Articles

Introduction to Weight Training
In The Weight Room
by Jim Wilson
In the weight room, there are generally two types of apparatus—freeweights and machines, each having their benefits.
Machines are a great way for individuals interested in weight training to get started. They serve as somewhat of a training wheel, using assistance from cables, cams, and guide rods that help in isolating different muscle groups and in teaching how certain exercises are performed. Some machines come attached with selectorized weight stacks, making it easier to increase and decrease the amount of weight being used, which also saves time by not having to load and unload bulky freeweights.
Freeweights are those that don't require any assistance from cables or eccentric cams such as barbells and dumbbells. Freeweights are great because they don't restrict the body to any one range of motion, thus allowing the individual to make whatever adjustments that are necessary to perform the exercise properly. Another benefit is that freeweights offer more variety in exercise allowing the muscle to be worked and developed from different angles. When doing freeweight movements, be sure to select a weight that can be controlled on both the positive and negative. Fast jerky movements can be potentially dangerous to you and people around you. As a measure of safety, it is always a good idea to have a spotter around in case of emergencies.
When working out in a gym or health club, there are many things that should be considered. First and foremost is safety. Often times people get so involved in what they are doing that they fail to realize how easily accidents can occur. Therefore, you must always be aware of your surroundings.
For example, leaning on an exercise machine while someone else is using it can be dangerous because clothing can get caught in moving parts and also there is the chance of fingers and hands getting smashed in between weights. Therefore, machines are not to be leaned on. Leaving barbells and dumbbells stacked on benches can also be very dangerous because they can roll off the bench and onto the foot. The proper gym etiquette would be to return the weights to their rack in between sets, not stack them on the bench or scatter them around on the exercise floor.
Before starting on an exercise program, it is always best to have some idea of what level of fitness to start from. Many times people go into an exercise facility with little or no knowledge at all about exercising and wind up overworking themselves to the point of total exhaustion or near injury. They will usually jump on a bike or a treadmill, work up a nice sweat, and perceive this as having a good workout. The fact is, laying in the sun produces a similar "sweating" effect, but offers nothing in the form of exercise. Sweat is simply the body's natural cooling system. Below is an example of a basic bodybuilding circuit training program. This program is usually followed by two additional circuit training programs before introducing split training.

By combining these exercises and the exercises from part I, we can begin to introduce a four-day split training routine. In addition to variety, split training will also add a bit more intensity to the muscles being worked. On a basic two-day split, I prefer a 2/1, 2/2 (2 days on, 1 day off; 2 days on, 2 days off) combining all of my upper body exercises on the first of the two days and lower body on the second two days. For example, Monday and Thursday would be upper and Tuesday and Friday would be lower. The routines can be done separately as circuit routines, or the exercises can be combined for each muscle group. Reps should range from 20 to 15 for warm ups and 12 to 8 for progressive sets.
As a competitive bodybuilder, I also consider myself a sculptor. My goal is to master all the tools of my trade and use them with precision. Nutrition is the clay that gives my creation the strength to stand the heat and pressure of my daily workouts. The weight training apparatus are the tools from which my creation is crafted. I am the craftsman and dutiful art student who ultimately unveils center stage...the Creation.

For more information on beginning bodybuilding, posing choreography, or contest preparation, please contact me: futabajim@sbcglobal.net.
In health and fitness,
Jim Wilson

MILO magazine, March 2000, Volume 7. No. 4

Five, Four, Three, Two, One - Done!
Jim Schmitz
U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Team Coach 1980, 1988 & 1992

As I stated in my previous MILO article, "Power Training for the +35-year-old Strength Athlete," most of us can't train like Bulgarians or even young weightlifters in their prime. I once coached and trained America's strongest weightlifters: Patera, Wilhelm, Martinez and Clark, to name a few.

Now I'm coaching more lifters past their prime than looking forward to their prime. These strength athletes want and can still lift some really heavy weights, but they must train quite differently. I am going to present here some training principles and programs for the strength athlete who might be past his or her prime or might not have the time, energy, desire, or ability to train long, hard hours, but would still like to be strong, healthy, and lift some pretty heavy weights, just for the fun of it.

Hopefully you already know how to do the Olympic lifts and have some experience and understanding of training and your ability. If you are a beginner, this really isn't the program for you, but of course, if you want to try it, go ahead. If you are a beginner or making a comeback after a long layoff, then do the basic five exercises, but do them light and for three sets of five reps for one to two weeks.

The program consists of the five best and basic exercises for developing strength and power: snatch (S), clean and jerk (C&J), deadlift (CDL), squat (back squat (BS), front squat (FS)), and bench press (BP). However, included in these exercises are variations, such as high pulls (snatch (SHP), clean (CHP)), power snatches (PS), power cleans (PC), push jerks (PJ), and overhead squats (OHS). You could also do dumbell bench presses (DBP) instead of barbell. There is a lot of room for options, provided you do squats, pulls, and pushes. It's very important not to do too many exercises or sets and reps. This is quality training at its optimum.

So, here we go; our example weightlifter is 40 years old, weighs 90 kilos and does 90 snatch, 110 C&J, 140 back squat, 130 front squat, 140 deadlift, and 125 bench press. Let's also say as a young lifter he did 110 D, 140 C&J, 180 BS, 160 FS, 180 DL, and 150 BP. Now I will outline a four-week cycle, light (70%), medium (80%), heavy (90%), and maximum (100%), with three workouts per week. Also, remember I write weight x sets x reps for only one set with that weight, or weight x sets x reps if more than one set with that weight.

WEEK 1: Light (70%)
Workout A
1. S 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3, 65 x 2, 70 x 1
2. SHP 80 x 3 x 3
3. PC &PJ 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 75 x 3, 80 x 2
4. BS 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 100 x 2, 110 x 1
5. BP 60 x 5, 75 x 4, 85 x 3, 95 x 2

Workout B
1. J 60 x 5, 75 x 4, 85 x 3, 90 x 2, 95 x 1
2. P & SS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3
3. P & SC 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 75 x 3
4. OHS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 55 x 3
5. BP 60 x 5, 75 x 4, 85 x 3, 95 x 2, 100 x 1

Workout C
1. PS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3, 65 x 2
2. C & J 60 x 5, 75 x 4, 85 x 3, 90 x 2, 95 x 1
3. CDL 100 x 2, 105 x 2, 110 x 2
4. FS 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 80 x 3, 90 x 2, 100 x 1
5. BP 60 x 5, 75 x 4, 85 x 3

WEEK 2: Medium (80%)
Workout A
1. S 50 x 5, 60 x 4, 65 x 3, 70 x 2, 75 x 1
2. SHP 85 x 3 x 3
3. PC & PJ 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 80 x 3, 85 x 2
4. BS 60 x 5, 85 x 4, 95 x 3, 105 x 2, 115 x 1
5. BP 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 95 x 2

Workout B
1. J 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 95 x 2, 100 x 1
2. P &SS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3
3. P & SC 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 77.5 x 3
4. OHS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3
5. BP 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 97.5 x 2, 105 x 1

Workout C
1. PS 50 x 5, 60 x 4, 65 x 3, 70 x 2
2. C & J 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 95 x 2, 100 x 1
3. CDL 105 x 2, 110 x 2, 115 x 2
4. FS 60 x 5, 75 x 4, 85 x 3, 95 x 2, 105 x 1
5. BP 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3

WEEK 3: Heavy (90%)
Workout A
1. S 50 x 5, 60 x 4, 70 x 3, 75 x 2, 80 x 1
2. SHP 90 x 3 x 3
3. PC & PJ 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 80 x 3, 87.5 x 2
4. BS 60 x 5, 90 x 4, 105 x 3, 115 x 2, 125 x 1
5. BP 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 100 x 2

Workout B
1. J 60 x 5, 85 x 4, 95 x 3, 100 x 2, 105 x 1
2. P & SS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3
3. P & SC 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 80 x 3
4. OHS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3
5. BP 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 100 x 2, 110 x 1

Workout C
1. PS 50 x 5, 60 x 4, 70 x 3, 75 x 2
2. C & J 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 97.5 x 2, 102.5 x 1
3. CDL 110 x 2, 115 x 2, 120 x 2, 127.5 x 1
4. FS 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 95 x 3, 105 x2, 115 x 1
5. BP 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3

WEEK 4: Maximum (100%)
Workout A
1. S 50 x 5, 60 x 4, 70 x 3, 80 x 2, 85 x 1
2. SHP 95 x 3 x 3
3. PC &PJ 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 80 x 3, 90 x 2
4. BS 60 x 5, 90 x 4, 110 x 3, 125 x 2, 135 x 1
5. BP 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 100 x 2

Workout B
1. J 60 x 5, 90 x 4, 100 x 3, 105 x 2, 110 x 1
2. P & SS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3
3. P & SC 60 x 5, 70 x 4, 80 x 3
4. OHS 40 x 5, 50 x 4, 60 x 3
5. BP 60 x 5, 85 x 4, 100 x 3, 110 x 2, 120 x 1

Workout C
1. PS 50 x 5, 60 x 4, 70 x 3, 77.5 x 2
2. C & J 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3, 100 x 2, 105 x 1
3. CDL 115 x 2, 120 x 2, 125 x 2, 135 x 1
4. FS 60 x 5, 90 x 4, 105 x 3, 115 x 2, 125 x 1
5. BP 60 x 5, 80 x 4, 90 x 3

There might be a tendency to want to lift more and do more sets and reps. Resist the temptation to do more; your knees, back and shoulders will appreciate it, big time. If the jumps between weights are too big, then take smaller, more comfortable jumps and add a set or weight at the end, but only do one rep. However, with practice and training you should be able to take the bigger jumps. When you finish the four-week cycle, start over again and adjust your weights where you can. If you are going to compete in a competition, then train light the week before. If you prefer to or can only do this power strength program twice a week, then do programs A and C, eliminate B, but put Bs bench press workout in program C.

You can vary your exercised depending on how you like to do them, that is, all power snatches, or from the hang or off the blocks or combinations. But stick to the basic five, snatch, clean and jerk, deadlift (high pulls are in the deadlift category), squats, and bench presses (inclines are included here). I've included some combinations such as PC & PJ, which is power clean followed by push jerk, that is one power clean and one push jerk for each rep, or five PCs and one PJ after the last PC. P&SS and P&SC
mean you power the first reps and squat the last rep; a set of five reps is four powers followed by one squat.

Also, thoroughly warm up with at least 15 minutes of stretching all your joints and do lots of warm-up lifts with an empty 20-kilo bar. And do plenty of stomach exercises, sit-ups, leg raises, crunches, etc., and do them at the beginning of your workout, right after your stretches. I recommend two sets of 25 sit-ups, followed by side bends and trunk twisting, and then two sets of 25 leg raises.

Cardiovascular exercise, jogging, bicycling, swimming, cardio machines, or whatever should be done on alternate days, not your weightlifting day. Twenty minutes of cardio won't take away from your strength; more than that might.

If you want to add some weight training (bodybuilding) exercises, do so after you have done the above basic five. Also, follow the same principles as your power training, not too many exercises and sets and reps: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 will work very well. However, for weight training exercises I recommend 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 for sets and reps.

Be very patient, persistent, and conservative in your training and weight selection, and respectable weights and gains will happen. And most important of all your muscles and joints will feel great.

Oxford University researchers presenting at the November American Heart Association Scientific meeting advised that high fat/low carb diets, such as the once popular Atkins diet, actually undermine the heart's energy stores. "The heart requires energy for contractions," explained Dr. Damian Tyler. "You do see similar patterns in a more severe form in patients with heart failure, and type 2 diabetics also suffer from lower energy stores." The long-term meaning of this research will take time to define. It is clear, however, that high fat/low carb diets do affect the heart.