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Recovery
There are many theories as to why weight training creates muscle growth. The
most common and incorrect one is that muscles tear and during the healing
process they grow back stronger. All muscle contractions are traumatic, this is
mediated by the protein dystrophin. The function of weight training is to
stimulate hypertrophy. Repeated training increases production of dystrophin and
increases the rate of lactic acid metabolism, thus decreasing the amount of
muscle soreness as a person's muscles become more developed. Weight training
programs should therefore allow the muscles time to repair and grow, otherwise
overtraining can occur. Therefore the individual should exercise caution in
increasing the level of exertion. Muscle growth is normally completed within 36
to 96 hours, depending upon the intensity of the workout. Novices may work out
every other day, often scheduling workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
As weight trainers grow fitter and stronger, it takes more intense workouts to
fully challenge their muscles. More advanced practitioners may exercise specific
muscle groups only every three or four days - since they are capable of
producing maximum force output from the muscle, their workouts have the
potential to damage the muscle to a much greater extent and require longer
periods to repair and replete to a greater strength. Recovery must also take
longer because high level forces produced by proficient weight trainers cause
far more damage to the ligaments, tendons and bones involved; because many of
these tissues are not heavily vascularized, it takes longer for them to repair
than blood-rich muscles. Depending on the workout regimen, the limiting factor
may not be muscular damage or energy levels, but may instead be the ability of
the body to repair the supporting tissues around joints and bones.
One solution to scheduling workouts around these needs is to split one's routine
between several workouts, by exercising certain muscle groups on one day and the
remainder on another. By targeting different muscle groups, workouts can be
scheduled more frequently than would otherwise be possible.
Intensity, volume, and frequency
Three important principles of strength training are intensity, volume and
frequency. Intensity refers to the amount of force required to achieve the
activity, and in this case, refers to the mass of the weights being lifted
(lifting 20 kg requires more force or intensity than lifting 10 kg regardless of
how many reps/sets are done). Volume refers to the number of muscles worked,
exercises, sets and reps during a single session. Frequency refers to how many
training sessions are performed per week.
These principles are important because they are all mutually conflicting, as the
muscle only has so much strength and endurance, and takes time to recover due to
microtrauma. Increasing one by any significant amount necessitates the decrease
of the other two, eg. increasing weight means a reduction of reps, and will
require more recovery time and therefore fewer workouts per week. Trying to push
too much intensity, volume and frequency will result in overtraining, and
eventually lead to injury and other health issues such as chronic soreness and
general lethargy, illness or even acute trauma such as avulsion fractures. A
high-medium-low formula can be used to avoid overtraining, with either
intensity, volume, or frequency being high, one of the others being medium, and
the other being low. One example of this training strategy can be found in the
following chart:
Type Low Med High
Intensity (% of 1RM) 10-40% 50-70% 80-100%
Volume(per muscle) 1 exercise 2 exercises 3+ exercises
Sets 1 set 2-3 sets 4+ sets
Reps 20+ reps 8-15 reps 1-6 reps
Session Frequency 1 p/w 2-3 p/w 4+ p/w
A common training strategy is to set the volume and frequency the same each week
(eg. training 3 times per week, with 2 sets of 12 reps each workout), and
steadily increase the intensity (weight) on a weekly basis. However, to maximize
progress to specific goals, individual programs may require different
manipulations, such as decreasing the weight, and increase volume or frequency.
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