by Lyle McDonald
Hi, and welcome to the Nth part in a N+1 series of article of
an introduction to exercise. This time, I will be continuing my
intro to weight training with a further discussion of optimal
rep ranges having laid the groundwork with a rather boring
discussion of muscle fiber types. Sorry, but it's tough to make
physiology sound too exciting.
So, last time we saw that sets of 4-8 reps were best for hitting
the Type IIb fibers which grow the most while 12-20 rep sets
seem to be best for stimulating the Type I fibers. Tybe IIa fibers
seems to be somewhere in betwee. One thing I should point out is
that when I say a set of, say, 6 reps, I mean a 6 rep max set. By rep
max, I mean a set using a weight that you can get only six strict
reps but no more. I mean, I don't want you to think that you can
take a soup can, curl it six times, and think you've stimulated the
Type IIb fibers. Unless, you are working at your six rep max, you
are not fulfilling the principle of overload necessary for adaptation.
Ok, so really, Type IIa fibers are worked by 4-8 rep max sets while
Type I are hit by 12-20 rep max sets. So, what?? Well, if you're
primary goal is to gain muscle mass, it would seem prudent to
concentrate on the Type IIb fibers and do the majority of your sets
in the 4-8 rep max range. However, there are times when doing
high rep sets (12-20) are useful. For people who are concerned with
ultimate muscular development (i.e. bodybuilders), hitting both
fiber types to some degree will result in the most complete gains.
Also, unless you are, shall we say, pharmaceutically enhanced, only
doing 4-8 rep max sets will lead to severe overtraining and possibly
injury. As a quick aside, one of the benefits of steroids is that they
seem to greatly increase the recuperative speed of the body. This is
why competitive bodybuilders can train six days a week, twice a day
without becoming overtrained. For the normal person, this type of
workout would be far too much. Ok, so am I recommending that
beginners head into the weight room and start cranking out 4-8 rep
max sets from day one. Well, no. And here's why.
When you first start weight training, your primary emphasis should
be on properly learning the movements and getting a feel for what
muscles are being worked. Using weight which are too heavy at the
outset will tend to lead to mislearning proper form for a given
exercise. And once, a movement is learned, even incorrectly, it is
very hard to unlearn it. Also, weight training is a very different
stress to the body if you've never done it before. Muscles tend to
get stronger a lot faster that tendons and ligaments so the intital
two to three months is also a break in period to condition tendons,
ligaments, and other connective tissue. Look at it this way, if you
decided to run a marathon, you would not go out and run 15 miles the
first day, right?? You would start with a couple of miles and work
your way up. Well, why would you jump headfirst into weight training
and try to do too much??
Ok, so my recommendation for the complete beginner are to do 2-3 sets
of 8-12 repititions three times per week with at least one day of rest
between workouts on a variety of exercises. None of the sets should be
maximal sets at this point and the emphasis should be on form rather
than weight at this point. If you've never exercised before, you might
even start with 1 set for the first week and then do two sets the next
and then three the third. This should be followed a minimum of 2-3
months before increasing the intensity by incorporating rep max sets
and such. That's it for now. Next time, I will address the choice of
machines versus free weights for beginners.
Mail to lyle…@delphi.com
Lyle