Strength Training

Freshman Strength Training Handout

Benefits

Health

- Increased muscular strength

- Increased strength of tendons and ligaments

- Potentially improves flexibility (range of motion of joints)

- Reduced body fat and increased lean body mass (muscle mass)

- Improve coordination

- Improve posture

- Improve appearance (psychological well-being)

- Aids in prevention of several diseases (heart disease, diabetes, cancer)

Athletic Performance

- Strength training is an essential element of fitness for virtually every

sport, man or woman.

- Essential for enhancing performance.

- Maximal Strength = is the highest level of force an athlete can

possibly generate. The greater an athlete's maximal strength to begin

with, the more it can be converted into sport-specific strength.

- Strength Endurance = For events such as distance running,

cycling, swimming and rowing, strength endurance is a major

limiting factor. Again, the greater amount of starting maximal

strength, the more of it can be maintained for a prolonged period.

- Explosive Power = combination of strength and speed.

(plyometrics)

Warm Up

- You should always include a proper total body warm up in any

exercise routine.

- Attempting heavy lifting prior to warming up increases the

chances of seriously injuring muscles, tendons, or ligaments.

- An example of a warm up might be a light jog or jumping

rope followed by stretching.

- Before beginning our core lifting routine, you should perform

the lift you are working on with very low weight for a set of

10-20 reps. By doing this you are warming up the specific

large muscles you intend to use.

Muscle Groups

- For weight training purposes the body is divided into six areas.

- Most exercise routines are designed to work several or all of

these groups in each session.

Back (lower and upper)……………………………...lat pull downs

Military pull-ups

Rows

Arms (Biceps and Triceps)…………………………...Preacher curls (biceps)

Hammer curls (biceps)

Triceps pull down

Nose breakers (triceps)

* Any pulling motion (biceps)

* Any pushing motion (biceps)

Chest…………………………………………………Bench press

Dumbbell bench press

Incline bench

Push-ups

Flys

Shoulders…………………………………………….Military press

Front and side raises

Shoulder rotations

Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, calf)…………………...……..Squats

Leg press

Extension and curls

Calf raises

Lunges

Stomach……………………………………………...Sit ups

Crunches

Muscle Types

- Type I (red fiber) ……slow twitch muscle fiber. Typically

associated with endurance. Lifting sets of higher reps ex.10-20

with a lighter weight and less rest time.

- Type II (white fiber)…Fast twitch muscle fiber. Associated more with strength

training. Lifting heavier weights for less reps ex 4-8.

Lifting Technique

- Proper breathing technique (exhale when exerting force)

- Proper breathing enables you to keep a steady or rhythmical lift as well as

keeping oxygenated blood to your muscles.

- Lift the weight with control. During the negative or down phase of a lift it

should be down slowly and controlled. During the up phase or part that goes

against gravity it should be done quickly or rapidly firing the muscles.

- Perform the lift though the full range of motion.

- Never sacrifice form or technique just to add more wt.

- Always work large muscle groups or core lifts first.

- Always include a proper cool down in your excise routine. This prevents

pooling of blood in the extremities. The cool-down is done at a lower intensity.

Lifting Routines………..Weight training is the most effective means of improving both

strength and endurance. You can design your program to improve either one.

Strength…. To increase specific strength you should use

70%-90% of your 1RM. Using heavier wts will not

allow you do as many sets or reps. (Ex. 4-8reps). By doing this you are employing the overload principle, which means working the muscles at or near its maximum capacity. When lifting for strength you should allow about 2-3 min of rest time between sets.

Endurance…To lift for endurance, you should use around

50-75% of your 1RM. This will allow you to

complete more reps (10-20) and more sets.

When lifting for endurance you will have less

rest time between sets (10 secs to 1 min).

** When working for strength or endurance you should complete 3-5 sets for each

core lift and 2-3 sets for each single joint lift. It is also very important to allow

yourself adequate rest time between lifting days.

Components of physical fitness:

Functional Capacity – ability of the body to take oxygen from the air during

exercise. Most common measure of “fitness”

Muscular Strength and Endurance – Ability to apply force as well as perform

an activity over an extended period of time.

Flexibility- referred to as range of motion across a joint(s). Vital in decreasing

chance of injuries.

Body Composition – consists of two basic components: body fat and lean body

mass (muscle).

** These components are often genetically pre-determined but a well-rounded

exercise program can focus on improving each of them. The key is dedication

and consistency.

An effective exercise program must include the proper quantity and quality of training. Your rate of improvement is related to the following factors referred to as “FITT”

Frequency – how often. Ex. Exercising 3-5 days per week.

Intensity - how hard or the amount of effort.

Time – how long. Ex. Exercising for 30 min in your target heart rate zone. This is

determined by the level of intensity.

Type – what exercise. Two basic types of exercise: anerobic and aerobic.

Anerobic are those that focus on strengthening the muscles.

Aerobic exercises are those which focus on improving the heart and lungs.

Terms

- Overload Principle…strength and endurance of both muscular and

cardiovascular systems increase or improve only when

they are subjected to above normal workloads.

- Reps…. number of times a lift will be performed.

- Sets…. number of repetitions performed for a given exercise.

Ex. 3x10 would be doing a lift 3 different times for 10 reps.

- 1RM…maximum amount of wt that can be lifted for one rep.