Strength training is the easiest way to help achieve most goals. Now, depending on your larger aim, there will probably be other modes of training that you need to incorporate, but that’s a post for another day. Strength trainers, to my mind, generally fall under four umbrellas and knowing which umbrella you fall under can help you make decisions about training overload and modalities.
It is important to note, before diving in to the discussion about the different umbrellas, that you will probably fall under different umbrellas at different times. This is especially applicable when talking about exercise across the lifespan. Most of us have different needs and wants at 40 than we did at 20. And those will certainly change again by the time we are 60. If you are an athlete, you will also fall under different umbrellas depending on what phase of training you are in. In other words, knowing if you are in the middle of your competitive season or if you are in your base phase makes a huge difference in terms of training goals. Thereby influencing which training umbrella you fall under.
Each strength training umbrella represents a broad type of training. In other words, every person who falls under the Umbrella X, for example, will have several features of their strength training programs in common. However, there will also be differences. These differences might account for need. They might also account for personal preference.
Unless you are an athlete training for something very specific, strength training is hugely adaptable. It’s one of those things that still surprises me, in fact. Why people struggle with strength training so much when there is so much variety for the taking.
An example… If you are a runner, you are going to need to run to improve. That concept was basically the first day of my first class in college. However, strength training is still important to runners, especially in the offseason, but there is a huge variety of routines employed by runners. Most of them equally effective and allowing for each individual to pick and choose at least part of their program based on need and want.
So, now that the incidentals are out of the way… Umbrella category number one is Health. Health is simply the absence of illness or injury. It doesn’t say anything about how much weight you can bench press or how many body weight squats you can do. Health basically says that your physical body is functioning properly. That’s not a super high bar, but it should still be something we are always looking to work on.
Competitive athletes just starting their offseason training often start here, especially if an injury was sustained during the previous season. It’s important to make sure everything has healed correctly before moving on. Most of us who have been away from exercise for a time will come back here. Or at least we should. Most of us have been guilty of doing too much too fast and burning out in the first month of a new workout program. Many individuals who are working towards weight loss goals should train under this umbrella; a lot don’t, more because there is still a stigma about strength training with regards to weight loss (especially if you are female).
Individuals with issues that come with aging typically strength train under this umbrella. It doesn’t mean that you have to, if you are older and have more robust goals. But if you are dealing with diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease, blood pressure or cholesterol issues, under this umbrella is at least the best place to start. Ditto if the struggle happens to be arthritis, fibromyalgia, or other chronic joint issues.
Overload, you’ll hopefully remember, is basically your way of challenging your body. For strength trainers, we typically talk about frequency, intensity, and volume of training. Frequency is the number of days per week a muscle or muscle group is exercised. Intensity is how hard or heavy you are lifting said muscle. And volume is the amount of work done, which in the case of strength training means the number of sets, repetitions, and exercises for the muscle.
When you are training under the Health umbrella, overload is typically not super high. That’s not the point. The broad goals for training here are threefold: First, maintain what is working well from a physical standpoint. Second, try to improve what needs improving. You have low back pain? Have a fitness pro design a strength training program that focuses on your needs. And third, try and prevent future issues from cropping up. Go check out my previous post about the benefits of strength training so I don’t have to climb up on my soapbox today.
So, what does that overload typically look like? These are usually lifters who go to the gym 3 times per week for a total body routine. Each muscle group gets a bit of stress every time you lift. Because you are hitting every muscle every time, intensity is fairly low or light. Not nothin’ mind you, because that defeats the purpose. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% effort for the exercise, which usually equates to an amount of weight that can be lifted 12-15 times with good form. The most common number of sets is two, but that’s usually where the variance comes in under this umbrella.
Individuals dealing with injury, especially those just recovering or coming from physical therapy, might only be ready for one set. On the flip side of things, individuals who are in their competitive offseason, who are trying to lose weight, or who just want a bit more will often lift three sets.
The important indicator is delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. That soreness you get a day or two post workout. At three days per week for each muscle group, there isn’t a lot of recovery time. If you come back to the gym to lift and you notice (after the first week or two of a new program of course) that you are still sore, it’s time to adjust. If you don’t have more robust goals, consider dropping a set or picking up lighter weights. If you do have more strenuous goals in mind, think about dropping the frequency to twice per week or going to a split program (more on that later!).
To this point, I haven’t mentioned modality of training much. In the strength training world, the sky is the limit. Body weight exercises can be awesome, but there is plenty of equipment available, too. Therabands easily simulate free weight exercises and are inexpensive, easy to find, and easy to store for home workouts. Most gyms and health clubs offer a full compliment of machines. And free weights run the gamut; everything from dumbbells to kettlebells and sandbags.
If you are a complete newbie (welcome, by the way), start out where you feel most comfortable. I counseled new gym members as part of my job for years and eight times out of ten, people wanted to be shown the machines. I personally don’t love them, but consistency is important, so if that’s what helps you learn and keeps you exercising, go for it.
I do recommend making the move to free weight based exercises when you are ready. Do this slowly, one or two exercises at a time. Make sure you understand proper form, as well. And notice I said when you are ready. Not when your friends thinks you should or the other lifters push you. If you are nursing an injury, keep in mind the time frame your body has might be different from what you want. And if you are dealing with health concerns, again, do what feels good and keeps you coming back.
Strength training is such an important part of maintaining our physical bodies through our lives. There are tons of different options and just because age or an injury has caught up to you, doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for you on the strength floor.
Until next time, be well friends!
