Muscular enduranceThis is your chance to apply all that you have learned to create your own weight training program. In this step, you will use your knowledge of program design variables and apply the specificity and overload concepts to design a program that meets your needs. If you follow the procedures in this step as they are presented, you will develop a well-conceived, individualized weight training program. You may also use these tasks to assess your level of comprehension about how to design a weight training program.
Follow this sequence when developing your program:
1. Determine the goal of your training program.
2. Select the exercises you will perform.
3. Decide the frequency of your training sessions.
4. Place your exercises in order.
5. Calculate your training loads.
6. Determine how many repetitions to perform.
7. Decide how many sets of each exercise to complete.
8. Determine how long to rest between sets and exercises.
9. Choose how you will add variety to the program.
Think about why you want to weight train and the outcomes that you most desire to experience from training. Below, place a check mark next to your most important training goal; then read the paragraphs that follow to understand which type of program is most aligned with that goal.
The most important goal that I have for training is to improve my (choose one)
Muscular endurance
Hypertrophy
Muscular strength
General muscular toning
Body composition (reproportioning)
Other (describe: ___________________________________________________)
Choosing a single training goal will help you focus your efforts and maximize your results, but it does not prevent you from selecting another training goal when you are ready to make a change later!
Goal: Muscular endurance. As you have learned, your present program is designed to improve muscular endurance. If this is the outcome you want from training, you will not need to make many changes. Simply try to increase the number of repetitions from 15 to 20 and increase the numbers of sets for all exercises. If possible, also try to reduce the length of time you rest between sets and exercises; doing so will definitely contribute to higher level of muscular endurance.
Goal: Hypertrophy. To gain muscle size, you need to use loads that will keep your repetitions between 8 and 12, and you probably will need to include more exercises and complete more sets. You may want to initially focus on developing the chest and arms but try to avoid the common tendency of spending too much time on these muscles and not spending enough time developing the legs. Also, be aware that as you increase the number of exercises, sets (to as many as six per exercise), and the number of training days, the amount of time you will need to commit to your program will increase substantially.
Goal: Muscular strength. If muscular strength is your goal, you will need to handle loads that are quite a bit heavier than those you are currently using. An important thing to remember (from step 12) is that to safely and effectively handle the heavier loads associated with developing strength, you must have fairly long rest periods (2 to 5 minutes) between sets. A common mistake is to rush through sets. Doing so slows recovery and compromises your ability to exert a maximum effort in succeeding sets. Additionally, remember that only your MJEs should be assigned heavy loads (85 percent of 1RM or heavier), and lifting those loads will require several warm-up sets and a spotter.
Goal: General muscle toning. Follow the guidelines presented for muscular endurance programs to meet this goal. If you do not experience satisfactory changes in muscle tone from that type of program, switch to a program designed to produce hypertrophy.
Goal: Body composition (reproportioning). If reproportioning your body is your goal, it is likely that you believe you are carrying too much body fat, not enough muscle, or both. Consider doing three things: Follow a hypertrophy training program to increase muscle mass, select your foods more carefully, and begin an aerobic exercise program to increase the number of calories you expend. For the hypertrophy program, simply follow the guidelines presented in this text. When selecting foods, make sure that you eat a balanced diet, increase your intake of complex carbohydrates, and decrease your intake of fats. Most normal diets will supply the needed amount of protein. For more information on nutrition, refer to the book by Clark (2008). For directions on how to design an aerobic exercise program, use the text by Baechle and Earle (2005).
Goal: Other. If you have special needs, such as improving athletic performance in weightlifting, powerlifting, or other sports activities, read the chapter by Baechle and Conroy (1996), and texts by Baechle and Earle (2008), Earle and Baechle (2004), and journals published by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. You will find helpful guidelines for designing and implementing programs for young athletes in the text by Faigenbaum and Westcott (2009). If your interest is bodybuilding, consult the text by Evans (2011). The texts by Westcott and Baechle (2007) and Baechle and Westcott (2010) will be helpful for those interested in programs designed specifically for older populations. The book by Baechle and Earle (2005) is helpful if you are looking for sample programs for body shaping, muscle toning, strength, or cross-training.
The exercises included in your current program are few, but they work all seven of the muscle groups. It is a basic program that will benefit from the addition of exercises areas as you become better trained and more experienced.
If your goal is to increase muscular endurance, size, or strength in a particular body part, adding another exercise that is designed to train those muscles is a good idea. If you add exercises, do not select more than two per muscle group at this time, and do not include more than a total of 12 exercises if you are following a three-days-a-week program. As you will remember from step 12, the four-days-a-week split program allows you to add more exercises. Thus you may choose to include three exercises for a particular body part if you decide to follow a four-days-a-week program.
Using table 14.1, decide for which of the muscle groups listed you want to select exercises or to which you want to add emphasis (meaning you already have one exercise for this muscle area, and you want to add one more). Before completing this task, you may want to refer to steps 3 through 10 to review the explanations and descriptions of the various free-weight and machine exercises. Remember to consider the equipment needed and the spotter requirements. After considering your goals, write the name of the exercise to the right of the appropriate muscle areas.
Decide whether you are going to use a three-days-a-week or four-days-a-week (split) program. If you decide on a split program, determine how you will divide the exercises among the four days. You may need to reconsider the number of exercises you have selected. Remember, you can include more exercises in a split program than in a three-days-a-week program.
Choose how often you plan to weight train:
Three-days-a-week program (If you chose this option, skip to the next section on “Arranging Exercises.”)
Four-days-a-week split program (If you chose this option, go down to the next line.)
For a split program, choose which schedule you will follow:
Chest, shoulders, and triceps on two days; legs, back, and biceps on two other days
Upper body on two days; lower body on two other days
Once you make these decisions, go back to table 14.1 and, under the “Days” column, write down the days of the week that you will train each muscle area.
Next decide how you will arrange these exercises within a workout. Step 12 pointed out several options. Choose which arrangement you plan to use:
Perform MJEs before SJEs.
Alternate PS exercises with PL exercises.
Now look again at the exercises that you want to include in your program and decide how you will determine the order in which you will perform them. Rewrite, in order, the exercises from table 14.1 in table 14.2, using the left-hand column if you plan to follow a three-days-a-week program and the right-hand column for a four-days-a-week split program.
Now copy the exercises in the proper order from table 14.2 on the chart in figure 14.1 (for a three-days-a-week program) or figure 14.2 (for a four-days-a-week program). The four-days-a-week chart assumes that you are training on Mondays/Thursdays and Tuesdays/Fridays.
Based on the specificity concept, the overload principle, your primary training goal, and the type of exercise (multijoint or single-joint), determine the warm-up and training load for each exercise.
First select your approach. Review the methods for determining training loads presented in step 12. Decide which approach you will take when deciding on the amount of load to use for each exercise:
12- to 15RM method
1RM method
You may want to use both methods, especially if you are well trained and want to begin a program that provides higher intensities in the advanced MJEs. If so, you should make a list of which exercises will be assigned loads from which method.
If you are following a muscular strength program, you need to identify the approach you will follow:
Pyramid training
Multiple sets, same load training
Now determine starting loads. Using the guidelines presented in step 12, calculate the loads for the exercises selected. To save time, you can use the shortcut method of determining training loads from step 13 on page 182. Record these loads on the chart in figure 14.1 (for a three-days-a-week program) or figure 14.2 (for a four-days-a-week split program) in the “Load × sets × reps” box. Leave room for the sets and repetitions numbers. Do this now, but take your time because this process is the most important of all the steps in creating your program.
Based on your training goal, the load calculations from the previous task, and table 12.6 (see page 167), determine the number of repetitions you intend to perform in each set for each exercise:
12 to 20 repetitions
6 to 12 repetitions
1 to 6 repetitions for MJEs and 8 to 12 repetitions for SJEs
Other (describe: ___________________________________________________)
Fill in the number of repetitions for each exercise in the “Load × sets × reps” box next to the loads you just wrote in. Leave room for the number of sets.
Depending on your training status, training goal, available time to work out, and information in table 12.6 (see page 167), decide on the number of sets you plan to perform in each exercise listed on your workout chart in the “Load × sets × reps” box. You might want to assign more sets to the MJEs.
Based on your training goal and table 12.6 (see page 167), decide how much rest you will allow yourself between sets and exercises:
20 to 30 seconds (for muscular endurance)
30 to 90 seconds (for hypertrophy or with SJEs in the muscular strength program)
2 to 5 minutes (for muscular strength)
CAUTION: Allow yourself a little extra time between sets of a new exercise so that you do not become too fatigued and perform it incorrectly.
Consult step 13, if necessary, and then decide which method you will use to vary the load intensities:
Within-the-week variation
Between weeks or week-to-week variation
Cyclical variation (periodization)
If you chose the within-the-week variation, decide which approach you will take to vary the loads lifted in the MJEs:
Same load in each set (heavy, light, medium days)
Pyramid approach
Heavy-light split approach
If you chose the between-week variation, decide which method you will follow to vary the load intensities in the MJEs:
Same load in each set with increases between weeks
Within- and between-week load variations
If you chose the cyclical variation, decide when you will make load increases for the MJEs:
Weekly
Every two weeks
Other (describe: __________________________________________________)
Now decide how you plan to make load increases for the MJEs:
Increase loads by a specified percentage. (How much? ___ percent)
Increase loads based on retesting. (How often to retest? Every ___ weeks)
Finally, decide on the number of training weeks that you will complete before a week of low-intensity training is scheduled:
4 weeks
5 weeks
6 weeks
Program Design Drill.
Design an Eight-Week Program
Depending on which method of program variation you plan to follow, on a separate sheet of paper, fill in the loads, repetitions, and sets for all exercises for an eight-week period. Use the Success Check points below to make sure that you have considered all of the important program design variables.
Success Check
Select one primary training goal.
Select exercises.
Decide training frequency.
Arrange exercises.
Calculate training loads.
Determine number of repetitions to perform.
Determine number of sets of each exercise to complete.
Decide on the length of the rest periods.
Decide how to vary the program.
The activities included in this step required you to apply everything you have learned about designing a weight training program. You are capable of designing a program that meets your current needs, but you may want to look ahead and consider how to modify or manipulate the program design variables during the next year.
In the process of learning about equipment, exercise techniques, and program design variables, you likely gained a better appreciation of the expertise required to devise weight training programs for athletes in various sports and individuals within special populations (prepubescents, seniors, pregnant women, and those with osteoporosis, hypertension, or injuries). If you fall into one of these categories or if you are training such individuals, you may want to refer to the texts by Baechle and Westcott (2010) or Earle and Baechle (2004).
Remember, no program will allow you to reach your training goal unless you approach it with a positive attitude. If you train hard, train smart, and eat sensibly, you are guaranteed success and the opportunity to enjoy wearing your workouts proudly.
