Workout Techniques
Workouts for improving muscular endurance or strength must follow the principles described earlier. There are also other
factors to consider, namely, safety, exercise selection, and phases of conditioning.
Safety Factors
Major causes of injury when strength training are improper lifting techniques combined with lifting weights that are too
heavy. Each person must understand how to do each lift correctly before starting his/her strength training program. One
should always do weight training with a partner or spotter, who can observe performance while exercising. To ensure
safety and the best results, both should know how to use the equipment and the proper spotting technique for each exercise.
A natural tendency in strength training is to see how much weight one can lift. Lifting too much weight forces
compromise in form and may lead to injury. All weights should be selected so that proper form can be maintained for the
appropriate number of repetitions. Correct breathing is another safety factor in strength training. Breathing should be
constant during exercise. Never hold your breath, as this can cause dizziness and even loss of consciousness. As a general
rule, one should exhale during the positive (concentric) phase of contraction as the weight or weight stack moves away
from the floor, and inhale during the negative (eccentric) phase as the weight returns toward the floor.
Exercise Selection
When beginning a resistance-training program, one should choose about 8 to 16 exercises that work all of the body's major
muscle groups. Usually eight well-chosen exercises will serve as a good starting point. They should include those for the
muscles of the leg, low back, shoulders, and so forth. You should choose exercises that work several muscle groups and
try to avoid those that isolate single muscle groups. This will help him train a greater number of muscles in a given
time. For example, doing lat pull-downs on the "lat machine" works the latissimus dorsi of the back and the biceps
muscles of the upper arm. On the other hand, an exercise like concentration curls for the biceps muscles of the upper
arm, although an effective exercise, only works the arm flexor muscles. Also, the concentration curl requires twice as
much time as lat pull-downs because only one arm is worked at a time.
Perhaps a simpler way to select an exercise is to determine the number of joints in the body where movement occurs during
a repetition. For most people, especially beginners, most of the exercises in the program should be "multi-joint" exercises.
The exercise should provide movement at more than one joint. For example, the pull-down exercise produces motion at both
the shoulder and elbow joints. The concentration curl, however, only involves the elbow joint.
Preparatory Phase
You should use very light weights during the first week (the preparatory phase) which includes the first two to three
workouts. This is very important, because the beginner must concentrate at first on learning the proper form for each
exercise. Using light weights also helps minimize muscle soreness and decreases the likelihood of injury to the muscles,
joints, and ligaments. During the second week, he should use progressively heavier weights. By the end of the second week
(4 to 6 workouts), he should know how much weight on each exercise will allow him to do 8 to 12 repetitions to muscle
failure. If he can do only seven repetitions of an exercise, the weight must be reduced; if he can do more than 12, the
weight should be increased.
Conditioning Phase
The third week is normally the start of the conditioning phase for the beginning weight trainer. During this phase, one
should increase the amount of weight used and/or the intensity of the workout as his muscular strength and/or endurance
increases. He should do one set of 8 to 12 repetitions for each of the heavy-resistance exercises. When he can do more
than 12 repetitions of any exercise, he should increase the weight until he can again do only 8 to 12 repetitions. This
usually involves an increase in weight of about five percent. This process continues indefinitely. As long as he continues
to progress and get stronger, he does not need to do more than one set per exercise. If he stops making progress with one
set of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise, he may benefit from adding another set of 8 to 12 repetitions on those exercises
in which progress has slowed. As time goes on and he progresses, he may increase the number to three sets of an exercise
to get even further gains in strength and/ or muscle mass. Three sets per exercise is the maximum many people will ever
need to do.
Maintenance Phase
Once you've reached a high level of fitness, the maintenance phase is used to maintain that level. The emphasis in
this phase is no longer on progression but on retention. Although training three times a week for muscle endurance and
strength gives the best results, one can maintain them by training the major muscle groups properly one or two times a
week. More frequent training, however, is required to reach and maintain peak fitness levels. Maintaining the optimal
level of fitness should become part of each person's life-style and training routine. The maintenance phase should be
continued throughout his career and, ideally, throughout his life.
As with aerobic training, you should do strength training three times a week and should allow at least 48 hours of rest
from resistance training between workouts for any given muscle group.
Timed Sets
Timed sets refers to a method of physical training in which as many repetitions as possible of a given exercise are
performed in a specified period of time. After an appropriate period of rest, a second, third, and so on, set of that
exercise is done in an equal or lesser time period. The exercise period, recovery period, and the number of sets done
should be selected to make sure that an overload of the involved muscle groups occurs.
The use of timed sets, unlike exercises performed in cadence or for a specific number of repetitions, helps to ensure
that each person does as many repetitions of an exercise as possible within a period of time. It does not hold back the
more capable performer by restricting the number of repetitions he may do. Instead, soldiers at all levels of fitness can
individually do the number of repetitions they are capable of and thereby be sure they obtain an adequate training
stimulus.
