Train the right way!

 

Are you looking to get the most out of your training? If you want to train the right way, then this blog is for you!

Have you ever wondered why some people get amazing results when they train and some don’t?

Maybe you are unsure of where to start with your program with so much information out there. You see people jumping from program to program and you see others staying on the same program.

Today let’s work through how YOU can get the most of your training with these 3 simple tips.

Look to the Principles:

Think of training principles as some of our non-negotiables. These are basically a set of well-researched rules that govern what will make you effective or ineffective with your training.

So, what are some of these principles?

Principle of Progressive Overload:

This basically states that to continue to make progress, we must have some form of progression. Now, this progression may come in the form of volume, intensity or frequency.

This is a basic example of how to employ this strategy:

Week 1 – You perform an exercise for 3 sets of 10 reps at @60kg

Now we can either increase the number of sets from 3 to 4 in week 2.

OR

we can increase how many reps we perform e.g., 12 reps instead of 10R at 60kg

OR

We can increase the weight from 60kg to 62.5kg or 65kg in the second week.

3 very basic ways, each lead to use obeying the principle of progressive overload. Generally, people will progress weight on the bar, but this won’t increase forever! When it stalls or plateaus look to changing some of the other variables.

Principle of Specificity:

Basically, if you want to get better at a specific movement, goal or task. You need to do it. Some exercises have very little transfer to other exercises, for example, if you perform the leg press exercise for a long period of time, this doesn’t mean you will get a better squat.

Why?

There are other factors to consider such as the technique of squatting, where the load is coming from and your nervous system.

Being specific with our movements allows us to target areas and get better with them over time.

Principle of Reversibility:

 

Ever heard of the term “Use it or Lose It”. This is basically the principle of reversibility in a nutshell. While we can make adaptations through training, we will lose a lot of them when we stop.

Research suggests in regard to our strength we lose around ¼ of our strength within 2-3 weeks of inactivity (this was from someone who had a limb immobilized).

The longer we don’t train or don’t use a specific movement the more impacts to neural efficiency, ability to produce force and muscle atrophy can occur.

Principle of Individuality:

Every person has their own unique medical history, training age, strengths and weaknesses, wants and needs. These should be taken into account when programming for the individual. This is where the principle of individuality comes into it, If I have a woman at 50kg and a man at 120kg, they will most likely require different programs at least in respect to the weights they use.

This is an important consideration to be successful in your program to ensure what you’re doing is appropriate for YOU.

Principle of Rest:

We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping and for good reason. Every system in our body is influenced by rest.

This is a crucial variable in a successful program. If you try to do too much with too little rest, you’ll burn out.

If you rest too long without enough stimulus i.e., training, you won’t create an environment to achieve your goals.

Resting too little or too much can make or break your program. Get it right and watch the effectiveness of your training skyrocket!

As a general rule of thumb, if a body area such as your legs is still sore when you’ve reached your next leg day you have either:

• Done too much in the previous workout
• Haven’t recovered well enough

Either way your performance and there for your results in the next training session will be impaired due to the peripheral fatigue.

This will be individual for each person as well, some may see stimulus from 6 sets for a muscle in a week, whereas others e.g., more trained will need higher volume such as 15 sets.

Depending on how you eat and manage stress also plays a crucial role in how well you recover.

If you want to read more about sleep, check out our blog HERE.

Combining all of these aspects in your training regime allows you to create an environment for success!

We are experts in understanding YOU. We use the program ‘Trainerize’ to keep you accountable with your training, nutrition and lifestyle. If you feel you need that extra hand, accountability and knowledge in what is best for you. Don’t wait, reach out directly to us today!

We have written a book ‘Move Right. Live Right’. That goes much more indepth on training and how to get the most out of it. Get your copy today!

Find us at moverightep@gmail.com