There are people who say that you cannot train with little equipment at home, but that is not true. With just a pair of dumbbells you can do this dumbbell routine at home that will allow you to stay in shape without leaving home

This table exercises with dumbbells at home is full body and you can do it as many times as you want throughout the week, however we believe that it is best to leave a day of rest between training and training.

There are many variables to progress in hypertrophy or strength: volume, intensity, density, rest, so let’s not make the mistake of thinking that this routine with dumbbells at home falls short because you only train three times a week. It’s the best way to lay a solid foundation to then opt for other training options that are more suited to our goals.

Guidelines:

1. Weekly Division of the Routine:

Monday: Dumbbell workout at home
Tuesday: Leg
Wednesday: Dumbbell workout at home
Thursday: Torso
Friday: Dumbbell workout at home

Although in general this routine is designed to go to the gym four days, if for some reason one week you can only go three days, you can do three days of this routine and start the following week with the training that was missing. An example would be like this.

What is active rest? It consists of taking a break from our exercise routine to do at home with dumbbells, but continuing to be active by doing some moderate activity with a moderate pace and duration. Examples of active rest: yoga or stretching session, 45-60 minute walk, foam roller routine, riding a bike… there are options for all tastes.

2. Rest between sets:

This routine has a great weight of multi-joint exercises to lower repetitions, so in order to maintain performance you have to have long rests between series. The rests are variable according to our sensations or you are afraid to rest 4 minutes if you feel fatigued before your last series of Deadlift, but if you feel fresh go for the next concentrated series.

3. Effort:

Given the predominance of multi-joint exercises, we do not recommend training near failure if we want to maintain performance and technique throughout our sets. As a general rule in compound exercises we recommend training with a weight that allows us to do 2 or 3 more repetitions. In the more analytical exercises we recommend training with a weight that allows us to do 1 or 2 more repetitions.

If we are beginners we can apply a linear weight progression and almost every week we will be able to lift more weight than the previous one, but if we are already intermediate we recommend other types of more complex progressions that we will talk about later.

4. Warm up and stretch:

The warm-up will be the same every day, it is VERY IMPORTANT to never skip the warm-up and stretching before doing the dumbbell plank at home if we want to continue progressing without injury.

5. When should I change my dumbbell routine at home?

Many people wonder how long we can do this dumbbell routine at home and still get results, the answer is simple until you drop out! If you like training this way, it fits your lifestyle and you keep making progress, there is no reason to change this routine for another. If our objectives change or we want another distribution of days, we can opt for another type of routine such as torso-leg (4 days), pull-push (4 days), divided routine (5 days) or push-legs (6 days).

Our recommendation is that if you are a beginner you stay with this table exercises with dumbbells at home for at least 12 weeks.

6. And the diet?

To make truly significant progress in the gym, diet is just as important as training if not more. Avoid processed foods, eat a reasonable amount of protein for your weight and training level, and calculate a caloric deficit/surplus based on your goals. Read our article if you want to have a Perfect Body.

Dumbbell workout at home

With our routine with dumbbells at home and the complementary information you can already get fit at home forgetting about the complications of a gym routine with dumbbells. Don’t forget to record your progress and upload it to Fitenium!

We are going to start sharing with all our followers an optimal 5 3 1 routine for all people who want a hybrid program between strength and hypertrophy.

This 5 3 1 strength routine has a torso leg split and is quite focused on building up the basics as the best way to gain strength and hypertrophy.

There are many variables to progress in hypertrophy or strength: volume, intensity, density, rest so let’s not make the mistake of thinking that this 5 3 1 strength routine falls short because you only train three times a week. It’s the best way to lay a solid foundation to then opt for other training options that are more suited to our goals.

Guidelines:

1. Weekly Division of the Routine:

Monday: Torso
Tuesday: Leg
Wednesday: Routine B
Thursday: Torso
Friday: Leg

Although in general this routine is designed to go to the gym four days, if for some reason one week you can only go three days, you can do three days of this routine and start the following week with the training that was missing. An example would be like this.

What is active rest? It consists of resting from our 5 3 1 routine, but continuing to be active by doing some moderate activity with a moderate pace and duration. Examples of active rest: yoga or stretching session, 45-60 minute walk, foam roller routine, riding a bike… there are options for all tastes.

2. Rest between sets:

This routine has a great weight of multi-joint exercises to lower repetitions, so in order to maintain performance you have to have long rests between series. The rests are variable according to our sensations or you are afraid to rest 4 minutes if you feel fatigued before your last series of Deadlift, but if you feel fresh go for the next concentrated series.

3. Effort:

Given the predominance of multi-joint exercises, we do not recommend training near failure if we want to maintain performance and technique throughout our sets. As a general rule in compound exercises we recommend training with a weight that allows us to do 2 or 3 more repetitions. In the more analytical exercises we recommend training with a weight that allows us to do 1 or 2 more repetitions.

If we are beginners we can apply a linear weight progression and almost every week we will be able to lift more weight than the previous one, but if we are already intermediate we recommend other types of more complex progressions that we will talk about later.

4. Warm up and stretch:

The warm-up will be the same every day, it is VERY IMPORTANT to never skip the warm-up and stretching before doing the 5 3 1 routine if we want to continue progressing without injuries.

5. Substitutions:

We highly recommend doing our 5 3 1 routine with the scheduled exercises, but if for whatever reason you can’t do any of the exercises, you can substitute them as follows.

• Squat: Press + 15 reps of lower back extension (i.e. if you have 3×8 of Squat, replace it with 3×8 of press and 3×15 of lower back extension).
• Deadlift: Hip Thrust + 15 repetitions of lumbar extension.
• Romanian Deadlift: Nordic Curl.
• Stride: Unilateral Hip Thrust with Dumbbell.
• Hip Thrust: Hip Thrust on a quadriceps extension machine.
• Calf Raise standing machine: Calf Raise with dumbbell.
• Femoral Curl: Femoral Curl with Dumbbell (between the feet).
• Quadriceps Extension: You can eliminate them.
• Press Banca Barra: Press Banca Mancuerna.
• Incline Dumbbell Press: Incline Barbell Press.
• Press Militar: Press Militar con Mancuernas de Pie.
• Pulley Openings: Dumbbell Openings or Pec Deck.
• Funds: Bench Press Declined Dumbbells.
• Supine Pulley Pulldown: Biceps Pull Ups.
• T-Bar Row: Dumbbell Bench Row.

6. Change of routine

Many people wonder how long we can do this 5 3 1 routine and still get results, the answer is simple until you get tired! If you like training this way, it fits your lifestyle and you keep making progress, there is no reason to change this routine for another. If our objectives change or we want another distribution of days, we can opt for another type of routine such as torso-leg (4 days), pull-push (4 days), divided routine (5 days) or push-legs (6 days).

Our recommendation is that if you are a beginner, stick with this 5 3 1 routine for at least 12 weeks.

7. And the diet?

To make truly significant progress in the gym, diet is just as important as training if not more. Avoid processed foods, eat a reasonable amount of protein for your weight and training level, and calculate a caloric deficit/surplus based on your goals. Read our article if you want to have a Perfect Body

The Routine 5 3 1

Body day 1:

Day Leg 1:

Body Day 2:

Day Leg 2:

With our 5 3 1 routine and the complementary information, you can now go to the gym and start hitting the irons. Don’t forget to record your progress and upload it to Fitenium!

We are going to start sharing a 3-day routine with all our followers so that everyone who wants to start in the world of weights.

These types of 3-day fullbody training programs are the most recommended for people who are new to the world of weights and for people with little time who cannot go more than three times a week. It is the most efficient way to progress both in strength and hypertrophy since every day we touch all muscle groups emphasizing compound movements and with a high volume of training since we have a rest day between training days.

There are many variables to progress in hypertrophy or strength: volume, intensity, density, rest, so let’s not make the mistake of thinking that this 3-day routine falls short because you only train three times a week. It’s the best way to lay a solid foundation to then opt for other training options that are more suited to our goals.

Guidelines:

1. Weekly Division of the Routine:

Monday: Routine A
Tuesday: Active Rest
Wednesday: Routine B
Thursday: Active Rest
Friday: Workout C

We must leave a rest day between days of training for proper recovery and avoid injuries.

What is active rest? It consists of resting from our usual 3-day routine, but continuing to be active by doing some moderate activity with a moderate pace and duration. Examples of active rest: yoga or stretching session, 45-60 minute walk, foam roller routine, riding a bike… there are options for all tastes.

2. Rest between sets:

This routine has a great weight of multi-joint exercises to lower repetitions, so in order to maintain performance you have to have long rests between series. The rests are variable according to our sensations or you are afraid to rest 4 minutes if you feel fatigued before your last series of Deadlift, but if you feel fresh go for the next concentrated series.

3. Effort:

Given the predominance of multi-joint exercises, we do not recommend training near failure if we want to maintain performance and technique throughout our sets. As a general rule in compound exercises we recommend training with a weight that allows us to do 2 or 3 more repetitions. In the more analytical exercises we recommend training with a weight that allows us to do 1 or 2 more repetitions.

If we are beginners we can apply a linear weight progression and almost every week we will be able to lift more weight than the previous one, but if we are already intermediate we recommend other types of more complex progressions that we will talk about later.

4. Warm up and stretch:

The warm-up will be the same every day, it is VERY IMPORTANT never to skip the warm-up and stretching if we want to continue progressing without injuries.

5. Substitutions:

We highly recommend doing our 3-day routine with the scheduled exercises, but if for whatever reason you can’t do any of the exercises, you can substitute them as follows.

• Squat: Press + 15 reps of lower back extension (i.e. if you have 3×8 of Squat, replace it with 3×8 of press and 3×15 of lower back extension).
• Deadlift: Hip Thrust `+ 15 repetitions of lumbar extension.
• Romanian Deadlift: Nordic Curl.
• Stride: Unilateral Hip Thrust with Dumbbell.
• Hip Thrust: Hip Thrust on a quadriceps extension machine.
• Calf Raise standing machine: Calf Raise with dumbbell.
• Femoral Curl: Femoral Curl with Dumbbell (between the feet).
• Quadriceps Extension: You can eliminate them.
• Barbell Bench Press: Dumbbell Bench Press.
• Incline Dumbbell Press: Incline Barbell Press.
• Military Press: Standing Military Press with Dumbbells.
• Pulley Openings: Dumbbell Openings or Pec Deck.
• Funds: Bench Press Declined Dumbbells.
• Supine Pulley Pulldown: Biceps Pull Ups.
• T-Bar Row: Dumbbell Bench Row.

6. Change of routine

Many people wonder how long we can do this 3-day routine and still get results, the answer is simple until you get tired! If you like training this way, it fits your lifestyle and you keep making progress, there is no reason to change this routine for another. If our objectives change or we want another distribution of days, we can opt for another type of routine such as torso-leg (4 days), pull-push (4 days), divided routine (5 days) or push-legs (6 days).

Our recommendation is that if you are a beginner, stick with this 3-day routine for at least 12 weeks.

7. And the diet?

To make truly significant progress in the gym, diet is just as important as training if not more. Avoid processed foods, eat a reasonable amount of protein for your weight and training level, and calculate a caloric deficit/surplus based on your goals. Read our article if you want to have a Perfect Body

The 3 day routine

Day A:

Day B:

Day C:

With our 3-day routine and the complementary information, you can now go to the gym and start hitting the irons. Don’t forget to record your progress and upload it to Fitenium!

If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can follow their performance, compete and get discounts in nutrition and sports equipment stores. Download it here.

Hello Fiteniers, after our review of some of the most effective routines to progress in the gym, such as 3 day fullbody routine and the routine Torso Leg 4 days, today we are going to talk about the division par excellence that was missing among the most common that we can find in any gym. We’re talking about the 5-Day Split Workout, which is probably the most popular workout of all.

All workouts have their pros and cons, and split workouts have always been criticized for focusing on pumps and making it harder to recover from massacring a muscle, but if you’re an advanced user you might

Guidelines:

1. Weekly Division of the Routine:

It is very simple, working from Monday to Friday with a specific order to be able to recover correctly.

Monday: Chest – Triceps
Tuesday: Front leg – Abdomen
Wednesday: Back – Biceps
Thursday: Rear leg – Abdomen
Friday: Shoulder – Arms

What is active rest? It consists of resting from our usual 3-day routine, but continuing to be active by doing some moderate activity with a moderate pace and duration. Examples of active rest: yoga or stretching session, 45-60 minute walk, foam roller routine, riding a bike… there are options for all tastes.

2. Rest between sets:

In multi-joint exercises such as Squats, Deadlifts or Bench Press, we recommend taking long breaks of 3-4 minutes without any problem, since by recruiting a lot of muscle, our CNS needs a little more time to recover. For isolation exercises, short rests of 60-90 seconds are enough to go for another set.

3. Effort:

Being a 5-day split routine, there isn’t as much weight of multi-joint exercises, however we don’t recommend training near failure if we want to maintain performance and technique throughout our sets. As a general rule in compound exercises we recommend training with a weight that allows us to do 2 or 3 more repetitions. In the more analytical exercises we recommend training with a weight that allows us to do 1 or 2 more repetitions.

If we are beginners we can apply a linear weight progression and almost every week we will be able to lift more weight than the previous one, but if we are already intermediate we recommend other types of more complex progressions that we will talk about later.

4. Warm up and stretch:

The warm-up will be the same every day, it is VERY IMPORTANT never to skip the warm-up and stretching if we want to continue progressing without injuries.

5. Substitutions:

We highly recommend doing our 3-day routine with the scheduled exercises, but if for whatever reason you can’t do any of the exercises, you can substitute them as follows.

• Squat: Press + 15 reps of lower back extension (i.e. if you have 3×8 of Squat, replace it with 3×8 of press and 3×15 of lower back extension).
• Deadlift: Hip Thrust `+ 15 repetitions of lumbar extension.
• Romanian Deadlift: Nordic Curl.
• Romanian Deadlift: Nordic Curl.
• Hip Thrust: Hip Thrust on a quadriceps extension machine.
• Calf Raise standing machine: Calf Raise with dumbbell.
• Femoral Curl: Femoral Curl with Dumbbell (between the feet).
• Quadriceps Extension: You can eliminate them.
• Barbell Bench Press: Dumbbell Bench Press.
• Incline Dumbbell Press: Incline Barbell Press.
• Incline Dumbbell Press: Incline Barbell Press.
• Pulley Openings: Dumbbell Openings or Pec Deck.
• Funds: Bench Press Declined Dumbbells.
• Funds: Bench Press Declined Dumbbells.
• T-Bar Row: Dumbbell Bench Row.

6. Progression

Once we are intermediate, the linear progression is no longer realistic for us in this 5-day split routine.

In this routine, we recommend an undulating progression that works as follows:

• Let’s take as an example an exercise from our 4-day Torso-Leg routine that has 3 series for 6-8 repetitions.
• We load a weight that allows us to do 6 repetitions.
• We do the series of 6 repetitions until with the increase in our strength, we can do 8 repetitions with the same weight.
• Once we can do 3 sets of 8 repetitions, we increase the weight (1-2.5kg disc in isolated exercises and 5kg in compound exercises).
• With this new weight we start again doing 6 repetitions. If we fail we return to the previous weight.

7. And the diet?

To make truly significant progress in the gym, diet is just as important as training if not more. Avoid processed foods, eat a reasonable amount of protein for your weight and training level, and calculate a caloric deficit/surplus based on your goals. Read our article if you want to have a Body 10.

The 5-Day Split Workout

Day 1 – Chest and Triceps

Day 2 – Leg (front predominance) and Abdomen

Day 3 – Back Biceps

Day 4 – Leg (posterior predominance) and Abdomen

Day 5 – Shoulders and arms

We are sure that many will like this divided 5-day routine since it allows you to train from Monday to Friday in an effective way leaving the temple congested, which motivates many people and there is nothing wrong with it.

Don’t forget to record your progress in Fitenium

In this post, an exhaustive analysis will be made on why you should not reach muscle failure during training. Publications with several studies in this regard will be reviewed and the drawbacks of this form of training will be added.

In this series of articles we deal with some of the most important concepts of strength training, collecting notes from the recently published book Strength, Speed ​​and Physical and Sports Performance written by renowned researchers Juan José González Badillo and Juan Ribas Serna.

SUMMARY

• For the recruitment of motor units: with a predominance of fast fibers, very important for improving strength —and hypertrophy— and speed of execution, it does not seem necessary to reach muscle failure.
• the maximum volume achievable at the same maximum and average relative intensity does not produce the best results in competitive athletes in snatch, two-stroke and squat exercises.
• A high hormonal environment does not seem to have an influence during the post-training phase of protein synthesis, since hormone levels drop to basal values ​​within a few minutes.
• With less mechanical, metabolic, and hormonal stress—far from muscular failure—strength can be improved to the same or greater extent than reaching muscular failure.
• What has been observed is that more time under tension tends to produce more protein synthesis, but not more force.
• There are several studies in which it is concluded that reaching failure does not provide better results than not doing so.

What is muscle failure and origins

If you consult any text, not only ancient, but even modern, and ancient and modern “scientific” articles, related to strength training, in almost all cases it will be recommended that to improve “maximum” strength is necessary perform the maximum possible number of repetitions in the series. In this situation, you would be facing what is known as “reaching muscle failure”, that is, not being able to do more repetitions than have been done in the series.

This form of training was initially applied in the 1940s, when Thomas L. DeLorme, a US military physician and rehabilitation specialist, was trying to rehabilitate polio patients and war wounded. The idea of ​​training for the maximum number of repetitions in the series came to him from his own experience training “on his own” with weights to recover from rheumatic fevers, instead of on bed rest.

Initially, the training applied to the patients was 7 series of 10RM five times a week. He called this training “heavy resistance exercise” although he soon realized that this load was excessive and changed to “progressive resistance exercise”, which consisted of doing series of 10 repetitions, but not all with the maximum possible load, but a set with 50% of the 10RM, a second set at 75% and a third set at 100% of the 10RM.

If the patient could do more than 10 repetitions in the third set, the weight should be increased. This is “the famous 3x10RM training”, which had a different meaning from what has been understood to date. In fact, what became popular and applied to practitioners of strength training, competitive athletes or not, was 3x10RM, but all at 100 possible repetitions.

That is to say, the interpretation of the proposals of DeLorme and his collaborators was clearly wrong, because, over the years, it has been observed that DeLorme’s second proposal was more rational than the one applied by the majority of specialists in the training of force. For more information on DeLorme’s contributions, see Todd et al. (2012) and González-Badillo et al. (2017).

In the years 40-70 it was not very well known what was the reason why training until muscular failure was effective

Later, during the 1970s, the idea of ​​using training to failure was reinforced with the recommendations of Arthur Jones, founder of Nautilus 4 Sports / Medical Industries and MedX Corporation, who proposed that one series always be done until muscular failure. , 8-12 repetitions, once or twice a week maximum, and at low or controlled speed, because “this is best for improving muscle mass, strength, power, and endurance” (in Smith and Bruce -Low, 2004).

In the years 40-70 it was not very well known what was the reason why training until muscle failure was effective, and since it had not been experimented with other types of training, this effectiveness led to this type of training being considered as the best, and for many the only and necessary way to improve strength… and everything that can be improved.

Over the years, explanations for this apparent effectiveness have been found and up to now some reasons have been given to justify it. However, what is characteristic of these explanations is that they are always linked to the processes that produce or can produce a greater increase in muscle mass or hypertrophy. In other words, justifying training to failure as a way to improve strength is the same as justifying the way to achieve greater hypertrophy, a condition considered practically necessary and proportional to the improvement in strength.

Several comments can be made in relation to the above. The first is that strength improvement is understood exclusively as RM improvement. What happens with the rest of the loads that have to be moved “is not an improvement in strength”. The second is that it seems that if there is no noticeable or detectable improvement in hypertrophy there is no improvement in strength. As seen, these are two approaches that do not conform to reality.

Why is it proposed to train to muscular failure?

The reasons that are proposed to justify the application of muscular failure are, generally, the following:

• the possibility of achieving greater recruitment of motor units,
• the greatest muscle damage,
• increased levels of anabolic hormones,
• the increase in muscle mass,
• the longest time under tension…,

Since all this contributes to the improvement of hypertrophy and, therefore, “to the improvement of maximum strength” (1RM). Some issues related to this proposal are the following.

The possibility of achieving greater recruitment of motor units.

This is considered necessary because “the important thing to achieve maximum muscle activation is to reach failure, regardless of the number of repetitions performed” (Behm et al., 2002). Although, the same authors indicate that more than 20 repetitions no longer seems convenient.

However, for the recruitment of motor units: with a predominance of fast fibers, very important for improving strength —and hypertrophy— and speed of execution, it does not seem necessary to reach muscular failure, because it has been observed that this recruitment can be achieved with 3-5 repetitions less than those necessary to reach muscular failure (Sundstrup et al., 2012), and because, especially, these motor units are recruited without reaching failure if the action it is performed at the maximum possible speed (in an explosive manner) (Desmedt and Godaux, 1977, 1979: Van Cutsem et al., 1998

Since the absolute force at which a motor unit is activated is not fixed and varies with speed and type of activation, which is accompanied by a decrease in the recruitment threshold as force output in the motor unit increases. time (maximum explosiveness) (Desmedt and Godaux, 1977), which is consistent with the observation that most motor units are activated at approximately 40% of maximum load during actions performed at maximum speed (expression of explosiveness) (Enoka and Duchateau., 2019)

Therefore, the motor units of maximum activation threshold can be recruited almost immediately after beginning the exercise if the action is performed at the maximum possible speed, pol o that it does not seem that it is necessary to reach muscular failure to achieve the maximum possible recruitment. of motor units.

muscle damage

Muscle damage, since it will lead to greater degradation and protein synthesis, activation of satellite cells, inflammation, all closely related to hypertrophy. This muscle damage is associated with a high volume of training with medium or high loads, and the more you train, the greater the muscle damage. However, it should be noted that the training effect cannot be based on the proposition that “the more you train the better”, because, among other reasons, it has been observed that an excessive frequency of strength training, which would lead to a greater volume of work, can keep inflammatory processes increased and reduce Akt phosphorylation (Coffey, 2006, doctoral thesis), which which would lead to a decrease or inhibition of the cascade of signals that lead to protein synthesis.

In some studies it has been observed that the maximum volume achievable at the same maximum and average relative intensity does not produce the best results in competitive athletes in snatch, two-stroke and squat exercises (González-Badillo et al., 2005), although in this case none of the three experimental groups even reached muscle failure. Losing 10 or 20% of the speed reached in the first repetition in the series —which means being very far from muscular failure— in the squat exercise better results are produced, especially in actions performed at high speed, than continuing doing repetitions in the series until losing between 40 and 50% (loss close to muscular failure) of the initial speed (Pareja-Blanco et al., 2017; Rodríguez-Rosell, Doctoral Thesis).

Therefore, it does not appear that high muscle damage is necessary to improve strength.

Increased levels of anabolic hormones.

It is true that a higher hormonal level increases the probability of interacting with specific receptors, facilitating the metabolism of proteins and the consequent hypertrophy, and that the interaction with hormonal receptors initiates the cascade of signals or events leading to the alteration of the rate of synthesis. of proteins.

For this reason, when the role of anabolic hormones in training is discussed, it is generally associated with their possible relationship with hypertrophy, which, in turn, is consistent with performing the exercises until muscular failure. However, it has been questioned whether some hormones, such as growth hormone (GH), actually have a significant effect on muscle tissue hypertrophy (Rennie, 2003).

Some studies tend to confirm that in a favorable hormonal environment, the effect of training can be greater than in the absence of it. In this sense, it has been observed that carrying out an exercise that sharply raises the levels of circulating hormones improves the performance in the exercise that follows.

For example, exercising the legs before performing arm exercises (Ronnestad, Nygaarad & Raastad, 2011). This combination of exercises resulted in a significantly greater improvement in arm strength (1RM) and power at 30 and 60% RM (i.e. maximal strength improvement at these relative intensities as well, of course). ) than when the arm training was done without the previous leg exercise.

However, if training with the lower limbs is performed that tends to raise hormone levels after performing an exercise of the upper limbs (group A), no different effect is produced than if only the exercise of the upper limbs is performed (group B).

In this study, conducted with young male subjects, hormone levels after leg training were higher in group A than in group B, but neither were changes in muscle cross-sectional area (AST). and in the different types of fibers neither the increases in force were different between both groups.

These data seem to confirm that local mechanisms are the most relevant in gaining hypertrophy (West et al., 2010) and it is concluded that the subsequent elevation of hormone levels is not necessary to increase anabolic processes in young men. .

Since hormone levels remain high for a few minutes and protein synthesis continues for approximately 48 hours, it is considered that the anabolic effect due to the hormonal environment might not be very high (West 8 Phillips, 2012), and therefore , not having a high relevance in the improvement of strength.

In summary, these studies would indicate that a favorable hormonal environment during the performance of an exercise could have an influence on the improvement of strength, but this elevated hormonal environment does not seem to have an influence during the post-training phase of protein synthesis, since hormone levels drop to baseline values ​​after a few minutes.

In addition to these experimental evidences, it has been observed that in order to improve strength it is not necessary to train until muscular failure, which are the typical trainings that generate a higher hormonal effect (Kraemer et al., 1990), but rather that the effect is superior without that maximum hormonal stress, especially before actions carried out at high speed.

Increased muscle mass

Actually, all of the above is related to the increase in muscle mass. There is a general consensus that a moderate number of repetitions per set and training to muscle failure is the type of training that optimizes hypertrophy (Kraemer et al. 2002).

However, it has also been observed that with lower intensities, such as 30% of the RM, if repetitions are performed in the series until exhaustion, there are also important effects on protein synthesis and hypertrophy. Three series at 30% of the RM to failure can produce a greater increase in quadriceps volume (7%) than one series to failure with 80% (3.5%) and the same as 3 series at 80% to failure. failure (7%) (Mitchell et al., 2012), It is proposed that the rate of protein synthesis depends fundamentally on the recruitment of fibers and not exclusively on the use of high intensities. (Burd, Mitchell, Churchward-Venne, 8, Phillips, 2012).

These results seem to indicate that the mechanical signals for hypertrophy occur primarily in individual fibers, and that when low loads are used, but repetitions to exhaustion are performed, type II fibers are recruited. However, greater volume gain does not seem to necessarily translate into greater strength gain.

The described training produced greater improvements in knee extension RM in the two 80% than in the 30% RM groups, and equivalent changes in moment of force (Mitchel et al., 2012). Returning again to the most current and controlled studies (Pareja-Blanco el al., 2017), it has been possible to verify that almost reaching muscular failure (losing 40-45% of the speed in the series in the squat exercise) It produces a greater increase in muscle mass and in the percentages of changes from faster fibers to type II, but no greater improvement in strength at any speed or relative load.

To conclude, muscle mass is positively related to the force that a muscle can generate, but the results of well-controlled studies on the magnitude of the training load and the extent of its effect indicate that it is not necessary to train to produce the force. greatest possible muscle mass or condition or key to improving strength, because with less mechanical, metabolic, and hormonal stress—staying far from muscular failure—strength can be improved to the same or greater extent than reaching muscular failure.

Longer time under tension

In relation to the previous factors, this proposal is based on the fact that training until muscle failure at a certain relative intensity will subject the muscle to a longer time of tension or activity than if it does not reach failure, which would correspond to an average speed minor. It is considered that this may mean a greater stimulus for the muscles, which in theory could increase the possibility of adaptation in strength and hypertrophy.

Consequently, the complementary argument to this is that when doing a movement at a higher speed you cannot apply as much force as if you do it slowly, which would give rise to a smaller effect on the improvement of strength. Neither of the two ways of expressing this justification seems reasonable or serves to explain the effect of time under stress.

In the first place, regardless of whether or not the time under tension (TBT) is a decisive factor as an adequate stimulus to achieve better adaptations, it must be considered that the increase in TBT can occur, fundamentally, in three different ways that would be decisive in regarding the type of stimulus and the effect they produce, although not all of them would allow assessing the effect of TBT.

• The first of these consists of doing a greater number of repetitions in the series —usually until muscular failure— at the same relative intensity (higher TBT), always at the maximum possible speed, compared to doing fewer repetitions in the series (lower TBT). ).
• The second is to do the same number of repetitions at the same relative intensity, but, in one case, intentionally not doing them at the maximum possible speed (higher TBT) versus doing them at the maximum possible speed (lower TBT).
• And the third is the increase in relative intensity for the same number of repetitions, which means, for example, that the TBT with 30% of the RM to do 3 repetitions at the maximum possible speed would be much lower than doing the same repetitions with 90% at the maximum possible speed.

In all the forms indicated, the TBT is different in the two options described in each case, but only the second form would be useful to be able to really compare the effect of the TBT, since in the first the number of repetitions is different and in the third it is introduced the intensity variable, a factor that can have an important influence on the adaptation process, so that the TBT would not be the main or the only one responsible for the final effect.

What has been observed is that higher TBT tends to produce greater protein synthesis, but not greater strength. The study mentioned in the previous point by Mitchell et al. (2012) is an example of how a higher TBT by doing 3 sets to failure with 90% RM (higher TBT) produced greater muscle mass gain but less strength than reaching failure in a set with 80% RM. % (lower TBT), and even less strength but the same muscle mass as 3 series at 80% (intermediate value of TBT).

longer time under tension tends to produce greater protein synthesis, but not greater strength

This is a clear example in which there are difficulties to adequately assess the effect of TBT, since failure is reached with different relative intensities and with different TBT and effects. In another study, exercising at 30% RM to exhaustion slowly (6 s in knee extension) produced greater mitochondrial, sarcoplasmic, and myofibrial protein synthesis than doing the same number of repetitions with 1 s in each knee extension. No information is given about strength (Burd et al., 2012). In this case, there is the drawback that when training at 1 s per knee extension, the exercise was not performed until exhaustion. Therefore, it is observed that it is difficult to find the appropriate conditions to assess the effect of TBT in isolation.

The argument that moving the same load, absolute or relative, at a higher speed means that less force can be exerted and, therefore, less adaptation effect does not seem reasonable. The speed at which the same given load moves will be greater the greater the force applied to it.

Spending more time displacing the same load may add more time for the application of force and muscle activation, but with very low peaks of force, so the initial impulse, which determines the speed of displacement, that is, performance, will be much less. . For this reason, it has been proposed that the determining factor to improve performance, especially in high-speed actions, should be the impulse generated in each action (Crewther et al, 2006), not the time that force is being applied.

As indicated, the second way to increase TBT is the one that really allows us to assess the effect of TBT on strength. With the intention of verifying the effect of doing the movements at the maximum speed possible (lower TBT in this case) or at half that speed (higher TBT), two studies were carried out in which a group performed the training at maximum speed. possible (G100) in each repetition with the maximum load of the day and another at 50% (Gso) of said speed.

analysis of studies on muscle failure maintaining constant effort

One study was conducted with the bench press exercise (González-Badillo et al., 2014) and the other with the squat (Pareja-Blanco et al., 2014). In both cases, they trained 3 times a week for 6 weeks, and the maximum intensity of each session ranged between 60 and 80% of the RM. With these intensities, 3 series were made from 8 to 3 repetitions per series, all very far from muscular failure.

The speed and the execution time were controlled in each repetition. The relative intensity was adjusted in each session based on the average propulsive speed expected for the first repetition of the maximum load of each session. The TBT (execution time in the concentric phase of each repetition) was significantly higher in the G50 than in the G100 in both exercises (360.9 s vs. 228.8 s in the bench press and 383.5 s vs. 260 .5 s in the squat), but the improvements in all the variables indicating strength were significantly greater in the bench press, and in the squat there were greater percentages of improvement and effect sizes in all the variables and even a group x significant measure interaction in favor of the G100 in the vertical jump (CMJ) exercise, an exercise that was not trained.

All of these apparently justifying processes for the need for muscle failure to improve strength are related to the degree of mechanical stress, which is the basis for muscle activation to generate a series of chemical, electrical, and mechanical signals that cause a response. multiple physiological that culminates in the degradation and expression or synthesis of certain specific proteins that give rise to the adaptation of the organism to the type of stimulus received.

In this way, when exercises that are commonly known as strength training are performed, muscle tension tends to be produced, which generates a cascade of molecular processes that contribute to activating positive muscle hypertrophy signals and inhibiting muscle atrophy signals. Naturally, the degree of “tension” must have an appropriate value so that the processes of degradation do not exceed those of protein synthesis.

However, excessive stress could give rise to negative effects that explain why from a certain degree of fatigue or a certain degree of muscular approximation, the effects could be null or even negative for performance, especially for actions carried out at high speed. speed.

Among these factors could be: producing a significant reduction of ATP with high levels of ammonia; excessive muscle damage, with prolonged inflammation processes, with probable inhibition of protein synthesis and reduction of elasticity due to damage to intramuscular elastic structures; reduce the production of anabolic hormones such as testosterone, which would require a longer recovery time between sessions; produce interference with the specific training, due to excessive fatigue and the performance of a high number of requests at low and very low speed during “strength” training…

On the contrary, less fatigue, always performing the actions at the maximum possible speed and with a high average absolute speed during each session, could favor other mechanisms that tend to produce strength improvement without the side effects of reaching muscle failure. , such as the recruitment of fast twitches without excessive fatigue; the stimulation of the synthesis of fast fibers, which would mean a greater efficiency of release / removal of calcium in muscle activation; the non-significant reduction of the percentage of the fastest fibers to the slowest; the greater percentage increase in the cross section of fast fibers and, in all probability, the improvement of neural adaptations: recruitment, synchronization, stimulus frequency, intermuscular coordination.

Since the 1980s, it has been maintained that reaching or approaching the maximum achievable volume in the session, week, month or training cycle does not offer the best results.

Since the 1980s it has been maintained that reaching or approaching the maximum volume achievable in the session, week, month or training cycle does not offer the best results. In 1985 and 1986, a study was carried out in which the effect of doing different volumes was compared with the same maximum relative intensities of each session and the same average relative intensities of each session, week and complete training cycle (12 weeks). ) with competitive athletes and strength specialists (weight lifters).

Subjects performed three different volumes:

• One group reached the maximum volume that they had observed in practice that the subjects could support without reaching extreme fatigue that prevented them from continuing the training (G100),
• A second group performed the same training in terms of maximum and average intensities, but with 85% of the volume of the previous group (G85),
• A third group, also at the same maximum and mean intensities, performed only 65% ​​of the volume of the maximum volume group (G65).

The results showed a curvilinear trend between training volume and performance in the snatch, double jerk, and squat exercises. This tendency means that the G85 tended to obtain the best results, and the G100 and G65 groups obtained similar results. This study carried out in the 1980s, part of Professor Badillo’s doctoral thesis, and was published a few years later (González-Badillo et al., 2005).

The results of this study were included in the 2009 Guideline and “the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in presenting its guidelines for strength training, stating that “greater volume does not appear to offer better benefits”, although , then they ignored the results and continued to recommend the classic XRM

Regarding the repetitions to be performed in the series (failure or no failure), for more than 25 years, it has been proposed that it is probably enough to reach a maximum of half of the possible repetitions in the series to improve strength performance. in most sports specialties and athletes.

The first application of this idea in a sport other than Weightlifting was with the women’s national hockey team —Olympic champions in Barcelona-92— at the beginning of the 90s. Over more than two and a half years, the team improved leg strength (improved full squat), jumping ability, acceleration, and threshold speed (commonly called anaerobic threshold or second lactate threshold) rdoing training, especially full squats, with loads lower than 80% of the RM and with less than half of the possible repetitions in the series.

In the early 2000s, this idea was applied in the experimental setting and training sessions were designed to compare the effect of reaching muscle failure or not (Izquierdo et al., 2006). One group would reach failure with 3 sets of 10 reps and the other would do half the reps possible in the set and 6 sets to equalize the total volume.

At the beginning of the 2000s, this idea was applied in the experimental field and training sessions were designed to compare the effect of reaching muscular failure or not.

This equalization of the volume was always considered unnecessary, but sometimes the demands of the publications force to modify the designs somewhat. In this study it was found that it was not necessary to reach muscular failure to achieve the same or better strength performance. Subsequently, a study was designed in which the volume was no longer matched, once again doing one group half the repetitions of the other (Izquierdo-Gabarren et al., 2010), once again obtaining higher effects in the group that trained with half of the possible repetitions in the set versus reaching muscular failure.

Naturally, these last studies can be considered relatively well controlled, because they were based on the initial criteria to determine the nature of the effort made in a series, estimating the relationship between the repetitions performed and those that could be done in the series. But when you can really talk about the true effect of training to failure or not is when you could start to control the load through the speed of execution, which allowed you to know with very high precision what the absolute load (weight) represented actually the relative intensity programmed for each session, as well as the degree of effort to which the subject was subjected in the series through the control of the loss of speed in the series.

This made it possible to eliminate from the design the number of repetitions to be performed in each series, one of the classic variables of any study that has sought to know the effect of the so-called “strength training”. Therefore, today, if the speed of each repetition can be adequately measured, it does not make sense to program the repetitions to be carried out in the series, because if they are programmed, each participant or athlete could be making a different effort.

it does not make sense to program the repetitions to be carried out in the series, because if we program them, each participant or athlete could be making a different effort

That is, to equalize the volume performed by different experimental groups, something apparently necessary “to control a possible intervening variable in the design, what it does, precisely, is to introduce a foreign variable into the design itself, since the same number of repetitions in the series before the same relative intensity can mean a different effort or degree of fatigue for each subject, since not all subjects can perform the same number of repetitions before the same relative intensity (González-Badillo et al., 2017).

Therefore, If the loss of speed in the series is taken as a reference, and is programmed as an indicator of the training load, and not the number of repetitions in the series, it will be achieved that, before the same relative intensity, the subjects of the same experimental group have made a very similar degree of effort throughout the training cycle, as well as that another or other experimental groups have made really different efforts.

This control of the effort made is what really determines the degree of load and what is interesting to control, if one wants to know the effect of certain types of training loads.

These advances in the control of the training load have allowed us to confirm through several experimental studies carried out in the last 10-15 years that, indeed, a fatigue far removed from that which corresponds to muscular failure tends to offer better results than reaching to failure.

fatigue less than that corresponding to muscular failure tends to offer better results than failure.

In summary, the results of these studies indicated that losing between 10 and 20% of the speed of the first repetition in the series in the full squat exercise, that is, doing half or less than half of the “repetitions possible in the series (very far from muscular failure), with subjects familiar with strength training, always executing the exercises to the maximum possible speed, with intensities between 70 and 85% of the RM, for 8 weeks at two sessions per week, offers better results in trained and untrained exercises than losing 30% or practically reaching failure, with losses of 40-45% speed in the series (Pareja-Blanco et al., 2017: Rodríguez-Rosell, Doctoral Thesis).

Similar results have been found when comparing three groups with losses of 10, 30 and 45% of the speed in the series in the squat exercise with intensities between 55 and 70% of the RM. The 10% loss offered the same or better results in the trained and untrained exercises than the 30% loss and, especially, the 45% loss (very close to muscular failure) (Rodríguez-Rosell Doctoral Thesis).

In the bench press exercise, with intensities of 70 to 85% and losses of 15, 25, 40 and 50%, the effects also tended to be higher with losses close to 30-40% of the speed loss compared to the 50%, loss very close to muscle failure. As can be deduced, these studies are the ones that offer the best guarantees that, indeed, the subjects trained with the relative intensities and the programmed degree of effort or fatigue, which allows us to confirm that the training until muscular failure (maximum or almost maximum loss of speed in the series) do not offer better results than lower losses of speed, even reaching a very low degree of fatigue, such as losing only 10% of the speed in the series.

Losing 10% speed in the squat set at intensities from 70 to 85% means that subjects did, on average, between 3.3 and 2 repetitions per set, when the repetitions possible, on average, at these intensities They range from 10.2 to 5. In other words, there were always far fewer repetitions than half of those possible in a series.

This caused the total repetition volume of the training cycle to be less than the volume of the group that reached near failure. With the 20% loss, the repetitions per series performed were, on average, from 5 to 2.7, practically half of those possible. With these intensities and in this exercise, doing more than half of the possible repetitions in the series (from losing 30% of the speed in the series) already begins to have less positive effect on performance, especially in actions performed at high speed. speed.

Apart from those mentioned, there are already several studies in which it is concluded that reaching failure does not provide better results than not doing so, but unfortunately, most of these studies are not based on designs that really allow us to conclude the advantage of not reaching failure. failed. One of those that comes close to confirming that reaching it is carried out by Sampson and Groeller (2016), who apply training to failure (6 repetitions with 85% of the RM) or doing only 4 repetitions with this relative intensity — this really means a very high effort character and, therefore, with a very high loss of speed in the series, that is, close to failure — it was confirmed that after 12 weeks of training with the exercise of elbow flexion, the effects do not depend on the number of repetitions performed to failure, nor is it a necessary condition to reach it, at the same time that it is not necessary to equalize the volume to obtain the same results in strength, muscle activation and in the cross-sectional area of ​​the muscle.

There are already several studies in which it is concluded that reaching failure does not provide better results than not doing so.

In addition, in this study, the group that performed the movements at the maximum speed possible in the concentric phase and in a controlled manner (2 s) in the eccentric phase, reduced the activation of the antagonist muscles (triceps), which suggests — it is a personal deduction, not that of the study authors, that this may be an execution strategy that favors concentric actions performed at the maximum speed possible. However, this study, which is one of the most adjusted to verify the effect of failure compared to no failure, has the drawback that the stimuli were very similar, so it is logical to expect that the results were also very similar.

In other words, although the results favor “the hypothesis of not reaching failure”, the study leaves a wide field of uncertainty about the minimum load that could be equivalent or superior in its effects to the load that represents muscle failure. The answer to this uncertainty can be found in the series of studies presented in the two previous paragraphs, in which you can see the progressive tendency to decrease performance from certain values ​​of: degree of effort / loss of speed in the series / degree of fatigue / decrease in average training speed / increase in volume.

Disadvantages of programming and training with the classic XRM or nRM

On the other hand, in a recent review, Davies et al. (2016) conclude that a similar increase in strength can be obtained without reaching muscle failure as reaching it. Programming, expressing and performing the training through the classic XRM or nRM, apart from the fact that you probably won’t get the best performance benefits, It has a number of drawbacks:

It is based on the mistaken idea that being able to perform the same number of maximum repetitions before the absolute load that corresponds to each subject means that you are working with a certain relative intensity or percentage of 1M, since each percentage of 1RM can be performed , on average, a certain number of repetitions.

On the other hand, doing the same repetitions with a certain load does not mean that you are working with the same percentage. The maximum value of the range in which the number of repetitions performed at the same intensity is found, from 50 to 85% of the RM, can double the minimum value, with an average coefficient of variation of -20% (González-Badillo et al., 2017). Therefore, two subjects who have trained with the same number of maximum repetitions per set may have trained with very different relative intensities.

two subjects who have trained with the same number of maximum repetitions per set may have trained with very different relative intensities

It is not realistic to propose a training such as: 3x10RM, which means that the subject must perform 3 series of 10 repetitions with a load (weight) with which, in the first series, they can only really perform 10 repetitions. No one person can perform this workout, because they will never be able to perform all three sets of 10 repetitions with the same absolute load.

Sometimes it is proposed that as the series is done, the load is reduced in order to reach the programmed repetitions, which is even more unrealistic, since it is not possible to know “what exact weight must be reduced” so that they can be done precisely. the repetitions predicted in the previous fatigue.

Always training with the maximum number of repetitions possible per series, even if fewer repetitions were done in successive series with the same weight, can produce at least the following negative effects: excessive fatigue, increased risk of injury and reduced execution speed before any load (high loss of speed in the series). All this can lead to reduced sports performance.

From the foregoing, it can be deduced that it would be very reasonable for no XRM value to be measured, neither for training nor to assess the effect of training.

Fatigue is a complex and multifactorial process that affects performance. Neither the way fatigue occurs nor the hierarchy of factors that cause it in any of the production modalities is still not completely known.

In this series of articles we deal with some of the most important concepts of strength training, collecting notes from the recently published book Strength, Speed ​​and Physical and Sports Performance written by renowned researchers Juan José González Badillo and Juan Ribas Serna.

Summary

• Fatigue can be defined as any situation in which the value of muscle activation is inevitably and involuntarily decreased.
• The feeling of fatigue increases faster than the amount of work done in the unit of time to protect the body from possible injury.
• Without fatigue there would be no possibility of improving performance, because the adaptation processes would not take place. The challenge is to reach the degree of fatigue with which to obtain the best results.

Observations related to fatigue range from the will to perform specific acts to changes in the behavior of intracellular proteins. In general, it could be conceptualized as the inability to continue a task at a stipulated level (usually stipulated by the central nervous system).

The difficulty in understanding the production of fatigue derives from numerous factors: places where it can originate, the different methods that must be used to measure the effects of fatigue, the difficulty in extrapolating in vitro results to situations in normal or physiological conditions or difficulty in integrating all the results.

The feeling of fatigue increases faster than the amount of work done in the unit of time (Mosso, 1904), thus protecting our body from possible injuries of lesser or greater severity.

Thus, fatigue is largely an emotion, part of a complex regulatory system that keeps us from taking risks. In extreme conditions, in which the will ignores this emotional indicator, tissue damage occurs and, in very extreme cases, death.

We have examples of this every day in endurance competitions such as the marathon, which precisely commemorates the death of a soldier (Philipides) who, ignoring his fatigue, insisted on continuing to run until he exceeded the limits of the regulation systems and died after deliver important news.

The feeling of fatigue increases faster than the amount of work done in the unit of time

Our brain uses fatigue symptoms as a key regulator to ensure that exercise is stopped before bodily harm is done. However, among the symptoms of fatigue, the “sense of effort” stands out.

This feeling of exertion increases as more repetitions of a task are performed, until just one more repetition is an extreme effort. This sensation of effort is proportional to the difference between the task commanded by the nervous system and the real difficulty in carrying it out.

For its part, the difficulty in carrying out a task will depend on many mechanical, physiological and biochemical variables at different levels from muscle cells to the organs in charge of general homeostasis. This sensation of effort is modulated to a certain degree by the will of the athlete.

For individuals with the same level of training and performance, the differences between winners and losers sometimes only includes the mental decision, the will, different in the winners.

Fatigue is synonymous with a wide range of physiological conditions, from pathology and general health to sport and exercise (Wilkinson et. al., 2010). Fatigue in sport and physical activity in humans has usually been described in subjective terms and has been measured by the acute reduction in physical performance during and after exertion.

The consequence of exercise-induced fatigue is the inability to maintain a certain value of applied force, which results in loss of speed and power of execution in dynamic actions. It is considered that there are three factors through which fatigue is expressed in mammalian muscle:

1) reduction in the number of active cross bridges, which affects the loss of isometric strength,

2) reduction of the maximum speed of muscular shortening in activations without opposition to the shortening (absolute speed) and,

3) increase in the curvature of the force-velocity curve that affects the reduction of maximum power (Jones, 2019).

For individuals with the same level of training and performance, the differences between winners and losers sometimes only includes the mental decision, the will, different in the winners.

Therefore, fatigue is quantified by the loss of strength, muscle shortening velocity, and force production in unit time (RFD). Loss of static or isometric strength depends on reducing the number of active cross bridges (pc) and the force exerted by each pc.

The loss of speed and RFD depends on the decrease in the rate of formation and activation of pc. As a consequence of the loss of strength and speed, power will decrease. A phenomenon associated with the above that affects them is the deactivation rate of the pc, which is a determining factor in the relaxation time and in the rate of formation of the pc themselves.

However, the physiological mechanisms prior to the final consequences that we have just indicated, and that underlie fatigue, give rise to different proposals and are still the objective of numerous investigations.

The causes of fatigue may be related both to the oxygen transport capacity and the available metabolic substrates, as well as to the cerebral causes of the contractile fibers of skeletal muscle and the muscle activation mechanisms themselves. Therefore, the decrease in force / speed associated with fatigue can originate in any process at different levels, from the brain order to the formation of actin-myosin cross-bridges (Debold, 2012).

But in practice, to study fatigue it is necessary to specify the task and the production mechanism. Otherwise it would be, if not impossible, if not very complex, to study all the elements that can intervene in the generation of fatigue simultaneously. For example, the speed and extent with which fatigue occurs depends largely on the type and intensity of the physical activity performed (Fitts, 1994).

But the main purpose is not to discuss the different opinions regarding the causes of fatigue or the methodologies used to detect and measure them, but to expose the most accepted ideas, although also discussed, and that have a practical application for physical and sports performance. .

fatigue concept

Fatigue can be defined as any situation in which the value of muscle activation is inevitably and involuntarily decreased. (loss of force, production of force in the unit of time or RFD, speed, power,) with respect to another value reached in a time immediately prior to the effort. In this sense, Macintosh and Rassier (2002) define it as a contractile response that is less than what is expected for a given stimulation. It can also be expressed as the inability to maintain a certain intensity (speed or power) over time.

And it can also be defined and differentiated by the recovery time after the effort. Fatigue can begin in the first moments after the muscle activation command is initiated or from the first effort in a series of repeated efforts, without the need for muscle failure or the inability to maintain a certain intensity.

Therefore, the most relevant and appropriate way to define fatigue is to consider it as the magnitude and time of loss of performance in whatever the situation may be in relation to what is programmed or intended by the will or the CNS. From these definitions the need to know the value of contraction or performance prior to the measurement of fatigue can be deduced. Therefore, the conditions that must be met for us to be in a position to quantify fatigue are that there is loss of performance, that this loss does not occur voluntarily, and that there is a previous value that is taken as a reference.

In the Essential Dictionary of Sciences, fatigue is defined as the deterioration of the performance of a living being… over time. It is associated with a feeling of tiredness, lack of concentration, slowness and the appearance of simple errors. But a muscular activation, in addition to fatigue, can also produce potentiation, which is an opposite response to fatigue, whereby an increase in muscular performance is produced as a consequence of an immediately previous activation. Therefore, fatigue and potentiation can coexist.

The possible existence of two opposite effects in the same muscle activation makes it difficult to determine the degree of fatigue. In this situation, great care must be taken in the interpretation of the data referring to a “before” and an “after”: the result can be a mixture of fatigue and potentiation.

However, potentiation has a limited duration while fatigue may persist until functional incapacity. Even when the post-effort performance is greater than the initial response, there is no guarantee that the mechanisms associated with fatigue are not present (Macintosh and Rassier, 2002).

a muscular activation, in addition to fatigue, can also produce potentiation, which is an opposite response to fatigue, whereby an increase in muscular performance is produced as a consequence of an immediately previous activation.

In this way, we can find situations in which the response is greater than that which occurs in the resting state (potentiation), but probably less than what could be expected if there were no fatigue. In fact, In training practice, it is observed that when the efforts are not made until exhaustion, the response after the effort (for example, measured through the vertical jump) in some cases is superior to that offered before it., even having previously warmed up to reach maximum initial performance.

That is, the effort has meant a “better warm-up” than the one previously made. But there are also situations in which the contractile response is less than before the effort. If this is the case, it can be concluded that fatigue exists with certainty, but its quantification is not easy, because there are also potentiation mechanisms simultaneously. This means that if the potentiation mechanisms were not present, the magnitude of the fatigue measured would be greater.

The term fatigue should not be identified with situations in which one becomes exhausted, with a forced interruption of the activity. Muscle fatigue begins immediately after starting physical activity and includes changes in physiological processes that reduce muscle strength (Enoka, 2002).

fatigue and training

Fatigue must be considered as a component of training, and therefore, it must also be considered as an essential character of the stimulus necessary to ignite the adaptation processes of training. The degree of fatigue (subjective, observed by the coach, or measured through the relevant means) is the reference point to determine and assess the training load. Without fatigue there would be no possibility of improving performance, because the adaptation processes would not take place. The problem that arises is the degree of allowable fatigue to achieve the best result, or how training makes us more resistant to fatigue.

Without fatigue there would be no possibility of improving performance, because the adaptation processes would not take place. The problem that arises is the degree of fatigue that is acceptable to achieve the best result, or how training makes us more resistant to fatigue.

degree of fatigue

Overload is a situation in which the subject is subjected to a stimulus (load) higher than usual. In order to produce fatigue, it is not necessary for overload in this sense, but other minor stimuli than the usual ones can also cause fatigue. Depending on this degree of fatigue and its duration, we find ourselves in three different situations:

i) acute or immediate fatigue of short duration (from a few minutes to a few hours or 2-3 days)

ii) fatigue of medium duration (from several days to 2-3 weeks) and,

iii) long-term (chronic) fatigue (several weeks to several months)

Acute fatigue corresponds to the fatigue produced by an exercise (a series or repetition) or a training session. Recovery should occur before the next set or repetition (in full or in part) or before the next session (in full).

Medium duration fatigue is the fatigue produced intentionally by several training sessions. It is made up of several units of acute fatigue without sufficient recovery between sessions. After several training units, a special, broader recovery occurs. It is expected that from this sustained load phase a higher supercompensation phase will emerge, which corresponds to the English term “overreaching”, for which there is no equivalent term in Spanish. but if the consequence is that optimal supercompensation is not reached, the subject is considered to be in an “overloaded” situation, or with excessive fatigue.

Chronic or long-term fatigue does not occur on purpose. It is the consequence of an error in training programming, although it can sometimes be associated with other circumstances such as certain diseases. It is caused by carrying out an excessive number of fatigue phases of medium duration. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the phase of medium and long duration fatigue. Recovery from this state of fatigue may take several months. It corresponds to the English term “overtraining”, which in Spanish would be equivalent to the term “sobretraining”.

A definition of effort is the so-called character of physical effort (CE), originally presented and explained by González-Badillo, in González-Badillo and Gorostiaga (1993, 1995). The CE is defined by the relationship between what the subject does and what he could do. In other words, the relationship between what has been done and what can be done.

In this series of articles we deal with some of the most important concepts of strength training, collecting notes from the recently published book Strength, Speed ​​and Physical and Sports Performance written by renowned researchers Juan José González Badillo and Juan Ribas Serna.

Summary

• The character of the effort (CE) is the relationship between what has been done and what is achievable.
• The character of the effort is defined by the maximum speed possible in the first repetition and the loss of speed in the series.
• What should be programmed in training is not the number of repetitions but the loss of speed in the series.
• A light CE would be to perform less than half of the possible repetitions, a medium CE would be to perform around half of the possible repetitions and a high one would be to perform more than half of the possible ones.

In the so-called “strength training” it would be expressed by the relationship between the number of repetitions that are done in a series (what is done) and those that could be done (what is achievable). If a subject can do 10 repetitions with a weight (absolute intensity) and does 6, we would be facing an EC of 6 out of 10. If we do 3 times that same physical effort, we will have done 3×6(10), that is, 3 series of 6 repetitions with a weight with which we could do 10 in the first series. In this sense, it is important to take into account the difference between load and effort.

To advance in the proper definition of CE, two indicators must be taken into account. On the one hand, the difference between the repetitions performed and those possible or achievable, and on the other, the total number of possible repetitions. For example, if 2(4) is done, the difference between what has been done and what is achievable is the same as if 8(10) is done, but the effect and characteristics of the training are different.

This is so because, although what is “left undone” is the same, 2 repetitions, the number of repetitions that could be done in each case is different, which implies acute effects, and at least in the short term, also different : degree of fatigue, metabolic stress, percentage loss of speed in the series, central and peripheral effects…

Character of physical effort is defined by two indicators: 1) the maximum possible speed of the first repetition and 2) the loss of speed in the series.

In addition, the CE expresses the degree of physical effort in two ways.

The first occurs when the first repetition of the series is performed before any load (weight). At this time, the CE is defined by the speed of the first repetition, provided that this is performed at the maximum speed possible for the subject. This already defines to a large extent the effect that is expected from the training and the CE that the displaced load supposes, since it allows us to estimate with enough precision the percentage that this load represents from the RM (González-Badillo and Sánchez-Medina, 2010). .

But this is not enough to fully define the CE, since it is easily understandable that the final or total degree of physical effort also depends on the percentage or proportion of repetitions of the maximum possible that is done within the series. It is not the same to do 1 repetition with a load with which you can do 6, than to do 6 repetitions with the same load.

Therefore, since as repetitions are performed at the maximum speed possible in a series with the same load, the speed decreases progressively until the last repetition is reached, CE is defined by two indicators: 1) the maximum possible speed of the first repetition and 2) the loss of speed in the series.

The use of the speed of the first repetition and the loss of speed in the series means a great advance in the definition of the concept of “character of the physical effort”. These two indicators allow to reach the maximum precision in the expression of the degree of effort that a training represents when it comes to displacing external loads. But we find the product of both values: the speed of the first repetition multiplied by the value, percentage, of the loss of speed, we will have the Effort Index, which has been shown to present a high relationship with fatigue, that is, with the degree of physical effort made in the series (Rodríguez-Rosell et al., 2019)

Continuing with the progress in this knowledge, it has been concluded that we can even do without knowing the number of repetitions that can be done in the series (initial indicator necessary to define the CE). The important thing in this case is to know the loss of velocity in the series, because it has been observed in laboratory studies that before the same loss of speed in the series, the percentage of repetitions performed with respect to the possible (achievable) is the same before any load between 50 and 70% of the RM, 2.5% higher for 75%, 5% higher for 80% and 10% higher for 85% (González-Badillo et al., 2017).

This comes to solve the problem that arises from the fact that Given the same relative intensity (same speed in the first repetition in the series), not all subjects can perform the same number of repetitions. Therefore, the loss of speed in the series equals the efforts, the degree of fatigue generated, although two people have done a different number of repetitions before the same relative load and the validation of the loss of speed in the series as an indicator of fatigue has been verified in previous studies (Sánchez-Medina and González-Badillo, 2011).

Therefore, what would best express the degree of physical effort, and what should be programmed, is the speed of the first repetition and the loss of speed in the series, not the number of repetitions to perform in the series before a relative load. Dadaist. Despite the progress that this load assessment procedure means (physical effort, fatigue…), we will continue to refer to the repetitions performed in the series, because we understand that it will not always be possible to measure speed.

What would best express the degree of physical effort, and what should be programmed, is the speed of the first repetition and the loss of speed in the series, not the number of repetitions to perform in the series before a given relative load.

Therefore, the CE is a very useful expression of the load and it comes to overcome the problems that we have detected for the expression of the intensity through the percentages of 1RM and XRM. The systematic observation of the evolution of the difficulty (degree of physical effort) with which the subject moves a load allows us to permanently verify the physical condition of the subject without the need to apply any test. If we can measure the speed, the training load will be quantified very precisely, as we have indicated in the previous paragraph.

If we cannot measure speed, we will have to resort to procedures for estimating the degree of effort that the subject makes. In this case, if we estimate that a subject is capable of performing a certain number of repetitions with a weight (absolute load), and after several sessions we estimate that he is capable of performing more repetitions with said load, the conclusion is that this weight it has become a “physical effort”, a relative, lower intensity, and this is information we need to check the effects of training and to make decisions about whether or not to modify the absolute load.

This is so because what has to be kept under control is the relative physical effort (relative intensity) that represents the absolute load with which you train. To achieve this we have to modify the absolute load when appropriate, and to decide if we have to modify it, we must take the execution difficulty as a reference. Thus, by modifying the weight, we do not modify the training, without maintaining the programmed effort: the speed of the first repetition, the CO real percentage of the RM.

As a guide, although without establishing strict limits, since it must always be considered as a continuum, the CE can be considered as light or small, medium, high or very high or maximum. The CE will be light or small when the number of repetitions performed in the series is very far from the feasible or possible repetitions.

In terms of speed loss in the set it would mean that you lose a maximum of about 5-10% of your speed on the first rep. Therefore, this corresponds to a small loss of speed in the series, and the number of repetitions performed will always be less than half of the possible ones.

As examples of light or small effort (EC), these values ​​could be considered: from 4-6 repetitions performed, being able to do 16-30 or more. But, as we have indicated in previous paragraphs, although both examples could be considered as a light CE, their effects are quite different and they would be used in very different situations.

The CE is considered as medium when an average number of repetitions is done, which means a loss of speed in the series close to 20-25%, and the number of repetitions in the series is around half of those possible.. For example, 6-7(12-14), 4-5(8-10).

The CE can be considered high or very high when more than half of the possible repetitions are done, which means a loss of speed somewhat greater than 25-30%, but 2-4 repetitions are left out in the series. For example: 3(5), 4(7) 5-68), 8(12).

The CE is considered maximum when the maximum or almost maximum number of repetitions possible within the series is done, the loss of speed is very high (60-70%) and half of the possible repetitions are clearly exceeded. For example, when doing 9-10(10), 7-8(8) or 3-4(4). In the international literature, this last type of physical effort or type of training (without using the term CE) is called XRM, that is, the maximum possible number of repetitions with a given load, as we have indicated in the previous point.

All this information that we give here in relation to the CE values ​​is indicative, because in our proposal, if the possibility of measuring speed is available, the number of repetitions is not programmed, but rather the loss of speed at a certain relative load, which will give rise to the fact that the number of repetitions may be different between subjects for the same degree of physical effort (same degree of fatigue).

Another component of the training load, the intensity depends both on the intensity’s own value and on the number of times (volume) that said value is applied. For this reason, whenever we talk about intensity, we will also talk about volume, and therefore, load.

In this series of articles we deal with some of the most important concepts of strength training, collecting notes from the recently published book Strength, Speed ​​and Physical and Sports Performance written by renowned researchers Juan José González Badillo and Juan Ribas Serna.

Summary

• Intensity is the degree of effort developed when performing an exercise or training activity in repetition.
• The character of effort is the relationship between what has been done and what is achievable.
• The relative intensity is the percentage of the 1RM, which is the maximum weight that a subject can move in one repetition.
• The measurement of the 1RM displacing the maximum weight supposes an excessive effort and a risk for any athlete.

Training actions are rarely performed only once, the normal thing is to perform several times / several repetitions with a certain intensity. Therefore, both the intensity and the number of times each intensity is to be performed must be taken into account.

Intensity is the degree of effort developed when performing an exercise or training activity in each unit of action (repetition).

The intensity represents the degree of muscular activity developed to oppose a resistance, whether this resistance is constituted by one’s own body weight (which occurs with all the efforts that consist of jumping or moving the body in any medium without additional added loads), as if it were about overcoming an external resistance.

The most precise and sufficient way to determine the intensity when working with external loads is through the maximum possible speed of the first repetition in the series, but power could also be used when dealing with machines in which actions are performed. cycles that give power data as the product of force and speed. The maximum possible speed of the first repetition will always be accompanied by the maximum production of force in the unit of time (RFD) for the load, absolute, relative, with which you train.

The effort is defined as the degree of demand or demand on the organism (real load) of a physiological, mechanical, technical, emotional type in each unit of action. The relationship between the degree of demand and the current / real possibilities of the subject at a given moment constitutes the character of the effort (González-Badillo and Gorostiaga, 1993, 1995).

Therefore, the character of the effort is or expresses the load itself, that is, it defines it, and is determined by the relationship between what is done (degree of demand caused by the activity or work done, which is expressed by the series and repetitions performed before a determined absolute or relative determined load) and what is achievable (current possibilities of the subject, that is, the maximum work that the subject could perform: maximum number of repetitions in the series or in a set of series).

The character of effort is the relationship between what has been done and what is achievable. The maximum character would be the maximum number of repetitions in the series or set of series.

There are different ways of expressing intensity that are more in line with what is generally understood as “strength training.” Really, all training is strength training, because from a physical point of view, performance can only be improved by applying more force to the same load, that is, reaching more speed with the same load, which is what is intended with everything. type of training, except in weightlifting, in which the speed does not change, but the load that moves at the same speed.

absolute intensity

Weight (kg). Weight is an indicator of absolute intensity. It has the advantage that it can be used to compare the training of each subject with himself over time: speed change for the same load (weight). In addition, it is the best indicator of the relative load used by the subject and of the training effect if the speed with which each repetition is performed is controlled.

Relative intensity: Percentage of 1RM.

When it comes to displacing external loads the percentage of one repetition maximum (% of 1RM) could be used. This expression of intensity is typical of what we think of as “strength training.”

Advantages

This way of expressing intensity has some advantage, such as the fact that the load (weight) that each subject should use could be individualized, apparently in a simple way, no matter how large the training group was. You would simply have to indicate the percentage of 1RM with which you would have to train.

If the percentage of 1RM is considered and interpreted as “degree of effort” and not simply as an arithmetic calculation, it could also have an important application to indicate the evolution of the maximum relative load used in each training session or week.

If a person honestly wants to report his “philosophy”, his “theory” or his idea about training programming, he must do it simply, quickly and accurately indicating the maximum intensity (in this case the percentage of 1RM considered as “degree of effort”) of each session in the fundamental exercise or exercises.

This information is the most important, although, naturally, if the volume values ​​are added with each intensity, the information will be more complete. This is so as long as the percentages are real, that is, they accurately represent the true effort that each percentage represents.

Drawbacks

1 – Time misalignment of the theoretical percentage: The MRI value is not the same every day. It tends to increase in a few sessions if the subject is not highly trained, and is generally below the maximum value measured before (usually weeks, months, and even years before) starting the training cycle when subjects are highly trained. However, in neither of the two cases are the changes stable, but oscillations occur within the improvement or stagnation of the MR value.

For all this, the effort made during the session can clearly differ from the programmed one. The drawback of this error is usually much more serious in trained subjects than in beginners, since it would be the trained ones who would run the greatest risk of training with loads higher than those programmed..

A clear and negative consequence of this situation, whatever the level of performance of the subject, is that we will never know with what load we have –
trained, which is quite serious, since we will be considering that the effect of the training, good or bad, obtained is due to loads or efforts different from the real ones. Dragging this problem would never improve our training methodology, because we would almost always handle wrong data.

2 – That the value of the MRI is not real: A high percentage of the measured MRIs are false. Given that each exercise has a speed of its RM (González Badillo, 2000), the RMs will be false whenever the subject reaches his RM at speeds higher than the speed of the RM of the exercise (there is no other possibility of error because at measure 1RM the speed can never be less than the speed considered as typical of the RM of the exercise).

The more the speed at which the RM has been measured moves away from the speed of the exercise, the less accurate the measurement will be. This lack of precision is always manifested by resulting in an RM value that is lower than the real or true value, although, naturally, the true value of the RM will never be known.

Therefore, when we speak of “true value of the RM”, we must understand a value of RM reached at the speed of the exercise or very close to it. This means that each load (weight) that we use, taking a false RM as a reference, will always be a lower real percentage than the programmed one. This circumstance means that this error has fewer negative consequences for training than other errors, since we would always train with loads lower than those programmed.

3- The effort represented by each percentage of 1RM is different depending on the exercise: To the previous drawbacks we must add that, even if the real percentage of the RM represented by each weight is known, the effort represented by each percentage is different depending on the type of exercise. This different effort depends on the speed of the RM.

For example, a load of 85% 1RM represents a very different effort than a bench press and a power clean. These differences are due precisely to the fact that the speed of the RM is different for each exercise (González Badillo, 2000).

4 – The measurement of 1RM supposes an excessive effort and with risk for any athlete, and especially for young people: Based on what we have just indicated in relation to the inconveniences of measuring and using the RM as a reference, it is reasonable to conclude that the RM does not should never be measured. It can be estimated through speed.

With respect to the dosage, we have already given the arguments, and as regards the assessment of the effect of the training, it only serves, in a not very precise way, to know the effect of the training on the maximum load (loads that move at very low speed), but not for all other loads or speeds.

The measurement of 1RM supposes an excessive and risky effort for any athlete, and especially for young people.

XRM or nkM

This The way of expressing the intensity of the training indicates that the maximum possible number of repetitions should always be done with the load (weight) that is being trained. The X and the “n” represent the number of repetitions to perform. It is understood that being able to perform a certain number of repetitions means that you are working with a certain intensity or percentage of 1M, since with each percentage of 1RM you can perform, on average, a certain number of repetitions. This way of expressing intensity includes volume, and is very common in expressing training, especially when it comes to studies that intend to be published.

This way of expressing or dosing the training load does not present any possible advantage. So we will only talk about its drawbacks.

The first observation regarding this type of expression and dosage of intensity is that doing the same repetitions with a certain load does not mean that you are working with the same percentage. The maximum value of the range in which the number of repetitions performed at the same intensity is found, from 50 to 85% of the RM, can double the minimum value, with an average coefficient of variation of 20% (González-Badillo et al. al.. 2017). Therefore, two subjects who have trained with the same number of maximum repetitions per set may have trained with very different relative loads.

1RM should never be measured

The second observation regarding this type of expression of intensity is that it is not possible to perform more than one series with the same load (weight) and the same number of repetitions when this has really been the maximum possible for the subject in the first. series. Therefore, it is not realistic to propose a training such as: 3x10RM, which means that the subject must perform 3 series of 10 repetitions with a load (weight) with which, in the first series, they can only really perform 10 repetitions. .

Another big drawback is that, by always training with the maximum number of repetitions possible per series, Even if fewer repetitions are made in successive series with the same weight, at least the following negative effects can be produced: excessive fatigue, increased risk of injury, and reduced execution speed under any load. (high loss of speed in the series). All this can lead to reduced sports performance.

Lastly, it has been observed that performing the maximum number of repetitions possible in each series does not provide better results than performing the same number of series and fewer repetitions per series with the same relative intensity (González-Badillo et al., 2005; González-Badillo et al., 2006; Folland, et al , Izquierdo, Ibáñez et al. 2006 Groeller, 2016; Drinkwater, et al., 2007; Willardson, et al., 2008: Pareja-Blanco et al., 2017) nor on other untrained exercises (Pareja-Blanco et al., 2017)

From all that has been said, it can be deduced that it would be very reasonable for no XRM value to be measured, neither for training nor to assess the effect of performance.

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by structural deterioration and low bone mass density, which increases fragility and increases the risk of falls and traumatic fractures. However, there are exercises for osteoporosis that can help prevent it, and here we talk about them.

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What causes osteoporosis?

Various causes that affect the development of osteoporosis include dysfunction of the menstrual cycle, low energy availability (low calorie intake), being underweight, and a sedentary lifestyle.

Osteoporosis also occurs in men, but in sports there is a combination of causes that can have a significant impact on the development of osteoporosis in women. Eating disorders and absence of menstruation. These two factors, along with osteoporosis, make up what is known as the latriad for female athletes.

Athlete without menstruation or loss of menstruation: everything you need to know

The athlete’s triad has been established as a condition in which a combination of eating disorders and weight loss accelerated by sports practice causes irregularities in the menstrual cycle. This condition promotes the progression of osteoporosis and other medical conditions due to the close relationship between the hormonal environment and bone density.

Therefore, it is important to know how to identify the signs and symptoms that can lead to these situations, such as fatigue above normal, weight changes and changes in the menstrual cycle. In general, sport should be a factor against osteoporosis, so choosing your osteoporosis exercises correctly is key.

How can I train to improve bone mineral density?

The first thing to know is that sedentary lifestyles and inadequate energy intake are one of the main risk factors for the development of osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women.

Therefore, make sure that you are an active and well-composed person throughout your life, as you are much less likely to contract this disease.

Lifelong physical activity helps prevent osteoporosis

First of all, we have to understand what exercises for osteoporosis should be done to strengthen our bones:

• Traction exercises such as those that occur when our muscles are stretched.
• Push exercises such as gravity itself or multiple impacts that occur during execution.

The traction stimulus primarily stimulates cortical bone. It is the densest, superficial and metabolically least active, so it has a much lower turnover rate than bone. The compression stimulus further stimulates the cancellous bone. Cancellous bone is internally and metabolically much more active, with a much higher turnover rate than cortical bone.

Osteoporosis, in particular, has a significant impact on bones that have a high proportion of trabecular tissue (vertebral or upper thigh). This is because it is metabolically active and is more susceptible to hormonal changes. That is why in the case of osteoporosis, recommended exercises are the squat or the deadlift, which help maintain bone density throughout life.

What kind of exercises for osteoporosis should I do?

To summarize the above, it is necessary to combine exercise with a traction stimulus to the bone and exercise with a compression stimulus. The solution is strength training and small micro-impact exercise like high-speed walking, steps, and vibrating machines.

For strength training, choose multi-joint exercises for the lower and upper body. A list of osteoporosis exercises would be, for example, squats and their variations, deadlifts and their variations, bench press or dumbbells, military press or shoulder press, dumbbells, jerks or basses.

The key to micro impact training is progress. Start by walking on a steep treadmill that compresses less than on a flat surface, then move on to stepping and vibrating machines. In the latter case, it is always better to use it under the supervision of an expert.

Within the components of the training load, the volume represents the amount of work, the amount of training, the number of actions performed…, which is expressed differently depending on the type of training performed. The volume is determined and modified by the duration and frequency of the activity. Basically the volume represents the “time” factor of the magnitude of the stimulus and has little or no meaning if it is not accompanied by the intensity component.

In this series of articles we deal with some of the most important concepts of strength training, collecting notes from the recently published book Strength, Speed ​​and Physical and Sports Performance written by renowned researchers Juan José González Badillo and Juan Ribas Serna.

Summary

• Volume represents the number of repetitions performed in a workout.
• The volume has a limited meaning if it is not accompanied by the intensity with which it has been performed.
• The intensity with which each repetition is executed is the main determinant of the training effect, therefore, the adequate volume should be conditioned by the intensity.
• The best training effect will be achieved when a program is designed with alternating high, medium and light volumes, in the appropriate order and magnitude without exceeding the total volume considered maximum.

When it comes to so-called “strength” training, as well as throwing and jumping, volume is measured by the number of repetitions performed. However, the value of the isolated volume is insufficient to define the load: two volumes can be two totally different workouts if the intensity is different to define the load, it is always necessary to add the corresponding intensity value to the volume value.

When dealing with volume as a component of load, it is important to ask ourselves a key question:

how much volume should be used?

This question does not have a single answer, much less a precise and universal one, but finding or coming close to an answer to this question is a permanent goal for anyone dedicated to training effect programming and analysis.

Some guidelines can be given that should serve as support to justify when the volume reached may be sufficient, but, as we have indicated, the volume has hardly any meaning by itself if it is not going to
together with the intensity factor, and therefore, in many situations, the volume will be determined by intensity indicators such as, especially, the maximum possible speed of execution.

8 Conclusions on the volume effect collected in some investigations

1 – The maximum achievable volume (maximum volume that the subject could do without immediate damage or extreme exhaustion) does not produce the best results (González-Badillo et al., 2005).

2 – A volume of 85% of the maximum achievable allowed to obtain the best results (González-Badillo et al., 2005). With a volume of approximately 65% ​​of the maximum achievable, the same results were obtained as with said maximum and probably the improvement in the exercises with the highest speed of execution are more affected by the size of the volume (González-Badillo et al., 2005). .

3 – Three sets per muscle group per week to failure produce the same or greater effects than 6 and 12 sets (Ostrowski et al., 1997).

4 – The conclusion of some studies and reviews indicate that there is little scientific evidence and there is no physiological theoretical basis to suggest that a greater volume of practice provides a greater increase in strength (Carpinelli and Otto, 1998).

5 – The improvement in athletic performance appears to be related to progression to higher volume with increased strength training experience. (ACSM’s position stand, 2002), but the use of high training loads is not based on the idea that “the more the better” (Viru, 1993), because the key to success does not seem to lie in an extreme volume of training ( Smirnov, 98). For example, doubling the training volume of a group of swimmers for six weeks was found not to result in increased performance (Costill et al. 1991), and the effectiveness of training volume appears to decrease progressively as the athlete’s performance increases. (Matveyer and Gilyasova, 1990).

6 – In order to verify where the optimal training volume could be, 140 studies related to the effect of the number of series performed per exercise were analyzed, 1433 effect size values ​​were calculated to be able to compare the effect of each of the studies, and it was concluded that when more than 3-4 sets per exercise were done, the training effect began to diminish, both in trained and untrained subjects (Rhea et al., 2003). In other words, once a certain volume is reached, increasing it does not seem to produce a greater improvement, and may even reduce performance.

7- In several recent studies it has been observed that losing 10 or 20% of the speed reached in the first repetition in the series produces better results than continuing to do repetitions in the series until losing between 30% or 40-50% of the speed iinitial (Pareja-Blanco et al., 2017; Rodríguez-Rosell et al., 2018; Rodríguez-Rosell et al., 2019). When 10 and 20% of the speed of the first repetition was lost, the volume was 46% and 64% of that performed when 40-50% was lost.

8 – Therefore, studies indicate that there seems to be an optimal zone of amount of training that provides a greater increase in results. However, this optimal zone is poorly defined, and exceeding it can lead to overtraining syndrome. (Lehmann et al. 1993; in Kuipers, 1996). |

Although it is necessary to find the right volume of training, but the questions are numerous:

• How to find the right volume and how to know that it is?
• what is the appropriate volume of a session?
• does it serve us forever?
• Is it the same for all subjects who pursue the same objective in the same specialty?
• What period of time are we referring to when we speak of adequate volume?

These questions do not have and probably will never have a precise and definitive answer, but given the importance of this factor for the best driving in the sporting manner, some practical guidelines can be given that can serve as a reference and support when making decisions. decisions.

How to find the right volume and how to know that it is?

The most appropriate procedure is the use of the experimental method, through which the variables we want to study can be manipulated, which in this case would be using different volume values, and controlling other variables that could influence the results, such as intensity and the type of exercise, mainly.

In this way, the cause-effect relationship between volume and performance could be verified. Given the difficulty involved in carrying out studies of this type, especially with subjects who compete officially, the second alternative is the observation and continuous monitoring of training loads and their effects. This route is more accessible, although less precise, to achieve these objectives.

This observation must focus on the analysis of two main sources of information: physiological sources such as cardiorespiratory, hormonal, enzymatic, metabolic… responses to effort, and mechanical sources, more accessible and probably accurate, such as the evolution of the maximum speed and the loss of speed in the series in each training session.

What is the appropriate volume of a session?

The intensity with which each repetition is executed is the main determinant of the training effect, therefore, the adequate volume should be conditioned by the intensity, understood in this case as execution speed. The most reasonable thing is to think that as long as the intensity can be maintained, the repetition of said intensity – which constitutes the volume – could be positive.

Should all the repetitions that can be done with the planned intensity be exhausted in each session?

This question leads us to a more complex problem, which would focus on determining how many times or how often the maximum possibilities of maintaining the intensity must be exhausted and how many times we must fall below it.

The criterion of The most rational reference to determine the end of the session or of the repetitions or series within an exercise would be the immediate response of the subject from a dynamic point of view, understood as the force lost in the series and, especially its cinematic component understood as the loss of speed in the series. Additionally, the concentration of lactate and ammonium could also be recorded.

The speed losses will indicate the degree of fatigue created in the series or set of series, and the metabolites the degree of metabolic stress caused, in which the main role would be played by ammonia. The loss of speed, and, in part, the ammonium, which is determined precisely by the loss of speed, are quite reliable indicators of the degree and type of effort that the subject is making, so they can allow us to check recurrently the relationship between the degree of effort and the results or effects of training.

In this way, deciding when a session or exercise should be interrupted would not only be determined by intuition, but by data that more accurately reflects the true effort made. “Intuition” is not negligible, and will always accompany the training programmer, applicator, and analyzer, but this “intuition” must ultimately be the product of one’s own experience, which will be more reliable if it is based on the information that is derived from the subject’s mechanical and physiological response to the stimulus that training entails.

Assuming the right volume has been found, does it last forever?

Theoretically, at each moment of sporting life it is supposed that there must be a more adequate volume. In the early years the problem can be reasonably solved if you train with a moderate progression of the load, both in volume and intensity. The more moderate the load, as long as it produces a performance improvement, the more likely the load is appropriate. Dosage problems
of the volume appear when stagnations in the results begin to occur.

Therefore, we can accept that in most cases adequate volume will tend to increase moderately during the first 3-5 years, and from this point on, much more emphasis should be placed on finding out what is the volume that allows a better and greater positive adaptation of the subject to the training loads. In this case, we would be in the situation described in the previous paragraphs, so it should be taken into account
the considerations set forth there.

Also, the focus now needs to be on how many times in a year/season the proper peak volume is reached and how long peak load phases should be maintained. It should be taken into account that The fact that you get an upgrade with a considerable load does not ensure that that is the best load. It is possible that, if the same load is used again, the results are not only not positive, but may even be negative and there is even a risk of injuries directly derived from the demand of the load itself..

Is the adequate volume the same for all the subjects who seek the same objective in the same specialty?

Experience indicates that the answer to this question is clearly negative. Not all subjects are capable of supporting the same loads.

What is the reference time period for an adequate volume?

The concept of adequate volume can be applied to any unit of training, from the volume of a series to that of a year. In order to adequately organize the training, it would be convenient for us to have a valid reference on what is the maximum-adequate volume of a session, a week, a month (four weeks) and a complete training cycle (6-12 weeks).

The best effect will be achieved when a program is designed with correct dynamics (alternation of medium and light high volumes in the appropriate order and magnitude), without exceeding the total volume considered as the maximum achievable in each training unit and for the appropriate time. .