Weightlifting maybe in need of a makeover. Yes, as an exercise it has fantastic benefits, but its popularity is waning that the Wall Street Journal reported a huge reshuffle in Team USA ahead of rumors that the Olympic commission will cancel weightlifting’s appearance at future tournaments. The need to raise the bar is, quite literally, there.
With this demand has come new impetus for ways to lift, and to create gains where they were previously difficult to find. Experts are looking at these methods and asking whether they’re worth their weight. Many of these methods have been around for years, but through ongoing research and testing they have become that much more refined.
Blood Flow Restriction Training
The concept of restricting blood flow to improve gains has found a formal practice in blood flow restriction training (BFRT). According to Frontiers In Physiology, there is significant science behind the practice, and the use of BFRT as a complementary form of exercise alongside traditional resistance training could yield significant gains. The key benefit is in blood flow muscle growth. The relative severity and extreme nature of the training means that rapid muscle growth is encouraged.
That means that athletes, particularly those who work in aerobic sports rather than powerlifting, though there are benefits in that field too, can create and maintain much more significant muscle mass over longer periods.
Time-efficient training
More and more people are being confined to their home and so have to work on shorter timescales, with less equipment, and in tighter spaces. A journal published by Springer Link has outlined the need for ‘no time to lift’ schedules to adapt to this, and there are promising new results in this regard.
Typically, muscle mass is defined more by weight training volume and break points than it is the number of movements or frequency of training. The study recommended the use of high-volume, short-time sets, whether with weights or through calisthenic training. This can create long-term strength gains, as opposed to hypertrophy, which means that those looking to bodybuild specifically may want to look elsewhere.
The ultimate bodyweight workout
According to the New York Times, the ultimate workout for time-constrained yet high-ambition individuals is contained within an 11 minute calisthenic workout. Combining many classic exercises, but set out in a very particular fashion, this can help to build hypertrophy, especially when weights are augmented into the routines to make them more adaptable and difficult, and will also improve cardio strength.
This is good news for bodybuilders who are wary of spending time on aerobic exercise when they want to be lifting weight. This can also be an important development for professionals. More sustainable and healthy ways of creating strength can only be a good thing.
Finding new ways to work out will certainly help in various aspects and can potentially save you time to focus on other things.
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