Ten Commandments For Weight Training
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday May 20, 2003
RESISTANCE training has changed considerably since the days when a circus strongman would amaze the assembled crowd with his bulging muscles and amazing feats of strength.
Over the past 25 years, from when Arnold Schwarzenegger ruled the bodybuilding world, resistance training has undergone a revolution in areas including equipment, nutrition and training methods.
But no matter what new training theory or gym equipment emerges, there remains a core group of truisms which, when applied to any resistance training program, will go a very long way toward achieving results.
1. OVERLOAD YOUR MUSCLES
If you want to achieve significant and lasting results from your weight training program, you need to consistently encourage your muscles to grow stronger.
In a gym environment this translates to three basic rules: Keeping safety in mind, use a challenging weight. This will force your body to use more individual bundles of muscle fibres (called 'motor units') during each repetition.
Do exercises that work muscles through a longer range of motion. This will make your muscle fibres contract more often and more forcefully during each repetition (a muscle fibre contraction takes milliseconds and many single contractions ``piggyback" on each other in quick succession during a single repetition).
Talk to your personal trainer or gym instructor for more information.
Make training a part of your lifestyle. This ensures your muscles are regularly overloaded, which is necessary for significant and permanent change.
2. EAT WELL, DRINK WELL AND REST
This should be obvious, but for too many people it isn't.
Muscles don't grow bigger and stronger in the gym. Muscles grow stronger during recovery while you're sleeping or at the office or in front of the television.
Ensuring adequate nutrition and hydration will also help them recover and respond to training.
3. TECHNIQUE IS EVERYTHING
Proper technique during weight training ensures that you really are exercising the muscles you are targeting, and that you are doing so safely.
Notice how your body responds to slight improvements in technique and your training will gradually become more efficient. Also, personal trainers and gym staff are there to help you, so don't be afraid to approach them!
If you want bigger and stronger muscles, you must train a muscle, not just lift a weight. There is a difference.
4. REMEMBER TO SQUAT
A properly performed squat uses more muscles more intensely than any other exercise there is.
A deep squat uses; thighs, and to a lesser extent glutes and hamstring muscles as prime movers, and calves, lower back and abdominals as stabilising muscles.
Not only that, but your breathing muscles get quite a workout as well.
Make sure you are shown the safe way to squat and that you are warmed up before beginning.
5. DOCUMENT WORKOUTS
Write down your workouts as you do them.
Successful weight training comes about through small, regular steps of improvement over a long time. Documenting your workout makes it easier for you to monitor those small steps along the way.
It helps you identify where to pick up from after your last workout, and it helps you see which exercises work best for you.
It also gives you something to do between sets.
Adapted from an article featuring Tony Podpera, BA (Psych) GradDip ProfComm
Article supplied by The Forum Sports and Aquatic Centre at The University of Newcastle Web site: www.newcastle.edu. au/sport Ph: (02) 4921 7001
© 2003 Newcastle Herald