Preview: In this short article we provide a few insights that will (literally) revolutionize the benefits of your strength training workouts.
Improvement does not come easily. You literally need to force improvement. And you cannot force improvement with light loads, moderate intensity & easy workouts.
The harder you train, the faster you improve. The harder you train, the less time you can spend training. It's that simple.
Hello! Sprinters; Sprint. Joggers; Jog.
Sprinters Train Hard, Fast, Short & Infrequently
Runners Train with Moderatly Low Intensity, For Long Periods & Do It Frequently
How hard are you training?
How long are you training for?
How frequently do you train?
Too many people have invested too much time, too little effort (or! to much effort, for to long & to frequently) only to experience too few benefits and that's why the quit or burn out. Follow the insights below to to experience mind blowing progress.
We don't want you to waste your time in the gym prancing about in your workouts thinking your efforts warrant progress.
Here are 3 insight that will revolutionize the benefits of your strength training application. Apply them immediately because benefits await.
Insight #1
Intensity Is King
Let us define Intensity: HARDER THAN LAST TIME
If you performed Barbell Biceps Curls last workout, and used 65lbs for 5 Repetitions. And your next upcoming workout, you perform the same exercise, same load, same reps ... congratulations you wasted your time and will make absolutely no progress.
You must introduce your organic system to a Novel Stimulus!
Train harder than last time. Add 1-3 Reps or 5-10lbs every workout, until you literally cannot increase the novel stimulus.
When you cannot increase the intensity of your Novel Stimulus, you must decrease the frequency (increase the amount of rest between training sessions, see insight 3).
Insight #2
Consolidate Your Efforts
It stands to reason: THE HARDER YOU TRAIN (if in fact you are training with high intensity) THE LESS TIME YOU CAN EXERT YOURSELF TRAINING WITH HIGHER INTENSITY.
If your goal is Strength, Power & Muscles you workout duration should not exceed 3-4 hours total time per week.
If you are spending 90-120 Minutes inside the gym flogging your energy resources with marathon sets & reps; it stands to reason it will also require a marathon-recovery-period to replenish all of your energy resources. Keep your workouts Short & Intense!
Let these statistics sink in:
Average Ice Time NHL Defencemen: 20 Minutes
Average NFL Entire Game Play: 11 Minutes
Usain Bolt Sprints 40yrds in 4 Seconds
Imagine 2 people digging a hole in your back yard. Both are given 30 minutes to dig. One person is able to remove 300lbs of dirt. The other person 900lbs of dirt. Who is the stronger? In better shape? The point is very clear: Learn How To Move More Dirt In Less Time!
Insight #3
Infrequent Workouts Builds A Bigger Engine
The more stress you put into your system, the longer it takes for you to replenish all of the energy lost. Remember, you must recover 100% of all energy used before you can supercompensate in Strength, Size, Power & Cognitive Function!
There are a lot of factors that influence a persons ability to recover from intense training sessions. Everyone recovers at different rates.
How can you determine the optimal amount of rest days between the same workouts? The answer lies in your training journal. If you cannot set a personal record on your Main or Primary Exercise from workout to workout; this is often a good indication that you are not fully recovered.
Based on In-Person Coaching experience (well over 7,000 coaching hours yearly) we have discovered the optimal amount of rest between the same workout lies between 120-168 hours (5-7 Days). This amount of rest has been shown to demonstrate incredible increase in strength, power & muscle building adaptations.
Anytime we press a lifter to chase a Personal Record coming off 72-96 hours of rest, progress is marginal at best.
The optimal amount of rest days between different high intensity workouts appears to be 48-72 hours and this supported by scientific research.
It should be noted that recovery period lasting 7-21 days should be introduced at the end of a 6-8 week high intensity training phase. The rest-recovery period will help tendonds, ligaments, bones & the neurological system to recover full from the exhaustive effects of high intensity training.
What can we say in review? Train with higher intensity, keep your workout short (no more than 45 minutes) & rest 48-72 hours between different workouts or 120-168 between the same workouts.
Your mission, now, is to learn how to move more dirt in less time!
Go get some y'all