The Longevity Combine: Muscle Size and Muscular Endurance (Part 3 of 4)
The Longevity Combine: Muscle Size and Muscular Endurance (Part 3 of 4)Practical Tests to Assess and Improve Your Health and FitnessIt fills me with pride that the Longevity Minded newsletter surpassed 400 subscribers last week. I’m grateful for every one of you that reads and applies these strategies and tactics in pursuit of living longer, feeling healthier, and cultivating a purposeful life. Now, onto the newsletter… If you missed the last two weeks, we’ve been covering practical tests to assess and improve your health and fitness: This week we’re covering tests for muscle size (hypertrophy) and muscular endurance. Next week we’ll close this series with assessments for your aerobic peak and anaerobic capacity. Tests to Assess and Improve Your Hypertrophy and Muscular EnduranceHypertrophy (Muscle Size) TestsHypertrophy is an exercise-induced increase in muscle size. The aesthetic part of hypertrophy is up to you. You get to decide what feels and looks good. I encourage you to strive to achieve the physique of your dreams. However, there is a certain amount of muscle that you MUST have to escape the danger zone. If you are below that number, your lack of muscle will contribute to the degradation of your health and your inability to perform activities of daily living into old age. How do you know whether your musculature is sufficient? Body composition tests. The Gold Standard: DEXA ScanFor a primer, read this article on the utility of DEXA Scans and how to understand your results. One of the key pieces of information a DEXA Scan provides is your body fat percentage. With your body fat %, your total body weight, and your height, you can use an online calculator to determine your FFMI score. FFMI stands for fat-free mass index. It provides insight into your muscle mass in relation to your height and weight. ScoreIf you’re a man, your FFMI should be 20 or higher. If you’re in the 24-25 range or above, assuming you’re reasonably lean, you have a very solid amount of muscle mass. Well done. Women should look for a score of 18 or above. If you’re sub-17 as a man or sub-15 as a woman, you’re in the danger zone. That means you are insufficiently muscled and should dial up the frequency and/or intensity of your resistance training sessions. CaveatIt’s important to look at body fat in conjunction with FFMI. It’s possible to have an FFMI that is optimal and unhealthy levels of body fat at the same time. Other Body Composition TestsAlthough DEXA Scans will provide the most accurate results, there are other body composition tests out there:
Muscular Endurance TestsThere are a number of ways to measure muscular endurance. PlanksYou should be able to hold…
Push-upsMethodUnless you have a reason to limit range of motion, fitness testing should always be performed through a full range of motion. For a push-up, that means locking out your elbows at the top and your chest touching the ground at the bottom. Keep your method consistent each time you perform the test so you can accurately compare results and measure progress. ScoreMen should be able to do 25 consecutive push-ups. No pausing, just up and down like a piston for 25 reps. If you’re a male in the 10 to 25 push-up range, you have some work to do. And if you’re under 10 then that’s a serious red flag. Females should aim for at least 3 to 5. If you cannot do at least 3 push-ups, you need to work on strength and not muscular endurance. Reverse Engineer Strength Tests to Measure Muscular EnduranceAnother way to measure muscular endurance is by taking the results of your strength tests, loading the weight to 75% of your one rep max (1RM), and then doing as many reps as possible. For example, say my 1RM on the leg extension test was 200 lbs. I’ll take 75% of that weight (150 lbs) and do as many reps as I can muster. A good score using this test is 8 to 12 reps. If you do substantially more than that, say 15 to 20 reps, you either:
If you’re under the 8-rep threshold, you need to work on your muscular endurance. This 75% of 1RM test provides an accurate measure of muscular endurance and can be applied to any strength exercise. Just make sure you can perform the movement with proper form through a full range of motion. Don’t risk injury. Assessing Weak Spots: Strength vs. Muscular EnduranceIf you are unable to perform one single push-up, you don’t have a muscular endurance problem. You have a strength problem. Muscular endurance is completely irrelevant if you can’t yet perform one rep of something. So, focus on getting stronger. Use the principles from a previous newsletter, 4 Ways To Scale Any Exercise, to make the exercise you want to get stronger at easier or harder. If you are not strong enough to perform a movement yet, you can make great progress by repeating the eccentric (lowering) part of the exercise with a slow tempo. That is exactly how I became strong enough to do pull-ups when I was a kid. That’s all folks. Get out there and have some fun testing. And if the spirit moves you, let me know how it goes! I always love hearing from readers. Much love to you and yours, Jack If you liked this post from Longevity Minded, why not share it? DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Internet. Speak with a medical professional before doing anything medical-related. |
Key phrases
Older messages
The Longevity Combine: Speed, Power and Strength (Part 1 of 3)
Thursday, March 2, 2023
Practical Tests to Assess and Improve Your Health and Fitness
How to Assess & Improve Your Exercise Form with a Zero-Cost Test
Thursday, February 23, 2023
I'm a self-conscious exerciser. I have a little voice in the back of my head questioning everything I do. Telling me that my form sucks or that I'm weaker, slower, and less powerful than others
The Guide to Immediate Happiness
Friday, February 17, 2023
11 Proven Ways To Be Happier (Without Waiting Another Minute)
Using non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) to boost energy or enhance learning
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Happy Thursday! The last few newsletters were a little long. Let's keep this one short, sweet, and value-packed. Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR), or yoga nidra, is a type of
Using Light for Optimal Physical and Mental Health
Thursday, February 2, 2023
Light has a massive overall impact on our physical and mental health and overall well-being. It directly impacts our sleep, mood, focus, hormone levels, immune system, and distress tolerance (our
You Might Also Like
I quit sugar for 30 days
Thursday, May 2, 2024
What I learned, where I failed, and what's next ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Take the Stairs
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Take the stairs for longer life, a too-tight sports bra can interfere with your breathing and your weekly recommendations. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
How the Media Environment Helps Trump. and Hurts Biden
Thursday, May 2, 2024
The media has changed dramatically since the last time these two men faced off ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Adventure is out there
Thursday, May 2, 2024
But first: the game we won't shut up about — Check out what we Skimm'd for you today May 2, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser Header Image But first: the game we won't shut up about Update
"Default Taupou" by Grace Iwashita-Taylor
Thursday, May 2, 2024
come closer / consider my fisted hands trembling Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 2, 2024 Default Taupou Grace Iwashita-Taylor come closer consider my fisted hands trembling how the
Starting a fire
Thursday, May 2, 2024
John August reminds you that as a writer it's your job to burn the house down. Splash metaphorical or real gasoline all over the place, strike a match and let it fly. You need to burn down houses.
The Anti-Cutoff Shorts Everyone Will Be Wearing In 30 Days
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Summer is coming.
Charge Big Oil with conspiracy, former tobacco prosecutor says
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Following the release of new internal documents, Sharon Eubanks told the Senate Budget Committee that there is evidence for a DOJ climate case against Big Oil. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Clicking This Fake Chrome Update Could Drain Your Bank Account 🚨
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
When to Use a Credit Repair Service. A new Android-based malware is posing as a Google Chrome update and can steal your bank information and more. Here's what you need to know to avoid it Not
‘Help! Our DEI Trainer Won’t Stop Talking About Kink’
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 ADVICE 'Help! Our DEI