Anyone who has spent a few years in the gym, has probably searched for the best weight lifting program. You are probably familiar with various weight lifting programs such as ” German Volume Training “, “DoggCrapp ” , “High intensity Training “, “High Volume Training” , etc. You probably even tried them and were assured that every one of them is a good program, but no better than the others. This is because some of the basic principles of training are completely unrelated to different training systems. How much you’ll get out of any weight lifting program is how much effort you are willing to put in.
The question you ask in this situation is : how do I generally need to train ?
The beginner training
Every beginner should train the same way, and here the training routine is not as important as the process of learning the performance and motion of exercises and other basics like breathing, range of motion, etc. Every beginner will make progress even if the weights they use are lower than optimal.
This usually means a period of about three-six months of training. During this time the beginner should be able to learn how to perform exercises with good form and range of motion, so he/she can now start working with heavier weights. The first basic principle of training comes down to learning the proper form of exercise .
The Gray zone of training
With the start of using heavier weights, the question of “what to do” with those weights arises : how many sets, reps etc. This is the time when beginners start wandering around, looking for that ” perfect ” training routine where they only waste time getting mediocre results. The second basic principle of training – There is no perfect weight lifting program, every reasonable training delivers equally good results.
The “Perfect” work out
This quest for perfection can be prevented with a little common sense thinking. My experience tells me that the improvement in muscle mass needed improvement in strength , and the best exercises for strength are:
Squat , deadlift , overhead press ( military press ) , bench press . Four exercises that cover all the muscles in the body and this is what we call the basic movements. There are more of them , which you will use in your routine, but these four are main ones.
The third basic principle of training – use “basic” movements ( squat , deadlift, bench press and military press) as the main exercises for improvement in strength and muscle mass .
The “Pump”
Once you are done with the basic exercises, the time comes to “pump” the muscle. For muscle hypertrophy, a good idea is to include movements that isolate targeted muscles more and do exercises with more repetitions. This is where the feeling of tightness or “pump” comes from.
It is this feeling of tightness that should tell you how many sets and reps you need to do. When the muscle can no longer pump – the training is over. This brings us to the next basic principle of training:
The fourth basic principle of training – instinctive training. This is something that every one must have developed over time. The body sends us signals that we should learn how to read. The signal of “pump” (besides fatigue) tells us how much longer we can work out.
Customized training
There is no one fit-for-all workout routine. Every workout routine must be customized for each individual as we are all different in terms of handling intensity, weights, volume. To get the most out of any weight lifting program you need to systematically work on:
– learning the basics,
– increasing your strength
– developing that muscle-mind connection that tells you when you need to push more or back down.
The fifth basic principle of training – We are all alike, but we are still different. This is why the routine we do should be created just for us and it may not work for other people.