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lifting Q&A: got tough training questions? We've got an answer for everything

Men's Fitness, April, 2005 by Sean Hyson

Q: How long should I follow one program before I change it up?

A: In general, you'll get faster results from your workouts if you vary them every four to six weeks, says Joe Stankowski, owner of absolutefitnessusa.com. "As your central nervous system gets wiser to what you're asking your muscles to do, it recruits fewer muscle fibers to get the job done." The first change. Alter your lifting tempo. "Try doing the concentric"--or upward portion of a lift--"explosively." If you've been squatting for the past month, start doing jump squats, dropping the weight you use by about two--thirds and jumping as high as you can from the down position. (See The Beach Body Workout, page 102, for an example.) You can also change the plane of motion you train in. "If you've been doing forward lunges, try lateral lunges, lunging to the side for a change." Finally, you can manipulate your rest periods based on your goals. "Increase your rest between sets to 3-5 minutes to build more raw strength. To lose fat, shorten your rests to around 30 seconds."

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Q: I see guys turning their wrists outward on dumbbell curls. Is this how I should do them?

A: Yes and no. According to Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S., owner of cbathletlcs.com, rotating your wrist from palm-in to palm-up position as you curl (called "supination") will allow you to lift heavier weights because the brachioradialis--the tong muscle running down the front of your forearm--gets in on the act. "Using heavier weights builds more muscle, but starting your curl from a palm-up position isolates the biceps better, forcing it to work harder without assistance from other muscles." For sleeve-splitting biceps, use both variations.

Q: I've trained heavy so long, now I can't do high-rep sets without punking out in the middle. What happened?

A: You got what you trained for, that's what. Low-rep training builds great strength, but it also teaches your muscles to perform only for short periods. The result: You're built strong but not to last. Fortunately, Alwyn Cosgrove has a solution that will allow you to maintain that super-strength and improve your strength endurance (your ability to perform reps with lighter weight). "Vary your rep ranges, performing low-rep workouts for one month (say, 5-6 reps), then high-rep workouts (10-12) the next month, alternating back and forth." You can also perform a back-off set after you've finished your regular sets. Do one extra set with 70% of the heaviest weight you used in your regular sets--aim for 10 reps during your low-rep months and 15-20 in your high-rep phases. "Lift the weight fast, and try to increase the number of reps you do each week."

lifting Q&A: got tough training questions? We've got an answer for everything

Men's Fitness, April, 2005 by Sean Hyson

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