How to choose the right weight training programme.

2nd June 2012

Any monkey can go to a gym and lift weights.

However, you need to discover your reason for wanting to lift weights so that you can make a conscious decision to do so. This will help to focus the mind and maintain motivation. By having a programme written down in the form of a log which you take to the gym and monitor the exercises you do, you have a means of measuring your progress which also helps you to remain focused.

Serge Nubret,
180cm tall, 96kg,
145cm (57") chest
71cm  (28") waist

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You will need to eat properly and do the correct type of exercise with the appropriate rest between sessions for recovery. This needs a lot of work but there are some simple rough guides that I will write about in later posts.

You will need to know that you should aim to increase the intensity or duration of the exercise and you will need to know how you should do this. And finally you will need to know how many times you need to be able to lift the weight, whether you should work within a range of three to six repetitions, six to 12 or 8 to 16, how many sets you should do and how often.

You will need to know which exercises to combine and which to avoid combining in order to minimise the risk of injury from overtraining certain body parts prone to injury such as the lower back. You will need to know that combining a deadlift with a squat and a cable row, while working the hamstrings, quadriceps and back also put strain on the lower back and therefore should not be used together in the same workout. If you choose the deadlift for your hamstrings for that month you will need to use the leg press to exercise the quads and a bent over row to exercise the back. These are things you will need to learn.

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There are many different reasons for wanting to lift weights. You may require sport-specific training. You may want to increase muscular endurance or strength or you may wish to lift weights as a means of getting fit. If the latter is the case, you still need to decide what your goals are otherwise you will drift along aimlessly until you lose interest and give in.

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I am going to concentrate on lifting weights for fitness and muscle gain. Muscle gain needs to be defined here as well. We can have muscle gain for strength or for power; basically you can have hard muscles or big muscles. Hard muscles are associated with certain sports like rugby or boxing and big muscles with aesthetics.

Frank Zane,
175cm tall, 84kg
130cm (51") chest
74cm (29") waist

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I don't really have any sporting requirements apart from perhaps running so I don't need to concern myself with fast twitch as oppose to slow twitch muscle. Larger muscles will mean I can store more muscle glycogen which together with glucose and liver glycogen are the main sources of energy derived from carbohydrate intake. Large muscles are like batteries and are useful for long distance running so if I need a reason for large muscles this can be it.

However, with the risk of sounding vain I am happy to admit that basically I just want to look and feel good.

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There is a calculator that you can use to find the ideal size of all your vital statistics. This is calculated by inputting your targeted body fat percentage together with your wrist and ankle measurements which can never change; there is no muscle around the slimmest part of these so they can never be developed.

Body measurement calculator

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Steve Reeves, 185cm tall, 97kg,
132 cm chest (52"),
74cm (29") waist 

What I want to focus on is increasing the size of my thighs and calves and my back and shoulders. By concentrating on the big four, the rest will follow along. The big four are the quads, hams and glutes, the back and the chest. When the back is worked, the biceps and rear deltoids are as well and when the chest is worked, the triceps and front deltoids are utilised. I will throw in a few more exercises for the traps and lateral deltoids to broaden the upper back and create a greater contrast with the waist which I shall maintain to create the classic V shape of the pre-anabolic steroid days of the1950's when Steve Reeves ruled the body building roost - probably the ultimate of the all-natural body building era.

So the right weight training regime for me is one which builds muscle size. I have determined which muscles I want to focus on although it is fair to say all; I just don't want a big waist so I shall avoid working the obliques too much and I don't want massive arms. It is all very well saying what I want. Genetics will determine how hard I need to work but I know I easily gain fat so this could be a problem. Considering my age and seeing as I am not interested in competing, I am not sure yet whether to go the bulking up route or the clean bulking route. I tried clean bulking before and the results come slowly so I think this time I shall try bulking up.

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In future posts I shall write about the split routine I have selected and the exercises I shall be combining. I shall also write about diet and calories and gaining or losing weight.

The main thing though is to have a goal and to keep this in mind all the time so I shall investigate how to stay motivated and focused so that you can reach your goals. I also want to look at methods for doing this which can be applied to other aspects of your life.

Fitness, exercising and health really are very scientific and require a lot of work and dedication but are worth it in the long run. It's a worthwhile subject to research and I recommend it to anyone and while I am happy to provide some simple starters and pointers, no long-term results will be forthcoming unless you develop an interest in the subject yourself.