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Old 11-29-2012, 04:52 PM   #34
Tom Verhoeven
Dojo: Aikido Auvergne Kumano dojo
Location: Auvergne
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 295
France
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Re: Macrobiotic Diet

Quote:
Cliff Judge wrote: View Post
I agree. There is a typical weight training program that involves high-weight / low-rep exercises and a diet high in protein that is the kind of thing you get on if you are sub-athletic and want to shape up, or as the beginning part of a larger PT cycle if you are an athlete.

The good points of high-weight, low-rep, high-protein is that it is actually kind of easy to do. You can quickly find the appropriate weight to lift, and you don't do many reps, so it is a short amount of time spent in the gym. You rip the crap out of your muscles, and then they use the protein you flood your system with to rebuild, so you bulk up and your metabolism starts running more efficiently.

The bad points are that your muscles are stiff and sore all of the time. They don't relax as easily. This is bad for just about any type of athletic activity other than powerlifting. Even bodybuilders only spend part of their training cycles doing this kind of regimen.

There are plenty of other types of resistance training though. You can do lower-weight / higher-rep exercises. You can work with kettleballs or indian clubs and do complex, circular exercises that are allegedly good for joint strength and flexibility. You could even do a high-weight / low rep program for three months or so and then transition to something that involves more stretching and lighter weight.
I used to teach Aikido to professional dancers. In classical ballet the men do some weight lifting mostly to strengthen their arms, it should make lifting the ballerina easier. But just as you already explained - they combine it with a lot of stretching and light movements.

Tom
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