How to determine the required number of approaches and repetitions.
In the gym, the word "repetition" is one performance of one exercise. For example, if you did one push-up, you did one "repeat" of the push-up. If you've done 10 chest presses, you've done 10 chest presses.
Understanding repetitions can help you understand another basic term in weightlifting: single-repeat maximum or 1PM.
Your one-rep maximum (1PM or one rep with maximum weight) is the maximum weight you can lift to perform one rep.
In the gym, trainers can help you determine your 1PM to understand how much weight you should lift when doing several reps in your program. Most likely, you will have a different 1PM for different muscles or muscle groups throughout your body.
Especially if you are new to strength training, it is important to test your 1PM with the help of a trained professional. During the test, you load the muscles to the maximum load, which is associated with the risk of failure and injury. Therefore, it is important to warm up properly and get help if you are a beginner. In some cases, your trainer may use a formula to calculate one repeated maximum to avoid these risks.
What are approaches?
Approaches are just a group of repetitions. You can do one set of repetitions for a specific exercise, or multiple sets. Most often, try to do several approaches, especially if you are interested in increasing muscle endurance or muscle strength.
For example, if you are trying to build up your chest muscles, you can do 3 sets of 10 reps of the chest press. This means that you perform 10 repetitions of the chest press, and then rest briefly. Then you do 10 more reps and take another short break. Finally, you finish your last 10 reps before taking a short break and moving on to the next exercise.
Determining the number of approaches and repetitions
The number of sets and repetitions you do in training depends on your training goal. In weight training , goals are usually divided into the following general categories:
General Fitness: This is a reasonable goal for those who are not familiar with weightlifting and want to improve their daily activities and overall health. Some might call lifting weights in this category "tonic."
Muscle Endurance: Strength endurance or muscle endurance is the ability of muscles to produce and maintain strength over a long period of time. As a rule, you will work towards achieving this goal with a program with more repetitions and a little less weight.
Hypertrophy: Muscle hypertrophy is just a technical term for building muscle mass. If you want your muscles to "swell" or achieve maximum muscle growth, you will plan higher amounts of work at medium and high intensity levels (1PM) with minimal rest periods between sets.
Muscle strength: maximum strength is the ability to generate the maximum amount of muscle strength for a particular exercise. When you train for this purpose, you tend to reduce the number of repetitions, but increase the intensity, approaching your 1PM.
Strength: Powerlifters are often competitive weightlifters. Powerlifting simply refers to the ability to generate significant strength in the shortest amount of time.
How to make a training program
Exercise per workout
The best amount of exercise per workout will depend on your goals and your fitness level. When you're just starting out, it's wise to do one exercise for each muscle group. Make sure you use the correct technique when performing each movement to know that your workout is safe and effective.
As your fitness level increases or if you change your goal, you can increase the number of exercises you do for each muscle group (for example, from 2 to 5 per muscle group).
Training frequency
In addition to understanding your sets and reps for each exercise, you'll probably want to know how many times a week you should exercise. The optimal amount of training for you may depend on your lifestyle, your goals and your schedule.
To improve health, it is recommended to participate in at least two strength training sessions per week, and they should involve all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). This means that during each week you should include at least one exercise aimed at each area of your body.
To build muscle strength or increase hypertrophy, the total training volume is more important than the number of workouts per week. That is, you can increase or decrease the number of workouts each week, but the amount of work (the total number of exercises, sets and repetitions that you perform for all workouts) will make the most difference.
How to increase the effectiveness of training
Once you've planned your workouts, you can do even more to optimize your weight training program.
Follow a balanced diet
Getting enough protein will help optimize muscle protein synthesis. When you do strength training, muscle fibers naturally break down. Muscle protein synthesis (the restoration of these fibers) occurs during recovery and with the help of protein from your diet. Amino acids — the building blocks of protein — help repair muscle tissue.
You consume 10% to 35% of your total daily calories from protein. You can also determine your protein needs based on body weight. It is recommended to consume from 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
You should also be sure to consume nutritious carbohydrates to get energy from foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. And healthy fats, such as nut butter, avocado oil and vegetable oils, will help you maintain cell health and increase the feeling of satiety.
Have enough rest
You build muscle during recovery, not during exercise. Muscle protein synthesis occurs after a workout, when your body has the opportunity to rest and recover.
Give yourself at least 48 hours between strength training sessions. You can work out between workouts with weights, but you should focus on the muscles that you didn't use during strength training. You can also reduce the intensity of training on recovery days.
Proper rest and recovery can also help you avoid emotional burnout. Going to the gym every day can be exhausting. Give your body and brain a break and find enjoyable activities outside or in other places.
Result
A new strength training program can be both simple and effective. If you are new to weight training, start with one or two workouts a week with exercises for all major muscle groups. You don't need to spend hours in the gym. A couple of 30-minute sessions should help.
Once you get the hang of it, you'll find that you enjoy strength training. You'll probably also see yourself feeling better, mentally and physically. As you reach your strength training goals, try different training plans or work with a personal trainer to set and achieve new goals.
