Female Fitness And Beauties

The Most Important Factor in Strength Training

If you are struggling to make progress with your strength training workouts, you are not alone. Most people move from program to program in an effort to find that magic program that will explode their gains.

There are many factors that go into the design of effective strength training workout routines. Factors such as loading parameters, rest periods, training frequency, and exercise selection are just a few.

If you are doing a workout written by a reputable strength coach then you probably don't have to worry about any of the above factors. The program is most likely well written. However, even with a well written program there are lots of guys out there that seem to make little to no progress.

It's not all about the program. You can put two guys that are at exactly the same strength and size, with the same genetics, on the exact same program and one could make great gains while the other doesn't make any.

Although not all strength training programs are created equal, it's not all about the program. There is something that is more important than the program itself. That's what this article is about.

It's not food, although food intake is probably just as important. It's not some secret supplement that you have never heard of. Getting more results from your strength training workouts is about one thing. Without this one thing it really doesn't matter how much you eat or what supplements you take.

So what is this one thing I'm talking about?

What is my #1 rule for more effective strength training workouts?

It's effort.

That's right. Effort. The amount of effort you put into your weight training workouts is what separates the guys who get great gains from the guys who get no results.

I know you probably feel like you put in a lot of effort with your training. I mean, lifting heavy stuff requires effort right?

Let me tell you what effort is, then you can see if you are putting forth enough.

Effort is adding either weight to the bar or more reps in any given exercise every single time you repeat a workout. It is taking only the rest you need to do another set. It is ignoring all distractions and concentrating on the task at hand.

Here is what effort is not. Effort is not doing the same workout with the same weight every time you go to the gym. It is not talking to your gym buddies for ten minutes between every set. It is not lifting a weight that is way too heavy for you while your spotter does all the work.

Effort + Nutrition + Rest + Well written routine = great results

Effort combined with well written resistance training workouts and proper nutrition and rest is the magic formula to great gains.

Effort is not just about what you do in the gym. The effort you put in outside the gym is equally important. This means making sure that you are getting your post-workout nutrition. It also means making sure that you are eating enough throughout the day and getting enough rest.

Effort outside of the gym is more about discipline than hard work. Stay disciplined and become obsessed with recovery.

Put forth the effort in both your strength training workouts and what you do outside the gym, and you will make great gains.

What Is Functional Strength Training

I hate the word functional when used with training. Functional training workouts have been the craze in the fitness industry for while now.

To the run-of-the-mill fitness trainer, functional strength training usually means having their client balance on a bosu ball while doing overhead dumbbell presses or some other ridiculous exercise that gets almost zero results.

My definition of functional is a little different. Functional is building strength that actually carries over into real life.

Functional is having the strength necessary to handle anything you may encounter in your life. When you have functional strength, you will be more athletic and it makes life a little easier (unless your friends are always asking you to help them move).

The Most Functional Strength Training Movements

As an athlete or strength addict, functional training should be a priority every time you go to the gym. Since you want real world strength as well as gym strength, functional strength exercises should be the staple of your program.

The most "functional" movements are heavy compound movements, body weight movements, and the strongman lifts.

All of these movements either move your body through space, use multiple muscles around multiple joints, move odd objects, or some combination of the three.

These functional training exercises are all you really need in your program. Focusing on the three main types of exercises above will give you all the strength you need.

The first main type of exercise in our functional strength training program, heavy compound movements, include lifts like the deadlift, squats, bench presses, weighted lunge variations, and rows.

The second type, body weight movements, include exercises such as pull-ups, chin-ups, push-up variations, dips, and one-legged squats. There are countless exercises that you can use in body weight training. There are also endless progressions in body weight movements. You may think that certain exercises are easy but there is always a harder variation. Some people get great results using only body weight movements.

The third type, strongman training, involves lifting odd objects. An odd object is basically anything that is heavy and is not perfectly balanced. Things like beer kegs filled with water or sand, and sandbags fall into this category. You can even do something simple like pushing your car. Strongman training is functional strength training in its truest form. At the very least, pick up some army duffel bags, fill them with sand or rocks, and add sandbag training to your program immediately.

Functional Strength Training in Your Program

When you combine these three exercise types into your program, you will get stronger, leaner and more functional at a very rapid pace. You will not only have gym strength but you will have real world strength too.

There are so many exercises that I see people wasting their time with. Exercises such as triceps kickbacks, concentration curls, leg extensions, and calf raises do little to give you any real strength inside and out of the gym. These exercises should be avoided by the serious athlete or lifter as they are pretty much worthless.

Focus your efforts on the exercises that have the most carryover into the real world and you will be a better athlete for it.

By focusing on heavy compound movements, body weight training, and strongman training, you really can't help but get strong and that's what functional strength training is all about.

Man And Female Body Fitness

A fighter cares about conditioning. He cares about being stronger, faster, and lasting longer then his opponent. But you care about fat loss. You want the physique of a fighter. But you don't want to put in the same amount of time that a fighter puts into it because frankly...you don't have that much time.

Your job isn't to fight. Your job is to provide for your family. Which is why you're so out of shape right now. The responsibilities of life have prevented you from accomplishing the responsibilities that you owe yourself: to be healthy, in-shape, and happy about what you see in the mirror every morning.

I always said, if you want to look like someone, try to examine their training regimens and copy what they do. So, if you want to look like the current Mr. Olympia, then you're on the wrong website. You need to figure out how hardcore bodybuilders train and what they eat so that you can look like Mr. Olympia.

Accordingly, if you want to look like a fighter, then you need to examine their training and eating regimens. Now, when it comes to eating, most fighters pretty much eat what they want and get away with it.

Why?

Two reasons: 1) They burn off a lot of calories during their workouts, and 2) they burn off a lot of calories AFTER their workouts because their metabolisms are elevated. This is the key to fat loss. This is the lesson that you must learn from fighters!

You may never actually become a fighter, but that does not mean you can not train like a fighter! Fight training is actually extremely fun, and will be a great change of pace for you. In fact, many of today's mainstream training programs are starting to resemble the kind of programs a fighter uses.

Gone are the days of endless sets and reps and isolation movements. Now more and more trainers are using circuits and multi-joint movements to train their clients. They are ALREADY adopting fighter-style workouts to help their clients lose fat at an incredibly fast rate.

So why can't you do the same?

There is a name for this style of training. It is called Metabolic Resistance Training, which is a type of resistance training specifically geared towards maximizing your metabolic rate. Because remember, the faster your metabolic rate, the more calories you will burn at REST!

Metabolic resistance training involves performing strenuous movements at a fast pace. The rest periods will be kept super short. In some workouts, you won't even rest at all!

You will also use a lot of old-school movements such as pushups, pullups, shoulder presses, and jump roping. You will also use some new popular movements such as swings, snatches, and cleans. These movements can be performed with a dumbbell or kettlebell.