Your program must be designed to train you a little bit outside of your comfort zone to create either or both metabolic and muscular adaptations. Get fitter or stronger. If your program is too easy, there’d be nothing for your muscles to adapt to.
- There are 3 main energy systems (ATP, Anaerobic & Aerobic) and 4 muscular training objectives (Relative Strength, Functional Strength, Hypertrophy & Strength Endurance). Beginners or someone who has plateaued, favour only 1 of each energy system and muscular objective. For body composition you should train the 3 energy systems & rotate between Hypertrophy, Functional Strength & Strength Endurance muscular objectives every 4-weeks.
- Evidence indicates that muscle growth occurs when the majority of your training sets are performed within 3-4 reps in reserve, meaning you should not be able to complete more than 3-4 reps after you’ve completed your set. It’s common for beginners and intermediate trainees to underestimate their true reps in reserve, often being able to complete 5-10 more when really pushed. If this is you, you need to train harder to not waste your time and sets.
- You will have peak training weeks where you purposely go at 110% knowing that you have a lower intensity deload week coming up. If you have 4 week programs, weeks 3 & 4 should be your 110% weeks. This creates a supercompensation effect where you get fitter, stronger and better body composition results exponentially after digging yourself out of the whole you created with optimised recovery in your deload week.
- Strengthening muscular imbalances will require you to do exercises you’re not good at. E.g. you have tight hip flexors, the Front Foot Elevated Split Squat isn’t going to be enjoyable at first. Never done a BB Squat before ass-to-the-grass? You’ll have to remove the ego to lift lighter to get into the right position.
In 6-12 months time if you embrace the above your body composition results will be better as a by-product of professional training and your training experience will be a million times more enjoyable as you’ll be able to do more with less effort and injuries.
If needed, re-frame it; “I don’t like training but I like the result and benefits of training”.
Gordon