Hi all,
I have had a great couple of days on the training front, I have not really done any specific programmes, but I have been doing some filming for my website with my mate Ed. It’s all a bit rough and ready stuff, no fancy editing or anything like that, just around 60 different exercises using Barbells and Kettlebells. I think we did 30 exercises with each bit of kit. Some was indoor work but the majority outdoor. It was around 100 degrees when we were doing the filming, so it was pretty uncomfortable and I don’t think my mouth could have been drier if you had poured a bag of cement into it. Anyway, I will be putting the videos on the site over the next few weeks, some of it is fairly basic and some of it is quite advanced so there are exercises for every level of trainer.
I would just like to say a personal thanks to Ed for letting me do all the exercises while he stood there and filmed me and then handed the camera over and let me do all the uploading too, as he pulled the “I don’t know how to do it card”...... nice one!!!
Well today I thought I would write about some terminology that you may come across when starting out Resistance Training and also some information about the Importance of Recovery.
Before you start to pick up any external resistance (A barbell or something that you have to work with other than your bodyweight) when you first start out it is really important that you are able to handle your own bodyweight, until this time, it is not advisable to start using any substantial external resistance. I have covered the Exercises that I suggest in the Blog, Training for a Healthy Life so if you need to know the best bodyweight exercises just click the link above.
Ok, terminology.
Exercise: A specific Movement done to strengthen a body part or a movement.
A Set: A set is made up of a specific number of repetitions of an exercise. Once you have completed the repetitions directed for that exercise, you will have completed a Set.
Repetition: A repetition is the number of times you will complete a specific movement in a set.
To make it clearer, you may see something written down like this.
Squat = 3 x 10. This means the exercise you are going to do is The Squat, you will do 3 sets of the Squat and in each set you will Squat 10 times.
Resistance Training = pretty much anything that uses a resistance to the force of a muscular contraction. Meaning that by doing a particular exercise it will make you work your muscles forcefully. An easier description is Strength Training.
Strength Training : You can train many aspects of Strength, far too numerous to mention here. But the most common forms that you will probably come across as an everyday trainer are:
Hypertrophy training: which means Muscle growth, this is the most common form of training used by Body Builders and most people you will see training in a Gym. To initiate growth in your muscles, you will normally use 8 to 12 repetitions and 3 to 5 sets of an exercise.
So to build your Biceps muscle you could expect to do a Biceps Curl, 4 sets of 10 repetitions. Or 4 x 10.
Endurance Training: Another common training method. To train endurance means you will use a load, either bodyweight or light external load and work anything from 15 Repetitions upward. For 3 to 10 sets. Endurance means to be able to repeat a movement many times against a sub-maximal load (light load)
Maximum Strength Training: To train Maximum Strength you will need to lift very heavy loads. The normal number of repetitions you will do are between 1 and 6 and you can do anything from 4 -10 sets of an exercise to build Maximum Strength. Basically a one time all out effort against a heavy object or load.
Circuit Training: Circuit training is a series of exercises performed one after the other with a specified rest time in between each exercise. This type of training is very common in most Gyms. It is especially good for those who are new to resistance training, as the loads are normally light or bodyweight only. By using this type of training when you first start out on a resistance training programme you will enable you Ligaments and Tendons to adapt and to be able to handle force in preparation for heavier loading later down the line. This is my preferred method with beginners. It can be referred to as Anatomical Adaptation.
Recovery: This term can be used in a couple of different scenarios.
When you have just completed an exercise for a number of repetitions (A set) you will have a short rest period for your muscles to recover from the effort they have just undertaken. This short rest will allow you to carry out the exercise again, without having to lighten the load due to you being fatigued. Recovery times will vary in between Sets and Exercises depending on what you are training for.
Another time when you will hear Recovery time referred to, is in between Training sessions. For an Athlete who is training many aspects of Conditioning, they may have to train different components of fitness 2 or 3 times per day. So that they do not become too fatigued they will have a certain amount of hours rest/ recovery in between each session.
For the normal human like you and me, recovery between sessions may take 24-48 hours. This bit is very important to understand. Many people who train get this next bit of information wrong and think more is better. When you train, you put your body through stress. This stress breaks down muscle tissue and causes it damage. You do not improve your performance while you are actually carrying out your training, In fact you do the opposite. You get your improvements by having the correct Nutrition and the right amount of rest.
Your Nutrition supplies the Nutrients for your body to repair itself from the exercise stress that you have put it through when you are training. The recovery period allows these nutrients to get to work to carry out the repairs that are needed. This is called Adaptation. Without the correct recovery in between sessions your performance will regress eventually.
It is better to undercook than overcook when it comes to training.
I think that will do for tonight, information overload springs to mind. In the next blog I will cover the different types of strength training and the types of loading that you will need to use to get a desired effect.
“Every artist was first an amateur”
Until then, have a good one.
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