Strength Increases
Everyone has different goals when it comes to their training programs. Some people focus on increasing their speed, others maybe their strength, and then some are looking for a healthy body on the inside and out.
I have lost count how many people ask me to reduce their middle section, or shape their arms or legs etc. With resistance training I can assist in gaining your strength and help increase the lean mass, but I cannot “spot reduce” or “spot increase”. What I concentrate on is working on your overall system by including resistance training – which also improves your cardiovascular system (helping speed increase).
Substantial increases in strength have been demonstrated with variable resistance training. For example, after 16 weeks of training males demonstrated an increase of 50% in upper body exercises (Hurley et la 1984a) and 33% in lower body exercises, and females demonstrated an increase of 29% in upper body strength and 38% in lower body strength (LeMura et la 2000).
Variable resistance training has been shown to increase in strength by using various combinations of sets and repetitions.
By including strength training on a regular basis 3 times per week, you will see your “problem areas” change, you will notice an improvement with your cardiovascular fitness, you will feel how strong you’ve become.
Make sure your strength programs vary in the amount of sets and reps you do.
For example: Have 5 exercises per workout = total of 15 exercises that cover all body parts.
Wk 1 you may work on a 6 x 3 reps per exercise
Wk 2 you will increase to 6 x 4 reps per exercise
Wk 3 change to 6 x 5 reps per exercise
Wk 4 push 6 x 6 per exercise
Wk 5 change up weight and start again 6 x 3, then work up till 6 x 6 and change up weight.
Then over 16 weeks you will see the increase in strength by what weights you started with and then where you are at by wk 16. You should also take note of the body shape change if you have continued through with a good diet with minimal or best –no refined foods.
I always tell my clients they aren’t cheating me, they are cheating themselves if they only do half the program. Food and exercise go hand in hand for optimal health and change.
