Sharpening the Saw – How to Build Better Programs

Jason Tremblay, PFT Certificate

Contributor to Hunt Fitness

 

When it comes to training for improvements in muscle cross sectional area there are many different ways to stimulate gains. Too many times trainers irresponsibly choose one style of training and defend it to the death.  This is not necessarily the best or most responsible way to help clients get closer to their goals. The goals of the client must be set above the personal agenda of the coach. Every trainer or coach should be comfortable with programming multiple different training theories to get the results their clients are looking for. When it comes to training for muscle mass everyone has already figured out the best system ever. What is the problem with this? Well coach A will say that muscle hypertrophy is all about lifting heavier weights each week. Coach B will tell you that muscle hypertrophy is all about lactic acid buildup and the metabolic byproducts that come from it. Last but not least Coach C will tell you that muscle hypertrophy is about time under tension and the eccentric range of motion. So who is right? Truthfully all of these coaches are correct, each approach will be effective in stimulating size gains. But every approach can only be effective for so long before adaptation occurs. This is why a good trainer or coach must be comfortable with programming multiple different theories.

 

The key to creating a successful program lies in your understanding of the acute programming variables. Something as simple as changing from short to long rest times can change nearly the entire stimulus of the program.

 

*When formulating your own hypertrophy program here is a list of things that should be going through throughout the entire duration of the program design.

 

Training Variable	Considerations
Choice of Exercise	Is the exercise safe?Does the risk outweigh the benefit?Is there a more suitable exercise to achieve the goal?
Order of Exercise	Large, complex, compound movements always go first.
Number of Sets/Reps and Set Structure	Is the rep range consistent with your goals?How much volume do you need to stimulate gains?Does the amount of sets or reps increase as the program   goes on?Do you need intensity techniques?
Tempo	What muscle action are you trying to train?What hypertrophy theory are you using?
Rest	Do you want lactate clearance or not?How much do you want to crash your strength levels?Does the exercise require more recovery time for safety   reasons?
Load	Is the load being used consistent with the adaptation you   are trying to create?
Session Duration	How much time do you have to train?Are you motivated enough for frequent long workouts?

 

So what are the main hypertrophy theories and how can you program them?

 

Hypertrophy through Lactic Acid buildup:

• Use short rest times 15 – 60 seconds in between sets.
• Use explosive tempos.
• Higher reps 15 – 30 per set
• 2 – 3 different muscle groups per training session
• Keep session around 1 hour in length
• Compound movements always.

 

Why this works: With a pump comes lactic acid buildup, lactate buildup stimulates production of cyclic AMP in the testes. This production of cAMP stimulates the secretion of testosterone into the bloodstream. Testosterone increases protein synthesis. By creating a buildup of lactate at the beginning of the training session you can increase the concentration of metabolic byproducts in the bloodstream as the session goes on. By transferring a greater concentration of hormones into your weakest body part last better gains come as a result. This was proven in a study done at Lillehammer University in 2011. Nine subjects performed unilateral (single limb) strength training four times per week on the elbow flexors for 11 weeks. During two of the weekly sessions leg exercises were performed to acutely increase the systemic anabolic hormone concentration immediately before training arms. On the two other training sessions elbow flexors were trained without prior leg exercises. At the completion of the study only the group who trained legs before arms increased cross sectional area of their arms. Therefore increasing the levels of serum testosterone and growth hormone before training arms induced superior strength training adaptations compared to arm training without acute elevation of hormones.

 

Superslow training:

• Use short to moderate rest times 1 – 2 min
• Use slow tempos
• Lower reps per set 8 – 10
• Session duration around 1 hour in length
• Compound and isolation movements

 

Why this works: This is an excerpt from my tempo training article Thoughts on Implementing Tempos into Training Programs

 

“In a study completed by Burd et al at McMaster University researches sought out to determine if increased TUT (time under tension) on leg extensions resulted in increased synthesis of specific muscle protein fractions or phosphorylation of anabolic signaling proteins. Eight men performed three sets of unilateral leg extensions, the tempo-training group used a 606 tempo while the controlled group used a 101 tempo, and both groups took sets to failure. Needle biopsies taken from Vastus Lateralis were obtained 6, 24 and 30 hours post exercise. Mitochondrial and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis were elevated 114% and 77% in the tempo training group 6 hours after training. Mitochondrial protein synthesis rates were elevated in the tempo training group by 175% as compared to the controlled group 126% 24 – 30 hours after training. This data concludes that greater time under tension leads to increased rates of myofibriliar and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis.”

 

Hypertrophy through Progressive Overload:

• Moderate rest times 2 – 3 mins
• Generic tempos
• Lower reps per set 6 – 8
• Session duration around 90 min
• Compound movements
• Progression of volume as program goes on (add sets)

 

Why this works: There are three types of load that you can use: Detraining, Retaining and Stimulating. How much load you lift is calculated by using the formula below:

 

Number of Sets x Number of Reps x Weight Used = Volume of Training Session

 

The body is a highly adaptable organism and must be trained as such. If volume is continually stagnant what was once a stimulating load will become a retaining load and you will hit a “plateau”. If you cannot continually lift more weight week after week then you must plan overload in your program. Do this by simply adding a set to each exercise if you plateau. By placing a progressive and planned overload on the body you will be able to make gains in both size and strength.

 

So as you can see, all of these methods work. But they will only work for a certain amount of time. As a trainer or coach you must constantly strive to improve your own programming skills. So research new theories and try them out, just remember one thing. Clients only care about the results they are getting from your programs. They are giving us trainers their hard earned money for results. So please don’t be irresponsible, add to your programming repertoire and become better at your profession every single day.

 

If you liked the article, hated the article or have any questions for Jason you can connect with him on his Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheStrengthGuys or on Twitter @TheStrengthGuys. You can also email Jason at TheStrengthGuys@gmail.com If you are interested in purchasing training programs from Jason you can view his profile on Hunt Fitness under the Articles section.

 

 

References:

 

1. Rønnestad BR, Nygaard H, Raastad T. (2011) Physiological elevation of endogenous hormones results in superior strength training adaptation. Retrieved April 27^th, 2012 from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21327794

 

2. Burd et al. (2012) Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. Retrieved April 27th, 2012 from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22106173