These are the two most common mistakes in training.

1. Keeping the same training program longer than necessary.
2. Not forcing progression/adaptation.

These two mistakes are the most common and luckily the easiest to fix.

In everything you need to do to improve performance, there is the law of diminishing returns, which states that if an investment in a goal increases, while the other variables stay the same, the return on investment will eventually decrease.

Most people make the biggest gains in their first year of training. Inevitably, the gains slow down when you reach a point where your body has adapted to the stress you imposed on it, you use less energy, you start to feel as if you cannot progress, welcome to the dreaded plateau . When you are well settled in, it is very tempting to increase the volume and do more, to invest more time in training…the same training.

The law of diminishing returns says the opposite, so this strategy is shit. Increasing the training volume is actually one way of applying the principle of progressive overload, but it requires proper planning and support.

You cannot increase the resistance indefinitely, just like keeping your training Ad vitam æternam.

As I say regularly, you are the reflection of the last three months of training and nutrition. How can we make sure we get a return on our investment?

In addition to having a specific goal, several elements can be manipulated in a training program such as the number of sets, the repetitions, the tempo and the rest periods. You can keep the same training, change one of these elements and you get a different workout from what you were doing.

Take a program with the ultimate goal of hypertrophy. If we cut the rest times by 30 seconds, this program, although still for hypertrophy, would rank a little more towards muscular endurance due to the lack of adequate rest between each sets.

On the other hand, for this program to be on the strength side, it is necessary to increase the number of sets, reduce the number of repetitions between 3 and 5, and increase the rest time between series from 60 to 120-180 seconds.

Generally;

Strength – low volume – high intensity

Hypertrophy – high volume – low intensity

However, not all repetitions are created equal. Speed ​​is a major factor. You can do 12 reps in less than 20 seconds or in more than 1 minute. This is why the tempo is an extremely important factor.

The muscular quality to train determines the working time of each series and the rest times. The tempo, or time under tension, is the speed of each repetition. Time under tension dictates the working time of each repetition.

In my next articles, I will dig in the subject of periodization and the several types of principles to apply in your next training sessions.

There are endless swaps and schools of thought on the subject. Research, read, take what applies to you and apply it to your workouts.

Have a good workout!

 

Coach Eric