Podium Talk

Powerlifting and weightlifting shoes have been around for quite some time and are used by elite athletes and recreational lifters. Stability and greater force production are something that is always talked about as an effect of using these shoes. Specialised weightlifting gear is often expensive, and shoes are no different. In this case, many lifters also use flat-bottom sneakers or a small weight plate under the heel. The reasons for the two alternatives are very different from each other. The flat bottom shoes are mostly used for stability, whereas the plate is used to elevate the heel. In this article, we will be discussing the effects of using weightlifting shoes or a plate under the heel while performing barbell back squats. We need to understand the reason behind using any form of heel elevation while performing squats. The most probable culprit is poor ankle mobility, because of which the athlete is not able to effectively move the knees ahead and then compensates by leaning for...

Almost everyone involved in physical exercise has experienced muscle cramps at some point in time. It can be explained as a painful and involuntary muscle contraction that locks the joint in place. They occur mostly in longer muscles that span two or more joints. Once experienced, athletes may continue to cramp unless adequate rest is provided. There are many theories as to how muscle cramps occur and what can be the possible solutions to relieving them. They are sometimes inaccurately termed as heat cramps. Exercise-associated muscle cramps do not have a relation with body temperature and do not recover with an external cooling modality, like an ice pack. If the theories of muscle cramps do not interest you, skip to the last part where you can learn how to deal with muscle cramps. One of the oldest theories is based on dehydration and electrolyte imbalance that occurs during exercise. It states that sweating alters the chemical balance of the fluids present in the body, which affects...

Caffeine as a naturally occurring drug has a very rich history. It has travelled around the world in mysterious ways through coffee beans. It originally required specified equipment to brew, but with the invention and popularisation of instant coffee, it has truly reached the masses. While many drink coffee and derived beverages for enjoyment, it has physical benefits too. Athletes and any other population can reap the performance boost that caffeine provides. The way in which it works is fascinating. Caffeine moves through the blood into the brain (only a few molecules are able to cross this barrier). Once in the brain, it attaches to receptor sites of the molecule called adenosine. Adenosine is responsible for the perception of tiredness and fatigue. Since caffeine molecules have blocked the sites, adenosine is not able to attach there and thus the feeling of fatigue is alleviated. This is exactly why people drink coffee to pull an all nighter before an exam. Caffeine has been found...

Not to be mistaken as a booty workout guide, this article aims to solve a physiologically important question. What we will be looking at is the amount of motor unit recruitment of the gluteus maximus that occurs with the particular exercise. Along with a few practical considerations, this should help us to pick the perfect exercises for the upcoming leg day. Gluteus maximus is supposed to be the primary hip extensor muscle group, which is found to be very important for strength and athletic movements like sprinting, cycling, jumping, and olympic lifting. Hip extensor strength is sought after by coaches to help improve the movements and sports mentioned earlier and also as a means to increase strength for performing compound lifts. The most popular exercises known by the masses for lower body resistance training specifically to target this muscle group are the barbell back squat, the barbell hip thrust and the Romanian deadlift. But as we shall see, it is not that obvious. Barbell Back ...

Oh, how we all love to push ourselves to the very limit. When the last rep is moving slower than a snail. Yet we ask our spotters not to touch the bar, because ‘we got it’. We push on until the muscles burn and our heart rate is skyrocketing. It’s an exhilarating feeling. It gives us a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction to know we did our best. In addition to the feeling, many trainers also advise training to failure. The claim is that this results in a higher degree of muscle damage and thus greater muscle hypertrophy. It has been advocated by many lifters and bodybuilders as well. I hate to break it to you, but we might be wrong about this belief. Researchers have found that if the volume is equated, hypertrophy is greater for the people who do not train to failure. Volume is the total number of repetitions in a given time for a particular muscle group. This means if the same amount of work is being done, maybe with an additional set to make the number of repetitions in the wor...

We always hear about how important movements like the squat, deadlifts, cleans are for lower body development, having a stronger historical foothold. In these, it’s generally about raw strength and power, and the topic of discussions in changing rooms, where people claim extraordinary personal records or targets.   Lifters are underwhelmed about unilateral (single leg/arm) exercises as a whole. We rarely hear people discuss about how amazing a particular lunge was for their gains. If we look at any isolated movement from a functional activity or competitive sport, it is almost always a unilateral one. Think about it. Running, jumping, vertical and horizontal leaps, changing direction, they are all predominantly unilateral. Granted, the weight on the bar while performing a split squat, lunge or any single leg movement isn’t anything to brag about, whereas the effects these produce on the overall strength and power is astoundingly comparable and is sometimes seen to exceed that of th...

Workout accessories have evolved to include very niche products, the likes of which are probably never purchased or used by the majority. However, the weightlifting belt is one of the oldest and most popularly recommended and used worldwide. It’s not just the elites, but many recreational lifters swear by its efficiency. Some of the more common claims are its stability benefits, back injury prevention uses, and many claim that it helps them lift heavier. Today we will put these claims to the test by reviewing some research on this very subject. Firstly we need to understand the possible reasoning for the above claims. The stability aspect could be explained by the abdominal compression that the belt provides. It is often applied in a way that would squeeze the torso and this is thought to add to the natural intra-abdominal pressure that is generated by the core muscles. Next, the claim of reducing the risk of back pain comes from the physical support that it may provide to the lower ba...

We don’t usually see bodybuilders compete in the strongman or powerlifting competitions, but we immediately assume that a jacked-up guy on Instagram must be incredibly strong. Looking at lifting videos of the 8 times Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman makes me think: Does size and strength really go hand in hand? For you to be strong, must you also have to look that way? What about the other way around — Does a muscular, lean body translate to tremendous strength? This has been a topic of discussion going back a few decades. Today we’re a lot closer to answering the above questions. Let us quickly get through the basics. Hypertrophy is an increase in size of, in this case muscle tissue. This can be of various types, since muscle is made up of protein and fluid. There can be an increase in protein mass, or volume (which includes fluid). Technically speaking, myofibrillar hypertrophy, or connective tissue and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Strength on the other hand is the functional nature, which de...

Soreness, micro-tears, and the burn! We hear these terms a lot in the weight room, though a lot of people aren’t sure exactly what these things indicate. Yet the same individuals advise about the desired intensity of exercise and casually throw the words around. We must have all felt sore at least once in our lives and are probably not excited about the sensation. How many times have you been told to aim for soreness while you’re at the gym? Have you felt proud to experience soreness, like it is proof of your efforts in the weight room? Is soreness the target if you want to achieve muscle growth? These questions are not thought about enough and seem almost obvious to many people. Speaking of soreness, it is the sensation of muscle discomfort felt as a result of muscle damage and can be induced by exercise. It is more prevalent after performing eccentric (negative) focused exercises, or when one is unaccustomed to that particular exercise form. It is an indicator of incomplete recovery ...

It's prevalent to encounter lifting advice in the gym. This one is as old as it gets. Let's examine it and see if it is a myth or a scientific truth. In my opinion, the squat is the godfather of all the lower body exercises. It has numerous variations and is an exercise that, once perfected for an individual, can be overloaded very effectively. It’s relatively safe to perform, with some equipment like the safety bar and the smith machine amplifying this quality. Although being a fundamental movement that is so essential to us even in our daily lives, there are many misconceptions around it which I need to face as a healthcare professional and a lifter. Somebody once decided that the knees going past the toes is apparently harmful and risky for the knees. Rationalisation was provided on the basis that this will limit the compressive stress and tension on the tendon of the quadriceps muscle, which in turn should prevent the inflammation of the tendon and knee pain. Even large res...

Many questions come into our minds before we can even take our first step toward fitness. Physical exercise might be the simplest yet one of the most efficient and consistent way to improve mental health, productivity, creativity and prevent illnesses. You might have been told several times about how good it is, and you’ve finally started out. Or you have been exercising for quite a while already. Wherever you are on your journey, I think it's always a great idea to cover the foundation, take a look back and reflect, if need be. The Why First and foremost, you must be aware of the why. Why is it that you are working out? Is there a goal? It can be very specific (eg. to have a body fat percentage below 15), or vague and abstract (eg. to become stronger). There is no golden formula, so pick what speaks personally to you. Having this covered would help you move forward consistently, and we can focus on more technical things from here on. Learning basic movement patterns and mastering ...