8 Steps to Effective Strength Training



8 Steps to Effective Strength Training

USRowing Masters E-Newsletter

By Mayrene T. Earle, M.Ed.

Mayrene Earle is a masters rowing coach and life coach. She runs rowing camps and clinics, and coaches clients from around the world – by phone, email and on the water.

When the fall racing season comes to a close next month, many of you will resume your strength training programs from last winter or begin new ones. This is the perfect time to establish new goals based on your fall racing results or your satisfaction with your current training program. No doubt many of you will want to gain more strength and power in order to improve your experience on and off the race course. If you’re like most masters rowers, time is precious in your life, so you’re also looking for fast results from your training. So which type of program is best for you? The truth is that all weight training programs provide benefits and increases in strength. What is essential is that you use your training time effectively and efficiently. Here is my eight-step strategy for experiencing the full benefits of any weight training regimen.

1. Rest 48 to 72 hours between sessions. The fact is, muscles do not grow stronger during workouts. It is during rest periods that tissues broken down during workouts rebuild. This rebuilding process increases strength.

2. Exercise until you (almost) drop. In order to break down muscle fibers, you must exercise to the point of muscle fatigue – that is, until your muscles are so tired you can no longer maintain proper technique.

3. Do just one set – but make it your best. Some research indicates that athletes experience little benefit from doing multiple sets. A single set is sufficient, so long as you execute that set with enough intensity to produce fatigue. This single-set-is enough theory is a great time saver.

4. Adapt your program to your goals. The number of reps you do should depend upon your goals. Do you want to improve endurance or strength? To gain endurance, start with 15 reps and increase from there. To build strength, 3 to 12 reps are sufficient, provided you go to the point of fatigue/failure.

5. Rest between sets. If you’re working on strength, rest no longer than three minutes between sets. If greater endurance is your goal, move quickly from one exercise to the next without rest; this keeps your heart rate elevated.

6. Sequence exercises properly. Exercises should progress from the largest muscle groups to the smallest. For example: quadriceps, hamstrings, lower legs; bench press, lat pulldown, curls, lower back, abdominals.

7. Maintain good technique. Raise the weight smoothly over about two seconds time. Pause slightly at the top of the lift. Then lower the weight over four seconds -- that is, slower than it was lifted. To ensure development of the entire muscle, be sure to use the full range of motion of the muscles you’re working. This is a critical area of weight lifting, since poor technique can lead to injury.

8. Do it in an hour. A quality workout can be completed in 45-60 minutes. More is not always better. Finally, it is just as important to vary your overall weight workout regimen periodically as it is to maintain proper technique and intensity during workouts. Athletes who stick with one routine often end up injured, overtrained, or both. Typically, if you don’t change your routine, you experience big gains in strength initially, but these gains then level off and even diminish as the body adapts to the stresses of the exercise. If your routine includes multiple sets, you can avoid this adaptation by dividing your program into different intensity training stages (called periodization). Here’s an example of how to vary your routine to avoid adaptation. Generally, I change my sets and reps every four to six weeks:

3 X 10 (three sets of 10 repetitions)

4 X 8

5 X 5

8 X 3

(You can read more about periodization and see suggested programs, at: eleikosportcenter.se/ visaartikel.asp?id=32 or in the upcoming issue of USRowing magazine.

While there are many ways to achieve positive results from weight training, if you remember these key points, you’re on your way to success:

* More isn’t always better.

* The quality of your workout is far more important than the quantity.

* The most important component of your strength training is proper lifting technique.

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