Determinants of Muscle Size

Apart from muscle fiber type, various factors influence muscle size (see Figure 7-1). Although some factors cannot be controlled, two factors that we can control are exercise and nutrition habits (Chapters 3, 4, and 11).

 

♦ If using resistance machines, adjust the pads to fit your body size.
This is very important since the pads support you during the lift.
Keep your head level and eyes focused straight ahead.

♦ Lifts should be slow, smooth, and controlled. Lift the weight
for at least 2 seconds and lower the weight for at least 4 seconds
to ensure that your muscle, not momentum, moves the weight.

♦ Exhale during the exertion (moving the weight against gravity),
and inhale when returning to the start position. Holding your
breath (Valsalva maneuver) causes extremely high increases in
blood pressure and can damage the cardiovascular system. Never
hold your breath while exercising!

♦ Always use a spotter when lifting free weights.

The most common training errors occur when people focus on lifting the weight rather than focusing on stabilizing themselves and controlling the weight. The best way to avoid training mistakes is to ask a staff member at the gym to teach you new exercises and to suggest the best exercises for you based on your fitness level and goals. See Appendix C for examples of common errors in training techniques.

FITT Principle Guidelines

Once you are comfortable with the basic training techniques for performing strength exercises, follow the FITT Principle, illustrated in the Physical Activity Pyramid (Chapter 4, Figure 4-2), to set up your routine. The FITT guidelines for strength training are:

♦ Frequency - 2 to 3 times per week for each major muscle group on
non-consecutive days.

♦ Intensity - the total weight lifted or the resistance.

♦ Time - the duration of the exercise.

♦ Type - equipment used and the exercises performed.

Two terms you need to know are repetition (rep) and set. A repetition is a single lifting and lowering of the weight. For example, one rep of a leg curl is equivalent to lifting your ankle toward your buttocks, pausing one second, then returning your ankle to the start position. A set is the number of reps performed without stopping to rest. For example, if you perform 10 leg curls, rest for 60 seconds, followed by another 10 leg curls, you would have performed 2 sets, each of 10 leg curls. When recording the number of sets and reps performed, write "sets x reps" (e.g., 2x10 for the leg curl example above).

 

Intensity of Exercise

Focus on the intensity of your training only after you have perfected your lifting form. The basis of strength training is to gradually increase the amount of weight that you lift during training to ultimately increase the amount of force your muscles are capable of generating. This is called progressively overloading the muscle to achieve gains in strength without causing injury. The following intensity guidelines for general strength gains are for beginners, for people who are restarting their routines after a break, or for people learning new exercises.

♦ Once your form is perfected (page 58), gradually increase the
weight you are lifting until you reach a weight that you can lift
only 12 times with good form. If you can perform 13 or more reps
with relative ease, increase the weight. Conversely, if you cannot
perform 12 reps while maintaining proper form, decrease the
weight. Finding this 12-rep weight will be trial and error at first.
Be patient and gradually increase the weight to avoid straining
or injuring yourself.

♦ Your 12-rep weight will increase as you gain strength, so increase
the weight you are lifting appropriately (by no more than 10% per
week).

♦ Start a training routine consisting of one to two sets of 12 reps
for each major muscle group (defined in ^“Type of Exercise" on
page 61). Perform this routine for at least eight weeks.

A long-term strength routine of one to two sets of 12 reps is excellent for maintaining and increasing general strength, even beyond the first eight weeks of training. In addition, this type of routine only takes roughly 30 minutes to perform. Once you have developed a solid strength and endurance base you may be interested in pursuing more specific training goals. In general, the following guidelines apply to the various types of strength training goals:

♦ Muscle endurance - two to three sets, 12-15 reps (with a weight
that cannot be lifted more than 15 times); 30-60 seconds rest
between sets.

♦ Muscle hypertrophy (increase in muscle mass) - three to six sets,
eight to 12 reps (with a weight that cannot be lifted more than 12
times); 30-90 seconds rest between sets.

♦ Muscle strength - three to five sets, two to eight reps (with a
weight that cannot be lifted more than eight times); at least 120
seconds rest between sets.

 

Intensity of Exercise

Focus on the intensity of your training only after you have perfected your lifting form. The basis of strength training is to gradually increase the amount of weight that you lift during training to ultimately increase the amount of force your muscles are capable of generating. This is called progressively overloading the muscle to achieve gains in strength without causing injury. The following intensity guidelines for general strength gains are for beginners, for people who are restarting their routines after a break, or for people learning new exercises.

♦ Once your form is perfected (page 58), gradually increase the
weight you are lifting until you reach a weight that you can lift
only 12 times with good form. If you can perform 13 or more reps
with relative ease, increase the weight. Conversely, if you cannot
perform 12 reps while maintaining proper form, decrease the
weight. Finding this 12-rep weight will be trial and error at first.
Be patient and gradually increase the weight to avoid straining
or injuring yourself.

♦ Your 12-rep weight will increase as you gain strength, so increase
the weight you are lifting appropriately (by no more than 10% per
week).

♦ Start a training routine consisting of one to two sets of 12 reps
for each major muscle group (defined in ^“Type of Exercise" on
page 61). Perform this routine for at least eight weeks.

A long-term strength routine of one to two sets of 12 reps is excellent for maintaining and increasing general strength, even beyond the first eight weeks of training. In addition, this type of routine only takes roughly 30 minutes to perform. Once you have developed a solid strength and endurance base you may be interested in pursuing more specific training goals. In general, the following guidelines apply to the various types of strength training goals:

♦ Muscle endurance - two to three sets, 12-15 reps (with a weight
that cannot be lifted more than 15 times); 30-60 seconds rest
between sets.

♦ Muscle hypertrophy (increase in muscle mass) - three to six sets,
eight to 12 reps (with a weight that cannot be lifted more than 12
times); 30-90 seconds rest between sets.

♦ Muscle strength - three to five sets, two to eight reps (with a
weight that cannot be lifted more than eight times); at least 120
seconds rest between sets.

 

Type of Exercise

Muscle balance refers to the strength ratio of opposing muscle groups across a common joint; i.e., the biceps and triceps muscles in the upper arm. By performing exercises that target the opposing muscle groups across the joints, you improve the function of the joints and reduce your risks for injury. With this in mind, select at least one exercise for each of the major muscle groups. The major muscle groups are the chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs, lower back, and abdominals. (See Worksheet B-2.)

Biceps (active)

Biceps (inactive)

Triceps (active)

Triceps (inactive)

From Harmon, E. The biomechanics of resistance exercise. In Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Baechle, TR. (Ed.). Human Kinetics. Champaign, Il. 1994. p.20.

With respect to exercise order, perform multi-joint
exercises (e.g., squats) before single-joint exercises (e.g.,
leg curl). To determine which exercises are multi- versus
single joint exercises, watch and feel how many joints
move while you perform the exercise. An example of a ^5
multi-joint exercise is the bench press because your Bench Press _Arm C_url

upper and lower arms move at the shoulder and elbow joints, respectively. An example of a single-joint exercise is a biceps curl because only your lower arm moves at the elbow. Single-joint exercises target and fatigue the smaller muscle groups that are needed to perform multi-joint exercises. Therefore, fatiguing the smaller muscle groups by first performing single-joint exercises will alter your lifting form and decrease the amount of weight you can lift in the multi-joint exercises. Lastly, lower back and abdominal exercises should be performed at the end of your workout because these muscles are used during other exercises for balance and posture. Figure 7-2 is a diagram of the muscle groups and the exercises that target them. Pick at least one exercise per major muscle group.

Figure 7-2. Exercises for Various Muscle Groups

Chest f (Pectorals) bench presses, chest fly, dip. chest press, push-up Biceps curls (arm, preacher, hammer, concentration), chin-up, rows lat pulldown Abdominals (Rectus Abdominus and Obliques) crunches, knee raises, rotary torso Forearm (wrist flexors) wrist curls

Outer Thigh (hip abductors) hip abduction, leg raises Quadriceps leg extension, leg press, squats, lunge, step ups Inner Thigh (hip adductors) hip adduction, leg raises Shin ------

ffl CD

Neck

(Trapezius) shrug, pull-ups, rows

Shoulder

(Deltoid, Rotator Cuff) lateral raise, upright row shoulder press, bench press reverse fly, rotations

Triceps

triceps extensions, dip, push-up bench presses, kickback

Back

(Latissimus Dorsi, Lats) lat pulldown, pullover, rows pull-up

Low Back

(Erector Spinae)

back extension, superman

Forearm

(wrist extensors) reverse wrist curls

Gluteals

leg press, lunge, squats,

hip extension, glute-ham raise

rear thigh raise

Hamstring

leg curl, leg press, squats, lunge, glute-ham raise

Calf

(Gastrocnemius & Soleus) calf raise, heel raises, lunge

(Tibialis Anterior) toe raises, foot flexion with resistance

CD О

BACK VIEW

SIDE VIEW

FRONT VIEW

Use Worksheet B-2 as a template to design your workout and to record your training progress. Change the exercises you perform for each muscle group every four to eight weeks, even if you keep the same set and rep routine. Changing exercises will overload the muscles differently, increase your strength gains, and alleviate boredom. To increase their upper body strength, women should perform exercises that target the back, neck, chest, shoulders and arms (Figure 7-2).