In this topic, information on:
The variables to use in your FitWell resistance program
A word on caution on using 'own body weight exercises
How to start your Resistance program and how to progress
How to achieve Maximum Benefits
Detraining: what it is and how to avoid it
Muscular Endurance is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to do repeated contractions against a less-than-maximum resistance for a certain amount of time or a number of repetitions.
The muscular endurance action of the muscles is involved in every sport where there is a load on the muscles in the performance of the sport.
This is totally applicable to Snow Sports, Mountain Biking, all football codes, running, swimming.
Exercising to develop Muscular Endurance and Foundational Cardio Fitness helps prevent fatigue and reduce the risk of injury.
As explained in the topic The benefits of Resistance Exercise, there are a number of Protocols to use in resistance exercise, with each providing a different benefit .
In this topic we look specifically at the Protocol used in the FitWell resistance sessions.
Muscle Endurance Conditioning Protocol
Number of sessions per week
To gain optimum benefits 3 sessions per week is the target
Do a session each 2 or 3 days E.g., Exercise on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday or days to suit that will provide the same interval
The benefits can be gained using sessions of around 20-25 minutes in duration
Resistance
The technical explanation of the resistance that should be used is 40-60% of your 1 Repetition Maximum (or 1 RM).
1 RM is the Maximum you can lift for 1 repetition
However, in practical terms you do not have to be concerned with this definition as being able to complete 3 sets of 12 reps, with the correct rest, means you are in the 40-60% range, even when starting your program
Repetitions
Weight/resistance should allow you to complete between 12-25 lifts (i.e. repetitions). This is called a ‘Set’
Sets
2-3 sets of each exercise should be performed within the one session
Rest: 30 seconds of rest is required between sets that use the same muscles. Be sure to time the rest period as it is an integral part of achieving the targeted benefits
Speed of Repetition
The aim is to have the muscle contract over a 1 second period, and then take 2 seconds for the muscle to lengthen
The reason for a shorter ‘lift’ duration and longer ‘put down’ is that muscles are stronger when they lengthen, so the longer duration helps bring on fatigue, which is needed for the benefits to happen
Counting for 1 second then 2 second is suggested; particularly when starting out
A check for this is to time the duration of the set. So, 12 reps will take 36 seconds; 25 reps 1m15s.
Own body weight exercises - No added resistance
As you can see in the Protocol the target is to do 2 or 3 sets, and achieve 12 to 25 reps in each set, more on that below.
When you use your own body weight it is often not possible to achieve the repetitions to gain the Endurance benefit.
The exercise Chin Ups is an example of this. Very few people can do 12 chins ups, let alone do 2 or 3 sets of 12. This is because the body weight is too great for the muscles involved in the chin up.
In the case of exercising with no weights or added resistance you may increase the number of repetitions to marginally greater than 25, provided you can complete at least 2 Sets of the same number of repetitions.
Starting out and progressing
Technically and physiologically, it is important to start out easier, then progress.
To gain the Muscle Endurance benefit when starting out:
Use a workout level on the lower end of the Muscle Endurance Protocol e.g., 2 sets of 12 Reps.
Benefit is gained when the combination of Set, Rep and Resistance produces muscle Fatigue in the final set e.g., it is a little more difficult to complete the number of reps you do in your final set versus the set before.
So when starting out it is better to use a light/low resistance which will allow you to do at least 12 reps, as a minimum, in your final set.
When you can do 12 reps in your 3rd set, it is time to increase the resistance /weight
Maximum Benefit
Maximum Muscular Endurance Benefit is gained when you can do 3 sets of 25 reps.
When you can do this in any exercise, it is recommended that you do 3 sessions at this level, in the particular exercise/s, then you incrementally increase the resistance/weight.
The increase resistance will likely reduce the number of repetitions you can achieve, likely in the 2nd and 3rd set.
It is also likely that your progress to the 3 x 25 level will differ by exercise as each exercise uses different groups of muscles, and muscles of different sizes adapt at different rates. Think your arm bicep versus your leg quadricep
Physical Conditioning Consideration
Detraining
The benefits of your endurance resistance training can be lost in part or totally if you do not follow the guidelines that are dictated by the physiology of your body.
Detraining is the decrease in the work output or potential output of the muscle which occurs when any of the following factors occur:
You stop doing your resistance workouts: In place of stopping your resistance program switch to a Maintenance level program, that are listed in FitWell Sessions
As the name suggests this will maintain the benefits gained while reducing the session duration and set, rep number
You have more than 72 hours between workouts: After 72 hours you start to lose the benefit of the previous exercise period. This is particularly the case in using the Endurance Protocol
So, it is like taking one step forward and almost a step back each time you go more than 72 hours between workouts. At best you will plateau in your benefits gain, or will go backwards
You have less than 48 hours between workouts where the same muscle groups are used: The recovery period is of fundamental importance in developing muscle endurance. This becomes of increasing importance when exercising at the top thresholds of the endurance protocol i.e. set, rep, resistance mix
You do not keep within the 40 – 60% of your 1RM% and within the 12 – 25 repetitions: If you do not exercise within these parameters the relevant physiological adaption will not be promoted to produce an endurance benefit in the muscle
Again, you are receiving the maximum benefit when you are using the maximum repetitions, 25 and performing 3 Sets, with the proper rest between sets, which will enable you to take the next step of an incremental resistance / weight increase.
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