ARE YOU TRAINING SMART?

So after having a real gym membership now for about a month it has been a real eye opener to train around people on a regular basis and i actually really enjoy it! I have met some awesome new people as well! With that said though i have also found out that a lot of people are either training not very smart and doing very weird routines that have really no structure behind them and then there are the other types of people that do a few sets of this and that then leave the gym. So today i thought why not try to correct some of these very common issues that i see and see if we can maybe help some people out. After all you go to the gym to get results and have fun lifting so why even lift if your not seeing any progress or not having any fun? This Blog is not meant to talk bad about anybody's individual style of training, this blog  is just meant to help those looking for better and more efficient ways.

Need a FREE program to keep you from making simple mistakes? Make sure and check out this blog where i recommend 3 programs from bodybuilding.com that actually are very smart ways to train!

Train Hard?

First off we have to discuss what it really means to train hard and what it also means to not train hard enough. When we talk about training smart and building programs we need to factor in 3 things and then there are 2 bonus things we can also can keep in mind to really get the most efficient training as possible

- Overall volume (reps x sets x weight used)

- Intensity (the amount of weight your lifting)

- Frequency (the amount of times your lifting in a week)

Bonus

- Time under tension

- Rest Times

Having those 5 things (just like we talked about last week) in order can really allow you to make some pretty great progress overtimes as long as your consistent. and smart with your programming.

Overall Volume

- The number one thing that has been shown in several studies to be the most important factor when talking about strength and size gains is Overall Training Volume. In order to progress overtime in strength and size your overall volume must be going up.

How do you increase volume?

- Increasing volume can be done by Increasing Reps per set, Increasing weight used during set, or Doing more sets per exercise. The one you choose to increase is really up to you.

 

With that said tho from my experience this is what i have found to work best when wanting to build as much size and strength as possible when focusing on the main lift of the day...

- increase weight used overtime

- maintain solid Sets of 3-5

- undulate repetitions throughout the week 

So for example when talking about bench press a good method overtime would be

Monday

- Bench 3x5 (80% of your one rep max)

Wednesday

- Bench 3x7 (75%)

Friday

- Bench 3x9 (70%)

 

This can be adjusted for however many times you are hitting a particular exercise as well. So for example if you only bench 2 times a week you could undulate

Monday

- Bench 5x5 (80%)

- Friday

- Bench 4x9 (70%)

For both examples you are hitting 9 working sets of bench a week, the only difference is that you are splitting it between more days when benching 3 days a week. Remember just as i explained in SHDUPA you must have a balance of

- Volume

- Frequency

- Intensity

To create a successful program.

 

You want to make sure you have enough volume but not too much, You want to make sure you are hitting lifts frequently but not so frequently that you don’t have enough recovery between lifts, and you need to make sure overtime that you are lifting heavier weights (intensity) because just like we discussed in last weeks blog (focus on strength and size will come) if you never get any stronger then you will never have enough progressive overload to grow.

Intensity

- Contrary to popular belief intensity is not how hard you are pushing and grunting during a set. Intensity actually means the amount of weight your lifting in an exercise. Overtime you should be upping your intensity by default. You should not be lifting the same weight as you were last year. Even if your not a powerlifter you should be trying to get stronger along with gaining size and remember like last weeks blog - you need strength overtime to achieve more size.

Frequency

- Frequency is the number of times you are hitting a specific muscle group and or lift a week. To make progress overtime you don't necessarily need to up your frequency. The only time you may need to up your frequency is if you are trying to bring up a weaker lift or body part or if your trying to get better at a said skill. Another reason you may want to up your frequency of say for example Bench press is so you can spit your volume over 3 days instead of 2 or if your only benching one day and doing like 8 working sets you could bench 2 days and do 4 working sets each day for the same volume.\

Your probably asking yourself...

“Shawn how many times should i be hitting a certain lift or muscle group a week?”

and while i have a recommendation you have to remember that everyone is different and has different needs. For example i have a lot of shoulder and rotator cuff issues so i train back (the supporting muscle of the shoulders) at least 3 times a week to strengthen those smaller supporting muscles to help prevent injuries. 

I also bench 3 times a week so i want to make sure i am pulling just as much and preferably more pulling than pushing. If you want my recommendation though. Natural lifters should be hitting everything at least 2x a week for the best approach and one of those days should be heavy low rep (1-5 reps) and one of those days lighter and more reps (8-12 reps).

 

So lets discuss some pretty bad training that i see in the gym that i feel has to be mentioned. First before that though i want to add here is that anything you do in the gym even if it is not optimal is still better than doing nothing so if you enjoy what your doing then just keep at it as consistency needs to be a major focus but with that said i know a lot of people at the gym that are not training very smart and you can truly tell they are dedicated to getting stronger and bigger and for that this advice is to better them.

 

So some main examples of bad training are...

 

you start your workouts with a machine or supported movement (unless it's used for a dynamic warm up)

- If you have an injury and thats stopping you from hitting any compound lifts then thats understandable. But if you are completely healthy your first movement should probably be one of the following depending on what type of training day it is, for example;

Push Day

- Should start with bench or overhead press

Pull Day

- Should start with some type of compound (not machine Row) like , deadlift, barbell row, heavy back cable rows

Lower Day

- Should start with some type of squat or deadlift

By hitting your compound movement early on in the routine you are able to progress in weight overtime and that is the building block of that routine that you base that routine off of. Everything after that main lift is just assistance/accessory stuff, yes you can train like this for bodybuilding as well as powerlifting. This is the way i have most of my clients training and of course the way i train myself.

 

You Immediately go to 1 plate on the bench

This one truly blows my mind. You would not believe the number of people that walk in and throw 135lbs on the bench as their warm up! Now if your benching 500lbs thats understandable but for anyone that cant even bench 300lbs yet this is just stupid and a stupid way to get injured. Trust me on this one i have had so many benching shoulder injuries through my lifting career. For you this warm up may be too much but for me this needs to be done to prevent injury.

- Dynamic arm swings and shoulder dislocations with a band mixed with band shoulder press and bicep curls, Rotator cuff exercise with 5lb dumbbells, wrist stretches, dead hang from a pull up bar, upward and downward dog

- Then i get on the bench and do the bar for 8-10 reps, slow on the way down, fast on the way up, in a explosive manner for 3 sets, then i go to 95lbs and do 3 sets of 3-5 reps in an explosive manner, Then i go to 115lbs for 3 reps, then 135 for 1-2 reps and then i do just singles up until my working sets.

This is what works for me so feel free to adjust, just don’t slap 1 plate on each side and get to it, i promise an injury is in your future by doing that. You might think you look pathetic warming up with just the bar but you would be amazed how smart it is actually to do that. Train SMART....

 

Your Rest Times Are Way To Short

- Contrary to popular belief where you think you would see people resting too long you actually see people not rest near long enough. Now this really depends on the exercise your doing. For example a bench press needs more rest than the shoulder machine needs. A good rule of thumb to follow is

- Compound movements 3-5 minutes

- Accessory Compound movements 2 minutes

- Assistance lifts 60-90 seconds

- small muscle group assistance lifts 60 seconds

- Blood Flow Restriction 15-30 seconds

This is not wrote in stone but i feel its a good guide for one to go off of. 

 

your routine is just whatever you feel in the moment

- For a lot of people they just enjoy training like this and if you just enjoy it but understand its not the most beneficial then thats fine but if you want some better structure this one is for you then.

- Jumping from machine to machine in circuit fashion is fine for just burning calories and is fun to do but you won’t make much progress in strength and size this way.

- Spending 30 minutes of rotating between tricep push downs and walking laps is sorta a waste of time.

- Spending 30 minutes on Abs almost everyday is not needed 

- Doing Isolation exercises before heavy lifts is not advised

- Doing an hour of weights followed by an hour of running is not the most optimal for strength nor size

- cheating form on machines to just lift more weight is not advisable

- and this list can go on and on and on so lets just tell you a simple way to fix these issues in one fell swoop....

 

An easy way to fix all these issues is to HAVE A PLAN BEFORE YOU BEGIN

This is so simple to execute and it will really help keep your training organized. Everyday before you go in the gym pull up the simple notes ap on your phone and write down the exercises your going to hit for the day. Also when your writing down the exercises make sure and write a secondary option as well or have one in your mind just in case that exercise or machine is being used. Having a plan A for when the gym is not so busy and having a plan B for busy gym times works best. Also as long as you hit your compound exercises first, feel free to mix the order of the rest of the routine to accommodate for other people using the equipment you want.

ONE LAST THING...

Getting amped up for lifts like bench, squat, and deadlift is totally appropriate. Getting that inner rage and achieving adrenaline has been shown to make your lifts more powerful as long as you can remain in control of form and i fully support getting amped up for that. On the other hand tho.... If your doing tricep cable extensions then there is no need to be acting like an idiot psyching yourself up like your getting ready to sacrifice a goat between sets...... Same with any isolation or even machine lift! You may laugh but i see this almost every day.......

I Think you get the point...

So to wrap up todays post remember...

- Volume, Intensity, Frequency needs to be balanced for a proper program

- Train your compound movement first

- Use rest times to your advantage

- Don’t just machine hop

- Abs don’t need 30 min a day (seriously)

- Use a solid warm up to prevent injuries

- Focus on being more organized with what your going to be doing before you step foot in the gym

- Getting amped is fine! as long as its a compound movement tho!

I hope you got something out of todays blog and once again i really hope this did not offend anyone as that was not the point of this post. All i want to do is help those that don’t know any better and hopefully help them gain more size and strength and see more results as that is what will keep them coming back and feeling more confident. Thanks for reading guys and if you know someone that could benefit from some of these tips please feel free to share. Also if you have seen some things in your gym that are not the smartest feel free to mention them in the comments below! Thanks for reading guys, and if you feel all so generous please feel free to leave a donation even a dollar can go a long way to show your support. Thank you!  till next week...

 

Train Smart,

Shawn Fausey

• Shawn Fausey is the Founder and CEO of Fausey's Fitness. With Over 6 years experience in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting and Nutrition. Shawn offers services of online fitness coaching, programing and consulting. Shawn is also a Graphic Designer and can be reached for graphic services on www.rev-graphics.com
• Follow me on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Google +