For a resistance training program to be successful there has to be progression. No progression = No results! Have you imcreased your weights lately? If not - read on
More than Just Lines on a Map: Best Practices for U.S Bike Routes
Progressive resistance training programs – the key to results!
1. Progressive resistance training programs –
The key to results!
For a resistance training program to be successful there has to be progression. No progression = No results!
Most people spend the majority of their time in a state of homeostasis. They are not building muscle and
they are not losing muscle. The only way to disrupt this state of homeostasis is to impose stress on the body.
Stress can come in many different forms, such as mental, emotional, and physical. For the purpose of
building muscle, we want to focus on physical stress.
Here’s a basic example of the effects of a physical stress: when a person lies out in the sun for the first time
at the beginning of summer, he is applying a form of stress to the body. The body adapts to the stress by
darkening the skin. Let’s assume that you didn’t overdo it and were able to get tan in the 15 minutes you
ng
spent lying out. What would happen if you laid out again the next day for another 15 minutes? Would you
get more tanned? No, you wouldn’t, because you have a already adapted to that stress and are prepared for
that demand the next time you impose it upon the body. That is your new level of homeostasis. To achieve a
deeper tan, you will need to lie out for a longer amount of time.
But doing the same thing again will not elicit an adaptation response.
FREE EBOOK REVEALS….
Why ineffective cardio workouts and aerobics are
sabotaging your fat loss efforts – And how to fix it!
http://fortiusfitness.com/aerobics/
http://fortiusfitness.com/
You need to remember this important point when you are training: doing the exact same thing for a second
time, be it lying out in the sun for the same amount of time or lifting the same weight for the same number
of reps, will not force the body to adapt in any way. You need progressive resistance training.
Fatique vs Fitness
After imposing a new demand on the body, the initial response is always fatigue and possible soreness, and
you may even experience a decrease in strength, although it’s only temporary. The body will fight to return
to its previous level of homeostasis, but will not stop there. It wants to be prepared for that demand the
FortiusFitness.com Side 1
2. next time it’s faced with it, so the body will actually super or overcompensate and build itself up bigger and
stronger.
However, this is assuming that you did not impose too great a stress, and that you were able to properly
recover. How do you know if you have recovered and thus achieved the training effect?
You will be able to exceed your previous performance in the gym (lift heavier, do more reps, or accomplish
more work in the same or less time). If you can’t exceed your previous performance you either did too much,
didn’t take enough time between workouts, didn’t eat or sleep properly.
Remember, effective progressive resistance training in its simplest form is applying a new stress to the body
that it is not used to or prepared for which forces recovery and adaptation. This can also be called the law of
progressive overload.
The end result is a bigger and stronger muscle.
If you train the exact same workout with the same weights you give the body no reason to adapt. There’s no
need to. The body is lazy. It’s happy to stay at homoeostasis. When you train you should do the amount of
training needed to push the body out of its comfort zone and force it to adapt. As a beginner you should not
complicate this. Constant progression in weight with just enough volume needed to make this happen will
have you progress the fastest way possible. Nothing else should be on a beginners mind.
It’s tempting to seek out other more complicated training programs, but it will only lead to confusion,
frustration and slow progress and even stagnation. You should always be training within your limits with
progressive resistance training. No matter how intensive and puke inducing your workouts are, if you’re the
same strength in a given movement 1 years from now that you are right now there’s a pretty damn good
chance you are the exact same you as a year ago.
About the Author:
Kasper V. Christensen - Owner of FortiusFitness, is a trainer who specializes in rapid body
transformations.
Download His FREE 26 page eye-opener and controversial eBook…Aerobics – The big “fat” lie!
Discover why ineffective cardio workouts and aerobics are sabotaging your fat loss effort.
Click here to Download the FREE eBook —-> http://FortiusFitness.com/aerobics
FortiusFitness.com Side 2