Last year we posted a whole series of articles on various areas related to training and nutrition on YPSI.de. The five most read articles in the past year were:
5. Don't chew gum - Of all the tips I regularly give my clients to maximize their success, the one that most often causes surprised faces is this: don't chew gum. Why? Chewing gum can temporarily increase mental performance. However, constant chewing of chewing gum ensures: You can find the article here
4. More curls for more pull-ups... - One of the most important principles in program design for fastest gains is: “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Strengthen the weakest link and the whole chain will become stronger...” Especially for women, the weakest link and thus the limiting factor in pull-ups is usually the lower quarter of the movement. Initiating the pull-up from a fully extended elbow. In this case, the muscular limiting factor is elbow flexor strength. You can find the article here
3. Faster acceleration, here's how it works... - Faster acceleration isn't just important for sprinters. In all team sports such as football, ice hockey, basketball or rugby, the team whose player gets to the ball/puck first has the advantage. A quick start is also crucial in duel situations or when breaking away from an opponent. The same applies to almost all Olympic disciplines and martial arts. The athlete who gets from A to B faster is more successful. You can find the article here
2. You want to learn a pull-up? That's how it works... – One of the simplest and at the same time for many most difficult exercises is the pull-up. Women in particular often find it difficult to pull up. Bands, lat pulldowns or pull-up machines are often recommended to make it easier to learn how to pull up. However, in the YPSI we do not recommend any of these three options. Since they only lead to success very slowly. Bands alter the resistance curve in opposition to the pull-up's strength curve. They support the area where you are mechanically strongest - bottom - and don't support the mechanically weaker part of the pull-up - top. This reduces the training effect. Pull-ups on the machine - with knee or foot pads - on the other hand give the body stability and relieve it of a lot of work. Thus, the training effect is reduced. When doing a lat pulldown, you move a stack of weights instead of your body weight, a big difference neurologically. Which leads to a lower training effect. The most successful and fastest way to learn a pull-up is: You can find the article here
1. The YPSI Squat Vacation - Vacations are associated with rest and relaxation - not in this case. This vacation is tough. It consists of 18 training units in 6 days - all consisting solely of squats. The inspiration for the squat holiday came from one of, if not the most productive training routine - the super-accumulation phase. The original program takes you through 2 workouts per day, alternating between an upper and lower body day for 5 days, followed by 2 days of rest and another 5 training days. The program is an excellent way to build size and strength in a minimal amount of time - provided you have the time and drive to push through the program. You can find the article here
And the most commented post was:
Ask the Coach #4 – An Advanced Squat Vacation – … You can repeat the squat vacation. How often you can repeat it depends primarily on your time and your regeneration. If you still have 2 months off I would do it in 7 weeks towards the end of the free time. If this is your second time doing the squat vacation, I would also recommend making the structure and exercises a bit more advanced. Then you have a new attraction and a new challenge. And so it's easier for you to pack another 20kg on your squat max and break through the 85kg limit for body weight. An advanced variant of the squat vacation that I would like to recommend is as follows... Find the article here
Enjoy reading and good luck with training in the coming year!
Image: Some highlights of the YPSI in 2016.