weight training concepts
Discipline
Discipline is orderly conduct and self-control. It takes discipline to go to the gym on a consistent basis and train in an organized manner. Stay organized and record your workouts in a journal. Keep track of information such as injuries, soreness, personal records, etc. This training system will give you a plan, but it will take discipline to execute the plan. Most people have good intentions but lack the discipline to keep going. Disciplined training means training consistently, training in an organized manner, and keeping focused on your goals. Discipline or will power is your most important critical success factor!
Effort
I have found that when it comes to fitness training your results are directly related to your effort. A high level of intensity is characterized by performing an exercise to the point of concentric (positive) muscular failure. Failure to reach a desirable level of intensity — or muscular fatigue — will result in little or no gain in strength or muscular size. Therefore, you should attempt to perform all work sets to complete failure. Also, you should attempt to lift heavier poundage's on a scheduled basis. You need to do progressively harder work for muscles to become stronger. Additionally, keep your workouts SHORT. Long workouts are fine for steroid users, however, without the benefits of steroid induced recovery, long workouts will result in over-training. Effort is the critical success factor, not long workouts.
Mental Toughness
When you go to the gym it is not a time to socialize. You should stay focused on your goals and on performing all exercises with perfect form and with maximum effort. Study our exercise performance chapter regardless of how long you have been training. Isolate the target muscle and block out all distractions when you perform your exercises. Work through the pain and keep mentally tough and focused. Most importantly, how you see yourself is what you become! Visualize your ideal body and stay focused on your goal.
Knowledge
Knowledge is defined as information acquired through experience or study. This training system is the result of over forty years of training experience. Our training knowledge will allow you to train efficiently and effectively while avoiding injury and other training mistakes. You don’t have to learn by your mistakes, you can learn from the experience of others. You will undoubtedly read about the training routines of champion bodybuilders. Remember, that many competitive bodybuilders take steroids, and that their training methods have worked for them -- that doesn't’t necessarily mean their routines will work for you. Try to take the advice of those Personal Fitness Trainers who have successfully trained others and not just themselves.
Form
Even advanced bodybuilders need to periodically review exercise performance. I’ve found through the years that my fitness clients need constant reinforcement on exercise performance. As an example, should the elbows be out while performing the bench press and the lat pulldown? If the elbows are held close to the body, which muscle groups are stimulated? Conversely, If the elbows are held out from the body, which muscle groups are stimulated, and what muscle group is at risk? If you don’t know the answers to these simple questions, you need to review exercise performance and adjust your form accordingly.
Another concern is uneven execution of certain exercises. I see some of my clients perform the bench press with uneven extension (one arm in lead of the other). This “lack of form” can cause serious injury because it places the body in an unnatural position, and thus can cause tendon, ligament, or muscle strains. Try to use perfect form! Get feedback from your trainer or training partner regarding your exercise performance. If you don’t have a partner, use the mirror. Generally speaking, you need a trainer or training partner who will scrutinize your form and provide you with constructive criticism.
Techniques
The following techniques should be employed by intermediate to advanced weightlifters. The proper use of these techniques is an important critical success factor.
Pyramids
A pyramid is about progressively using more weight and less reps on an exercise, and then reversing the direction and progressively using less weight and more reps. A pyramid bench press example might be as follows:
| Set | Reps | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 |
135 |
| 2 | 8 |
155 |
| 3 | 6 |
175 |
| 4 | 4 |
205 |
| 5 | 6 |
165 |
| 6 | 8 |
145 |
Forced Reps
A partner will help you perform the last few reps by giving you assistance in lifting the weight. This is an excellent technique for developing strength through intensity. However, don’t use this technique on all sets. I’d suggest that you use it only on your last set or two of an exercise in order to avoid overtraining.
Modified Reps
This technique does not require a training partner. When you have completed your full regular reps, you continue to move the weight through a partial range of motion. You could perform a quarter rep, a half rep or a three quarter rep. Additionally, you could perform 21’s. With this technique you do bottom to middle half reps for 7, and top to middle half reps for 7, and full reps for 7. This method of 21’s is popular with curls, but it could be done just as easily with other exercises.
Drop Sets
With drop sets, you do a set to failure, and immediately reduce the weight, and without rest continue with the next set. As a strictly hypothetical example, an individual could be doing bench presses . His 1RM is 315 lbs. On the first set he does 85% of his 1RM, or 270lbs., and does 8 reps. He immediately lowers the weight to 80% of his 1RM, or 250lbs., and again does 8 reps. Next, he lowers the weight to 75% of his 1RM, or 235lbs., and does 6 reps. (At this time his pecs are starting to burn and he’s getting an incredible pump.) He takes off weight to 70% of his 1RM, or 220lbs., and does 6 reps. Lastly, he lowers the weight to 65% of his 1RM, or 205lbs., and can only do 2 reps. The reason he failed at 2 reps is because his pecs were totally exhausted after 30 continuous repetitions. Again, this is a purely hypothetical example, however, the planned drop sequence based upon 1RM is a very precise and efficient way to train. The less scientific, but simpler method, is to simply slip five pound plates off the bar after every set.
Super Slow
With this method you do your repetitions very slowly. For example you could use a 7/1/5 tempo. (Up 7 seconds, hold 1 second, and down 5 seconds.) Another application of this technique would be to lower yourself very slowly from a chin bar, taking as long as 30 seconds to complete the descent. This exercise is great as a last set on biceps training days. Super slow is an excellent technique to use to blast yourself out of a rut and into growth.
Flexing (Iso tension)
I recently read an article by one of the great bodybuilders of my era who referred to this technique as “synapse”. In days gone by, we simply posed after we had worked a muscle group. As an example, the “most muscular” pose is an excellent exercise for the pecs. Flexing your muscles hard, or until they cramp, has always been a great method for developing muscle density and cuts.
Super Sets & Giant Sets
The utilization of super sets and giant sets is a very good intermediate method for increasing intensity and conserving time. I like to superset push and pull muscle groups. For example, you could superset biceps and triceps exercises, or chest and back exercises. Giant sets are a series of exercises done continuously without rest. For example, you might do bench presses, flys and pullovers. Giant sets should be used to develop definition and muscular endurance, but not for size and strength.
