Tate's very long post about weight training

Lately I’ve seen lots of threads about how cardio and weight training should be combined to attain certain goals. As a trained weightlifter and football player/coach who also successfully lost 100 lbs. I feel like I might have some insight to give those with questions.

Firstly, there are lots of different ways to lift weights. Go to the gym and you’ll see it all; the good, the bad, and the, well, ugly. One thing I see is people who walk in and start at the first machine. They set the weight the same as they have for the last X number of weeks they’ve been coming, then do the same 3 sets they always do, then move on to the next machine in the line and repeat. The problems with this are multiple. First, the machines aren’t always grouped in such a way that you’re hitting the muscles in any sort of order. Usually they just put the machines where they fit. The second problem is that if you do this, you’re working almost every muscle in your body. If you do this the “standard” 3 times a week, you’re working all your muscles 3 times a week, which means your muscles are not only completely used to this routine, but your also not giving your muscles sufficient time to recover, ESPECIALLY if you’re also doing cardio.

The “machine line followers” mentioned are usually women and elderly people, for a couple reasons; they think that free weights are for muscle-heads, and they are intimidated by free weights because of lack of understanding of what exercises to do. They mistakenly believe that the forced good form of a machine will help them do things correctly and get them better results. In fact, the fact that machines FORCE you into a particular path of motion limits which of YOUR muscles have to work to move the weight, actually minimizing results.

In reality, if you stop to think about it, you already know at least a few exercises to do with free weights (dumbbells are best to start with, because an unloaded bar in a gym is 45 lbs., too much for many lifters.). I bet you all know a few of these classics;

Standing curls (biceps)
Tricep extensions
Overhead tricep extensions
Bench press (chest)
Incline press (upper chest)
Upright rows (shoulders)
Overhead presses (shoulders)
Bent over rows (back)
Squats (lower body)
Lunges (lower body)

Along with a few you might have to look up;

Concentration curls (biceps)
Lateral raise (shoulders)
Chest flies, flat or incline (chest)

And those muscle heads over by the free weights? They’re there because they know that free weights work, and they won’t mind one bit if you need to slip in and grab some 5-15 lb dumbbells. Don’t be afraid, they’re all bark.

I’m not saying machines can’t be part of a successful resistance program. I prefer to start my training sessions with free weights then move to machines to isolate the exact muscles I want to hit and really take the muscles to failure. I use this method to completely exhaust my muscles, but you can use a more gentle version of the same concept for almost any level of intensity your looking to bring to your resistance training.

Alright, now that we’re ready to use both free weights and machines in our resistance training, how can we incorporate resistance into our fat burning programs? This is the ultimate goal, as almost all of us are here primarily to drop fat.

You can easily adjust the way you weight train depending on your goals. Personally, I want to bulk up while trying to cut a little fat. My training is more akin to a bodybuilders workout, where I commit entire lifting sessions (sometimes 1 hr +) to no more then 2 muscle groups. Right now my weekly schedule is as follows;

Sunday- Legs until I can barely walk out of the gym
Monday- Chest and maybe shoulders
Tuesday or Wednesday- back and maybe shoulders
Thursday or Friday- Arms
Saturday- rest

There is flexibility for two reasons; I coach football so I have to work out after a 7 hr day AND practice, and I like to keep my body guessing by switching things up every week. You’ll also see that my arms get 2-3 days to rest before I start using them again for chest day. This is by design.

When I train I use heavier weights, keeping my reps in the 4-12 range for each set and resting 30-60 seconds between sets. The heavier weights and longer rest periods are on purpose, because I’m looking to basically annihilate my muscles then give them 3-6 days to recover and grow. Remember, it’s not resistance that makes your muscles larger and stronger. The resistance actually breaks down the muscle, which then builds itself up bigger and stronger to be ready for the next time it has to deal with those same stresses again. Thank you, evolution!

But how exactly can we change our style of resistance training if we have different goals? I understand that most of those using this site aren’t looking to get all big and muscly, but resistance training is still important to those trying to become more fit, for both men and women. Why?

-The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body uses all the time, even when you aren’t moving.
-Resistance training doesn’t just build muscle. It also strengthens the ligaments and tendons that hold muscle to bone, as well as holding your joints together. The stronger you are, the more flexible and supple your joints will be. Take it from someone with bad shoulders from 7 years of football.
-A strong body is a sexy body. If you want to look like you’re about the faint all the time from exhaustion, then starvation is the way to go. If you want that toned look and pep in your step, then you need muscle.

(note; everything I wrote here applies to men AND women)

One great way to involve resistance in your fat burning program is circuit training. This involves working multiple muscles at the same time, switching back and forth quickly between lifts for each muscle with very little rest in between. This is great because you’re moving all the time which raises the heart rate, but you don’t burn out a single muscle by doing set after set. You also get the cardiovascular and calorie burning benefits without completely burning out your legs like most cardio machines will do. You can group together any muscles you want for circuit training, though many use opposing muscles, like back and chest or biceps and triceps. This is also a great time to bust out those dumbbells we were talking about earlier, as you won’t have to hold up two or three machines (we have to keep things open for those machine line runners).

Here’s a sample circuit training routine (choose enough weight that you start to STRUGGLE around 15-18 reps, DON’T GO TOO LIGHT!);

-Bench press (chest) and bent over row (back) back and forth for 4 sets.
-Water and rest long enough to bring heart rate down slightly.
-Incline chest flies (chest) and pull down machine (back) back and forth for 4 sets.

If you follow a plan like this, you’ll get a great resistance workout while still keeping your heart rate up, and your legs will be nice and fresh if you want to keep the fat burning by going for a jog. Basically, instead of doing 30 minutes of cardio THEN having to lift weights, you’ll do them both at the same time with half as much time on that treadmill you dread anyways.

Circuit training is not required to use resistance training to burn fat. By focusing on just one muscle at a time but still limiting rest time (no more then 20 seconds between sets) you can get your body burning through fat much more efficiently then if you rested more between sets. You also get the added benefit of cutting time from your gym session. My main rules are to use a weight that forces you to struggle around 15-18 reps (yes, I said STRUGGLE), and after you work a specific muscle you give it at least 3 days to rest (as in no direct lifting using that particular muscle for 3 days), with the exception of your arms, calves, and abs, all of which need only 1-2 days of rest unless you work them REALLY hard.

Yet another option is to insert your ab movements between your lifting sets. Again, you’ll keep your heart rate up AND get your ab workout done while doing the other lifts you were going to do anyway.

Aw, but there’s more to it then just what lift to do and when to do it. There are also ways to change a single lift into a number of different lifts. Again, look around the gym next time your there and you’ll see that everyone does certain lifts at certain speeds EVERY TIME. Have you ever seen an athlete move at the same speed all the time? They wouldn’t be very successful in their sport if they did. Our muscles are actually made up of two different types of fibers. We call them fast-twitch and slow-twitch. Some people are naturally powerful. These people probably have a larger percentage of slow-twitch fibers. Others are naturally fast, which usually means a majority of fast-twitch muscle fibers. If your muscles are made of two types of fibers and you’re only working one type, you’re missing out on your full potential.

The answer is deceptively simple; change how fast you do your exercises. Do a set slowly, counting slowly to 4 on every movement up, then 4 down. See how your muscles are shaking and shivering? That’s what we’re looking for! Now try a set moving faster then you usually do. Don’t be afraid of a little momentum, you’re still the one in control of the weight. Now try a set doing 4 slow reps, then 4 fast, then 4 slow, back and forth. Feel that crazy burn? That’s what you’ve been missing going at the same speed all the time.

Another variation I like is to do a lift, but only do the lower half of the motion. I’ll do the lower half of the motion 4 times, then complete the lift and do the top half of the motion 4 times, then back down. This is a great way of using a machine, as it forces you to change how you move, and therefore change how the muscle is worked. I do 4 of each, lower half and upper half, then go back and forth until I have trouble, then do the complete motion until I can’t complete the whole range of motion anymore.

This is basically a compilation of answers to different questions I’ve seen over my past couple weeks hanging around here at MFP. Hopefully this will give you guys some ideas on how to use resistance training as a tool to reach your goals. Lord knows if you're actually still reading this then you are certainly commited to success! If anyone needs clarification on anything, please let me know, or if anyone has anything to add to what I’ve said, please feel free. I just want to use the information I’ve accumulated over the years to help as much as possible.