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This article uncovers some of the basic training principles, hence the name "FOUNDATION".
In this article, I will attempt to uncover the right training principles; why certain type of training has an edge over the other; workout selection, correct forms.
Majority of the workouts explained in this article are Barbell based workouts. Now the question pops up in our curious minds..why barbells? I will tell why, but again before that what is a barbell?
Barbell definition as per wiki - A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, weightlifting and powerlifting, consisting of a long bar with weights attached at each end.
A standard barbell is 7.2 ft long, weighs 20 Kgs. The outer ends are 50 millimetres (2.0 in) in diameter, while the grip section is 28 millimetres (1.1 in) in diameter, and 1.31 metres (4.3 ft) in length.
Design with Ease
“ Barbell because, barbell is by far the best equipment to train for strength. Human body is designed to function as a complete system. Barbells allow the weight to be moved in a way the body designed to move easily allowing small increases in weight. Machines on the other hand force the body to move the weight in a way the machine is designed. In other words machines don’t allow the body to work on the full range of motion."
Mark Rippetoe explains better than anybody else on this planet..
Barbell because, barbell is by far the best equipment to train for strength. Human body is designed to function as a complete system. Barbells allow the weight to be moved in a way the body designed to move easily allowing small increases in weight. Machines on the other hand force the body to move the weight in a way the machine is designed. In other words machines don’t allow the body to work on the full range of motion.
All Barbell workouts are performed by keeping the weights close to your body, the movement is always against the gravitational force in a straight line perpendicular to the ground, imagine lifting a bucket full of water the lift will be perfect, most effective and safe when the bucket is placed close to your body. The same way, moving your body's mass and a weighted barbell in a vertical line over your centre of balance I.e., the middle of the feet is the most effective way to train.
A force is generated by the muscles between the joints in the bone which pushes the weight against the gravity. A progressive overload of the weight towards the gravity will make the muscles to generate more force that is recruit more muscle fibers than the previous occasion (its like calling more soldiers to battle out). This stress phase is followed by a rest (recovery) phase and the adaptation phase. This is a cycle stress--> recover --> adapt. Each time this cycle is repeated with a carefully increased stress it disrupts your body's internal equilibrium (homeostasis) and by nature your body will always try come back to its equilibrium state by becoming more stronger mentally as well physically to handle the same amount of stress next time. This simple yet powerful equation forms the basis of our program. Any other program where this equation is not applied is simply an ineffective program in terms of strength gain.
THE FOUNDATION
The core of building a strong body is to build a solid foundation, I cannot stress more on this point..you need to have a strong body before you look to have the aesthetics. The good news is …novice trainees have the greatest potential to gain strength and it is absolutely imperative that a program designed for a novice trainee to take full advantage of this potential. And hence the sole purpose of the novice program I am going to lay out in the next part of the article will be to make you strong. Stronger than strong.
Any program that does not focus on the core lifts (I call it Core 4) is just simply a flawed program an utter waste of time and money ..in case you are paying for it.
I think the below formula would look familiar to most of us
Work = Force x distance
Maximum work gets done in compound lifts (core 4) because force is max and distance is maximum
More muscles you recruited meaning more force is generated *Compound movements (4 Core) involve multiple muscle groups working together
Distance the force travels is maximum in compound lifts (core 4)
Now that we have peacefully buried the isometric lift chapter for beginners we can move on to the next section of this article which is learning the core 4 lifts. I am going to make use of the youtube training videos to show you how these lifts are done with proper techniques.
The Core 4 workouts
Core 1 – The Squats. Learn the technique here
Core 2 - The Press also known as Military press or standing barbell overhead press. Learn the technique here
Core 3 – The Deadlift works literally every muscles in the body. Learn the technique here
Last but not the least
Core 4 – The Bench press. Learn the technique here
Squat (arguably the best and most effective workout for the whole body) is a bit more technical than others. It’s true that some people will initially lack the flexibility to perform a perfect squat but, leg press will be a good alternative to squat only till the time the trainee gets comfortable performing squats . Mind you leg press cannot replace squat in terms of benefits the leg press does not even come close to squats.