The Great Debate: Strength Or Size
To build an improved body, a person has to work out with purpose. Objectives and goals ought to be identified for our training. One of the many basic questions we should ask ourselves is if whether or not we are working out for muscle strength or muscle size. If you have never even contemplated this question, but rather prefered the health club line of "toning up" then you'll definitely fail in your attempts at creating a better body. Permit me to reiterate that once again, without having individual and specific training methodologies for increasing muscle strength then improving muscle size, you are wasting your exercise time!
I have seen devoted health club members go every single year with consistent effort without any development. Why don't we get real about developing a much better physique. Consider the example of home building. First, a foundation is set of simple heavy concrete. After that, contractors put in a framework with lots of wood and particle board on that basic foundation. At that point, if someone were to drive by the construction site he'd view a solid building, not finished obviously but he'd see substantial visible results. Would you not want the same significant observable results from your workouts?
Now, let's get to my topic of strength or size. To help you answer this you need to understand the following:
A. You will simply get a certain amount of muscle size with a muscle size building routine before you need to train for strength.
B. You'll improve a certain amount of strength using a strength routine before you need to train for size.
Returning to our home example, the strong concrete groundwork is strength and made on that's our frame of size. To set it with regards to time, train One month for strength and two months for size and then back to normal.
Traits of a Strength Work out routine
few heavy compound motions
2-3 min rest in between sets
3-5 rep range
redo identical work outs 2 times a week
6 workout routines per week - Half an hour long
Features of the Size Routine
many medium weight compound and isolation motions
30-60 secs between sets with some super sets (sets performed consecutive with no rest)
8-12 rep range
perform same workout once per week
6 exercise routines per week
45 mins long
The focus of your strength work out routine is a few heavy high-quality moves, in contrast to the main focus of the size routine is 50% more lifts of a medium weight.
Here is my personal strength routine:
Monday & Thursday - deadlifts and dumbbell shrugs
After a warm-up I go to dead lifts, rest, shrugs, rest, dead lifts. Repeat the cycle as often as is possible in 30 minutes. Lift as heavy as you possibly can for five reps a set. Tracking my weight and raising it each Monday (starting the next week)
After a couple of workout routines you will know the number of sets you could perform inside the Half hour timeframe.
Tuesday & Friday - Wide grip chin up with a lot more weight & standing military presses
Right after a warm-up, I turn to wide grip chin ups with weights, rest, standing military presses, rest, wide grip chin ups. Perform the cycle as often as possible in Half an hour. Lift as heavy as you can for 5 reps a set. Recording my weight and improving it every Friday (beginning the second week)
Wednesday & Saturday - Incline bench dumbbell presses and parallel bar dips using weight vest
Keep to the same procedure since the above two exercise sessions (presses, rest, dips, rest, etc) Weight is increased each Wednesday (starting your second week)
The aforementioned regime is basic, heavy and hard. You won't see health club weak bodies doing any of these exercises using heavy weights in the 5 repetition range. You will notice following heavy sets your rest periods will become longer.
That is Okay so long as you don't go beyond 3 min in the later part of your 30 minute regimen. You raise the weight Monday, Wednesday and Friday so long as you maintain the same repetitions and sets per workout. After a month you should be significantly stronger on any exercise that you can do from the size routine. This strength routine, besides your calves, works the complete body. Your grip, forearms and also your abs will be worked. Try this for a month for some serious complete body strengthening.
The recommendation for this month of exercise was on strength. To get this done we kept work outs simple, basic and heavy. The rep range was 3-5 per set with One to three mins rest in between sets. Seeing that we have developed in strength it's about time to grow bigger. A small improvement in strength is readily changed into a significant improvement in size in the following routine structure. Here are the three aspects of the routine formats that we work with.
A - Physical exercise choice
B - Rep range
C - Rest between sets
Time per workout is approximately the same. 35-45 minutes is a good range.
Next we shall discover the differences between the strength and size routines.
Strength: A - 1-3 basic compound full body moves, B - 3-5 repetitions for each set, C - 1-3 minutes rest in between sets
Size: A - 3-4 compound & isolation moves, B - 8-12 reps per set, C - 0-60 sec rest in between sets
Along with time for each exercise routine to be relatively constant the weight used is to be as heavy as the repetition range will allow.
The most obvious distinction in the size work out routine will be the significant increase of volume. I mean , there are additional exercises, increased reps plus more sets since the rest in between sets is reduced.
I believe it is crucial for you to understand the principles or even the why of what you are doing. That being so an example is needed. The majority of us appreciate horsepower. The horsepower of your engine depends upon fundamentally 2 elements, torque and revolutions every minute (RPM). A farm tractor has lots of tree stump pulling horsepower as a result of an abundance of torque. A Formula One car has race winning horsepower due to ample RPM.
In the weight training world torque Equals strength whereas RPM Equals volume. It is strength by volume which improves muscle size. A small amount of improved strength 5 to 10% times a larger rise in volume 50% plus is equal to a better more muscular physique. Next we're ready to change the strength routine into a size routine.
Monday & Thursday
Deadlift and shrugs at 50% of strength training weight or less followed right away by dumb bell squat followed immediately by frog jumps. Rest 1 minute then repeat above cycle as many times as possible inside 30 minutes. A frog jump is simply jumping as high as possible from a crouched position using only your own body weight.
Tuesday & Friday
Narrow grip full or 1/2 rep chin ups followed by standing dumbbell presses and then alternating dumbbell curls accompanied by dumbbell side laterals then rest for One minute. Repeat previous cycle as frequently as is feasible in 30 minutes.
Wednesday & Saturday
Parallel bar dips or negatives only along with regular push ups with French curls or skull crushes combined with incline dumb bell flys rest 1 minute. Repeat cycle as often as you possibly can in 30 minutes.
You can do a negative only dip simply by lowering yourself on parallel bars and then standing up to get yourself to the top position. Similar to the strength routine this size program can be performed 2 times week once per week as your lifestyle or recuperative powers permit. If you finish as many sets that you can in the 8-12 repetition range you'll develop significant muscles. In this routine volume is key!
I have seen devoted health club members go every single year with consistent effort without any development. Why don't we get real about developing a much better physique. Consider the example of home building. First, a foundation is set of simple heavy concrete. After that, contractors put in a framework with lots of wood and particle board on that basic foundation. At that point, if someone were to drive by the construction site he'd view a solid building, not finished obviously but he'd see substantial visible results. Would you not want the same significant observable results from your workouts?
Now, let's get to my topic of strength or size. To help you answer this you need to understand the following:
A. You will simply get a certain amount of muscle size with a muscle size building routine before you need to train for strength.
B. You'll improve a certain amount of strength using a strength routine before you need to train for size.
Returning to our home example, the strong concrete groundwork is strength and made on that's our frame of size. To set it with regards to time, train One month for strength and two months for size and then back to normal.
Traits of a Strength Work out routine
few heavy compound motions
2-3 min rest in between sets
3-5 rep range
redo identical work outs 2 times a week
6 workout routines per week - Half an hour long
Features of the Size Routine
many medium weight compound and isolation motions
30-60 secs between sets with some super sets (sets performed consecutive with no rest)
8-12 rep range
perform same workout once per week
6 exercise routines per week
45 mins long
The focus of your strength work out routine is a few heavy high-quality moves, in contrast to the main focus of the size routine is 50% more lifts of a medium weight.
Here is my personal strength routine:
Monday & Thursday - deadlifts and dumbbell shrugs
After a warm-up I go to dead lifts, rest, shrugs, rest, dead lifts. Repeat the cycle as often as is possible in 30 minutes. Lift as heavy as you possibly can for five reps a set. Tracking my weight and raising it each Monday (starting the next week)
After a couple of workout routines you will know the number of sets you could perform inside the Half hour timeframe.
Tuesday & Friday - Wide grip chin up with a lot more weight & standing military presses
Right after a warm-up, I turn to wide grip chin ups with weights, rest, standing military presses, rest, wide grip chin ups. Perform the cycle as often as possible in Half an hour. Lift as heavy as you can for 5 reps a set. Recording my weight and improving it every Friday (beginning the second week)
Wednesday & Saturday - Incline bench dumbbell presses and parallel bar dips using weight vest
Keep to the same procedure since the above two exercise sessions (presses, rest, dips, rest, etc) Weight is increased each Wednesday (starting your second week)
The aforementioned regime is basic, heavy and hard. You won't see health club weak bodies doing any of these exercises using heavy weights in the 5 repetition range. You will notice following heavy sets your rest periods will become longer.
That is Okay so long as you don't go beyond 3 min in the later part of your 30 minute regimen. You raise the weight Monday, Wednesday and Friday so long as you maintain the same repetitions and sets per workout. After a month you should be significantly stronger on any exercise that you can do from the size routine. This strength routine, besides your calves, works the complete body. Your grip, forearms and also your abs will be worked. Try this for a month for some serious complete body strengthening.
The recommendation for this month of exercise was on strength. To get this done we kept work outs simple, basic and heavy. The rep range was 3-5 per set with One to three mins rest in between sets. Seeing that we have developed in strength it's about time to grow bigger. A small improvement in strength is readily changed into a significant improvement in size in the following routine structure. Here are the three aspects of the routine formats that we work with.
A - Physical exercise choice
B - Rep range
C - Rest between sets
Time per workout is approximately the same. 35-45 minutes is a good range.
Next we shall discover the differences between the strength and size routines.
Strength: A - 1-3 basic compound full body moves, B - 3-5 repetitions for each set, C - 1-3 minutes rest in between sets
Size: A - 3-4 compound & isolation moves, B - 8-12 reps per set, C - 0-60 sec rest in between sets
Along with time for each exercise routine to be relatively constant the weight used is to be as heavy as the repetition range will allow.
The most obvious distinction in the size work out routine will be the significant increase of volume. I mean , there are additional exercises, increased reps plus more sets since the rest in between sets is reduced.
I believe it is crucial for you to understand the principles or even the why of what you are doing. That being so an example is needed. The majority of us appreciate horsepower. The horsepower of your engine depends upon fundamentally 2 elements, torque and revolutions every minute (RPM). A farm tractor has lots of tree stump pulling horsepower as a result of an abundance of torque. A Formula One car has race winning horsepower due to ample RPM.
In the weight training world torque Equals strength whereas RPM Equals volume. It is strength by volume which improves muscle size. A small amount of improved strength 5 to 10% times a larger rise in volume 50% plus is equal to a better more muscular physique. Next we're ready to change the strength routine into a size routine.
Monday & Thursday
Deadlift and shrugs at 50% of strength training weight or less followed right away by dumb bell squat followed immediately by frog jumps. Rest 1 minute then repeat above cycle as many times as possible inside 30 minutes. A frog jump is simply jumping as high as possible from a crouched position using only your own body weight.
Tuesday & Friday
Narrow grip full or 1/2 rep chin ups followed by standing dumbbell presses and then alternating dumbbell curls accompanied by dumbbell side laterals then rest for One minute. Repeat previous cycle as frequently as is feasible in 30 minutes.
Wednesday & Saturday
Parallel bar dips or negatives only along with regular push ups with French curls or skull crushes combined with incline dumb bell flys rest 1 minute. Repeat cycle as often as you possibly can in 30 minutes.
You can do a negative only dip simply by lowering yourself on parallel bars and then standing up to get yourself to the top position. Similar to the strength routine this size program can be performed 2 times week once per week as your lifestyle or recuperative powers permit. If you finish as many sets that you can in the 8-12 repetition range you'll develop significant muscles. In this routine volume is key!