Strengthening Principles

Principles of strengthening

Specificity
Progressive overload - diminishing returns
Reversibility
The individual - motivation, targets, competition
- Physical principles - Newtons laws - reduce momentum and increase resistance

Specificity

Regime must be specific to the requirements of the individuals - sports specific or functional requirements
Training doesn’t transfer between type of contraction, range of contraction, muscle fibre types
Activities should be specific to: weak muscle group, required function of muscle, range of action of muscle, muscle contraction type (eccentric etc or type predominance)

Overload

To strengthen muscle, it must be taxed to point of fatigue
Intenisity needs to be at least 60% of maximum voluntary contraction
Programmes must be performed regularly with difficulty being steadily increased to maintain overload
Resistance can be added; free weights, gym equipment, bodyweight, theraband, water, friction and gravity
Difficulty can also be increased by progressing - range, tempo and contraction type

Work to fatigue

Fatigue is the reversible decline in the output of a muscle due to an accumulation of metabolic by products
Marker that overload has occurred
Signs of fatigue include; shaking, tremor, loss of quality, control of movement lost, inability to work the muscle through the full range

Physical principles

Newton’s 1st law - add stops and starts to make movement more difficult
Newton’s 2nd law - reduce speed to make more difficult, add or increase to make movement more difficult
Newton’s 3rd law - increase friction to make movement more difficult

Law of diminishing returns

Muscle adapts to meet the demands of an exercise programme
The same regime becomes less challenging over time
Strength gains will reduce unless the programme is made progressively more difficult

Reversibility

Unless the muscle is regularly used with the new function, strength gains will be lost
Use it or lose it principle

FITT prescription

Frequency - 3x a week or daily for very weak muscles
Intensity - 8-12 reps at 60-80% of one rep max
Time - usually 3 sets of 8-12 reps with 1 minute rest between to reduce cumulative fatigue
Type - power endurance
Progression of exercise every 1-2 weeks, start slowly with low intensity, higher frequency and build up for those very weak or unaccustomed to strengthening