SPRINGER: Fitness: Strength training evolves

When it comes to strength training, there is not one universal program that works for everyone. However, there are some basic principles that govern strength training that, when followed, will promote the growth of lean muscle.

The principle of progressive overload states that a muscle must be stressed to an ever-increasing magnitude in order to provoke an adaptive response. This can be achieved through a variety of techniques.

The easiest way to promote muscular growth is to increase the weight you are using. Other ways to keep the body guessing is to change the intensity and volume in your workout. Progressive overload means just that -- if the stress is applied too quickly you will be more prone to injury and over-training.

The next principle is that of reversibility.

When the environmental challenge is discontinued, the organism (person) responds by discontinuing its adaptation response, meaning if you are not actively working your muscles, they will atrophy. After a lengthy period of inactivity, your body will return to its previously untrained state. How fast this happens depends on your fitness level and the number of years you have been training.

The principle of reversibility suggests that you should stay in training year round. For athletes, this means cycling their programs for performance and recovery phases.

For the average exerciser, they should never stop training but modify their workouts every couple of weeks. No one can continue on an upward phase of intensity indefinitely. The most important aspect to this principle is consistency.

The principle of variability states that over time, monotonous stimulus tends to result in ever-smaller disruptions to homeostasis as the organism learns to cope with already-familiar stressors. Basically, your body adapts to a workout program very quickly.

If you do not make an effort to alter your training program, you will not continue to make progress.

It is very easy to add variety to your current regimen. The easiest answer is to choose different exercises for certain muscle groups. If you always do a flat dumbbell press for your chest exercise, try switching to an inclined press on a machine. This slight difference will break up the boredom of your regular workout and challenge your muscles in a different way.

Besides changing exercises, there are endless possibilities when it comes to adding variety. Change the time of day you work out, the club you go to, the machines you use, the number of repetitions, the amount of rest between sets and the order you work your muscle groups. Endless combinations of these strategies will keep your workout fresh and challenging.

The final principle is of individual response.

Each biologic organism is unique with respect to genetic potentiality, morphology, environmental stressors, fiber-type ratios, endocrinology and a host of other factors. All of these factors play a part in how each person will respond to the same workout program.

When determining a workout program for a client, it is still important to examine the person's goals. Then clearly define the type of program best suited for reaching these goals. Sometimes the program and the goals do not coincide.

Be willing to change your own workout routine by following these basic principles.

Kim Springer and her husband, Mike, are Certified Personal Trainers and owners of Springer Training. They can be reached at 233-9442 or at their Web site www.springertraining.com.


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