Any strength training program is designed to increase strength in one movement. In other words, the athlete seeks to increase his ability to lift a lot of weight in one set. In parallel with this, other indicators also increase, although the most noticeable increase will be noted precisely in the weight on the bar in one repetition.
What is the purpose of such training? In bodybuilding, there is a golden rule of thumb that always two muscles are stronger than one. Muscle fibers are classified as slow or fast. The former train mainly with voluminous mass training, while for fast fibers, strength programs turn out to be the most effective. Therefore, if you use both types of training, then the result will certainly turn out better than when training one of the types of muscle fibers.
A strength training program does not pump the slow muscle fibers that make up the bulk of them, but, nevertheless, you will still gain weight. Without increasing mass, it is impossible to increase strength. Having developed fast muscle fibers, you can not only raise your potential, but also, by increasing strength indicators, you can progress further, following a training program that leads to gaining mass.
When training strength indicators, you have to work a lot with very large weights, so it is necessary to observe a certain periodicity of the load. The essence of this approach is to move forward not constantly, but periodically, as if in waves. In other words, you need to alternate between hard, light and medium workouts. If this is neglected, then overtraining will begin to appear, and the athlete will stop progressing, and sometimes even strength indicators begin to degrade.
The need for alternating loads is explained by the fact that otherwise the body will not have time to recover. You can also squat with half the weight of your own, then you can not alternate loads, but constantly perform only heavy workouts. But this option is possible only for those who get enough sleep and do not get too tired in everyday life.
A strength training program not only requires dedication, but you also have to give up alcohol. It will greatly facilitate the process of completing a course of creatine, since this supplement gives exactly the effect that is required for this program.
Before starting the training program, it is necessary to perform the so-called "penetration", the essence of which is that after a preliminary warm-up, a certain weight is put on the bar, which would allow you to do 2-3 sets. But you only need to do one approach, and then with each approach you should increase the weight of the bar until the approach becomes unbearable. The last weight that you reached during this exercise is the maximum weight from which the calculations will be carried out.
Strength training program
- First day - legs, chest
- 90% - 7 approaches: 3x5, 4,3,2,1;
- 70% - 5 sets x 5 reps
- - 3 sets x 12 reps.
- Second day - shoulders, triceps, back
- - 5 sets x 8 reps;
- - 4 sets x 8 reps;
- - 4 sets x 8 reps;
- - 3 sets x 20 reps.
- Third day - chest, back
- 55% - 5 sets x 5 reps
- 90% - 5 sets: 5x2, 4, 3, 2;
- 90% - 5 sets x 5 reps.
Between workouts 1-2 days of rest, which depends on the rate of recovery of the body. The workout program is designed for 30 workouts over a 12 week interval.
5 Principles of Strength Training
6-day training program from Arnold Schwarzenegger 
Ronnie Coleman workout program
Here's the amazing bodybuilding paradox! On the one hand, we are talking about the most power sport. On the other hand, physical strength does not guarantee any success on the competitive platform.
There is a lot of confusion in the minds of all this. Other pitches tear veins for years, trying for some reason to set a record in the bench press or deadlift. Others "fixate" on the biceps and do thousands of concentrated lifts. Both look equally pale because they are equally wrong. So how should it be?
First, about the methodological principles. Mass is given by multi-repetition training (8-12 repetitions in a set), strength - by low-repetition (2-5 repetitions). No matter how fanatically you pump strength, you will not add much mass. Then why does he need this strength training ?!
Needed! The secret is that these very many repetitions (for weight) must be done with weights that match power records. What, another paradox? Yes, brothers. For example, the real pumping of the pectorals begins after you start bench pressing under 130 kg.
Methodists advise holding power "sessions" twice a year. You can compose the complex yourself, guided by the methodological rules set out below.
All attention to large muscle groups.
The strength level of your muscles determines the strength of the large muscle groups - back, legs, and chest. This is why the main object of strength training is the largest muscles in the body. Based on this, exercises are selected. The undisputed leaders include the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Each workout is built around one of these exercises, with squats and deadlifts being maximized in terms of timing, since both exercises heavily load the lumbar spine. If you do the deadlift a day or two after squats, there is a risk of injury to the lower back.
You need to train with a frequency of 3-4 workouts in 2 weeks. The main exercise is complemented by 1-2 "finishing" exercises. For example, after squats, they do leg presses or lunges. After the deadlift - pull the bar to the belt. After the bench press - lifting the bar to the biceps. In the main exercise, up to 5 sets are performed according to the "pyramid" principle. In the auxiliary - 2-3 sets. It is only necessary to give all the best in the last set of the main exercise. Forced replays are prohibited!
Know a sense of proportion.
Intense training of large muscle groups is associated with a huge expenditure of energy. This means that the muscles need to take much more time to recover. If you try to train in a strength style on the same pitching schedule (up to 4 times a week), then your strength, on the contrary, will begin to decrease.
The method of "looping" repetitions deserves special attention. Many strength athletes "build" the training cycle in the form of a kind of inverted pyramid: several weeks of multi-repetition training (8-10 repetitions per set with a relatively low weight) are followed by the same number of training weeks with an average number of repetitions (4-6 per set with a more solid weight ) and, finally, the last few weeks of the cycle are devoted to low-rep training (sets of 1-3 repetitions with very heavy weight). It has been noticed that strength training quickly "clogs" the muscles, and the growth of strength stops. Well, such a scheme allows you to stretch the period of increasing strength up to two or three and even four months.
How to speed up your progress.
Before starting a strength program, it is worth consulting with a gym instructor. The fact is that too much when performing strength exercises depends on the structure of the skeleton, in particular the length of the limbs. The instructor will evaluate your figure and give you valuable technique tips. For example, if you are tall, you might want to focus on the deadlift. Squats will be more difficult for you.
By the way, the development of strength does not mean training with exorbitant weights. Much more is given by speedy performance of exercises. The secret is that the main increase in power potential is provided by the so-called. "fast" muscle fibers. Well, they really only respond to explosive training. For example, famous American bench press record holders perform a bench press with a weight of 60% of the one-time maximum. However, they are trying to squeeze this weight as fast as possible. And here's the result - the table of world records in the bench press is rewritten by them with enviable regularity.
Train your brain.
If you start your bodybuilding workouts from a state of deep distraction, you should postpone bodybuilding indefinitely. If you are not able to pull up 10-12 times, cannot squat with your own weight and squeeze half of your weight over your head, take strength training seriously. Otherwise, you will have to do rolling exercises with ridiculous weights, and such weights do not give a return. Dedicate the first year and a half to serious strength training. Set specific goals for yourself for each workout, week, month, year, and beyond. Along the way, you will study your body, its strength potential, recovery time, the need for food and sleep ... Due to this, your plans will become extremely realistic, and you will begin to confidently move towards weight.
Strength training helps to strengthen muscles, increase their strength and volume, as well as spend a lot of energy, which is important for people who want to lose weight. However, weight loss strength training is not the best option for shedding unnecessary pounds. Endurance training will be much more effective here. But why exactly strength training is needed and what it can be is the topic of today's conversation.
Strength development
Strength training is practiced everywhere - in schools, the army, sports clubs. The strength training methodology varies from normal to heavy powerlifting in the gym.
When a person first goes to the gym, often their main goal is to pump up volume. Such a thing as muscle strength fades into the background. As a result, many stop practicing without seeing a noticeable "explosive" result.
However, it is important how many muscle fibers in a muscle work for the result, and not its thickness. Your strength primarily depends not on the volume, but on the functional usefulness of the muscles. This explains an amazing phenomenon: a person with thinner arms than you can squeeze 100 kg from the chest, but you cannot.
Strength training is aimed at general physical fitness person. For beginners, push-ups, pull-ups and squats are enough. For those who want to know the true capabilities of their body, training with iron will come in handy.
Strength fitness involves many areas. All kinds of strength training are designed for different degrees physical development... Therefore, everyone can choose the most suitable strength training methodology. The main thing, remember, you need to train regularly, otherwise the results will go away the same way they came.
Strength training options
Good strength training means doing a lot of work on all the muscles in your body.
Home workouts
In most cases, these are exercises without weights, reminiscent of a mixture of exercise and gymnastics. This technique of strength training is typical, in particular, for the military, and has been practiced for a very long time.
Strength exercises at home are similar from the outside. circuit training: you squat, do push-ups, swing abs, do other exercises. Such strength fitness develops endurance, strengthens the heart, and somewhat increases strength indicators.
Strength training without iron is used in various types of wrestling as a warm-up or for general strengthening training. Often a partner acts as an additional burden.
Horizontal bar and parallel bars
The method of strength training of the armed forces of any country also implies exercises on the horizontal bar and uneven bars. The soldier must be able to do pull-ups and push-ups on the uneven bars. His body must be strong and flexible in order to effectively carry out the assigned combat missions.
Look at people who are into street workout. They do not look pumped up, but their muscles are an order of magnitude stronger than that of an ordinary person who is not familiar with the horizontal bar.
We can say that strength training on horizontal bars is an almost harmless physical activity. Its harmfulness manifests itself only at the moment when you jump from the horizontal bar to the ground - try to do it softly and on your toes, and not on your heels. In the latter case, you create an artificial concussion for the whole body (from heel to head) and a traumatic load on the spine.
Beginners can be advised to perform a strength complex on a horizontal bar and parallel bars without weight. That is, you are doing without weights, being content with your kilograms. Further, the strength program can be complicated by the addition of various elements to it: strength gains, overturns, etc. But all this should be mastered when your muscles can safely endure 15-20 pull-ups and the same amount of push-ups from the uneven bars.
Then, when you can complete the specified number of repetitions in your strength training, you can stop there, or you can start working with additional weight. In the latter case, it is time to move to the gym.
Powerlifting
The entire set of powerlifting exercises is based on the chest press, squats and deadlifts, their various combinations and training exercises.
In weightlifting, the barbell snatch and jerk is a mixture of the squat and deadlift. Lifting the barbell overhead is practiced separately with the help.
Classic triathlon is bench press, squat, deadlift. Of course, it makes sense to work only with these 3 exercises only for those who aim to develop their maximums in them.
From the point of view of influence on the figure, this will not bring cardinal changes (strength cannot be judged by appearance). Therefore, if you want not only to develop strength, but also to change your proportions, it is recommended to include additional exercises for specific muscle groups in the strength complex.
When it comes to spinal health, people with back problems can stop deadlifts and squats (or limit them to their own weight). The squat can be replaced with a leg press. But now nothing can completely replace the deadline. It is better to do hyperextension instead.
Heavy workouts should be planned in such a way that one muscle group experiences the load once a week. It makes no sense to train more often. Instead of a second hard workout in one week, you can give a light one in order to pump the target muscle group with blood.
The morning period is not the most the best time for weight lifting, it is better to train during the day and evening. Strength training in the morning will not be as effective as at a later time, since the body is still asleep. Exceptions to the rule are people who are nocturnal. For them morning is like evening for the rest.
After a powerful strength workout, it makes sense to pedal a stationary bike or work on an ellipsoid.
Circuit training, crossfit
CrossFit develops endurance and strength at the same time. This is strength training for all muscle groups. Sometimes all these groups work on the same day, which is not always correct and safe.
Part of the exercises can be done at home, as already mentioned. A more serious crossfit strength training program can only be implemented in a gym.
Important points
No matter how you train, before starting classes, pay attention to a number of recommendations:
- A set of strength exercises in the gym is always performed after a good warm-up. Loading cold muscles is not only ineffective, but also extremely unsafe, especially if you are working with weights. You can also get injured on the horizontal bar or parallel bars. By the way, despite the apparent simplicity, strength exercises at home should also be done after active warm-up.
- Review your diet. For hard physical training, you will need a lot of protein and carbohydrates.
- Give your body at least 2 days of rest between workouts. That is, if you trained today, the next workout in the same strength style should be the day after tomorrow. Muscles take time to recover.
- Listen to your body. Sharp pain during exercise indicates an injury. You shouldn't continue to work with weights through this pain until you deal with its source.
- A strength training program must be written by a qualified professional. Otherwise, you risk losing time or health.
Since a diploma or certificate does not always indicate the proper level of practical skills and knowledge of its owner, it is possible to collect feedback on the work of one or another coach.
It is good if a person has a medical or biomedical education, and has more than one year of gym behind him. Then he will be able, at least not to harm, but ideally to help by developing a safe and effective power complex.
Injury prevention
Now let's talk about what inept strength training can turn into. Of course, it's hard to hurt yourself by doing your homework without weights. But those who work with iron, and everyone else, should pay attention to some important points:
- Know your diagnoses. You can really give up on some of them, but others, in certain conditions, pose a threat to life. Before active strength training, you should consult with your therapist.
- Do not exercise on a full stomach.
- Make sure that the room maintains a normal microclimate. There should be no drafts or stuffiness, the temperature should be comfortable.
- In the gym, until you work out the basic exercise technique and do the stretching you want, you don't need to take heavy weights.
There are many strength training techniques. Experiment, choose what is right for you and gives results in your particular case. And, of course, remember that you have one health, and you train to strengthen it, not destroy it.
1. Focus on basic exercises
Basic exercises are exercises that work most of the muscles in your body at the same time. The most important exercises are the barbell squat, deadlift, and bench press. Basic exercises will do much more than isolation exercises and will give 90% of the results in the gym.
2. Use good technique
Good form is very important when you start lifting heavy weights to avoid sports injuries in the long run. As the weight lifted increases, technique will become more important. Work on building good technique with less weights before you start breaking your records. Injury caused by poor exercise technique can knock you out of work for weeks or months, and you should never neglect good technique.
3. Increase weight
Of course, in order to get stronger, you need to set tasks for your body in the form of increasing the lifting of the load over several weeks. You must always keep this in mind if you want to get stronger - the weight you lift must increase. You will not always be able to lift more each week because other factors such as fatigue or lack of focus may dissuade you from doing so. Try to add small amounts of weight every time you turn up at the gym.
4. Set goals
In order to make progress and success in any area, you must have a solid and achievable environment that you strive for. If you go to the gym not knowing what you will be doing, then you will have an unproductive workout. Before you put your foot on the threshold of the gym, you should know exactly what exercises you will be doing and what kind of weights you will be trying to lift. I would recommend carrying your laptop with you to record your accomplishments and the exercises you did. If you have a clear list of goals, achieve a lot more during your workout.
5. Do not overexert yourself
Overexertion is the worst enemy when it comes to training, strength and sporting events... If you overexert yourself, your body will not be able to regenerate properly and ultimately there will be no progress and you will become weaker. Your body gets stronger and repairs itself when you rest, not at the gym. Adequate food and sleep is needed for the body to recover. In order to get stronger, you must take long breaks between training. Get a good break between workouts to help your body fully recover from a tough workout. A two or 3 day break may be advised if strength is your main goal.
6. Focus on your diet
Nutrition is an essential part of any strength training. To become strong and muscular, you need a diet rich in vegetables, protein, complex carbohydrates, and fats. Diet can provide 80% of your gym success. If your diet is evil, then your strength and stamina will also be. Anyone who wants to be strong should consume at least six types of protein-rich foods throughout the day.
7 be persistent
No one has been successful in a week, and there will be times when it will seem like you are not making progress. Build-up muscle mass and increasing strength is an unpredictable process and you have to work even if you seem to be standing still. Most people are at some point in a situation where they don't get stronger. This is completely normal, because eventually you will get stronger and you will get the muscle volume you were aiming for. Focus on good food, relaxation, and you will see results.
The term strength training is most often associated with dumbbells and bodybuilding, but it actually encompasses a much larger variety of exercises. We can say that strength training is always used when it is necessary to tone any muscle group: the banal pumping of the press, which is part of the school curriculum, also refers to strength training, as well as complex exercises with weights on strength machines. In fact, strength training is the other side of the medal of cardio training: if the latter allows you to lose weight, then the former allows you to form a beautiful and elastic body with strong relief muscles. It is this goal - the formation of a strong, fit and beautiful body - that is central to the entire system of strength training.
"Works" as follows: you perform exercises at a low or medium pace that affect specific muscle groups - with or without weights. For example, to pump the abs, you raise your torso and legs, and also perform lateral bends that work on the oblique muscles of the abdomen. Exercise strengthens muscles and builds muscle mass. Thus, an "iron" and relief press is formed: the more developed the muscles and the thinner the fat layer, the better the outlines of elastic muscles are visible through the skin. Upon reaching the desired shape, your mission is not completed: the muscles are prone to gradual atrophy, if you do not continue to exercise, they will weaken again, become flabby and slowly, but surely, become overgrown with treacherous fat. Therefore, you continue to exercise in order to keep your muscles in good shape.
Strength training, while not focused on burning calories vigorously, is still helps fight overweight ... The fact is that muscles consume much more energy than subcutaneous fat and internal organs. The more muscles in your body, the more calories you need to maintain their vital functions, the more energy your body spends on a daily basis. Therefore, muscle mass literally keeps you in shape even when you are at rest. In addition, well-developed muscles play a role in supporting your skeletal system, spine and joints. Well-developed and strong back muscles, for example, are the determining factor in developing correct and beautiful posture. In general, the impact on the body of strength training that builds muscles can be called comprehensive and very beneficial in every sense.
Strength training functions
Despite the narrow focus of strength training, which consists in carefully working out various muscle groups, they perform several functions at once, each of which can be a full-fledged goal in itself:- Building muscle mass. Strength training with weights (on strength machines or using the simplest dumbbells and barbells) in combination with a diet rich in protein, give a sure and fast enough result, expressed in building muscle mass. If your fat layer is thin, then the muscle relief will soon become visible, but if the fat layer is significant, then the actual muscle building will become noticeable by the increase in body volume. If your goal is precisely to build muscle mass, coaches recommend concentrating on gradually increasing the weight of the weights while working out certain muscle groups. The weight of the weights and the number of repetitions and approaches are determined strictly individually, depending on the physical condition of the person, his initial weight, age, etc.
- Development of muscle strength. There is a wide variety of approaches to developing muscle strength, from the maximum effort method to the “punch” or dynamic effort method. The choice of this or that method of developing muscle strength depends on the goals and training program. For example, best effort method based on work with the maximum (and exceeding the maximum) weight of weights; isometric effort method- on the performance of short-term exercises, the tension in which lasts no longer than 5-10 s; method repeated unsatisfactory efforts- on repeated performance of exercises with medium or light weights; dynamic effort method- on high-speed performance of exercises with minimal burden. The most complete and harmonious strength training, developed professionally, should, if possible, include several methods at once.
- Formation of a beautiful body. To form a beautiful toned body, exercises of medium and high intensity with minimal burden are most often used. If your goal is not to build muscle mass, then classic strength exercises that target different muscle groups are the way to go. And by performing such exercises in a coherent complex and at a fast pace, you get the effect of burning fat and getting rid of excess weight. Shaping and strength aerobics, for example, are based on this principle. However, strength exercises that form a beautiful body include such "eternal" workouts as squats, push-ups, leg raises - without weights, using only the weight of your own body.
Types of strength training
Strength exercises can be divided into three groups according to the type of resistance, which, in fact, makes us make efforts to develop muscles.
- Exercises with overcoming your own body weight (without weights)
