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Happy Thanksgiving folks!
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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email [email protected] and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!
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A wise man once said: you don't get strong from lifting weights, you get strong recovering from lifting weights. In today's episode Coach Matt and Scott discuss the most important things you need to know about recovery so that you get the most out of your strength training.
Many factors affect your ability to recover from the work you do in the weight room -- nutrition, sleep, job stress, children, taxes, your mortgage. Some of these we can control, and some we can't. Of the factors we can control, we really care about two:
Food is fuel for your body. You need lots of protein to rebuild muscle that is stressed from heavy lifting in the weight room (and build new muscle on top of that), carbohydrates to fill and replenish the glycogen stores that power heavy working sets, and fats to maintain healthy cellular function. Without it, the adaptation piece of the SRA equation cannot happen. Trainees that under-eat protein may even develop tendonitis, a sign that their body is not adequately recovering from the stress from prior workouts. Likewise, trainees that restrict carbs too severely may feel weak or "gassed" too early in their workouts.
Underweight trainees undergoing linear progression need to eat a LOT of food. The amount of calories required to grow new lean mass -- muscle, bone, and connective tissue -- is difficult to measure, but we know it's a large number. Males should be eating at least 200g of protein every day (more for larger trainees, a 6ft+ male will likely need 225g or more), and females should be eating 150g of protein.
Overweight trainees already have adequate energy surplus, stored in the form of body fat, to fuel their workouts, so they need fewer calories, specifically less carbs and fats. Their protein intake should remain high.
Sleep is equally important. There are hundreds of articles and studies that discuss the benefit of a solid 8 hours of sleep each night, but trainees should pay attention to their sleep quality as well. Turning off your cell phone, TV, and other digital devices an hour before bed, sleeping in a cool and dark room, and taking time to mentally calm down before hitting the pillow are a few ways to ensure that you get both quality and volume of sleep.
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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email [email protected] and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!
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In the sixth installment of the Getting Started series, Coach Matt and Scott explain why the simplest way of training is, in fact, the best way to train for strength.
Linear progression refers to a program which increases the weight of the lifts every single workout. The increments are small -- 5-10lbs at first, 5lbs thereafter, perhaps 2.5lbs or less for women -- and the weight increases constantly. The lifter's progress on this program would be represented on a graph as a straight line with a positive slope, steadily climbing upwards. The exercises, sets and reps, and frequency stay the same; the focus is the weight on the bar.
We know this programming approach works because of the Stress/Recovery/Adaptation (SRA) cycle, which has been covered extensively in previous episodes. In short, stress (represented by the weight on the bar) must go up over time to produce a strength adaptation. Linear progression ensures that stress goes up in a measured, sustainable manner without adding unnecessary complexity.
In linear progression, there is an A workout and a B workout. Workout A calls for Squats 3x5, Press 3x5, and Deadlift 1x5. Workout B swaps the Bench Press for the Press, and looks like this: Squats 3x5, Bench 3x5, Deadlift 1x5. That's it! Notice there is no dedicated "cardio," no accessory movements, no ab or "core" work. The compound lifts train your entire body, and the nature of constantly adding weight means that by week four, you will likely be huffing and puffing pretty hard after your work sets!
It is common for a trainee's squat to double in the first month or two of linear progression. Some larger men and gifted athletes will triple it. The deadlift will make similar progress, and the pressing movements, though they tend to stall faster, will increase dramatically.
So take the linear gains while they are on the table! Linear progression doesn't work forever, but most people will be far stronger than they've ever been just by dedicating themselves to this simple, hard, and effective program.
Need some help getting started? Email [email protected] for a FREE trial of Barbell Logic Online Coaching. You'll get feedback on your technique and programming from a Barbell Logic coach, and see what the fuss is all about!
Have a question about training? Send a question to Matt and Scott! Email us at [email protected] and we'll answer your question on an upcoming Saturday Q&A!
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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email [email protected] and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!
Discounts
Connect With Matt
Connect With Scott
Connect With the Show
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