Sports at Tufts is not exclusive to varsity or club athletes. In that light, the Daily has begun a weekly section devoted to health and fitness issues. If you have any questions you would like to see in this section, please send them to dailysports@hotmail.com.
I go to the gym a lot, but I also like to party on the weekends. Does drinking a couple times a week have any effect on my weightlifting goals?
Alcohol consumption is most definitely detrimental to all weightlifting goals, as well as any other fitness goal. First, because of the biochemical makeup of alcohol, it is very high in empty calories. And when you go out for a night of partying, you rarely have just "one or two," so the excess calories add up. Therefore, drinking can definitely put a few pounds of excess flesh around your midsection. Alcohol can also interfere with carbohydrate loading in the muscle fibers, thereby interfering with contraction. Aside from its depressant drug status, alcohol can even lower your natural testosterone level, thus slowing strength and muscle gain. In other words, if you are at all fitness conscious, avoid the booze.
How can I get a six-pack?
There are two components to developing a good six-pack. The first is toning and tightening the abdominal muscles. The second is dieting and reducing the layer of fat covering the abs.
There are three major muscle groups that make up a good six-pack - the upper abs (usually the easiest to develop), the obliques, and the lower abs (usually the most difficult to bring out). A good ab routine consists of at least one exercise that hits each of these groups. Here are a few examples:
For upper abs, try standard crunches. Lie on your back, making sure your lower back is flat against the mat. Lift your legs, bending the knees to a ninety-degree angle. Make sure your thighs are perpendicular to the mat. Keeping your neck straight, squeeze your abs together, and emphasize the contraction (think: squeezing a spring or an accordion). Lift only your shoulders off the mat. Slowly lower, then repeat.
For the side abdominals (obliques), grab a medicine ball. Plant your feet slightly wider than shoulder width, and hold the ball directly out in front of you, with a slight bend in your arms. Twist side to side, keeping your hips still. Keep the motion low in torque, since too much momentum can cause pulled muscles.
For the lower abs, lie on your back, palms under your buttocks. Lift your legs straight up until they are at a right angle with your waist. Thrust your feet straight up, concentrating on pushing with your abs.
All exercises should be done in the 15-20 rep range.
Diet is the second major component of a toned stomach. Keep the fat intake low, and try to consume fewer calories than you burn each day. Instead of a few large meals, try to eat five to six small meals throughout the day, as this keeps the metabolism going. Incorporate some cardio-vascular exercises into your workout routine, as this will help burn fat - fat doesn't actually burn of, the cells either grow or shrink, based on fat storage needs.
What are twenty-ones? I heard about them from my coach, but I am unclear as to how to actually incorporate them into my workout.
Twenty-ones are an intense training method aimed at forcing the maximum amount of blood into the muscle, thereby getting a better "pump." This technique can be used with various exercises, but for ease of explanation I'll apply it to standing bicep curls.
Grab the bar with hands about shoulder width apart. The weight should be around 75% of your usual working weight. Curl the bar half way up, so your arms form right angles. Lower. On the seventh rep, continue the motion to the top, then lower it only until your arms are ninety-degrees. Go through this partial motion another seven times. After the seventh rep, do seven more through the full range of motion.
By using the partial motion, this exercise places a greater emphasis on the individual fibers of each part of the bicep (or whatever muscle you're working). After doing a set or two of twenty-ones, you will certainly feel the extra stress on the muscle.
