MAXIMIZING YOUR STRENGTH TRAINING WORKOUTS

When Discussing The Subject Of Strength Training, More Commonly Referred To As Weightlifting Or Bodybuilding, What Approach Will Most Commonly Yield The Best Results For The Minimum Of Investment? Anyone Who Says You Shouldn't Be Asking A Question Like This Relating To Physical Fitness, Would Probably Like To Sell You Some Oceanfront Property In Winnipeg, So Don't Listen To The Naysayers. Strength Training Is Just Like Every Other Thing In Life; You Want To Get The Biggest Return On Your Investment, Right?

The Conventional Viewpoint On Strength Training Is The Familiar One; 2 Bodyparts Per Workout, 2 Days On/2 days Off, Or Some Semblance Of The Above. But The Question Needs To Be Asked, "Is This The Most Economical & Effective Method If We Are Desiring Maximum Return On Investment?? In My Own 17 Years Of Experience With Strength Training, I Have Tried Many, Many Different Types Of Training Programs. Ones From Magazines, Books & Manuals Purchased, From My Own Imagination & Invention, From Talking To Others, Etc. By Far, The Best Training Method I Have Ever Come Across Is Strong Range Partial Lifts.

Quite Simply, This Just Means That You Are Lifting The Maximum Weight Possible For Each Type Of Movement, But Only Within The Strongest Range Of Motion For That Particular Muscle(s). For Instance, Take The Bench Press. Instead Of Doing 10 Full Repetitions With 180lbs, Use 250lbs & Only Descend With The Weight Half As Far. Many People Will Scoff At This Method, Saying That It Doesn't Work The Muscle "Fully", But To Me This Is An Inane Argument. Your Muscles Don't Know The Difference Between Partial Or Full Repetitions. They Only Know That The Amount Of Stress & Strain Is Much Greater With 250lbs, & Therefore They Must Adapt & Grow.

Another Nice Aspect To This Training Is The Fact That Because You Are So Fully Exhausting The Muscle, You Need To Work Out Less Frequently Than In A Conventional Program, In Order To Give The Muscle Sufficient Time To Recuperate.

A Word Of Caution To Anyone Interested In Heavy Partial Training, However. Without Proper Equipment Such As A Power Rack &/Or A Competent Training Partner/Spotter, This Type Of Training Is Extremely Dangerous, Due To The Amount Of Weight Being Used. I Have Enjoyed Tremendous Success With This Training Method, Both With Size & Strength Gain. I Have Gained Over 20lbs Of Lean Muscle Mass, & Have Increased My Maximum Lifts By 50%. Give It A Try & See What Kind Of Gains You Make. And Now A Hint: If You Find That It's Not Working Like You'd Hoped, Give Yourself A Few More Days Between Workouts For Rest, Because These Workouts Can Be Very Demanding.

 Just to give you an idea of the kinds of possibilities that exist when developing your own fitness routine, I will give you what has been my fitness program most of 2004.(I find it worthwhile to change it from time to time, once it gets too comfortable). The program is as follows:
 

DAY 1:

¥ Heavy Partial/Strong range training bench press. I usually will do about 7 sets, although I change this as well at times. I do my heavy lifting in a power rack, for safety and in order to really overload the muscle. I will only lower the weight till it hits the pins, which are set approximately 4 inches off my chest. The ability to overload your muscles in this way will dramatically increase your strength, literally overnight.
 

DAY 2:

¥ Chin-ups-as many as possible, then hold flexed at 90 degrees for as long as possible(basically the flexed arm hang that many of us were forced to endure in middle school gym class testing. This works very well to give you muscular endurance in the entire upper body.

¥ Abdominal crunches-as many as possible.

¥ Lower back crunches--lie on your stomach with arms & legs spread a little more than shoulder width apart, arms held over head. Raise your arms and legs off the floor about 3 inches, and hold for a second or two, then repeat. You should be able to feel

your lower back contracting.

¥ Wrestler's bridge for approximately 3 minutes. Lie on your back, with your legs bent and knees raised, as if you were going to do abdominal crunches. Place your hands on either side of your head, fingers pointing up, or away from your head. When you are ready, push with your legs and your arms, until your posture loosely resembles a bridge (hence the name), your body resting on the crown of your head, your palms, & feet. Hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute to start off with, but as you get stronger, you will be able to hold this position for longer periods of time. This is a fantastic full body exercise that will Dramatically increase your overall strength.
 

WRESTLER'S BRIDGE
 

DAY 3:

¥ Heavy bag striking, comprising punches of various types, shin kicks, elbows, various weapons training. I usually don't have a rigid program when it comes to the heavy bag, other than to make sure that I am getting a number of different strikes every time. I also like to practice footwork when working out on the heavy bag, moving left/right, circling, forward, backwards, etc. This is a great way to get used to striking when your center of gravity is moving and your bodyweight is shifting.

¥ Wooden dummy training-- I find that practicing strikes, blocks, parries, footwork, and freeform combinations on the wooden dummy is highly effective for developing the sensitivity of your arms and legs, as well as helping you become familiar with the use of your limbs independently of one another. For instance, to block with one hand while simultaneously striking with the other takes practiced coordination, but once developed, will become an extremely valuable skill to have in your arsenal.
 

¥ Handstand push-ups (feet against wall) these are phenomenal upper body strength exercises. I usually do one set, a couple of times a week.
 

¥ Wrestler's bridge-- 3 minutes
 

¥ Abdominal crunches--1 set
 

¥ Lower back crunches--1 set to failure
 

DAY 4:

¥ Stretching & Relaxation Techniques
 

DAY 5:

¥ Regular push-ups--1 or 2 sets
 

¥ Chin-ups--1 or 2 sets, ending with flexed arm hang for as long as possible.
 

DAY 6:

¥ Heavy bag training, practicing striking.
 

¥ Unconventional techniques such as the pop-up & wedge.
 

¥ Wooden dummy practice.
 

DAY 7:

¥ Rest & Relaxation
 

   As you can see, there are many different kinds of exercises and drills that can be successfully amalgamated into a single fitness/training program that will deliver great results and benefits to you. Don't be afraid to try many different kinds of exercises before you decide on a program that will suit your needs. Once you have a routine, do not be afraid to change it when a change is needed. Don't allow yourself to fall into the frame of mind that says, "We do it this way, because we've always done it this way." This applies not only to your fitness conditioning program and your self-defense system, but to all areas of your life as well.

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