I took this from another site....thought is was a good read.
There are 8 bodybuilding stress factors involved in working out. You need to learn these 8 factors and use them in order to gain maximum size and strength.
1. Training Session Length- 50-55 minutes is the ideal time a workout should last. Going past this time and your body's natural testosterone levels decline up to 80%. You deplete your body's hormones going past this time which will hamper recovery as well.
2. Training Session Frequency - This is dependant on what type of training you do and how well you recover. A good rule is if you increase training intensity and decrease training volume, you can increase training frequency.
3. Bodypart Training Frequency - Recovery will vary but remember this point, a muscle can begin to atrophy after 72 hours. Atrophy, or muscle loss, is just as natural as muscle gain. A bodybuilder's body is very sensitive and when it recognizes a lack of stress, its high condition will make it work as effective toward atrophy as it will toward muscle development. So you can risk losing some muscle if you wait longer than 3 days to work a muscle group. Now a muscle may atrophy after 72 hours but it doesnt mean it takes 72 hours for recovery. Muscle recovers much faster than it does to atrophy.
4. Exercise Selection & Performance - Strive for the most neuromuscular activation when choosing exercises. The majority of mass building exercises should obviously be compound movements but dont neglect isolation exercises but a good routine is centered around the compound movements. With form, try to stick to strict form, it will always produce the best results. You can do loose form where its not so strict to push you thru some reps but never go to sloppy form. This can only increase injury and take the stress off the muscle you are working.
5. Repetition Speed - The two things that stimulate your muscles are the amount of weight and how fast you move the weight. Best way to go is perform each repetition as quickly as possible while maintaining proper form and control of the weight.
6. Training Session Volume & Intensity - The key here is periodization. Its a way to systematically vary the volume and intensity of training over a period of time. You alter workouts with high intensity (heavy weight and low reps) and high volume, lighter weights and more sets. The three ranges I like to go with is hypertrophy, strength, and power. Hypertrophy is 8-12 reps per set, Strength is 5-9 reps, and Power is 1-5 reps. These cycles are needed for optimal development not only for your muscles to grow but to help strengthen and repair your tendons and ligaments as well as your nervous system.
7. Weight and Repetitions - This goes along with the 3 cycles above. Your goal is maximum muscle size and strength, so your weights and repetitions will vary when you do the 3 phases....Hypertrophy, Strength, and Power.
8. Rest Intervals Between Sets - There are 3 energy systems: ATP-PC, Lactic Acid, and Aerobic Energy System. All 3 are used during exercise. ATP-PC is the most powerful. It is Adenosine Triphosphate and Phosphocreatine. These are stored within the muscle and no oxygen is required to release thier energy(anaerobic). This energy is limited. Lactic Acid is the waste product that is built up during a set. When you feel the burn so to speak. When the lactic acid system is worked, higher concentrations of growth hormone appear in the blood. The aerobic system uses carbohydrates and fats as their energy source so it gives you more energy for a longer time. The key for resting between sets is to vary this time to help build and boost these 3 systems. Rest times will vary from as short as 30 seconds to 4-5 minutes.
There are 8 bodybuilding stress factors involved in working out. You need to learn these 8 factors and use them in order to gain maximum size and strength.
1. Training Session Length- 50-55 minutes is the ideal time a workout should last. Going past this time and your body's natural testosterone levels decline up to 80%. You deplete your body's hormones going past this time which will hamper recovery as well.
2. Training Session Frequency - This is dependant on what type of training you do and how well you recover. A good rule is if you increase training intensity and decrease training volume, you can increase training frequency.
3. Bodypart Training Frequency - Recovery will vary but remember this point, a muscle can begin to atrophy after 72 hours. Atrophy, or muscle loss, is just as natural as muscle gain. A bodybuilder's body is very sensitive and when it recognizes a lack of stress, its high condition will make it work as effective toward atrophy as it will toward muscle development. So you can risk losing some muscle if you wait longer than 3 days to work a muscle group. Now a muscle may atrophy after 72 hours but it doesnt mean it takes 72 hours for recovery. Muscle recovers much faster than it does to atrophy.
4. Exercise Selection & Performance - Strive for the most neuromuscular activation when choosing exercises. The majority of mass building exercises should obviously be compound movements but dont neglect isolation exercises but a good routine is centered around the compound movements. With form, try to stick to strict form, it will always produce the best results. You can do loose form where its not so strict to push you thru some reps but never go to sloppy form. This can only increase injury and take the stress off the muscle you are working.
5. Repetition Speed - The two things that stimulate your muscles are the amount of weight and how fast you move the weight. Best way to go is perform each repetition as quickly as possible while maintaining proper form and control of the weight.
6. Training Session Volume & Intensity - The key here is periodization. Its a way to systematically vary the volume and intensity of training over a period of time. You alter workouts with high intensity (heavy weight and low reps) and high volume, lighter weights and more sets. The three ranges I like to go with is hypertrophy, strength, and power. Hypertrophy is 8-12 reps per set, Strength is 5-9 reps, and Power is 1-5 reps. These cycles are needed for optimal development not only for your muscles to grow but to help strengthen and repair your tendons and ligaments as well as your nervous system.
7. Weight and Repetitions - This goes along with the 3 cycles above. Your goal is maximum muscle size and strength, so your weights and repetitions will vary when you do the 3 phases....Hypertrophy, Strength, and Power.
8. Rest Intervals Between Sets - There are 3 energy systems: ATP-PC, Lactic Acid, and Aerobic Energy System. All 3 are used during exercise. ATP-PC is the most powerful. It is Adenosine Triphosphate and Phosphocreatine. These are stored within the muscle and no oxygen is required to release thier energy(anaerobic). This energy is limited. Lactic Acid is the waste product that is built up during a set. When you feel the burn so to speak. When the lactic acid system is worked, higher concentrations of growth hormone appear in the blood. The aerobic system uses carbohydrates and fats as their energy source so it gives you more energy for a longer time. The key for resting between sets is to vary this time to help build and boost these 3 systems. Rest times will vary from as short as 30 seconds to 4-5 minutes.
