Starting and Maintaining a Weight Training Program Training Dynamics and Considerations ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
There are a number of factors you should consider before putting your training routine together. One of the first things you might want to think about is how much time you are going to allot to training. As mentioned, such considerations must be viewed in light of each individual‟s unique situation and lifestyle.
Fitness Goals _________________________________________________
Goal setting is not exactly a new concept in athletics. As above mentioned, research has consistently shown that it is an effective psychological strategy for enhancing all forms of athletic performance. Although goal setting is a rather simplistic task, certain basic concepts should be considered when establishing your goals. First of all, set goals that are both realistic and flexible. As mentioned in chapter 1, don‟t set a goal that is so impossibly high that you ensure failure. Goals that are totally unrealistic will only lead to frustration and failure. In the same light, don‟t set goals that are ridiculously low. Set goals that will challenge you, but ones that are attainable. Second, set specific goals. Research shows that specific goals are the most motivating. Trying to increase your bench press 20 pounds within 6 months is an example of a specific goal. Many people just say they want to get stronger. This goal is far too general to really motivate you in your training. All your goals should be very specific so that they can be easily measured. Simply saying that you want to get stronger is not enough detail. You need to be able to chart and document progress toward your goal. One way to measure your progress is to document your performance at set intervals. In the above example, you may want to evaluate your strength on the bench press once a month so you have a good measurement. Third, set adjustable goals. This means your goals are flexible enough to accommodate unexpected challenges. For instance, an injury may force you to modify your goal. If your goal is to run a certain marathon and you are injured, you may need to change your goal to do the half marathon or some other event. An injury doesn‟t need to mean you abandon all your plans. At the same time, you may find you are progressing quickly and need to raise your goal. Last but not least, keep goals focused on personal action. Don‟t forget to consider not only what you want to achieve, but also how you plan to achieve it.
Training Intensity _________________________________________________________
If you‟re going to get anything from your workouts, you need to work up a little sweat…and that means a little discomfort...okay, a little pain, too. Remember, the old cliche, “No pain, No gain”. If you do a set without struggling a little, you‟re wasting your time. The more you strain to make a lift the more development you‟re going to get. We are not saying you have to kill yourself, but you are going to have to tax your muscles to get development. So if you want to get the most out of your training, you have to be willing to get your hands a little dirty. You have to be willing to suffer a little bit, willing to struggle a little bit, and willing to work at it a little bit, because it doesn‟t come naturally. You‟ve got to work hard at it. Don‟t worry though, because training can be both rewarding and fun when you know how to do it properly and we are going to show you exactly how to do that.
Repetitions ____________________________________________
Here is something that may surprise you. If you watched us train, you would notice that we use a different number of repetitions for different exercises. Actually, there is a reason for this variation in repetitions. Let us explain. Skeletal muscles are made up of three different types of muscle fiber: slow (red), fast (white) and intermediate (pink). The so-called “slow twitch” fibers contract more slowly and have a high capacity for aerobic production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate…the “fuel” or chemical energy that is used by cells). They are thin fibers and are designed primarily for endurance work. The “fast twitch” fibers are thicker, contract rapidly and have a higher capacity for the anaerobic production of ATP. These babies are built for speed and power. Fast twitch fibers are activated in short term activities that depend almost entirely on anaerobic metabolism for energy, such as sprinting and lifting heavy weights. Slow twitch fibers are more active in endurance activities where energy is generated by aerobic metabolism. As you might have guessed, the intermediate fibers share characteristics of both slow and fast twitch fibers, ranging between them on a scale of endurance and power. Interestingly, skeletal muscles vary in the degree of slow, fast and intermediate muscle fiber that they contain. Muscles that do endurance work or those that must contract for extended periods of time in order to maintain body posture are generally made up of additional slower twitch fibers. The calves, forearms, abdominal and spinal erectors fit into this category. Areas that normally don‟t do endurance work such as the pectorals, deltoids and quadriceps tend to have additional “fast twitch” fibers. Although training can increase the metabolic capacity of both fibers, training does not appear to alter either the proportion or distribution of slow and fast twitch fibers that an individual possesses. Rather, this seems to be genetically determined. In short, you can‟t change the composition of “slow twitch” fibers to “fast twitch” fibers in a particular muscle group and vice-versa. Now here is the point we are getting at. Research, although not conclusive, indicates that muscles that are composed of predominately “slow twitch” fibers respond better when a high number of repetitions are used with light loads. Conversely, muscles that are made up of “fast twitch” fibers respond better to heavy loads with fewer repetitions. Consequently, when you are working muscles that are primarily constructed of “fast twitch” fiber like the quadriceps and pectorals, you should use heavier loads with few repetitions. On the other hand, when you are training muscles that are dominantly composed of “slow twitch” fiber such as the abdominal and spinal erectors, you should use a lighter resistance with more repetitions. Now you know why our repetitions vary from one exercise to the next. Once again, the research in this area is not in accord. Still, it is something you might want to look into and consider when designing your training routine.
Develop a Balanced Training Program _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did you ever notice those guys at the gym walking around in sweat pants with those huge upper bodies? Well, do you know why they wear sweat pants all the time? Because when they take their sweat pants off, their legs look like they belong on a high chair. We know some guys whose legs are so skinny they look like a pair of pliers in shorts. Be honest, do you want to look like that? Of course not! If you want good symmetry, you have to have a well-balanced exercise program. Don‟t spend all of your time working just your arms and chest. Give all your body parts a chance. You‟ll look better, feel better and your chances of injury will be a lot smaller. Not only that, but you
are only as strong as your weakest muscle. One weak link in a chain and it breaks. The same is true of your body…one weak link and it will eventually break.
Develop Good Muscle Balance _________________________________________________________________________________
Along the lines of developing a balanced training program, you should also develop a training program that will ensure good muscle balance. We already discussed this in detail in chapter 3, but we wanted to mention it here again because so many people fail to develop a fitness program that incorporates good muscle balance. In fact, this problem is very common with American bench pressers. They tend to work their anterior deltoids extremely hard but give very little attention to their posterior deltoids. As a result, they are constantly experiencing shoulder problems because of the muscle imbalance that they develop. In your training program you should always work both the prime mover and the antagonistic muscles. As aforementioned, this will not only make your body more symmetrical and pleasing to look at, but it will also keep you from injuring yourself due to muscle imbalance. If a muscle is injured because of muscle imbalance, first wait until the muscle is healed and engage in a program that will strengthen the weaker muscle and stretch the stronger one. We know we said this before, and if you don‟t remember us saying it, take your booty back to chapter 3 and read it again.
Incorporate Stretching Into Your Program _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From what we have observed over the years, most athletes and fitness enthusiast are an accident waiting to happen. Actually, some individuals should be sporting a sign that reads “accident in progress.” The reason for this is flexibility or rather the conspicuous lack of it. Trust us on this one, it would probably be easier to find an honest politician than an athlete who can touch his toes without bending his knees. Indeed, we would venture to say that less than 20% of the competitive athletes in the world are involved in a good flexibility program. That‟s competitive athletes. Plain folk, well, they don‟t stretch from one year to the next. The amazing thing is that there is a prolific amount of scientific research that has revealed that flexibility is not just important supplemental work, but it‟s also a must for preventing injuries. Needless to say, flexibility is even more important the older we get. This is something you definitely have to incorporate into your program. An individual who does not have adequate flexibility cannot move with ease through movements requiring extreme ranges of motion at the joints. He also significantly increases his chances for injury, especially in movements requiring a full range of movement. Research has shown that maintenance of an adequate range prevent or help relieve muscle spasms and muscle tears, all common problems associated with competitive sports. Besides increasing movement capabilities and reducing the possibility of injuries, flexibility can also enhance lifting performance. According to research, proper flexibility training will enable you to exert more muscular force in extreme ranges of movement. Coming out of a deep squat or pushing from the chest in a bench press movement requires
the ability to exert maximal force from positions of extreme muscular stretch. By improving hip and shoulder flexibility, this ability improves with the essential by-product of reducing the chances of injury to joints and muscles from overstretching…a good reason to stretch before every set that you attempt. Research also indicates that stretching vigorously for 15 seconds can significantly enhance muscular strength and size. Another good reason for stretching immediately after each set. Don‟t forget; make stretching a part of your program.
Don’t Kill Yourself ___________________________________________________________
This is a primary rule at most good gyms. Members are not allowed to kill themselves. Sure it would be great if you could squat 500 pounds, but if you haven‟t worked out since those days in the Little League, 500 pounds may be a little much. You can try it if you like. Go ahead and find out. Put the book down, drive over to the gym and crawl under the squat bar. We will wait here. Somebody has to call 911. So how much did you do? 100 pounds? That‟s great, but you have a ways to go to reach 500 pounds. If you can do 100 pounds today, your next goal should be 105 pounds, not 500 pounds. Let‟s be honest, after all, your chance of squatting 500 pounds, is about as good as beating Michael Jordan one on one. Heck, they‟re not even that good. It is possible, but it‟s not probable. Remember, that goals which are totally unrealistic will only lead to frustration and failure. Be realistic. When training, increase your workload and intensity gradually. Bear in mind you are trying to get a little muscle, not a hernia. Take your time. This is supposed to be a life long activity, not a life threatening one. Of course, you have to overload the tissue to get development, but you don‟t have to tear it completely in half. Another important point is to never attempt to work through an injury or injury related pain. When your body says NO! Don‟t say Go! Just stop. “If you do something and it hurts, don‟t do it. Pain is a warning signal that something is wrong. If you have pain, stop and don‟t start again until you‟re pain free. Remember, you don‟t want to kill yourself. Believe us, it will pay off in the long run. It goes without saying that you don‟t have to wait until you‟re injured to say NO! Isn‟t that good news? Actually, we see this type of behavior all the time. “Taking it to the limit,” sounds great, but it‟s not the way to get great gains. Listen to your body. If it tells you that‟s enough, don‟t get a second opinion. Hit the showers.
Developing a Training Program ____________________________________________________________________________________
Developing a training routine is your next step. Get prepared for a real challenge, because constructing a good training routine is about as easy as figuring out a Rubik‟s Cube. You may find that statement strange since just about every fitness expert in the universe and beyond has published his training routine. Logically, you are logical or you wouldn‟t have read this far, you would assume that all you would have to do is use one of the published routines, right? Wrong! Well, partially right. Now that‟s a quantum leap in logic. If you review the routines that are published, you will probably notice that very few of them are the same. In short, few of the experts and athletes who published their routines train the same way. Practically
every one of them has his own ideas as to the number of sets and repetitions you should do, how much resistance to use, how much rest to take between sets, what supplemental exercises to perform and how many days to train. If you check it out, you will probably find that the only point they agree on is the principles of training. Most of the training routines that are published indicate that in order to increase strength, you should use a heavy resistance with few repetitions and in order to develop muscular endurance, you should use a light resistance with many repetitions. That is generally where the agreement ends. This lack of consistency should clue you in on a very important point, namely, that individuals can achieve success by training differently. Actually, it only makes sense that individuals should train differently. Like I said before, God did not create all men equal. Just from a genetic standpoint, individuals are different as far as muscle fiber, tendon, strength, vascularization, body chemistry and mechanical efficiency…and that‟s only a few of the physiological differences. Besides the physical differences, there are also considerable social and psychological differences among individuals. Each of us has different demands placed upon us as far as time, responsibility, jobs, home life, etc. We eat differently, work differently, sleep differently and play differently. In short, we are all very different and unique. Consequently, it would only stand to reason that an individual‟s training routine should be designed to meet his unique physical characteristics and lifestyle. Unfortunately, many individuals, that included Bill Phillips, don‟t consider the aforementioned differences among men. They seem to believe that if Janet Jackson or Terrell Owens is successful using a particular routine, they will be too. It doesn‟t work out that way. What works great for one person may be a disaster for another. Yes! Bill Phillips is dead wrong…not everyone should train the same way. There is one more point that you need to be cognizant of when selecting a training routine to experiment with and that‟s percentages. The majority of the training routines that have been published are based on percentages. That‟s like trying to compare oranges with apples. You just can‟t do that! Here‟s why…a ten percent jump for a individual who is bench pressing 200 pounds is a lot different than a ten percent jump for a lifter who is bench pressing 100 pounds. The obvious error with the percentage program is that the individual who is lifting the most weight is expected to improve the most. For instance, the lifter who is benching 200 pounds is expected to improve 20 pounds, (10% of 200 pounds = 20pounds) while the lifter who is benching 100 pounds, is only expected to increase 10 pounds (10% of 100pounds = 10 pounds). In reality, it is much easier for the less proficient individual to improve than it is for an individual who is near his optimum potential. In order for a training program to be used universally, it would have to be calibrated so that it could be used at any stage of development. One way this could be done would be to incorporate a percent of gain method. Even when training routines are successfully calibrated, there is still the factor of individual differences to be considered. In brief, the training routines of champions may give you some good ideas and guidelines, but more likely than not, they are not suited to meet your specific needs. It is true that we are more alike than we are different, but the fact still remains that we are unique with unique circumstances. Consequently, we need to tailor our training to meet our own specific needs. As with cardiovascular training, it is a good idea to develop your own training routine by way of trail and error. Try routines that you think will meet your specific needs and unique situations. Plot the success you have with each routine. Also, it‟s a good idea to keep an elaborate diary. Record how you feel, what you eat, the time it takes you to work out and of course, the exercise, weights and repetitions that are used. Eventually, by trial and error you will be able to put together a routine that will meet your specific needs.
Develop a Good Game Plan ______________________________________________________________________________________
We have never met a successful person who didn‟t have a good game plan. In fact, if there were one common denominator that seemed to separate the successful people from the ordinary people, it would be that successful people consistently maintain a systematic goal-oriented program. Success is seldom achieved by chance. If you have no idea where you are going in life, how can you expect to get there? Successful individuals realize that without something to shoot for or without a sense of direction, the potential for failure is significantly increased. Successful individuals know exactly what they want and exactly how to get what they want. It is virtually impossible to achieve anything of true significance unless your thoughts and desires are linked to a purpose. A good game plan will give you a starting place and a destination. The process is very clear. You conceive an idea; you believe in that idea and then, you construct a solid game plan to achieve it. Constructing great game plans is our specialty.
Overtraining _____________________________________________________
Actually, overtraining is a fairly common dilemma that many athletes face in their attempt to achieve optimal performance. As the term implies, overtraining occurs when an individual trains too much. Although most of us have been taught that there is a direct relationship between hard work and success, too much work will not only decrease the likelihood of success, but it may also even bring about serious injuries. Research has consistently shown that if a muscle is placed under stress and then stressed again, without being given enough time to recover, the muscle will become weaker rather than stronger. Continued use of fatigued muscles is especially injurious if the muscles exhaust their supply of glycogen and utilize the protein of their own cells for energy. Many athletes, even world class athletes, perform far below their physical capabilities because they are unaware that they are overtraining. The physical and psychological symptoms of overtraining include: persistent soreness, muscle and joint stiffness, loss of weight, constipation or diarrhea, depression, staleness, headaches, fatigue and any other unexplained drop in performance. Another warning sign of overtraining is injuries…sometimes lots and lots of injuries. Jay Shafran puts it this way. “It is impossible to train „hard‟ and train a large amount at the same time. Endurance and speed training aside, the mere trauma to the muscles when working at the maximum effort for a long period of time makes such effort almost impossible to sustain. Most often, pushing it to the limit brings too many other muscles into play to help perform the exercise. There‟s a danger to those muscles as well as the primary ones.” If you overwork, there‟s a good chance you‟re going to get hurt. Consequently, multiple or recurring injuries just might be your body‟s way of saying, “Damn, hell, bleep, already …stop this madness you schmuck!” In case you don‟t want to wait for your body to scream out in pain and injury, there are a number of methods which have been used to determine whether or not you are overtraining. One simple method is to take your resting pulse rate each morning as soon as you wake up. If your pulse rate is seven beats per minute faster than your normal pulse rate, it‟s a sign that you may be overtrained. The East Germans, who are leaders in the area of sports medicine, have a more sophisticated method for determining when an athlete is overtraining. They monitor the enzymes in the athlete‟s blood. The procedure is based on the hypothesis that when a muscle is injured or overtrained, it increases its production of enzymes in order to help
heal the injury. Thus, if an athleteâ€&#x;s enzyme blood level significantly increases in concentration, he is considered to be overtrained and is restricted from further training. In New Zealand, hemoglobin levels are used as indicators of training progress. If the athleteâ€&#x;s hemoglobin count remains normal or increases, he is encouraged to keep training. On the other hand, if his hemoglobin level drops, the athlete is thought to be overtrained, and his training is stopped or reduced. When you find that youâ€&#x;re overtrained, the best thing to do is to take time off so that your body can recuperate, then start back slowly. It might also be a good idea to reevaluate your goals and the training procedures you are using to achieve these goals. Remember, the idea is to develop your body, not to destroy it.