Resistance training is adding force to movement to build strength and muscle. Building muscle is the key to long term success because muscle is active tissue that requires energy (calories) whereas fat does not. If you have more active tissue, your body requires more energy. (You get to eat more!) Building muscle is key in raising your resting metabolism and vital in slowing down the effects of aging!
Not all resistance training is equal! Biomechanics, physics, mechanics and physiology are guidelines for creating any program. Genetics, age, and hormone optimization will play a role in how fast you build muscle.
Just because you exercise, doesn’t mean you are doing it right. Biomechanics is used to make sure you are not applying force to your joints that will wear them down faster. Physiology is used to make sure the time and intensity of the tension/force is appropriate to stimulate muscle growth.
Benefits of Resistance Training:
- Build muscle
- Increases bone density
- Increased strength
- Increased flexibility
- Decrease risk of injury
- Can improve joint stability
- Increase resting metabolism
- Can improve posture
- Fights aging
- Improves confidence with strength capabilities
- Look and feel better
- Improve sexual performance
Most people think they need to set aside 1 hour at the gym to do resistance training. For some, this may be the best use of their time and make the most sense. What I have found over the years of training people in their homes is that we often use the excuse of not having enough time. If you take 10 minutes out of your day 3 times a day, this equals 30 minutes. On the flip side, if you wait to just find an extra 30 minutes in your day, I am sure you will not. We all have the same 24 hours in the day. I can help you fit it in under ANY circumstance.
Recommendations for Designing a Resistance Training Program for Novice to Advanced Level Clients
Goals: To focus on the ability of the nervous and muscular system to adapt to exercise. We will discuss how these systems change and progress toward the ultimate goal of changing body composition.
Neurological factors:
- neural adaptation affect activation levels and patterns of nerve input to the muscle.
- Strength gains related to learning, coordination, and recruitment
- Fiber type conversion
- Agonist/Anatagonist relationship
Hypertrophy: changes in strength can be caused by mechanisms that increase muscle size
Factors affecting hypertrophic response:
- age
- individual’s functional capacity
- nutritional status
- behavioral factors
- hormonal stimuli
- mechanical stimuli
- metabolic factors
- optimal adaptation appears to be related to use of specific resistance training programs to meet individual training objectives.
Also related to hypertrophy:
- Eccentric Contraction
- Muscle Damage: why and how
- Muscular Failure
- Psychological Failure
SAID Principle: Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands- What you work on is what will change.
Novice: less than 3 months:
1. Experiences difficulty stabilizing movements.
2. Tends to perform new movements too quickly
3. Requires only one exercise per body part to learn the movement
4. Can only feel/control the contraction through limited ranges (if at all)
5. Is not physiologically capable of fatiguing muscle (only loses neural control)
6. Makes quick strength gains due to rapidly increasing neuromuscular control.
7. Cannot differentiate fatigue from failure: good or bad pain?
8. Has difficulty focusing on a task
Intermediate: 3-12 months:
1. Loses stability on the last repetition only-fatigue resistant
2. Able to increase the number of sets and/or exercises per muscle
3. Learns new muscle movements while remaining stable from previous exercise, able to incorporate compound movements while focusing on one muscle
4. Capable of increasing intensity
5. Capable of perceiving proper muscle contraction through a full ROM with adequate resistance
Advanced: more than 1 year
1. Capable of performing last rep and remain stable
2. Capable of focusing on the muscle and the weight moved rather than form due to neural patterning or the habit of maintaining form
3. Able to incorporate compound movements and all other aspects of intensity manipulation
4. Workout routine is the most physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding
Number of Sets: for a goal of muscle hypertrophy at intermediate or advanced levels the number of recommended sets varies depending on proper execution of four factors.
1. Ability to mentally focus on the target muscle
2. Ability to execute the proper biomechanics of the movement
3. Ability to control the exercise through both concentric and eccentric movement
4. Ability to produce and maintain high tension to the point of muscular fatigue with the eventual goal of muscular failure
Sets:
- 6-12 sets for large body parts
- 6-10 sets for small body parts
- 4-6 sets for miscellaneous body part
Number of Reps: It has been suggested that the hypertrophic response depends on the intensity if the exercise as well as the length of time the muscle is under tension (time under tension)
Reps:
- Novice= 15 reps per set
- Intermediate/Advanced = 6-12 reps per set
Rest:
- Novice =rest time is 1-3 minutes between sets
- Intermediate/Advanced = 30 seconds to 2 minutes
Since unaccustomed stimulus helps to sustain an adaptation period, the amount of rest time should be varied from set, workout to workout or both.
Other factors:
- Speed
- Rest between body parts
- Lifestyle
* It has been reported in the past that an average 61% of new health club members drop out of the first six weeks because they see no significant change in their physiques. If a program is designed and followed properly, everyone should experience significant advancement toward their goal within thirty days.
Modes of Exercise
1. Selectorized equipment- good for beginners, requires less balance, artificially stabilizes load and movement, less probability of weight falling on person, range of motion is pre-set most of the time so could wear on the joints with more negative force.
2. Cable exercises- constant resistance, body stabilizes movement, range of motion unlimited
3. Bodyweight exercises- good for beginners, functional. Great for home exercisers and all exercises can create a foundation for any level.
4. Free weights- requires use of stabilizer muscles to maintain form, ROM is unlimited, requires motor skill and balance
5. Open chain- foot is not in contact with surface, ex. Leg curl or leg exten. Better choice for uneven body or joint issues
6. Closed chain- foot is in contact with floor, for ex. Leg press or squats, sometimes seen as more functional but not always
Increase workloads in strength training program by no more than 5% per week.
Confused yet? Hopefully not. I have given a ton of recommendations but have not explained WHY. I would love to be able to help you- please email or call!
800 571 5722
Written and compiled by J.J. Flizanes, Director of Invisible Fitness. Named Best Personal Trainer in Los Angeles for 2007 by Elite Traveler Magazine.
