The principles of strength and conditioning are designed to build an efficient, safe, and effective workout routine.
You don't need to go into the details but a basic understanding will be helpful when you make your own training plan.
Or if you want me to make a plan for you and coach you, you'll understand why I've made the plan the way it is.
I've tried to put the principles in order of importance for the busy person who wants maximum benefits in the shortest time.
Here are the basics. Focus on the first three principles:
1. Progressive Overload: Gradually increasing workout intensity over time.
It's the most important principle for progress.
When you perform a certain exercise with a certain weight, over time your muscles will get used to it, and need more stimulus (intensity) to keep growing.
You can increase intensity by adding resistance or increasing the amount of reps and/or sets.
2. Specificity: Training that aligns with specific goals.
The second most important principle.
Workouts should be targeted and relevant to your specific goals.
If you want to grow a bigger chest, you'll want to prioritize exercises that target the pectorals.
You'll want to choose intensities that stimulate hypertrophy...
3. Individualization: Tailoring workouts to personal needs and fitness levels.
Is it the first time you start a training program or do you have some experience?
What's your current fitness level?
Do you prefer to train at home?
Do you have access to a gym?
Do you travel all the time and need a training plan adapted for that?
These are important questions to consider and will affect what your training program will look like.
There are no excuses not to have a plan, everything can be individualized.
The remaining principles are important to know but more relevant for people who spend hours and hours training, like bodybuilders, power-lifters, or marathon runners.
If all of this is new to you and you just want to start working out to get in shape, stick to the principles above.
If you spend more than five hours a week lifting weights or you're training for a marathon... you'll want to consider the following principles more carefully.
4. Recovery: Prioritizing rest for muscle repair.
Muscle growth happens after training when you're recovering.
If you're training a lot at high intensities, you'll want to give your muscles some time between sessions to recover for next time.
This is where periodization comes into play.
5. Periodization: Structuring training in phases.
Training can be periodized on the macro- (annual), meso- (monthly), and microcycle (weekly) levels.
Think of a marathon runner who may first want to build their base with high volume aerobic training, and build up with anaerobic interval sessions in their program.
Or a powerlifter who may want to start their training with a phase of hypertrophy, then transition to max strength, and focus on explosive strength in the last weeks before competition.
You also may want to periodize on the microcycle level, and not train the same muscle groups on consecutive days to allow for sufficient recovery.
6. Adaptation: Allowing your body to respond to consistent training.
When you have a training plan you should try to stick to it and give your body time to adapt to the training that you're doing.
Giving your body enough training stimulus over time will cause adaptations.
7. Variation: Changing workouts to prevent plateaus.
You may want to change exercises and/or intensities once in a while to keep things interesting and to challenge your muscles as they get used to specific exercises.
As I mentioned, focus on the first three principles as you start building your program.
You'll find way more information here:
All for FREE.
Check it out.
Comments