| 10 tips. Is that enough? I consider the topic of weight training and doing it properly and I think of volumes of material, but I will do my best to condense what I consider the most important things into one article. Here goes. |
10 tips. Is that enough? I consider the topic of weight training and
doing it properly and I think of volumes of material, but I will do
my best to condense what I consider the most important things into one
article. Here goes.
 1. Have A Plan.
Why do most people fail? They do not set goals and
write out detailed plans on how they will attain the goals that they
set for themselves. You can go to the bookstore and pick up numerous
books on how to train and they all say something different.
So which
one is correct? They all are! Everything works just not forever. This
is where planning comes in. I set up a training cycle in 12 week blocks.
I further break the blocks down into 2-3 week mini blocks.
Each mini
block changes so that different types of training are incorporated and
the trainee gets exposed to the maximum amount of variation which will
cause the most significant changes in their physique. Within the 12
week cycle we are always looking at bettering our own personal records
for a given movement.
2. Keep A Journal.
By keeping an accurate journal you will guarantee
that you are making progress, and if you are not then the journal itself
will have the answers to why you are not making progress.
The journal
is the " facts" of your training and it cannot lie to you
unless you write down the information incorrectly! It is pretty simple...
if last week you did 100lbs for 8 reps then this week you either need
to do 9 reps or up the weight by 1-5 pounds. I know it sounds too simple,
but if you do this long enough you will attain whatever goals you set
for yourself. (Set realistic goals)
3. Big Movements.
4. Pay Attention To The Tempo.
Tempo is the speed at which you lift
the weight. If you go to most gyms around the globe the majority lift
at a pretty fast tempo, say a 1 second eccentric (negative or lowering)
and a 1 second concentric (positive or raising).
You should vary the
tempo at which you train and this can be worked into the "plan"
in the mini blocks. A few examples of how to change the tempo are slowing
down both the eccentric and concentric pausing in the top or the bottom
of the movement.
I personally like to do a 5 second eccentric and the
pause in the bottom of the exercise for 2 seconds and then explode up
for a total of 7 second rep. This is significantly different than the
2 seconds most people do. By changing the tempo you will increase the
time under tension and thus force the muscles to adapt to a different
stress. This is something that should be part of your plan and it should
be recorded in each session.
5. Rest Between Sets.
The amount of time that you rest between sets
is dependent upon the intensity at which you lift (how close to your
maximum). If you are doing higher reps (12-15) then you rest periods
will be shorter (45-75 seconds), but if you are doing only a few reps
(1-5) then you will need longer periods (2-5minutes) between each set.
I know it sounds backward, but it has to do with energy. The more reps
you do the lighter the weight and the faster your body will bounce back
for the next set. The heavier the weight lifted the longer it takes
to recover the energy for another bout of the same movement. This again
should be in the "plan".
6. Prevent Imbalances.
Have you ever seen a guy that trains nothing
but bench? His shoulders are pulled forward and rounded in. He will
have trouble sooner or later because he has an imbalance between his
horizontal pushing and pulling muscles.
When designing a program make
sure that the program trains both the agonist and antagonist muscle
groups. A few examples would be bench press and rowing, shoulder press
with pull downs, curls with tricep extensions.
By giving the proper
amount of work to all the muscles you will be able to prevent imbalances
and the potential for self induced injuries from improper training!
7. Preworkout Cardio & Stretching.
I start every training session
with 5-15 minutes of cardio. By doing the cardio before you train you
will be able to increase your core temperature and thus be less likely
to get injured while training.
When I do the cardio I generally do it
interval style, going easy for 1 minute and the hard for one minute.
This will not only raise your core temperature, but it will burn a few
calories.
Before leg training I do 5 minutes (I don't want to do too
much or it could effect my weights!) and before upper body training
I do 10- 15 minutes.
I follow my cardio with stretching the body part
that I am going to train. Never stretch a cold muscle! The stretching
should take 5-10 minutes and then you will be ready to train the weights.
8. Grip Work & Finishers.
Most people think why grip and what the
heck are finishers? I focus all my clients on real world strength or
functional strength.
By training the grip you will have more wrist control
(less injuries) and also you will be able to focus more and that will
allow you to recruit more muscle fibers thus making you stronger. Finishers
are stuff that is functional.
After a hard leg session go out and push
your car around the block. I have my clients do plate clean and press,
carry sand bags either in front of them or on there shoulder, or do
the dreaded Drill Instructor special (this consists of 5-10 minutes
of push ups, situps, jumping jacks, deep knee bends, and running in
place).
These will be functional muscle and not just the pretty to look
at kind.
9. Post Workout Nutrition.
I know it is supposed to be about weight training. The most common mistake most people make is not eating after they train or not eating the right thing. This meal should contain a mixture of different types of carbohydrates such as a high glycemic carbohydrate like glucose, a medium gylcemic carb like maltodextrin and a limited amount of a low glycemic carbohydrate like fructose.
The glucose will cause an insulin spike to drive the nutrients into the muscle. The maltodextrin will be used to fill up the muscles with glycogen. Fructose should be included to replenish liver glycogen that has been used during training. The post workout meal should have at least 20% of the athletes daily protein needs and the best source of protein for the post workout meal is Whey.
To calculate your post workout protein
needs take .20 times your body weight. (For example I would take 260
x .20 = 52 grams.)
This meal could be further enhanced by containing
BCAA'S , Glutamine and ribose. My post workout shake consists 1 serving
of Pro Blend 55, 12 BCAA blend caps, 20 grams of Glutamine, 5 grams
of ribose mixed with 8oz grape juice, 1/2 cup maltodextrin, and 1/8
cup fructose. I make this from ingredients that anyone could get at
just about any health food store.
| POST-WORKOUT PROTEIN CALCULATOR |
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10. Take Time Off.
Like I said before I set up programs that last
12 weeks and at the end of the 12 weeks (if not sooner) I put in a full
week of rest. I know what you are thinking, but I will lose too much
in a weeks time? No you will not and if you are like 99% of the rest
of the population you will probably get stronger.
Recover takes a lot
of energy and since most of us have real stress in our lives like jobs,
family, etc. We give up a ton of energy to other things than training.
This week will refresh you mentally as well as physically and set you
up for great gains in the next 12 week cycle of training.
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