Some general questions

H

HibsMax

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[1] I've read about how you cannot spot-reduce fat. When you burn fat it's taken from all over the body. So it seems weird that the body would spot-add fat, if you know what I mean? I have some excess fat around my middle, moreso than in other parts of my body. It would seem to follow that if you can spot-add that you can also spot-reduce. Has anyone ever read anything about why that is not the case? I'm not questioning the information I've read but I would be interested to know why the body stores fat in the way that it does.

[2] Performing movements quickly. I read in a book [Serious Strength Training] some time ago that there are different fibres called into play when you use your muscles differently. Quick bursts vs. slow controlled movements. I recall it being something to do with fast twitching (I don't recall exactly and I don't have the book in front of me). So do people recommend performing some exercises quickly? The kinds of exercises I am thinking about are the type where danger from falling / dropping weights is not involved e.g. leg extensions. I use this as an example because I find that I can squeeze out more reps if I raise my legs quickly. I don't know if that is dangerous move or a cheat rep or simply a waste of time. Perhaps there is some benefit to performing movements like that from time to time (I don't mean all the time).

[3] Burn vs. fatigue. When I do some exercises I usually do my last set until I can'do any more which is usually only 1 rep more than I planned on doing. In that case I simply don't have it in me to move the weight. Now, when I do leg extensions I feel like I could go on past the number of reps planned except for the incredible burning pain. Is there a physiological difference between the two "failures"? I never get a burn like I get in my legs when doing extensions by doing other exercises. Even when doing leg curls I feel weakened before any burn sets in. By the way, I'm doing these leg exercises as isolation exercises, my main leg exercise is deadlifts (still haven't figures out how I can do squats in my basement yet:)). Actually, I have. I am going to build a solid platform to stand on and then do dumbell squats without the weights hitting the floor.
 
HibsMax said:
[1] I've read about how you cannot spot-reduce fat. When you burn fat it's taken from all over the body. So it seems weird that the body would spot-add fat, if you know what I mean? I have some excess fat around my middle, moreso than in other parts of my body. It would seem to follow that if you can spot-add that you can also spot-reduce. Has anyone ever read anything about why that is not the case? I'm not questioning the information I've read but I would be interested to know why the body stores fat in the way that it does.
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You're confusing the difference between where the body decides and where the individual decides. The body decides where to store and where to take from. You as an individual can't modify that.

[2] Performing movements quickly. I read in a book [Serious Strength Training] some time ago that there are different fibres called into play when you use your muscles differently. Quick bursts vs. slow controlled movements. I recall it being something to do with fast twitching (I don't recall exactly and I don't have the book in front of me).
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Fast twitch: Type IIa and IIb - Strength and power
Slow twitch: Type I - endurance, control under stress.

So do people recommend performing some exercises quickly?
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Depends on your goal. If you looking to build the most muscle, you'll want to go with a slower tempo: 4-0-1 or 3-1-1.

If you want strength, you want to train the stretch shortening cycle, so a tempo of 2-0-1 is better.

The kinds of exercises I am thinking about are the type where danger from falling / dropping weights is not involved e.g. leg extensions.
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Leg extensions put excessive strain on the knee.


[3] Burn vs. fatigue. When I do some exercises I usually do my last set until I can'do any more which is usually only 1 rep more than I planned on doing. In that case I simply don't have it in me to move the weight. Now, when I do leg extensions I feel like I could go on past the number of reps planned except for the incredible burning pain. Is there a physiological difference between the two "failures"?
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Training to failure is extrememly hard on the CNS. Regular TTF will cause burnout and continuing past that can lead to CNS failure.
 
1. Where fat stores on your body is governed by genetics and changes with age. Some people genetically store fat on the upper body, some more on the lower body, some more evenly distributed, middle aged men tend to store fat on the front of the stomach... Now, you do not "spot" store fat, however if you genetically have a tendency to store 80% of your body fat on one area of your body, say your front abs, and 20% evenly distributed on the on the rest of your body, then if you gain 10 pounds of fat 8 pounds of it go to your front abs and 2 pounds distributed over the rest of your body. Then if you loose 10 pounds of fat, likewise 8 pounds come off your front abs and 2 pounds off the rest of your body. So, you can not choose where to "spot" gain or "spot" loose fat, you just gain and loose where your genetics designate you will gain and loose body fat.
2. Resistance exercises are most always best performed slowly (2 seconds up, 4 seconds down), otherwise you loose part of the movement to momentum. That is why doing leg extensions fast is easier, you are using momentum to move you through the harder parts of the movement. For explosive type movements try bodyweight exercises like jumping squats, hand clap pushups, etc. There are also special machines that resist harder the faster your try to move the weight, many physical therapists use them for rehabilitation and some gyms have some, they use some sort of hydralic pressure or magnetic resistance controlled by a computer or something else that does not gain momentum as it moves, not weight stacks or plates.
3. Burn is the buildup of lactic acid in the muscle. When you do higher repetitions you tend to burn before reaching muscular failure, also when you work larger muscles (like thighs) the circulatory systems ability to remove the large amount of lactic acid produced by the larger muscles is limited so you tend to get more burn. As you develop your nervous system (sometimes call the mind-muscle link) through years of consistant practice, you can recruit more muscle fibers and increase your ability to exert more effort in other muscles as well and feel the burn in other muscles.
4. If you can possibly afford it buy a power rack. It allows you to do heavy squats, bench presses, etc. alone in complete safety. A good one also has a pull up bar and can accept dipping bars. Other than a bench, and barbell and dumbell set, it is the most useful piece of home gym equipment.
 
Thanks, guys.

I can't really get a power rack, just don't have the room in the basement for it. We actually have a pretty decent sized basement but it's already utilized for other things. I've seen drawing posted / linked for the homemade squat rack that is attached to the basement ceiling's joists, that _might_ be an option but space is still tight.

Cynic ~ you say that leg extensions put excessive strain on the knee but you don't go so far as to say that they should be avoided. If I read between the lines you are saying "don't do them" but I don't want to put words in your mouth. Is that what you are saying, or are you saying do them carefully i.e. with lower weights?

EDIT: I just read this (from Cynic in another thread), "the leg extention puts a great deal of stress on the knee joint and tendon." So this seems like a bad thing. If you train relatively lightly will you build up the strength "inside" the knee over time or will it always be a bad exercise? I'm not tied to the leg extension. To be honest, not doing them would save me having to add / remove the attachment from my bench all the time and that would save some hassle. I think I will go with your suggestion from another thread and look into the the squat alternatives and find out what works for me.
 
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Done properly leg extrensions are perfectly safe and a useful tool for strengthening the knee joint and its connective tissue. They are used extensively for rehabilitation of knee injuries. I would not avoid them completely. Like most isolation exercises they should be done in higher reps (12-15) and in a steady and controlled manner. I used them quite extensively after knee surgery, starting with the lightest weight and sets of 100+ reps and gradually working my way to heavier weights and lower reps. I believe they helped me a lot to recover and I still do a couple of sets (supersetted with leg curls) every leg day. I find that if I do them religously I experience little knee pain, but if I skip them for a week or so I start to have knee pain just walking around. I have been doing it that way for 22 years now and it has worked for me, so it can't be all bad. In fact I wish I had done more leg extensions before my knee injury, maybe it could have been prevented or at least the damage minimized.
 
dswithers said:
Done properly leg extrensions are perfectly safe and a useful tool for strengthening the knee joint and its connective tissue. They are used extensively for rehabilitation of knee injuries. I would not avoid them completely. Like most isolation exercises they should be done in higher reps (12-15) and in a steady and controlled manner. I used them quite extensively after knee surgery, starting with the lightest weight and sets of 100+ reps and gradually working my way to heavier weights and lower reps. I believe they helped me a lot to recover and I still do a couple of sets (supersetted with leg curls) every leg day. I find that if I do them religously I experience little knee pain, but if I skip them for a week or so I start to have knee pain just walking around. I have been doing it that way for 22 years now and it has worked for me, so it can't be all bad. In fact I wish I had done more leg extensions before my knee injury, maybe it could have been prevented or at least the damage minimized.
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Post-rehab strengthening of an injured area is different than training a non-injured area of the body: the two should not be mixed or confused. Leg extensions increase the sheering force of the tibiofemoral joint and can lead to a number of muscle imbalances and disfunctions of the knee, including medial tracking and patellar tendonitis. Leg extensions can be an excellent choice in rehab programs; They have no business, from a functional or muscle building standpoint, in a healthy individual's strength-training routine.
 
Put a coffee can under your knee, and don't go down more than that. They somewhat lose their effectiveness, but it's much easier on the knee. There's many other exercises that are better IMO, try step ups.
 
I'm dropping the leg extensions in favour of squats. I tried some DB squats today and my grip gave out before my legs but I could still feel it when I climbed the stairs out of my basement. :) I'm sure my grip will catch up soon enough though.

One thing I learned is there's gripping and then there's gripping. I thought that because I was using the captains of crush grippers before I started my weight training program that I was giving myself an advantage, and maybe I was, but there are so many facets to a strong grip i.e. just because I can close a gripper doesn't mean I can hold onto a bar better / longer. Perhaps I can hold the bar tighter but I need to work on endurance.
 
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