SuppVersity - Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

Based only on the study at hand, the TRX system does not seem to be significantly superior to the three other systems. In conjunction w/ previous research, discussed in the light-blue info box and the bottom line, though, it appears to be the best, certainly most versatile device. Ok, the push up is already a full body movement, but as a recent unsponsored study from the University of Valencia  shows, the muscle activation during push-ups performed under stable and unstable conditions varies significantly. So significantly, in fact, that certain muscle groups, such as the serratus aneterior, may be hammered twice as heavy when you use the "right" instability devices... and the best thing: None of the devices Borreani et al. tested will overrun the budget of a well-equipped homegym. With that being said, let's take an initial look at the contestants. There's the classic push-up (not shown in Figure 1 , because it requires no extra-device, but the floor), the (A)...

Does a woman's pectoralis react the same way to dumbbell bench, incline and shoulder presses as the one of their male training partners? Does it make a difference whether you are a novice or an advanced trainee? What about light vs. heavy weights - any effect on the activation patterns of pectoralis, delts, trapezius & co? Learn the answers to these & other questions in today's SuppVersity article (photo bodybuilding.com) The SuppVersity EMG Series is still one of the the most popular article series, here at the SuppVersity and that despite the fact that I guess most of you will already know the results by heart. Therefore I am happy to present you some additional data from a recently conducted study from the Biodynamics and Human Performance Center at the Armstrong Atlantic State University in Abercorn. The study that was published in the Journal of Sports Medicine a couple of days ago is - according to the authors - the first to investigate, whether the previ...

While this installment of Adelfo's SuppVersity guest posts actually deals with the "optimal" exercises and form - I personally would say that physique-wise Adelfo is likewise on a good way towards achieving a form or rather overall physique even the most critical judges will have a hard time to ignore on the upcoming 2013 Wheelchair Nationals in March (learn more at wheelchair-bodydbuilding.com )! Ok folks, the good news is, there is the promised update from your's truly Adelfo Cerame - what's even better: Adelfo is giving away some of his secrets discussing his favorite exercises for chest, back and arms, as well as the most common mistakes which forestall training progress. The bad news is, there is no Science Round Up today and what's even worse is the sad reason for the unplanned break. Carl's mother passed away earlier this week and it goes without saying that the next round of "science news sniffing" will have to wait till next w...

Flex Wheeler doing BB presses in what vcertainly isn't the ideal position for the lower back - imagine him doing that standing *uhoh* Don't worry, I am not going to repeat my SuppVersity Facebook news post on the activation of the rectus abdominis , the obliques and the lower back muscles many of you 'liked' on Facebook. I am rather going to expand on it by presenting the data from the unofficial follow-up (Saeterbakken. 2012). Before I do that, I will yet give you the usual preview of today's installment of the SuppVersity Science Round Up I am doing every Thursday (1PM EST, live! ) with my friend Carl Lanore from Super Human Radio (in case you did not notice, the number of real scientists on the show has risen exponentially within the last weeks, so I highly recommend you download a couple of other podcasts as well). SuppVersity Science Round Up - Preview Just like today's blogpost the focus of today's Science Round Up is actually going to ...

Image 1: After his 2nd place at the Nationals, Adelfo wanted to bring up his rear delts and although the lighting does not really do him justice, he made use of the weeks between the Nationals (right) and the USA (left) and filled up considerably. It is more than 3 months ago that Adelfo and I have been talking about ways to bring up his somewhat lagging delts (if you could even say that there is something "lagging" about Adelfo's physique), yet still, it seems as if it had been yesterday that I told him that he would not have to wonder that those delts were not growing, when he was working them almost exclusively with compound movements for stronger body parts, which wouldn't allow the side and, more importantly, the rear delts to reach that highly productive, growth triggering point of just too much load to handle, but still not so much load that adaptation could not make up for it. And judged by his latest progress pics, Adelfo did not just take that comment to...

Image 1: "Hey Dude! Those arms come from rolling around in the chair, right? The time is flying by, it's almost June (just a few couple of hours left in May) and for Adelfo his next big day is approaching fast. After last weeks brief panic attack (see " Don't Let Red Flags and Banana Skins Stop You! ), he is back on track this week and that despite the fact that he has a hell lot of work to do that is not related to working out or dieting... or writing his weekly blogposts on the SuppVersity , of course. Usually you would think that sitting in a wheelchair does make all that more complicated and troublesome, but as you will see in this week's installment of Adelfo Cerame's Road to the Wheelchair Championships , sitting in a wheelchair can also have certain advantages, even when it comes to building a better physique! The overlooked advantages of training in a wheelchair I don’t get approached much, but when I do, the majority speculates that I have a...

Image 1: A classic physique, but a novel routine. I guess, I don't have to tell you that our mutual friend Adelfo is fired up to get back to the gym. I guess if it had not been for the intermediate famine phase after the post-contest binge, he would hardly have endured the one week without drudgery, but alas, the time of laziness is over now and Adelfo is about to return to the gym. Yet not without a detailed plan of attack, not as "voluminous" (in the literal sense) as he had intended before our conversation, last weekend, but still a ton of grindingly hard work - exactly the kind of thing Adelfo loves and what helped him build, what may not be the most muscular, but certainly the most aesthetic physique I have ever seen on a wheelchair bodybuilder (let alone other athlete). But I guess, I will just let him tell you how he is planning to take this superlative to yet another level. Back on the grind! But not without a few tweaks "After taking a week off, yo...