New to Power Lifting? Learn Which Techniques Will Work Best for You
Online, January 11, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The fitness specialists at Blog.WorkoutHealthy.com have a number of articles and diet tips which cater to anyone's workout needs, including a number of physical fitness articles on different powerlifting techniques. A few items to keep in mind when tailoring your workout routine include whether you will be doing rack pulls or dead lifts, whether you will be using an Ez Curl Bar rather than a straight weight lifting bar, and what powerlifting routine you should use to build up your strength without causing undue injury to the rest of your body.
Rack Pulls vs. Deadlifts: The strength of your back will determine which lift you should be doing so as not to cause any harm to your spine. Deadlifting of weights will require you to lift the weight from a position on the ground. Rack pulls will have the barbell set at a certain height and you will only be required to lift the weight from that height. People with back problems find that doing a deadlift only exacerbates the pain in their back and prefer rack pulls which require a less aggressive range of motion. You also need to be aware of your relative strength level.
Not everyone will be able to start out doing a straight deadlift because it requires such a wide range of motion. Rack pulls, while requiring a much shorter range of motion, will greatly enhance your strength because you will be lifting a heavy amount of weights. It is advisable for those people with weaker backs and less upper body strength begin with rack pulls and work their way up to a deadlift. From a weight training standpoint, rack pulls do not emphasise the muscles in the lower back as much as deadlifting. If you plan on incorporation rack pulls into your workout routine, be sure to include some lower back strengthening exercises as well.
EZ Curl Bar vs. Straight Bar: What are the differences between an EZ Curl Bar and a straight weightlifting bar? The aesthetic differences are quite obvious, as the EZ Curl Bar sports two "V" shaped bends in the centre of the bar where a weightlifter places their hands. A straight bar is straight. EZ Curl Bars are used most often by people who have joint problems such as arthritis because the design of the bar is meant to decrease aggravation on the wrist and elbow joints. This design keeps the wrists in a stable position and prevents further damage to the joints.
There are two different types of straight bars: the Olympic sized straight bar used for arm curls and other exercises and smaller hand-held straight bars used to engage specific muscle groups. Straight bars pose more of a risk to creating and exacerbating wrist problems because they require the wrist to twist and turn in order to properly hold the bar. If you want to target specific muscle groups (such as the biceps) in your workout, using a straight bar may be your best option.
Powerlifting Routines for Strength: The key to powerlifting is to keep your repetitions low. Figure out the maximum amount of weight you can handle lifting (safely) and perform 2-4 repetitions of lifting the weight. You need to fine the ideal point of balance: a weight which you can lift for two reps with a certain amount of resistance, but that you would not be able to lift after 4 repetitions. Improving your skill at powerlifting is almost entirely focused on developing your absolute strength. From a biological and anatomical standpoint, powerlifting forces the muscle fibres in a given set of muscles to contract simultaneously, allowing you to lift a gargantuan amount of weight-but only for one repetition.
This article contains a simple to follow three day weight lifting routine which you can tailor to your individual workout needs. The routine itself addresses fitness enthusiasts who are unfamiliar with powerlifting but who have done some sort of weight training in the past.
For more information on health, and to read a number of other valuable physical fitness articles, please visit http://blog.workouthealthy.com/
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