There are different stages to follow when starting a resistance training program. It is not wise and you could injure yourself if you start out by lifting too much weight too early. Your body needs time to adapt to the changes you are giving it. A house would just fall if you tried to build it without providing a stable foundation. The same principle can be applied to your body. By following the guidelines to the different types of phases your body will have time to adapt and the possibility of injury will be diminished. It is good practice to rest for at least a week before moving on to the next phase. This way your body has had time to heal before adding more stress to it. Failure to rest can lead to burnout and injury.
General Conditioning
General Conditioning is the very first phase when you start lifting weights. In this phase your body is adapting to the loads you are placing on it. 2-4 Compound exercises are used for 2-4 sets or 10-15 repetitions. Compound exercises involve working large muscles throughout an exercise movement. Some examples are Squat, Back Row, Bench Press, and Lunge. Depending on how fast your body adapts to the loads it is given will depend on the duration of this phase. Typically the General Conditioning phase lasts for 3-4 weeks.
General Conditioning
Duration: 3-4 weeks
Approach 2-4 exercises (Compound Exercises)
Frequency: 2-4 times per week
Reps: 10-20 reps 10-30 seconds for balance and isometric exercises.
Here is a sample workout for General Conditioning:
Do one of each type of exercise for 2 sets of 15 repetitions
Squat: (options: Ball Squat, Standing Body Weight Squat, Prisoner Squat, Leg Press)
Push: Chest (options: Chest Press, Machine Chest Press, Push-up on bar)
Pull: Back (Machine Seated Row, Body Row, Smith Pull-up)
Bend: Crunch On Ball, Crunch On Floor, Superman, Birddog, Cobra with palms down.
Lunge: Step Up Split Squat
Hypertrophy
After completing the General Conditioning phase you can now move into the Hypertrophy phase. Hypertrophy basically means muscle size. This is when your muscles get larger due to the volume. In other words you will be lifting weight that is fairly heavy for a good number of repetitions. This phase last for 4-5 weeks and you will be performing 5-10 sets of 8-18 repetitions. The main concept to remember for Hypertrophy training is volume. To put on size you want to lift weight you can do really only about 8-10 times. Anything more than that and it is muscular endurance. Also you will be doing a lot of sets. If you only do 2 sets you will not see very great gains. Hypertrophy training means volume so lots of sets and heavy weight.
Hypertrophy
Duration: 4-5 Weeks
Types Exercise: Compound and Isolation
Frequency: 3-4 times per week
Reps: 8-18
Strength
The purpose of the Strength Phase is to improve force generation. When weight increases the number of repetitions decreases. The heavier the weight, the fewer times you can lift it. This is the phase where you will gain strength. You do this by doing fewer repetitions at a higher weight.
Duration: 3-4 Weeks
Approach: Compound Exercises
Sets: 3-6
Reps: 3-6
Recovery (2-4 minutes)
Power Endurance
The Power Endurance Phase is the last phase and is the most sport specific. If you are an athlete that wants to improve performance this is the phase to do. If your goals are not sports performance then this phase can be skipped. In this phase you will do a Strength Training exercise followed immediately without rest by an explosive exercise. Each set is done as a circuit. For example, if you were to perform a Barbell Squat at a weight you can only do for 5 reps immediately after this you would do 5-10 body weight jump squats. This type of training is very demanding and you will need a decent amount of rest time between sets.
Power Endurance
Duration: 4 weeks
Approach: Do a heavy strength training exercise followed with an explosive movement with no rest between exercises.
Reps: 5 repetitions of Strength Training Exercise/ 5-10 explosive exercise with no rest between exercises.
Sets: 3-5
By following the outlined plan you will experience a gain in muscle size and muscle strength. Following the phases will allow your body to continue to adapt providing continued results preventing you from reaching a plateau.
Paul is a fitness enthusiast who has worked as a Personal Trainer and a Physical Education Teacher. He earned a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from California State University of Fullerton, and a Physical Education Teaching Credential as well. He also earned a National Certification as a Performance Enhancement Specialist, Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He started http://www.workdfitness.com which focuses on all aspects of fitness, and motivation and is the founder of Workd Fitness Bootcamp. Paul has a passion for helping others achieve their goals and is ready to help you with yours as well.
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