Regardless of the number of repetitions you perform per set, you can choose to do one, two, or any number of sets for a particular exercise. The amount of sets you complete has to do with one critical variable: volume. Volume involves the total amount of weight you lift within a workout. If you multiply the weight used times the number of repetitions per set, and multiply that by the number of sets, it will give you the total volume of weight you lifted.
Why is this so critical? Because the higher your volume, the greater your chance of building muscle. The lower the volume, the less chance you have of adding bulk.
Some athletes need extra mass to perform better for their sport, but others would be adversely affected. Luckily, this critical factor can easily be controlled.
If you want to gain muscle, do more sets of each exercise. Three to five sets is usually about right, but occasionally you can go even higher. Anything more than 6 sets of a heavy weight exercise (using the 4-5 rep range we recommend) and you may not be able to sustain that volume for long without getting hurt. Tendonitis is the most likely problem you will face.
Unfortunately, there is a definite downside to performing more sets, especially when using heavier weights. The added volume can be incredibly taxing on your body over the long term, and will make it difficult to work on other aspects of your training. I would recommend setting aside a specific time of year to focus almost solely on mass training, if it is even necessary for you, and save other goals for another time.
If you need to get stronger and more powerful, but want to avoid getting bigger or need your energy for other goals, then go with one or two sets per exercise. Two schedules that work well here are to do one set per exercise five days per week, or two sets per exercise three days a week. Both keep the volume relatively low, but the heavy weights will help you adapt to what you need. Keeping the number of sets down will allow you to put more of your energy towards other goals, allowing you to build two or more skills at the same time.
That is our general guide for how to determine the correct number of sets and repetitions you need to meet your goals. This is obviously a more detailed topic than we covered here, but hopefully it is a good starting point for you. In our final article in this series we will cover how to determine the right rest times in between sets, and give you some important reasons why you should always use proper technique in your training.
Jim Herrick, Jr. is the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cushing Academy, located in Ashburnham, MA. Jim has trained hundreds of athletes in all aspects of sports performance since 1998. To find out more about our training programs, visit http://www.powersourcetraining.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Repitions: Key to Strength Training
In this section we will cover how to determine the proper number of sets and repetitions to meet your individual goals. For those who want a better understanding of the program you currently follow, or want to design your own workout schedule, these are important variables that can greatly influence the results you see.
First off, let's be clear on what these two terms mean. A set is defined as an entire strength training exercise lasting from when you begin the movement to when you complete it. Using the simple bench press as an example, the set begins when you take the weight off the rack, continues through all the times you lower and raise the bar, and officially ends when you place the weight back on the rack. Most workout schedules will have you perform exercises for more than one set.
A repetition takes place within each set. They are the individual efforts that you usually repeat more than once before resting again. Using the bench press, one repetition is completed when you completely lower the bar, and then raise it back to the top. Rarely, if ever, will you complete just one repetition in a set.
Varying the number of sets and repetitions can produce drastically different physical changes over time. If you know what you want to accomplish, then you need to know the right amount of sets and reps to match your needs.
Choosing the number of repetitions
As we mentioned in Part 1, it is important that you know how to choose the right weights, regardless of the number of repetitions you perform. We will not get into that again here, but anything we mention here is dependent on picking weights that are not too heavy or too light. Our goal in this section is to give you guidelines on what you can expect to achieve for each repetition range. Strength training can help you build muscle, get a great cardiovascular workout, and of course, make you stronger.
Very high repetitions, like 15 or more per set, works very well as a cardio workout to help burn calories and strengthen your heart. You will need to take very little rest between sets, and should be careful here not to go too heavy, but for this specific goal a 15+ repetition range is very effective. Do not expect to get significantly stronger or muscular, though. If you are really hardcore and do 50-100+ repetitions on each set, though, you will help to strengthen the tendons and ligaments that hold your joints together.
Choosing a 10-15 repetition range starts to work towards gaining some strength and muscle, but not too much. Personally I think it is a good range for beginner athletes to work with, because the weights won't be overwhelming and they get a lot of practice perfecting their technique. This is also about the range anyone under the age of 15 should use when they are dealing with free weights, although they shouldn't be spending a lot of time with them at that age.
The 6-10 repetition range is a good transition zone for 15-16 year olds, and for those who want a little more strength and/or muscle development than they'd get from the 10+ range. Most athletic-based programs use repetitions in this range, but I would suggest that it is not the best choice. It is a somewhat safe choice in that you will not go too heavy, but you will see some strength gains. In my opinion, there is a better choice.
I believe that anyone truly interested in building strength, power, or muscle mass should be primarily working in the 4-5 repetition zone. If you are over 16, follow the guidelines given in Part 1, and have good technique, training this heavy is as safe as anything else you'll do in a workout program. It allows you to consistently train with heavier weights, which in turn will build your strength and maximize your power potential. And, depending on the number of sets you elect to perform, it can quickly build muscle, as well.
Anything done for 3 repetitions or less works pretty close to your limits, and should be done sparingly. It will build strength and power, but won't do much for gaining muscle unless you do a very high number of sets. Elite power lifters might work in this range fairly regularly, but for 99% of us you can make great progress with the 4-5 rep plan.
No matter which range you feel is best for you, proper technique is always your first priority. And for those choosing weights of 10 repetitions or less, it is always a good idea to have a spotter watching you in case you misjudged what weight you should have used.
Jim Herrick, Jr. is the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cushing Academy, located in Ashburnham, MA. Jim has trained hundreds of athletes in all aspects of sports performance since 1998. To find out more about our training programs, visit http://www.powersourcetraining.com
First off, let's be clear on what these two terms mean. A set is defined as an entire strength training exercise lasting from when you begin the movement to when you complete it. Using the simple bench press as an example, the set begins when you take the weight off the rack, continues through all the times you lower and raise the bar, and officially ends when you place the weight back on the rack. Most workout schedules will have you perform exercises for more than one set.
A repetition takes place within each set. They are the individual efforts that you usually repeat more than once before resting again. Using the bench press, one repetition is completed when you completely lower the bar, and then raise it back to the top. Rarely, if ever, will you complete just one repetition in a set.
Varying the number of sets and repetitions can produce drastically different physical changes over time. If you know what you want to accomplish, then you need to know the right amount of sets and reps to match your needs.
Choosing the number of repetitions
As we mentioned in Part 1, it is important that you know how to choose the right weights, regardless of the number of repetitions you perform. We will not get into that again here, but anything we mention here is dependent on picking weights that are not too heavy or too light. Our goal in this section is to give you guidelines on what you can expect to achieve for each repetition range. Strength training can help you build muscle, get a great cardiovascular workout, and of course, make you stronger.
Very high repetitions, like 15 or more per set, works very well as a cardio workout to help burn calories and strengthen your heart. You will need to take very little rest between sets, and should be careful here not to go too heavy, but for this specific goal a 15+ repetition range is very effective. Do not expect to get significantly stronger or muscular, though. If you are really hardcore and do 50-100+ repetitions on each set, though, you will help to strengthen the tendons and ligaments that hold your joints together.
Choosing a 10-15 repetition range starts to work towards gaining some strength and muscle, but not too much. Personally I think it is a good range for beginner athletes to work with, because the weights won't be overwhelming and they get a lot of practice perfecting their technique. This is also about the range anyone under the age of 15 should use when they are dealing with free weights, although they shouldn't be spending a lot of time with them at that age.
The 6-10 repetition range is a good transition zone for 15-16 year olds, and for those who want a little more strength and/or muscle development than they'd get from the 10+ range. Most athletic-based programs use repetitions in this range, but I would suggest that it is not the best choice. It is a somewhat safe choice in that you will not go too heavy, but you will see some strength gains. In my opinion, there is a better choice.
I believe that anyone truly interested in building strength, power, or muscle mass should be primarily working in the 4-5 repetition zone. If you are over 16, follow the guidelines given in Part 1, and have good technique, training this heavy is as safe as anything else you'll do in a workout program. It allows you to consistently train with heavier weights, which in turn will build your strength and maximize your power potential. And, depending on the number of sets you elect to perform, it can quickly build muscle, as well.
Anything done for 3 repetitions or less works pretty close to your limits, and should be done sparingly. It will build strength and power, but won't do much for gaining muscle unless you do a very high number of sets. Elite power lifters might work in this range fairly regularly, but for 99% of us you can make great progress with the 4-5 rep plan.
No matter which range you feel is best for you, proper technique is always your first priority. And for those choosing weights of 10 repetitions or less, it is always a good idea to have a spotter watching you in case you misjudged what weight you should have used.
Jim Herrick, Jr. is the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cushing Academy, located in Ashburnham, MA. Jim has trained hundreds of athletes in all aspects of sports performance since 1998. To find out more about our training programs, visit http://www.powersourcetraining.com
Performing Exercises at the Proper Speed
This is an overlooked aspect to training, yet it can make a real difference in your results from any program. There is definitely a right pace to raising and lowering a weight if you are training for sports.
Any time you are using a barbell or dumbbell, the exercise is in its "eccentric" phase when you are lowering it. Eccentric as a strength training term refers to when a muscle is being lengthened under the tension of carrying an extra load (the dumbbells, the bar, or any other form of resistance). The "concentric" phase is when the resistance is moving up, or when you have to apply a force to get the weights to move against gravity (the third phase of a lift, the "isometric" phase, occurs when the weight is not moving at all, and will not be a focus of this discussion). Your muscles will shorten, or contract, in the concentric part of the lift.
The eccentric and concentric phases should be thought of separately, because they develop two different athletic skills. The eccentric phase improves your ability to absorb force. The concentric phase improves your ability to produce force.
One simple example of absorbing force occurs every time your foot hits the ground on a running stride. The muscles in your legs need to lengthen slightly to absorb the forces of gravity before pushing off. An inability to absorb force can lead to slower movements and reaction times, while also increasing your chance for injury.
Producing force is the more obvious part of sport movements. Kicking a soccer ball, throwing a baseball, or taking a slap shot in hockey are just a few examples of force production. The more force you can produce, the faster and more powerful your sports skills will be.
Strength training is a great way to develop force absorption and force production at the same time, but the speed in which the weights move is critical. The eccentric phase needs to be a slow and controlled movement in order to build your capacity to absorb greater stresses. The concentric phase, however, should be done in a much faster and powerful fashion. Within a single repetition, you have two different goals, and because of this the two phases need to be done at different speeds.
In general, the eccentric phase should take anywhere from 2 to 4 seconds to complete on every repetition. The greater your need to improve your force absorption ability, the closer this should be to the 4 second time. For the concentric phase, you should always look to complete it as fast as possible. Most of the time this will be under 1 second, but on the last repetition of a heavy set this may take a little longer. That's OK, as long as you are trying to move the weight in a fast and powerful fashion.
Jim Herrick, Jr. is the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cushing Academy, located in Ashburnham, MA. Jim has trained hundreds of athletes in all aspects of sports performance since 1998. To find out more about our training programs, visit http://www.powersourcetraining.com
Any time you are using a barbell or dumbbell, the exercise is in its "eccentric" phase when you are lowering it. Eccentric as a strength training term refers to when a muscle is being lengthened under the tension of carrying an extra load (the dumbbells, the bar, or any other form of resistance). The "concentric" phase is when the resistance is moving up, or when you have to apply a force to get the weights to move against gravity (the third phase of a lift, the "isometric" phase, occurs when the weight is not moving at all, and will not be a focus of this discussion). Your muscles will shorten, or contract, in the concentric part of the lift.
The eccentric and concentric phases should be thought of separately, because they develop two different athletic skills. The eccentric phase improves your ability to absorb force. The concentric phase improves your ability to produce force.
One simple example of absorbing force occurs every time your foot hits the ground on a running stride. The muscles in your legs need to lengthen slightly to absorb the forces of gravity before pushing off. An inability to absorb force can lead to slower movements and reaction times, while also increasing your chance for injury.
Producing force is the more obvious part of sport movements. Kicking a soccer ball, throwing a baseball, or taking a slap shot in hockey are just a few examples of force production. The more force you can produce, the faster and more powerful your sports skills will be.
Strength training is a great way to develop force absorption and force production at the same time, but the speed in which the weights move is critical. The eccentric phase needs to be a slow and controlled movement in order to build your capacity to absorb greater stresses. The concentric phase, however, should be done in a much faster and powerful fashion. Within a single repetition, you have two different goals, and because of this the two phases need to be done at different speeds.
In general, the eccentric phase should take anywhere from 2 to 4 seconds to complete on every repetition. The greater your need to improve your force absorption ability, the closer this should be to the 4 second time. For the concentric phase, you should always look to complete it as fast as possible. Most of the time this will be under 1 second, but on the last repetition of a heavy set this may take a little longer. That's OK, as long as you are trying to move the weight in a fast and powerful fashion.
Jim Herrick, Jr. is the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cushing Academy, located in Ashburnham, MA. Jim has trained hundreds of athletes in all aspects of sports performance since 1998. To find out more about our training programs, visit http://www.powersourcetraining.com
Training with Proper Weight Amounts
Strength training programs now come in all shapes and sizes. You can usually find a training program for athletes at most high schools, and even some middle schools. There are a countless number of fitness centers and smaller training studios that offer personal or small group weight training. Some of you may be participating in them right now.
Most of these programs continue to follow a bodybuilding-style format. 3 sets of 8 repetitions, push yourself to the edge, do what it takes to lift large amounts of weights. No real thought on the effect of rest times, or how fast the bar or dumbbell moves during the lift.
In this series of training articles I will attempt to provide some general knowledge on how each variable within a strength training program can affect your long-term results. Today we will cover proper weight choice, and the speed in which the weight is lifted. Parts 2 and 3 will cover rest times, how to determine the number of sets and repetitions, and why proper technique is so important.
Choosing the Right Weights
We'll start here because this is the topic that can save you from serious injury, or on the flip side, dedicating months and years to training without ever making significant improvements. Beginner weightlifters often have no clear strategy for picking the right weights, and will often just use what someone else around them does. No two people are alike, however, and each individual should follow a simple plan that suits their own needs.
A weight that is too heavy can obviously cause some major damage, like crushing you for example, but even if you can move it there are still potential problems. Any weight that causes you to move it with poor technique is too much. If you need a spotter to assist you, that is also a sign the weight is too heavy.
Going lighter will overcome these issues, but then you will not sufficiently challenge your body to adapt, or change, to the stress you put on it. Your body is an incredible machine, and it is perceptive enough to know that if it can already perform a task without any potential danger, it won't change a thing. You will need to challenge yourself a little in order to make progress.
So where does this leave you? Kind of like the old Three Bears fairytale, you need to find weights that are not too heavy, not too light, but just right.
This means being able to do every repetition you were supposed to using the heaviest weight possible, but with excellent form and no help. In addition, you should have been able to do 1 or 2 more repetitions with that weight, even though you will not actually complete them. That is the perfect weight.
You will notice that I am not recommending squeezing every last ounce of effort into each set, more like 90%. Many of the push to failure techniques, or partner assisted extra reps are not only unnecessary for all but the most elite athletes, they are counterproductive. They burn way too much energy for what you will get out of them.
By holding back those last one or two reps, you will be able train more often, and with greater effort in the long run. And a funny thing will start to happen...you will start making gains like you've never experienced before in your life!
To find your perfect weight on each exercise, start conservatively. Pick a weight that you absolutely know you can handle, and complete the set. Be observant, pay attention to how easy it actually was, and make a logical increase on your next set. Continue this until you reach that perfect weight.
Jim Herrick, Jr. is the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cushing Academy, located in Ashburnham, MA. Jim has trained hundreds of athletes in all aspects of sports performance since 1998. To find out more about our training programs, visit http://www.powersourcetraining.com
Most of these programs continue to follow a bodybuilding-style format. 3 sets of 8 repetitions, push yourself to the edge, do what it takes to lift large amounts of weights. No real thought on the effect of rest times, or how fast the bar or dumbbell moves during the lift.
In this series of training articles I will attempt to provide some general knowledge on how each variable within a strength training program can affect your long-term results. Today we will cover proper weight choice, and the speed in which the weight is lifted. Parts 2 and 3 will cover rest times, how to determine the number of sets and repetitions, and why proper technique is so important.
Choosing the Right Weights
We'll start here because this is the topic that can save you from serious injury, or on the flip side, dedicating months and years to training without ever making significant improvements. Beginner weightlifters often have no clear strategy for picking the right weights, and will often just use what someone else around them does. No two people are alike, however, and each individual should follow a simple plan that suits their own needs.
A weight that is too heavy can obviously cause some major damage, like crushing you for example, but even if you can move it there are still potential problems. Any weight that causes you to move it with poor technique is too much. If you need a spotter to assist you, that is also a sign the weight is too heavy.
Going lighter will overcome these issues, but then you will not sufficiently challenge your body to adapt, or change, to the stress you put on it. Your body is an incredible machine, and it is perceptive enough to know that if it can already perform a task without any potential danger, it won't change a thing. You will need to challenge yourself a little in order to make progress.
So where does this leave you? Kind of like the old Three Bears fairytale, you need to find weights that are not too heavy, not too light, but just right.
This means being able to do every repetition you were supposed to using the heaviest weight possible, but with excellent form and no help. In addition, you should have been able to do 1 or 2 more repetitions with that weight, even though you will not actually complete them. That is the perfect weight.
You will notice that I am not recommending squeezing every last ounce of effort into each set, more like 90%. Many of the push to failure techniques, or partner assisted extra reps are not only unnecessary for all but the most elite athletes, they are counterproductive. They burn way too much energy for what you will get out of them.
By holding back those last one or two reps, you will be able train more often, and with greater effort in the long run. And a funny thing will start to happen...you will start making gains like you've never experienced before in your life!
To find your perfect weight on each exercise, start conservatively. Pick a weight that you absolutely know you can handle, and complete the set. Be observant, pay attention to how easy it actually was, and make a logical increase on your next set. Continue this until you reach that perfect weight.
Jim Herrick, Jr. is the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Cushing Academy, located in Ashburnham, MA. Jim has trained hundreds of athletes in all aspects of sports performance since 1998. To find out more about our training programs, visit http://www.powersourcetraining.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
