Key #1: Train Hard Enough, but not too Hard
A huge key to consistent strength gains over time is understand how to train hard enough, but not too hard. If your training lacks precision in terms of the amount of training stress that you apply during your workouts, you’ll eventually run into a never ending sticking point. If you have good genetics, a sticking point won’t show up for a long time, but if you are less fortunate in terms of genetics, you’ll get stuck early on. Using the right amount of training stress is crucial for long term training success. This being the case, how much training stress is enough?
The Meaning of a Moderate Training Stress
I am convinced that the amount of training stress should be moderately difficult as opposed to an easy training stress or a severe training stress. I almost hesitate to use the term “moderate training stress,” because it sounds too soft and too easy, and it gives you the impression that it is based on wimpy training that will produce wimpy results. However, if I explain what the term moderate training stress means, it does not mean lack of effort or easy. What I am really referring to when I use the term “moderate training stress” is to avoid overdoing it in regard to three out of four training stresses that make up workouts. Further explanation is needed.
Four Types of Training Stress
There are four training stresses that that make up the total overall workout stress. These four workouts stresses include:
- How much force you apply into a lift.
- How close you come to training to failure when performing a set of an exercise (failure refers to pushing a set until no more reps can be done).
- How many total sets and reps you do, which is often referred to as training volume or total workload.
- The amount of weight you lift (also referred to as load).
Out of the four training stresses listed, maximum effort should be applied to the first training stress on the list, which is the amount of force that you apply into each rep of a lift. In one sense, effort should be very, very high in terms of lifting forcefully or explosively. Doesn’t this produce a lot of training stress? Yes, but only in terms of stressing the creatine phosphate energy system and recruiting a lot of muscle fibers. However, this is only one type of workout stress, and the second, third, and fourth workout stresses that are listed must be carefully controlled. They must be precisely right if you want to avoid running into a never ending sticking point.
Too much Fatigue Equals too Much Training Stress
The biggest culprit of too much training stress is fatigue. Workout fatigue should never become severe. The more fatigue that is created from your workout, the more training stress you will experience. Let’s take a look at which training stresses can easily lead to too much fatigue? The first is pushing too far into a set (i.e. training too close to failure). The second is doing too many sets and too many reps for a muscle group (i.e. too much total workload). These two training stresses can lead to both muscular fatigue and nervous system fatigue. The third type of training stress that produces too much fatigue is the use of excessive weight, which primarily over-fatigues the nervous system. The question then becomes, how do you know how to push hard enough without creating too much fatigue?
Training Thresholds
Training thresholds are the key to knowing how hard to train without training too hard. I often refer to these training thresholds as precision points. You want to train hard enough to approach a training threshold without going past it. If you do go past a training threshold, it should only be by a slight amount. The thresholds are very simple; the first threshold is determined by your how long you can maintain a steady even rep rhythm during a set with a given weight. You should stop immediately if your rep speed and rep rhythm begin to slow down. The second threshold is determined by how many sets you can do for a muscle group while remaining at full strength. If you allow enough time for full recovery between sets, but your strength starts to drop, you should immediately stop doing more sets for that muscle group.
The third threshold to consider is the maximum amount of weight that you should use for a single rep when training. If you lift a weight that is so heavy that you start to grind or slow down during the lifting motion, the weight is too heavy. When this happens, force production goes down and the firing pattern of your nervous system is no longer optimal. Do not use weights that are so heavy that they prevent you from performing a smooth, nonstop lifting motion while using good form. Weights that are too heavy can cause nervous system fatigue. Too much fatigue equals too much training stress.
When you control the level of fatigue during workouts, the overall workout stress is moderate instead of severe. Applying the right level of training stress will help you to avoid sticking points and gradually increase the amount of weight for long term training success. More on this next time. Best of Training to you.