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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Planning effective exercise

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Planning effective exercise

The journeys all through on a regular basis life impose trials on our our bodies and minds. The whole lot from sitting an excessive amount of, making telephone calls or being hunched over a keyboard to the exact opposite of performing knuckle-dragging bodily labor required for landscaping, portray homes, or framing doorways in a house. If the physique doesn’t constantly get well from strenuous bouts of the bodily necessities of life, joints and muscle groups will damage.

The excellent news is that the physique is supplied with a therapeutic mechanism to mitigate ache and dysfunction. The phenomenon train brings to joints, muscle groups, and chemical features of the physique is a panacea for bodily ache. Merely sprinkle just a little train on the elements of the physique that damage and “voila,” your torn rotator cuff, bulging lumbar disc, and arthritic fingers are cured.

It’s additionally important to have a rigorous relationship with the reality in regards to the put on and tear concerned with the physique. Solely half of the above assertion is true, the half the place the physique produces therapeutic properties by way of train. Nevertheless, the magic capsule of eliminating ache from our lives isn’t that straightforward to find.

Persons are additionally studying…

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Train requires time, dedication and technique to get probably the most out of including health as a part of well being to our lives. Components comparable to lack of compliance, redundant routines and damaging workout routines play roles in producing efficient train routines.

Intimidation or feeling awkward when coming into an area gymnasium can shortly stop somebody from creating an adherent train routine when utilizing group gyms as a useful resource to train.

Moreover, the physique received’t adapt to grow to be stronger if we grow to be complacent in our train routine and carry out the identical actions again and again. Moreover, “grinding by way of the ache” and forgoing train altogether received’t work both. Ache and bodily dysfunction doesn’t merely go away. A physique that heals is piloted by an individual who devotes meticulous consideration to element by constantly nurturing the physique and avoiding dangerous components that break down the physique’s organs.

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To get probably the most out of an train routine, a “laying of plans” is a doubtlessly efficient technique to domesticate therapeutic properties. To create a worthwhile plan, establishing no less than a four-week format helps develop a way of route in a health journey.

First, decide workout routines that may be carried out competently. Nobody needs to be performing single-leg inverted pigeon stretches in a yoga class when performing 10 repetitions of body weight squats are a problem.

Subsequent, assign what number of units and repetitions are a secure and efficient dose for the workout routines you wish to obtain.

Lastly, ensure these workout routines are partaking and satisfying. Exercising isn’t efficient in the event that they make you drag your toes whereas doing them or have nightmares about performing planks the day earlier than you propose a visit to the gymnasium. The probability of an train routine persevering with previous a number of weeks is little to none if it drones on and turns into boring. It’s important to be choosy when selecting workout routines in your routine. The best train on this planet can shortly grow to be out of date if the routine turns into mundane or causes extra injury than when starting this system.

Rising productive stress on connective tissue all through an train routine is vital in conditioning the physique towards optimum power and longevity. For instance, when performing resistance workout routines comparable to squats, plank, or push-ups, growing the workload every week for 3 weeks imposes gradual stress on the bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscle groups. This may be very productive when the coaching load quantity is barely elevated every week. Coaching load quantity could be outlined because the growing quantity of repetition, resistance, or period of a selected train.

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With this improve within the problem for a three-week cycle, it’s a good suggestion to have an unloading week. This can be a week through which performing the identical workout routines, however with resistance equal to or lower than the primary week, will act as a destressing interval for the physique. After finishing this four-week cycle, the physique, as a rule, feels stronger. Moreover, after practising the identical routine for 4 weeks, the physique will possible develop mastery and competency towards these particular workout routines. This enables one to attempt one other 4 weeks of latest and barely tougher actions.

Quite a lot of workout routines is useful to the event of sturdy connective tissue. Yoga, Pilates, group health lessons and arranged, well-planned resistance coaching create vital diversifications to the physique. To get probably the most out of health routines, let’s bear in mind to trace our progress to keep away from overuse accidents and develop power in our connective tissue to final for the long run.

Because of actionable recommendation from Kaiser Permanente’s Wholesome Stability program, you could be making progress along with your New 12 months’s resolutions.



Activating the core all through the day and stopping widespread accidents is a key ingredient to assist our on a regular basis performance.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: When 'things don't heal as fast'

Is it higher to dwell on pains and issues or sit up for “the subsequent logical step” to reaching well being and pleasure?

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Take a walk up a Napa hill

Simply 5 minutes of inclined strolling as soon as per week can enhance muscular power, lower joint ache, and add one other enjoyable and fascinating journey to a weekly strolling routine.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Exercises to keep your balance

Sean McCawley shares workout routines to strengthen steadiness and assist keep away from harmful falls. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Managing treat-to-healthy food ratios

Even health gurus like Sean McCawley get the urge to bask in less-than-healthy treats. Here’s what he does. 

Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Out of breath on the stairs

A go to to Washington D.C., reveals a metropolis filled with stairs. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Being healthy pays off

Everybody will get sick but when we embody common train and  leisure bodily exercise into our lives, we don’t must be sick for very lengthy. That’s why it pays off to be wholesome.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Don't discount the 'slow drip' of simple exercise every day

Lacking per week of train at your native gymnasium is just not the tip of the world. Having the “gradual drip” dose of straightforward and efficient workout routines each day promotes substantial outcomes too.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Getting in shape for adventure

Earlier than you embark on an journey, it is a good suggestion to put together yout physique a number of months upfront to handle the stresses of journey.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: The isometric alternative for exercise

Isometric workout routines could also be an alternate for individuals pressed to search out the time to get to the gymnasium. 

Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Oh no, I missed my workouts

What occurs whenever you miss your exercises for per week? It isn’t all unhealthy information. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Posture matters

When tech blunts bodily exercise, we are able to nonetheless keep away from underuse accidents by way of environment friendly and efficient types of train, columnist Sean McCawley writes.

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Sean McCawley, Fit For Life: A nod to knee health

Napa health knowledgeable Sean McCawley discusses the significance of maintaining your knees sturdy and wholesome.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Look at the menu ahead of time

Preparation is a  device for fulfillment. To mitigate the unhealthy results of consuming out an excessive amount of, we are able to take a look at the menus of our favourite eating places forward of time to make wholesome selections for our dietary success.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Food as fuel

Weight reduction and weight acquire are fixed balancing acts. The place can we begin on a path to productively managing our weight? 

Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Just one more

Discovering a technique to squeak in an additional wholesome behavior considerably impacts our on a regular basis well being and happiness.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Get a grip on falling

A fall could cause one thing as minor as a scraped knee or as catastrophic as a damaged bone. One technique to reduce damage is to have sturdy fingers and arms. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Muscles and a balanced diet make a successful team

Sustaining a wholesome physique whereas often indulging in less-than-healthy meals and snacks comes all the way down to a query of steadiness. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Exercises to avoid sciatica

Discomfort is an understatement for extreme circumstances of sciatica, however figuring out its widespread causes is an efficient first step towards a plan of motion to forestall it.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Sciatica: a real pain in the derrière

Health knowledgeable Sean McCawley introduces the lumbopelvic hip advanced and explains why we’d wish to study what precisely it’s. 


Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Balancing your exercise journey

It’s not breaking information that staying lively retains us wholesome nevertheless it’s vital to attempt for a balanced health routine that may preserve you going and keep away from accidents. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Pull up a chair and exercise

Sitting is not unhealthy for you; sitting for too lengthy with out transferring is. Napa health knowledgeable Sean McCawley provides workout routines to do to counteract stiffness and stress from inactivity. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Building a foundation for weight loss

If dropping additional fats and maintaining it off is your objective, it’s vital to know that first it’s a must to set up a basis of maintaining a healthy diet and adhering to train for no less than three months.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: SAID and the challenges of travel

SAID means “Particular Adaptation to an Imposed Demand” and this consists of lengthy hours sitting in an airplane or automobile. What are you able to do to assist your physique out after you get off the aircraft or out of your automobile? 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: A completely different pace

Health coach Sean McCawley skilled challenges to his wholesome Napa life-style on his 10-day journey to Portugal. 

Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Simple exercises for a huge impact

Discovering time to train is difficult but when you’ll find time to carry out one or two workout routines very first thing within the morning, this could can accomplish easy and efficient workout routines. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Food choices for a champion

On the run as much as a championship match, the meals you select will make a distinction. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Chip bowl salads for dinner

What’s for dinner? Earlier than you flip to Door Sprint, health professional Sean McCawley has a suggestion. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Watching your fitness grow

When striving to fulfill health targets, attempt maintaining in thoughts a rising a plant — each a plant and your physique thrive in a nurturing, supportive setting.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Waking up and exercising, Part 2

Exercising very first thing within the morning could sound like a problem, however the advantages far outweigh the ache of getting off the bed a couple of minutes earlier.

Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Waking up and exercising, Part 1

Rise and shine — or relaxation in mattress? Sean McCawley supplies causes for getting your self up within the morning. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Just don't hurt your back, Part 2

We don’t notice how important decrease again well being is till an unintended damage debilitates us, however workout routines might help keep away from this calamity. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Just don't hurt your back, Part 1

An extended-plane journey, turning your head the mistaken manner, even sleeping in an odd place, can tweak your again simply sufficient to derail bodily actions. Step one in avoiding these accidents, is studying the anatomy of your backbone. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Try a digital detox

We will fall into an unhealthy rut of spending an excessive amount of time on our telephones. Take a while for your self by stepping away out of your cellphone to expertise the presents the world provides us which might be proper in entrance of us.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Optimal exercises for busy lives

If you cannot make it to the gymnasium six occasions per week, you possibly can nonetheless obtain optimum health by selecting compound workout routines.


Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Do I need a protein supplement?

A number of standard questions health coach Sean McCawley is requested are: “What number of energy ought to I eat?”, “Are carbs unhealthy?”, “Ought to I be paleo?” and “What kind of protein complement ought to I take?”

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: How to drink enough water

Staying hydrated is vital to total well being, longevity and performance, writes health coach Sean McCawley. So how do you drink sufficient water every day? He has a plan for you.  

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Fear of fitness

If stepping right into a gymnasium is as intimidating to you as a stroll in Jurassic Park, Sean McCawley has concept that will help you overcome your nervousness and provides your self a present of train. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Resistance training to strengthen bones

An train program of resistance coaching can considerably improve your physique’s skill to construct power in your bones.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Exercise the muscles you don't use daily

From building employee to desk employee, all of us have muscle groups we do not use in a typical day. Your can supercharge your health by including workout routines that focus on these areas of the physique.

Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Your relationship with exercise

In case you wrestle adhering to an train program, pick a number of key phrases of how train makes you’re feeling like what you’re doing has worth. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Reasons for pushups

Health knowledgeable Sean McCawley explores why and tips on how to do pushups.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: A 90-day game plan for weight loss

She wished to lose 10 kilos earlier than a trip on the seashores of Portugal. Health coach Sean McCawley helped her give you a plan. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: A road trip down the spine

Our backbone is akin to a freeway within the human physique. By partaking in bodily exercise that retains the spinal muscle groups lively, we carry out correct upkeep on our most important freeway of nerves, simply as of Cal Trans staff cares for these roads. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Staving off illness

Our willpower and perseverance to make a trek to an area gymnasium, take a yoga class or take part in outside bodily exercise are equally, if no more highly effective, than any drugs that retains us away from the physician’s workplace.


Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: What holds you back from your goals?

Crunchy, salty, and candy treats can present consolation, pleasure and salvation from difficult occasions. We will’t simply extract them from our lives on quick discover however listed below are tricks to nonetheless take pleasure in them with moderation, accountability and management.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Can you drink enough water in 2022?

One of many best methods to enhance your well being in 2022 is to make certain you’re consuming sufficient water. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Reach your goals for 2022

A plan to take pleasure in 2022 and attain our targets begins with Two nice locations to start out constructing a very good basis of guaranteeing we attain our targets in 2022 is to eat the fitting meals and cling to a train routine.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Wound up so tight

Napa Valley health guru Sean McCawley has recommendations for what to do when your life-style has you wound up tight as a violin string. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: A guide to food and finals

Finals week — or any week throughout faculty — is probably not the prime time for fascinated by wholesome meals decisions, however Sean McCawley provides some easy-to- make alternate options to 1 extra bowl of on the spot ramen.  


Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Processed or the real deal?

Dietary recommendation at this time could be complicated and sometimes contradictory. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: The Garden of Fitness

Napa health guru Sean McCawley outlines tips on how to use your gardening duties for a health routine worthy of a gym-workout. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Exercise to manage stress

Stress has a profound results on our well-being, however exercising even a couple of times per week can even have a profound impression on stress. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa: Nutrition and fitness

Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are the large three which might be predominantly targeted on the again of vitamin labels when counting energy. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa: Keep picking things up

In case you see a rogue sweet wrapper left over from trick-or-treaters, bend over and decide it up. Practising mindfulness of choosing up objects from the bottom helps mitigate the debilitating results of again ache whereas bending over as we progress by way of life.


Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Stop light exercises

We spend a lot of our time sitting, together with driving to work to prepare to take a seat some extra. Napa health coach Sean McCawley suggests workout routines you are able to do in your automobile to counteract the toll that extended sitting takes on the physique.  

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: From the ground up

Napa Valley health professional Sean McCawley shares ideas in regards to the significance of constant to get down and soiled — or no less than being certain to incorporate a number of bends each day —  as we age. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Keeping our grip as we age

It’s a trouble to regain the power of our arms if unmaintained over time. Sean McCawley has recommendations to maintain yours sturdy. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Making time to exercise

Constraints of hours in our demanding schedule is an everlasting balancing act. Don’t the let the thought of “I don’t have sufficient time” maintain you again from a lot wanted train.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Becoming a recreational athlete

If we don’t have a bodily lively career and spend 40-plus hours a  week at a desk, now we have to search out new methods to remain as bodily match as our hard-working ancestors. Turning into a leisure athlete is considered one of them. 


Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Tight hips mean a tight back

Specializing in the well-being of your hip flexor muscle groups is a good resolution to alleviate widespread decrease again signs through which our society struggles with each day. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life in Napa Valley: Keeping your 'floating bone' in shape

You by no means know the way a lot you employ your scapula — aka, your shoulder blade — till it is not working nicely. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Preparing for an event

Having a objective to work in direction of can enhance striving for well being and health targets. Sean McCawley shares one success stor. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: There's always time for exercise

Do you’re feeling you simply do not have time to train? Napa health guru Sean McCawley has recommendations for getting round this impediment to health.  

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: How does stretching make you feel?

In case your routines make it easier to really feel higher all through your day, preserve them going. Certain, scientific information is all the time going to profit us nevertheless it’s the traditions we apply that make us really feel good that scientific information doesn’t essentially help.


Sean McCawley, Fit for LIfe: Taking something out to feel better

A private coaching consumer confirmed up sporting new garments, hairdo, new sun shades — and a brand new confidence. What was his secret? A number of life-style modifications. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: An electronics-free dinner time

Health guru Sean McCawley urges individuals to show off the electronics and luxuriate in conversations dinner with their households.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: An alphabet for balance

Stability could be outlined as the flexibility to right imbalances. Sean McCawley has an train to assist this. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Why do I have poor balance?

Not many people have the talent and expertise of the champion Olympic gymnast Simone Bile, however there are methods to enhance our steadiness. 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Strong knees need strong hips

There’s nothing extra irritating than having to stroll at snail pace due to nagging knee ache, however one technique to preserve your knees wholesome is to be sure you do hip-strengthening actions. 


Sean McCawley: More help with sciatica

We will’t thrive in life when being held up by painful signs comparable to sciatica. Choose workout routines which might be easy, efficient, and straightforward to copy on weekly foundation to assist us reside ache free, joyful, and powerful lives.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Mitigating sciatica via fitness, Part 1

What causes the debilitating situation sciatica and may a very good train routine assist mitigate it? 

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Big, hairy, audacious goals

Every kind of feelings can hinder health plans. Sean McCawley has concepts for transferring forward to perform even the largest “furry audacious targets.”

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Sean McCawley: Training for travel

On the brink of journey once more? Ensure that to plan forward for journeys with a balanced train prescription to make sure your physique is powerful and injury-free to take pleasure in these life-changing experiences.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Fitness and pregnancy

The challenges of being pregnant are many, however understanding that the physique can nonetheless profit from a structured health routine all through being pregnant helps the physique journey by way of the psychological, bodily and emotional undertow.


Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Why we gain — and how we can lose — weight

Weight administration is difficult. As we age, our metabolism decreases. Nevertheless, the development of our age and the slowing of our metabolism is often not the first perpetrator with regards to gaining extra weight.

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Sean McCawley, Fit for Life: Maintaining the all-important joints

Ball-and-socket, hinge and saddle — these are only a few names of the joints chargeable for the frilly actions of our our bodies. They’re masterfully engineered, nonetheless, they’re in danger if they’re left unattended.

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Sean McCawley, the founder and proprietor of Napa Tenacious Health in Napa,  welcomes questions and feedback. Attain him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or go to the web site napatenaciousfitness.com.

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How Close Should We Work Toward Failure For Optimal Muscle Growth? – Muscle & Fitness

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How Close Should We Work Toward Failure For Optimal Muscle Growth? – Muscle & Fitness

From the first moment that most of us hit the gym, the question of how many reps we should execute, and how intensely we should train is a quandary that stays with us throughout our sessions. Do too many reps overtrain the muscle and obstruct growth? And how do our goals of building muscle, or increasing strength, relate to our regime?

Fortunately, a new scientific report seems to have the answer. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University worked on the major new study, to determine the best models for both strength and muscle hypertrophy outcomes, collecting data from 55 previous studies to map out their conclusions. The results showed that if your goal is to build strength, then working close to failure doesn’t appear to have a significant advantage. For muscle mass gains, however, the closer you get to failure, the more muscle growth tends to occur.

“If you’re aiming for muscle growth, training closer to failure might be more effective. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you adjust training volume by changing sets or reps; the relationship between how close you train to failure and muscle growth remains the same,” said Michael C. Zourdos, Ph.D., senior author and professor and chair of the Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion within FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science commenting to sciencedaily.com “For strength, how close you push to failure doesn’t seem to matter as much.”

Optimal Muscle Growth Method

So, how do we put this into practice? The study authors recommend working so that you get to 0-5 reps shy of failure for best results in terms of optimal muscle growth but remember to work within your limits to avoid injury. For strength training, the experts recommend stopping at 3-5 reps short of failure.

“When people estimate how many reps they have left, this perception influences the weights they choose. If the estimation is off, they might use lighter weights than needed, which could limit strength gains. On the flip side, our meta-analysis shows that training closer to failure also leads to greater muscle growth,” said Zac P. Robinson, Ph.D., first author and a Ph.D. graduate of FAU’s Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion. “So, for the average individual, training close to failure may be the best option – as it seems to improve the accuracy of our perception of effort as well as gains in muscle size.”

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Improve Your Overhead Strength With The Scrape The Rack Press – Muscle & Fitness

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Improve Your Overhead Strength With The Scrape The Rack Press – Muscle & Fitness

The barbell overhead press is a true test of strength because nobody yells, “It’s all you, bro.” as they yank the bar from your chest. With the overhead press, you can lift it, or you can’t. Although the barbell overhead press is not the only way to improve overhead strength, it’s the one that allows you to lift the most weight, so it’s the king of the overhead jungle. For those seeking to improve their overhead press, you’re in expert hands. Tasha “Iron Wolf” Whelan, a world champion powerlifter and strongwoman athlete with over two decades of coaching experience, has the perfect exercise for you: the scrape the rack press, which can increase your upper body strength and muscle.

Here, Whelan explains what it is and how it is an overhead strength game-changer.

Why the Barbell Overhead Press Is An Effective Exercise

Barbell overhead presses are an essential exercise for several reasons. It promotes upper body strength by strengthening the shoulders, upper chest, triceps, and upper back while building a rock-solid core. This exercise mimics real-world pushing movements and reaching abilities, improving functional strength and performance. It also offers postural benefits by strengthening the shoulder and upper back muscles, reducing the risk of upper body injuries.

A barbell provides more stability because both hands are fixed on it. This greater stability makes it easier to go heavier than dumbbells,” explains Whelan.

What is the Scrape The Rack Press Exercise?

This exercise involves pressing a barbell overhead while keeping the bar in close contact with the rack’s uprights throughout the movement. By “scraping” the bar against the rack, you maintain a controlled and stable bar path, which improves stability and muscle engagement in the shoulders, triceps, and upper back.

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How To Do The Scrape The Rack Press

Whelan gives you the lowdown on performing this exercise with good form.

  1. Position the bar at shoulder height or slightly above in a power rack. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width. Too wide, and the shoulders could get cranky. If your grip is too narrow, and the range of motion extends, increasing triceps demand.
  2. With the barbell resting on the top of the “J hook,” elbows slightly in front of the bar, and wrists straight, brace your core.
  3. Press while keeping it in complete contact with the rack, “scraping” it as you extend your arms until lockout. Ensure your head moves slightly forward so the bar is directly overhead. Avoid flaring your elbows out or losing contact with the rack. Maintain a neutral spine; shoulders, elbows, and wrists should align when arms are locked out.
  4. Lower the bar back to the starting position on the top of the “J hook,” keeping it in contact with the rack to maintain control and good form.

Benefits of the Scrape The Rack Press

Whelan explains why it’s so great and how it can improve your overhead strength.

Better Stability:

By using the rack as a guide, lifters can maintain a consistent and proper bar path, which helps stabilize the weight and reduce the risk of shoulder strain.

Increased Muscle Emphasis

This variation emphasizes the deltoids and triceps while engaging the upper back muscles due to the controlled movement along the rack.

Setup Ease

Setting up inside the rack is safer, especially when lifting heavier weights. The safety bars can be adjusted to catch the bar if needed, and the rack acts as a guide and spotter while pressing.

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Improved Technique

The rack provides a tactile cue that helps lifters maintain good form, encouraging a vertical bar path and reducing excessive backward lean and lower back arching.

Workout and Programming Suggestions

The scrape-the-rack overhead press is excellent for anyone who has shoulder mobility to go overhead. Here, Whelan gives you sets and reps based on your workout experience.

Beginners: Three sets of 8-12 reps with a lighter weight to focus on form and technique and get used to the bar path.

Intermediate: Three sets of 6-8 reps, gradually increasing the weight as you become more comfortable with the movement, slowly building strength and hypertrophy.

Advanced: Five sets of 3-6 reps with heavier weights, focusing on maximal strength and power.

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Additional Considerations

Mobility: To perform overhead presses safely, ensure adequate shoulder and thoracic mobility. Incorporate mobility exercises such as shoulder arm bars, thoracic extensions, rotations, and lat stretches into your warm-up.

Progression: Gradually increase the weight as your strength and form improve, ensuring you do not compromise your technique for heavier loads.

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Outdoor fitness court will create free exercise space at Jackson College

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Outdoor fitness court will create free exercise space at Jackson College

Jackson College is set to open an outdoor Priority Health Fitness Court Studio on its central campus on Aug. 12, 2024. The open-air space was made possible through a partnership between the college, Priority Health and the National Fitness Campaign. (Photo provided by Jackson College)Courtesy Photo | Jackson College

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