With time, there is a growing awareness among people regarding the suitable lifestyle that should be followed to attain a healthy and vigorous life. Whether the goal is to change attitude, physique, or routine, or to recover from an injury and/or prevent one in later life, everyone can benefit from training techniques (Moore, 2004). Working out and training is often taken lightly, however, it is something that needs more consideration is it has a great impact on the functions of the body and its strength. This paper would focus on four methods applied in advanced training. These are distinct from one another and are implemented at variable times in one’s training development. Moreover, the perceived pros and cons of these advanced training methods are also elaborated.
For those who are beginners and intermediate lifters, it is more appropriate to stick to the basic training techniques. Muscle-building techniques should be taken from one step to another and for best results need to be started from the basics. However, once the body has established strength and is capable of performing more advanced techniques several different routines can be added to enhance build and muscular physique.
A superset is a combination of one exercise performed right after the other with no rest in between them. There are 2 ways of doing it – by using two exercises for the same muscle group or using two exercises for 2 antagonistic muscle groups. 2 exercises for the same muscle group can be used like when you do cable a curl followed by dumbbell curls this is an example of a bicep subset. An example of using 2 exercises for 2 antagonistic muscle groups is when you pair antagonistic muscles like chest and back, thighs and hamstrings, upper Abs and lower Abs, biceps and triceps, and shoulder and calves.
This type of exercise shows no drop of strength once your cardiovascular system is conditioned and it’s a great way to save time as two muscles would be used at the same time which would even reduce the total time of the workout. Another pro of these exercises is that it is very easy for one to get bored of the same routine when you’re running the same exercises over ad over again. There no longer remains a burning desire to make it to every workout session. By changing the routine through these exercises you provide new excitement to yourself and look forward to pushing your body past its limits plus it boosts your muscle size by releasing the anabolic hormone testosterone responsible for building muscle mass (Mayo Clinic Online, 2007).
Subsets also provide more work with less equipment because heavyweights are not a prerequisite for them and the muscles can be pushed to their limits using lighter weights. This is particularly helpful for those who exercise on the road or at home. However, subsets are not the best way to go about only increasing muscle strength as more needs to be done for this purpose (Mayo Clinic Online, 2008). The reason that it cannot be accomplished by subsets is that subsets are types of high-intensity workouts and only light weights can be lifted. Inputting regular sets which have longer resting periods more muscle energy is gained as more time is given to the muscles to build. (Mayo Clinic Online, 2008)
After the completion of the reps which are done with one’s strength, the forced reps are started. This is carried out to challenge the body’s strength beyond its limits to make it stronger and more muscular. The forced reps are carried out with the help of a partner to assist in two or three repetitions in the routine after the strength limit has been reached. However, the partner is there only for assistance and must provide limited support.
If offered too much help causes loss in strength building as the last repetitions prove to be crucial for the person. Forced reps are an ideal method for increasing capabilities, especially amongst athletes. It increases the training intensities hence, giving more augmented strength and muscle power. One of the perceived drawbacks of this type of training method is the fact that it can only be carried out with the help of a partner.
Moreover, the partner at hand should be able to offer the right amount of assistance at the right time so that chances of injuries are minimized. The partner should also help only when the weights are no longer lifted by the person. Hence, the partner must be able to assess the strength of the other. Forced reps are also said to be overly challenging on the strength of the body and should therefore they should not be used during every training session to avoid overtraining.
Another well-known weight lifting scheme is the pyramid system. As the name suggests, this is an advanced training technique in which the load is increased successively in each set, while at the same time the number of repetitions in the set is reduced. The sets are started with the lightest weights and followed with the medium weights and the third set is carried out with the heavyweight, with the number of repetitions decreasing by each set.
The number of repetitions is reduced to cope with the weight and not cause overtraining or the over-exhaustion of the body. The stage of training is what determines the exact weight of the dumbbells that are used in each set. The pyramid system is a simple structure that helps in challenging the body as well as keeping the mind focused. Another advantage of the pyramid system that is useful to most is the fact that with this system it is easier to keep track of the sets, it is easier to count the sets with the change of the weights at each set.
Pyramid training is further modified into the truncated pyramid, this allows more effective swelling of the muscle fibers as compared to the normal pyramid system and double pyramid which has greater intensity and is recommended only to athletes with superior training practice. The pyramid system training method increases strength and allows muscle growth. However, due to the constant weight changing this training technique can prove to be time-consuming. There is also a risk of injury while doing the sets with maximum strength as it is used to increase strength rather than muscle mass.
Periodization is another form of training technique. It’s an organized approach that involves the progressive repetition or cycling of the various aspects of the training program. Changing the training stimulus at regular or irregular intervals holds benefits for athletes and trainees. It follows the breakdown of the training program into periods. These discreet periods are called macrocycles, mesocycles, and microcycles. It applies a systematic approach to alternate cycles of weight lifting intensities and the volume or number of repetitions. This is a combination of the above-mentioned techniques and collaborates these methods into one to increase efficiency.
It tends to provide progression from the high-volume and the low-intensity routine towards decreasing volume and increasing intensity throughout the different cycles (Workout Routines and Splits, 2007). Periodization allows the athletes to divide the training program into phases and progress towards each phase as a goal-achieving process. Each phase has to be completed before the athlete can start the new phase.
Whether the goal is to change attitude, physique, or routine, or to recover from injury and/or prevent one in later life, everyone can benefit from training techniques (Moore, 2004). Working out and training is often taken lightly, however, it is something that needs more consideration is it has a great impact on the functions of the body and its strength. In the end, it is important to understand that to be able to train oneself effectively it is vital to follow proper regimes and routines.
The process of gaining strength and muscle power is an ongoing process that needs to be followed efficiently and thoroughly to yield desirable results. It is often a cause of overtraining that an athlete or trainer is badly injured or is caused with problems that pertain long term effects. Training procedures, hence, hold great significance in building strength. Advanced training techniques are followed at later stages when the body is ready for further challenges to strength and muscle power.
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