In this post I will cover adjusting training for females, older athletes and injured lifters. I will cover structural and functional adaptations. I will also talk about the basic principles of strength training athletes for other sports as a part of their GPP. Finally I will also talk about specific problems that are faced by the intermediate-advanced level lifter.
Adjusting Training For Females-
In its essence strength training for men and women is similar, in the sense you must use fundamental compound movements to get strong and progressively add weight over time. It should go without saying that all the usual principles we have discussed in the first post in this series applies for women as well. However there are 5 main things you must look at when training a female vis a vis a male:
1. Women have a greater proportion of slow twitch muscle fibers than men of comparable training standard. Due to this, women will be able to do more repetitions with weights in any percentage of their max. For example if a man can do 3 reps with 90% a woman of comparable training can probably do 5 or even 6 or 7 reps with her 90%.
This means that woman can also tolerate a higher total volume at any given percentage than men can. But on the flipside, women seem to hit their max rather suddenly as they may look fine and strong with say 100kgs but may be completely unable to hit 102kgs. So it is important to be Conservative in estimating maxes for women as well as the increments that have to be made to the lifts. It would be useful to invest in half and quarter kg plates so that smaller increments can be made.
Also it is important to have a decent amount of explosive movements in a female's training as it helps improve the activation of the fast twitch muscle fibers.
2. Women have a lesser number of muscle fibers then men in the same muscle groups. For example if a man has 40,000 muscle fibers in his bicep a woman of comparable training may have 20,000. This leads to an important understanding- it is harder for women to get stronger by neural adaptations, as the scope of increased recruitment is limited.
It does not mean that it does not happen, on the contrary it happens even at the most elite levels. But in order for this to happen a woman requires a greater amount of practice with the technique than a man would, as the adaptation is slower. Conversely it also means that extremely heavy loads will lead to quicker stagnation (over 95%). So a lot of heavy practice must be done, but you must generally stay away from 95% plus if you can help it. This is true for men too but the hole of CNS fatigue digs deeper and faster in women.
3. Due to hormonal reasons women in general have lesser muscle than men and have a harder time gaining muscle. This hormonal environment also puts them at greater risk for weakening of the joint structures and of the bones.
4. Women have poor leverages and lesser natural strength in the upper body than men. The difference in squatting and leg based movements in not as much. Back strength depends upon the individual.
5. Menstrual cycles have to be accounted for in training. A woman will be strongest during and immediately after ovulation. Her strength will drop during the PMS phase. Rather than forcing hard training at this stage, it is better to program a drop in intensity for a week or so every four weeks. This is a practice that is useful even for men, but with woman can be a lifesaver. A lot of general activity should be undertaken during this phase and you can just do your usual workouts with lesser weight and reps per set. This will slowly develop tolerance in the body to working during menstruation and over time the difference in strength will become minimal. Also do not forget to take advantage of the post ovulation strength spike, by programming your hardest training weeks around ovulation. Work with the flow of the body not against it.
The primary take away points are-
- Women can do a lot more volume at higher percentages then men can.
- Women need to make smaller increments in weights and generally be wary while moving up. Also avoid moving past 95% or so if you can help it. A good rule of thumb is to always use weights that can be tripled. Work from 3-6RM numbers in regular training.
- Women need to do a lot more volume and hypertrophy work as muscle size is the biggest weak link.
-. Women can and should perform more practice work with decently heavy weight to maximize strength.
- Women need more explosive training to maintain fast twitch mass.
- Women need to do a lot more upper body work then men.
- Women tend to respond better to lesser sets and more reps in their hypertrophy work and a generally greater variety of exercises then men, due to their physiology and tendency to burnout in any one movement if over done. In terms of assistance work think like a bodybuilder.
- The hardest weeks should be around ovulation and the easiest around menstruation.
As a side note of advice, while I am not sure of the greatness of the westside template for people at large, I know that it works incredibly well with female athletes, more than it has for my male athletes. The only other program that has given comparable returns to my female trainees has been the 5-3-1 system, which is also awesome. I make the women on 5-3-1 do 4-5 singles with their training max (Joker sets) after their PR sets every workout though. Please note that I never cross the training max.
Adjusting Training For Older Athletes-
The basic training is the same for younger and older lifters. A few things to keep in mind are-
1. Older lifter have a lowered testosterone and growth hormone production. Therefor they need a higher volume with decent weights to spike growth. Generally more lactic acid work will help and classic programs like the 20rep Squat should be used to stimulate the endocrine system. In general older trainees need to do more hypertrophy work.
Special emphasis should be given to diet and supplementation. Vit E, Fish Oil and Gokshura should be used liberally. It is also advisable to eat smaller meals by the same token as the metabolism is not as high, and smaller meals will spike growth hormone levels over time. However make sure that an adequate number of calories are being consumed and the diet has plenty of mineral content.
2. Bone and joint health must be maintained. Supramaximal lifts like heavy partials should be done to build the skeleton and ultra high repetition light movements like band tricep pressdowns and lat pulldowns must be done to build the tendons and keep the joints supple. I generally like to work 1 movement every day for 2 sets of 50 reps after the main workout as a way to both cool down and help the joints.
3. Build mobility, flexibility and tissue quality. Very simply ease of movement and pain management is the key. Make the effort to add a lot of stretching movements and take the effort to foam roll thoroughly every single day. If possible get a weekly full body massage and do other things to relax the muscles like steam baths and salt baths. Go swimming to open up the joints, walk outside and move on the ground to develop mobility. A lot of outdoor groundwork drills must be present. Taking up basic yoga like surya namaskar etc is not a bad idea. Take the joints through a full range of motion.
4. Simplify the heavy lifting but keep it intact and progressive. Gaining strength and staying strong is the most important thing for an older lifter. However adaptation is a little slower so you may want to use a sensible frequency. I have also found that basic old fashioned liner periodization over 8-10 week cycles and double progression training works best for older lifters.
5. Emphasize exercises that promote stability in the joints and prevent burnout. Try to make more and more of your assistance work based on dumbbells and bodyweight exercises.
6. Building a base of cardiovascular fitness is important. I suggest slow cardio once a week, intervals once a week and serious HIIT once a week, combined with daily walks outside.
7. Avoid impact work. Try to avoid hard landings and joint stress if you can help it. For example sled work can replace sprinting, box jumps can replace regular jumps, cycling can replace jogging etc.
8. Work extra hard on the hamstrings and mid section as the knees and back are the main problem areas as you get older.
9. Do not let the trainee get fat. Just do not. It is too difficult to lose fat when you are older and very simply the real solution is to not get fat in the first place. If your trainee is anything over 18% bodyfat, get him down to 15% as soon as you can. For women 23% is the number.
Injured Lifters
1. The first thing you must do is identify if you are hurt or just in pain. Every serious trainee will experience pain, even debilitating pain in their training. This is no reason to stop training. You have to figure out what you can do for that area with minimal pain, and do it. Figure out what the problem is and fix it. When in doubt go to a doctor and find out if you are actually injured.
2. Do not stop training the rest of the body. Figure out the compound movements you can do for the rest of the body and focus more there. Vigorous exercise will accelerate healing as long as it does not compound the injury. For example if you have injured your shoulder, you can do hyper extensions, hip belt squats, leg press, ham glute raises, 1 leg squats, decline sit ups, one arm push ups, one arm military presses, sled dragging with belt etc etc. Be imaginative.
In case of a limb injury do not discount unilateral work. It will make sure you get back quicker when the injury is healed. Think of this as an opportunity to specialize elsewhere. In case of torso injuries, like spinal injuries, cable work, isometrics and resistance bands will enable you to continue training most of the major muscle groups.
3. Focus on restoring mobility to the injured area. Go to a physio if you don't know how to. Generally pick a compound movement and see how much ROM you can handle. Then do ridiculously high rep work with light weights, gradually increasing the ROM every 20 reps or so.
For example in a shoulder injury let us say you cant get your arms over head. Do a one arm arnold press with 10 pounds and just get the weight till your forehead. Do this for 20 reps. Then slowly try to go one inch higher for 20 more reps. Maybe another inch and call it a day. Then next workout start with pressing the dumbbell one inch above your forehead. Do these kind of light drills for the injured area every 3-4 days. This of course assumes that surgical intervention is not required. If it is, just get it done and go to a physio for a while before doing any of this.
4. Build the supportive structures around the injured area. Do tons of short ROM single joint exercises to build all the muscles around the joint. Focus on balanced muscular development and do extra work for the smaller stabilizer muscles. This will also build the tendons. Do movements that do not restrict the joint path. Therefore dumbells and D handle cable work is awesome for this.
For example, if the shoulder is injured, do lateral raises, front raises, bicep curls, tennis backhand cable extensions, french presses, elbow out rows, elbow in rows, one arm lat pulldowns, quarter military presses with dumbells, external and internal rotation with cables etc
5. Once you are confident of getting back into your primary movements start light and progress slow. Build volume first then intensity. Try to use as many closed chain kinetic movements as possible for the first couple of months and maintain the supportive work for the stabilizer muscles and small stuff.
For example in the case of a shoulder injury, let us say you have started military pressing and bench pressing once a week each. You could do 3 sets of 5 with 50% of your old max in each, followed by pushups and rotator cuff work, rows and pull downs. Every workout increase the reps by 2 until you are doing 3 sets of 13 with 50%. Then add 5 pounds each workout and reduce reps whenever it gets too hard until you end up doing something like 3 reps with your old max. This first linear cycle will be long, longer than you are accustomed to, 20-24 weeks is how I plan it. After that you can resume your normal training.
6. Eat a lot, make sure you are getting plenty of minerals and build a base of cardiovascular fitness. A good cardiovascular system will greatly accelerate healing.
Functional And Structural Adaptation-
Strength training of any kind leads to adaptations in the body in order to make the body stronger. These adaptations are of two types- functional and structural.
Structural changes are changes in the actual structures of the body. This includes muscular hypertrophy (growth in muscle size), thickening of tendons and ligaments, increase in the bursa capacity in the joints, increase in the ATP capacity of the mitochondria, hypertrophy of the heart, vascularization, increase in lung capacity, vascular hypertrophy, increase in bone density, changes in body fat levels and changes in blood content.
Functional changes are adaptations that happen in the nervous system. This includes increase in muscle fiber recruitment, motor unit firing rate, inter-muscular coordination, intra-muscular coordination, development of sport skills, development of motor skills and relaxation in the inhibitory and protective mechanisms of the body.
Functional changes are the primary reason for increase in strength in the first couple of years of training. They are the primary results of dynamic effort, explosive and maximal effort training.
Structural changes are primarily the result of repetition effort training. They are also caused to a lesser degree by maximal effort training.
Training At the Intermediate Stage
An intermediate trainee is a person who has basically reached the point of minimal returns with traditional strength training. They can no longer add weight regularly or add repetitions. This is because the greater share of functional adaptations that can happen with the current body of the trainee have already happened.
This does not mean the more gains at the same muscle size and bodyweight cannot happen, but it will become increasingly harder and harder to get stronger with the same body structure. Thus an intermediate trainee needs to focus on simply causing structural adaptation. The priority list in my opinion is tendons, ligaments, joints, bones and muscles. But this really depends upon your weaknesses and previous training.
Normally it is said if strength is built, shape and size will follow. Well, now we have reached the stage where shape and size needs to be built, for more strength to come. The good news is, if you have trained right up until this point building shape and size will be much easier than it would have been if you started with it.
An intermediate trainee needs to sit down for the long haul and wait for the adaptation to come, not force it. The structure must be built first and only once the structure has been built will great amounts of functional adaptations happen to make you significantly stronger. A combination of repetition training and maximal training will build the body up for greater strength. The basic checklist for a intermediate trainee is-
1. Focus more on repetition effort training. Get in more volume for all your body parts and build the base of muscle and tendon strength.
2. Consistently perform Maximal effort work. Do not force PRs, wait for the repetition effort work to do its thing, and then the PRs will come rolling.
3. Use big basic compound movements to build size and strength. Just tailor them to focus more on working the muscle, rather than moving weight. For example start squatting deeper, start doing more RDLs, bench with a close grip and with a lesser arch, start pausing in the bottom of movements etc.
Understand why you are doing an exercise- to move weight or to build muscle? This way you will know exactly how to do it.
4. Eat to win. You are trying to gain muscle.
5. Work on your weaknesses. Don't be completely anti isolation movements. They can help force work onto a weak muscle group so that they work harder during main exercises.
6. Set and target a variety of rep records in a variety of exercises. Go for 5-10 RM and keep breaking them. Objectify your muscle building goals into repetition records. For example if you want big quads and you want to weigh 200 pounds eventually, a good eventual goal could be squatting 405 pounds for one set of 20 reps. Set balanced goals, for example:
-Squat 405pounds for 20 reps
-Bench Press 250 pounds for 20 reps
-T Bar Rows 185 pounds for 20 reps
-Military Press 165 pounds for 20 reps
-Chin Ups with 25 pounds for 20 reps
-40 50m hill sprints in under 30mins
-45 degree decline sit ups with 45 pounds held behind the head for 20 reps
7. Make recovery a number one priority. Sleep, stretch, foam roll and optimize your frequency.
8. Learn to get more out of less.
9. Start light and progress slow. Take your time to build muscle and might. Think power building not muscle building.
Here is an example of a good training system for intermediate trainees that I frequently use-
Train 3 times a week. It is a 4 workout cycle. You will repeat the cycle 3 times in four weeks.
Workout A1
Work up to a Max triple in the back Squat (Keep breaking PRs)
Bench Press 5X5 (2 warm up sets and 3 work sets, add weight whenever you can do all three sets for 5 reps)
Chins and Dips- total 50 reps each. If you can do it in less than 4 sets each, add weight.
Push ups- 2-3 sets
Dumbbell Curls- 3 sets
Kroc Rows
Squats- 5 sets of 10 with 60-70%
Sit ups
Workout B1
Work up to Max Triple in the Military Press
Deadlift 5X5
Good Mornings- 3 sets of 6
Reverse hypers 2 sets
Dumbbell Side Bends- 2 sets
Hanging Leg Raises- 2 sets
Bridges- 2 sets
Military Press- 5 sets of 10 with 60-70%
Lat Pull Downs- 5 sets of 12
Workout A2
Work up to Max Triple in the bench Press
Squat 5X5
Leg Press- 3 sets of 15
Ab rollouts- 5 sets
ham glute curls- 3 sets
Dumbell/barbell bench Press- 5 Sets of 10
T Bar Rows- 5 sets of 12
Workout B2
Work up to Max Triple in the Deadlift
Military Press- 5X5
Dumbell Press- 3 sets
Lateral Raises- 3 sets
Tricep Extensions- 3 sets
Chin Ups- 5 sets
Lat Pull Downs- 2 sets
Good Mornings- 5 Sets of 10
Leg Raises- 3 sets
Strength Training Athletes as a Part of their General Physical Preparation (GPP)
The most important thing that you must remember while training athletes is that for them strength training is a part of their general preparation and therefore secondary to actual sports practice. Now in certain stages strength training may become more important but in general athletes cannot devote a very great part of their time and energy to strength training.
The purpose of strength training for athletes is three fold-
1. To increase their maximum strength to a level that strength is no longer the limiting factor in athletic performance. Both in my experience and in training literature when the athlete's maximum force production is 4 times that of the amount expected during athletic performance, strength is no longer the factor that limits performance.
For example an elite shot putter generates somewhere around 700-800 newtons of force while throwing, That means the athlete has to be capable of producing around 3200 newtons of force in the various movements related to the shot put in a maximum attempt for one repetition. This works out to roughly a 500 pound bench press and a 600 pound squat, which is pretty much the strength level of elite shot putters.
Now there may or may not be benefits to getting stronger than this depending upon the weight of the implement used, the carryover that the athlete experiences from strength training etc. This is why shot putters typically do very well while increasing their strength, since the implement is heavy and shot putters are generally bigger and taller. In contrast the discus throw does not respond nearly as well to strength training, as both the implement is lighter and the athletes smaller. But the basic point remains that you have to increase your strength such that the required force is 25% or below of your max.
Now keep in mind these have to be in exercises that have a high carryover to the sport. And these may or may not be the classic barbell lifts, though more often than not they are. In any case it is better to start a beginner with a classic squat, bench, deadlift, front squat, military press, power clean and chin up program. Then over time you can figure out what exercises are working and what are not.
Here are a list of exercises I find work very well for the sports I am involved in coaching people in-
- Sprinting- Squat, RDL, Reverse Hypers, Chin Ups, Heavy Wheel Barrow Walks, Sled Dragging, Pistol Squats, Barbell Lunges, Chin Ups, Push ups, Hanging Leg raises and Dumbell Overhead press.
- Kettlebell Lifters- Deadlift from 8 inches off the ground, Full Squat, barbell Military Press, Kroc Rows, Chin Ups, farmer's walks, one arm carrys, waiter walks, turkish get ups, ab rollouts.
- Jumpers- Back Squat, hip belt squat, front squat, good mornings, kettlebell swings, weighted jumps of various sorts with a kettlebell held in the hands, hopping drills with a weighted vest, jump squats with a weighted vest on, power cleans, hanging leg raises, decline sit ups, chin ups and dips.
- Throwers- Back Squat, Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, military Press, Chin Ups, Dumbell Rows, T Bar Rows, Front Squat, Side Bends, Turkish Get Ups, Ab Rollouts.
- Cricketers (batters and bowlers)- back Squat, Bench Press, Military Press, Deadlift, power clean, turkish get up, pallof press, chin ups, t bar rows, weighted jumps, wheel barrow walking.
- Football players (Soccer)- Front Squat, Deadlift, Power Clean, Pistol Squats, Ab Rollouts, hanging leg raises, Bench press, T bar rows, reverse and forward sled dragging.
Another thing you want to ensure is that the gains in strength are coming from primarily structural changes. This is very simply because functional gains in strength training may or may not transfer well to the sport, but generally structural changes caused using relevant movements carry over really Well. Ultimately as an athlete advances his gains will become more and more specific to the strength training exercise. Which is why you must focus on increasing both the maximal and repetition strength of athletes. I think 3-6RMs work well for athletes, plus a lot of repetition and dynamic effort work.
Secondly, perform movements in a fashion to maximize sport performance, not the weight used in the movement itself. Remember there are no points for the actual bench press you have if your actual strength for the shot put is lacking. Therefore arching your way to a bigger bench or using more leg drive is sub optimal for a shot putter.
Thirdly, you have to program differently for athletes. Ultimately if you have the time and the ability to train in season, (like with high school athletes) use undulating or linear models. Keep it basic and try to keep the frequency low. Remember athletes have a great workload and therefore recovery must be optimized. If you don't have more than 16 weeks I think conjugate training is the best way to go about things. It will cause sizable increases in strength and will maintain other qualities.
2. To prevent Injuries. All athletes endure a lot of stress and shock to the joints. As a result tendon and ligament injuries, muscle tears are all very common. This is another reason to build strong and thick ligaments and tendons as well as build quality muscle.
In addition to this it is important to maintain muscle balance in the athlete. Most athletes will have certain movements that they will repeat over and over again. Over time these will cause muscular imbalances and tightness in certain muscles. It is important to counteract this with mobility work and foam rolling as well as developing the antagonists and the smaller structures supporting the working joints.
3. To achieve the correct body type the athlete needs for his/her frame and sport by adding muscle where required.
For example a 6 foot tall discus thrower should probably weigh around 80-90kgs and have a hugely muscled torso. A 6 foot tall shot putter should weigh around 100-120kgs with a lot of shoulder and torso size, and huge legs. A 6 foot powerlifter should be around 120-130kgs and needs to be developed pretty much everywhere. Your training needs to reflect this.
Here is a sample routine I use with beginner sprinters, mostly 16-18 years old with 2-3 months of training experience-
3 workouts a week. I typically run this routine for 6-9 months depending upon how the sprinter responds. Don't switch the routine if the athlete is still responding.
Workout 1
Deadlift-
5 reps with 75%
4 reps with 80%
3 reps with 85%
2 reps with 90%
1 rep with 95%
I add 2 kgs to each set every week. This goes on until this can be done really. When the trainee is unable to complete any of the sets, we estimate the new max and start over the next week. A trainee typically adds 10-15 kgs every cycle.
Squat-
2 sets of 6 with 60%
3 sets of 6 with 75%
Again I add 2 kgs every week. When the trainee is unable to complete the sets with a certain weight, we stay at that weight until he or she can.
Reverse hypers- 3 sets of 15
Barbell Lunges- 3 sets of 8
Hanging Leg Raises- 3 sets
Ab rollouts 1 set
Chin Ups- Laadders
Push Ups- Ladders
Workout 2 (Done Outdoors)
Heavy Wheelbarrow walk- 5 sets of 10m add weight whenever possible
Forward Sled Draggng- 3 sets of 50m
Reverse Sled Dragging- 3 sets of 50m
Sideways Dragging- 2 sets of 30m each side
Dragging Forward with rope held between and through the legs- 3 sets of 50m
Jumps Holding a kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Squat Jumps with a Kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
backwards Throw with a kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Broad Jump With Kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Hopping on both feet with kettlebell- 3 sets of 10m
KB Swings- 3 sets of 12
Turkish Get ups- 3 sets of 6 per side
Workout 3
Squat-
5 reps with 75%
4 reps with 80%
3 reps with 85%
2 reps with 90%
1 rep with 95%
Deadlift
2 sets of 6 with 60%
3 sets of 6 with 75%
Again I add 2 kgs every week. When the trainee is unable to complete the sets with a certain weight, we stay at that weight until he or she can.
Weighted Hypers- 3sets
Pistol Squats- 3 sets
Hanging Leg Raises- 3 sets
Ab Rollouts- 1 set
Weighted Push ups- 3 sets of 10
Weighted Chin Ups- 3 sets of 10
Adjusting Training For Females-
In its essence strength training for men and women is similar, in the sense you must use fundamental compound movements to get strong and progressively add weight over time. It should go without saying that all the usual principles we have discussed in the first post in this series applies for women as well. However there are 5 main things you must look at when training a female vis a vis a male:
1. Women have a greater proportion of slow twitch muscle fibers than men of comparable training standard. Due to this, women will be able to do more repetitions with weights in any percentage of their max. For example if a man can do 3 reps with 90% a woman of comparable training can probably do 5 or even 6 or 7 reps with her 90%.
This means that woman can also tolerate a higher total volume at any given percentage than men can. But on the flipside, women seem to hit their max rather suddenly as they may look fine and strong with say 100kgs but may be completely unable to hit 102kgs. So it is important to be Conservative in estimating maxes for women as well as the increments that have to be made to the lifts. It would be useful to invest in half and quarter kg plates so that smaller increments can be made.
Also it is important to have a decent amount of explosive movements in a female's training as it helps improve the activation of the fast twitch muscle fibers.
2. Women have a lesser number of muscle fibers then men in the same muscle groups. For example if a man has 40,000 muscle fibers in his bicep a woman of comparable training may have 20,000. This leads to an important understanding- it is harder for women to get stronger by neural adaptations, as the scope of increased recruitment is limited.
It does not mean that it does not happen, on the contrary it happens even at the most elite levels. But in order for this to happen a woman requires a greater amount of practice with the technique than a man would, as the adaptation is slower. Conversely it also means that extremely heavy loads will lead to quicker stagnation (over 95%). So a lot of heavy practice must be done, but you must generally stay away from 95% plus if you can help it. This is true for men too but the hole of CNS fatigue digs deeper and faster in women.
3. Due to hormonal reasons women in general have lesser muscle than men and have a harder time gaining muscle. This hormonal environment also puts them at greater risk for weakening of the joint structures and of the bones.
4. Women have poor leverages and lesser natural strength in the upper body than men. The difference in squatting and leg based movements in not as much. Back strength depends upon the individual.
5. Menstrual cycles have to be accounted for in training. A woman will be strongest during and immediately after ovulation. Her strength will drop during the PMS phase. Rather than forcing hard training at this stage, it is better to program a drop in intensity for a week or so every four weeks. This is a practice that is useful even for men, but with woman can be a lifesaver. A lot of general activity should be undertaken during this phase and you can just do your usual workouts with lesser weight and reps per set. This will slowly develop tolerance in the body to working during menstruation and over time the difference in strength will become minimal. Also do not forget to take advantage of the post ovulation strength spike, by programming your hardest training weeks around ovulation. Work with the flow of the body not against it.
The primary take away points are-
- Women can do a lot more volume at higher percentages then men can.
- Women need to make smaller increments in weights and generally be wary while moving up. Also avoid moving past 95% or so if you can help it. A good rule of thumb is to always use weights that can be tripled. Work from 3-6RM numbers in regular training.
- Women need to do a lot more volume and hypertrophy work as muscle size is the biggest weak link.
-. Women can and should perform more practice work with decently heavy weight to maximize strength.
- Women need more explosive training to maintain fast twitch mass.
- Women need to do a lot more upper body work then men.
- Women tend to respond better to lesser sets and more reps in their hypertrophy work and a generally greater variety of exercises then men, due to their physiology and tendency to burnout in any one movement if over done. In terms of assistance work think like a bodybuilder.
- The hardest weeks should be around ovulation and the easiest around menstruation.
As a side note of advice, while I am not sure of the greatness of the westside template for people at large, I know that it works incredibly well with female athletes, more than it has for my male athletes. The only other program that has given comparable returns to my female trainees has been the 5-3-1 system, which is also awesome. I make the women on 5-3-1 do 4-5 singles with their training max (Joker sets) after their PR sets every workout though. Please note that I never cross the training max.
Adjusting Training For Older Athletes-
The basic training is the same for younger and older lifters. A few things to keep in mind are-
1. Older lifter have a lowered testosterone and growth hormone production. Therefor they need a higher volume with decent weights to spike growth. Generally more lactic acid work will help and classic programs like the 20rep Squat should be used to stimulate the endocrine system. In general older trainees need to do more hypertrophy work.
Special emphasis should be given to diet and supplementation. Vit E, Fish Oil and Gokshura should be used liberally. It is also advisable to eat smaller meals by the same token as the metabolism is not as high, and smaller meals will spike growth hormone levels over time. However make sure that an adequate number of calories are being consumed and the diet has plenty of mineral content.
2. Bone and joint health must be maintained. Supramaximal lifts like heavy partials should be done to build the skeleton and ultra high repetition light movements like band tricep pressdowns and lat pulldowns must be done to build the tendons and keep the joints supple. I generally like to work 1 movement every day for 2 sets of 50 reps after the main workout as a way to both cool down and help the joints.
3. Build mobility, flexibility and tissue quality. Very simply ease of movement and pain management is the key. Make the effort to add a lot of stretching movements and take the effort to foam roll thoroughly every single day. If possible get a weekly full body massage and do other things to relax the muscles like steam baths and salt baths. Go swimming to open up the joints, walk outside and move on the ground to develop mobility. A lot of outdoor groundwork drills must be present. Taking up basic yoga like surya namaskar etc is not a bad idea. Take the joints through a full range of motion.
4. Simplify the heavy lifting but keep it intact and progressive. Gaining strength and staying strong is the most important thing for an older lifter. However adaptation is a little slower so you may want to use a sensible frequency. I have also found that basic old fashioned liner periodization over 8-10 week cycles and double progression training works best for older lifters.
5. Emphasize exercises that promote stability in the joints and prevent burnout. Try to make more and more of your assistance work based on dumbbells and bodyweight exercises.
6. Building a base of cardiovascular fitness is important. I suggest slow cardio once a week, intervals once a week and serious HIIT once a week, combined with daily walks outside.
7. Avoid impact work. Try to avoid hard landings and joint stress if you can help it. For example sled work can replace sprinting, box jumps can replace regular jumps, cycling can replace jogging etc.
8. Work extra hard on the hamstrings and mid section as the knees and back are the main problem areas as you get older.
9. Do not let the trainee get fat. Just do not. It is too difficult to lose fat when you are older and very simply the real solution is to not get fat in the first place. If your trainee is anything over 18% bodyfat, get him down to 15% as soon as you can. For women 23% is the number.
Injured Lifters
1. The first thing you must do is identify if you are hurt or just in pain. Every serious trainee will experience pain, even debilitating pain in their training. This is no reason to stop training. You have to figure out what you can do for that area with minimal pain, and do it. Figure out what the problem is and fix it. When in doubt go to a doctor and find out if you are actually injured.
2. Do not stop training the rest of the body. Figure out the compound movements you can do for the rest of the body and focus more there. Vigorous exercise will accelerate healing as long as it does not compound the injury. For example if you have injured your shoulder, you can do hyper extensions, hip belt squats, leg press, ham glute raises, 1 leg squats, decline sit ups, one arm push ups, one arm military presses, sled dragging with belt etc etc. Be imaginative.
In case of a limb injury do not discount unilateral work. It will make sure you get back quicker when the injury is healed. Think of this as an opportunity to specialize elsewhere. In case of torso injuries, like spinal injuries, cable work, isometrics and resistance bands will enable you to continue training most of the major muscle groups.
3. Focus on restoring mobility to the injured area. Go to a physio if you don't know how to. Generally pick a compound movement and see how much ROM you can handle. Then do ridiculously high rep work with light weights, gradually increasing the ROM every 20 reps or so.
For example in a shoulder injury let us say you cant get your arms over head. Do a one arm arnold press with 10 pounds and just get the weight till your forehead. Do this for 20 reps. Then slowly try to go one inch higher for 20 more reps. Maybe another inch and call it a day. Then next workout start with pressing the dumbbell one inch above your forehead. Do these kind of light drills for the injured area every 3-4 days. This of course assumes that surgical intervention is not required. If it is, just get it done and go to a physio for a while before doing any of this.
4. Build the supportive structures around the injured area. Do tons of short ROM single joint exercises to build all the muscles around the joint. Focus on balanced muscular development and do extra work for the smaller stabilizer muscles. This will also build the tendons. Do movements that do not restrict the joint path. Therefore dumbells and D handle cable work is awesome for this.
For example, if the shoulder is injured, do lateral raises, front raises, bicep curls, tennis backhand cable extensions, french presses, elbow out rows, elbow in rows, one arm lat pulldowns, quarter military presses with dumbells, external and internal rotation with cables etc
5. Once you are confident of getting back into your primary movements start light and progress slow. Build volume first then intensity. Try to use as many closed chain kinetic movements as possible for the first couple of months and maintain the supportive work for the stabilizer muscles and small stuff.
For example in the case of a shoulder injury, let us say you have started military pressing and bench pressing once a week each. You could do 3 sets of 5 with 50% of your old max in each, followed by pushups and rotator cuff work, rows and pull downs. Every workout increase the reps by 2 until you are doing 3 sets of 13 with 50%. Then add 5 pounds each workout and reduce reps whenever it gets too hard until you end up doing something like 3 reps with your old max. This first linear cycle will be long, longer than you are accustomed to, 20-24 weeks is how I plan it. After that you can resume your normal training.
6. Eat a lot, make sure you are getting plenty of minerals and build a base of cardiovascular fitness. A good cardiovascular system will greatly accelerate healing.
Functional And Structural Adaptation-
Strength training of any kind leads to adaptations in the body in order to make the body stronger. These adaptations are of two types- functional and structural.
Structural changes are changes in the actual structures of the body. This includes muscular hypertrophy (growth in muscle size), thickening of tendons and ligaments, increase in the bursa capacity in the joints, increase in the ATP capacity of the mitochondria, hypertrophy of the heart, vascularization, increase in lung capacity, vascular hypertrophy, increase in bone density, changes in body fat levels and changes in blood content.
Functional changes are adaptations that happen in the nervous system. This includes increase in muscle fiber recruitment, motor unit firing rate, inter-muscular coordination, intra-muscular coordination, development of sport skills, development of motor skills and relaxation in the inhibitory and protective mechanisms of the body.
Functional changes are the primary reason for increase in strength in the first couple of years of training. They are the primary results of dynamic effort, explosive and maximal effort training.
Structural changes are primarily the result of repetition effort training. They are also caused to a lesser degree by maximal effort training.
Training At the Intermediate Stage
An intermediate trainee is a person who has basically reached the point of minimal returns with traditional strength training. They can no longer add weight regularly or add repetitions. This is because the greater share of functional adaptations that can happen with the current body of the trainee have already happened.
This does not mean the more gains at the same muscle size and bodyweight cannot happen, but it will become increasingly harder and harder to get stronger with the same body structure. Thus an intermediate trainee needs to focus on simply causing structural adaptation. The priority list in my opinion is tendons, ligaments, joints, bones and muscles. But this really depends upon your weaknesses and previous training.
Normally it is said if strength is built, shape and size will follow. Well, now we have reached the stage where shape and size needs to be built, for more strength to come. The good news is, if you have trained right up until this point building shape and size will be much easier than it would have been if you started with it.
An intermediate trainee needs to sit down for the long haul and wait for the adaptation to come, not force it. The structure must be built first and only once the structure has been built will great amounts of functional adaptations happen to make you significantly stronger. A combination of repetition training and maximal training will build the body up for greater strength. The basic checklist for a intermediate trainee is-
1. Focus more on repetition effort training. Get in more volume for all your body parts and build the base of muscle and tendon strength.
2. Consistently perform Maximal effort work. Do not force PRs, wait for the repetition effort work to do its thing, and then the PRs will come rolling.
3. Use big basic compound movements to build size and strength. Just tailor them to focus more on working the muscle, rather than moving weight. For example start squatting deeper, start doing more RDLs, bench with a close grip and with a lesser arch, start pausing in the bottom of movements etc.
Understand why you are doing an exercise- to move weight or to build muscle? This way you will know exactly how to do it.
4. Eat to win. You are trying to gain muscle.
5. Work on your weaknesses. Don't be completely anti isolation movements. They can help force work onto a weak muscle group so that they work harder during main exercises.
6. Set and target a variety of rep records in a variety of exercises. Go for 5-10 RM and keep breaking them. Objectify your muscle building goals into repetition records. For example if you want big quads and you want to weigh 200 pounds eventually, a good eventual goal could be squatting 405 pounds for one set of 20 reps. Set balanced goals, for example:
-Squat 405pounds for 20 reps
-Bench Press 250 pounds for 20 reps
-T Bar Rows 185 pounds for 20 reps
-Military Press 165 pounds for 20 reps
-Chin Ups with 25 pounds for 20 reps
-40 50m hill sprints in under 30mins
-45 degree decline sit ups with 45 pounds held behind the head for 20 reps
7. Make recovery a number one priority. Sleep, stretch, foam roll and optimize your frequency.
8. Learn to get more out of less.
9. Start light and progress slow. Take your time to build muscle and might. Think power building not muscle building.
Here is an example of a good training system for intermediate trainees that I frequently use-
Train 3 times a week. It is a 4 workout cycle. You will repeat the cycle 3 times in four weeks.
Workout A1
Work up to a Max triple in the back Squat (Keep breaking PRs)
Bench Press 5X5 (2 warm up sets and 3 work sets, add weight whenever you can do all three sets for 5 reps)
Chins and Dips- total 50 reps each. If you can do it in less than 4 sets each, add weight.
Push ups- 2-3 sets
Dumbbell Curls- 3 sets
Kroc Rows
Squats- 5 sets of 10 with 60-70%
Sit ups
Workout B1
Work up to Max Triple in the Military Press
Deadlift 5X5
Good Mornings- 3 sets of 6
Reverse hypers 2 sets
Dumbbell Side Bends- 2 sets
Hanging Leg Raises- 2 sets
Bridges- 2 sets
Military Press- 5 sets of 10 with 60-70%
Lat Pull Downs- 5 sets of 12
Workout A2
Work up to Max Triple in the bench Press
Squat 5X5
Leg Press- 3 sets of 15
Ab rollouts- 5 sets
ham glute curls- 3 sets
Dumbell/barbell bench Press- 5 Sets of 10
T Bar Rows- 5 sets of 12
Workout B2
Work up to Max Triple in the Deadlift
Military Press- 5X5
Dumbell Press- 3 sets
Lateral Raises- 3 sets
Tricep Extensions- 3 sets
Chin Ups- 5 sets
Lat Pull Downs- 2 sets
Good Mornings- 5 Sets of 10
Leg Raises- 3 sets
Strength Training Athletes as a Part of their General Physical Preparation (GPP)
The most important thing that you must remember while training athletes is that for them strength training is a part of their general preparation and therefore secondary to actual sports practice. Now in certain stages strength training may become more important but in general athletes cannot devote a very great part of their time and energy to strength training.
The purpose of strength training for athletes is three fold-
1. To increase their maximum strength to a level that strength is no longer the limiting factor in athletic performance. Both in my experience and in training literature when the athlete's maximum force production is 4 times that of the amount expected during athletic performance, strength is no longer the factor that limits performance.
For example an elite shot putter generates somewhere around 700-800 newtons of force while throwing, That means the athlete has to be capable of producing around 3200 newtons of force in the various movements related to the shot put in a maximum attempt for one repetition. This works out to roughly a 500 pound bench press and a 600 pound squat, which is pretty much the strength level of elite shot putters.
Now there may or may not be benefits to getting stronger than this depending upon the weight of the implement used, the carryover that the athlete experiences from strength training etc. This is why shot putters typically do very well while increasing their strength, since the implement is heavy and shot putters are generally bigger and taller. In contrast the discus throw does not respond nearly as well to strength training, as both the implement is lighter and the athletes smaller. But the basic point remains that you have to increase your strength such that the required force is 25% or below of your max.
Now keep in mind these have to be in exercises that have a high carryover to the sport. And these may or may not be the classic barbell lifts, though more often than not they are. In any case it is better to start a beginner with a classic squat, bench, deadlift, front squat, military press, power clean and chin up program. Then over time you can figure out what exercises are working and what are not.
Here are a list of exercises I find work very well for the sports I am involved in coaching people in-
- Sprinting- Squat, RDL, Reverse Hypers, Chin Ups, Heavy Wheel Barrow Walks, Sled Dragging, Pistol Squats, Barbell Lunges, Chin Ups, Push ups, Hanging Leg raises and Dumbell Overhead press.
- Kettlebell Lifters- Deadlift from 8 inches off the ground, Full Squat, barbell Military Press, Kroc Rows, Chin Ups, farmer's walks, one arm carrys, waiter walks, turkish get ups, ab rollouts.
- Jumpers- Back Squat, hip belt squat, front squat, good mornings, kettlebell swings, weighted jumps of various sorts with a kettlebell held in the hands, hopping drills with a weighted vest, jump squats with a weighted vest on, power cleans, hanging leg raises, decline sit ups, chin ups and dips.
- Throwers- Back Squat, Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, military Press, Chin Ups, Dumbell Rows, T Bar Rows, Front Squat, Side Bends, Turkish Get Ups, Ab Rollouts.
- Cricketers (batters and bowlers)- back Squat, Bench Press, Military Press, Deadlift, power clean, turkish get up, pallof press, chin ups, t bar rows, weighted jumps, wheel barrow walking.
- Football players (Soccer)- Front Squat, Deadlift, Power Clean, Pistol Squats, Ab Rollouts, hanging leg raises, Bench press, T bar rows, reverse and forward sled dragging.
Another thing you want to ensure is that the gains in strength are coming from primarily structural changes. This is very simply because functional gains in strength training may or may not transfer well to the sport, but generally structural changes caused using relevant movements carry over really Well. Ultimately as an athlete advances his gains will become more and more specific to the strength training exercise. Which is why you must focus on increasing both the maximal and repetition strength of athletes. I think 3-6RMs work well for athletes, plus a lot of repetition and dynamic effort work.
Secondly, perform movements in a fashion to maximize sport performance, not the weight used in the movement itself. Remember there are no points for the actual bench press you have if your actual strength for the shot put is lacking. Therefore arching your way to a bigger bench or using more leg drive is sub optimal for a shot putter.
Thirdly, you have to program differently for athletes. Ultimately if you have the time and the ability to train in season, (like with high school athletes) use undulating or linear models. Keep it basic and try to keep the frequency low. Remember athletes have a great workload and therefore recovery must be optimized. If you don't have more than 16 weeks I think conjugate training is the best way to go about things. It will cause sizable increases in strength and will maintain other qualities.
2. To prevent Injuries. All athletes endure a lot of stress and shock to the joints. As a result tendon and ligament injuries, muscle tears are all very common. This is another reason to build strong and thick ligaments and tendons as well as build quality muscle.
In addition to this it is important to maintain muscle balance in the athlete. Most athletes will have certain movements that they will repeat over and over again. Over time these will cause muscular imbalances and tightness in certain muscles. It is important to counteract this with mobility work and foam rolling as well as developing the antagonists and the smaller structures supporting the working joints.
3. To achieve the correct body type the athlete needs for his/her frame and sport by adding muscle where required.
For example a 6 foot tall discus thrower should probably weigh around 80-90kgs and have a hugely muscled torso. A 6 foot tall shot putter should weigh around 100-120kgs with a lot of shoulder and torso size, and huge legs. A 6 foot powerlifter should be around 120-130kgs and needs to be developed pretty much everywhere. Your training needs to reflect this.
Here is a sample routine I use with beginner sprinters, mostly 16-18 years old with 2-3 months of training experience-
3 workouts a week. I typically run this routine for 6-9 months depending upon how the sprinter responds. Don't switch the routine if the athlete is still responding.
Workout 1
Deadlift-
5 reps with 75%
4 reps with 80%
3 reps with 85%
2 reps with 90%
1 rep with 95%
I add 2 kgs to each set every week. This goes on until this can be done really. When the trainee is unable to complete any of the sets, we estimate the new max and start over the next week. A trainee typically adds 10-15 kgs every cycle.
Squat-
2 sets of 6 with 60%
3 sets of 6 with 75%
Again I add 2 kgs every week. When the trainee is unable to complete the sets with a certain weight, we stay at that weight until he or she can.
Reverse hypers- 3 sets of 15
Barbell Lunges- 3 sets of 8
Hanging Leg Raises- 3 sets
Ab rollouts 1 set
Chin Ups- Laadders
Push Ups- Ladders
Workout 2 (Done Outdoors)
Heavy Wheelbarrow walk- 5 sets of 10m add weight whenever possible
Forward Sled Draggng- 3 sets of 50m
Reverse Sled Dragging- 3 sets of 50m
Sideways Dragging- 2 sets of 30m each side
Dragging Forward with rope held between and through the legs- 3 sets of 50m
Jumps Holding a kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Squat Jumps with a Kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
backwards Throw with a kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Broad Jump With Kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Hopping on both feet with kettlebell- 3 sets of 10m
KB Swings- 3 sets of 12
Turkish Get ups- 3 sets of 6 per side
Workout 3
Squat-
5 reps with 75%
4 reps with 80%
3 reps with 85%
2 reps with 90%
1 rep with 95%
Deadlift
2 sets of 6 with 60%
3 sets of 6 with 75%
Again I add 2 kgs every week. When the trainee is unable to complete the sets with a certain weight, we stay at that weight until he or she can.
Weighted Hypers- 3sets
Pistol Squats- 3 sets
Hanging Leg Raises- 3 sets
Ab Rollouts- 1 set
Weighted Push ups- 3 sets of 10
Weighted Chin Ups- 3 sets of 10
