Keep the tension.

These days there seems to be so many different machines and methods that are being utilized to grow your muscle that you don’t know where to start. Am I doing this right? Do all machines suck? Is cardio really necessary or am I just wasting my time? These are questions that many newbie lifters have before they actually get to the lifting.

In many instances the info people get from many bodybuilding sites can make things seem overly complicated and can be flat out contradictory. The truth sometimes lies in between as many methods do indeed work, but need to be utilized with the right timing. For instance, if an individual wants to build up their chest many people will utilize the bench press or more commonly the dumbbell press and flyes to build up the pecs. Most people will tell you that the most important thing is full range of motion. While it may be true to an extent, keeping constant tension on the muscle can prove to be even more beneficial.

What does this mean exactly?

Well, the idea is to keep your muscles stimulated throughout your entire lift. For a chest exercise like the dumbbell press this would mean not fully locking out at the top of the lift. The tension will remain on the chest and in turn will mean more muscle breakdown in the pecs. Once you rest and recovery from your training the muscle growth will be greater than it would if you were locking out on every rep. The human body is certainly a complex machine and utilizing different methods to improve it is absolutely necessary. It’s all about timing and execution. Stick to a method that works for you and you’ll see results. Just don’t be afraid to try something new from time to time.

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