Men's specific fitness

The core of men's specific fitness has never been the "universal muscle-building plan" and "strengthening the chest and arms to gain strength" spread online, but the customized training logic that completely fits the physiological characteristics and individual life needs of men - there is no standard answer suitable for all men, and effective training can solve your actual problems.

Not long ago, I met an old fan who works in Internet operations. After three years of 996, my shoulders and neck were so stiff that they looked like plasters. I followed the trend and practiced a certain blogger's "Men's Quick Muscle Gaining Course" for two months. I benched and deadlifted heavy weights three times a week. However, I didn't gain much weight. My trapezius muscles were thicker than my neck. I almost lost my waist when I bent down to pick up a document. In fact, many people's misunderstanding of men's specific fitness is essentially that they regard the aesthetic needs of bodybuilding as the only goal of all men.

Now the circle is going in two completely different directions: one is the special logic of traditional bodybuilding, which really takes advantage of the physiological characteristics of men with higher natural testosterone levels and stronger upper limb muscle recruitment ability. It focuses on compound pushing, pulling, and squatting movements to add dimension. If your goal is to play games or take photos, and you can wear tights after training to hold up, this set of logic is completely established； However, most practitioners in the sports rehabilitation circle do not agree with ordinary enthusiasts copying this set. After all, 90% of male office workers now have problems with rounded shoulders and forward pelvic tilt. Bench pressing with heavy weight will only lock the chest problem. The deadlift movement is slightly out of shape, and half of the lumbar vertebrae will be destroyed first. We often say that "a man's waist is his second face, and nine out of ten people who press the weight will injure their waists." This is really not a scare.

Last month, a reader who just became a father came to me and said that he used to be able to run five kilometers without gasping for breath when he was in school, but now he can't straighten up even if he carries a 20-pound baby for half an hour on the street. He feels like he's out of breath when he climbs to the third floor. Even life as a couple is a bit overwhelmed. He asked me if I have a training plan that doesn't take up time. I didn’t prescribe any bench press or deadlift table for him, so I asked him to spend 20 minutes every day practicing three movements: dead bugs to improve core stability, glute bridges to practice posterior chain muscles, and carrying two large buckets of water to do the farmer’s walk to practice overall strength. After practicing for a month, he sent me a message and said that he took his baby to the amusement park for two hours last week and his waist didn’t hurt. Last week, he won second place in the company’s stair climbing competition. For him, this is the most suitable male-specific training - there is no need to develop eight-pack abs, it is enough to be able to solve practical problems in life.

When it comes to men’s fitness, one thing that cannot be avoided is the discussion related to testosterone. There are actually quite a lot of differences in this industry. One school of thought believes that compound movements such as heavy squats and deadlifts can significantly increase the testosterone peak after training, and long-term persistence is beneficial to muscle growth and energy maintenance. ； However, the latest research data from another school shows that the increase in testosterone caused by this kind of training is only a short-term effect, and will return to the baseline level in up to 2 hours. On the contrary, people with irregular schedules and staying up late all year round rush to heavy weights, which will cause cortisol to continue to rise and inhibit the normal secretion of testosterone. For most ordinary enthusiasts, moderate-intensity training for about 40 minutes three times a week has a better effect on maintaining testosterone homeostasis.

I have been practicing for almost eight years, and for the first four years I also rushed to the weight. When I reached 140kg in the bench press, my shoulders were completely useless. It took me more than half a year to slowly resume training. At that time, I realized that the so-called men's specialization is never about who weighs more or is bigger, but whether your training can adapt to your life: sit in the office every day and type code, practice more middle and lower trapezoids and shoulder external rotation. Don't round your shoulders and hunchback at a young age to look ten years older.； If you usually have to run, jump, or carry heavy objects with your children, practice more core stability and cardiopulmonary training. Don’t complain that you are tired just after holding a baby. ； If you really like sports, just practice specific sports. Don't follow Internet celebrities to practice "boyfriend arms" every day. When playing ball, you can't even jump and touch the backboard. It's useless.

Oh, by the way, if you feel tired after practicing recently and have trouble sleeping, don’t rush to increase the weight and number of sets. First, check whether you have stayed up late for a week and had cold beer and barbecue every day. No matter how good you train, you can’t withstand the toll of life. To put it bluntly, there is no "god-level training method" that is exclusive to men. It is nothing more than a better understanding of your difficulties at different stages. Don't be led away by body anxiety on the Internet. If you feel comfortable after practicing and can solve your problems, it is the most suitable special training for you.