One of my training philosophies is that you should strive to keep things simple. As with most things in life, over-complicating fitness training tends to negatively impact performance. With this in mind I have outlined below a series of common fitness goals with a list of bullet points summarising the bare essentials you should focus on when pursuing that particular goal. I am well aware it is possible to dive much deeper into each goal but for many this is unnecessary (at least in the short term!) Choose a goal and then pursue it. Ignore all the distractions and minor details which simply stall your progress!
Goal 1 – Strength
- Work with exercises or loads which you can perform for 5 reps or under (10 reps or under for novices)
- Balance volume and frequency so you complete as many good reps as possible per training week
- Periodise your training to avoid injury and allow strength adaptations to occur in the muscles & connective tissues
- Seek progress on a cyclical basis (heavier resistances)
Goal 2 – Muscle Gain
- Lift a moderately heavy load lots of times (sets & reps)
- Base your training around multi-joint compound exercises
- Keep rest periods between sets short (60-120 seconds)
- Increase training density on a regular basis (Work = Force x Time)
- Eat a high volume of nutrient dense calories
- Allow time for muscles to recover and grow
Goal 3 – Strength & Muscle Gain
- Use the above two methods in a conjugate or block combination
- Conjugate - Separate training methods within the same week
- Block - Separate training methods into training blocks (1-6 weeks)
Goal 4 – Run Faster
- Increase maximal strength (particularly in your lower body)
- Increase rate of force production (power)
- Improve sprinting technique (stability, mobility, relaxation, biomechanics)
Goal 5 – Fat Loss
- Focus on the quality and volume of your food intake
- Get healthy (more sleep, stress management, less booze, toxins etc)
- Move regularly (strength training and sprinting works best)
Goal 6 – General health and fitness
- Focus on the quality of your food intake
- Get healthy (more sleep, stress management, less booze, toxins etc)
- Move regularly (strength training and sprinting works best)
- Don’t exhaust yourself with too much training
Simple is often better and in my view that is certainly the case with fitness training! Don't concern yourself to much with the small details (at least while you are getting going). You can always fine tune your training program further down the line once performance improvements are that little bit harder to come by.