Welcome to part two,
Do you have a program, or are you about to splash out on that gym membership. That you may not yet need for the time being at least, we can split fitness training into two parts.
2. Strength training
STRENGTH TRAINING is anything using resistance or Resistance Training weight exercises (free weights), or various machine exercises, partner resisted and/or partner assisted exercises Loads to build muscle mass.
Adherence or Maintenance.
Work on being consistent and persistent over your entire programme. This doesn't mean you have to be rigid; allow and plan for variety and flexibility, and once it's in place, work to your plan.
Phasing.
Each phase of your programme requires a specific focus that leads toward long(er) term aims and objectives. The phasing illustrated here incorporates progression, specificity, overload, and recovery. Other principles to consider are variety and interference and the process of periodisation.
Specificity.
Activities and exercises need to replicate, over time, the body's movements (joint actions, muscle contraction types etc.) and the energy system demands of any activity Ore sport you are training for in the gym.
Progression.
The results will only come by working, and working smart. Develop a good foundation and build on this. Progress from simpler to more complex exercises and levels of difficulty. Look at the actions, which are vital in your sport. Where practical and safe reproduce them in the gym. Isolation exercises only play a minor part in your programme unless you are simply training for general health or physique development.
Overload and Recovery.
To guarantee results over time, it becomes necessary to continually change the training load or stimulus. This requires the total intensity, volume (amount), and complexity of training to be progressively increased over time, but not all the time Exercise is a form of stress, and once the body has been exposed to this stress (working out) it requires time to recover and adapt to the higher structural and functional capacities. This requires more sophistication then the hard-easy approach, particularly when we are using various methods of training (sport, strength, and endurance related) and a host of different activities and exercises. Plan lighter, slower, shorter recovery sessions and weeks into your programme.
Interference.
This is the key principal. Ensure the development of a single balanced and integrated programme, with skill, strength, and endurance related components. Conducting three or four separate programmes and 'hoping' they all come together minimises the chance of success. Concurrent strength and endurance programmes can interfere with each other, so your training plan requires careful consideration.
Variety.
Mix activities, exercises and 'loads' as much as is comfortable, provided the variations and progressions contribute to your training structure and long term aims. Don't add variety for its own sake if it does not satisfy the earlier principles. Some prefer to be routinely rigid with their programme, whereas others require variety on a routine basis. Look to the nature of the individual (or yourself) to make judgment on this point
The three phases are:
1.Foundation
2.Preparation
3.Specificity