====== Strength Training & Conditioning ======

===== Introduction =====

Getting bigger and stronger involves three main parts:
  * training or exercise program
  * diet
  * rest

To make decent progress, all three need to be taken care of.

The best approach will depend on where you are now and where you want to be at.  There is no overall universal best training method or diet that will work for everyone.  You need to define your goals, analyze your current state, and then develop a plan from there.

For example, if you are a really skinny 20 year old guy who weighs 60 kg who is trying to bulk up, your approach would be different to that of a 45 year old overweight unfit guy trying to get leaner.

===== Some types of training =====

Some of the main competitive sports to do with weights training include:
  * bodybuilding
  * powerlifting
  * olympic lifting
  * strongman

All of these have fairly specific goals and methods of training:

  * Bodybuilding is all about looks; gaining the most muscle mass and having the best body symmetry. It is not concerned at all with how strong or fit you are.  It just so happens that training with weights happens to be the best way to achieve these goals and a natural byproduct is that you will get stronger.  If you want to look big but don't care about whether you can actually perform, this is the way to go.
  * Powerlifting is about lifting the heaviest total weight (for a single rep) on three lifts - the deadlift, squat, and bench press.  The focus is on static strength.
  * Olympic lifting is about lifting the heaviest weight possible for a single rep in a variety of lifts such as the clean.  The focus here is more on explosive strength and technique.

On the other hand, sports specific strength training is concerned with improving an athlete's performance in their sport (be it wrestling, rugby, rowing, etc).  The training may involve a combination of static strength training, explosive strength training, and fitness work.  It may use a combination of free weight exercises (e.g. bench press, barbell rows), bodyweight exercises (pull-ups, dips, push-ups, burpees) to achieve this.

My personal goals are to gain functional all-round strength that is useful for sports, and at the same time increase my muscle size and mass, while staying reasonably lean.  The advice below is based around these goals.

===== Getting started =====

Too many people dive straight into joining a gym before doing any real research or thinking about their goals.  They end up on some crappy cookie-cutter program that relies on machines and end up with average results.  Almost anyone will get decent improvements initially even on a terrible training program, but training intelligently will get better results and reduce the risk of muscular imbalances etc.

Get advice from knowledgeable people.  Post a thread on the [[http://bullshido.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=23|Bullshido Physical Training, Diet, and Health Forum]] or the [[http://www.sherdog.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13|Sherdog Strength & Power Discussion Forum]].  Introduce yourself, your current situation, and your goals.  Try to give as much information as possible.  If you ask the question in an articulate, polite, and detailed manner you will get better responses.  Keep an open mind when viewing the replies.

I highly recommend that you get the book [[http://www.startingstrength.com/|Starting Strength]] by Mark Rippetoe.  It contains a wealth of information on the most important lifts for gaining useful strength, such as the squat, deadlift, bench press, clean, overhead press, and so on, and goes into great details on how to perform the exercises with the correct technique and the anatomical reasons why.

Some other great sources of training programs and workout advice for athletes, particularly martial artists, are [[http://www.rosstraining.com/|RossTraining]] and [[http://www.crossfit.com/|CrossFit]].  I haven't tried them yet but intend to soon.

Here is a 100 word summary of CrossFit (from their website):

> //Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.//

===== My general training methodology =====

I am a big believer in free-weight exercises or bodyweight exercises rather than machines.  By this I mean doing proper squats rather than leg press or smith-machine squats, doing pull-ups rather than lat pull-downs, and so on.  Unlike their machine counterparts, free weight exercises require some technique, balance, and coordination.  You are not simply producing a force, you are balancing and controlling that force.

I believe in focusing on compound exercises.  A compound exercise is simply an exercise that works two or more muscles, whereas an isolation exercise is one that only targets one muscle.  Deadlifts are a good example of a compound exercise; they work out heaps of muscles.  Concentration curls, which only target your biceps, are an example of an isolation exercise.

My reasoning for focusing on compound exercises and free weights over machines is that in any real-world activity or sport, such as when you are tackling someone in rugby, punching someone in a fight, throwing a ball, or moving heavy furniture, your body works as a system with many muscles working in unison.  You require balance, coordination, and timing.  Compound exercises help this; they teach your body to use muscle groups together to produce useful results.  I believe that how you train will affect you perform; that is, if you train your body as isolated muscles then that's how you will end up; you make look big but you will basically be a bunch of individual muscles that can't work together.   The major compound exercises also tend to work your muscles pretty much in order of their importance.

For the same reasons that free-weight and bodyweight exercises are good for you, they can be harder to learn and so may seem daunting to a beginner.  Gyms around the world are filled with people who either don't know, are afraid of, or too lazy to do the major free weight exercises, and workout endlessly with machines.  Don't take the easy option and avoid them!  Take the time and do some reading, learn about the techniques, and if you can get a good coach or experienced friend or someone who knows how to do them to show you.

The important exercises that you should focus on include the following:
  * squats
  * deadlifts
  * bench press
  * cleans
  * overhead press
  * pull-ups
  * barbell rows
  * lunges
  * dips

Isolation exercises such as bicep curls, leg curls, leg extensions, flys, and so on, are inferior to compound movements for strength development.  Training in compound movements trains muscle to work in tandem to move greater weights and generate greater strength and power.  Isolation exercises do have their place for trying to rehabilitate an injury or for an advanced athlete improving a specific weakness.  They may also be used a lot by bodybuilders who are simply trying to increase the size of their individual muscles and don't care if it is essentially useless extra weight.  By and large, isolation exercises should be avoided by any athlete for most of their routine.

===== Specific Advice =====

==== Training ====

  * Focus on the major compound exercises with free weights (see the list above).  These use large muscle groups in unison and and allow heavy weight to be moved, resulting in strength gains you can use in the real world, and are great for adding lots of muscle mass on your frame.
  * Avoid machines.
  * Avoid isolation exercises (e.g. bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, etc).  Unless you are already massive and strong you are wasting your time here. 
  * Always maintain perfect technique; if you can't, the weight is too heavy.
  * Keep your workouts short and intense - 45 minutes to 1 hour max.
  * For your work sets, go heavy enough so that you can just manage 5 reps or thereabouts (with proper form).
  * You shouldn't normally go to failure.  If you use a spotter, they should just be there to help you if you get stuck. The spotter should not help you do extra forced reps that you couldn't do by yourself. Going to failure all the time will put a lot of stress on you central nervous system (CNS).
  * Try to increase your weights by a very small amount every week; the gains will add up over time.

==== Diet ====

  * Eat plenty of real, good food... chicken, beef, lean meat, rice, potatoes, vegies, pasta, etc. Don't go overboard on supplements. Supplements will not compensate for an otherwise bad diet.  Supplements are a very small part of the picture, despite what the magazines and advertisements would have you believe.
  * Basics
    * Food can be broken down into three components - protein, carbohydrates, and fat.  All three contribute to calories (energy).
    * Eating an excess of calories will result in weight gain; a deficit of calories will result in weight loss.  Whether that weight is fat or muscle etc is dependent on the quality and timing of the food and the effectiveness of your training program.
  * Figure out some daily eating goals in terms of total calories and amount of protein.  There are various formulas and online calculators that can help you work out roughly how many calories you should be getting per day, based on a few inputs such as your weight, body type, activity level, goals, etc.
  * Once you've figured out how many calories and how much protein you should be getting in a day, try to break that into 5 to 6 meals.  This is better than the traditional 3 meals a day that most people eat.
  * Adjust the amount you eat over time.  Try to find your limits! If you find you are getting too fat, cut down a bit.  If you aren't putting on weight, keep increasing the amount you eat gradually until you are gaining.  If you find you are getting too fat, then cut back a bit.
  * The carbs you eat should mainly be unprocessed low-GI carbs such brown rice, sweet potato, oatmeal, wholemeal bread.
  * Avoid junk food/candy/soft drinks.
  * Not all fats are bad! Do eat good fats and oils such as olive oil, fish oil, linseed oil, flax oil, etc.
  * A good breakfast is particularly important!

===== Workout Programs =====

A workout program is basically a workout plan that structures when and how often you go to the gym, what exercises you do, how those exercises are split up over multiple days, how many sets and reps you do on each exercises, and so on.

You may want to start by reading the [[http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224|Guide to Novice Barbell Training (aka the Rippetoe Starting Strength FAQ)]] on the [[http://forum.bodybuilding.com/|Bodybuilding.com Forums]].

To get an idea of some of the various types of routines out there, check out the post [[http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=975231|The Main Programs Floating Around Basically Sketched Out]] on the [[http://forum.bodybuilding.com/|Bodybuilding.com Forums]].

===== Useful Resources =====

  * [[http://www.rosstraining.com/|RossTraining]]
  * [[http://www.crossfit.com/|CrossFit]]
  * [[http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ|Starting Strength FAQ]]
    * [[http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ#Stalling.2C_Resetting_and_Progressing|Stalling, resetting, and progressing]]
    * [[http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Digital_Coaching|Digital coaching]]
  * [[http://strengthmill.com/|StrengthMill]]
    * [[http://strengthmill.net/|StrengthMill Forums]]
  * [[http://www.sherdog.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13|Sherdog Forums: Strength & Power Discussion]] - great forums.
    * [[http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/s-p-faq-please-read-436935/|Strength & Power FAQ]] - frequently asked questions; a good starting point
    * [[http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=113793|Great Places to Begin Your Education]] - compilation of links to useful threads and resources.
    * [[http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=197034|CarnalSalvation: A Treatise on The Lifting of Heavy Iron]] - read this!
    * [[http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=291187|Metabolic function for dummies (why the numbers aren't ALL there is to it)]]
    * [[http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=634949|Squat video series]]

  * [[http://bullshido.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=23|Bullshido Physical Training, Diet, and Health Forum]]
  * [[http://forum.bodybuilding.com/|Bodybuilding.com Forums]]
    * [[http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224|Guide to Novice Barbell Training (aka the Rippetoe Starting Strength FAQ)]] - a must read; simple and very good routine for strength gain; details of how to do exercises properly.
    * [[http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=750551|If you are a newcomer to weights looking to add muscular bodyweight]]
    * [[http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=975231|The Main Programs Floating Around Basically Sketched Out]] - a summary of the main types of training programs that you come across.
  * [[http://www.aceathlete.com/hatch/video.htm|Gayle Hatch: Olympic lifting instructional videos]]
  * [[http://www.t-nation.com/|Testosterone Nation]]
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=766996|The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Program Design]] by Alwyn Cosgrove
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=640350|Are You A Beginner II]]
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=483907|Ian's Top 10 Mass Makers - The best exercises for scary size gains!]] by Ian King
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460331|Massive Eating part 1]]
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460327|Massive Eating part 2]]
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=473067|The T-Dawg Diet: Version 2.0]] by Chris Shugart and TC
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459341|The Anti-Bodybuilding Hypertrophy Program]] by Chad Waterbury
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460221|Dawg School - Basic training for beginners]] By Chris Shugart
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=body_130dawg|The Beginner's Blast Off Program]] by Chris Shugart
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=546953|Back Off and Grow!]] by Jack Reape
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1676278|Total Strength Program - The Incredible Strength Program From Muscle Revolution]] by Chad Waterbury
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=548070|Cardio Confusion - Implications for Strength and Power Athletes]] by Eric Cressey
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1736931|Olympic vs Powerlifting Squats]] by Geoff Neupert and Mike Robertson
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459550|Top 10 Tricep Exercises]] by Charles Poliquin
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459658|Ab Training for Athletes and Babehounds, 2K3]] by Christian Thibaudeau
    * [[http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1411503|Massive Forearms, Strong Grip]] by John Sullivan

  * [[http://www.elitefts.com/documents/six_pack.htm|Overcoming the Pressure of a Six-Pack: How I Gained 100 lbs in High School]]

  * [[http://www.angelfire.com/hero/urbandruid/|Urban's Soapbox]] - lots of useful info for new lifters.
  * [[http://getnarked.net/forum|GetNARKED.net Forums]]
    * [[http://www.getnarked.net/forum/index.php?topic=385.0|Narkissos' 6 Steps to that Summer 6-pack]]
  * [[http://www.ironmind.com/|Ironmind]]
  * [[http://www.criticalbench.com/chart.htm|Critical Bench: One Rep Maximum Lift Chart]] - allows you to estimate your one rep max bench-press from your known sets/reps.

===== Shops =====

  * [[http://www.mrsupplement.com.au/|MrSupplement.com.au]] - Aussie online supplement shop with good range and reasonable prices
  * [[http://bodybuilding.com/store/|Bodybuilding.com Store]] - cheap US-based supplement shop, ship internationally.
  * [[http://www.cityhealth.com.au/|CityHealth.com.au]] - Aussie supplement shop

===== My current workout =====

With both full time work and a lot of martial arts training, I usually only manage to get in two or three gym sessions a week.  My workout as of August 2007 is structured as follows:

**Day 1**
  * squats
  * lunges
  * overhead press

**Day 2**
  * deadlifts or cleans
  * barbell rows
  * wide pull-ups
  * dumbell rows

**Day 3**
  * bench press
  * dips
  * reverse grip chinups or barbell curls
  * shrugs