TRAINING VARIABLES
Understand What You're Doing!
Let's get some common myths out of the way before we continue...
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The video embedded at the top of this page does a great job going into deal about how muscle fibers are recruited based on the amount of weight and reps you are doing. Now that you know that weight and repetitions don't matter to increase muscle size as much as consistency, intensity, and nutrition, what type of training should you be focusing on? The answer to this question is pretty simple, both endurance and strength/hypertrophy training. It's important to note, however, that the training variables for each type of training are a little different since we learned that the two types of muscle fibers respond a little differently to stress. Follow my guidelines below, and you will be well on your way to weightlifting to your potential.
Endurance Weight Training
More glycogen storage, Repetitive, Slower
This type of training is safer than the latter and should always be the starting point for any new weightlifter, or before performing any new exercise to help you master form, proper range of motion, and proper muscle recruitment.
Repetition, Set, and Number of Exercises Per Workout.
Exercise Equipment: Anything will work, dumbbells, kettlebells, machines (regular and cable/cross trainers), but I like to include body weight and medicine balls in particular with this type of training.
Tempo: Every repetition should always be under your control, that is, the weight is not continually slamming, stretching, and tearing your ligaments. I like to keep a slow, constant pace on both the contraction and relaxation part of the motion. For this type of training, a slower tempo/longer time under tension (how long it takes you to complete the repetition) may be important . Your breathing should be constant and controlled just like your repetitions.
Rest Interval: Higher reps=shorter rest interval. I keep my rest between 30 seconds to 1 minute because the muscle fibers used in this type of workout recover quickly.
These are a few ways to manipulate the rest interval:
Rest Days: Muscle growth occurs AFTER a workout. Do not work out the same muscle group two days in a row. I recommend 2-4 rest days/week (not touching weights), with two being better than four.
*Intensity: At the end of every set, the chosen weight should be difficult enough that you should not have any energy or strength left to increase it, but not so difficult that you cannot complete the number of repetitions or the time interval you chose for the next set (you may even have to decrease weight if a novice lifter.)
More glycogen storage, Repetitive, Slower
This type of training is safer than the latter and should always be the starting point for any new weightlifter, or before performing any new exercise to help you master form, proper range of motion, and proper muscle recruitment.
Repetition, Set, and Number of Exercises Per Workout.
- Repetition: One full range of motion of the exercise, 15-30 repetitions
- Think more volume. 15-30 repetitions or continuous for a timed interval (30 seconds, 1 minute, 1 hour). Once you pick a number of repetitions for an exercise, you can usually stick with that same number for all of your sets. Aerobic is repetitive.
- Set: A consecutive number of repetitions followed by some kind of rest for THAT exercise, 2-5 Sets
- If the intensity is where it needs to be (*see below), 2-5 sets, or "rounds" for each specific exercise should be good. Generally, doing only one set of an exercise is garbage.
- Number of Exercises Per Week: 5-12 per muscle group
- The muscles I am referring to are the ones on the following pages. This range takes into account how many days you are training. The more days you are training, the more exercises you can do for one particular muscle group. The only rule with this is to give each muscle group 1-2 days of rest before working that muscle group again.
- Progression Overload- It is important to keep track of how many reps you completed previously for a specific weight so you can continue to increase your reps/weight each workout to cause new stress and growth on the muscle.
Exercise Equipment: Anything will work, dumbbells, kettlebells, machines (regular and cable/cross trainers), but I like to include body weight and medicine balls in particular with this type of training.
Tempo: Every repetition should always be under your control, that is, the weight is not continually slamming, stretching, and tearing your ligaments. I like to keep a slow, constant pace on both the contraction and relaxation part of the motion. For this type of training, a slower tempo/longer time under tension (how long it takes you to complete the repetition) may be important . Your breathing should be constant and controlled just like your repetitions.
Rest Interval: Higher reps=shorter rest interval. I keep my rest between 30 seconds to 1 minute because the muscle fibers used in this type of workout recover quickly.
These are a few ways to manipulate the rest interval:
- Circuit Training- doing consecutive (and different) exercises back to back, meaning, doing a set of one exercise and starting a set of another exercise without resting. This is NOT done with the same exercise (would still be considered one set/Tabata Training).
- Example: Exercise A *no rest* B *no rest* C *no rest* D *rest*, repeat
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)- Is most easily explained by working AS HARD AS YOU CAN for an amount of time, or number of repetitions, resting, and then doing it again AS HARD AS YOU CAN.
- Tabata Training- a type of High Intensity Interval Training (see below) where you do 20s of an exercise for as many controlled repetitions as you can, followed by 10s of rest for 8 rounds (4 minutes total). Weight should start out LIGHT, with the intensity increasing throughout the set from the super short rest time. Best if done on machines. Great finishing workout
Rest Days: Muscle growth occurs AFTER a workout. Do not work out the same muscle group two days in a row. I recommend 2-4 rest days/week (not touching weights), with two being better than four.
*Intensity: At the end of every set, the chosen weight should be difficult enough that you should not have any energy or strength left to increase it, but not so difficult that you cannot complete the number of repetitions or the time interval you chose for the next set (you may even have to decrease weight if a novice lifter.)
Strength and Power Weight Training
Less glycogen storage, Explosive, Quicker
This type of training is much more taxing on your nervous system than the former, as well as more unsafe due to the amount of weight you need to be using for the right intensity. Start incorporating this type of training into your routine once you feel confident lifting weights using the right muscles and proper form to prevent injury.
Repetition, Set, and Number of Exercises Per Workout
Weight: Heavy too heavy as shit. From the start of the first working set, the weight should be at least somewhat difficult to move.
Exercise Equipment: Barbells and Dumbbells are a MUST. When you are lifting anaerobically, the goal is to lift as much weight, for a designated number of reps, as possible. A barbell is the best piece of equipment to lift the most possible weight for each muscle group. Equipment that provides a constant tension throughout the range of motion (cables and some machines) are not ideal for this type of training because it's difficult to lift heavier weight with these machines.
Tempo: The harder part of the motion (the contraction or concentric part) should be EXPLOSIVE and you should EXHALE. You are literally pushing as hard as you can. If you find that this movement is causing the weight to move uncontrollably, the weight is probably too light or you need to strengthen your stabilizing muscles. During the easier part of the motion (the relaxing or eccentric part) it should take you about 2 seconds to reach the starting point of the repetition and you should INHALE.
Rest Interval: Anaerobic exercise uses fast twitch muscle fibers which take longer to recover than slow twitch fibers because unlike the latter, they are made to exert quick amounts of force. Your rest time should be minimum 1 and a half minutes, but sometimes much longer, depending on the amount of repetitions you are going for.
Rest Days: Muscle grows AFTER a workout. Do not work out the same muscle group two days in a row. I recommend 2-4 rest days/week (not touching weights), with two being better than four.
*Intensity: Imagine you base difficulty on a scale of 1-10. A 1 is little to no effort, and a 10 is complete fatigue. Your warm-up sets should always be below a 5. Your actual sets will start at a 6-7 (anything easier and it doesn't count as a set!) and progressively get harder either from fatigue from the previous set, or from increasing your weight after each set (more experienced weight lifter). Use your best judgement and you will become very good at picking the appropriate weights.
Less glycogen storage, Explosive, Quicker
This type of training is much more taxing on your nervous system than the former, as well as more unsafe due to the amount of weight you need to be using for the right intensity. Start incorporating this type of training into your routine once you feel confident lifting weights using the right muscles and proper form to prevent injury.
Repetition, Set, and Number of Exercises Per Workout
- Repetition: One full range of motion of the exercise, 3-12 Repetitions
- Less, 3 to 12. For this training, I pick a range of repetitions within 3-12, i.e 10-12, 8-10, 3-12, or sometimes even the same number of repetitions for all sets. With the wider range of repetitions, I try to increase the weight I am using at least once during the exercise to promote muscle hypertrophy - growing the muscle.
- Set: A consecutive number of repetitions followed by some kind of rest for THAT exercise, 2-6 Sets
- Warm-up Sets: You never want to start an exercise that works a new muscle with heavy weight without completing at least one warm-up set. The heavier the weight, the more warm-up sets you may need (3 sets max). These sets should not be very hard, and DO NOT COUNT towards the actual (working) sets. You don't need to warm up the same muscle after the first exercise for it.
- The bigger the muscle group, the more sets you should do for that muscle. For broad exercises (exercises you can lift more weight like bench press, leg press, shoulder press...anything with press in the name, as well as deadlifts and squats, etc.) do 3-6 sets (not counting warm up sets), and for specific exercises (exercises you can't lift a lot of weight like bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, and very specific parts of certain muscles) do 2-4 sets. The smaller the muscle, the quicker it will break down and the less sets you need.
- Number of Exercises Per Week: 5 to 10 per muscle group
- Again, as stated above in the aerobic section, the more days you work out, the more exercises you can do for a particular muscle.
- Don't work out the same muscle more than two times/week to allow for sufficient rest and growth with this type of training.
Weight: Heavy too heavy as shit. From the start of the first working set, the weight should be at least somewhat difficult to move.
- Progression Overload- It is important to keep track of how many reps you completed previously for a specific weight so you can continue to increase your reps/weight each workout to cause new stress and growth on the muscle.
Exercise Equipment: Barbells and Dumbbells are a MUST. When you are lifting anaerobically, the goal is to lift as much weight, for a designated number of reps, as possible. A barbell is the best piece of equipment to lift the most possible weight for each muscle group. Equipment that provides a constant tension throughout the range of motion (cables and some machines) are not ideal for this type of training because it's difficult to lift heavier weight with these machines.
Tempo: The harder part of the motion (the contraction or concentric part) should be EXPLOSIVE and you should EXHALE. You are literally pushing as hard as you can. If you find that this movement is causing the weight to move uncontrollably, the weight is probably too light or you need to strengthen your stabilizing muscles. During the easier part of the motion (the relaxing or eccentric part) it should take you about 2 seconds to reach the starting point of the repetition and you should INHALE.
Rest Interval: Anaerobic exercise uses fast twitch muscle fibers which take longer to recover than slow twitch fibers because unlike the latter, they are made to exert quick amounts of force. Your rest time should be minimum 1 and a half minutes, but sometimes much longer, depending on the amount of repetitions you are going for.
- Circuit Training- doing consecutive (and different) exercises back to back, meaning, doing a set of one exercise and starting a set of another exercise without resting. This is NOT done with the same exercise (would still be considered one set/Tabata Training).
- Example: Exercise A *no rest* B *no rest* C *no rest* D *rest*, repeat
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)- Is most easily explained by working AS HARD AS YOU CAN for an amount of time, or number of repetitions, resting, and then doing it again AS HARD AS YOU CAN. Best done with Plyometric (Jumping) Training and Crossfit-style routines.
- Tabata Training- a type of High Intensity Interval Training (see below) where you do 20s of an exercise for as many controlled repetitions as you can, followed by 10s of rest for 8 rounds (4 minutes total). Weight should start out LIGHT, with the intensity increasing throughout the set from the super short rest time. Best if done on machines. Great finishing workout
Rest Days: Muscle grows AFTER a workout. Do not work out the same muscle group two days in a row. I recommend 2-4 rest days/week (not touching weights), with two being better than four.
*Intensity: Imagine you base difficulty on a scale of 1-10. A 1 is little to no effort, and a 10 is complete fatigue. Your warm-up sets should always be below a 5. Your actual sets will start at a 6-7 (anything easier and it doesn't count as a set!) and progressively get harder either from fatigue from the previous set, or from increasing your weight after each set (more experienced weight lifter). Use your best judgement and you will become very good at picking the appropriate weights.
Power, Strength, or Endurance, which do you enjoy more?
Of course, none of the above is going to matter if you don't enjoy working out and just avoid doing it (me and yoga). You are allowed to have a preference, but remember, for the majority of people, combining both types of training is going to give you the best results. Also, it's not only sad, but frustrating if have the endurance of an elephant, but lack the speed of a cheetah, metaphorically of course. I've seen some of the biggest guys in the gym struggle to lift any weight, for more than 15 repetitions, regardless of the exercise. Id say they neglected their slow twitch muscle training. Likewise, I've seen some skinny guys lift weight 3x their bodyweight! They didn't neglect their fast twitch muscle training. It is my personal opinion that if you are training for overall health, aesthetics, or enjoyment, you need to have a balance.
Now, what if you're naturally a bigger person? Naturally skinny? Naturally jacked? Do you even know what your body type is? Are body types still even a thing?! This will be covered in more detail in the nutrition section, but for now, you should know that you either have A) a hard time gaining weight, B) a hard time losing weight, or C) a hard time being out of shape (yes, there are people like this, believe it or not).
So...based on your body type, is one type of training better than the other? No! Do the type of training you ENJOY and can do CONSISTENTLY! Seriously though, what do you enjoy!?
Now...let's Create a Workout from our new knowledge.
Of course, none of the above is going to matter if you don't enjoy working out and just avoid doing it (me and yoga). You are allowed to have a preference, but remember, for the majority of people, combining both types of training is going to give you the best results. Also, it's not only sad, but frustrating if have the endurance of an elephant, but lack the speed of a cheetah, metaphorically of course. I've seen some of the biggest guys in the gym struggle to lift any weight, for more than 15 repetitions, regardless of the exercise. Id say they neglected their slow twitch muscle training. Likewise, I've seen some skinny guys lift weight 3x their bodyweight! They didn't neglect their fast twitch muscle training. It is my personal opinion that if you are training for overall health, aesthetics, or enjoyment, you need to have a balance.
Now, what if you're naturally a bigger person? Naturally skinny? Naturally jacked? Do you even know what your body type is? Are body types still even a thing?! This will be covered in more detail in the nutrition section, but for now, you should know that you either have A) a hard time gaining weight, B) a hard time losing weight, or C) a hard time being out of shape (yes, there are people like this, believe it or not).
So...based on your body type, is one type of training better than the other? No! Do the type of training you ENJOY and can do CONSISTENTLY! Seriously though, what do you enjoy!?
- If you enjoy lifting heavier weights, taking long breaks, while keeping your heart rate relatively low, you probably want to mostly train with straight sets for strength and power.
- If you get bored easily, like to keep moving, sweat, and get your heart rate up you will probably enjoy endurance training with circuits more.
Now...let's Create a Workout from our new knowledge.