HOW TO MIX UP TRAINING STYLES AND SEE RESULTS

            If any of you are like me, training the same way for any period of time gets annoying and becomes a drag REAL QUICK!  I have to mix it up every few months simply so as not to burn out.  HOWEVER, when I change things, I want something that WORKS.  So how do we achieve this?  One thing that I’ve tried to implement in my new training methods is a scientific based approach… yes that’s correct… I said science.  Bust out your pens and paper kids, I’m about to go Bill Nye on your ass.

SO lets talk about strength training, probably the most common training method among males and females alike.  There’s plenty of options in strength training as far as muscle group splits, intensity, rep range, weight range, etc.  HOWEVER, what happens when the inevitable plateau occurs and our strength remains stagnant?  Here’s some options to push you through those plateaus and get your abs ready for the gram.

CHANGE TRAINING FREQUENCY

#nodaysoff right!?!? Wrong.  As muscles grow and increase in strength, it is very possible that they will need longer periods of time to recover and build.  One program split that I have tried and seen progress from is training muscle groups every third day. One example of such a program is to perform back and biceps exercises on Mondays and Thursdays, chest and triceps exercises on Tuesdays and Fridays, and leg and shoulder exercises on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In this manner each major muscle group is trained twice a week with at least three days of recovery and building time between workouts.

CHANGE TRAINING SETS AND REPS

 The number of sets performed per exercise is a significant factor in muscle development and strength gains. People who perform multiple sets of an exercise might gain little additional strength, but experience a lot of muscle fatigue from the high-volume training. They might obtain better results by cutting down the number of sets and training with greater intensity. On the other hand, single set training might not produce maximum benefits for many people. For those who have difficulty training in a high intensity, less weight or fewer repetitions or both might be beneficial. Generally, the more exercises a person performs, the fewer sets per exercise he or she needs to do.

Change Training Repetitions. Repetitions and resistance are inversely related. Heavier resistance limits repetitions, and less resistance allows more repetitions. Periodically changing the repetition and resistance relationship might produce further strength development. For example, performing 8 repetitions with 160 pounds provides a different muscle stimulus than completing 12 repetitions with 140 pounds. So what I would do is consider occasional repetition variations to overcome both physical and mental staleness.  Plus it will make your workouts more interesting and keep people from going through the motions.

IMPLEMENT HIIT TRAINING 

We all know a little bit about HIIT training right? It's basically high intensity exercises done at intervals.  Most people think of crossfit or bootcamp style training when it comes to HIIT. A lot of people do it, but do we know WHY it's beneficial???

1. will burn a much higher number of calories in a shorter amount of time than aerobic exercise(endurance training, think long runs).

2. It will lead to more calories burned after your workout due to your body taking longer to repair the body due to the intensity. 

3. can be implemented into almost any workout structure.  Hardly any equipment or space needed.

4. Boosts the bodies metabolism by consuming higher levels of oxygen to recover which will also spike your metabolism for a period of time(usually around 90-144 minutes after training)

I typically like to implement HIIT training 2-3 times a week with my own workouts(usually lots of bodyweight movements) done with round type intervals lasting 15-20 minutes tops.

One thing that I have implemented in my own training regimen is the emphasis on the eccentric muscle contraction.  Eccentric is basically the tension on the muscle as it lengthens.  So, in a bicep curl, the eccentric motion would be as the weight is lowered down.  The reason I like eccentric focused training is because around 70% of hypertrophy (muscle growth) tends to occur in the eccentric movement.  There’s a few different ways to implement this and be successful in training.  One can utilize super slow training.  Where an exercise is anywhere from 5-10 seconds concentric (shortening of a muscle) and 5-10 seconds’ eccentric (lengthening of a muscle).  Ideally what that means is 60-90 seconds of continuous muscle tension.  I typically perform 3-4 exercises where I focus on the eccentric portion while the remainder of my workout consists of either HIIT training or low rep/ high weight. 

MY CURRENT ROUTINE

Currently, I do full body 3-5 days a week and a specialty class 1-2 times.  The main reason behind this is that I currently have a stress fracture in my femur (lame) and am unable to do cardio/legs.  Therefore, I will do boxing to raise my heart rate and get some resistance on my quads, hammies, glutes.  My full body workouts will typically consist of callisthenic movements paired with dumbbell training.  The reason I focus on dumbbell training is the core benefits.  My workouts now typically last anywhere from 30-50 minutes due to my insane weekly schedule.  A normal workout for me might look something like this:

4X8 bodyweight pullups

4X12 tricep pushups with shoulder taps

5X15 dumbbell toe reaches

4X10 dumbbell incline press

4X10 bent over dumbbell row

4X12 tricep extension

4X12 dumbbell bicep curl

4X8 front, lateral, rear delt raises

5X20 hanging leg raises

Usually I’m in and out in around 45 minutes.  It’s not ideal, I miss spending hours in the gym lifting weights.  However, life happens, the world happens, and sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day.  My main piece of advice for those that may be in the same boat is this.  MAKE IT A PRIORITY.  There’s always 100 reasons to not do something.  Make it a priority and make it happen.  I promise it will improve overall quality of life.  People that make fitness a priority tend to think clearer, succeed more often, have a more optimistic outlook on life, and have higher self confidence.  If anyone reading this has any questions over the article above, or any ideas for future blogs, please do not hesitate to reach out!