Still Birth Alliance Blog

If you have little time in everyday life and rush through your workout in the gym, you should try super set training. Coach Nico Airone shows how you can train quickly and effectively   Sometimes there is just not enough time for training. But even with a quick workout, you can get great results. Since there are in fact a reliable method: S upersätze! They’re quick, effective and, of course, quite sweaty at the same time. Because a set consists of 2 different exercises that you carry out non-stop one after the other. So after exercise 1, you do exercise 2 immediately. The effect: Thanks to the lack of breaks, you not only save time, but also bring your fat burning into full swing. And: Your muscles are really intensively challenged.

A well-trained upper body turns a man into a real guy. Instagram star Andrej Mangold also knows that. His best chest exercises will get you in top shape too O b on the basketball court or topless in the pool: A broad chest is advantageous in various situations. Insta star and men’s health cover model Andrej Mangold knows this particularly well. Andrej’s athleticism also lives from the variety and versatility of his athletic program. “On average, I exercise 6 to 7 times a week,” he says. He’s not just talking about the 3 to 4 workouts in the gym. There are also up to 4 weekly basketball units and additional runs in the fresh air. When doing strength training, Andrej focuses on the upper body. We present his chest workout with 8 exercises here. What does Andrej’s training plan look like? His workout consists of 8 exercises with 9 repetitions each, in the 3-2-1 system. He divides each exercise into 2 different movement phases. The positive phase (upward movement) he performs explosively, in the negative (downward) he takes 3 seconds of time to lower the weight for the first 3 repetitions, then 2 seconds, then one. There are 3 sets per exercise (1 minute break in between), after a break of 90 seconds you can start the next strength exercise. Run and gun! 1. Dumbbell covers Grasp a dumbbell in the diamond handle on the inside of the weight plate and place it on the training bench. Hold the weight vertically across your chest, palms  from your body, arms straight. Slowly move the dumbbell back over your head with your arms straight until your upper body is fully extended. Then return to the starting position with your arms straight. 2. Around the world Grasp two dumbbells under your grip. Put it on your back on the bench, arms slightly bent, dumbbells directly on your thighs. Move weights with straight arms to the right or left. Complete the semicircular movement you have begun with your arms slightly bent until the dumbbells touch behind your head. Then return to the starting position in a controlled manner in the same way. 3. Dumbbell flys Lie back on the bench with the dumbbells in the overhand grip. Hold the weights over your chest with your arms straight. Slowly spread the weights horizontally, turn palms up. Back to the starting position. 4. Negative bench press Start lying on your back on the negative weight bench. Lift the barbell out in a shoulder-width grip. Extend your arms and tense your chest. Bend your arms slowly and so that Lower the weight until the pectoral muscle is fully stretched. Push your arms through again, back to the starting position.   5. Push-ups on kettlebells Assume the upper push-up position, tense the core, hands on the kettlebells, feet on toes and balls of the feet. Then lower your body over the entire range of motion until your arms are bent to the maximum and your chest is almost on the floor. Push up on the balls, back to the starting position. 6. One-sided floor press Lie on your back again, bend your legs. Dumbbell in the right hand, the arm is bent, lies against the body. Press the dumbbell up in a controlled manner until the arm is fully extended. Return the weight to the starting position. Switch sides after the last repetition.  

By abruptly lowering the weights, you are wasting training potential. How to improve strength and performance with eccentric training What is eccentric training? You do eccentric training with every exercise. There are two main phases of muscle contraction in any weight or resistance workout: concentric and eccentric. The latter describes the conscious lowering of a weight while you are lifting or pushing a weight in the concentric phase. The focus in eccentric training is therefore on slow, controlled lowering of a weight or resistance. This is also known as negative repetition. The stretched muscle is still under high tension, which stimulates growth. In the concentric phase, on the other hand, the muscles contract. With eccentric training, however, you mostly do without weightlifting (the concentric phase), explains Dr. Stephan Geisler, professor of fitness and health management at the IST University in Düsseldorf and lecturer in Olympic weightlifting at the German Sport University in Cologne. These are the advantages of eccentric training 1.  Eccentric training increases your strength With negative repetitions, you are able to develop far more strength than with the concentric phase. “This is ensured by ‘the braking forces’, which are also responsible for the high tension in the muscle fibers,” explains the fitness expert. In the eccentric phase, you can theoretically manage up to 175% of your normal weight, but you should train with 120 to 130%. In this way you increase your strength level to a whole new level. 2.  Negative repetitions promote muscle growth “Eccentric contractions can also help build muscle, since this is where the small micro-damage in the muscle occurs, which can lead to greater growth stimulus,” says Geisler. Ideal for athletes whose goal is hypertrophy or muscle building.  3.  Eccentric training uses  less energy While eccentric training can generate more force, it uses less energy compared to lifting the weight. “This is why people with high blood pressure or cardiovascular diseases will probably also benefit,” said Geisler. Because negative repetitions don’t make your blood pressure soar. 4. Eccentric training strengthens the tendons The connective tissue (such as the tendons) is also trained by the negative repetitions, which in turn can improve athletic performance. “This is why negative repetitions are also beneficial for athletes with all kinds of tendon attachment problems,” advises Geisler. 5.  Negative reps help with Jumper’s knee In the so-called patellar tip syndrome – also called jumper’s knee (a pathological change in the quadriceps tendon) – eccentric training can be used as a treatment method. Dr. Stephan Geisler tested the effect of eccentric one-legged squats as part of a study by the IST University in Düsseldorf on handball players with patellar tip syndrome. The result: “After 6 weeks, the patients no longer had any problems,” says the expert. How does eccentric training work? Lowering the weight in a controlled and slow manner doesn’t sound very spectacular. The catch: “For most of the eccentric exercises you need a training partner or special training equipment,” says Geisler. By working with heavier weights, for example, when doing the bench press, it is not possible to lift the weight without the help of a training partner. On the other hand, you can perform bicep curls with the help of your other hand. Who is eccentric training for? Advanced:  Increase your strength level? Promote muscle growth? The advantages of eccentric training are a useful addition to their training plan for experienced gym-goers: “The eccentric tension forces can be used very well by advanced learners to increase performance,” says Geisler. Incidentally, not only strength athletes benefit: runners can use it to strengthen their thighs and at the same time reduce their susceptibility to injury. Beginners should never start immediately with much higher loads, especially if you have not had any experience with eccentric training. “Basically, you should only do exercises that you are familiar with and that your training partner can use to help you lift the weights,” says the expert. If in doubt, beginners should first get used to the concentric movements. Beginners can also get started with simpler exercises such as biceps curls: It’s best to feel slowly and perform the movements at the beginning with 80% of your normal weight. Do you feel safe in the processes? Then increase the weight to the level of your standard load during the next training session. If that goes well, you can slowly increase the load to 110, You should watch out for these dangers: To avoid painful mishaps, you should choose your training partner carefully: He should be experienced and attentive. After all, on negative reps, you’re dealing with a weight that you couldn’t push up on your own. Every slip can end badly. Do you have sore muscles? Then you should avoid eccentric training for the time being. Geisler warns: “The injuries in the muscles could then add up – the risk of real injuries is higher”. Due to the micro-destruction in the muscle fibers, eccentric training is a guarantee for severe muscle soreness. Training is therefore taboo even with other types of muscle damage. How do I meaningfully integrate negative repetitions into my training? Start by placing more emphasis on the eccentric phase in your typical workout. “Some people drop the weights immediately after pushing or lifting them – this wastes a lot of potential,” explains Geisler. Do you feel caught out? High time to lower your weight or resistance in a controlled manner. Another variation: add some negative reps at the end of the last set of an exercise. In this way you will get used to the movement sequences even better and you can immediately include the eccentric workout in your training plan. If you want to increase your strength or build muscle, an entire eccentric workout is also recommended. You should adjust the frequency and intensity to your goals. “When building muscle, for example, 8-12 repetitions of 3-8 sets are recommended. As severe muscle soreness is to be expected, you should exercise eccentrically a maximum of 1 to 2 times a week,” advises Geisler. If that’s too much for you, 1 to 2 units per month will be enough. The best exercises for eccentric training Basically, you can do your typical gym exercises eccentrically – even if mostly only with a training partner. We’ll tell you how to do negative repetitions correctly in various exercises Bicep Curls: An ideal exercise for eccentric training when you don’t have a training partner. For example, if you take the dumbbell in your left hand, you can use your right hand to help curl. But you only need your left arm to lower it. Pull-ups: You can only do a few or no pull-ups? Then eccentric training can help you: “Pull-ups can even be learned through eccentric training,” says Geisler. “Jump on the bar and then let yourself down slowly and in a controlled manner.” This will give you an excellent approach to the exercise. Leg extension:  “When doing the leg extension, you first push the weights up with both legs. Then, after extending, you drop one of the legs and slowly guide the other back,” says Geisler. Conclusion: Eccentric training makes a good addition to your workout With eccentric training you can finally tap your performance potential. Both beginners and advanced users can integrate this form of training into their workout – however, beginners usually need a sufficiently long period of getting used to it. The only condition: a training partner is necessary for most of the exercises.

Sure, training time is always short. With these 9 tips you can make your workouts more efficient and you are guaranteed to finish them faster Sports and training times automatically compete with other leisure activities in the calendar. Who has time for an extensive 90-minute workout in the gym? Plus arrival and departure times. If you have the feeling that your workout is taking too long, you should read the following tips. With these you can loose a few minutes t save exercise times. 1. Less repetitions are more Sure, the number of repetitions and sets determine the training duration very directly. For the training goal of building muscle, however, 8 clean repetitions with maximum use of force are sufficient. If you can do more than 12, you should put a few extra pounds on top. 2. Complex exercises save training time Always challenge several muscle groups at once when working out. Ideal for this: complex exercises such as pull-ups (for the back and biceps) or dips (for the chest and triceps). Even better: so-called compound moves. This is understood to mean two or more interconnected strength exercises in which one demands many muscles at the same time. There are no limits to the variety of exercises. You can do the exercises with dumbbells or stretch bands, but also with your own body weight. Important: If you use dumbbells, you should base your choice of weight on the weakest muscle. With the combination of lateral raises for the shoulder and biceps curls, for example, you choose the usual weight for lateral raises. 3. Train faster with opponent or circuit training Alternately train opponents (e.g. biceps and triceps). Example: 1st set of curls, 2nd set of dips, 3rd set of curls. Do a total of 4 to 6 pairs of exercises. Another option: You do circuit training . Both forms of training save a lot of time without sacrificing results. This is because one muscle group can recover while another is being used. The lack of rest breaks between exercises also keeps your cardiovascular system and thus your calorie consumption on the go. 4. Take active breaks Move slowly between the sets and exercises between the weights and machines. Or do relaxation exercises. Because your body recovers faster through active breaks, as lactate is broken down more effectively. This also loosens the muscles, and you will be fit again faster for the next set. So: let your arms circle, do a couple of jumping jacks. 5. The right dumbbells shorten training time The constant changing of the weight plates on dumbbells, barbells or gym machines costs time, especially with screw locks. Dumbbells with spring locks can be loosened with 1 handle, without the hassle of looking around. Professional version: allow the precise setting of the desired weight. 6. Plan your training properly Before training – and ideally again on the way to training – think about which muscle groups you want to train and which exercises you want to do. Then you don’t have to worry during the training and you can make faster progress. Also good: note down the sequence of exercises beforehand and then take the notes with you to training. Next time, go to the gym with a printed workout plan. There should be your warm-up program, exercises, number of sets, repetitions, and weight for each exercise. And above all: check your sports bag beforehand: nothing takes away more time and nerves than catching up on what has been forgotten. 7. Avoid  peak hours  Try to exercise before work or during your lunch break to avoid the evening rush hour in the gym. Even faster: train at home. 8. Avoid chatter and save time Sounds obvious, but  fitness studio visitors waste 44 percent of the time, for example, with chatting between exercises . Sure, you don’t have to be rude and just walk by, but long chats and text messages on your smartphone are real workout killers. Because if the break is too long, you first have to bring your muscles back to operating temperature. And that not only costs time, but also valuable energy that you may lack later. 9. EMS training shortens the workout EMS training is ideal for people who have little time for a workout. Because a 20-minute EMS program trains the whole body as intensely and sweaty as a classic one-hour dumbbell workout. You can find all information about training with electrical muscle stimulation here.