Weight Training

You can get both muscular and strong by training with weights, but by modifying your approach and program, you can concentrate on one or the other -- strength or muscle. Of course, you can try to hit the sweet spot that gives you a good amount of both strength and muscle.

Here's a brief summary of the anatomy and physiology of muscle and how you can train to achieve certain outcomes.

---> What You Need to Know About Muscle

Keeping fit is about heart and lung fitness, and strength and muscle. Training for both also keeps your body weight in the healthy range. If you're an athlete like a marathoner or Olympic lifter, you need to concentrate on the main game, which is either running or lifting. But if in between, you can do both, and the only thing is figuring out the best way to do it.

---> Mixing Weights and Running

Sets and repetitions are the fundamental building blocks of a resistance training program. You need to understand how to combine various set and rep numbers for best effect. Strength training is not the same as bodybuilding or muscle training -- and then there's power training and possibly weight training for endurance.

---> Understanding Sets and Reps for Weight Training Success

I've considered dozens of sports that might benefit from weight training; in fact most sports and athletic activities and physical fitness programs in general can benefit from strength training.

But bowling? Yes, even bowling. When you analyze the final delivery action in bowling (lane bowling that is), you can see the fine motor skill, strength, balance and core strength required to control the ball.

---> Weight Training for Bowling

Body fat is an essential constituent of a healthy body. Men carry less body fat than women, and athletes and bodybuilders generally carry the lowest amount of body fat for people who are not ill.

Yet excess body fat causes a litany of health problems, and it does this, in the metabolic sense, by deranging metabolism. Too much fat in the bloodstream, and stored around vital organs causes normal metabolic parameters to go awry. Diabetes is one consequence. See how fat is handled in the body, from consumption to storage: Secrets of Body Fat.

We all know that protein is important for growth, replenishment and re-constitution of the human body -- for normal function, but also in sickness and especially during demanding exercise. You can overdo it, yet for the most part a little too much protein is not a problem.

However, to understand what's going on with protein in your diet, you need to know a little about protein metabolism and how this affects your target consumption and dietary approach.

---> Protein Secrets in Weight Training and Metabolism

Carbohydrates have received a bad rap over the last 10 years or so -- what with low-carb diets and other propaganda that wants us to believe that carbohydrates, including the fruit sugar fructose, are nothing short of poisonous.

Well, it's just not true. To stay fit and well, you need to exercise powerfully and often. For this you need carbohydrates and you cannot substitute fat or protein for carbs in this regard.

See what I'm talking about ---> Secrets of Carbohydrates

Okay, so it sounds cute; but it's not impossible -- steroid free -- given an appropriate anatomy and physiology and the right training and nutrition program. It's certainly more achievable than some outrageous claims for muscle growth one sees in muscle mags and supplement pitches.

You need hard work, metabolic overload, and appropriate eating.

See how it all pans out: Muscle Up: 12 Pounds of Muscle in 12 Weeks.

Every now and then I see something a little different in the physical activity and sports realm that catches my eye. And believe me, I get a lot of stuff through my mailbox. Konkura is an interactive social site that provides challenges for you to participate in, or even create yourself. Here's how principal, Ian Worthington, describes it.

"Konkura is the free sport, fitness and workout site where you can join, share or create challenges for every sport or fitness activity imaginable. Whether you're a strength athlete, runner, cyclist, swimmer, rower, footballer, or just interested in getting a little fitter or losing weight, you'll find a challenge for you, and a community of like-minded people to train against and enjoy friendly competition and extra motivation with. And if you can't find a sport or exercise challenge that suits you, you can quickly and easily create your own, then invite your friends (or the whole world) to compete with you for mutual motivation."

Check it out for yourself. (I have no financial or other interest in Konkura.)

Field hockey has little in common with ice hockey -- except perhaps a curved stick. However, both rely on power, strength and speed for optimum performance. Core strength and flexibility -- abs to lower back -- is very important because of time spent, and moves executed in this position with the trunk flexed.

See what you can do to improve your strength and power with a weight training program for field hockey.