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Is There a 'Best' Strength Workout?

Personal trainers, strength coaches and fitness "experts" often recommend a high-intensity workout routine to develop muscle strength and mass. However, they differ somewhat in regard to the best routine. For example, some recommend a routine of eight repetitions maximum (RM), one set to failure, or a very slow, high-intensity movement routine. Others contend that performing one, or a three or more, maximum-set routine with low (five to eight) repetitions produce the best results.

Each of these routines has been touted as the most effective way to train, and can be substantiated by the results achieved by some individuals. But is any one of these or other routines the best? The answer is no. All workout routines have benefit. The key is to know when to use them, for whom they are best suited, for what purpose they should be used and for how long they should be performed.

Adaption

If you stay on any one workout routine (especially a high-intensity one), you will likely end up with an injury or find yourself in an overtrained state. You may experience great success with impressive gains in the early stages of using a particular routine, but after a few months, the gains will gradually slow down and come to an end. You may even begin losing strength and mass.

The reason for this is found in a phenomenon known as adaptation -- how the body changes (adapts) in relation to the training. When exercisers begin a new workout routine, their bodies respond with high energy levels and they experience significant physical changes. This is why beginners, when first starting a weight-training program, demonstrate impressive gains in six to eight weeks.

However, as exercisers improve -- as their bodies make physiological changes in response to the stress created by the workout -- the rate and amount of gain begins to decrease. Usually after about three to six months, there is full adaptation, which means that the body is now adjusted (accustomed) to the workout regimen. In other words, the body has undergone all the major physiological, neurological, muscular, endocrinological and other changes possible from that workout. However, "slow learners" may continue to make gains on the same program for up to one year.

Mix It Up

At this time, you need a change in your workout routine. However, increasing the intensity is not the answer, as exercisers may end up in an over-trained state or with an injury. This does not mean that the high-intensity workout is not effective. A high-intensity routine is effective, and is a key to success in bodybuilding and for increasing strength and muscle mass, in general. Performing only a high-intensity routine is where the problem lies.

The key to receiving continuous gains from workouts is to not get stuck in the same routine. One particular workout can be effective for a specified period in a year-round training program. But when used on a continuous basis, a high-intensity workout can be dangerous and may produce negative results.

High-intensity exercise: Not always a good thing

To sustain a high-intensity routine, there must be increased capillarization in the body to keep the muscle fibers and connective tissue healthy, and to supply them with adequate energy during workouts. In addition, waste products, which can be quite high in a high-intensity routine, must be removed from the muscle as quickly as possible by the circulatory and lymphatic systems.

However, research has shown that increases in circulatory system development lag behind increases in strength and muscle mass. As a result, in time, the circulatory support network will not be able to maintain the muscle in a healthy and efficient state if not given time to "catch up." If muscle mass and strength continue to increase with the use of high-intensity workouts, the muscles will not be able to get sufficient energy or have waste products removed. At this point, gains will be hard to come by, and exercisers may experience a decrease in the amount of weight they can handle.

Continual use of a high-intensity routine also makes the muscles more vulnerable to injury because of the constant strain placed on the ligaments, tendons and connective tissue. In time they weaken, especially when not given an opportunity to recover. These structures have poor blood supplies and, as a result, cannot strengthen as quickly as the muscle increases in size and strength. An imbalance can develop, which often results in injury.

To compound matters, continual use of high-intensity training eventually leads to a decrease in flexibility. Exercisers become unable to work through the full range of motion. When lifters constantly strive to increase the weights, they invariably modify execution technique to accommodate the heavier resistance. For example, when performing a biceps curl, rather than completely extending the arms in each repetition, exercisers start and finish with slight elbow flexion. Without a full stretch, the connective tissues eventually shorten, resulting in less flexibility.

The long-range consequences of decreased flexibility are many. For example, it can produce postural changes. For example, shortened pectoral muscles lead to a round-shouldered condition. As the muscles and connective tissue on the chest shorten, they pull the shoulders in and down. If continued for a long time, it can constrict the rib cage, which, in turn, can interfere with breathing and the execution of other exercises.

Decreased flexibility also results from the physiological after-effects of a high-intensity workout. For example, after completing the workout, there is residual muscle tightness caused by nervous system impulses that continue to fire on a low level, and do not allow the muscles to completely relax. The residual tension keeps the muscles in a shortened state. Exercisers should use restorative methods, which include stretching, to completely relax the muscle and allow it to recover.

Finding the Perfect Routine

To prevent some of these negative changes that occur from using only one program, such as a high-intensity routine, it is best to perform different routines that include high repetitions and medium repetitions, as well as different exercises and speeds of execution. These routines should gradually build up to a high-intensity routine. Staying on each of these different programs for different effects and for specific periods of time, and then changing them, re-energizes the nervous system.

Alternating workouts is the basis for periodiziation. For example, exercisers should start off with a relatively simple workout routine to get their bodies accustomed to working out, and to develop a strength and aerobic base before undertaking more intense activities. A good beginning phase would be to perform anywhere from 10 to 20 repetitions of an exercise for one set. The length of time that they stay on this program is determined by their level of fitness. If they are beginners, it may last up to four months. If they are high-level athletes, it may last only several weeks.

After this phase, depending on their objectives, exercisers can increase the intensity of their workouts by cutting down on the number of exercises, and increasing the number of sets performed for the remaining exercises. In addition, they can cut down on the number of repetitions if they are seeking greater strength, or keep the repetitions up in the 20 to 30 range if they are seeking more muscular endurance. This phase lasts for approximately three to four months, depending on their level of fitness.

After this, exercisers may go into another phase of increased intensity, which may include some explosive or plyometric-type exercises, followed by one or two sets for strength, followed by one or two sets for endurance if they are athletes, or increasing the amount of weight and number of sets if they are bodybuilders. This phase may last three to four months, at which time they may go into competition if an athlete, or into a peaking phase if they are a bodybuilder, which culminates in major competition.

The exact amount of time spent in each phase and the duration of the phase is determined by the exerciser's goals, level of fitness, gender, age and so on. In all cases, however, there is a clear progression in the changes that are made in each phase of training. Thus, any one of these workout routines can be considered "the best" for that particular phase.

Exercisers should look at the pros and cons of a particular workout routine on the basis of whether it is best at that particular stage and for that particular person.