Manipulating Training Variables For Success : Beginner
Whether you are a beginner or an elite athlete , in order to progress appropiately without injury , get one step closer to your goal and make it to that next level, a few things need to be considered. A few training variables that are very important and should be monitored no matter what level you are at include : Frequency , Time , Intensity. Frequency is defined as how often you train a certain exercise. For example, I train the squat 3x per week. Time can be defined as , how long you spend training (ex. 2 hours a day). Lastly, Intensity would be how hard you training ( ex. 75% of my MHR or 85% of my 1 RM).
A beginner may look up to athletes that may be much more ahead of them or advanced in a sport.
That being said , some beginners that may have been training 2x a week may see that elite athlete training 5x/week , 2 hours a day at 90% of their MHR or 1 RM and try to replicate their training regimen. This would not be a smart idea for many reasons. Your body is not used to that type of volume, intensity and you definately increase your chance of injury which would set you back even further.
A smarter approach would be to look at the three variables listed above and progress appropriately.
For example, that person training 2x a week should increase their frequency to 3x a week for a few weeks. Once they adapt to that extra session , the next step would be to look at how long they are training for ( time ). That person training 3x a week for 45mins each session can bump up their training time to 60 minutes per session. Incorporating a longer circuit , additional sets or adding additional time to their warm up and cool down would work. The last example would be training intensity. Someone who is usually around 60-70% of their 3 RM deadlift (for a beginner) , can increase their intensity to 75-80% . Obviously these are just quick examples and some beginners can progress faster than others. The point being , take these variables into consideration and you will progress much more efficient and make your long term goal that much more attainable.
Next Blog : Manipulating Training Variables For Success : Elite Athletes
Stephen Cascioli - CSC
