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Lab 8

Muscle Fitness Circuit

Overview

Muscle Fitness

In this lab you asked to participate in muscle strength conditioning activites. You will be able to try a variety of exercises that you may want to incorporate into your own personal program that are outlined on this site and the links provide. The total body circuit is one example of how to organize your muscle fitness workout for completeness and economy of time. A complete muscle fitness program, strength and endurance, should consist of exercises that address all the major muscle groups of the body. The major muscle groups include:

• Muscle groups of the lower body (quadriceps, gluteals, adductors, abductors, hamstrings and calves)
• Muscle groups of the upper body (chest, back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps)
• Muscle groups of the trunk (rectus abdominus, oblique abdominals, and low back muscles)

Designing Resistance Training Programs

Frequency: 2-3 times per week for whole body programs, or could train more frequently if you train different body parts on different days. Ideally, you want to work a muscle group at least 2 times per week, but have a day of rest in between working a specific muscle group. Over training is a main reason why some do not get the results they want. More is not always better in resistance training.

Number of Sets (per muscle group):

1. 1 set will achieve strength gains, if that set is worked hard
2. 2-3 sets is recommended for most people
3. 4 or more sets is recommended for those interested in serious strength training or bodybuilding, but should not be performed by someone starting resistance training. It is a good way for someone just starting out (first 3 to 6 months) to over train. The body needs time to adapt.

Number of Repetitions:

1. 2-8 reps for strength/power. Below 8 reps is not recommended for the average person without proper training and a second person to spot the lift. With lower reps, the intensity will be higher, increasing risk for injury. Higher rest is used for recovery (2-3 minutes).
2. 8-12 reps for general muscle strength, endurance, and toning. Also used for bodybuilders in combination with high volume training (large number of sets for each muscle group). 1-2 minutes rest, 1 minute or less for bodybuilding.
3. 12-15 reps for muscular endurance. Recommended to be used along with days of lower repetition training. Short rest, 36-60 seconds

** It is a good idea to incorporate all types of training (strength as well as endurance) as cycles throughout the year, although longer emphasis may be on one particular type of training depending upon your goal.

** Because the abdominal and low back muscles are postural muscles that require endurance in daily life, and because the lower back is susceptible to injury, it is recommended that abdominal and low back exercises be done more in the endurance range if done with weights or until fatigue if done with body weight.

Order and Choice of Exercises

• Do a minimum of 1 exercise per body part. Make sure you are training your whole body; targeting only certain areas can lead to muscle imbalances, which can then lead to injury.
• Core/Multi-joint exercises: Typically performed at the beginning of a workout because they require more energy to perform. Examples: leg press, squat, bench press, lat pull down, seated row.
• Supplemental/single-joint exercises: Can be performed after multi-joint exercises, if desired, due to lesser energy requirements. These muscles are also worked as secondary muscles in multi-joint exercises, however, so it is not necessary to always do these in your workouts. Examples: bicep curl, triceps extension, leg extension, leg curl, calf raises.
• Can alternate upper body/lower body exercises or pushing/pulling exercises in the workout to enhance strength gains by promoting recovery of the muscles worked.
• Perform postural exercises (abs, low back) at the end of your workout to prevent fatigue of these muscles inhibiting the quality of other exercises.

Intensity Level and Progression of Workouts

• If you have not been lifting weights before, start with very moderate weight. Body tissues need to adapt to the stress of weight training and injury risk is great if heavy weight is attempted before this can occur.
• One way to progress your workouts is to use a range of repetitions, for example 8-12 reps, and to progress using that range. Start with 2 sets of 8 repetitions. As that weight gets easier, build up to using that weight with 12 repetitions. Once you can do that weight with 12 reps, it is time to bump up the weight a small amount. The ACSM recommends small increases in resistance of about 5% of the weight used in order to minimize injury.
• Eventually, after an initial 4-6 weeks of training, use as much weight as you can, staying in your repetition range, such as 8-12 repetitions. Do not sacrifice good form for using more weight. All exercises should be done in a controlled manner, allowing about 2-3 seconds to lift the weight and 3-4 seconds to lower.
• If you do not progress your weight training workouts, you may likely see initial strength increases, but these increases will eventually plateau. In addition, change your workouts
• every 4-8 weeks. Your body will start to adapt to the workouts and you may start to see plateaus in training if you do not vary the volume of training (# sets & reps), intensity of training, exercises performed, or the rest between sets.

How Should Women Train?

• As with men, women should train depending on their goals, but also trying to incorporate a variety of types of training throughout the year (strength, power, endurance).
• Women do not need to worry about "bulking up"; this is a myth. Trained muscles may increase in size, but this is accompanied by a loss of body fat, so the trained area will not look larger, but rather look leaner. In a 1990 study by Staron et al., women participated in a 20-week lower body resistance-training program. All exercises were performed using heavy resistance, 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions maximum (as much weight as they could do for 6-8 reps). Participants decreased body fat, increased muscle tissue, with no overall change in thigh circumference.
• Most women make the mistake of training with very light weights and very high repetitions. This will not increase strength or bone density, nor produce changes in body composition. Women do not have the testosterone response to weight lifting that men do (this is a primary hormone that stimulates muscle protein synthesis in the body).
• In addition, in order to "bulk up," there have to be other factors present: eating more calories than you expend and long training workouts with lots of sets and repetitions and shorter rest periods.
• If you do notice yourself getting larger muscles than you want, try increasing the rest period, not lightening up the weight! Increasing rest intervals decreases growth hormone response, which is the primary hormone in women that could potentially cause increased muscle size.
• Finally, too many women worry too much about getting "big" from weight lifting. Just try to be as strong and fit as you can. The increased strength will carry over to improvement in many aerobic and everyday activities, and will improve your quality of life as you age in order to help you achieve lifetime fitness and health.

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