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Think Muscle Newsletter #15November 20, 2001
Message from the Editor, Bryan Haycock, MS, CSCSDo Passion and Science Really Make Strange Bedfellows? Why is it that passion cannot be the driving force behind scientific
inquiry? In Hollywood, the combination of passion and science has lead to
marvelous feats of accomplishment. Stories such as The Fly, The Island of
Dr. Moreau, and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein are all stories of science driven
by passion. Take for example Dr. Frankenstein's monster, er...huh,
"project". I can still remember the first time I saw the monster come to
life on the small screen. In a castle-like setting with the scientist, eyes
wide with fervor, running around flipping switches and checking instruments.
His tone was most enthusiastic as he barked commands to his loyal lab tech,
Igor. With flashes of lightning cracking through the open ceiling and
startling booms of thunder adding to the moment, Dr. Frankenstein realized
his passion and brought his creation to life. "It's alive! It's alive!", he
shouted, trembling with the exhilaration of accomplishing a dream. Of course
in the real world, much like the movie, his peers frowned upon such passion.
They failed to understand the source of his commitment. They felt his zeal
clouded his judgment and introduced inexcusable bias (and yes, evil) into
his research. Why? Because they had never experienced such a powerful
driving force them selves. Then again, it could have been because he created
a freak of nature that went on to terrorize all but innocent children and
those blind to his appearance. Viagra: His or Hers? by Bryan Haycock, MS, CSCSIt seems that everyone is talking, or giggling, about Viagra. You see it
advertised directly to consumers on television. I get several junk e-mails
per week asking if I want to buy some. Among teenagers it has reached
illicit drug status, with teenage boys hording single pills and showing them
off to their friends at school. Grown men and women can often be heard
giggling about it over the office drinking fountain. Viagra is now the most
profitable prescription drug ever produced. Viagra is seemingly bringing us
into a brave new world. Would You Like to Die Old and Still Leave a Good Looking Corpse? Science Now Makes it Possible! by Bryan Haycock, MS, CSCSAlthough the mechanisms underlying age associated muscle loss are not
entirely understood, researchers attempted to moderate the loss by
increasing the regenerative capacity of muscle. This involved the injection
of a recombinant adeno-associated virus directing overexpression of
insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in differentiated muscle fibers. Creating Peak Performance on Demand (From the HST Series) by Bryan Haycock, MS, CSCS
Peak performance is often referred to as the "zone" or the "grove", or
even finding one's "rhythm". It can happen at any time and nearly always
results in breaking personal records. People often get in their own way
trying to make it happen, thinking that if they just try hard enough it will
happen. Frustration and poor performance are almost always the result. I'm
now going to share with you something that very few people know. It is a
method of greatly increasing the odds of peak performance every time you
lift. It requires practice and commitment. In return you will find strength
you never new you had. From the Think Muscle Vault: Quality Strength for Human Athletic Performance: A Guide to Speed Strength Training By Charles StaleyAlthough most athletic skills and events depend upon a variety of
physical qualities, speed strength (also called power) certainly rates among
the most important. Whenever you need to accelerate yourself (as in running,
cycling, swimming, skating, or skiing), an external object (such as a ball,
a barbell, a javelin, or another person), or both (such as pushing a bobsled
or driving through an opposing lineman in football), your ability to
generate force with speed will be a primary determinant of your success. From the Think Muscle Vault: Practical Application of Speed Training Techniques in Advanced Bodybuilding Training by Yuval GoldsteinCharles Staley's comprehensive article on speed strength training laid
the theoretical background for understanding the various sport uses of speed
strength training as well as the various methods suitable for each and the
mechanics of the working muscles. That article, however, did not
specifically address the application of speed strength training techniques
in bodybuilding, which is the aim of this article. The goals of
speed-strength training for specific sports are quite different to those of
bodybuilding; while the former strives to develop maximal speed-strength
(power) or plain velocity (speed) of movement, the latter uses speed
training as an alternative way of increasing training intensity for the
purpose of inducing muscle hypertrophy, with no special concern for maximal
velocity goals. |
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