Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Wise Words from a Wise Man

Recently I was having trouble with my training and looked to a friend for some advice. Actually, it was more than simple advice, but a re-evaluation of my training all together. He helped me realize that I was including too much into the amount of time I trained. In other words, for what I was doing, I could have turned it into a 5 day/wk program. Instead, I was doing a 4 day/wk program.

Many times you will read about quality over quantity...training is no exception to the rule. The older an athlete gets, the less they should actually train. When I say less, I mean less total volume or time spent in training. I do not mean that they lose focus from training. On the contrary, they actually should be more focused because the intensity of training will be increased markedly. This is due to the decrease in volume.

So, when looking to start a new training cycle, pay attention to the quality of the exercises you will be performing. Are they worth the time you put in to complete them? Do they give you that "bang for your buck"?

Focus on the big exercises (Olympic lifts, the big 3, lunges, presses, etc.) for the bulk of your program and you can't go wrong. Keep your volume in check and don't go too long without a deload. If you follow these simple, wise points, progress should be right around the corner.

One last thing...don't leave out your 'core' training. This should be trained directly. Yes, you do activate the trunk musculature when doing lifts such as squats and deadlifts, but it can be stimulated even more so by direct training. I recommend training the abs and low back with moderate to heavy weight for low to moderate repetitions.

Here is that friend who gave me the advice...

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