Strength training copy

The core truth of strength training is: Ordinary people do not need to copy the five-point training template of professional players, nor do they need to pursue a full training schedule. As long as they grasp the three cores of "prioritizing force generation, progressive loading, and prioritizing recovery over training", the training effect of 3 months will most likely be better than that of someone who has been training blindly for a year.

Last week I was squatting in the gym. There was a young man standing next to me who was wearing a professional vest. He performed 12 movements on the chest, shoulders and arms. Each movement was done in 6 groups. At the end of the training, my arms were shaking so much that I couldn’t hold the dumbbells. When I wiped the sweat, I grinned and said that I had been practicing for two months. The bench press was still stuck at 40kg and I couldn’t push it. My shoulders still hurt from time to time. In fact, this is a pitfall that 90% of people who are new to strength training will fall into: they always feel that the more you practice and the more exercises you do, the better the effect will be.

When it comes to the feeling of exertion, the fitness circle has been arguing for almost ten years. One group insists that "movement standards are the bottom line", and even one degree is not enough. The other group says that "muscles have feeling is the key." It doesn't matter even if the movements look a little deformed. In fact, there is really no need to argue about right and wrong. In the first two weeks, novices should first find a coach or follow reliable tutorials to adjust the movement framework. For example, don’t bend over during deadlifts, and don’t buckle your knees in. Avoiding injuries is the first priority. Once the framework is stable, don’t stick to rigid rules such as elbows must be 45 degrees and toes must be 30 degrees apart. I once took a young girl at work, who did chest training for almost a month, but her arms were sore and her shoulders hurt every time, and her chest didn't feel at all. Later, when I asked her to push the barbell, she imagined that she wanted to bend the barbell in her hand from the middle. The second time she came to practice, she complained that her chest was sore and she couldn't lift it up after just two sets. Wasn't this the right feeling?

Many people have the right movements. After practicing for more than half a year, their circumference has not increased, and their strength has not increased. It is probably because they are "unafraid to add weight". There are many opinions about progressive load. Some people say that you must add 2.5kg to each training to be considered progress. Some people say that it counts if you can do it twice more. In fact, both of these are correct, and you don’t have to stick to one type. Just like my former programmer colleague, he didn’t go to the gym until after 9 o’clock every day after get off work. He didn’t have much energy to push heavy weights, so he just did the same weight every time, just one more rep than the last time. After three months of hard work, his deadlift increased from 50kg to 80kg. The tight overalls he wore before were two sizes loose, and he lost almost 5 points of body fat. Isn’t it better than those who hurt their waists by blindly pushing the weight?

Oh, by the way, one thing that most people ignore: Muscles really don’t grow in the gym, they grow when you sleep or lie flat. The fitness circle has become very popular in the past two years. Some people post a schedule of seven exercises a week and say, "If you can't practice to death, practice to death." Others say, "Practice three times a week is the most, and any more will be a waste." Again, it depends on who you are. Is the recovery ability of professional players comparable to that of ordinary people? With the help of technology and the observation of professional nutritionists, you can grow muscles by practicing every day. You, a 996 office worker, use up half of your energy by squeezing the subway every day after get off work. You still insist on going to the gym every day. In the end, your cortisol will explode. Not only will you not grow muscles, but you will also lose hair and suffer from insomnia. It is not worth the loss. I've been through this pitfall before. I was anxious to see the effects of shoulder training, so I hurt my shoulders every day for two weeks. In the end, it hurt so much that I couldn't even lift my arms when I was wearing clothes. I rested for almost ten days, but the progress was not as fast as before. For ordinary people, if you rest for 48 hours after training the target muscles, practice 3-4 times a week, and sleep for 7 hours a day, it will be much more effective than if you practice hard twice more.

Some people come up and ask if they need to drink protein powder and eat branched chain amino acids to practice strength. I always ask the same question: First of all, do you eat enough protein every day? Protein is 1.6-2g per kilogram of body weight. A 60kg person should eat 96g per day, which is about 4 eggs, two palm-sized pieces of lean meat, and a glass of milk. If you can eat enough, you don’t need to drink that stuff at all. Protein powder is a convenient supplement. When you are busy and you don’t have enough protein, make a cup to save you the trouble of boiling eggs and frying meat. It is not a magic medicine. Don’t be fooled by marketing accounts to spend money randomly.

To be honest, I have been practicing strength training for almost six years. I have seen too many people collect dozens of training plans and buy a cabinet of supplements. After practicing for two or three years, there is still no change. The essence is that they are too pursuing fancy skills and forget the most basic things. You don’t need to compare weight with others, and you don’t need to envy others’ motivation to practice six days a week. What suits you and can persist is the best. Take your time, and the lines and strength you want will come sooner or later.