For anyone training with weights for any length of time, you may have remembered when you first started with your program.
If a sound nutrition plan was put in place to back-up your efforts, you may have seen some sweet gains in the gym relatively quickly. You may also have become stronger, increased your muscle mass and begun to change your body composition right in the direction you were looking to go.
Then it comes – progress may come more slowly or even seemingly to a halt, strength increases may not come that easily anymore and this same training program that once set you on the way to creating the physique of your dreams, doesn’t seem to be working quite as well as it used to. You may ask yourself, what is up with that?
Our bodies are incredibly brilliant and can catch on to our programs very quickly. They need a regular change in stimulus to continue seeing progress over a longer period of time. If you would like to continue getting better (in whatever way better means to you and your particular goals) training needs to be adjusted to keep your body guessing.
Keep this quote in mind:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results – Albert Einstein
Break your training down into phases, changing reps, rest times, exercises and the way your workouts are split. This can be done in many ways and can vary greatly depending on you and your particular goals. To get into an entire program phase breakdown would require a more specific program design set-up for your own personal goals. For the purpose of this shorter article, we’ll just look at a simplified way to add phases to your training.
Here are four phases that will work up to a strength phase. You may see an increase in strength and size as you go along, changing your rep scheme as well as tempo, rest times, sets per exercise and choice of exercises.
Each phase in this breakdown includes a percentage of your 1 rep max (1RM) that should be used. There are various methods that can be used to calculate this – all are an estimate. The best way for you to figure this out is to use your best judgement. If your completed set does not correspond with the suggested repetitions for that exercise, adjust the weight accordingly for the next set.
Which exercises you choose is up to you, but here is a basic outline of phases, reps, volume, rest times and times per set:
Phase 1: Volume
- Reps: +12
- Load: 60% of 1Rep Max (1RM)
- Time per set: +30 seconds
- Rest time: +90 seconds
Phase 2: Mass
- Reps: 8-12
- Load: 70% of 1RM
- Time per set: 30 seconds (notice the sets are slower here than the volume phase – meaning your movements should be slower)
- Rest time: 75-90 seconds
Phase 3: Strength
- Reps: 5-8
- Load: 80% of 1RM
- Time per set: 20 seconds
- Rest time: 60-90 seconds
Phase 4: Recovery phase.
If you are feeling overworked, listen to your body. Even if you are not, building this into your program is an excellent phase to learn from and will definitely help make strength increases a lot more likely. There are different methods used to do this. Here is a basic breakdown of one way:
- Reps: +12
- Load: 50-55%
- Time per set: >30 seconds
- Rest time: 120 seconds
- You may also decrease the amounts of sets completed per exercise.
If you are feeling in need of further recuperation, do not be afraid to take a relaxation week. Focus on things like yoga, postural corrective movements, and/or other forms of relaxation.
There may also be a power phase built in before the recovery phase, where reps are as low as 90% of your 1RM. This is up to you. For the purpose of making personal strength gains, these four phases should be enough.
You’ll notice that it is not suggested to train to failure in any set. This is a lot easier on your body and will allow for more recovery, while preventing you from burning out. The purpose of your training programs (assuming you are looking to make strength/size gains) should be to continue seeing progress and strength increases as you go along. When there is sufficient recovery, this is a lot more likely to happen.
I hope this helps you to learn how to continue seeing those sweet gains! Good luck to you and remember when you’re feeling stuck in the same routine doing the same thing over and over again for extended periods of time, if you are expecting different or continual progress, it is not likely to happen.
Don’t be afraid to switch it up and watch yourself grow!
Check out Fitlode’s Product Reviews for the Best in High Performance Sports Nutrition.
Protein powders are an excellent way of providing the body with the nutrients it needs to perform well before and after training.
Protein powders are the secret weapon in any serious trainer’s arsenal. Whey protein is a rich source of essential amino acids and is a natural, pure and a high quality protein. Whey protein isolate is the purest form of whey protein and provides high performance nutrition for the body to help with cellular repair, muscular growth, healthy bones, increased energy and metabolic maintenance.
Whether you want to bulk up or lose weight, dietary supplements will help you reach your goals faster, safer and with better results. We review only superior market brands to ensure you’re getting the weight loss management and high performance nutrition advice you need. These brands are backed by scientific research and have shown proven results.
ALLWHEY Tri-Stage Whey Protein Matrix
ALLWHEY’s patented formula NitriCore™ is a new 3-Stage extended protein delivery system that ensures 100% whey protein is extracted to deliver a high-quality source of whey protein per serving. The NitriCore™ delivery technology helps to dramatically increase levels of nitrogen retention in muscle tissue and builds muscle fast.
ALLMAX Nutrition
2 lb
MSRP: $29.99
Sale: $23.99
Find out more
ISOFEMME Protein Smoothie
As part of the Body Transformation System, ISOFEMME is a sinfully delicious protein smoothie created exclusively for women. It’s a convenient way to increase your dietary protein intake and meal frequency. What more could a woman ask for with just 3.5 g of total carbs, zero added sugar, no estrogenic proteins, virtually zero grams of fat and just 120 calories per serving!
ALLMAX Nutrition
2 lb
MSRP: $34.99
Sale: $22.99
Find out more
MUSCLE MAXX Protein Shake
This muscle building protein shake combines the goodness of protein to fuel muscle growth and recovery with Omega-3, 6 and 9 essential fatty acids, and a complete spectrum of vitamins and minerals to flood your body with the anabolic nutrients required for explosive gains in lean muscle mass. Recommended for competitive athletes.
ALLMAX Nutrition
1 lb
Sale: $32.99
Find out more
R-ALA Antioxidant
For recovery and protection against exercise-induced oxidative stress, R-ALA promotes the uptake of glycogen by optimizing insulin activity and helps speed up the amount of nutrients shuttled to your muscles. R-ALA can be combined with creatine to create a powerful and anabolic compound. R-ALA is also an extremely potent antioxidant, so powerful it is known as the Universal Antioxidant.
ALLMAX Nutrition
60 Capsules
MSRP: $21.99
Sale: $13.99
Find out more
