The Basics – 1
I’ll post all of The Basics information under the category “The Laws of Exercise.”
In this first post, I’d like to cover the standard categories recognized for eliciting different strength-responses in muscles.
Check out this chart
Some of the Acute Variables of Exercise
Hopefully that’s legible. As you can see, there’s a wide range of response from the human body from different stimuli. Not only that, but some people will respond differently to different stimuli. However, this chart is a good guideline.
But how do I use it? Well, first you determine the effect you want to have. Then, look at the chart and find it. Do you want to gain endurance, build size, or increase strength or power?
Then, pick the exercises that match your needs. For general training, pick full-body lifts involving the movement of as many joints as possible. Avoid isolation. Try to use dumbbells if possible. The weight you use is determined by the effect you want to have on yourself. Check the column. Weights are a percentage of your 1RM. I don’t recommend single-rep (extremely heavy) work to anyone. It’s unnecessary.
Then, follow the rest of the guidelines on the chart. As a general rule of thumb, only do about 20 working sets (not warmup sets) total per workout. A total exposure of between 120 and 240 seconds of time under tension (TUT) will elicit a training response in most people.
However, it’s all much simpler than this. More in the following entries…
