No time for the gym

Trojan

I haven't been able to make it to the gym very often lately, and I'm wondering what I can do about it.

The main problem is that I do plenty of cardio in sport outside the gym - lots of cycling, running and tip rugby, and some climbing and most recently sailing. I get no time to get to the gym and do a serious resistance sessions. I've noticed loss of bulk (going catabolic?), which doesn't bode well for the front row come next September.

One of the reasons I find it hard to get time is that I know a proper session will knock me out of using that body area for the next 3 days, so on the rare occasions that I do have the opportunity I pass it up knowing that e.g. a good back & shoulders workout will completely take out my ability to go cycling/climbing/sailing over the next few days, and will hinder everything else. I don't even bother with leg workouts at the moment, sprints & hill climbs on the bike provide quite a good workout. Arms, back and upper body are suffering a little bit. I'm still keeping in touch by doing the occasional (monthly) heavy session (with the likes of logic, who is a real bastard, and a great guy to lift with )

My current thoughts are that I just need to prioritise, and resistance work just isn't up there at the top of the list for me at the moment. This isn't so much of a question, more a frustrated comment

I would appreciate any of your comments or suggestions. Anyone in the same boat?

Al.

Millionaire

Yes I am.

I do martial arts (about 2 -3 times a week) and I run my own business. A few years back I used to get to gym (for weight session + 30 min run) about 3 times a week and martial arts 2 times a week. I am no body builder and I do not want to be one, but I looked alot better muscle and build wise then, than now. I am a bit too slim/

I then to work until 7 most evenings and find it hard to commit to get to gym.

I wonder if you went to the gym once a week and did a full body session on all parts, and then 7 days later a full body work out again etc would that put on a bit of size??? for example if you committed to say every monday night religously go to the gym and pump iron for 2 hours or what ever.

i do remember seeing something once about some guy mike metzger on the web who had a system where I think you worled out once a week???? I do not know amything about it though.

would a heavy weights session once a week work does anyone know??

Trojan

Yeah, I have thought about it a little bit, and spoken to logic1 on the subject. What seems to be accepted wisdom is that 2 day splits are ok, and 3 day splits better, but full body on one day is a bad idea if you're looking to increase mass or strength. Another viewpoint is that full body workouts are for beginners. (I'm not arguing either of these views, just restating them).

If you want to seriously build mass, I found this post on Full Body vs Splits on abcbodybuilding.com:

Full body workouts are more sports specific. They're also ususally oriented around getting more power/balance/speed for a specific movement dictated by the sport.

Body builders train for solely hypertrophic purposes which will produce better results on split day routines.

There are 3 basic training principles: overload, variation, and specificity.

Overload is concerned with providing a proper stimulus for eliciting a desired physical, physiological, or performance adaptation. Overload is exercise and training that goes beyond normal levels of physical performance. An overload stimulus will have some level of strength (intensity), frequency, and duration of application. Thus, all stimuli will have a level of intensity, relative intensity (percentage of maximum), frequency, and duration (volume).

The intensity of training is associated with the rate of performing work and the rate at which energy is expended; the volume of training is a measure or estimate of how much total work is performed and the total amount of energy expended. Intensity (and relative intensity) is provided by the amount of weight lifted, and the volume of training is related to the number of repetitions and sets per exercise; the number and types of exercises used (large- versus small-muscle mass); and the number of times per day, week, month, and so on that these exercises are repeated. Volume load (repetitions ×the mass lifted) is the best estimate of the amount of work accomplished during training.

[K.C. Pierce, G.G. Haff, A.J. Koch, B.K. Schilling, and R.L. Johnson. Periodization: Effects of manipulating volume and intensity—Part 1. Strength Conditioning. 21:56–62. 1999.]

[H.S. O'Bryant, K.C. Pierce, G.G. Haff, A.J. Koch, B.K. Schilling, and R.L. Johnson. Periodization: Effects of manipulating volume and intensity—Part 2. Strength Conditioning. 21:54–60. 1999.]

[Stone, M.H., S. Plisk, M.E. Stone, B. Schilling, H.S. O'Bryant, and K.C. Pierce. Athletic performance development: Volume load—1 set vs multiple sets, training velocity and training variation. Strength Conditioning. 20(6):22–31. 1998.]

The application of training intensity and volume can be considered both in terms of the overall workout (i.e., all exercises performed during a specified period) or in terms of individual exercises. An understanding of overload factors can aid in the choice of exercises and equipment. Although programming (i.e., sets and repetitions) for a specific exercise is independent of exercise mode, the resulting total work (accomplished per session, week, month, etc.) is not independent.

Variation is concerned with appropriate manipulation in training intensity, speed of movement, volume, and exercise selection. Appropriate variation is an important consideration for the prolongation of adaptations over continuous training programs. Furthermore, appropriate sequencing of volume; intensity; and exercise selection, including speed–strength exercises, in a periodized manner can lead to superior enhancement of a variety of performance abilities.

[Kraemer, W.J. A series of studies: The physiological basis for strength training in American football: Fact over philosophy. J. Strength Conditioning Res. 11:131–142. 1997.]

[Kramer, J.B., M.H. Stone, H.S. O'Bryant, M.S. Conley, R.L. Johnson, D.C. Nieman, D.R. Honeycutt, and T.P. Hoke. Effects of single versus multiple sets of weight training: Impact of volume, intensity and variation. J. Strength Conditioning Res. 113:143–147. 1997.]

Specificity of exercise and training is the most important consideration when selecting appropriate equipment for resistance training, especially if performance enhancement is a primary goal. Specificity includes both bioenergetics and mechanics of training. This discussion will be concerned with mechanical specificity.

The transfer-of-training effect deals with the degree of performance adaptation that can result from a training exercise and is strongly related to specificity. Mechanical specificity refers to the kinetic and kinematic associations between a training exercise and a physical performance. This includes movement patterns, peak force, rate of force development, acceleration, and velocity parameters. The more similar a training exercise is to the actual physical performance, the greater the probability of transfer.

This is why poses must be observed, examined, and molded in during training.

[Sale, D.G. Neural adaptation to strength training. In:. Strength Power in Sport. P.V. Komi, ed. London, Blackwell Scientific. 1992.pp. 249–265.]

[Saunders, M.T. A comparison of two methods of training on the development of muscular strength and endurance. J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther. Spring:210–213. 1980.]

[R.A. Motor Learning Performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1991.]

Siff and Verkhoshansky refer to transfer-of-training effect as “dynamic correspondence”; that is, the basic mechanics, but not necessarily the outward appearance, of training movements should be similar to those of the athlete's sport performance. They suggest a number of considerations and performance criteria that can be used in selecting training modes (and methods) that can maximize the transfer-of-training effect.

[Siff, M.C., and Y.V. Verkhoshansky. Supertraining: Strength Training for Sporting Excellence. (3rd ed.). Johannesburg, South Africa: University of the Witwatersrand. 1998.]

In terms of performance, the criteria are as follows: accentuated regions of force production, amplitude and direction of movement, dynamics of effort (i.e., static versus dynamic characteristics of the movement and appropriate power output), rate and time of maximum force production, regime of muscular work (eccentric versus concentric muscle actions).

The fourth criteria, dealing with rate of force production, is especially important in selecting exercises for the training of explosive athletic movements. Mechanical specificity has been extensively studied as it affects strength-training exercise.

(found in this search)

logic1

Heya Al,

Bit of a problem alright. Regarding the Mike Mentzer issue he had alot of radical ideas very often backed by little or no science.

He's belived to be the forfather of 'heavy duty' and 'HIT' techiques. These involve training a bodypart once or less (as per calves in 'Heavy Duty') per week.

However for most people these techniques don't work and it was believed even Mentzer didn't follow his own philosophies.

Alot of his 'HIT' techniques were modified and are constantly used now to good effect but for any individual past basic training a full body split once a week would be for the most part pointless.

Total beginners often full a once a week full body split but this quickly becomes counter productive once the body adapts to the rigours of muscle stress and recovery.

As for your predicament Al I'm afraid to me it looks like a case of something having to suffer. Right now the weights are suffering 100% which is obviously undesireable due to your position on the Rugby team. The problem being if you bring the weights sessions back up to a level which will be beneficial to you, at an already quite advanced general fitness level you'll need to drop one of the other activities.

What may be beneficial as a compromise is to train for a more lean, explosive power type of physique. Instead of concentrating on strength and size focus on a circuit training type of routine involving mostly own bodyweight type exercises.

A typical circuit might comprise of press ups, situps, chins, dips, HIIT sprints and light to medium weight work.

This should provide minimal muscle pain and still prepare you physically for a season ahead. You can even go weighted on the chins and dips if you feel you need to.

This type of routine can get you strong, increase stamina and cardio fitness and increase explosive power.

But in the position you play mass and strength is always going to be a distinct advantage which can only be gained from heavy weights sessions.

.logic.

Guv

Everybody has time to train if they want it enough. You could train on a Saturday and Sunday at 9am after having bought and read the papers at 7am so there is always time just a case of how much you want it. Do not look for excuses look for opportunities. I work for myself to and have had to make time and now have a schedule which works. It involves odd hours like working at 11pm or later but then being able to get to the gym at 10am the next day etc.

As for Mentzer he was all about marketing and some of his crazy theories involved drinking your own urine to counteract your body flushing important nutrients. Umm, that's one shake we can do without!