Title: Intensity For Resuts

I just found this board its great to hear people taking the time to replay, I hope I'm not too long winded. I'm 34 male, 5'7 now at 188lb from 195lb. I have been been back working out in the gym and can usaly do 45 min of cardio, however I didn't see the results I wanted and I knew why; no strength training, and diet ( though I will not ask right now on deit ). So 3 weeks ago I restarted a weight program at my Y. We have fitlinks machines that keep weights/reps and also time each rep ( 2 sec up 4 sec down) for effectivness. I'm goning for 2x12 reps of controlled movement and if still ok trying to reduce by 25% and work to failure. I also now play Ice hockey twice a week ( at a pretty intense pace )which my cardio workouts have already helped increase my ability.

My goals are to get my BMI in a healthy range and inprove my game. So i have a few qusetions. I try to get in weight now 4xs max ( spilting upper body and lower body ) with cardio followed after.

1) I do strength training first then 35-45 min cardio ( stairmaster/eleiptical )is this the right way to go or am I negating my gains made with the weights.

2) I hear the terms "failure" or "stress" used to describe proper weight training, but exactly what describes the best way to go about making gains for toning up. Should a person try to increase the reps or should they up the weight? Is it better to do 6-8 reps or 10-12 at a lesser weight.

3) basicly what is the right program to follow to increase intensity for optimum results.

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Title: Re: Intensity For Resuts

1) If you want to improve your game I'd do some things differently. First, I'd use free weights instead of the fitlink machines. If you want the strength you build from resistance training to transfer to sport as much as possible then do it explosively. So, say if you are bench pressing, take 2-4 seconds to lower the weight and then lift the weight as fast as possible. It doesn't matter so much if the weight moves fast. What matters most is you TRY to move the weight as fast as possible. This will transfer better to success in hockey than taking two seconds to raise the weight. 2-3 sets per exercise twice a week for 12 reps is ok. I'd lower the reps to 8-10 on most exercises. Don't be afraid to experiment with different rep brackets (4-6, 6-8, 8-10, etc).
If I were you I'd worry more about my bodyfat % than my BMI. The BMI doesn't apply very well to people that have an above average amount of muscle tissue.
There are many ways you can go about your strength training routine. But other then what I stated I think you'd do fine with what you've done so far.

2) When people say 'tone' they really aren't talking about what they think they are. I know you mean 'tone' meaning to have firm muscles. If you want that then lower your bodyfat %. That will help give you that firmness.
Having larger muscles will help to.
As far as whether you should increase the reps or the weight it all depends. There really is no one 'right way'. But I'd increase the weight. As far as which rep bracket to do, it depends largely on your goals. If you want strength/power but aren't really concerned about size then doing between 1-6 reps would be best, if you want some strength AND size doing between 6-12 reps works best. If you want more endurance then doing 12+ reps is for you. It all depends and there is some crossover (if you do 12+ reps you will gain some strength but not as much as you would have if your reps were lower). So be aware of that.


3) I'm not quite sure what you mean by #3. In terms of weight lifting 'intensity' is defined as the percenteage of your One Repetition Maximum. So if you are lifting a weight that is 70% of your 1RM, then your intensity is 70%. If this is what you mean by intensity then to increase 'intensity' you want to increase maximal strength. To do this you should lift heavy weights for low repetitions (best betweein 1-6 though 6-12 would yield decent results too). Hope this helps.


Name: Shane
Date: Feb. 5th, 2003



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Title: Re: Intensity For Resuts

Thanks for responding!

Ok I have just been getting back into the fitness routine and now the BMI is everywhere and I kind of freak out with the number being overweight and amost obese!. Your EXACTLY right my goal is to get a better body fat %, I'm not sure of mine but it probably is in the mid to upper 20%. I have been in the mid 190 LB wise and with my cardio+ hockey routine going 5 months ago I got about 5-7 lbs gone, and my endurance increased alot for games. But I was doing the same exercise ( stairmaster ) and no weights at all. So I think I'm going to try to mix up the cardio ( add in bike/eliptical/treadmill ) and start strength. TO be a better player I still think my speed ( and overall health/ego )would be better 10-15 Lbs less and am really working hard to get there without the scale moving very much ( I know, I know quit doing that ).

Sooo If I'm trying to lose body fat, gain/maintain strength is it wise to hit the weights with intensity THEN hit the cardio machines for 35-45 min which I do at 60-80% max heart rate on my 3-4 times a week I'm at the Gym?

THanks for the advice on the free weights, I'm still a bit chicken to go the the free weight area because eventhough as heavy as I am, I have lost a lot of stength from being off weights for 3+ years. I really want to have a solid muscle base before I feel " comfortable" getting on the bench and stacking plates. My lower body though has benifited ALOT from intense skating ( highly recomend BTW ), and I think my next thing to try will be the squat rack. I can leg press 215Lbs with good form for 3 sets of 8-12. I will try harder though to increase the weight amount for upper body and see the results, keep in mind I'm about 3 wks back into weights.

YES thats exaclty what I was tring to figure out about what the 1RM was, and what exactly is ment my "intensity" which I hear many people refer to as in " are you really doing these exercises with proper intensity". To me I think that means muscle failure and am tring hard to achive that, with machines its a lot easier to knock out 2 sets and then if I feel tired drop the weight 25% and do as many as possible.....
Shane wrote:
> 1) If you want to improve your game I'd do some things differently. First, I'd use free weights instead of the fitlink machines. If you want the strength you build from resistance training to transfer to sport as much as possible then do it explosively. So, say if you are bench pressing, take 2-4 seconds to lower the weight and then lift the weight as fast as possible. It doesn't matter so much if the weight moves fast. What matters most is you TRY to move the weight as fast as possible. This will transfer better to success in hockey than taking two seconds to raise the weight. 2-3 sets per exercise twice a week for 12 reps is ok. I'd lower the reps to 8-10 on most exercises. Don't be afraid to experiment with different rep brackets (4-6, 6-8, 8-10, etc).
> If I were you I'd worry more about my bodyfat % than my BMI. The BMI doesn't apply very well to people that have an above average amount of muscle tissue.
> There are many ways you can go about your strength training routine. But other then what I stated I think you'd do fine with what you've done so far.
>
> 2) When people say 'tone' they really aren't talking about what they think they are. I know you mean 'tone' meaning to have firm muscles. If you want that then lower your bodyfat %. That will help give you that firmness.
> Having larger muscles will help to.
> As far as whether you should increase the reps or the weight it all depends. There really is no one 'right way'. But I'd increase the weight. As far as which rep bracket to do, it depends largely on your goals. If you want strength/power but aren't really concerned about size then doing between 1-6 reps would be best, if you want some strength AND size doing between 6-12 reps works best. If you want more endurance then doing 12+ reps is for you. It all depends and there is some crossover (if you do 12+ reps you will gain some strength but not as much as you would have if your reps were lower). So be aware of that.
>
>
> 3) I'm not quite sure what you mean by #3. In terms of weight lifting 'intensity' is defined as the percenteage of your One Repetition Maximum. So if you are lifting a weight that is 70% of your 1RM, then your intensity is 70%. If this is what you mean by intensity then to increase 'intensity' you want to increase maximal strength. To do this you should lift heavy weights for low repetitions (best betweein 1-6 though 6-12 would yield decent results too). Hope this helps.


Name: JP
Date: Feb. 6th, 2003



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Title: Re: Intensity For Resuts

If you can, get your bodyfat % checked by skinfold calipers or hydrostatic weighing (skinfold calipers are more convenient though). It's a far better method of assessment then the scale or BMI. The scale should only be used in conjunction with the calipers because your weight can vary several pounds in one day simply from gaining/losing waterweight. Try to get your bodyfat % somewhere between 10-18%.

"Sooo If I'm trying to lose body fat, gain/maintain strength is it wise to hit the weights with intensity THEN hit the cardio machines for 35-45 min which I do at 60-80% max heart rate on my 3-4 times a week I'm at the Gym?"
Yes, that'd be fine. Do the strength training first because it requires more intensity. It's been my experience you'll get better results by doing the most intense part of your exercise regime when you are fresh, and since strength training is more intense than cardio, it's better to do strength training first.

"THanks for the advice on the free weights, I'm still a bit chicken to go the the free weight area because eventhough as heavy as I am, I have lost a lot of stength from being off weights for 3+ years."

This doesn't matter. Just because you are weaker now doesn't mean you should avoid the weight room until you are stronger. Pride is one of the greatest detriments to self-improvement. If you're weak in the weight rooom, swallow your pride, go in and lift and use that 'feeling of being weak' as motivation to make yourself stronger. But be patient.

Most people mistake 'effort' for 'intensity'. But we have to be accurate in our use of them. Intensity is defined as the percentage of 1 repetition maximum. Effort, how hard you are working, is what people usually mean when they say 'intensity'.
Drop the machines and go to the free weights. Machines are ok but free weights are generally better. Good luck.

Name: Shane
Date: Feb. 6th, 2003



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Title: Re: Intensity For Resuts

Intensity was properly defined by Shane. However, when most people refer to "intensity", they refer to their percieved effort in the workout, ie did you try you hardest? could you have done more? etc. While this is not a proper definition, it's what the general public thinks it is (like most fitness definitions).
Intensity does not mean going to failure. You do not have to goto failure to achieve results. Going to failure is one of the many aspects of training you can vary to achieve certain goals. If your main goal is to gain muscle, then going to failure may not be a bad idea depending on how your routine is structured.

Do not stay on the machines. Any strength you develop in a short time on those machines will not transfer over to freeweights. The majority of your strength gains right now are from neural adaption, not muscle. When you switch, you will have to relearn all new movements on freeweights. I thought the same thing, and when I enwt from pushing 230lbs on a machine to doing dumbell bench, I was weak as a kitten. Go straight to freeweights. Do not care about how strong you are now and do not get intimidated by smaller guys putting up more weight. The only thing that should matter is that you are increasing the weight performed. You will be better off than 90% of the gym if you can do this.

Name: Joe
Date: Feb. 6th, 2003



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