Starting a successful strength-training program

Volume One, Issue 20, February 9- 15, 2007

Health & Fitness

By Greg Rothman, M.S. P.T.

If you read my column last week on New Year’s resolutions, you should now be armed with the information you need to stay motivated, and to develop a plan so that you can move toward your fitness goals. One of the concepts I introduced was “synergy,” the three parts of any successful exercise program that work together to help stoke your metabolism and give you the best results: Building lean muscle, moderate cardiovascular exercise and the right nutrition are the three elements. This week, I’d like to discuss the first of these — developing lean muscle — and give you the strategies you need to undertake a successful strength-training program.

Before we proceed with this discussion, understand that when I talk about muscle, I’m referring not to “bulking up” but to adding lean muscle tissue. Many clients walking into my gym for the first time ask about the best exercises for toning, since most aren’t attempting to look like Arnold. As a fitness professional, I tell them there are no specific exercises for toning — muscle “tone” is simply lean muscle in the absence of fat in and around the muscles, and muscle is the only place in the body where fat is burned. So, even if your goal is a leaner, more toned look, building muscle is desired. If at any point you feel you’ve added all the muscle you want, you can switch to a maintenance program using machines or free-weights.

Another way to think about muscle is this: Adding just three pounds of muscle will allow you to burn an additional 5,250 calories each month — without doing anything else. That is the equivalent of one-and-a-half pounds of extra fat burned each month, or almost 20 extra pounds in a year. So, now that you understand the benefits of adding lean muscle, here are the best strategies for doing so.

Optimizing your strength-training program requires three essential elements. First, record your workouts: Buy a pocket-size notebook and bring it with you to the gym, then write down every set, repetition and weight. Without knowing exactly what you did in the previous workout, it is impossible to make consistent progress. This is such a simple strategy that I’m often amazed by how few people make it a habit. Imagine what would happen if you didn’t record your income or keep receipts for expenses all year — how would you file your taxes? It’s much the same with your body.

Second, to create new, lean muscle tissue, your muscles must be challenged to the point of fatigue, or what I refer to as momentary muscle failure — the point at which you are unable to complete another repetition while using strict form. So, if you are doing sets of, say, 20 repetitions, you should choose a weight that will allow you to complete 20 repetitions, and no more. Many people waste time in the gym by not sufficiently challenging their muscles or by randomly choosing weights. Instead, choose a weight that requires your muscles to work with maximum intensity and you will get optimum results for your effort.
Finally, once your body has adapted to the weight lifted in the previous workout, ensure further progress by doing more in each subsequent workout. This is called “progressive resistance” — increasing the amount of weight or the number of repetitions with the same weight from one workout to the next. Our bodies will only change in response to a greater challenge than it has handled before (this is the concept of “adaptation”). To get a clearer understanding, think about the body’s response to sun exposure: Skin darkens to protect itself from burning. If you go into the same amount of sunlight again, your skin does not need to darken further; it is already protected. Your body responds in exactly the same way: It will only get stronger and add new muscle when it is challenged beyond its previous threshold. If at any time you want to switch to a maintenance program, use machines or free-weights two or three times per week, choosing a weight that is comfortable for 12 to 15 repetitions and keeping that weight constant from one workout to the next.

By recording your workouts, challenging your muscles to their capacity and progressively adding to the challenge, you will grow consistently stronger and add new lean muscle tissue, and in response, your metabolism will speed up and your body will burn more calories daily. In my next column, I’ll discuss effective cardio workouts that will allow you to use your enhanced metabolism to burn more fat than ever before.

Greg Rothman, M.S. P.T., is the owner of emPower Fitness Studios (emPowerFitnessNYC.com). He received his masters degree in physical therapy from Columbia University and has 15 years’ experience in the rehabilitation and fitness fields, most recently as the personal training manager and top-level trainer for Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York City. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS about nutrition, fitness and sports injuries/rehabilitation to Greg at emPowerFitness@aol.com.