Basic Weight Training Principles

Progressive Training
Progressive training is the idea of trying to make progress with
each and every workout. The first aspect of progressive training
is to start off slow and increase the intensity of your workouts
as you go along.

Example: If you are about to start a new training program that
calls for you to do six different exercises for five sets each,
start your first workout by doing one set of each exercise. Do
two sets of each exercise in your second workout. Keep adding one
set of each exercise each workout until you reach the full five sets.

The second aspect of progressive training is to progressively get
stronger with each workout.

Example: If you were able to do 8 reps with 200 pounds on the bench
press in your last workout, try to do 9 reps in your next workout.
Once you can do 9 reps, try to do 10 reps, then increase the weight.
If you did 3 sets of 11 pull ups in your last workout, try to do 3
sets of 12 reps in your next workout. This applies to all exercises.
Always try to do more with each and every workout. Mentally prepare
yourself and psych yourself up before you head to the gym. Tell
yourself that you are going to do more in this workout than in the
last workout. This is the way to make real progress.

Cyclical Training
It is hard to indefinitely keep up the type of intensity that is
required for real progress. To stay on the exact same routine forever
and to keep increasing the intensity level is hard to do. Your mind and
your body will rebel. You get tired and bored with your workout and you
do not feel like going to the gym. That is why it is important to train
in cycles.

Change your workout every six or eight weeks. Add some new exercises and
delete some of the old ones. You can also change the order of your
exercises. This will keep your workouts from getting tedious and boring.
Your body will respond better to a varied routine.

Instinctive Training
This is an advanced training concept. Instinctive training means going
into the gym and training according to the way you feel. In order to
apply instinctive training effectively, you need to have experience with
all of the exercises and all of the training methods for all of the body
parts. You also have to be experienced enough to have developed self
motivation. If you are still a beginner and you have to force yourself
to go to the gym everyday, then you are not experienced enough to apply
instinctive training effectively. But remember, some exercise is better
than no exercise. If you are tired and bored with your routine and you
are thinking about skipping your workout, go to the gym anyway. Tell
yourself that you are only going to do the exercises that you feel like
doing, and you are going to leave whenever you want to leave. Sometimes
you end up getting one of your best workouts ever. You are listening to
your body and responding to what it is telling you.

In Cyclical Training, we talked about training in cycles and changing
your workout every six to eight weeks. However, if you are doing a
routine that you really like and you feel like staying with it for ten
weeks or twelve weeks or even longer, then that’s what you should do.
This is another way of applying instinctive training. You can get a lot
of good training ideas from our website and other fitness websites and
books and magazines. You can also get good ideas from other people in
the gym that might have more experience than you. But in the long run,
only you are going to know what is best for your own body. When you
can learn to apply instinctive training, that’s when you will make
the best possible gains.