.Strength Training.
by Peter Mellow, Senior Lecturer, AUT
Since the dawn of sport, athletes have been looking for ways to improve their
performance. Through diet, training and technique, the goal has always been to
do better. Even activities outside their chosen sporting field have been tried
to assist in the perfect performance.
Cross-training is a current vogue, but has been around for a long time, stretching
and weight training are commonly used now, but their value has
been recognised for many thousands of years.
It has only been recently has the scientific study of resistance training shown
that we can cut away the anecdotal evidence that abounds in this grey area, and
follow the scientific principles of constructive weight lifting.
Training principles such as specificity are as relevant in weight training as
in any sports training. This is proved by the many training systems that can be
undertaken in the weight training facility. As with any training programme, a
warm-up and stretch, should be done before any workout in the gym. And a cool-
down and stretch should conclude any workout.
There are many guides for specific weight training () for achieving
different goals, and while there are some slight differences when you look at
them side by side, overall the basic guidelines are similar.
To understand the format of these charts we need to go over some of the terminology
used in them.
REPS refers to the amount of times a weight is lifted in one
particular exercise.
SETS are the number of times the prescribed number of reps is
done. e.g. 1 set of 12 reps, or 2 sets of 10 reps.
LOAD is the resistance used in any exercise. This is normally
a weight figure like 10 kgs or 25 lbs. Some gyms instead of having 'weight' machines
or 'weights' use hydraulic or pneumatic equipment to provide resistance. Some
of these machines have dials that give you a weight figure.
When you are guidelines to an individual and have no idea of how much they can
lift, you may use RM ( repetition maximum ). A RM figure is a
guide to use when considering loading. A 1RM is a weight you could lift one time
only in good form, but not twice. A 12RM is a weight you could lift 12 times in
good form, but not 13 times. Sometimes a weight guideline might be to use a %
of 1RM. e.g. 65% of your 1RM for that exercise.
REST is the time period between each exercise to allow the body
to recover. It is a very important part of training. It also can be used to stress
the body more by reducing rest allowed, and to work on specific energy systems
the body has to produce work.
TEMPO or SPEED is how fast or slow the exercise
is carried out. It can be general, such as slow or medium. Or more specific on
what contraction mode you wish you emphasise in that particular exercise. In a
bicep curl exercise for upper are, you might use 2 seconds up and 4 seconds down
to accentuate the eccentric muscular contraction. Or you may use a more advanced
3 digit system as originally suggested by Charles Poliquin ( 1988 Forcelite Inc
) and later modified by Australian Strength Coach Ian King. In this system the
first figure is the first part of the lift, the second number is the pause or
isometric part of the exercise, and the last number is the last part of the exercise.
Examples are: Bench Press 314 is 3 seconds lowing in the eccentric phase, hold
above the chest for 1 second before raising it in 4 seconds in the concentric
contraction phase. While in Barbell bicep curl a 423 would be 4 seconds in the
up ( concentric ) phase, hold at the top for 2 seconds ( isometrically ) and 3
seconds lowering eccentrically. This allow you the flexibility to stress a particular
contraction mode if you desire to do this. E.G. A longer eccentric phase to get
greater gains for hypertrophy. OR a faster concentric phase if you are trying
to develop power.
This table is a guide only and is the basis for training, some parameters may
differ due to the system you may be using; e.g. Superset, blitz sets, etc.
| Training GOAL |
REPS |
LOADING |
SETS |
TEMPO/SPEED |
Rest |
| Strength with min size |
6 or less |
6 to 8RM |
2 or more |
Slow |
3 minutes + |
| Hypertrophy, Size, Bulk |
8 to 14 |
8 to 16RM |
3 or more |
Slow |
1 minute or less |
| Muscular Endurance |
15 or more |
light to medium |
1 to 2 |
Medium |
little or none |
| Beginners |
12 or less |
light to medium |
1 to 2 |
slow |
1 to 2 minutes |
| Muscular Power |
6 or less |
heavy |
3 to 4 |
As fast as you can, but with good form. |
3 minutes. |
The following references provide supportive information for further study
or clarification of the material in this article.
() Athletic Ability & the Anatomy of Motion byRolf Wirhed,Wolfe
Medical Publications, Strength training chapter, Page 42.
The Fitness Leader's Exercise Bible by Egger, Champion & Hurst, Kangaroo Press,
2nd Edition, Page 42.
Designing Resistance Training programs by Steve Fleck and Kraemer, Human Kinetics,
Page 61.
The Fitness Leader's Handbook by Egger & Champion, Kangaroo Press, 3rd Edition,
Page 65.