A blog to help weight trainers. Exercises with weights. Exercises for the muscles of the whole body

What to do during a plateau

When you don’t feel a surge of strength for a long time, and your results barely stay at the same level, this means one thing - you have reached a plateau in your capabilities. Strength is not growing, there is no progress. And a bad mood and weak self-confidence often lead to a “kickback” of the security forces.

Now we need to be patient and work hard in the gym. Let the weights be the same. Try to increase them by 0.5 kg, at a minimum. Reconsider your lifestyle. Maybe it's not the training at all?

There is an opinion that to overcome a plateau during training you need to lose weight. As a rule, this option is good for those who take pharmacology, that is, for professional bodybuilders. So just be patient and maintain the level you have achieved. In 90% of cases, progress will come.

1. Keep a training diary. It should include the date of the lesson, the name of the exercise, the number of approaches and repetitions done, and the weights. You can choose the right working weight based on your own records. Your diary is the best adviser on what weight to start training with after a break, or where to start the next workout.
2. Don't increase your weight suddenly. Many beginners do this: in the first workout they pressed an empty bar (20 kg), in the second it was 50 kg. This is stress for the muscles. Not every person will survive this easily. It is optimal to take steps of 10 kg. And if you have already exercised, you can raise the working weight by 40 kg in 4 approaches. At the same time, you will find out what your muscles are now capable of.
3. When you immediately take the weight you think you need, you may make a mistake. That is, choose a heavy barbell weight. This will cause you to get tired before your work sets are completed. There is no need for any persistence here - remove a couple of weights from the barbell.
4. Working “to failure” in the first workout is very dangerous. Just like the second one. The body should get used to the stress within a month. During this period, your task is not to chase the scales, but to practice your technique. If you can do more, that's good (that's what happens most often). Work on your movements, strengthen your ligaments.

Effective exercises:

Trainer's advice:

Follow the exercise technique. You will achieve better results if you do fewer repetitions, but in strict accordance with the technique.

How to find out yours for different numbers of repetitions

Using the table below you can find out the weight with which you should be able to perform the exercise for a wide variety of repetitions.

Find in the left column the number of repetitions you perform in training for each specific exercise (upper body or lower body). Then move along the row of numbers until you reach the column with the number of repetitions for which you want to know the weight.

For example, if you squat 50kg for 8 reps and want to know how many kilograms it takes to do 5 reps, you would look for the number 8 in the left column and follow the row of numbers to the right until you get to the number 5. Multiply your weight. to the number in the column: 50 kg x 1.1 = 55 kg and get the required working weight!

Fine-tuning the working weight

The hard part is over, but that doesn't mean an experienced lifter can't fine-tune the weight he's lifting. Here are a couple of tips to help you with this.

Build your warm-up sets in ascending order

Some people think that warming up is a waste of time, but it actually helps you lift more weight. Your tissues will become more elastic if you go through the motion path before lifting heavy weights. It should be noted that although bodybuilders train to muscle failure, warm-up sets never approach this point. Stop any light weight approach well before muscle failure. A bodybuilder who plans to lift 100 kg on the bench press and complete 8-12 repetitions in each set should adhere to the following warm-up scheme: 60, 80 and 90 kg.

Heavy weight - start training

Since intense training tends to deplete your energy reserves, place your most difficult exercises early in the training session when there is plenty of fuel in the tanks. You can even train at the lower end of the hypertrophy zone by choosing a weight that you can only do 8 reps with. As you train your target group, vary the number of reps per set and train at slightly different intensities: perform sets of 10 (almost to failure) and 12 reps toward the end. With the exception of the warm-up, start exercises in the lower rep range and work your way up to 12 reps towards the end of the workout.

Be careful with progressive overload

Muscles adapt to training stimuli, becoming larger and stronger. Powerlifters and bodybuilders know that most of the adaptation occurs within fast-twitch muscle fibers. If we graph this, your strength curve will move up and you will be able to perform more reps with each weight you work.

How do you know when it's time to increase your load? Try this method: When you can do 2 more reps with a particular weight you started with in two workouts in a row, increase the weight. If you started out doing 8 reps with 100kg on the bench press and now manage to do 10 reps in two workouts in a row, move up.

• For upper body exercises such as the bench press, the weight should be raised approximately 5%. So instead of 100 kg you need to put 105.
• For lower body exercises such as squats, the weight should be increased by about 10%. Instead of 100 kg you need to put 110.

Let's say you've gained muscle volume and increased your strength. To continue to progress, you must challenge your muscles in new ways by increasing the load. As you can see, you must progressively increase the load, otherwise you will simply mark time. Complacency is your biggest enemy no matter what your goals are, so pushing yourself to do more reps or using a little more weight will help you progress.

Even the most dedicated lifters will eventually hit a training plateau. High-intensity training techniques, in which you competently manage the working weight, can spur mass gain and strength gains, but they should not be performed on a whim, but after careful planning of specific training methods. Learn different techniques to help you cycle your training.

You'll soon learn that the bigger and stronger you become, the less you see "random" results, and the more carefully you have to plan your training process. It seems counterintuitive, but you will find that the more you know, the faster you progress.

Adviсe

Start. Choosing a working weight

A very important moment! Keep in mind that a projectile that is too light will be ineffective, and that too heavy will lead to injury.

Rule 1. Tighten up

The gold standard for most exercises is that the weight should allow you to do 10-12 reps per set. At the top point, the projectile must be held for 1-2 seconds. At the same time, the last 2-3 repetitions should be difficult! If you feel, for example, that the barbell on your shoulders allows you to squat 12 or 15 times in a row without much strain, then it’s time to put a kilogram or two on it.

A higher number of repetitions (15-20 times per approach) is recommended when performing isolation exercises with a small range of motion. These include, among other things, many exercises for the deltoids, biceps and triceps: for example, dumbbell swings or standing French presses.

You can also increase the number of repetitions to 15-20 if you want to increase overall muscle endurance. And if sports have not been in your life for a long time, then in the first training sessions you can choose minimal equipment without hesitation and perform up to 20 repetitions per approach. This will prepare your body for more intense exercise. But in the future, the number of repetitions will need to be reduced and the weight increased, otherwise the toned muscles will feel almost no effect.

However, most trainers agree that each exercise should be given 3-4 approaches. And you should rest no more than 1-2 minutes between approaches.

Rule 2. ... But don't overstrain yourself

If you cannot complete the 10th repetition without violating the proper technique, then, most likely, you have reached the so-called “muscle failure”. In this case, you should take a break and then reduce the weight of the projectile. It is better for beginners not to reach muscle failure at all: this is the prerogative of more experienced athletes.

Thus, bodybuilders choose heavy equipment that allows them to do no more than 8 repetitions at a time. This load, combined with proper nutrition and rest, promotes rapid muscle development. But you should follow their example no earlier than after 2-3 months of regular training, when the muscles are already sufficiently strengthened and the technique is learned. And if the main goal of your training is to lose weight, then in principle you are unlikely to need serious weights.

Rule 3: Don't stop

If you do everything correctly, then your muscles will rapidly become stronger from one activity to the next. And the stronger they become, the greater the load should be placed on them.

It is recommended to increase the working weight after you can perform 2-3 more repetitions than usual with the usual equipment for 2 workouts in a row. The formula is this: when increasing the load on the upper body, choose a projectile that weighs 5% more than the previous one. And for exercises on the lower body, the weight of the apparatus should be increased by about 10%.

Rule 4. Watch your technique

It was invented for a reason! Of course, each exercise has its own technical features. However, the general basics are always the same. So, you are doing everything right if:

• The back maintains a natural curve, without significant deflection in any part.
• The exercise works only those muscles that it is designed to develop.
• The knees and elbows at the lowest point are slightly bent and not overextended.
• The joints generally tolerate the exercise well and do not cause any discomfort.

As soon as you feel that the weight of the apparatus does not allow you to do another repetition, observing all these 4 laws, stop! We have already written about muscle failure above.

And remember: a good result does not tolerate both laziness and haste! Exhaustive loads that are regularly brought to the point of muscle failure are unlikely to speed up the process of self-development. But in this case, you are guaranteed to lose strength and muscle pain.

Effective and safe training for you!

Working weight for advanced

At an advanced stage of training, athletes begin to use various methods of creating the necessary stress to trigger the synthesis of contractile proteins, but all of this, one way or another, is a way to progress the load. The most effective way to progress the load is to increase the working weight, but when you bench press 200 kg, increasing it even by 1-2 kg is already a problem, so athletes resort to various tricks. It is most effective to try to increase the intensity of the training by reducing the rest time between approaches. But this method is very limited, so it is used, as a rule, in conjunction with reducing working weight. Thus, the athlete performs exercises with lighter weights, but his CP increases significantly. If earlier the number of barbell lifts per workout was, say, 100, with a weight of 200 kg, now the KPSh is 200 with a weight of 150 kg.

But, despite the increase in total tonnage, this method is rarely used, and only a few are used correctly, since it’s easier to overtrain in this way! The most commonly used are cheating, supersets, complex sets and forced repetitions. There is no need to talk about what it is, how to apply it, that the load on the target muscle group should increase and not decrease, because if you are an advanced athlete, you already know all this

What is important? It is important to determine whether “super moves” are a system of progressive load, or simply a way to create additional stress on the muscles. If this is a system, then the working weight must be gradually progressed, but if this is a way to create unusual stress, then you can only rely on your feelings

And precisely because in order to use “super techniques” an athlete must have good muscle sense, understand his body well, be able to empirically select the working weight and load volume, the use of “super techniques” is not recommended. Try to progress for as long as possible using the simplest methods, and only when this is completely impossible, start using “super techniques”

It is also important to note that many of these techniques can only be used if the athlete is using anabolic steroids. For example, it is better not to use complex sets and forced repetitions as a natural

For experienced athletes who avoid pharmacology, it is permissible to use supersets and cheating in their training.

A very common question comes up, especially from girls: “how to determine the working weight in exercises?” There is nothing surprising in this; it is often difficult for beginners to adequately assess their capabilities.

And if, for example, when working with exercise machines it is not so scary to choose the wrong weight, then when working with free weights such as deadlifts, squats or bench presses, the wrong weight can cause injury, physical and mental.

How to choose the right working weights for training, or rather, exercises? How do you know that you won't suffocate under the weight of the barbell? What weights can a girl target?

Working with weights

In this article, intended for beginners, we would like to talk about one of the methods of physical training, which, in our opinion, should be an integral part of any training. In principle, it is already used in many places to one degree or another, but this material can help you look at this approach more consciously - and, thereby, improve your training.

The method itself is extremely simple (and therefore effective) - it is performing technical elements with weights. After all, the greatest strength in movement is achieved precisely in the position in which you trained it. There are basic, general developmental methods such as deadlifts or kettlebell pushes, but now we will talk about a narrower, more specific approach. It was used when training legionnaires in Ancient Rome (and probably even earlier) - the training swords of teenagers were twice as heavy as combat swords. After years of working with such a sword, wielding a combat weapon must have been much easier. In principle, everyone, even those who have never done anything, has experienced something similar at least once - when you put on spring shoes after heavy winter shoes, you immediately feel that walking has become easier.

It is also known that the famous French knight Boucicault used a similar method in the 15th century. His approach was extremely simple - he performed various “applied” movements while wearing armor - not tournament armor, but combat armor, which actually gives quite a lot of (sufficient) freedom of movement. (It couldn’t be otherwise, and it’s unreasonable to consider our ancestors more stupid than ourselves - they did what was necessary for survival in their time and their area - that’s what we should proceed from.)

So: Boucicault, in combat gear weighing about 25-30 kg, climbed the fortress wall a la a climber, climbed the rungs of the ladder on his hands, spent hours chopping wood, practicing with a hammer, jumping on a horse, and just jumping; ran and walked distances (to train the cardiovascular system and endurance). As a result, it was very difficult for him to find opponents.

Of course, this is not exactly the method that we are describing - according to the “ancient Roman” method, Boucicault would have used armor twice as heavy as the real ones, and then, after such training, ordinary armor would have been no heavier for him than clothing, and he could probably do a somersault in it. But we again proceed from the principle of sufficiency - if even with this approach he was practically invincible, why did he need to try harder?

Nowadays, this method is used everywhere - including in athletics, in particular in running. For example, running with a belt that contains sand in its pockets. Naturally, running without a belt is easier and faster. In martial arts, various weights are widely used - vests, weights for arms and legs with adjustable weights, which are usually Velcro strips, and so on.

Another subtype of such work is work with rubber bands, which is also used in martial arts (in particular, wrestling). Typically, rubber imitates the resistance or mass of an opponent, but tensile force can also be used to enhance your actions - even in rugby. For example, you need to be able to run quickly sideways to get past your opponents on the field. By practicing with rubber (as in the video), you can achieve amazing speed in this movement.

Accordingly, you can work with any movement that you need for life or sport. It is necessary to analyze the desired movement (technical element), sort it into parts, and arrange exercises with weights (or efforts).

Let's move on to movements that simulate strikes with a weapon. This is often used in good old boxing - punching the air with dumbbells or pieces of reinforcement in your hands. But here we will still talk about shells that imitate weapons, about more applied techniques. Although, as you know, many unarmed techniques represent the same movement as with a weapon, along the same trajectory, but the blow is delivered by any part of the hand. For example, a blow from top to bottom with the edge of a fist on the bridge of the nose or collarbone - originally it was a blow with a hammer, an ax or a mace. The same aikido is in many ways kendo, but without a sword in the hand. Consequently, by developing movements with a weapon (or its mass-dimensional imitation), we kill two birds with one stone - we train both technical elements with weapons and applied/sports techniques for self-defense/fights. And not only what will be discussed further.

That is, when practicing with a hammer or mace, we simultaneously practice hitting with the edge of the fist from top to bottom. There is a version that labor skills helped yesterday's peasants master hand-to-hand combat: threshing grain with a flail or chopping firewood is the same blow with the edge of a fist from top to bottom; skill of working with a pitchfork - hitting with a bayonet; mowing - moving and rotating the body for stronger punches, etc. The famous boxer Konstantin Tszyu recalled that in order to develop the famous short side kicks, his coach forced him to drill holes in the ice with a brace - the trajectory of this movement is the same as a hook.

It is wise to start such exercises with small weights (500 grams) so as not to damage the ligaments and joints. After strengthening the above-mentioned ligaments and joints (after about a month or two), we gradually begin to increase the weight. Great care must be taken here, since ligaments take longer to heal than muscles, so you can’t rush. At the slightest discomfort or pain, you need to reduce the weight of the weight and work with it until the ligaments are reliably strengthened, or even temporarily stop exercising until the pain goes away. If you work with fanaticism, you can only bring harm to yourself, which will come back to haunt you with joint problems in old age. While these exercises, on the contrary, are useful precisely because, unlike the generally accepted ones, they strengthen joints and ligaments. This is a very important point, because modern people often believe that they need to deal only with strengthening muscles (and in fact, they strengthen them individually, and not as a whole), forgetting about ligaments, tendons and fascia, which are also capable of giving strength and strength . Ligaments and fascia require more time to work out and a careful, systematic approach, but unlike muscles, they allow you to maintain their condition into adulthood, and their strength disappears much more slowly than muscle strength. Which is more practical, since even a month-long break in exercise negatively affects muscle strength and muscle speed. There are entire schools and styles in which the tendon structure is systematically developed. By the way, in many traditional oriental martial arts, work with weapons is widely used - and it is useful for modern man both from the point of view of strengthening ligaments and tendons, and for street self-defense - it is better, after all, to fight not with bare hands, but with the help of any small object. vaguely similar to a weapon. There are also Western schools of historical fencing, whose techniques can also be considered applied (transferring the technique of a sword or saber to a stick).

What exactly should you use for the job? Anything, whatever is at hand. The main thing is that these objects are approximately equal in weight (usually work is done with both hands at once, which also has a beneficial effect on coordination). At least bottles of water (like in prisons), or two pieces of rebar. If you have a choice and opportunity, you can start with such a traditional projectile as wooden maces - initially the mace was also considered a formidable weapon. You can be smart and cut out the clubs yourself - the length is approximately 50-70 cm (but after the initial strengthening of the joints). You can also start with a stick (if your joints are fragile).

By the way, in India they still work with large clubs to this day - some of them reach a mass of 16 kg. But here, compensatory exercises for the lower back are necessary, and whether the game is worth the candle - everyone decides for themselves. In principle, 5-7 kg is enough to strengthen. It’s one thing when a warrior whose goal was to win a battle practiced with a heavy mace, and another when it’s done by a modern person who practices “for himself.” Does he need such a mass? What will she give and what will she take (in terms of health)?

In the future, you can switch to working with a crowbar that imitates a sword. You can also select crowbars of different weights, or “adjust” it yourself by cutting the crowbar into pieces. Of course, the ligaments and joints should already be strengthened by this point. Or you can continue to work with clubs - it’s a matter of taste and choice. You can combine work with maces and crowbars. It all depends on your desire and capabilities. Working in pairs with objects (projectiles) has a beneficial effect on coordination, physical fitness and health - even if it’s just sticks.

After working with weights, perform the same elements in the air, or on a projectile (bag, makiwara, paws) to avoid excessive rigidity. In general, working with clubs/crowbars already provides strength without tightness, which is absolutely necessary for fast, sharp shots. If necessary, perform compensatory exercises on the lower back/joints.

For clarity, we will give an example of training (possibly self-training at home) with a 16 kg weight and 5-7 kg clubs. It is worth performing the exercises after strength work, since these exercises are aimed both at improving physical condition and at developing technique. And technique is better mastered against a background of fatigue.

- Swing (figure eight) kettlebells.

We hold the weight with both hands. We begin to swing from the left hip to the right shoulder, lifting the weight above head level. Then from the right hip to the left shoulder. 8 times in each direction.

This movement is useful for strengthening uppercuts and upward punches with the edge of the fist.

Next, holding the kettlebell with both hands at the right shoulder, we swing down to the left thigh. Then, respectively, from the left shoulder to the right thigh. Also 8 times.

This movement is useful for strengthening punches with the edge of the fist from top to bottom.

After about a month (depending on your condition and regularity of training), we switch to eight kettlebells - now, having raised the kettlebell to head level, at the end point we do not stop the movement, but continue to start it from the other side and so on. That is: we started from the left thigh to the right shoulder, but do not lower it back, but lead further, in a descending arc to the right thigh, and from there we again start up to the left shoulder, and from there to the left thigh and back.

This is the "outer" eight. Now let's move on to the “internal” part.

Now the movement starts from the shoulder and goes from top to bottom. For example, from the right shoulder to the left thigh, continues in an arc to the left shoulder, from there it goes to the right thigh, rises to the right shoulder, and so on.

Eights improve not only striking technique, but also blocks.

After swings (or figure eights) of the kettlebell, we work through the air to loosen our arms. You can deliver individual uppercuts, strikes with the edge of your fist, or work in combinations - the same striking eights.

If you have a partner, we practice the same blows (single and in series) on the paws, or on a bag, makiwara, dummy, etc.

— Working with clubs (reinforcement, scrap scraps, saber) — 4 basic blows

1. Take a projectile in your hand and strike from top to bottom. 10 times. Then we perform the same blow in the air. Then on the paw (bag). 2. We strike from the bottom up - aiming at the conditional throat of the conditional enemy. The quantity is the same. Next we work through the air (uppercut) and then through the paw (bag). This is a study of the vertical plane. Now let's start working on the horizontal plane. 3. We strike backhand, the number is the same. Next, we also perform the same blow in the air. Then on the paw (bag). 4. We deliver a side blow “towards ourselves” - as if on the enemy’s neck. The quantity is the same. And we also perform the same blow in the air. Then on the paw (bag).

— A sharp (wave) kick.

We put the weight on the floor. We grab the handle of the weight with our toe and try to perform the blow. 10 times. After this, we also work through the air and through the bag (makiwara).

The video shows a good example of working out the same element with dumbbells, kettlebells, crowbars, checkers and paws, respectively. With such elaboration, the wave impacts will be very strong.

We remind you that this material is intended for beginners.

Where to start for beginners

For beginners entering the gym for the first time, everything is simple - take the minimum weight of weights and study the technique of performing the exercises. “Minimum” is one or two 5 kg bars in a block, 1-2 kg pink dumbbells or a 12, 15 or 20 kg barbell, or you can start with a six-kilogram bodybar and you don’t have to be shy. In the end, both your health and further progress in training depend on how well you perform the exercise technique.

On the other hand, the question arises - what prevents you from using equipment with a slightly larger weight, if it is very easy for a person to lift a barbell? Nothing stands in the way - go ahead and sing! Moreover, some idiot coaches practice such a method as “load the beginner harder to understand his strength capabilities.” At the same time, an inexperienced friend will think that the training went well if he cannot straighten up in the morning after the gym and cannot get up from the toilet without outside help. It just doesn't end well in the end.

The fact is that with a relatively large weight of weight, it is almost impossible to learn how to do the movement correctly. You're just trying to somehow squeeze the weight, just to beat it - bending and squirming under the bar like crazy.

At the same time, with a minimum weight it is quite easy to work in the correct amplitude and, most importantly, remember the movement! Yes, yes - just remember. The more you repeat the movement, the better you will remember and eventually you will perform it correctly automatically, without thinking and regardless of the weight of the burden, even if you have your maximum maximum in your hands.

When you just start learning this or that exercise, your head is loaded no less than your muscles. Let’s say that in a bench press you think about keeping your shoulder blades together, the bar lying on the base of your palms, smoothly lowering to the middle of your chest with a touch, and not fully extending your arms when lifting (do not insert your elbows). At the same time, the barbell “storms and chatters” from side to side, because the stabilizer muscles are not yet accustomed to such work, and it is difficult for the brain to send a synchronous impulse to both hands - a new activity for it.

Another example is squats with a barbell on your shoulders: you keep your lower back arched, tense your abs (keep your stomach pulled in), carefully squat, moving your pelvis back if necessary and leaning forward a little so that your knees do not go beyond the line of your toes, then you smoothly stand up, but at the end You don’t fully extend your leg movements (you don’t put your knees in), then you repeat the movement again. Again, it is difficult to perform the exercise correctly the first time, and you also need to choose a comfortable position for the legs, decide on the movement itself, taking into account the length of the thighs and lower legs, etc. Naturally, if you load the barbell right away, it is impossible to do all this.

Working with minimal weight and the correct range of motion, the more times you repeat the movement, the better you will perform it. The cerebellum is responsible for this - it remembers which motor units and in what sequence need to be used under certain conditions, and as a result, the movement will be performed automatically without additional control on your part. In addition, in the process, the brain looks for ways to perform the movement most effectively, taking into account your own structure. After all, we are all different, different levers, muscle attachments, etc. If you try to learn a technique with heavy weights, then there is a high chance of “training” the cerebellum for incorrect movement, which ultimately can lead to injury.

By the way, the “Blind typing method” is studied in exactly the same way - the cerebellum “remembers” its movement for each finger and, as a result, there is no need to control the hands. All your thoughts are instantly transferred into text without having to look at the keyboard and think about the typing process. Actually, this is how I type this text.

Remember the practices of martial arts, when in order to study a particular technique and strike it is necessary to repeat the movement hundreds, or even thousands of times, to develop complete automatism. This all works for gym exercises too.

Exercises with weights at home

In this training option, you can use any type of sports equipment to perform comprehensive physical exercises with weights at home. As an example, consider working with dumbbells.

1. Exercise for legs and gluteal muscles. We do it in a standing position, first we put our feet at shoulder level, and lower our arms down. We perform squats while holding dumbbells in our hands. We perform the squat in such a way that the thigh line is parallel to the floor level. When doing this, keep your back strictly straight. The number of sets is from three to four, 20 repetitions.
2. Lunges. The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise. The only difference is in the execution, in which we do not sit down, but put our right leg forward, to the utmost physical exertion. At the same time, we expose our legs alternately. We perform three to four sets of 20 repetitions on each leg.
3. We train our backs. In a standing position, keep your legs together. Then we lower the body forward 45 degrees, and lower the arms with dumbbells down. At the same time, we try to pull the projectile towards the belt. We perform three sets of 15 repetitions. If you don’t have enough strength, then reduce the number of repetitions based on your physical capabilities.
4. French press with dumbbells. Lying on the floor, bend your legs together and lift the dumbbells above you so that your arms are slightly bent at the elbow. Then we return to the starting position. Number of sets: three x 10 repetitions.
5. Arm workout. We stand straight, arms with dumbbells down. We lift them, while bending them at the elbows. We perform this exercise in a strictly smooth manner without sudden fluctuations.

This set of physical exercises at home will allow you to get into good physical shape in just a few weeks.

Diet rules: when to eat a forbidden piece?

Demonstrating the beauty of an athletic body as a result of strength training is impossible without proper nutrition.

• What sports do you do;
• how frequent and intense the training is;
• body composition;
• purpose of training;
• external environment.

The main condition: the body must receive all the necessary substances for recovery after training. The main source of energy for muscles is glycogen (cereals and nuts do a good job of supplying the body).

Antioxidants contained in vegetables and chicken meat “repair” muscle microtraumas received during intense training. In addition, vegetables saturate the body with moisture.

High protein yogurt will help maintain the required level of casein.

A healthy cocktail containing cherry juice, ginger and a protein mixture is recommended to reduce muscle pain after workouts.

People look different at different years of life. Striving to become a better person and make your body fit and beautiful is a laudable desire. However, you need to do this for yourself, and not for onlookers on the beach. Good luck!

For those of us who are already familiar with bodybuilding first-hand, the question of choosing a suitable working weight seems absurd and simply inappropriate. However, for those who are just beginning their development in this sport, this is the very first question that comes to the mind of a beginner standing in front of an endless rack of dumbbells.

Question: How to choose a working weight for training?

I just started bodybuilding and the very first obstacle I faced was choosing a working weight. How can I determine which weight is best to train with?

How to choose a working weight for an exercise[edit | edit code]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embed/XpRTBHe3jzs?

How to choose a working weight for an exercise

The working weight in the exercise is not static, but in accordance with the principle of overload, it must constantly change. Progression (increase) of load is needed for progression (increase) in muscle size.

Load progression methods

• weight on a barbell (dumbbells, exercise machines, etc.)
• number of reps per set (But remember, best growth range = 6-12 reps)
• number of approaches (increasing the total load for the workout, more exercises or more sets of each exercise, or both)
• super techniques (using principles of increasing intensity such as: supersets, forced repetitions, complex sets, drop sets, etc.)

What should you pay attention to? The 1st and 2nd methods of progression (WEIGHT ON A BAR, NUMBER OF REPEATS) are the safest for the body’s recovery capabilities because with these methods you simply physically cannot take on a load greater than your body is currently capable of.

The remaining TWO methods of increasing the load are more dangerous because the “natural safeguards” work less and less in them and therefore, when implementing them, a person can receive such a large overload of the muscle and the body as a whole that this will drive him into a state of overtraining (then any growth will stop in principle).

This is very relevant for the NUMBER OF APPROACHES and SUPER MOVEMENTS. If you start adding approaches and exercises without control, or start massively using professional methods of increasing intensity (supersets, negatives, forced, etc.), then in most cases you will get regression instead of progress.

Remember, for 99% of gym goers, the main way to progress the load is to use WEIGHT ON THE BAR + NUMBER OF REPEATS because this guarantees muscle growth on one side. And safe for muscles and body, on the other hand.

What weight to put on the bar? edit code

The weight on the bar will primarily depend on the number of repetitions you plan to do in the set. These two parameters are inversely related. THE MORE WEIGHT ON THE BAR = THE LESS REPEATS, THE LESS WEIGHT ON THE BAR, THE MORE REPEATS.

REMEMBER: for muscle growth, the best number of repetitions will be from 6 to 12!!!!

It is this number of repetitions that ensures the required time for your muscles to be under load. There will be fewer repetitions - strength will increase (muscles will not grow). There will be more repetitions - endurance will increase (muscles will not grow). In most cases, this is how many repetitions you need to do to grow muscle.

The next point concerns failure (i.e. not being able to do another repetition of an exercise). FAILURE SHOULD OCCUR WITHIN 6-12 REPEATS

This is important because you can put a weight on the bar that you can do 50 reps with no problem, but stop after doing 6-12. This will cause the muscles to not grow (the load is too light) because failure will not occur at the required rep limit

YOU NEED TO SELECT SUCH WEIGHT ON THE BAR WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO ACHIEVE FAILURE WITHIN 6-12 REPEATS.

For each person, in each exercise, this weight will be different (individual) because everyone’s muscle fitness is different. Moreover, some do the exercise slowly, and some quickly, so the first will need fewer repetitions (6-8), and the second more (10-12).

Among other things, the WEIGHT ON THE BAR will depend on a number of individual characteristics, such as, for example, REST BETWEEN APPROACHES (the more, the more weight) or MOVEMENT TECHNIQUE (the less secondary muscles work, the less weight on the bar), etc.

CONCLUSION: THE WEIGHT ON THE BAR IS ALWAYS INDIVIDUAL because it depends on training, rest, speed of movement, technique and many other individual characteristics. YOU NEED TO SELECT THE WEIGHT EXPERIMENTALLY (so that failure occurs within the required repetition limit).

BY VIOLATING YOUR TECHNIQUE, YOU CAN TAKE MORE WEIGHT, because the load goes partly to secondary muscle groups. BY COMPLIING THE TECHNIQUE, YOU WILL WORK WITH LESS WEIGHT, because the entire load will be safely concentrated in the desired muscle. Because our goal in bodybuilding is MUSCLE GROWTH (not strength growth), THEN FOLLOW TECHNIQUE (it makes the exercise more difficult, but more beneficial for specific muscles)

PROFESSIONAL BODY BUILDERS ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE THE LOAD HARDER FOR THE MUSCLE, NOT EASIER. This is a very important point. Don't look for a way to lighten the load by using techniques such as "cheating" or other technical violations. This makes the LOAD LIGHTER instead of making it heavier (regression instead of progression).

A blog to help weight trainers

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Nuances of technique for performing basic exercises; basic training principles and rules for strength training; a little about sports nutrition and sports pharmacology

Number of approaches and repetitions in weight exercises

In the articles “physiology and training - an individual approach” and “load cycling - a cure for overtraining,” I tried to provide all the necessary information regarding the meaning and appropriateness of a particular number of repetitions and approaches. But since the purely practical question is “how many repetitions and sets should I do?” arises from the very beginning, even before an in-depth study of the physiological aspects of training with weights, I decided to write a short note preceding the above-mentioned articles, specifically about the meaning of different numbers of repetitions and approaches in exercises, using the example of a common range of the number of approaches* 1 - 4, and repetitions 6 - 25 .

The number of repetitions determines which muscle fibers will be trained (more precisely, which subtype of “fast” muscle fibers

: for example, 3-6 repetitions are subtype B, and 15-20 repetitions are subtype A).

The number of approaches determines the degree of muscle exhaustion (one of the conditions for subsequent post-load adaptation reactions

) in itself, as well as in close connection with the number of repetitions: for example, to perform 3 sets of 5-6 repetitions, approximately the same number of calories will be spent as to perform 1 set of 20-25 repetitions (provided that repetitions in the “to failure” approach).
Those. The general KPS (Number of Barbell Lifts) in working approaches is also of great practical importance (of course, it’s not a matter of arithmetic, but of physics - the amount of work done, and the peculiarities of energy supply for muscle contractions of different intensities - this was, one way or another, discussed in the questions
-answers , a note about
high-volume multi-repetition exercises
, and, directly, in an article about
the energy of muscle activity
).

Hence the traditional schemes of approaches / repetitions, for example 3 / 6-8 - for strength and mass, and 3 / 15-20 - for burning calories and developing general and strength endurance (in the latter case, two to three times more energy will be spent) .

The type of body constitution, the predominant type of muscle fibers, is also of great importance. So, an asthenic person can use 3/6-8 to build up strength and muscle mass, and maybe 1/15-20, but never 3/15-20 - since exhaustion will be excessive (the task of an asthenic person is not to spend calories, but to store them) .

N.B.

Note to asthenics: in other words, the specific
working number of repetitions
in the range of 6 - 25 is secondary, and the primary thing is the progression of weights (which is synonymous with the growth of strength and muscle mass) for the selected number of repetitions, which is impossible without a
positive balance of energy income/expense
.
In view of this, when choosing the number of working approaches,
the KPS should be taken into account.
If the working number of repetitions is 6-8, then you can do 3-4 approaches per exercise, but if the selected number of repetitions is 12-15, then 4 working approaches will probably be too energy-intensive, and in this case it is advisable to do only 2 working approaches per exercise, no more, and with 20-25 repetitions, in general, only 1 working approach may be advisable so that there is no overexpenditure of energy (to better stimulate muscle growth in this case, sometimes you can do a few more repetitions beyond failure - using the “ rest-pause” method
, if such a need is felt).
I also discussed low-repetition and high-repetition in these supplements
.

On the other hand, there is a hypersthenic person, for whom calorie consumption is not a problem, and he can use the 3-4 / 15-20 mode to train muscles, improve physical fitness in general (increase strength and muscle mass, reduce fat), but use only the 3-mode 4 / 6-8 against the background of a mass-gaining high-calorie diet will certainly lead to an increase in strength and muscle mass, but rather with a parallel “swimming” of fat, if there is a tendency for this.

It is not advisable to do more than 3-4 working approaches in one exercise in any case, since the onset of fatigue of the nervous system, acidosis and/or structural microdamage to muscle fibers make further work ineffective or rather leading to overfatigue and, accordingly, regression (overtraining). Beginners should always start with 1-2 approaches, if desired/possible, eventually increasing the number of approaches to the maximum (3-4).

* we mean only working approaches performed “to failure”.

PS

In conclusion, a couple of generally accepted definitions of volume and intensity of load in weight training:
load volume
is the number of approaches (more approaches - more volume, and distinguishes both the total volume of load - all working approaches in all exercises per workout, and the volume of load in each a separate exercise - the number of working approaches in it);
load intensity
is the number of repetitions (a low number of repetitions and, accordingly, large weights of weights - high intensity, and a high number of repetitions and, accordingly, small weights of weights - low intensity).

For the purposes of this note, 15-20 reps per set is low intensity, and 6-8 reps is high intensity. With the same volume of load - 3-4 approaches per exercise, low intensity will lead to greater energy consumption, i.e. greater total energy depletion per workout (meaning only “general” workouts from basic exercises) than high intensity. In accordance with this, this or that intensity of the load in the exercises is selected in accordance with the goals of the training - burning calories, and, accordingly, muscle relief and endurance, or increasing muscle strength and mass. If a low intensity load is used to build strength and muscle mass, it is necessary to reduce the volume of the load (the number of working approaches in the exercises) so that there is no excessive general energy depletion from the “general” basic training.

Training for Strength/Strength Endurance and Muscle Mass

Option No. 1 – high-intensity load bench press – 3-4 / 4-8 bent over row – 3-4 / 4-8 standing press – 3-4 / 4-8 squats – 3-4 / 4-8

Option No. 2 – low-intensity load bench press – 1-2 / 15-20 bent over row – 1-2 / 15-20 standing press – 1-2 / 15-20 squats – 1-2 / 15-20

In option No. 2, in order to avoid excessive general energy depletion with a high number of repetitions (low intensity), the number of working approaches is reduced to a minimum. And as such, both of these set/rep schemes will be effective for developing strength and muscle mass. Only in option No. 1 will you train predominantly pure strength – subtype B of “fast” muscle fibers and the nervous system, and in option No. 2 will you train mainly strength endurance – subtype A of “fast” muscle fibers. Both subtypes of fast-twitch muscle fibers are capable of significant hypertrophy, provided the weights are progressed for the selected number of repetitions. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve muscle “failure” in each working approach of each exercise - for any number of repetitions, and in each workout try to do more than in the previous ones (either 1 repetition more, or slightly increase the weight of the barbell).

Training for strength/general endurance and muscle definition (“burning” subcutaneous fat)

bench press – 3-4 / 15-20 bent over row – 3-4 / 15-20 standing press – 3-4 / 15-20 squats – 3-4 / 15-20

With such a scheme of approaches/repetitions, energy consumption per workout will go off scale, which will primarily train general and strength muscle endurance. At the same time, it is more expedient to ensure the progression of the load not so much by increasing the weights of the weights, but by increasing the total volume of the load during the workout (adding new exercises to the complex, introducing supersets in exercises for antagonist muscles), and reducing rest between approaches. Moreover, muscle “failure”, so necessary in training for strength and mass, is secondary here, and does not have to be achieved in all working approaches - it can be left only for the final working approach in each exercise (see the note on high-volume multi-repetitions).

Read also:

How long can it take to pump up: stages and timing of progress, Tom Platz's leg training, List of sanatoriums where joints are treated - rheumatoid arthritis, Places of power in Moscow,

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After a long break

After a forced break in training, we recommend doing 2 sets instead of 3 or 4. And taking the weights 50% of those you used when you were still training. Yes, after training your muscles will ache. Strongly. But not so much that you fall behind schedule for a week.

In the future, you will gradually return to your working weights and begin to progress. Start small and increase the weight in each approach: for a barbell - by 10 kg, for dumbbells - by 2. You definitely won’t miss!

Bench press example

Warm up: empty bar, 20 reps. We weigh 10 kg and do a set. We hang another 10 and work. And so we reach 60 kg. If it becomes difficult in some approach, then there is no need to increase the weight in this workout. In the future, when it becomes difficult, add 1-2 kg and look at the result.

Rest between sets.

Rest between sets

in the exercise should be exactly 5 minutes if you did a heavy basic exercise. Previously, the muscles simply will not have time to recover. There is no need to listen to advisers who will say that you need to rest for 2 minutes or even 30 seconds.

These numbers come from chemists (guys who use anabolic steroids). Their muscles actually recover faster. But a pure athlete needs to rest for 5 minutes in order to perform the next approach efficiently.

And I want to note that you should not rest for more than 7 minutes. After this, the muscles cool down and additional warm-up may be necessary, which is absolutely unnecessary. If the exercise is light and isolated, then you can take a break of 3-4 minutes, but not two.

How to determine how many approaches you need to do in an exercise? And how to start so that you don’t get sick?

Working weight[edit | edit code]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embed/XpRTBHe3jzs?

Denis Borisov. How to choose a working weight

Working weight

- a concept in bodybuilding that characterizes the weight of the equipment with which the exercise is performed. The working weight determines the intensity of the workout and also depends on the goals: strength, muscle growth, endurance, speed, etc.

Depending on the working weight there are:

• Low intensity training - 10-40%RM
• Moderate intensity workouts - 40-80%RM
• High intensity training - 80-100%RM.

Abbreviations: 1RM

(1 maximum repetition) or
1RM
- one repeated maximum. 8RM means that the working weight is selected with which you can perform a maximum of 8 repetitions.

Percentages of the repeated maximum are also used and light weights are conditionally distinguished: 10-40%RM, medium weights 40-80%RM, heavy weights 80-100%RM.

Read more:

Training intensity

How to calculate working weightedit | edit code

As a rule, in bodybuilding they use 6-8 repetitions in each approach, this is the optimal number. Therefore, select a weight that you can lift 8 times, provided that the last repetition is a failure, first perform a warm-up weight with 50% of the expected working weight. The resulting figure will be the working weight. Remember that for 20% extra repetitions in trial sets, you need to increase the weight by 10%.

However, it should be noted that if you select the weight after several attempts, the final result will be lower, since the muscles will already be fatigued.

There is another less accurate method that allows you to determine your working weight.

:

Use a special calculator: https://fatalenergy.com.ru/calculators/

Calculation example:

1. You assumed that in a trial approach you can lift a 70 kg barbell 10 times. 2. Do 1 set of 7 reps with 35kg. (Warm-up set) 3. Lift the barbell as many times as possible. Let's say you got 12. 4. You lifted 20% more times than expected, which means the weight needs to be increased by 10% 5. Your approximate working weight is 77 kg. Check it out in your next workout and make adjustments.

Strength training

The biggest and strongest men and women - powerlifters, Olympic weightlifters, strongmen - have one single goal: to become stronger. To lift heavy equipment in competition, you have to lift heavy weights in training. And when we talk about heavy, we mean really, really heavy.

To develop strength, you need multi-joint movements like the bench press, squats and deadlifts. They involve several joints at once, for example, the bench press involves the shoulder and elbow joints simultaneously. Multi-joint activity like this generally activates more muscle mass, allowing you to lift heavier equipment.

During heavy sets, the work is done primarily by those muscle fibers that we call fast-twitch; they respond better to strength training by increasing volume and strength. However, they run out of energy very quickly, so you won't be able to perform high reps with heavy weights.

Rest periods between main sets should be long enough (5-7 minutes) so that incomplete recovery does not ruin the next set. Of course, lifting heavy weights involves a preliminary warm-up, during which a series of sets with progressively increasing weights precedes work with maximum tonnage. Strength athletes also try to avoid muscle failure, and this technique is adopted mainly by bodybuilders.

CrossFit at Home: An Explosive Workout for Men

Crossfit

is a functional, strength training in which all exercises are performed at the fastest possible pace in a complex of several sets or on a circular basis. CrossFit provides intense stress on all muscle groups, as a result of which you can quickly acquire relief, pump up your back, shoulders, chest, legs, and also improve strength, endurance, reaction, coordination and much more.

To train at home, you need to get a horizontal bar, since for men there is no better exercise for pumping up the back than pull-ups.

The main thing in CrossFit is to do exercises at a fast pace in a certain amount of time. For example, in half an hour you need to do the maximum number of circles of 4-5 exercises.

Choose exercises from the list and create your own training program for a week without equipment.

Training:

• Burpee;
• Snatch pull-ups;
• Raising legs from a lying or hanging position;
• Jump squats;
• Explosive push-ups (with clap);
• Jumping onto the platform;
• Jumping up;
• Long jump;
• Jumping lunges;
• Reverse push-ups.

The complex can be easily done at home, the main thing is to find a place for jumping and pull-ups.

How to choose a working weight for an exercise

Working weight is the weight of the equipment (weight) that the athlete uses in a given interval of repetitions with the correct technique for performing the exercise.

Bodybuilding, in the classical sense, involves high-volume training with a large number of sets in the middle rep range.

In general, it's not about the number of repetitions as such. It's about the TIME THE MUSCLE IS UNDER LOAD!

Reproduction of energy in muscles

Our body and muscles are a constantly adapting mechanism. When there is increased energy consumption in the muscles, they urgently begin to synthesize new energy. But for any process there is a limit.

There are two main ways to synthesize energy:

1. Glycolysis.
2. Oxidation.

In order for glycolysis to begin, at least 30 seconds must pass, and for oxidation to begin, at least 2 MINUTES!

We will consider only the first method, because... oxidation is suitable for very long-term exercise, from which, in the classical sense, muscles do not grow.

By the way, I wrote about such training in an article about slow-twitch muscle fibers. With their help, you can grow muscles completely.

So, it is glycolysis that allows us a long approach lasting, say, a minute.

This is good if you want to develop strength endurance, but if you want to grow muscle mass, it is bad.

Because as soon as glycolysis comes into play, 30-35 seconds after the start of the approach, the myosin bridges begin to receive enough energy to complete the coupling and uncoupling and there will be no microtraumas.

The attentive reader is interested in the question: why, if the muscles begin to receive sufficient energy funding, we cannot continue the approach with the same working weight?

Friends, the fact is that the resynthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscles causes the accumulation of orthophosphoric acid (we are talking about glycolysis) and lactic acid (if we are talking about oxidation).

An increase in the acidity of the environment, in turn, leads to a decrease in the ability of myosin bridges to adhere, therefore the force of muscle contraction decreases.

This is why you will not be able to work with heavy weights for a long time.

Remember in the article about pumping I talked about what the pumping effect is? When you can't continue the approach because of the burning sensation.

Indeed, this very burning sensation during the approach is the work of acids, which force us to ultimately lower the weight and give up.

An effective working approach is when you have time to injure muscle fibers thanks to energy reserves (creatine phosphate), before the rate of energy production matches the rate of energy expenditure.

And it will begin to level out after about 30 seconds.

If the load allows you to work for more than 30 seconds, then most likely the rate of energy expenditure in your muscles will not be sufficient for microtrauma and subsequent growth.

Conversely, if the weight is too heavy, and you can perform a set within 7 seconds (for example, for 2-3 repetitions), then the energy consumption will be excessive, but you will still stop before this reserve is significantly depleted, due to slight oxidation , which will not allow you to overcome such a heavy weight again.

Today, lovers of strength training are strongly divided into small subcultures: weightlifters, powerlifters, bodybuilders, horizontal bars and even crossfitters claim that their training method is more effective for muscle growth than bodybuilding.

The essence of these disagreements lies not only in the choice of equipment - barbell, exercise equipment, horizontal bar - but also in the mode of muscle contraction. Beginners without training experience watch the theoretical battles of strength sports stars and do not know what is better: to lift a small weight for a large number of times or to lift a large weight 3-4 times? Do you know what is best for muscle growth?

Weightlifting 13-17 years old.

Schwarzenegger writes in his encyclopedia that as a child he was fond of weightlifting. He did this following the example of his idols of the 50-60s. By weightlifting he meant powerlifting: bench press, squats, deadlifts. By weightlifting I will mean any type of training with heavy weights for 3-4 repetitions.

Regarding the effectiveness of heavy weights, Schwarzenegger writes: “Although the bodybuilders of the 40s and 50s generally did not possess the general perfection of muscular development that is inherent in today's champions, they were very strong, robust and impressive representatives of their profession.”

In the 40-60s, no one doubted that big muscles were the essence of great strength. The athletes took the time to spend time in the gym with the big barbell, periodically surprising each other with single-lift records. Therefore, sometime before 1965, Schwarzenegger trained using old strength methods.

In 1989, I really wanted to get into bodybuilding because I saw Schwarzenegger in the movie Commando. However, my father told me no. The father’s strong argument was an article in the magazine “Sports Life of Russia”, where Schwarzenegger calls the Soviet weightlifter Yuri Vlasov his idol. An even stronger argument was the words of Vlasov himself that during a playful duel in his arms, he felt a trembling in Arnold’s hand.

So, under the influence of my father and the Sports Life of Russia magazine, I spent three years in the weightlifting gym. During this time, I managed to activate my muscle genetic potential and gain 20 kg of pure muscle. Why clean? Because 20 kg of weight gave an increase of 90 kg of strength - my barbell grew from 50 to 140 kg.

This experience is enough to say that training with heavy weights and low reps is great for building muscle.

Bodybuilding 23-33 years old.

Schwarzenegger abandoned classical strength training in favor of bodybuilding techniques because he wanted to achieve not just a massive, but a defined body. He writes: “I had to do a lot of muscle isolation training, with a lot of repetition, shaping each muscle and getting the most definition and separation of the muscle groups.”

However, we are now interested in the question: how does the average number of repetitions and average weight affect muscle growth? By average weight we usually mean a weight that we can lift for 8-12 repetitions. This is the essence of bodybuilding training.

An attentive reader will ask: why did the author forget to indicate his experiences from 17 to 23 years old? The fact is that at this age I was engaged in competitive, not recreational bodybuilding, so I do not take this period of my life into account.

Starting at the age of 23, I began conducting experiments in natural bodybuilding on myself and my clients in the Planet Fitness gym, which was expensive at that time. Instead of rusty barbells and dumbbells in the dorm basement, I had the most modern exercise equipment at my disposal. In addition, I began to use the latest techniques of US bodybuilders, which I learned by buying all the magazines on this topic.

Are you anxious to find out what the result was? Over 10 years, 1.5 thousand students passed through me. I have seen the rise and fall of bodybuilding champions. Nothing new. The same 20 kg of pure muscle maximum.

Personally, I was satisfied with the bodybuilding method. She helped me maintain the 20 kg of muscle I had grown and helped my students gain it.

Gymnastics 33-39 years old.

By gymnastics I mean horizontal bars and parallel bars. Schwarzenegger also speaks highly of push-ups and pull-ups, praising Muscle Beach legend Jack La Lanne. Arnold writes: “The legendary Jack La Lanne would never have been able to match Reg Park in a single set of maximum weight, but Jack could do pull-ups and push-ups without stopping even when all the bodybuilders from Muscle Beach would have collapsed from fatigue long ago.”

Even in old age, this “turnaround man” looked great.

At 33, I had a midlife crisis: I was tired of the gym. I was forced to spend 16 hours a day there for ten years, training myself and training my students. Wouldn't you be tired?

Tired of people and iron, I began to train in the forest near the river on the horizontal bar and uneven bars. I do this early in the morning, so there are only ducks in my company, and only in good weather.

At first, I was ready to lose some muscle because, like many people, I thought that muscle should only grow with the help of iron and decent weights. Push-ups 40 times per set did not imply good muscle volume.

However, I had hope. I could see that gymnasts who train with their own body weight and are fairly fanatical horizontal bar lifters often have better muscles than gym athletes with many years of training experience.

My hopes were justified. Over six years of gymnastics, I managed not only to maintain, but also to add a little muscle volume.

General conclusions.

You can choose any training place for yourself: an expensive gym, a weight room in the basement or a yard - the availability of money does not matter. You can lift a heavy barbell, a medium barbell, or work with your own weight - it doesn’t matter for muscle growth. You can set barbell weight records in one repetition or set a bodyweight repetition record - the result will be the same - 20 kg of muscle.

Lev Goncharov - fitness trainer since 1994

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