How to choose the weight of the apparatus, the number of repetitions and approaches for your workout?

Our editors often receive emails from newly minted bodybuilders with a large number of similar questions, ala: How to choose the weight of the equipment, the number of repetitions and the number of approaches for your training? Well, it all depends what are you aiming for: develop a powerful force, develop strength endurance or get muscle volume. All these points are united by the term “athlete’s strength abilities.” This is exactly what we will talk about in more detail in this article...

The strength abilities of an athlete, principles, methods and ways of their development.

In order to objectively assess the features and feasibility of countless methodological recommendations, as well as in order to consciously select strength exercises and combine them into effective programs and complexes, to develop unique strength training programs yourself, you need to have a good understanding of the strength abilities of the human body, as well as the principles and ways of their development and qualitative improvement.

Let us give a brief description of the strength abilities of the human body:

In physics (a subsection of mechanics), the concept of “force” reflects the measure of the mutual influence of bodies, as well as the reason for their movement. If we are talking about the source of movement performed by a person, then when pronouncing the term force, one must keep in mind the contractile properties of his muscles, which provide the ability to move one’s own body or its individual parts, including, of course, overcoming various external resistance, that is, to produce work. Moreover, in this case, force acts as a physiological phenomenon.

Thus, strength is a person’s ability to perform muscular work that requires significant, including TOP (ultimate) efforts.

The variety and wide range of movements of the human body, as well as the tasks they solve, especially in the conditions of sports activity that is so important for us, has led to the need for a differentiated assessment of various qualitative manifestations of muscle strength. Three general characteristics of human strength abilities can be distinguished:

1. I) maximum voluntary force,
2. ii) explosive force,
3. III) strength endurance.

1. I) In this variant, maximum voluntary strength is characterized by the magnitude of the maximum isometric effort developed by the muscles without time limitation, or the greatest weight of the burden that they are able to lift. In practice, the value of the so-called relative strength is often used, which is the ratio of the maximum voluntary force to the athlete’s body weight.
2. II) Explosive muscle strength is characterized by the rate of increase in the required maximum force, i.e., the amount of force increase per unit of time. In this case, the greater the magnitude of the effort and the shorter the time involved in achieving it, the higher the power of muscle work.
3. III) Strength endurance is a form of reflection of strength qualities and abilities in conditions that require relatively prolonged or repeated muscle tension, but without reducing their overall working efficiency.

The strength of a muscle is closely related to the magnitude of its physiological diameter - the larger it is, the greater the strength of the muscle. An increase in strength is accompanied by an increase in muscle mass and volume. The maximum connection between muscle mass and the force it exerts is observed in cases where the movement is performed slowly and overcoming serious external resistance (weight).

In the process of systematic training and depending on its nature, certain relationships are formed between strength volume and muscle mass (weightlifting, powerlifting), between the strength and speed of muscle contraction (weightlifting, arm wrestling), as well as between strength, mass and strength endurance of muscles ( athletic gymnastics, bodybuilding). That is, various specific forms of your strength abilities are formed, fully manifested in the conditions that determined their development (see table).

Table

Moderate weight weights (50-70% of the maximum) with a significant number of repetitions of movements, a small number of approaches and a minimal pause for rest between them ensures the development of local muscle strength endurance.

And finally submaximal weight (70-80% of the maximum) contributes to the formation of maximum muscle strength simultaneously with an increase in their volume in the case where the number of approaches and repetitions of the exercise, as well as the rest periods between these approaches, is average in relation to the first two cases.