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Originally Posted by Samurai My BMI has been above 25 for the last 20 years. So what is the negative effect of >25 BMI? |
Honestly speaking, if keeping bodyfat low is not an aim in itself one should only be worries about internal measurements like blood pressure, blood glucose, insulin levels, cholestrol etc
Having 10% body fat does not determine whether one is healthy.
Running 50 km with 40 kg backpack also doesn't determine whether one is healthy.
Not having organ failure, heart attack, eye damage, hemorrhage etc is being healthy (in my opinion).
Regarding the point about pullsups - does it even matter?
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Unless you are into bodybuilding.
For bodybuilding purpose - it is better to NOT hang. Because the lats are already quite fully stretched even at the lower middle position. Any lower, and you will need to "shrug up" = move your ribcage up. Thus stretching other muscles also. Besides, stretching the muscles makes it easier to "bounce back" up using the stored elastic energy in the muscles and tendons.
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For the sole purpose of full pullups as a movement only, I am inclined to believe that only when one pulls up from the lowest hanging position should it be called a pullup. Though this is not necessarily better (for bodybuilding purpose) than "partial" as explained above
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Originally Posted by rajushank84 Thanks! I'm trying to figure out how far I can go to get fully lean. Problem is, the midsection fat seems to be so dense I have a feeling it will take a year or more to see any progress there. I'm just going to keep at it and see how it goes.
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Yeah, everyone has a different distribution of fat. It is tought to aim for washboard abs when the body's tendency is to store maximum fat on midsection. :(
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Originally Posted by comfortablynumb From what I have read and my instructor advises, raising heels (either in the air or with something under them) is not recommended while squatting. Or is that just a urban (gym) legend?
Cheers,
Vikram |
It appears to be urban legend.
Two words: Hindu squat.
More detailed response: Why would someone raise his heels while squatting? Usually because of less flexible achilles tendon that doesn't allow the knees to travel further ahead while squatting down thus making the exercise a good morning instead of simple up and down. We usually don't want this (good morning) because we want large quads ... and thus use block to raise the heels.
Oh but wait, we already have something similar being done by wreslters for ages now. Enter Hindu squats. So are they really problematic?
Because the knees joint is less sturdy than the hip joint. And some people pressed the panic button without realizing that:
a) the knee joint structure is quite capable of handling stresses in excess of what quadriceps muscles can lift
b) any muscles is very vulnerable at the extreme stretch position
c) any physical activity/exercise leads to increased risk of injuries (even getting up from sleep can cause back problems)
So if one wants to do hindu squat or raised heels squat - then as a precautionary risk measure don't drop down to lowest position and don't bounce out. Have control while descending and reverse the movement before approaching the point of extreme stretch.
But hey, isn't that valid for any exercise?
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