Many trainers and coaches recommend approaching your workouts with an adversarial mindset, often using phrases which invoke violent or war-like imagery like “going to battle” with or “attacking” the weights or entering the gym with a “siege mentality”. A workout is not a battle between you and the weights, though, it is a battle between your intellect and your instincts, between your determination to improve yourself and your desire to avoid the momentary pain and discomfort of intense physical exertion.
You should do the exact opposite. Instead of “psyching up” for your workouts you should strive for Zen-like calm. Quiet your thoughts and turn your focus internally on your muscles, not externally on the weights.
Despite being referred to as “working out”, the goal of exercise is not to perform work for work’s sake, lifting and lowering (or in the case of static contractions holding) weights. Your real objective during exercise is to use the weights to place a demand on your muscles’ ability to contract intensely (and all the other systems involved) to stimulate an adaptive response.
I tell my clients that when they’re performing an exercise they should not think of it as using their muscles to lift and lower the weight, but as using the weight to keep tension on their muscles (for the sake of efficiently loading and inroading them).
This little difference in language – switching the subject and object – makes a big difference in how you think and act during exercise.
When you focus on the weight – which most people do intuitively or instinctively – you tend to move in a way that makes the exercise easier; altering your body positioning or movement to offload or spread the work between multiple muscle groups, using momentum or elastic potential energy to help swing, heave, or bounce a weight up, and various other cheats. You are more likely to focus externally if you think of your workout as a battle with the weights.
When you focus on your muscles – using your intellect – you tend to move in a way that makes the exercise harder; maintaining proper body position and movement to keep consistent tension on the targeted muscles, reversing direction smoothly, lifting and lowering under strict control, and not cheating. Maintaining this proper, internal mental focus while exerting maximum effort and experiencing extreme physical discomfort requires a calm, impassive mind, not one which is agitated and “psyched up”.
Imagine you are performing an exercise. You have already performed a good number of repetitions in relatively strict form and your muscles are rapidly fatiguing. With every passing second the weight feels heavier and the burning in your muscles intensifies. You are already several exercises into your workout and your heart rate is still increasing and every breath feels harder than the last. This is where it counts. This is where the real battle between your intellect and instinct begins. Do you give in to instinct, to the urge to stop the pain either by quitting or by loosening your form to make the exercise easier? Or do you follow your intellect, which is telling you the discomfort is temporary and not the result of any real harm and that whether you move the weight or not isn’t as important as attempting to do it correctly.
Most people “loosen” their form at this point to make the exercise easier for the sake of lifting the weight. Once again, you should do the exact opposite; maintain the strictest form possible to keep tension on the target muscles while contracting them as intensely as possible. Instead of trying to avoid the burning, elevated heart rate, labored breathing, etc., think of it as a cue to “tighten”your form even more and train even harder.
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The other day I was doing a set of leg extensions and after about 40 seconds I could feel the burn and I would bet I would have stopped around 80 seconds based on previous workouts. But after 40 seconds my IPOD shut off so I went to turn if back on and restart a song while continuing to exercise. I’m guessing that took 30 seconds to do and during that time my mind went off the pain of the exercise, then once I restarted the song I went back to focusing on the muscle and all of a sudden it was painful again. I continued for at least 20 more seconds so I actually did the set 90 seconds. When I stopped focusing on the muscle and had my mind think of something else I actually did a set longer with the same form. I guess I’m wondering is it not better to let your mind go somewhere else during the exercise rather than focus on the muscle and thus the pain?
DD,
You should have continued the exercise and focused on your form and ignored your iPod until after. To perform an exercise correctly your mind can’t be somewhere else, you have to be present and focused on what you are doing.
Hi Drew,
A great article, a couple of points I notice that many people from the very first rep are training as you describe “instinctively”. What surprises me or after consideration doesn’t surprise me is that the small (one owner)gym where I go that has a full range of MedX he just walks past when people are heaving, moving the weights fast there is no attempt by him to correctly instruct the exercises. From conversations I have had with him I know that he knows how to train properly but appears that he can’t be bothered to provide proper instruction.
What I have found is that when approaching MMF the mind wants to wander and is open to any slight distractions especially when there is that disco type music being played in the gym. When training with intellect you have to be extremely focused and be extremely careful to not to let your mind wander. I have at times tried closing my eyes not sure if this is possible in most commercial gyms but I find that it helps the intellectual side of my training.
But once you have mastered the intellectual side of strength training your training goes to another level, your training takes on a whole new meaning. I highly recomend “intellectual” strength training it is definitely worth the time and effort.
Steven,
He may just have given up on trying, since many people react negatively to being corrected on their form. Unfortunately I see this even in a lot of high intensity training forums and discussion groups where people post videos of themselves working out or doing particular exercises and get all upset when you try to point out things they’re doing wrong (especially other trainers).
It can be frustrating when people get angry with you because they perceive your attempts to help them as a threat to their ego, but you just have to accept that some people have their heads up their asses and can’t be helped. This doesn’t mean you should just quit, though, because there are still a lot of people who don’t have their heads up their asses and who would appreciate the help. If you own a gym or training studio you should do everything you can for those people.
Depending on the person, the environment, and the type of music it may or may not be a distraction. I like heavy metal and certain subgenres like thrash and power metal and listen to them while doing just about everything, but only very rarely while working out. Most of the time I just run a metronome app to help maintain a consistent repetition cadence while training alone.
Depending on the exercise and environment closing your eyes can help, but I don’t recommend it when training alone in a busy gym. If you have a trainer or training partner they should be watching out for you and for the people around you, but if you don’t it’s all on you and you can’t count on other people in the gym to be paying attention. When I was in high school I was in the school workout area performing dumbbell lateral raises the way most people do; swinging the dumbbells up with assistance from the rest of my body then dropping them. Another student wasn’t paying attention and as he walked around me to the right from behind he was struck in the jaw with one of the dumbbells and knocked to the floor. Fortunately he wasn’t hurt too badly, but it could have been much worse. If I had been using correct form (slowly raising the dumbbells, holding them motionless at the top, then slowly lowering them) or if he’d been watching where he was going it wouldn’t have happened.
All of these are reasons I prefer private studios or home gyms. You have more control over the environment and far fewer distractions, making it easier to focus and for intellect to prevail over instinct.
Thank you for shedding light on this principle. Great way of putting it. Can’t wait to train tomorrow!
Drew,
For the last few weeks I have been following you “inroad philosophy” and I am amazed by the progress I am making now (of course it’s to soon to “start shouting from the roofs”). One practical question. When doing the very last rep reaching failure because no matter how much intellect I am applying I am totally done I usually try to increase speed in the positive contraction I could never have finished at normal slow speed allowing me to obtain one last gruelling negative contraction. Doing a leg press I might even push a little with my hands to obtain those last extra seconds of TUL. After I finish the exercise I need several seconds before I can even think again and I need no less than 20 seconds before I can get up and walk. Wrong or right? Thanks!
Mike,
As you fatigue and movement slows think about contracting harder, not contracting faster. At this point you should be contracting as hard as you can just to keep the weight moving. If you are still capable of moving it fast you are still far from muscular failure.
Don’t push with your hands when you reach momentary muscular failure, just continue to contract as hard as possible. Don’t worry about whether the weight moves at this point, just focus on “emptying out” the muscles.
Thank you very much Drew!
That is the best thing I’ve ever seen about the last rep when about to reach failure. I’ve done it the way Mike described for a long time. I’m trying your way in my training later, Drew. I’ll post the results in the afternoon.
I followed your much appreciated advice this afternoon Drew:
“Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.” 😉
Mike,
The right mindset can make a big difference. I hope your workout went well.
I trained with one friend, and tried to explain using a slower consistent form with good turnarounds and no ballistic movements. He said his physio told him to do that so he kept bouncing around. I tried training with another friend and would finish my workouts in 20 minutes or less, I don’t think he liked it too much he wanted to stick around and do a few more sets just to make sure his muscles were fully worked. After reading a lot on correct form, also with Doug McGuffs BBS book, I just go to a gym and see a sea of people bouncing around, holding their breath, not recording their progress and spending much more time socializing. Instinctively you kind of just want to ‘have more fun’ and do longer more sociable workouts and forget about high intensity. Then you have to go back to your progress charts and see that really it doesn’t make a difference. So it almost gets
to the point that you have to kind of look at gym a different way from most people. The less you talk about it or try to explain what your doing is better. If a friend says ‘Oh I didn’t go to the gym for a week, I’m going to be fat’ you want to say well it will probably be your diet choices doing that but I just don’t bother anymore. These days I just nod my head and go ‘Oh yeah sounds good’ and ignore popular opinion. Because almost no one knows what they are on about or no one cares, one person in response to HIT was like ‘Oh I just really enjoy my runners high’. It’s more recreation and social purposes. The most intelligent thing I can do is be kind of ignorant to it all and just focus on what I got to do.
DT,
Unfortunately, most people in the gym waste most of their time doing things that are inefficient and unproductive at best and dangerous at worst. Most of them really don’t know what they are doing and it is best to ignore them (as long as what they’re doing isn’t dangerous to you or others around them). This is one of the reasons I prefer to work out and train clients at home or in private training studios.
Drew
Great article on explaining what one should be focused on during the hardest … also the best part for results to happen …. part of that exercise.
John
Since i dont have any machines availble and only free weights. What repetition range should i be aimimg for to get the best stimulus?
Also doing chin ups, deadlifts etc i find it really hard and disctracting if i need to focus on doing it slow. If i just can focus on lifter more reps then last time or more weight then last session that is much better for me because then i dont cheat. I find it easier to cheat if you have to do 4 sec positive and negative.
So say doing deadlifts with heavy weights will go slow since its hard work. So what repetition range should one aim for to get the best stimulus? And also can one take a litle break between each repetition wich will make mone capable of doing more repetition? or a litle more at least
Trygve,
A variety of repetition ranges can be effective but I have found a good starting point for most people when using a 4/4 cadence to be six to ten on compound pushing movements and five to eight on other exercises (to account for the additional time holding and squeezing at the end point).
How you perform each repetition is far more important than how many repetitions you perform. The real goal of exercise is to work your muscles as hard as possible, not to do as much work on the weight as you can. Focus on making every second of every repetition as hard as possible and not on the number of repetitions. If you train harder you’ll get stronger, and if you get stronger you’ll be able to do more repetitions despite trying to make each rep as hard as possible.
Trygve,
The whole point of proper form is to make the exercise really hard. Like any other physical skill doing it right requires more focus than just going through the motions.
A wide variety of repetition ranges can be effective but a good starting point is around six to ten for compound pushing exercises and five to eight for compound pulling and simple exercises (fewer reps to account for the additional time spent holding and squeezing at the end point).
Although rest-pause (resting between reps) can be an effective way to train most people should try to perform their repetitions continuously with no rest in between.
Thanx a ton Drew
Its just i feel easier to know that you are progressing when you can make one more rep or a litle heavier weight then the last time you lifted. Harder esp if you are alone if you count seconds and all that.
I know you have touched on this before but when doing squat or leg press i should do 6-10 reps even if i want to become faster and wanna work type2b and x muscle twitch fibers. Also you mention that people with more type 2 fibers tend to faster exhausted and i fall into those since i cant do as many reps as others.
Also deadlifts 5-8 seems to be more bodybuilding hypertrophy style but i know you have touched on this and say it does matter as long as you get stronger you will get faster.
Trygve,
Muscular strength, size, and speed are all related and the relationship is genetically dictated. Some people can get very strong without gaining much size, some people can gain a lot of size while not getting very strong, and most of us are somewhere in between. A stronger muscle can produce more force, thus greater acceleration and speed.
I just have one question more for you.
1. Since i dont use the 4/4 sec counting and just doing it without jerking so its faster then 4/4. Should i increase the reps so i get the same time under tention as you like to? So say i need to do 15-20 reps? want that be alot like aerobic training? and will just leave me out of breath and like almost like aorobic training
Trygve,
What you should do is slow down. If you aren’t out of breath by the end of your workout you aren’t training hard enough.
I tried doing what you said on the legpress today. Im not sure it was 4/4 but i just did the things slow without momentum so muscles where doing the job all the time. Jeeezus crist that stuff is hard, like the muscles are just almost exploding. I did like 8 reps or so and i was completely finnished.
Just what i feel is that type of training feels like it will make my slow. Like for a guy that are doing fast sports like me and want to be as fast as possible, to move that slow feels like im training to get slow almost. Like it feels like im training for marathons instead of sprinting and getting faster.
Also one last thing, on the leg press machine and also when i do squats. I do squats and the leg press with ass to grass so no just 90 degrees. But i never feel anything in my hamstrings and glutes only the quads. Why is this? i know hamstrings and glutes are the most powerfull muscles so it would make sense to use them as the primary movers not the quads. But for me it feels like im only using quads and those are the muscles that get exhausted.
Trygve,
Good. That’s what every exercise should feel like.
It won’t make you slow. How quickly or slowly you move during exercise has no effect on how fast you are able to perform other movements. Read Q&A: Repetition Speed, Recruitment and Stimulation and More Confusion About Repetition Speed.
Most people feel the quads more than the glutes and hamstrings on those exercises for various reasons. Assuming your positioning and form is correct you just have to focus more on contracting your glutes and hamstrings.
Hi Drew,
I have read this article along with “Focus On Your Muscles Not The Number”, “The Real Objective of Exercise” and “The Style Repetition”.
I understand the theory behind it and have now been applying it for about 9 weeks in my training and have been seeing very good results.
I am currently dieting down, losing fat and the abdominal definition that I didn’t have to work for when I was younger, due to genetics, is slowly but surely coming back.
I’ve given myself about 7 or 8 months to get lean (losing, I estimate 20 pounds) because I know that taking it slowly helps to prevent muscle loss.
My legs, arms and shoulders certainly look as big as they ever have.
My question is this. If I am focusing on strict form, fatigue and inroading, as opposed to increasing the numbers, losing form, bracing and outroading.
Is progression, as far as weight and reps even important?
I ask because I have been using the same weight on the leg press for the last 7 weeks, really trying to earn that progression through hitting my target rep number whilst still making every inch of every rep count towards inroad and fatigue, being slow and smooth, with gentle turnarounds etc.
The other day I did 2 sets of leg pres because my focus simply wasn’t there and I could tell I had more left in the tank after my first set.
I may do better next time, I don’t know.
Aesthetically speaking my legs look good but at the rate things are going, focusing on internal feelings rather than external metrics as a measure of progress, I could still be using the same weight in March 2013.
Is that ok? Where do you draw the line?
Drew,
Apologies, that was typed in a rush. I’ve also been following the RenEx blog and reading the debates in the comments sections over there, and whilst it’s really good information and really educational, I’m guessing that we still need some kind of yardstick, some marker in the sand so to speak that we can refer to and say yes, it’s now time to increase the weight by 5 pounds as I have completed the target number of reps whilst adhering to all the other internal criteria.
At the moment I feel like I am gradually improving my intellect as referred to in this article, but that I could be using the same loads for many months to come. Is this ok?
AC,
Weights and/or reps should increase over time, they just shouldn’t be your primary focus when performing an exercise or the only thing you considere when evaluating your progress.
AC,
Weight and reps are important but improvements in your form and ability to intensely contract the target muscles during an exercise are also part of progression. It is harder to go up in these while trying to lose fat but assuming your workout volume and frequency are not excessive and you are getting adequate nutrition and rest you should see some increases in either weight or reps over time. If you’ve been dieting for a while increasing your calories to maintenance level or slightly higher the day of your workouts may help.
Ive asked you alot of questions but this is something i really want to know.
I want to become stronger esp in my lower body so i can be faster on the field since im a soccer player and i need super acceleration and top speed.
I also want muscles to look better.
There are som any debates regarding strength training that its just sad and confusing and i was wondering about some things that never seem to settle down.
1. Do you think people should train the same no matter if their goal is to get just bigger or just stronger? will always bigger = stronger?
2. What about bodybuilders compared to powerlifters? why is powerlifters so much stronger but bodybuilders so much bigger?
And also why is powerlifters/olympic lifters so much faster in terms of running etc/more explosive then bodybuilders? since bodybuilders are so slow.
3. Is it the right approach then that people that train athletes use 1-5 reps heavy as hell weights with alot of rest compared to bodybuilding style wich is slow and controlled repetitions, more reps and sets. for people that want size ?
Trygve,
Since individual response to exercise and goals varies people should not train exactly the same, but they all need to apply the same general principles.
Selection bias; people tend to select themselves for activities they are well suited to. Stronger people are more likely to be drawn to strength competitions like powerlifting and people with larger muscles are more likely to be drawn to bodybuilding.
The claim that powerlifters and olympic lifters are much faster and more explosive than bodybuilders is an unsubstantiated generalization. This may apply to the competitive lifts but in other activities you’ll probably find a lot of variation in both groups with some very fast explosive bodybuilders and some competitive lifters who are very slow in other activities.
How strong or muscular you become has far more to do with your genetics and diet than how you train. Any program involving hard, progressive work for all the major muscle groups and a volume and frequency within your ability to recover from and adapt to will get you there eventually.
What I’m trying to do here is teach people to train in a way that gets them there as quickly and efficiently as possible and without injuring themselves or compromising their long term health in the process.
Thanx a ton Drew.
I will give this a shot and keep tracking my sprinting speed etc when i play soccer then this will give me the indication that stuff is working or not. I will feel it right away if its working or not.
AC, I’ve been enjoying your comments here on Drew’s site and on the Renex site. I have found that on many exercises the amount of resistance is quite low to reachh the primary objective. Granted I have a long way to go with minimal rest between exercises.
What I have noticed for myself anyways, is that when I really focus on form and having my muscles do all the work, the load/resistance I need is very low in many exercises. I know “very low” is relative of course by just saying. A poster on a recent Renex acticle talked about how he really felt the muscles working when doing dumbell lateral raises with five pounders as opposed to much using much heavier dumbells. I recently performed 45 degree leg presses and greatley dropped the amount of weight. While I don’t think this is an ideal exercise, decreasing the weight gave me the controlled feeling I have been able to get with other exercises. I do realize that at some point you do need to increase the amount of resistance in a given exercise. I have gotten a great deal from the recent, very detailed writings about form on this website and the Renex site.
Donnie,
During an exercise your muscles contract against resistance, which is the product of numerous factors in addition to the weight. The reduction in weight required is a good indication of how much improving your form increased the other factors.
Weight increases only indicate strength progression when all those other factors are kept consistent, which is another reason form should be your highest priority. It is easy to go up in weight quite a bit by loosening your form, but then you can’t be sure whether you’re getting stronger or you’re just minimizing other factors of resistance. When you perform exercises in a manner which makes it as hard as possible by maximizing all those factors you can be sure when you need to add weight that it is because you have actually gotten stronger.
HIT training is just as much a mind set as it is an external physical expression.
Rob,
You hit the nail on the head.
Drew,
Have you ever felt “scared” before your workouts? I am experiencing sort of the same emotions as before doing an exam at school – butterflies in stomach and such. I believe it is because i know the workout is so hard to do and therefore very hard putting my mind up to.
Martin,
Yes, and it’s normal for some people to experience varying degrees of pre-workout anxiety. I find sitting quietly and meditating for a few minutes before starting helps.
I experience this too…it helps me to a) visualise all exercises beforehand b) focus on the very next set and go “from barrel to barrel”. The hardest thing is to start a workout.
Yes Martin, I feel that way too, now and then. And I’ve got to tell you, I’ve never felt that way towards HVT the way I do HIT. I would go into HVT with a manual labor mentality and the intensity was always nebulous, being that I was more concerned about making weight go up and down.
I do feel more anxious since I’ve switched to HIT. Guess that’s part of knowing you’re trying to kill the body to make it stronger.
Like another poster mentioned, the anxiety goes away when you’re in the thick of your workout.
Drew,
I first heard about this very slow, deep inroad style of training a couple of years ago when I read the BBS book. Since then, in the course of web surfing and reading various blogs, I have encountered a couple of stories from HIT enthusiasts who tried this particular method (10/5 or 10/10 cadence, longish TUL, focus on continuous tension and deep fatigue) and found that it didn’t work that well for them. The accounts seem credible, having the “ring of truth” to them, at least as far as one can judge from a written account.
What struck me was that they both said essentially the same thing: The workouts felt brutal, produced a tremendous ‘pump’, left them feeling very depleted. They were sure it was working. Except that 6 months or a year in, they were forced to admit that they had lost some muscle mass by following this approach. Going back to what they had done before (HIT with a bit more volume/weight, faster cadence, shorter TUL), or moving on to somewhat higher volume training, with multiple sets, not to failure got them back to where they had been, if not bigger.
It does seem pretty clear that there is quite a bit of individual variation in how muscles respond to stress. I’ve seen some speculation that perhaps HIT style training works best for classic mesomorphs, and that ectomorphs and other classic hard gainers may do better with more volume, not taken to deep failure.
I’m curious about your thoughts on reports like this. Have you ever seen cases where a well trained individual has regressed after switching to deep inroad style training?
Craig
Craig,
While the general principles are the same for everyone individuals vary in their response to exercise and requirements for optimum results. Some people do not respond well to the longer set durations often recommended for slower HIT protocols. I had a similar experience and found I respond best when I keep my time under load under 90 seconds.
Rather than higher volume and less intensity ectomorphs and “hard gainers” usually require a lower volume and more recovery but the problem is most are hesitant to cut back as much as necessary because they’re worried they’ll lose muscle mass. Often the problem with “hard gainers” is diet, not training; usually not getting nearly enough quality food.
I’m so glad Craig brought this up. I actually switched from Darden’s New Hit approach to a BBS big 5 for a year now and though I’ve seen some improvements in upper body (especially back) I saw my upper legs lose close to an inch. I felt as if one legpress a week wasn’t as stimulating as 3 leg exercises under Darden’s program.
I appreciated McGuff’s emphasis on compound movements and he even preempted by saying the big 5 wasn’t the end all be all but rather a great starting point for novice and advanced trainees alike.
Drew, I know you gave the New Hit a favorable review on Amazon , and sometimes I wonder if I need to go back to more than 5 movements per session. Maybe twice a week or 3 times in 2 weeks is better than once a week?
Ben,
The optimal range varies between individuals and some people might do better with a slightly higher volume or frequency per muscle group. Assuming nothing has changed with your diet, sleep, work, or other activities which might account for this you may want to experiment with a higher frequency for a few months.
Drew, thank you for your reply.
I noticed a similar theme in your comments on “Thoughts On Relative Volume Of Single And Multi-Set Workouts.” And that’s exactly what I’m doing: Tweaking the process.
I’ve always done a full body, but recently decided to do a split twice a week 6-7 upper/ 4-5 lower. It’s only been 3 weeks and I can feel and see a difference. I know with some, a split is a big no-no (Though I can’t reconcile this), but I feel that the systemic drain has led me to short change my legs. Since the split I feel like I’ve the gas to really focus in on the target muscles and contract harder.
Recently Trentine has said he’s sick of hearing people in the hit community whining about the systemic effect, but I guess I can be lumped into that group of sissies, too;) As much as I try to work through it, elevated heart rate and global fatigue usually win out.
I know you’re obviously well along in your training. Do you feel you’re where you need to be or are you constantly tweaking (not changing) your routine? Can you direct me to a thread where your weekly routine is laid out so that I can compare notes?
I’m only 4 years into this and I’m sure you can imagine, the options and philosophies can be quite overwhelming.
Ben,
My workouts don’t vary much except for reducing the volume when I’m sleeping less. I usually just perform the following workout at home, but will occasionally substitute an arm/shoulder/forearm specialization routine:
1. Shrug Bar Squat
2. Chin Up
3. Dip
4. Bent Over Barbell Row
5. Standing Barbell Press
6. Shrug Bar Stiff-Leg Deadlift
7. Heel Raise on Nautilus OME
8. TSC Neck Extension
9. TSC Neck Flexion
Drew,
Do you prefer a barbell bent over row to a seated row? I’ve abandoned this exercise years ago due to the discomfort in the lower back being in the static position. I don’t have low back issues, though. I do realize a bent over row has a great static effect on the Hamstrings and Erector Spinae.
Does the standing press ever impinge your mid back? I was doing a seated overhead press and that’s what I was dealing with. One of my clients noticed the same thing. Now that I’ve switched to an overhead press with a backed seat (and I always find myself coming back to this), I can concentrate more on the front Delts.
Btw, is this a once a week routine?
And thank you for sharing.
Ben,
The ideal is a compound row machine with a chest pad for support. If it has very little friction a seated cable row is better than a bent over barbell or dumbbell row, but I do not have a low cable pulley at home so when I work out here I row with a barbell.
The standing press doesn’t impinge my back because I do not arch my back as I approach the top of the movement. As long as you have a rack or safety catches for the bar a seated press using a seat with a slightly reclined back is a better option, however.
I do this routine twice a week, and occasionally substitute an arm/shoulder/forearm specialization routine.
I’m curious as to why you perform the same routine 2x per week rather than doing an ‘A’ and ‘B’ routine? My approach is very similar to yours, but I’ve opted for the latter (i.e., ‘A’/’B’). Is this variation unnecessary in your opinion?
Will,
The workout I do at home is pretty well rounded and I’ve had good results with it. As I wrote above I occasionally substitute an arm/shoulder/forearm specialization routine. At the studio where I have the ability to perform more exercises I do alternate between A and B workouts.
That looks like a routine that Stuart McRobert might suggest!
Drew,
I’m right there with you on all that you mentioned. Thanks for sharing.
I realize that if I’m arching my back on overhead press, I’m lifting too much thus leading to bad form.
How long does your routine take to get through?
As an aside, I never work through a bona fide sick day, but do you work though a sore throat, sniffles or anything seemingly minor?
Ben,
You’re welcome. Maintaining proper body position during overhead pressing takes practice and discipline. I recommend backing down the weight and only increasing when you can perform a reasonable number of repetitions without allowing your back to arch.
My workouts usually take less than twenty minutes to get through including loading all the bars. Part of the reason for this is I only rest long enough between exercises to record the repetition count total.
Thank you for your articles. I am sure these will help me to avoid injury. I was guilty of trying to lift heavier and heavier weights and was running the risk of getting seriously injured. Intellect not instinct. That will help me a lot in my training.