It's
the body's natural tendency to conserve energy.
Unfortunately, this also leaves many muscle fibers underworked
and not developed to their full potential. We need to find a
way to force your body to recruit every available fiber to
maximally work the muscle and develop it to it's full
potential. That's where the Triple Add Set comes in.
If you're familiar with Triple Drop Sets (where you start
with a heavy weight for the first part, then drop to a lighter
weight for more reps then drop to a somewhat lighter weight
for more reps to finish with) then you're familiar with the
basic idea of this style of training.
However, here's the switch: instead of starting with a heavy
weight and working down, we're going to start with a light
weight and work our way up!
The Triple Add Set technique will first exhaust your Type I
muscle fibers with light weights and high reps.
Then it will work on the Type IIa muscle fibers by moving to
heavier weights and moderate reps. Since Type I fibers are
still being activated at this point, even though the weights
are heavier, your body will recruit more and more of those
Type I fibers as you keep going.
On the third and final part of the set, very heavy weights
will be used. Your Type IIb fibers will now be preferentially
activated. But now, because the load is extremely demanding,
your Type I fibers and even more of your Type IIa fibers are
being recruited to help.
By the time you're done with the Triple Add Set, you've
recruited almost every available muscle fiber in the target
muscle. Then we do one or two more sets just to be sure
they're completely worked!
How To Do It:
- Start with a light weight and do a high-rep set, e.g. 20
to 30 reps. Your muscles will be burning. This will hit
the Type I endurance muscle fibers and fill the target
muscles with blood.
- Rest 10 seconds to flush out enough of the waste products
that have accumulated in your muscles for you to keep going.
This is basically the time it takes to switch weights on
the machine or grab a new set of dumbells, take a few deep
breaths and jump back in.
- Next, you'll move on to a somewhat heavier weight and aim
for about 6 to 8 reps. This will hit the Type IIa muscle
fibers (the moderate-to-heavy oriented fibers).
- Take 10 seconds rest again.
- After that, you will do your last set with a heavy weight,
going for only 1 to 3 reps. This will work on strength
and connective tissue while focusing on the Type IIb muscle
fibers (the very heavy and explosive fibers).
- Your muscles will feel incredibly hard and pumped up. The
effect of this type of training is immediately noticeable
and very powerful.
It will take a little practice to figure out what weights
you'll be using. It will really depend on how well your body
deals with lactic acid build-up. This is a training stimulus
your body will most likely NEVER have experienced before.
The first part of the set should use a very light weight. Go
for strict form and go for the burn. The first time through
you should get at least 20 to 30 reps.
On the second Add Set, your reps will go down significantly
as the waste products of the first set will not have been
completely cleared.
The second Add Set should use about double what you used on
the first set, e.g. start with 25 pound dumbells then do
50 pound dumbells (this increase will vary a lot depending
on the exercise - experiment with the weights you use to find
out what works for you).
The third and final part of the set is the hardest. Since
you've already worked hard on the previous two parts, you
will be using a weight that is lighter than what you'd
normally use for this rep range in regular sets. When you do
the third part, you will feel an extremely strong and deep
burning in the muscles. You are tapping muscle fibers that
have rarely been worked! The first two Add Sets worked the
majority of your muscle fibers - every fiber you've got now
has to kick in and fire to move the weight in the third Add Set!
It's extremely hard and extremely effective. You'll either
love it or dread it but it works!
These are Triple Add Sets. Pick an exercise and give this
technique a try the next chance you get. You will be amazed
at the incredible burning and pump that results from this
unique training stimulus!
The Triple Add Set is only one of the many innovative
exercise techniques you'll find in my new ebook "Metabolic
Surge - Rapid Fat Loss." This book is all about how to lose
fat as quickly as possible while keeping and even BUILDING
muscle mass.
Click this link now to find out more!
Metabolism Surge For Rapid Fat Loss
------------------
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training
company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education
and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques
for more than 18 years. Nick is the author of a number of
bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss,"
"The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the
Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "Specialization Training,"
all available at Fitstep.com.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Eating Fruit Will It Make You Fat?
Will Fruit Make You Fat?
By Nick Nilsson
Learn the truth about fruit...is it the diabolical diet-killer it's
sometimes made out to be or is it just fruit
and actually pretty good for you?!
The answer to the question of whether fruit can or will make you fat isn't as simple as yes OR no...because the answer is yes AND no.
Sound confusing? It's not so bad!
There have been studies done on fruit sugar (fructose) and how it's metabolized in the body and liver, which I'll get into in a bit, but I'm also going to talk about fruit from a practical standpoint.
First, here is why it WON'T make you fat...
Fruit is a fat-free (with rare exception, like avocados) and fairly low-calorie, high-fiber food. It's going to be hard to eat ENOUGH fruit to result in an excess of calories, resulting in noticeable fat gain...hard, but not impossible.
You would have to look long and hard to find somebody who ate a lot of fruit and had gained a lot of fat because of all the fruit they ate. Fruit roll-ups, fruit juice (with 10% real juice), Fruity Pebbles and Froot Loops...maybe not so hard, though I do have to say high fructose corn syrup is NOT a fruit just because it has the word "fructose" in it, so that doesn't count.
And I don't know about you, but I have yet to hear of somebody sitting down in front of the television and not realizing they ate an entire bag of apples or saying their doctor told them they need to lay off the bananas!
"Real" fruit actually contains a lot of water, nutrients, fiber, etc...healthy stuff...stuff your body NEEDS. It's generally when we start mucking around with fruit that we start to run into problems.
In the words of Homer Simpson..."This jelly donut has purple stuff in it. Purple is a fruit."
That being said, there ARE metabolic issues with fruit and fat.
Yes, it IS true that the body has certain limitations processing fructose (the type of sugar found in fruit).
Fructose can only be stored as glycogen (glycogen is the carbohydrate storage molecule in the body) in the liver, not in the muscles. Muscle cells lack the proper enzymes to convert fructose into this storage molecule.
So that leaves the liver for storage...
When liver glycogen levels are full and your body can't store any more carbs in the liver, fructose IS easier for the body to convert into fat than other carbs because of its molecular structure.
This fat is NOT immediately converted into bodyfat, however. It becomes free fatty acids circulating in the bloodstream. If they're not burned, they CAN be stored as bodyfat.
But the OTHER good stuff you find in fruit, notably the fiber and vitamins and minerals, outweigh the "dangers" of storing a little extra fat.
And here's the point that a lot of people miss, especially when they hear that fruit has the potential to work against fat loss when on a diet...
If you're dieting, you should be in a caloric deficit. This means that your liver glycogen levels should very RARELY be full. You're in a deficit after all!
Therefore...
1. The fructose should have little chance of being converted into fat.
2. If some excess fructose IS converted to fat, chances are good it'll be USED by the body soon after being converted to fat because you're in a caloric deficit.
Granted, just like ANY other carbohydrate, if you eat too much of it, it can be stored as fat. If you're a competitive bodybuilder peaking for a competition, you MAY have to watch your fruit intake to be sure you come in at your leanest.
But for the average person looking to drop bodyfat, fruit is not something I would be too worried about (unless you're on a low-carb diet, in which case you're watching ALL carbs anyway).
I would be FAR more concerned about a person drinking too much of that diet soda garbage while dieting before I'd even be slightly concerned about them eating an apple.
Bottom line, my stance is this...DO NOT feel guilty about eating fruit, even while dieting. Treat it as you would any other food with calories in it and simply be aware of your intake because ANY food has the potential to make you fat, especially if you eat it when your body doesn't need any more calories for that day.
If you want to minimize the impact of fruit on your fat-loss diet, eat it in the morning when liver glycogen levels are naturally at their lowest point. This will help ensure fructose won't be converted into fat.
Honestly, there are MUCH more important things to worry about when it comes to fat loss...your training and overall nutrition are much more important than worrying about eating too much fruit.
------------------
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 18 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" all available at (http://www.fitness-ebooks.com).
By Nick Nilsson
Learn the truth about fruit...is it the diabolical diet-killer it's
sometimes made out to be or is it just fruit
and actually pretty good for you?!
The answer to the question of whether fruit can or will make you fat isn't as simple as yes OR no...because the answer is yes AND no.
Sound confusing? It's not so bad!
There have been studies done on fruit sugar (fructose) and how it's metabolized in the body and liver, which I'll get into in a bit, but I'm also going to talk about fruit from a practical standpoint.
First, here is why it WON'T make you fat...
Fruit is a fat-free (with rare exception, like avocados) and fairly low-calorie, high-fiber food. It's going to be hard to eat ENOUGH fruit to result in an excess of calories, resulting in noticeable fat gain...hard, but not impossible.
You would have to look long and hard to find somebody who ate a lot of fruit and had gained a lot of fat because of all the fruit they ate. Fruit roll-ups, fruit juice (with 10% real juice), Fruity Pebbles and Froot Loops...maybe not so hard, though I do have to say high fructose corn syrup is NOT a fruit just because it has the word "fructose" in it, so that doesn't count.
And I don't know about you, but I have yet to hear of somebody sitting down in front of the television and not realizing they ate an entire bag of apples or saying their doctor told them they need to lay off the bananas!
"Real" fruit actually contains a lot of water, nutrients, fiber, etc...healthy stuff...stuff your body NEEDS. It's generally when we start mucking around with fruit that we start to run into problems.
In the words of Homer Simpson..."This jelly donut has purple stuff in it. Purple is a fruit."
That being said, there ARE metabolic issues with fruit and fat.
Yes, it IS true that the body has certain limitations processing fructose (the type of sugar found in fruit).
Fructose can only be stored as glycogen (glycogen is the carbohydrate storage molecule in the body) in the liver, not in the muscles. Muscle cells lack the proper enzymes to convert fructose into this storage molecule.
So that leaves the liver for storage...
When liver glycogen levels are full and your body can't store any more carbs in the liver, fructose IS easier for the body to convert into fat than other carbs because of its molecular structure.
This fat is NOT immediately converted into bodyfat, however. It becomes free fatty acids circulating in the bloodstream. If they're not burned, they CAN be stored as bodyfat.
But the OTHER good stuff you find in fruit, notably the fiber and vitamins and minerals, outweigh the "dangers" of storing a little extra fat.
And here's the point that a lot of people miss, especially when they hear that fruit has the potential to work against fat loss when on a diet...
If you're dieting, you should be in a caloric deficit. This means that your liver glycogen levels should very RARELY be full. You're in a deficit after all!
Therefore...
1. The fructose should have little chance of being converted into fat.
2. If some excess fructose IS converted to fat, chances are good it'll be USED by the body soon after being converted to fat because you're in a caloric deficit.
Granted, just like ANY other carbohydrate, if you eat too much of it, it can be stored as fat. If you're a competitive bodybuilder peaking for a competition, you MAY have to watch your fruit intake to be sure you come in at your leanest.
But for the average person looking to drop bodyfat, fruit is not something I would be too worried about (unless you're on a low-carb diet, in which case you're watching ALL carbs anyway).
I would be FAR more concerned about a person drinking too much of that diet soda garbage while dieting before I'd even be slightly concerned about them eating an apple.
Bottom line, my stance is this...DO NOT feel guilty about eating fruit, even while dieting. Treat it as you would any other food with calories in it and simply be aware of your intake because ANY food has the potential to make you fat, especially if you eat it when your body doesn't need any more calories for that day.
If you want to minimize the impact of fruit on your fat-loss diet, eat it in the morning when liver glycogen levels are naturally at their lowest point. This will help ensure fructose won't be converted into fat.
Honestly, there are MUCH more important things to worry about when it comes to fat loss...your training and overall nutrition are much more important than worrying about eating too much fruit.
------------------
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 18 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" all available at (http://www.fitness-ebooks.com).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)