Strength training
is critical for achieving your fitness goals and this article includes
strength training ideas for those of you who have very limited time to
devote to exercise, but are serious about getting or staying in shape.
Most fitness experts agree
that even devoting 30 minutes to strength training two or three times a
week is sufficient for strength and muscle development. Many people make
the mistake of adding more exercises and sets to their strength training
program to make it harder. To increase intensity, do not look for ways
to do more exercise, look for ways to do the same or even less, by efficiency.
Try to increase the intensity of your strength training routine and shorten
your workout time by using the following methods.
1. Make sure strength training
is convenient: Getting to your strength training equipment should be easy
and convenient. If you have to drive a half an hour to get to your gym,
you will view strength training as a chore. If you spend more time traveling
to the gym than you do in the gym, you might want to consider a program
that you can do in your home. Muscles do not care where the resistance
comes from. They are going to respond. Strength training resistance can
be from body weight (push-ups), Thera-band® (rubber resistance), free
weights, machines, or a combination of any of these.
2. Work several muscles in
one strength training exercise: Another way to fit strength training into
your busy schedule is to choose exercises that work several major muscle
groups at the same time. Squats or the leg press works the quadriceps,
hamstrings, buttocks, and calves. Essentially, you will be training four
muscle groups at the same time with these strength training exercises.
3. Limit resting time: Skip
the usual minute or so of resting time between strength training exercises.
You can do this by doing Supersets, which involves doing two or more successive
exercises for a given muscle group without rest in between. This can be
done one of two ways: The first is to do two or more strength training
exercises in a row for the same muscle group without any rest in between.
For example, do a set of the Shoulder Presses and follow them immediately
with a set of Lateral Raises. This saves time and forces a lot more blood
into the shoulders and provides a more intense and effective strength training
stimulus for the shoulder muscles.
The second way to do supersets
is to train two opposing muscle groups without any rest in between. You
can use this superset style of training for two different muscle groups,
but only if they have an agonist/antagonist relationship with each other.
In other words, on any given lift one muscle is contracting and the other
muscle is relaxing (such as the biceps and triceps when performing a biceps
curl). Choose muscle groups that are physically close together such as
biceps and triceps, or chest and back, or quadriceps and hamstrings.
4. Have alternate strength
training exercises for each muscle group: This is especially important
for those who are pressed for time. Often there will be someone working
on the piece of strength training equipment you want to use. You should
always have a back-up plan, an alternate exercise that trains the same
muscle group.
I hope you found this information
helpful. Your greatest challenge is not learning new exercises or the proper
strength training technique; it's not learning how many sets or reps to
do or how much weight to use. Nor is it deciding when or how to change
your strength training routine. The greatest challenge facing you at this
moment is deciding whether you are willing to take action and make time
for yourself and make strength training a priority.
When you begin achieving
great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change
and time you've spent well worth the effort. Action creates motivation!
Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an effective
strength training program.
Article by Global
Health and Fitness Program
Posted on: Friday August 12,
2005 9:31 am
