High Repetitions with Lighter Weights

 The more repetitions one does, the heavier the weight becomes — and not that a weight remains the same and one can do infinite repetitions — by extrapolating theoretically. Practically, the more repetitions one does, the heavier a weight seems because the muscle becomes fatigued — particularly if one is articulating and increasing the range of movement. As one increases the range at both ends, it creates its own resistance to further movement in that direction — both in the contracted position as well as the relaxed position.

So using the example of a Nautilus pullover machine, the intent is to provide variable resistance through the full range of motion — however most people circumvent that range of motion to handle a heavier weight — because they think that the more important consideration is to increase the weight rather than the range — which is much more significant. Doing so causes the greatest difference between muscle contraction and muscle relaxation — which is the physics dictating fluid dynamics and movement.

There is a popular belief among theoretical exercise researchers who claim that one cannot spot reduce or spot develop any particular muscle in preference to any other — because of their belief that the heart alone pumps blood equally to every muscle — rather than to muscles activated in that movement. That is the reason most “bodybuilders” have lopsided developments — because all they do is bench presses or curls — rather than understanding that the muscle contracts at the insertion towards the origin, and then that origin when contracted as far as it can go, instigates the contractions of the more proximal (near the center of the body) muscle supporting it.

Understanding this chain-reaction, it is quite possible to activate as much of the musculature possible by focusing the range of movement at the furthest extremity — back towards the center of origin of all the muscles near the heart. Thus one would ensure the proper development of all the muscles along that line — because they are firing in the proper sequence and proportion as they were designed and evolved to. That would also be the most economical and efficient way to work out the muscles — as well as fatigue them — which is the objective of the workout. In fact, this is such a profoundly effective way of engaging the most muscles possible, that it is recommended that one must allow greater recovery time between such intense workouts — as few as once a week or even less!

That doesn’t mean that one should do nothing in the meantime — because such an intense workout also produces greater muscle soreness that can be reduced by doing those movement lengthening or shortening. That can be effected with no weights — but in simply knowing where those positions are. That was the great contribution of the Nautilus principles in isolating movement around a single axis of rotation — and then adding resistance. But then people got lost in using it to lift more weight — than as more important, fatiguing the muscle — to the point that it would fail even with no resistance at all.

One can achieve that with light weights — by increasing the range of the contraction and relaxation in both directions — which one will not do with heavier weight for fear of injury and lost of control. Most won’t consider it because it is harder — and thus preempt their “lifting” heavier weights. But the health benefit is that they are actually moving until they absolutely can’t — rather than taking the overly generous rest periods between handling heavier weights — and then doing 3–6 repetitions maintaining constant tension while holding their breath — that causes them to quit the exercise because of cardiovascular failure produced by not breathing, making their exercise anaerobic. And so they have to have a separate session to properly do “cardio,” or exercise with breathing (aerobics).

Integrating Exercise into Our Daily Living

 The most critically important parts and functions of the human body are at the head, hands and feet — which people overlook and ignore totally — but will be the death of them. Those are the parts of the body that tend to indicate aging — at the neck/face, hands and feet — because of its poorest circulation at the extremities.

Realizing this, the proper measurement of the effectiveness of the circulation would be at these extremities rather than the heart. The purpose of the heart, is to pump blood out to the extremities — and not merely to pump blood to itself. That’s already included in the evolution of the heart and has become an autonomic function — which means one does not have to get up each morning and get the heart pumping — or any other time of the day, except when trauma disrupts the heart beat.

At such events, alternating compressions of the chest, causes pressure differences in the chest cavity that simulate the pumping action of the heart (circulation) — but also, the same compressions cause the movement of air in and out of the lungs by varying that pressure within the lungs — and the environment provides atmospheric pressure of about 15 lbs per square inch. That means when one relaxes the pressure on the chest, air will automatically enter to equalize the pressure difference — making the old mouth to mouth resuscitation redundant and unnecessary.

Besides, if you blow air into a lung that is already half full, that new air doesn’t get to the lowest part of the lungs where it exchanges with the blood vessels because of the branching structure of lung tissue — similar to the blood vessels by evolutionary design. That means air and fluids have to follow a fixed pathway — and is not like a balloon like sac that randomly distributes gases and fluids.

This is an important concept in realizing that blood flow is dictated not by the contractions of the heart — but by the contractions at the extremity farthest from the heart — to complete the circuit. Therefore, the most effective movements for ensuring the health at these extremities, are the contractions that take place at the axes of the neck, wrist and ankle — and that activation and engagement, triggers similar contractions at the supportive muscles to which those finer muscles are attached — all the way back to the center of the body.

In throwing, hitting, writing, painting, playing a musical instrument, or opening a jar — the extension and flexion is the ultimate objective. In running, jumping, kicking, balancing, biking, the ultimate objective is to extend and flex at the ankle to use the foot as a lever against the earth — just as the hand does against any other object. But before those movements occur, the head turns to see, hear, take in information appropriately to determine the right action.

However, the sedentary life mainly makes those critical movements unnecessary — and that is the problem. And when people think of exercise, they think it is most important to get their heart working faster and harder — when the heart is always working appropriately as required — but there are no longer the critical movements of the head, hands and feet — that powered the evolution of the human being to levels beyond other animals — in the larger brain, upright posture, and tool-making ability. These capabilities are the first to go in the unexercised life.

What needs to happen to maintain this health and vitality — is to relocate the priority of movement at these axes of movement — rather than the heart, which one notes in marathoners as well as treadmillers, that the rest of the musculature remains undeveloped and atrophied despite their dedication — because there is no alternating contraction/relaxation (extension/flexion at the extremities that produce the blood flow there because the contractions produce the vacuum that allows the blood from the heart to replace it.

Instead, the steady state of the muscle retains the fluids at the extremities we recognize as edema, lymphedema, lipedema (inflammation) — which are the retention of the waste products produced by natural cell functions. Thus the body becomes toxic — and so the nerves die (neuropathies) — which are the familiar conditions of deterioration and disease of bodies blamed entirely on aging — rather than the lack of proper use of the human body to self-maintain and grow to health.

That is the major reason traditional/conventional exercises have failed to drastically address this “aging” process — because the emphasis is entirely misplaced to the heart primarily, but also to the biceps and abdominals — which are not primary muscles of function and expression. Both are supportive muscles to the movements of ultimate expression at the head/face, hands and feet. That is what has to move — up and down through the full range, and left and right through the full range for the head. Then there won’t be that awful atrophying of the neck we see in most deteriorating people which predictably causes dementias and the failure of the critical/cognitive functions of the head, grip strength, balance, etc. which are the markers of declining health associated primarily with age, but also in people of any age.

But once one properly activates and operates the human body as it was designed and intended to optimize its function and health, it takes care of itself.