[size=18pt]Top 10 strategies for maximizing strength training results
By Charles Staley
1) Never sacrifice quality for quantity. This is the first commandment for athletic success. Violate it and prepare to fail.
2) Target the weakest link. If you?re naturally strong, train for speed and/or endurance. If youre naturally fast, train for strength.
3) For athletes, strength training is a supplementary, not a primary, activity. If time and energy are at a premium, focus your efforts on your sport practice sessions before supplementary training activities.
4) Minimize redundancy: Redundant systems are a great safety feature in aircraft design, but not such a good idea when it comes to program design. Since there are specific limits to one?s time and energy (and since injury and overtraining are a constant threat to athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike), it makes sense to use that time and energy wisely the two movements are almost identical save for the slight variation in hand position. Instead, a better choice might be single-arm 45-degree dumbbell incline curls and straight bar preacher curls. Now we have effectively reduced redundancy to a bare minimum.NOT when you are completely unable to function!
Thus, a fundamental premise of intelligent program design is that of minimizing redundancy. As an example, during a workout, if you decide upon 2-3 exercises for a single muscle, make the exercises as dissimilar as possible. In other words, if you perform two biceps exercises in the same workout, dont use standing barbell curls and standing EZ-bar curls
5) When switching to a more quality-based style of strength training, work your way to higher intensities gradually. If you typically perform 10-12 reps a set, don?t immediately switch to maximum singles. Instead, spend some time in the 4-6 rep range for several weeks, and then continue toward higher levels of stress as your body becomes accustomed to harder training.
6) Terminate the training component when the quality of the performance erodes by 10% of more,
7 ) Select strength training exercises on the basis of how well they train large numbers of muscles simultaneously, and also by how well they correspond to fundamental movement patterns. Some examples would be squats, deadlifts, and bench presses (and their variations), various types of pull-ups, lunges, and abdominal exercises.
8 ) Try to reduce your dependency on soreness. If feeling bad is your goal, sign up for a job as Lennox Lewis sparring partner. If progress is your objective, make sure you perform gradually increasing workloads from workout to workout.
9) Avoid RES (Repetitive Error Syndrome): Dont continue to do workouts or programs that don?t work. Do something else.ANYTHING else.
10) Do all of the above and pick up your medals
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By Charles Staley
1) Never sacrifice quality for quantity. This is the first commandment for athletic success. Violate it and prepare to fail.
2) Target the weakest link. If you?re naturally strong, train for speed and/or endurance. If youre naturally fast, train for strength.
3) For athletes, strength training is a supplementary, not a primary, activity. If time and energy are at a premium, focus your efforts on your sport practice sessions before supplementary training activities.
4) Minimize redundancy: Redundant systems are a great safety feature in aircraft design, but not such a good idea when it comes to program design. Since there are specific limits to one?s time and energy (and since injury and overtraining are a constant threat to athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike), it makes sense to use that time and energy wisely the two movements are almost identical save for the slight variation in hand position. Instead, a better choice might be single-arm 45-degree dumbbell incline curls and straight bar preacher curls. Now we have effectively reduced redundancy to a bare minimum.NOT when you are completely unable to function!
Thus, a fundamental premise of intelligent program design is that of minimizing redundancy. As an example, during a workout, if you decide upon 2-3 exercises for a single muscle, make the exercises as dissimilar as possible. In other words, if you perform two biceps exercises in the same workout, dont use standing barbell curls and standing EZ-bar curls
5) When switching to a more quality-based style of strength training, work your way to higher intensities gradually. If you typically perform 10-12 reps a set, don?t immediately switch to maximum singles. Instead, spend some time in the 4-6 rep range for several weeks, and then continue toward higher levels of stress as your body becomes accustomed to harder training.
6) Terminate the training component when the quality of the performance erodes by 10% of more,
7 ) Select strength training exercises on the basis of how well they train large numbers of muscles simultaneously, and also by how well they correspond to fundamental movement patterns. Some examples would be squats, deadlifts, and bench presses (and their variations), various types of pull-ups, lunges, and abdominal exercises.
8 ) Try to reduce your dependency on soreness. If feeling bad is your goal, sign up for a job as Lennox Lewis sparring partner. If progress is your objective, make sure you perform gradually increasing workloads from workout to workout.
9) Avoid RES (Repetitive Error Syndrome): Dont continue to do workouts or programs that don?t work. Do something else.ANYTHING else.
10) Do all of the above and pick up your medals
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