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Disclaimer:
You must get your physician’s approval before beginning this exercise program. These
recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for educational purposes only. You must consult
your physician before starting this program or if you have any medical condition or injury that prohibits
physical activity.
The information in this report is meant to integrate, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of
exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publishers advise all readers to take full
responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure
not to take risks beyond the level of your experience, aptitude, training and fitness. The exercises and
dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or treatment or
dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your physician.
Don’t lift heavy weights if you are alone, inexperienced, injured, or fatigued. Don’t perform any
exercise unless you have been shown the proper technique by a certified personal trainer or a certified
strength and conditioning specialist. Always ask for instruction and assistance when lifting. Don’t
perform any exercise without proper instruction. Always do a warm-up prior to strength training and
interval training.
See your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you are taking any medications,
you must talk to your physician before starting any exercise program, including Bodyweight Sports
Training. If you experience any lightheadedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath while exercising,
stop the movement and consult a physician.
You must have a complete physical examination if you have a sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol,
high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight, or if you are over 30 years old. Please discuss all nutritional
changes with your physician or a registered dietician. If your physician recommends you not to this
guide, please follow your doctor’s orders.
Strength Training:
Practical Programming and Science
of Barbell Training
By Health Class
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: TRAINING FREQUENCY AND WORK CAPACITY
THE NOVICE LIFTER
THE INTERMEDIATE LIFTER
THE ADVANCED LIFTER
STRENGTH AND EXERCISE CORRELATION.
SET AND REPETITIONS.
VOLUME OF TRAINING AND MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY.
TRAINING UNDER FATIGUE.
REPETITIONS RECOMMENDATION FOR NOVICES.
REST INTERVALS IN WORKOUT
TRAINING TO FAILURE.
LIMITATIONS TO FAILURE TRAINING.
CHAPTER 2: BUILD UP TO PROPER WORKOUT AND TRAINING.
WARM-UP
ECCENTRIC TRAINING
WHY IS ECCENTRIC TRAINING EFFECTIVE?
BENEFITS OF ECCENTRIC TRAINING
ISOMETRIC ACTION TRAINING
● Isometric action training as an important muscle activator
● Isometric training as a stimulus for strength gains
● Isometric action training as a stimulus for muscle growth
BENEFITS OF ISOMETRIC TRAINING
APPLICATIONS OF ISOMETRIC ACTION TRAINING
CHAPTER 3: APPLICATION OF VARIOUS TRAINING METHODS
TO BASIC STRENGTH EXERCISES
Eccentric training methods
Concentric training methods
Repetitive effort method
Dynamic effort method
Isometric training methods
Maximal eccentrics
Contrast training
Overshoot training
CHAPTER 4: RESISTANCE TRAINING, MAXIMUM
ACCELERATION TRAINING, VARIABLE RESISTANCE
TRAINING
Problems with regular lifting exercises
CHAPTER 5: BASIC CONCEPTS OF BIOMECHANICS AND
TECHNIQUE IN POWERLIFTING
TECHNICAL STRUCTURE OF COMPETITIVE EXERCISES
PERIOD AND PHASE STRUCTURE OF BARBELL EXERCISES
TECHNIQUE FOR TYPICAL BARBELL EXERCISES
Squat Technique
Bench Press Technique
CHAPTER 6: PRINCIPLES AND CLASSIFICATION OF PHYSICAL
EXERCISE
CHAPTER 7: THE ROLE OF STRENGTH IN LIFTING
ENDURANCE
Lifting technique
NUTRIENT AND MICRO NUTRIENT FOR GAINS
Anabolism and Catabolism
Proteins
Protein Supplementation
Carbohydrates
Types of Carbohydrates
Fats
Essential Fatty Acids
References.
TRAINING FREQUENCY AND WORK CAPACITY
Managing training intensity, volume and frequency are the key for an optimal
loading and training adaptation, avoiding setback and overtraining. Training
frequency is a hard term to define like intensity and volume. Some authors
consider training frequency as the number of training session in a micro
cycle, some of them define it as the number of training sessions per muscle
group per micro cycle, or as the number of training sessions per training goal.
Basically, you need to take into consideration both definitions, since you
need to take into account muscle loading, central nervous system loading,
endocrine system loading and the joints loading. Training frequency depends
on a lot of factors like training goal, training phase, level of the athlete and
work capacity. Numerous training systems are different variations of
intensity, volume and frequency combos. Work capacity is also hard to
define, it usually is context-dependent and has also a huge number of
subtypes. Basically, work capacity is the ability to sustain training load and
recover from it efficiently. You cannot develop work capacity by doing
bunch of sled work and intervals. This will develop a form of aerobic power
that could be used to speed up recovery between sets, but this also depends
on sets type (what repetition continuum zone). Work capacity is usually
something that must be looked at larger time-frame (like micro cycle), and it
is something that develops over the years. Basically, you can manage to
survive a given training session, but you may not actually recover from it in
matter of days even weeks due to a poor work capacity. Factors that affect
training frequency also affect work capacity, like muscle loading and ability
to recover from it, central nervous system loading and toleration for such a
work, endocrine system loading and ability to recover from it and joint
loading and ability to sustain it.
The optimal training frequency depends thus on the training goals, intensity,
training volume and fatigue type they develop (muscular, CNS, endocrine,
joint), level of the athlete and work capacity.
THE NOVICE LIFTER
No matter what sport an athlete comes from, if he starts doing serious (not
counting wellness experience here) strength training for the first time, he is
novice. Be it experienced soccer player, Olympic weightlifting beginner,
powerlifting beginner or beginner bodybuilder.
The main characteristics of novice lifter is that he needs very simple planning
and his strength grows up rapidly. Mark Rippetotoe provides excellent
explanation of all phases of the lifter in Practical Programming book, and his
work will be used here as a template. Here is a short overview of novice
characteristics:
✔ Novices progress from training session to training session (Linear
progression in weight - PBs)
✔ Novices need small number of lifts
✔ Novice will not develop overtraining that easily and on the other
hand, if they do, the signs will be hard visible (which is ’bad’).
✔ The more advanced is the athlete, the longer is the off-period and
the drastically the reduction in weight and volume is needed.
✔ If novice start to ’stuck’, simple an off day (with reduced weight) is
enough to recover them.
✔ If the unload is in use, the weight should be reduced for 10% and
the cycle should begin once again.
✔ If the novice shows constant need of an off day, then he should
progress toward intermediate level.
✔ The end of novice phase is marked by performance plateau
occurring sometime between the third and ninth month of training,
with variations due to individual differences.
The goal of novice phase is to learn to lift (develop technique) and develop
strength. Rippetoe suggests using 5 repetitions per set, because this allows
both increase in strength and mass gain (depending on the nutrition and other
training) without the disruption of the technique due to much repetitions per
set. This also allows easier progressions in weight (e.g. you can use greater
weight jump if you use 5 repetitions per set, then 10 repetitions per set).
Once again, the design of strength training program for novice lifter depends
on the goals of that program, other training components (for non-strength
athletes), and training phase.
Bodybuilders may start to argue that there is a need to do 8-12 repetitions per
set. However, I guess with proper nutrition, both 5 repetitions athletes and 8-
12 repetitions ones will have similar if not the same results over time (if the
resulting weight on the bar is the same). Anyway, the first phase of strength
increase is achieved via inter- and intra-muscular coordination and there is
very little muscle mass increase, so there is no real need for bodybuilding
methods. Stick to 5 repetitions per set until you develop a minimum amount
of strength (intermediate phase) and then start doing bodybuilding methods.
Increased strength will later allow you to lift greater weights for repetitions
and thus stimulate growth more easily.
Before we move on, let’s define the term Personal Best (PB) or Personal
Record (PR) in strength training. Theoretically, PB is an increase in strength.
Practically, this means achieving something you haven’t achieved before and
demonstrating it, by lifting more weight, lifting the same weight for more
repetitions or lifting it for more sets. For example, if your 1RM moves from
100kg to 102,5kg its PB. If your 5RM moves from 85kg to 87.2kg its PB. If
you do multiple sets, for example 5x5 and manage to do 80kg, but you
suddenly do 5x6 or 5x5 with 82,5kg, it’s PBs. Thus PB is having more
weight on the bar than ’before’ for a given repetitions and sets. What about
you make PB and don’t train for a year and then restart training? Are all lifts
below your old PB considered as non-PB lifts until you surpass your old PB?
In reality – yes they are, but when it comes to planning they are all new PBs,
because your strength level is lower now. Therefore, PB is an all-time record,
but it is also based on your current strength level and previous strength
cycles. Another interesting point is RPE. What if you managed to do 3x5
with 100kg at 7 RPE that couple of weeks ago seemed like 10? Yes, your
strength has improved, but this is NOT PB! This can happen in unloading
micro cycles and in adjustment micro cycles and its great (this shows you are
stronger), but PB means surpassing previous cycle weight/repetitions/sets or
showing that new level of strength not ’perceiving it’.
There could be couple of phases of novices IMO (depending on the sport).
The following examples are just hypothetical for average lifter, but can be
used for power lifter, Olympic lifter and bodybuilder. Let’s review them.
Phase 1. Athletes start to learn technique of the basic compound lifts for 5
repetitions for 3 sets. RPE is around 6-7, although he doesn’t know that yet.
In every training session you increase weight on the bar and achieve PB, until
load becomes 9-10 RPE. Take small step forward to avoid stalling too soon.
If the athlete is unable to finish 3 sets with 5 repetitions on a given weight,
repeat the weights for 3 times. Focus hard on technique; go as fast as you can
on a way up, take more rest between sets, up to 5 min. If this doesn’t help
then deload – take 10-15% for that exercise and start over by adding
progressively the weight.
Phase 2. During this phase you should include new a exercise, but do it
slowly over time. This will provide easier days and provide new training
stimulus to increase strength. After this time the athlete is very proficient
with basic moves, learns RPE system, knows when and how to deload and
how this affect his performance. I would start learning deadlift by now (if
RDL is more than 60kg for example, and if they show good form on bottom
of the deadlift) and replace one squat workout for it. You can also include
front squat variations and start learning clean/snatch using top-down
progression (learn catch, learn shrug & jump from power position, learn jump
and catch), and as deadlift moves up, start doing clean/snatch from the floor.
Also, you can start moving repetitions to higher or lower zone for a given
goals (relative strength/ muscular hypertrophy). Training volume (number of
sets) can increase over time slightly.
Phase 3. When the introduction of new exercises doesn’t seem to prevent
staleness, then playing with loading parameters will (sometimes) do it. This
involves playing with volume and intensity within loading micro cycles.
Variations in repetitions and sets will provide new training stimuli and
prevent boredom. All exercises during a training session have equal
importance and deserve the same training emphasis.
