Elite Physique The New Science of Building a Better Body

Muscle Rules
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There will often be carryover between movement competency, MUSCLE RULE 2:
strength, and power. For example, when you develop strength it can
Never sacrifice your
also improve your movement competency and power. But the first
form to lift heavier
goal is to perform an exercise properly before load is added, and
or faster.
then movement velocity is increased after a foundation of strength
is achieved (see figure 3.4).
It is imperative to always maintain perfect technique when performing an
exercise. Adding load or lifting faster requires skill that must first be developed
with lighter loads.
Power
Strength
Movement competency
FIGURE 3.4 Fundamentals of training progression.
E8315/Waterbury/F03.04/670187/mh-R1
Exercise Preparation
Before a workout, game, or match it’s important to prepare your body for training.
As a general rule, a warm-up will cause mild sweating without accumulating
fatigue. There are two primary goals of a warm-up:
• To enhance your muscles’ dynamics so they can perform better
• To prepare you for the demands of exercise
Research demonstrates virtually no relationship between a warm-up and injury
prevention. However, there’s strong evidence that certain types of preparation
can improve your performance in the gym or on the field (McCrary, Ackermann,
and Halaki 2015), thanks to the following four physiological benefits:
• An increase in the speed and force of muscle contractions
• Greater oxygen delivery to working muscles
• Faster nerve transmissions, which can improve muscle speed and reaction
times
• Increased blood flow through active tissues
A dynamic warm-up starts with general activity followed by more specific
movements that mimic what the workout or sport requires. Here are two examples—one
for a baseball player and another for a powerlifter—to help you better
understand a dynamic warm-up.
A baseball player jogs for 3 minutes, then perform arm circles and high kicks
for 3 minutes, and ends with 5 minutes of throwing a baseball, starting with a
relatively low intensity and then increasing it over time. A powerlifter who needs