Q:  Why should I do exercises to develop my tendon and ligament strength and what ones are best? A: Developing tendon strength is vital once you start lifting serious weight. Tendons are connective tissues which join the end of a muscle to bone. Ligaments, which are cord-like fibers that bind bones together at joints are also important in lifting. When we get under the heavy iron, we don’t want proportionately weak tendons or ligaments to be the limiting factors that halt our progress or, even worse, cause a rupture. That could happen if we do not consciously work to improve the strength of our tendons and ligaments. Now, tendons and ligaments will strengthen concurrently with the muscle, but only up to a certain point. When we graduate to the three, four and five hundred pound clubs in the bench press, squat and deadlift, ...

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Stretching is an integral part of every good bodybuilding routine.  We’ve heard this a million times.  But why is it important?  What is the correct way to stretch?  Should stretching be done differently at different times in the gym?  There are many questions about stretching.  Let’s find out the answers! Why stretch? Stretching gives the muscles a greater range of motion.  This means that more muscle fibers are recruited during the movement.  Stretching also prevents injury by preparing tendons and ligaments for increased workloads, reducing the potential for overextension, a common cause of injury. How to stretch Start slow.  Move through each muscle group, rotating, extending, and flexing in every comfortable range of motion that the particular muscle group allows.  10 to 20 seconds in each stretch is usually adequate for ensuring enough blood is in the muscle group, and ...

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Q: I’ve been hearing about working different types of muscle fiber to produce a complete physique, but I’m not sure how you work the different types. Is there any validity to this muscle fiber stuff? A: While it’s true that there are different types of muscle fiber, it’s a matter of debate as to whether bodybuilders need concern themselves too much with working each of the different fiber types to reach their physical potential. There are, in fact, two types of human muscle fiber. Type 1 (or slow twitch) fibers have a slow contraction time and are highly resistant to fatigue. These fibers are predominant in cardiovascular exercise. Most of our everyday activities also involve slow twitch fibers. Type 2 (or fast twitch) fibers are just the opposite – they have a fast contraction time and a low resistance to fatigue. These ...

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