I’ve tried different reps and set schemes, but when it comes to strength training, I keep coming back to exercising frequently and performing low reps. I also remove any sort of cardio type activity from the strength workout; no heavy breathing for me.
So what do I mean by frequently? At least three times a week. And low reps? How about 3 reps. I also don’t go crazy heavy. My goal is to work out with a moderately heavy weight and stay fresh. I stay away from fatigue and exhaustion. This allows me to workout more often due to my muscles and central nervous system not being knocked into oblivion.
So how do I work it?
First off I don’t work out with a weight that causes me to breath heavy when I’m done. I find that if I’m breathing heavy then it takes away from my workout. When I finish my 3 reps, I still feel like I could keep going.
Next I try to use dumbbells and do one side at a time. I will do my right arm and then switch to my left with no rest in between. Mind you this is strength work, not endurance. Therefore, I won’t use an exercise like the clean and press. I use the C & P these days more as a muscular endurance exercise that I mix in from time to time for reps, not just a single or triple.
After I do both arms I’ll take a short rest. I don’t need to rest for long since I’m not winded and my muscles aren’t fatigued. Usually it will be for 30 seconds. If the rest period isn’t long enough I’ll know at the end of the next set. If I’m breathing a lot harder, then I’ll increase my rest period to 1 minute for the rest of the sets.
How many sets do I perform?
A total of 5 sets.
Now keep in mind these aren’t all work sets, and with minimal rest, they’ll go by quickly. The 5 sets will be performed in a pyramid fashion. Pyramids might sound familiar if you’ve read my guide, Secrets of Military Fitness. If not then allow me to elaborate.
Since I’m working strength, and I will increase my weights each set, I don’t increase the reps like when performing bodyweight exercises. On the first set I will use a lighter warm-up weight. On the second set, I will use a slightly heavier weight, and on the third set I will use my working weight. On the fourth set I’ll use the same weight as the second set and on the fifth and final set, I’ll use the same weight as the first set.
Working this way I still get a full on work set and get a warm-up and cooldown built-in. The pyramid also adds a bit of extra volume. I’m also always surprised how light the fourth and fifth sets feel after using my working weight.
All five sets are only for 3 reps and they’re also done with minimal rest. Let me go over a sample exercise for you. I’ll use the military press with dumbbells as my example.
First set= 3 reps (15#)
Second Set= 3 reps (25#)
Third set= 3 reps (35#)
Fourth set= 3 reps (25#)
Fifth set= 3 reps (15#)
Grabbing a 15 pound dumbbell, I will do 3 reps with my right arm and then immediately perform 3 with my left. I’ll take a short rest or maybe I won’t. Sometimes I feel well rested and since my right arm had a quick rest while my left was working, I can grab a 25 pound dumbbell and perform 3 reps with it and then immediately switch to my left and perform 3 with that arm. If I begin to breathe hard, then I know I should’ve rested. Now, before cranking out 3 reps with a working weight of 35 pounds, I will take a full minute of rest. This is to make sure I am fully rested before performing my work set. If I feel winded at the end of the minute I will rest another 30 seconds or until my breath stabilizes, but my goal is to never feel winded at all during this workout. This is a pure strength workout. Not cardio and not Muscular endurance.
On the up portion I will focus on staying tight and press the weight overhead. I do not focus on lowering it slowly. What I like to do is pull the weight down. I will concentrate on pulling it down and stopping when my elbow falls below my shoulder level. I pause at the bottom and then press back up. I focus on the weight moving up at what I feel is a normal pace. Not too slow and not too fast. I don’t use power or speed to press it up. I press up nice and easy.
After the third set with 35 pounds, I will take a short rest and then grab the 25 pound dumbbell again, doing both arms before moving on again. After another short rest I will grab the 15 pounder and knock out my final three reps.
And that’s it for shoulders. I won’t do any other shoulder exercises during that workout. I don’t feel I need to. Here’s a quick A/B sample workout. The A/B means I perform the A workout one day, take a day of rest and then perform the B workout. I keep alternating this way week after week.
A Workout
Pull-ups (weighted or without)
Dumbbell floor presses
One-legged Squats (AKA Pistols)
B Workout
Deadlifts
Dumbbell Bent-over rows
Dumbbell Military Presses
On the days in between strength workouts I like to perform bodyweight mobility movements (pushups, situps, yoga, shovelglove), some light cardio or some core work like in 1 minute Cardio 2.0 and 1 Minute Core, nothing too crazy. I like to just get my heart rate up, but I try not to side track my strength efforts. I also go by how my body feels. If I feel like I need an extra day of rest here and there, then I take it.
And there you have it. A simple strength training workout- Three exercises, three reps and performed three times a week.
|
|
|
|