<< Bodybuilding & Fitness Articles & Resources << Bodybuilding, Fitness & Strength Training Articles
Muscular strength is a major factor in fitness. Strength can be massively improved with weight training and the incorporation of resistance machines within your fitness strength training routine. The progression of strength will be a result of improved lifting technique, balance, muscle recruitment, and the adaptation of the muscle to the continuous progressive overload of the strength training.
When we continually over load our muscles via fitness strength training, with the correct additional factors in place, we will adopt to the stress in the way of becoming stronger. The additional factors that are needed in this basic formula include, rest, nutrition and smart training methods to ensure our strength training is sustainable.
Overload typically means we need to ensure that we apply greater stress and intensity to the muscle compared to what it is normally used to. There are a number of ways to overload our muscles during strength training, and all can be used in various points in time to keep the stimulus to the muscle continually changing.
The overloading techniques include:
Increasing the resistance - the most obvious way to over load our muscles is to lift more. There are many ways to go about this, such as micro-loading, which involves adding very small amounts of additional resistance over the long term whilst avoiding dropping the number of repetitions performed. Another method, which ties into another technique below, is to work within a repetition range and only increase the resistance when you hit the upper repetition target. Once this is achieved we increase the resistance so we start again at the lower end of the repetition range, and then work our way back up by increasing the number of repetitions we perform with the increased resistance (covered next).
Increase the number of repetitions with a given resistance - by increasing the number of repetitions we perform with a certain resistance, we will over load the muscle with greater time under tension. The increase in the number repetitions for a given weight usually will involve an increase in resistance at some point in the future, if we are aiming to keep the exercise within a certain repetition range (as outlined above).
Increasing the intensity within a workout - increasing the intensity is all about making the muscle work for a great period of time with less rest. We have an article that covers high intensity training principals in much greater detail - High Intensity Training (HIT). Increasing the intensity will typically include reducing amount of rest time we have.
Increasing the number of sets for an exercise - this is a principal which increases the work for your muscles within your strength training session. By performing more sets we will be creating more work for our muscles than they are used to. We must also be aware that the continual addition of sets onto a workout will not prove fruitful long term however, and it would be advised that a fitness strength training session should not last too much longer than sixty minutes in duration.
Our fitness strength training routines will include exercises that effectively target the muscle groups of the body. The exercises we choose will depend on our goals, and also the equipment we have available to us. The ideal strength routine would include a majority of free weight compound exercises, with a select few isolation and machine executed exercises.
Free weight exercises are exercises which are performed with a barbell or dumbbells. Popular examples include the barbell squat, barbell bench press, and dumbbell curls. Machine exercises should be obvious, these are exercises performed on a resistance machine which is designed to execute a certain exercise, or sometimes a small handful of exercises.
Compound exercises are exercises which involve the use of more than one joint, therefore recruiting more then one muscle. Examples of compound exercises include; bench press (recruiting the chest, triceps and shoulder muscles), squat (recruiting the main leg muscles), dead lift (recruiting the leg, back and gripping muscles), and the shoulder press (recruiting the shoulders and triceps). Isolation exercises are those which typically only involve the movement of one joint, therefore only recruiting a small number of muscles which work together during that particular joint movement. A common exercise which is a good example of an isolation exercise is the biceps curl. The biceps curl involves movement of the elbow joint, recruiting the biceps, brachialis and forearm muscles.
A typical fitness strength training routine may look like the following:
Day1
Bench press with dumbbells
Dumbbell shoulder press
External rotations (2 sets of 12 with a light weight one that you could do over 15 reps with)
Day 3
Lat Pulldown
Dumbbell Rows
Row to neck with rope
Day 5
Barbell Squats
Romanian Deadlift with a dumbbell
Pull through with cable
Glute side raise (1set of 15)
(days 2, 4, 6 & 7 rest)
If you are totally new to strength training it is important to get someone to show you through the exercises, especially the squats and Romanian deadlift. Once you have performed the above routine for 6 weeks you can could include the barbell deadlift into the routine, and possibly some additional exercises.
Another typical routine may look like the following:
Day 1
Barbell Squats
Bench Press
Dumbell Rows
Day 4
Deadlift / Romanian Deadlift with a dumbbell
Shoulder press
Chins ups
(days 2, 3, 5, 6, & 7 rest)
This is a much simplified routine, but very effective and great for those focusing on other areas of their fitness.
Remember to check out our muscles and exercises section to learn more about how to perform exercises, and the muscles they target.
When taking up fitness strength training it is all to common to fall into the trap of thinking doing more will equal better results. We really need to change our way of thinking if this is case, we need to realise the results come not during training, but actually during the resting periods when our body is repairing itself, adopting to the stress. Two or three strength training sessions per week for a duration no longer then sixty minutes will be ideal. This is not to say that the time away from your training is wasted, you can drastically aid in the muscle and strength building process by supplying quality building blocks for your muscles in the way of nutrition, and ensuring you are resting enough.
If you feel tired, depressed and unmotivated whilst following a fitness strength training program, then it may be an indication of a combination of training too much, not eating the correct qualities of food for repairing the muscles, and/or not resting enough. If you start to feel this way then take a week away from your fitness activates and try to rest. Come back strong and fresh.
Starting an online training journal can be a very rewarding activity, and also a great way to share knowledge and encouragement with like minded people. Looking back over your logged strength training can also be a great indication of progress, a motivational tool for those times you need a little pick up to spur you on.
Taking pictures of your body (to either keep private or post up for others to see within an online journal) can also be a great way of tracking your progress in terms of body composition. Many people have "fat" days, but a lot of time it is a self image issue, and actually looking back over past photographs to see the progress made can put everything into prospective.
Get a training buddy. Some people prefer to train alone, which is perfectly fine, but many other may find having a training partner is a great addition. Strength training partners can be helpful for motivation during sets, and also be a spotter for your lifts. A spotter is somebody who stands close to you during exercises to ensure you are safe, and also can help increase the intensity of exercises by aiding you with the lift when you begin to fail.
Back to Bodybuilding, Fitness & Strength Training Articles
• A guide to fitness and exercise - A look at what fitness is and how to improve your overall fitness with exercise. We go through the components of fitness and investigate fitness exercises which can be used to improve fitness levels.
• A dummies guide to weight training - A simple look at weight training, including the equipment, uses, and principles.
• Upper arm training - Training guide for the upper arm muscles - Biceps, Triceps and Brachialis. A look at the exercises which effectively target the upper arm muscles, and also weight training splits for the upper arms.
• High Intensity Training (HIT) - To progress in bodybuilding we must always be looking at new ways to increase our weight training intensity to over load the muscles to spark growth. Learn about High Intently Training (HIT), and high intensity weight training methods.
• Reps for muscle hypertrophy - Bodybuilding is all about muscle hypertrophy, but how much do you know about hypertrophy? Which training method induce muscle hypertrophy the best? Take a look at some factors involved in muscle hypertrophy and possibly weight training methods you can employ to cause greater muscle hypertrophy.
• Bodybuilding, fitness and health dictionary - An A-Z of bodybuilding, fitness and strength training words and terms with explanations.
• Creatine - Creatine is a supplement that is motioned a lot. Browse through fitness magazines, websites, or hear it motioned from the guys down at the gym, but what exactly is it, and most importantly, can it aid you towards your goals?
• Caffeine - Caffeine and its effect of performance for bodybuilders and athletes.
| Most Recent Topics on Fitness Uncovered Forums! | Hits |
| Are there any proven ways to build body muscles? | 9 |
| Mini Malc | 19 |
| Funny moments at the gym | 39 |
| Best and worse ISP? | 47 |
| What do you use to flavour unflavoured whey? | 68 |
| Join our growing community! | Top posters on forum | Posts |
| bagz | 885 | muscleman | 785 | Andy_Mac | 728 | FU Administrator | 677 | Nidge | 461 |
|---|---|---|
| Members: 315 | Other Resources | |
| Posts: 7509 | Nutrition Planner | |
| Join now | Browse Forum | ||
