Tips: This article is suitable for fitness coaches to use as a teaching reference.
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One question people often ask me is, "Can you take a look at this plan I've designed?" It's a good question, and I'm always happy to give a review. After all, it's okay to find a ready-made program, but I admire even more those who are willing to use their imagination and create a training plan that works for them based on the training principles they learned on this site.
Of course, not all of the plans I saw were good plans. Some of them just freaked me out. Choosing inappropriate exercises, illogical exercises in a training session, choosing the wrong intensity for a goal - no matter what the mistake., I have seen them all.
I've found that some people (mainly beginner and intermediate lifters) create programs that are so complex that you'd have to have a PhD in kinesiology, training science, or even rocket science to understand what they're getting at.
It's true that advanced training methods and programs can produce great results in advanced lifters, but let's not kid ourselves. Most people are not as "advanced" as they think they are. It works better if they start with a sound basic plan and work their way up. This is what this article will address.
Of course, reading this article won't turn you into the next Poliquin, Cressey, or DeFranco. However, if you follow the steps listed below, I guarantee you'll be able to avoid the silly mistakes I see all the time, and you'll never write a bad training plan again.
Maybe the training plan you develop will not be regarded as a classic by the Western Barbell Club or CrossFit, but your plan will be effective. In fact, it will be more effective than 90% of the training programs in the world.
Step 1: Choose your goals
As the old saying goes, "If you don't know what you want to do, you'll accomplish nothing." In other words, if you don't know exactly what your training goals are, you will choose the wrong load parameters and training methods. You won't be able to achieve your goals.
Let me give you an example. I often hear people say, "My goal is to get bigger, stronger, and have less fat." Is this your goal? Sorry, man, but that's not the goal, that's 3 goalstargets, and they conflict with each other. You can't do 3 unrelated things at the same time. To make the most progress in one of these things, you have to choose a goal.
Let’s see how these goals conflict.
Trying to get bigger and have less fat is impossible. Maximum muscle growth requires a calorie surplus. Exactly how much excess you have depends on your body type, metabolism and current physical fitness. But no matter what, you have to take in more calories than you burn. Fat loss, on the other hand, requires the exact opposite: a calorie deficit. You must expend more energy than you take in.
No matter what kind of training you do, food is the X factor. No matter how advanced your training methods are, if your eating plan conflicts with your goals, you won't achieve them. I'll say it again: Building muscle size requires a calorie surplus, losing fat requires a calorie deficit. This truth should not be difficult to understand.
I will also admit that if your plan is perfect, it is possible to gain some muscle and lose some fat in the short term. I think it's possible to masturbate while riding a bike. But by trying to do two things at the same time, you won't be able to do everything to your best.
Likewise, trying to dramatically increase strength while dramatically reducing fat is the equivalent of attacking the enemy on the mountaintop. Your strength depends both on how efficiently your nervous system works and on muscle development. Therefore, this goal is much more possible than trying to be bigger and fatter at the same time. However, this is not easy to do either.
Top powerlifters and powerlifters can lift more weight when they move up a weight class; when they move down a weight class, they can lift less weight. This should give you some idea. If you really want to make rapid progress in strength training, you can't lose fat at the same time.
Let’s look at one final combination: trying to get bigger and stronger at the same time. Among these three combinations, this one is the most realistic. However, there are still fundamental differences between maximal hypertrophy training and maximal strength training. The former uses heavy weights and low reps, focusing on improving the efficiency of the central nervous system.
Strength training can lead to muscle growth, but is not as effective as focusing on size training. Again, you have to figure out which goal is more important to you (less fat, stronger, bigger) and then build your training plan around it.
Once you've chosen a goal, to make significant progress, you have to keep training for a long enough time. If you focus on muscle training for 4 weeks and then train for fat loss for the next 4 weeks, guess what will happen? Your body may not experience any changes.
Building muscle is a slow process. Gaining 0.25 to 0.5 pounds of lean body mass per week is a more realistic goal, which means that after four weeks, you can only gain two pounds of muscle.
You should stick to one of your goals for at least 8 weeks, preferably 12 weeks. This doesn't mean you can't change your training plan over such a long period of time, but the plan you develop must be centered around the same goal.
Step 2: Choose an appropriate differentiated training plan
Your training frequency and body-part training plan will depend on your goals, recovery capabilities, and your schedule. In the table below, you can see that different goals have different core elements.
(The following is a table)
Correct training frequency and differentiated training methods for selected goals
The first line: Goal strength girth fat loss
Second row: Core elements Nerve (central nervous system) Muscle Metabolism
The third row: Training frequency for each part or type of movement: High (2-3 times per week) Medium (1-2 times per week) Low (1 time per week)
Row 4: Required recovery time High (arrange 3-4 non-intense training days per week) Medium (arrange 2 days per week)-3 days of non-high-intensity training days) High (arrange 3-4 days of non-high-intensity training days per week)
Differentiated training plan for strength
In strength and power training, the central nervous system is a central element. Among the above three types of core elements, the central nervous system recovers the slowest after a high-intensity training. Therefore, if a training program has the central nervous system as a core element, the fastest progress will require many recovery days.
But we also need to consider that strength is a learned skill. It's a process of learning how to get the most out of your existing muscles. The more frequently you use your muscles, the better you will become at recruiting them, and the faster you will improve strength.
Therefore, in strength training, you need to train each body part or movement type more frequently, but also have more rest days (3-4 days per week). You can choose one of the following differentiated training plans:
A: Whole body
Day 1: Whole Body
Day 2: Recovery
Day 3: Whole body
Day 4: Recovery
Day 5: Whole body
Day 6: Recovery
Day 7: Recovery
B: Upper limbs, lower limbs
Day 1: Lower Limbs
Day 2: Upper Body
Day 3: Recovery
Day 4: Lower limbs
Day 5: Recovery
Day 6: Upper limbs
Day 7: Recovery
C: Lower limbs, upper limbs, whole body
Day 1: Lower Limbs
Day 2: Recovery
Day 3: Upper limbs
Day 4: Recovery
Day 5: Whole body
Day 6: Recovery
Day 7: Recovery
D: Pushing movements, pulling movements
Day 1: Hamstrings + pulling movements
Day 2: Quadriceps + pushing movements
Day 3: Recovery
Day 4: Hamstrings + pulling movements
Day 5: Recovery
Day 6: Quadriceps + pushing movements
Day 7: Recovery
Differentiated training plan for size
In size training, obviously the core element is the muscles. Because dynamic learning (learning how to use muscles) is not as important in this type of training as in strength training, the training frequency of each muscle group does not need to be too high, but it should be at least twice a week. Since muscles recover faster than the central nervous system, you can reduce the number of recovery days per week to 2-3 days, which is enough if you plan your training volume carefully. The following differentiated training plan is for your reference:
E: Antagonist muscle group
Day 1: Chest and Back
Day 2: Recovery
Day 3: Biceps, Triceps
Day 4: Quadriceps, hamstrings
Day 5: Recovery
Day 6: Deltoid muscles (anterior, middle and posterior bundles)
Day 7: Recovery
F: Action type
Day 1: Quadriceps-focused movements
Day 2: Push and pull horizontallyClass action
Day 3: Recovery
Day 4: Hip-focused movements
Day 5: Recovery
Day 6: Vertical push and pull movements
Day 7: Recovery
G: Enhancement (related muscles)
Day 1: Quadriceps-focused movements
Day 2: Pulling movements (back, biceps, rear delts)
Day 3: Recovery
Day 4: Hip-focused movements
Day 5: Recovery
Day 6: Pushing movements (chest, triceps, deltoid)
Day 7: Recovery
H: upper limbs, lower limbs
Day 1: Lower Limbs
Day 2: Upper Body
Day 3: Recovery
Day 4: Lower limbs
Day 5: Recovery
Day 6: Upper limbs
Day 7: Recovery
Differentiated training plan for fat loss
During fat loss training, you can have more rest time. Because you will be doing more metabolic training (i.e. lactate training, such as circuit training, complex training, GPP training), the rest time between training should be longer. Since you require a high caloric deficit, this impairs your ability to recover.
Therefore, there should be more recovery days per week (3-4 days), and by recovery I mean "no high-intensity training". You can do some cardio training or other low-intensity exercise, such as walking, to maintain fat loss.
As mentioned above, it is difficult to increase strength while losing fat. However, when you are in the fat loss stage, you still need to arrange strength training once or twice a week to try to maintain muscle volume and strength. To learn about differentiated training plans for fat loss, please read my article "Destroying Fat."
Step 3: Choose a suitable training area
One of the key factors in getting the stimulation you need is choosing the right training intensity zone.
Your body will adjust to what you need from it. As long as you continue to increase the training weight, no matter what training area and method you use, your strength and size will improve. However, since you are looking to maximize size or strength, you need to choose the right training area to make the most progress. For example, if your goal is strength, you should choose 1-3 reps per set instead of 12-15 reps per set.
Use the table below to select the appropriate training area for each exercise based on your goals. A fat loss program requires a much different approach than a strength and size program, please refer to the article "Destroying Fat".
(The following is a table)
Select training area for selected target
The first line: target strength girth
Second row: Relative or absolute strength area for the first training movement of each muscle group: 1-3 times per group, 3-5 times per group, 3/2/1 wave, 5/1 control group, 5×1 Series functional or pure hypertrophy areas: 6-8 reps per set, 8-10 reps per set, 10-12 reps per set
Third row: Absolute strength or functional muscle hypertrophy area of the second training movement: 3-5 times per group, 6-8 times per group, 6/4/2 waves, 7/5/3 waves Muscle hypertrophy area: No. Sets of 8-10 times, each set of 10-12 times
Row 4: The third training exercise (if you plan to arrange a third exercise). Same as the second exercise. Muscle hypertrophy or strength endurance zone: 8-10 times per set, 10-12 times per set, 12 times per set. -20 times
Row 5: The fourth training movement (if you plan to arrange the fourth movement) Same as the second movement Same as the third movement
Step 4: Choose the number of training sets for each muscle group
The total number of sets per training session depends on your physical fitness, lifestyle, diet and other factors. Generally speaking, it is better to do 6-16 groups for each muscle group. In fact, most trainers are more suitable for 9-12 groups. If you’ve done so many sets and still haven’t stimulated your muscles enough, it means you may beAs a sissy, you need to increase the intensity of your training and put in more effort.
Don't you agree? You said you can still recover even if you do more than 12 sets? Well, maybe that's true, maybe not. Some people do, but they are so rare that it's best to assume you're not one of them. I know this may be a blow to your proud attitude. We all want to believe that we are special and strong. But remember, it's one thing to get through a tough training session, and it's another to recover smoothly and build muscle.
At the beginning, use 9-12 groups, persist for a period of time, and do your best in each group. Then watch how your body reacts. If you feel confident that you can do more sets, I give you permission to do that.
But remember, the 9-12 group is just a general guideline. If your physical fitness is poor or you are busy at work, you can also drop it to 6-9 groups. On full-body training days, you should do fewer sets per muscle group (4-6) because you have so many muscle groups to train.
Step 5: Choose the appropriate number of training exercises for each muscle group
You can train hard and you can train long. To maximize strength or size, you need to emphasize quality over quantity, which means avoiding too much volume.
Of course, the training volume shouldn't be too light, it should be enough to stimulate muscle growth and improve strength, but more doesn't always mean better. If the volume of training in a session exceeds your body's ability to recover, or if you continue to train when the fatigue level has made more training no longer effective or even counterproductive, you will only stagnate.
Training and emotions are closely related. You will instinctively think that the more you train, the better the results will be. If you add one, or two, or three exercises to each session, you can stimulate a muscle more fully and ensure success. Big mistake. There is nothing wrong with striving for success, but if you are controlled by your emotions, you will not make progress.
Choose 4-6 training movements for each training session. If you train two muscle groups per class, you can choose up to 3 movements for each muscle group. If you train 3 muscle groups, choose one or two exercises for each muscle group. If you're training the whole body, choose only one exercise for each muscle group. Very simple, right?
Sometimes, you need to choose more than six exercises (such as circuit training); sometimes, you only need to choose two or three training exercises. But in 90% of training, 4-6 movements are most suitable.
During strength training, you should do multiple sets of each movement to maximize your mental performance.efficiency of the system. On the contrary, in circumference training, you should choose several more movements in order to develop the muscles in a balanced way.
Strength = fewer moves, more sets
Size = more moves, fewer sets
Remember, only do 9-12 sets per muscle group. Use the table below to choose the appropriate number of sets and exercises based on your goals and split training plan. For example, if your goal is strength, and you choose a split training plan with pushing and pulling movements, and train 3 muscle groups in each class, then you should choose two movements for each muscle group, and do 4-6 exercises for each movement. Group.
(There is a table below)
Choose the number of sets and exercises based on your goals and differentiated training plan*
The first line: target strength girth
The second row: 6 muscle groups (whole body) in each class, 1 training movement for each muscle group, 4-6 groups of each training movement, None
The third row: 4 muscle groups (upper limbs or lower limbs) in each class, 1-2 movements for each muscle group (no more than 6 in total), 4-9 groups for each movement None
The fourth row: 3 muscle groups (push or pull) in each class, 2 movements for each muscle group, 4-6 groups for each movement 2 movements for each muscle group, 4-6 groups for each movement
The fifth row: 2 muscle groups in each class (antagonist muscle groups, different types of movements) None. 3 movements for each muscle group, 3-4 groups for each movement
Row 6: 1 muscle group per class (differentiated parts) None. 4 movements for each muscle group, 2-3 groups for each movement
*Note that you do not need to do the same number of sets of each move in a class. You can allocate the total number of groups in various ways, such as this:
2 movements for each muscle group, 10 groups in total:
The first movement: 5 groups
The second action: 5 groups
The first movement: 6 groups
The second action: 4 groups
The first movement: 7 groups
Second action:3 groups
The number of sets of the first exercise must be equal to or greater than that of the subsequent exercises.
Step 6: Choose appropriate training movements
Training movements can be divided into 4 categories. You should choose the appropriate action from each category based on the effect you want.
Secondary moves: Similar to the moves above, but slightly less demanding on the body and nervous system.
Assisted Movements: This category includes many movements, all of which are isolation movements, mostly machine drills. This type of movement uses much less weight than the previous two categories and therefore places far less demands on the nervous system.
Complementary exercises: In this category, most are isolation exercises aimed at correcting muscle imbalances or a specific weakness. Rotator cuff training, balance and proprioception training all fall into this category.
(Below are 7 tables)
Quadriceps
The first line: Category, examples of training movements
Second row: Primary Olympic back squat (stance hip-width, torso vertical), powerlifting squat (wide stance, trunk moderate forward lean), front squat
Third row: Secondary lunge and its variations, training bench leg squat and its variations, leg press, barbell hack squat, dumbbell squat
The fourth row: Assistance: Machine Hack Squat, stepping onto the box and its variations, leg flexion and extension and its variations, Sith Squat
Row 5: Supplementary endpoint knee extension (using elastic band) (as shown in the picture), elastic band leg flexion and extension
?Hamstring muscles, gluteal muscles
The first line: Category, examples of training movements
Second row: Primary Romanian deadlift, straight-leg deadlift, sumo deadlift, snatch grip deadlift
Third row: Secondary Good morning forward bend and its variations, glute-ham raise, leg raise (put both feet higher on the pedals)
The fourth row: auxiliary reverse hyper, crotch cable pull-up, leg curl and its variations, cable hip extension (as shown in the picture)
The fifth row: X-band walking (as shown in the picture), Cook hip extension (as shown in the picture), fitness ball leg curl, elastic band leg curl
Chest muscles
The first line: Category, examples of training movements
Second row: First, decline bench press, bench press, Gironda parallel bar dip
Third row: Secondary: Incline bench press, dumbbell bench press, dumbbell incline bench press, neck bench press
The fourth row: Auxiliary: Cable chest press, flying bird and its changing movements, butterfly machine, seated chest press machine
The fifth row: Supplementary fitness ball push-ups, rocking board push-ups
Upper back, posterior deltoid muscles
The first line: Category, examples of training movements
Second row: Primary: backhand pull-ups and variations, overhand pull-ups and variations, chest support rows, bent-over barbell rows, T-bar rows
The third row: secondary single-arm dumbbell row, T-bar pull-down and its variations, cable seated row and its variations, corner row, fat man pull-up (reverse row), seated neck-to-neck rope grip row
Row 4: Assisted straight arm pull-downs, cable supine straight arm pull-ups (as shown in the picture), high pulley cross rows (as shown in the picture), low pulley cross rows, machine seated rows, machine latissimus dorsi pull-downs, bent over rows Side raises, machine reverse flyes, chest support incline and side raises
Fifth row: Supplementary chest support incline dumbbell shrugs, seated cable shrugs (scapula retraction), incline prone raises (for pictures, see "Deep Muscles: Best Back and Biceps Training Actions")
Shoulders
The first line: Category, examples of training movements
Second row: Primary muscle clean and jerk, (standing barbell) shoulder press, lever press, seated barbell shoulder press
Third row: Secondary: seated and standing dumbbell shoulder press and variations, Arnold press, Scott/Thib press (as shown), muscle snatch
Fourth row: Auxiliary machine shoulder press, lateral raise and its variations, front raise and its variations, lateral raise machine
Fifth row: Supplementary Cuban press (as shown in the picture), shoulder external rotation (as shown in the picture)
Arm flexors (biceps, brachialis)
The first line: Category, examples of training movements
Second row: First, standing barbell curl, preacher barbell curl
Row 3: Secondary hammer curl, seated dumbbell curl and variations, preacher dumbbell curl, overhand barbell curl (standing or using preacher bench), Zottman curl (as shown) < /p>
The fourth row: auxiliary machine curls, cable curls and their variations, concentrated curls
Fifth row: Supplement the forearm rotation of the long-handled hammer or Thor's hammer (the elbow is close to the side of the body, bent 90 degrees, and the lower half of the hammer handle is held in the hand. In the starting movement, use an overhand grip, that is, the palm is down, the thumb Inward. Next, without moving your elbows, turn your forearms all the way up, with your thumbs pointing inward.
Triceps
The first line: Category, examples of training movements
Second row: First, close-grip bench press, narrow-grip incline press, rear arm flexion and extension
The third row: secondary narrow-grip incline bench press, reverse-grip bench press, JM bench press (see "How to Bench Press 600 lbs." for details), decline barbell arm extension, decline dumbbell arm extension, flat barbell arm extension, Flat dumbbell arm extensions
Fourth row: Auxiliary dumbbell arm flexion and extension behind the neck, barbell arm flexion and extension behind the neck, cable arm flexion and extension behind the neck and their variations, arm flexion and extension machine
The fifth row: Supplementary fitness ball close-grip push-ups, rocking board close-grip push-ups
Obviously, this list cannot be exhaustive, but it can give you a general idea of how to choose training exercises.
If your goal is strength, your program should primarily feature primary and secondary movements. You can choose two primary exercises for each muscle group in a class, but I don't recommend this because doing so, combined with heavy weight and low reps, will overtax the nervous system. To start, you'd better choose one primary action and one secondary action.
The downside to these important compound movements is that they make your dominant muscles stronger while bypassing your weaker ones. If an exercise involves several muscle groups,Your body will figure out the most economical path, shifting most of the load to the stronger, more dominant muscles.
The classic example is the bench press: if your shoulders are dominant, doing the bench press will do less for your chest because your body will naturally bypass your weaker pectoral muscles and transfer most of the load to the stronger ones. On the anterior deltoid and triceps brachii.
If your goal is muscular beauty, you should choose enough accessory movements to ensure adequate stimulation of the target muscles. However, at least one primary action and one secondary action must be included.
For example:
(There is a table below)
Choose moves based on goals and number of training moves
The first line: target strength girth
Second row: 1 movement for each muscle group, 1 primary movement, none
The third row: 2 actions for each muscle group, 1 primary action + 1 secondary action, 1 primary action + 1 primary action, 1 primary action + 1 secondary action, 1 primary action + 1 auxiliary action, 1 Secondary action + 1 auxiliary action
The fourth row: 3 movements for each muscle group None 1 primary movement + 1 secondary movement + 1 auxiliary movement, 1 primary movement + 2 auxiliary movements, 1Secondary action + 2 auxiliary actions, 2 secondary actions + 1 auxiliary action
The fifth row: 4 movements for each muscle group. None. Similar to 3, plus 1 auxiliary movement or 1 supplementary movement.
If your goal is strength and you have a glaring weakness, such as a rotator cuff problem, you can add a supplementary exercise. Because supplementary exercises are low-intensity, you don't have to count them toward your total.
When choosing training exercises, the most important thing is to avoid repetition. Your body's ability to recover from stress is limited, so wasting your precious recovery energy on unnecessary movements is foolish.
Redundant exercises are those that target the same muscle groups, use the same type of movements, and use the same grips. For example, the bench press, flat dumbbell bench press, flat machine bench press, and Smith machine bench press are essentially similar with only slight superficial differences. Standing barbell curlThe same goes for standing dumbbell curls and standing cable curls. Do you see what I mean? If you want to choose multiple exercises for a muscle group, you should choose those that complement each other rather than similar exercises.
Something else to consider when choosing actions: Avoid indirect overloading. I have seen many people design lower body training programs similar to this:
A. Back squat
B.Good morning forward bend
C. Front squat
D. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
E. Leg flexion and extension
F. Reverse hyperextension
On paper, this doesn't seem wrong. They are all good actions, all important actions. But stacking these good moves together is just silly. Why? Because, except for leg extensions, all other movements require the active participation of the lower back, which will overload the lower back.
There's nothing wrong with wanting a strong lower back. But think about what condition your lower back is in after you finish your squats and good morning bends. Total fatigue and almost incapable of performing the rest of the moves with high quality. You will have difficulty keeping your torso vertical when performing front squats, your Romanian deadlifts, and reverse hyperThe movement will be very irregular because the major muscles are completely fatigued.
Smart people should know how to exercise moderation. Choose your movements carefully and try to avoid movements that have similar functions to train at your best in one session.
Step 7: Choose the appropriate sequence of training movements
The sequence of training movements in a training session involves two issues:
1. Basic structure (horizontal/progressive, alternating, vertical/cyclic)
2. The sequence of actions within a structure
The basic structure of a training program refers to the relationship of one movement or a group of it to another movement.
Horizontal/Progressive
This is the most common structure. You first complete all sets of an action.Count and then do the next action. For example:
A. Bench Press
4×10
90 seconds interval
B. T-bar rowing
4×10
90 seconds interval
You first do 4 sets of bench presses (90 seconds between sets), then do T-bar rows.
Alternating type
This structure was popularized by Coach Poliquin and allows you to complete more training per unit of time without sacrificing athletic ability. (I also like this method because it gets me out of the gym earlier!) In this split structure, you alternate between two exercises that target different muscle groups to antagonize the muscles.Groups are the best. For example:
A1. Bench Press
4×10
45 seconds interval
A2. T-bar rowing
4×10
45 seconds interval
You first do a set of A1 movements (bench press), rest for 45 seconds, then do a set of A2 movements (T-bar rowing), rest for 45 seconds, then do A1 movements, and repeat until you have completed 4 sets of both movements. This way, the actual rest between sets of bench presses is the same as the progression, even though the rest between sets is only 45 seconds.
Vertical/Circular
Choose more than 3 actions and do one set of each action to form a cycle. If necessary, change thisThis cycle is repeated several times. For example:
A1. Dumbbell bench press
12 times
30 seconds interval
A2. Dumbbell squat
12 times
30 seconds interval
A3. Rowing in seated position
12 times
30 seconds interval
A4. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
12 times
30 seconds interval
A5. Preacher Bench Curl
12 times
30 seconds interval
Note that you don’t have to trainAll movements in the training class are added to a cycle. For example, you can choose 4 moves to form a circuit, and then choose 2 moves to use an alternating or progressive structure.
Circuit training is best for fat loss training because its "station" (group) intervals can be as short as 10 seconds. Circuit training can also be an effective strength and power training method if you extend your intervals to two or three minutes. Compared with progressive and alternating styles, circuit training can complete more training per unit of time, but it can still leave enough intervals between two sets of the same movement.
Sequence of training movements
Once you've chosen a training structure, you need to sequence the movements logically and efficiently.
The most important principle is that among several actions targeting a muscle group, the action that has the greatest impact on the nerves should be arranged before the action that has a smaller impact on the nerves. For example, you should do squats first, then leg extensions. There are exceptions to this rule. For example, if you want to pre-fatigue a muscle that is difficult to recruit, you can do an isolation exercise first and then do a compound exercise.
Of all the exercises that target a muscle group, order them in order of difficulty. For example, let's say you choose these moves for your chest:
Steel cable chest
Bench press
Dumbbell incline bench press
Then the correct order should be:
Bench press
Dumbbell incline bench press
Steel cable chest
The first principle: do the primary movements first, then the secondary movements, then the auxiliary movements, and then the supplementary movements. if you have twoIf two movements are from the same category (such as two primary movements or two secondary movements), the movement that can use the heavier weight takes precedence.
Depending on which structure you use (horizontal, vertical, alternating), the actual sequence of movements may vary.
If you use progression, you should complete all the exercises targeting one muscle group in sequence before moving on to the next. For example:
A. Primary chest movements
B. Secondary chest movements
C. Chest auxiliary movements
D. Primary action of triceps brachii
E. Secondary action of triceps brachii
F. Triceps auxiliary movements
If you train one large muscle group (chest, back, or quadriceps) and one small muscle group in one class, you can arrange it this way. If you're training two large muscle groups (such as chest and back), this arrangement isn't optimal. Because by the time you move to the second muscle group, the central nervous system is already fatigued.
If you want to train more than two large muscle groups, or even the whole body, it is best to arrange them according to difficulty, without considering the muscle group. First, summarize all the movements by categories (primary movements, secondary movements, etc.), and then sort them according to the principle of giving priority to large muscle groups. For example, you plan to train the whole body and you choose these movements:
Bench press
Standing Barbell Shoulder Press
Backhand pull-ups
Front squat
Romanian Deadlift
Barbell curl
These are primary movements, so they should be arranged according to the size of the target muscle group, such as this:
A. Front squat
B. Romanian Deadlift
C. Backhand pull-ups
D. Bench Press
E. Standing Barbell Shoulder Press
F. Barbell curl
If you also choose secondary actions, the principle is the same: arrange them by category first (primary actions come before secondary actions), and the actions within the same category are arranged in order according to the size of the target muscle group. For example, you select these actions:
Bench press (primary movement)
Leg press (secondary movement)
Bent-over barbell row (primary exercise)
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press (Secondary Movement)
Snatch grip deadlift (primary movement)
Hammer curl (secondary movement)
You first sort by category:
Primary action:
Snatch grip deadlift
Bent-over barbell row
Bench press
Secondary actions:
Leg press
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Hammer curl
Then arrange them according to the size of the target muscle groups:
A. Snatch grip deadlift
B. Bent-over barbell row
C. Bench Press
D. Leg press
E. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
F. Hammer Curl
If you're doing an alternating build (usually antagonists), you'll want to start by arranging the exercises by muscle group. For example, you want to train the chest and back, and you choose these movements:
Chest
Incline dumbbell fly
Decline bench press
Incline dumbbell bench press
Back
T-bar front pulldown
Bent-over barbell row
Chest support bent over side raise
The correct sequence of movements for each muscle group is:
Chest
A. Decline bench press
B. Incline dumbbell bench press
C. Incline dumbbell fly
Back
A. Bent-over barbell row
B. T-bar pull-down
C. Chest support bent over side raise
Due to the alternating structure, the overall sequence is as follows:
The first pair of actions
A1. Decline bench press
A2. Bent-over barbell row
The second pair of actions
B1. Incline dumbbell bench press
B2. T-bar pull-down
The third pair of actions
C1. Incline dumbbell fly
C2. Chest support bent over side raise
Finally, if you use a loop structure, you have many options depending on your goals.
In circuit training for strength, size, or power, since the "station" intervals are relatively long, the ordering method is the same as the progressive set: first by category, then by muscle group.
In lactate circuit training for fat loss, the "station" intervals are short, which has a greater impact on metabolism and less impact on the nervous system, so the sequence of movements is not as important.
However, do not arrange two actions that interfere with each other together. Try to arrange actions with similar functions as far apart as possible. For example, if your first exercise is the seated dumbbell shoulder press, it wouldn't make sense to do the bench press or variations as your second exercise because the two exercises target similar muscle groups.
Priority action
Lifting weights (snatch, clean and jerk) and their variations should always be arranged at the front.
These movements, as well as full-body movements and compound movements that place high demands on the central nervous system, should be scheduled at the front. This may seem obvious, but I often see professional sports teams placing the snatch after the deadlift, squat, bench press, and row! Oh my gosh!
Remember: always put weightlifting first. If you're doing multiple lifts, you should do the snatch first, then the clean, then the jerk. To help you remember, there is a mantra: "My Snatch is clean, you jerk! (My underwear has been taken off, you bad guy!)" (Snatch refers to the snatch, Clean refers to the clean, and Jerk refers to the jerk.)
Step 8: Choose a break
The length of your set rests depends directly on your goals. Remember these principles:
1. The nervous system requires longer recovery time than muscles and metabolism.
2. Incomplete recovery during metabolic training will promote the secretion of growth hormone, which has a great effect on fat loss. Incomplete recovery also forces the body to recruit more motor units, although these may only be slow-twitch muscle fibers. But if your goal is girth, things get interesting.
3. Complete recovery of the central nervous system is necessary to achieve optimal performance during strength training. So if your goal is strength,Intervals should be longer to improve movement quality.
The appropriate interval length depends on the intensity of the effort, as well as the movement being performed (you'll recover faster after a set of dips than after a set of squats). The table below illustrates the impact of different pause lengths:
(The following is a table)
Effect of interval length on recovery
First row: Interval, central nervous system recovery, metabolic recovery, key points, applicable to
Second row: 20-30 seconds, very little, 30-50%, a large amount of metabolites accumulates, and the oxygen debt is serious, which will lead to the secretion of growth factors such as h growth hormone. Fat loss (strength endurance area)
Third row: 30-60 seconds less (30-40%) 50-75% Metabolites accumulate in large quantities. Longer metabolic intervals = ability to use more weight in hypertrophy areas for fat loss and muscle gain (strength endurance and hypertrophy areas)
The fourth row: 60-90 seconds 40-60% 75-90% In the middle zone between metabolite accumulation and full recovery, using more weight to gain muscle (muscle hypertrophy area)
Row 5: 90-120 seconds 60-75% 100% enables you to maintain physical fitness during subsequent hypertrophy sets and improve muscle and strength (muscle hypertrophy and functional hypertrophy areas)
Row 6: 2-4 minutes 80-100% nerves are fully recovered, strength is enhanced, and the ability to use maximum weight is improved (absolute and relative strength areas)
Depending on your goals and your chosen intensity zone, the ideal interval should be:
Relative Strength Zone (1-3 reps): 3-4 minutes*
Absolute power zone (3-5 times): 2-3 minutes*
Functional hypertrophy zone (6-8 reps): 90-120 seconds*
Hypertrophy Zone I (9-10 reps): 60-90 seconds*
Hypertrophy Zone II (11-12 reps): 45-60 seconds*
Strength endurance zone (13-20 times): 30-45 seconds*
Endurance strength zone (more than 20 times): less than 30 seconds
*Interval between sets of the same movement
These are the basic principles. Some people need shorter intervals, some need longer intervals. These principles will work for most people, so start by following the form and then adjust as needed.
Note that I said "intervals between sets of the same movement." This means that if, for example, you choose a hypertrophy area, you need to rest for 60-90 seconds before starting the next set of the same movement. If you use progressive approach, it's easy:
A. Bench Press
4×10
90 seconds interval
4 sets of 10 reps, with 90 seconds between sets. Very simple.
If you use alternating, it's a little more complicated, but not much.
If we alternate bench presses and T-bar rows:
A1. Bench Press
4×10
A2. T-bar rowing
4×10
There is still 90 seconds (rest time) between two sets of the same movement. Therefore, we changed the pause between actions to 45 seconds.
A1. Bench Press
4×10
45 seconds interval
A2. T-bar rowing
4×10
45 seconds interval
There are now 90 seconds between sets on the bench press and 90 seconds between sets on the row. But as the training density increases, the impact of training on metabolism (fat loss) is greater.
If using circuit training for fat loss, you should use the strength endurance zone. In this way, the "station" interval is 10-45 seconds. Lactate circuit training should be thought of as energy system (cardio) training using heavy weights, rather than "heavy weight training."
Step 9: About Recovery Day
I don't care how strong you think you are,Or what kind of hardcore person you imagine yourself to be. The basic principles of physiology still apply to you. One of the principles is that muscle growth doesn't happen in the gym. No one in human history has been able to gain a pound of muscle while training.
When you stagger home after training, your body is in worse shape than before: your muscles are damaged, your energy reserves are depleted, and your nervous system is fatigued. You have to allow your body to recover before you can possibly make progress.
During recovery, your body will remodel muscle tissue to make it larger and stronger (muscle hypertrophy or tissue remodeling), it will restore or even overfill energy stores (overcompensation), and nerves will The system will be more efficient in recruiting motor units (neural efficiency). In other words, all the good things happen when you're not training.
However, many people do not give their bodies enough recovery days to give the above process a chance.
My explanation for this is: As mentioned above, training and emotions are very closely linked. When it comes to building the body of our dreams, we often lack patience. We want to be bigger, have less body fat, and have superhuman strength, and we want to do it now!
The more passionate we are about our dreams, the easier it is for us to lose our rationality and make us want to train more. We just can’t help it, we’re taught from a young age that the longer we spend on something and the harder we do it, the better the results will be.
Our parents and teachers tell us to do our best when studying and leave no stone unturned. Our coach would instill in us this motto all day long: "Only in the dictionary, success appears before labor." (Note: Success begins with S and labor begins with W.) When we leave school and start working , we will find: the longer we work, the higher the salary. So, we take it for granted that the same goes for training.
From now on, stop thinking like this, because it's wrong. The truth is, no matter how long and hard you train, without proper recovery, you won't make the fastest progress possible. And if you train beyond your recovery capacity, you may even regress.
Sadly, what is people’s first reaction when they discover that overtraining and insufficient recovery have undone all their hard-earned gains? They will train more! They think their problem is that they're not training hard enough. Let me say it again: Don’t always think that “poor results = insufficient effort”. In most cases, especially those who are too eager to succeed, poor results = incorrect training to recovery ratio.
When designing your training program, be sure to allow enough recovery days to allow your body to adapt and make progress.
But you need to understand that a recovery day is not the same as a full day of rest. Recovery is divided into 3 levels:
Active recovery
This means engaging in some physical activity that doesn’t stress your system. For example, take part in sports, take a walk, do some low-intensity cardiorespiratory training, or even some low-intensity weight training. This recovery can increase blood flow to the muscles and keep the metabolic rate at a faster level.
But don't take it too far. Many people even turn a relaxing recovery session into an intense workout! This is more likely to happen if you train with weights. Let me repeat: Active recovery must not stress the system.
Therefore, if you use weight training for recovery, you should use high reps (12-20 reps, or even higher) and stop when you are far from failure. Some people make the mistake of doing high-intensity activities, such as sprint interval training on their recovery days. Interval training, sprint training, and plyometric training all put a lot of stress on the body, such as the nervous system or metabolism. Therefore, the body does not recover optimally after this type of training.
Passive recovery
That is, a day of rest and no physical activity. But don't be too rigid. You can still walk, go up stairs, and get things. You don't need to drive around in a scooter like some overweight people do; if your wife asks you to take out the trash, don't reply, "But Thib told me to avoid physical activity." A negative recovery day is a negative recovery day Training days, that's all.
Assisted recovery
This third level includes methods to improve the body's ability to recover from the stress of training. Such as massage, salt bath, control shower (note: alternately use cold and hot water). I suggest you read my article - 7 Tips for a Rapid Recovery. 》
This type of recovery day is especially effective if for some reason (too much stress, overtraining, incorrect recovery, etc.) you find yourself starting to accumulate fatigue that makes it difficult to recover after training.
These 3 types of recovery are suitable for:
Active recovery
Mainly used for training with the central nervous system as the core element (heavy weight, explosive movements, low training volume); in this type of training, the muscles and metabolic processes are not greatly affected, and the central nervous system is under great pressure. big. You can train at low intensity without having to worry about your metabolic process being affected too much. It is not suitable for high training volumes; at this point, muscles and metabolism are greatly affected.
Passive recovery
These recovery days are suitable for all types of training.
Assisted recovery
You may be eager to use these methods more often to recover more effectively. However, just like training, the body also adapts to recovery methods. If you use them too often, their effectiveness will decrease. You're better off saving them for times when the stress on your body is high. They are particularly effective when muscles are extremely fatigued (training volume is high and intensity is high).
Step 10: About special methods
As mentioned above, training and emotions are closely linked.
We are eager to make progress and we hope to see the most obvious results in the shortest possible time. So if we read something about special training methods (such as series sets, rest/pause, pre-fatigue supersets, beyond fatigue supersets, drop sets, chain-assisted training, elastic band-assisted training, weight releaser-assisted training) ( Note: Articles about weight releasers (used in bench press and squat training to increase load near the top of the movement), we will be eager to add them to our training programs, hoping that they will work wonders.
Yes, these methods can enhance stimulation, but they can't be used all the time. To make the fastest progress, most people don't need these methods: Beginners and most intermediate lifters will make the quickest progress simply by following basic training methods carefully.
Only those advanced trainers, those whose level can no longer be easily improved, need these methods. The higher your level, the better your body can adapt to stress. Therefore, greater stimulation must be provided to achieve new gains.
This is where advanced training methods come in. You should use these methods only when you can't do it without them in order to continue to improve. Employing these methods too early (when you don't really need them) can actually be detrimental to your long-term progress.
In short:
1. Advanced trainers need advanced training methods and techniques in order to continue to progress, but junior and intermediate trainers do not.
2. The body has strong adaptability and can get used to any training method. In this case, the effectiveness of a training method will be greatly reduced.
3. If you use the highest level at the beginning, that is, when you don’t need ittechnologies that will be less effective when you really need them, to the detriment of long-term progress.
You don’t have to use advanced techniques, just start with how to create a basic plan. Once you become a master at planning and training, you can gradually add more advanced methods. Take it step by step, first to avoid overloading the system, and secondly to observe the effects of each method on the body; if you use three or four advanced methods at the same time, it will be difficult to determine which method is working.
Conclusion
If you have read the whole article carefully, you may be thinking now: "Oh my God, what a long article!"
But I hope you don’t be afraid of difficulties and can try these methods of making plans. After you have designed many plans, these steps will become second nature to you, and writing a new plan will be a breeze.
But before I end, I want to remind you. I imagine one or two of you figured out some plan that I (or Chad, or Poliquin, or one of the other coaches on the site) had developed, and posted in the forums saying, "Aha! I found a plan. It is different from the article Thib wrote about developing a training plan! ”
This article is going to teach you how to make a basic, effective plan. The articles written by the coaches at Testosterone Kingdom tend to be about more advanced programs; therefore, we sometimes have to break the rules a little.
But remember, before you can break the rules (but not undermine the effectiveness of your plan), you must first understand the rules. If you want to write an advanced plan, you must first take the time to become proficient in the designPlan for a basic plan and then add more advanced techniques as needed.
In other words, you must at least first Graduate high school and then worry about your PhD thesis. The road must be walked step by step. As long as you keep your feet on the ground, you will quickly be able to design a reasonable, efficient and effective training plan.