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Bodytalk
Question: Why do I need to make my weightlifting exercise routine harder? I'm quite happy with the workout I have now. But if I do need to change it, and make it harder, how do I go about doing so? The harder,
the better for
weightliftersAnswer: Your primary goal when doing resistance exercise should be to progressively expose your body to exercises that safely and effectively place increased demands on the muscles, joints and surrounding soft tissue.
Start with exercises that require the least amount of motor control, stability and joint integrity, and move to exercises which gradually challenge intramuscular coordination, so that the working muscles, the opposing muscles and stabilizing muscles all work together to your maximum benefit.
The rate at which you change your routine depends on a number of considerations.
Your age is an important factor, because older people progress more slowly. An individual's fitness level must be considered, as very fit people progress at a faster rate.
Another factor that determines the rate of progression is your health status. High blood pressure, osteoporosis, heart disease, auto immune disorders, obesity and eating disorders will all slow down the rate of exercise progression. Smoking plays a big role in exercise advancement as well. In fact, if you smoke you won't progress very far.
There are basically three stages of exercise progression. The first is the initial conditioning stage, which lasts about four to six weeks, or up to eight weeks for older adults. This is followed by the improvement stage. This stage lasts anywhere from six months to two years. It's during this time that each individual will reach his or her training potential. The third stage, unfortunately one that most exercisers will never reach, is the maintenance stage. If you have the know-how, this stage, which hopefully lasts the rest of your life, can bring continued improvement, and offset the decline that naturally occurs with aging.
Let's look at the different variables used in exercise progression.
1. FREQUENCY: You can add another workout to your weekly schedule. Take a fifth walk, or train at the gym a third or fourth time.Use different bench angles, do more exercises with dumbbells or include more cable work in your routine. Change hand grips, and the position of your forearms. Decrease the time you rest between sets. Incorporate more advanced training protocols into your routine, such as pyramiding or supersetting.2. MODALITY: Start a new activity, such as taking a long swim, or going on a weekend hike. In the weight room, use some of the equipment you haven't used before.
3. INTENSITY: Make your workouts harder. In the weight room, increase the amount of weight you lift. Perform different, more complicated exercises. Increase the number of reps and sets that you do, or just change the set/rep ratio.
Move from exercises that require the least amount of neuromuscular coordination to ones that require more. For example, advance from the stationary dip exercise to the alternating leg lunge. Go from easier, less stressful movement patterns to more stressful, complex ones, such as progressing from the knee extension to the step up exercise. Change the combinations of muscle groups worked in any one workout.
Refine exercise performance. By this I mean pay closer attention to the line of pull, range of motion and forearm placement.
Health Events
Stephenie Karony is a certified health
and fitness instructor, a personal trainer and the author of
"Body Shaping with Free Weights." Send questions to her at
P.O. Box 262, Wailuku Hi. Her column appears on Wednesdays.