stroutman81

Okay... this isn't a bad start.

There are a few principles that you must understand in order to fully appreciate the applicability of resistance training. The three I want to cover here are as follows:

• Specificity
• Overload
• Progression

Pick up any 101 level strength training book and it’s going to cover these basic principles with regards to resistance training. For a program to be on the ‘right track’ in terms of design it must contain these elements. It’s important to note that these principles relate to all forms of training really, but the following text is in relation to resistance training.

SPECIFICITY

This principle is simple. It states that the adaptations you experience are specific to your training variables. If you want a high level of muscular endurance in your legs, you’re going to stick with high volume (lots of reps) and low rest intervals using exercises that target your legs. Bodyweight squats would be a prime example of this if you performed 3 sets of 25 reps. The training is specific to the goal. Therefore the adaptation will be specific to the training, i.e., you will increase the endurance capacity of your leg muscles. Running could even be considered endurance resistance training; your body weight supplies the resistance and the number of strides supplies the volume. Put differently, if you were looking for muscular endurance in your legs you wouldn’t resort to heavy, low-rep, high-rest bench pressing, would you?

There are many different qualities you can train with resistance and they all involve strength. Again going back to specificity, the strength quality you train for depends on what you are looking to get out of your training. There’s a spectrum that we won’t spend a lot of time on but at one end you have strength endurance and at the other you have maximal strength. The former involves working your muscles during long durations with little to no rest. The latter involves maximal effort muscle contractions associated with things like heavy weight lifting (powerlifting). Both involve lifting weights but both are trained completely different and each has completely different endpoints.


OVERLOAD

When we train with weights, what we’re really doing is trying to force our body to adapt. For instance, if someone wants bigger muscles they must give their body a reason to develop them. This reason comes by way of resistance training. However, simply lifting a weight isn’t going to force adaptation to occur. The load lifted (the stress imposed on the body) must be greater than what it is ordinarily accustomed to. Our bodies don’t like being challenged beyond its normal workload. If you apply appropriate amounts of stress that is beyond what it’s accustomed to (OVERLOAD) it is going to change (adapt) in a way to make the load more manageable in the future. As noted above, these changes come by way of increased strength, increased muscle mass, etc.

So we know we have to challenge our bodies in order to get a response.


PROGRESSION

Progression is closely related to overload. You have probably heard of progressive overload. All we’re saying is the adaptations associated with overload will halt as soon as the load no longer stimulates a required adaptation from the body. Put differently, as adaptations occur the overload from a given load becomes smaller and smaller.

For example, if 10 lbs was providing an overload a month ago, you’re body adapts to the stress and today 10 lbs is no longer an overload. It simply maintains your current strength and muscle attributes. In order to generate further adaptation you must PROGRESS the load.

In theory, we’re trying to stay ahead of homeostasis, our body’s natural tendency to maintain a stable state or condition. It's important to keep in mind that there are multiple ways to increase overload... it's not always about "weight on the bar." You can progress with volume, greater time under tension, more work in less time, etc.

These fundamental principles apply to any well-rounded routine out there regardless of goal. It doesn’t matter if you’re training for fat loss, muscle gain, strength, power, high reps, low reps… whatever.

Are there any questions with this? If not, we'll move onto discussing specifics in terms of "program" structure.

Fair enough.