Sunday, July 13, 2014

My Workout Routine

I wanted to go into my workout routine as it should be able to benefit alot of people. It's a simple beginner, full body strength training program. I think a lot of people make the mistake of following routines they see in magazines which are only meant for advanced trainees. If we, as beginners or intermediates, tried to do these routines we would just be spinning our wheels and we would struggle to ever see any meaningul results.

I use the StrongLifts 5x5 routines which is based around the heavy compound movements using 5 sets of 5 reps. The idea as a beginner is just to practice the technique in the key movements, the squat, deadlift and benchpress whilst focusing on progressing every session. It’s really important to train the motor patterns involved in these lifts, as these exercises will be used time and time again. Good technique is crucial so that we don’t get injured and also to allow us to generate the most force possible in an efficient way so that we can lift the most weight.

Progression is in the form of increasing the weight by a little amount, this is known as progressive overload. Progressive overload is the key to being able to see progress in both your overall fitness and muscle/strength gains. Without progressing by either increasing the weight, or increasing the number of reps or sets we will never make any progress and we will still be doing the exact same weight 1 year from now.

We should try to add 2.5kg every single session, which should be a problem for at least a couple of weeks. If you fail at a weight at one session, just stay at that same weight for the next session and then progress on from there.

The routine doesn't really have any isolation movements because as a beginner we need to work on building a sold strength foundation. There is no point in trying to improve your biceps when your whole body is weak. Like Arnold said, you can't sculpt a pebble. Isolation movements are more for intermediate level lifters and above.

Whilst this is a tried and tested routine that will guarantee you get results it’s always important to make sure you are getting enough sleep and your nutrition is on point to maximise your results. If you are trying to gain muscle make sure you are eating in a small calorie surplus.

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