Lloyd Tonkin

First of all, it needs to be said that you can’t completely “prevent” injury, you can only reduce the risk.

There are many factors that can lead to an injury, many of which cannot always be controlled.

The factors you do have some control over however, should be controlled to the best of your ability.

Some of these factors include:

1) Controlling total training load.

Total training/tissue load can be many different things. Some examples of training load are resistance training load (session/weekly totals), running mileage, plyometric  ground contacts, game time, RPE etc.

There are other factors that may influence tissue load, including other physical requirements that may come from work, hobbies or anything that may load the body. These are difficult to monitor but should always be considered.

Setting guidelines and limits to your training load ensures you have no extreme spikes in workload that your body cannot handle.

Controlling training/tissue workload is also vital for adjusting your training stimulus to ensure regular progress is being achieved and therefore, should be monitored anyway.

2) Increasing tissue capacity.

Tissue capacity is the amount of stress a tissue can tolerate. “Tissue” referring to mainly muscle and tendon.

Exceeding tissue capacity is the most common cause of injury.

Tissue capacity can be dependent on a number of factors including strength, movement control, and flexibility/range of motion ability.

Exceeding tissue capacity can be caused by a short term (within a session/game) or long term (over week/months of training/games) increase in physical demand, with the tissue being placed under stress too frequently or under too much load for long durations.

To improve tissue capacity, load must be applied to the tissue gradually in a progressive manner.

Depending on the range of movement required during your training/sport/daily physical demands, you may also need to increase your range of motion in those movements before increase strength capabilities.

Creating the correct strength and conditioning programme that gradually increases tissue capacity through improving strength and range of motion without risking injury, is key to achieve a high load on tissues without injury.

3) Warm-up well.

To improve the body’s ability to handle moderate/high training loads, an effective warm up is also an effective short-term method of reducing injury risk.

Following a basic RAMP style warm up (Raise, Activate, Mobilise and Potentiate) will tick most boxes when it comes to preparing the body for short term training stress.

Although beneficial, a very thorough warm-up alone is not enough to reduce injury risk. There is still risk for injury if you have a poor tissue capacity and you have a spike in training load that you cannot handle.

Many elite athletes do not need much of a warm-up to perform well (they normally do just out of precaution and optimise performance however).

Some aspects of training/recovery that have not been mentioned here are; stretching, foam rolling/massage, cool downs, ice baths… etc.

These haven’t been mentioned in this article as they have very little evidence supporting their use in reducing injury. They may have some short-term benefits, but not for actually reducing the risk for injury.

Conclusion

To avoid injury, understating the relationship between training load and how much training load your body can handle is vital.

Simultaneously limiting your training load and increasing your tissue capacity is the best option for reducing injury risk, with the use of an effective warmup also being a small factor in preventing injury.

With the COVID-19 pandemic situation now improving and life slowly returning to normality (or the new normal), we now need to plan for an appropriate return to training/performance strategy for all those returning to sport or physical activity.

The main concern for anyone who has experienced a reduction in training or competitive sport during the lockdown period, is a large, rapid increase in physical workload when returning.

There have been many instances in sport where even in a professional setting, injuries have been caused by not understanding and preparing athletes properly.

A commonly used example is the 2011 NFL lockout, where NFL players were unable to access and use team facilities, resulting in a reduction in overall training and most likely quality of training. Following the lockout when training and gameplay resumed, there was a large increase in injuries, specifically an increase in Achilles ruptures, with numbers increasing from 6-10 ruptures per season to 10 in the preseason period alone (1).

This has also been seen more recently following the return to play in Bundesliga football, with some great data shown by Trackademic (2). With an increase in injuries and a decrease in certain performance measures, it is clear that the importance of returning to training in the correct manner is vital, with some teams and athletes controlling this better than others.

What can we take away from this?

When returning to the gym or training for you sport, you need to be realistic with where you are currently and taper your training upwards gradually to avoid any spikes in training load. A fast increase in training load can be a very large risk factor for injury.

A lot of athletes and regular gym goers will most likely see this as a bad thing, as they are doing less than what was getting them results before, however, it may be beneficial for future training.

If you were one of the many doing home workouts in order to maintain progress, or even stopped training at all… you will have detrained and will now have a lower minimum effective volume (MEV).

What this means is that you will now respond very well to doing less! Instead of doing 15+ sets per week to make progress in your leg sessions for example, you will make good progress with potentially 3-6 sets (depending on training intensity).

Combine this with coming out of lockdown well rested and injury free from less training (hopefully) and you are now in a great position to push past your long term goals! If you managed to maintain or even progress slightly without use of your usual facilities, you will now be progressing from an even better position!

My main recommendations moving forward:

• Start with as little as possible. Even if that means 1 working set on your weight training, plyometrics, sprints or exercise class for example. If you are coming from doing nothing or simple home workouts, that will be enough to progress!
• Limit the intensity. Try not to train to all out failure in the first few weeks. Leave a few reps in the tank and gradually taper the intensity up.
• Monitor muscle soreness closely. If you are not recovering from sessions, you are most likely doing too much and limiting your overall progress. Muscle soreness will most likely be a limiting factor to how much you can do when returning to training.
• Stick with what you know. Now is not a good time to experiment with a new training stimulus. Stick with what has given you good training adaptions previously and work you way towards that.

This week, to celebrate the reopening of gyms I am taking on 5 new online coaching clients (capped following this 5!).

If you need help taking advantage of this period returning to training and want to make sure you do it properly avoiding injury, then please fill out my application form below to see if we are the right fit to work together.

https://highperformancestrategies.wufoo.com/forms/z14qxxod0zqdmlo/

References

(1) Myer, G. D., Faigenbaum, A. D., Cherny, C. E., Heidt Jr, R. S., & Hewett, T. E. (2011). Did the NFL lockout expose the Achilles heel of competitive sports?.

(2) www.trackademicblog.com/blog/thesnapshotbecomesastory

Yes… walking.

Many do not see the use and benefits of the simple activity that is walking.

When someone is looking to burn more calories or become more physically active, walking is often not normally considered before exercise such as running, the stairmaster, the spin bike etc.

What people don’t see from conventional methods of cardiovascular exercise, are the negative aspects of performing such intense and demanding forms of exercise when in many cases walking can be a better option…

1) There is very little physical fatigue from walking.

Exercise methods such as running, air bikes, stairmasters etc. are more physically demanding on the muscles and joints in comparison to walking (for the majority of people). This is especially the case when this equipment is used for high intensity training.

This style of session for some, can be much less enjoyable because of the intensity and difficulty, potentially negatively affecting their adherence to their exercise routine.

The largest downside to higher intensity exercise is that it can increase soreness and fatigue.

For athletes or anyone serious about training performance, muscle soreness and general fatigue will negatively affect training performance and therefore overall progress. This can be avoided with using higher intensity sparingly and at the right times.

2) Walking is a great form of fat burning exercise.

Research on the topic of fat oxidisation during exercise (when fat is used for fuel) has provided evidence for higher intensity cardiovascular exercise utilising more glycogen (carbohydrate) than fat as a source of fuel.

It has been shown that for optimal fat oxidisation (when fat is used for fuel), lower intensity exercise methods (between 45-65% of V02 max) have been shown to produce peak levels of fat oxidisation (1,2).

It should however be noted that fat oxidisation during exercise does not mean there will always be fat lost over the course of the whole day, as there are more factors involved in fat loss (a future post on cardiovascular exercise in a fasted state will cover this!).

From this, we can safely say that walking at a moderate to fast pace is a great option for maintaining a high level of fat oxidisation (optimal pace will depend on individual factors).

3) It can be used for active recovery.

Active recovery methods normal consist of a low intensity activity to get the body moving and increase blood flow around the body.

Walking can be a great method of active recovery.

Walking increases blood flow around the body without producing too much stress on fatigued and recovering muscles and joints.

4) It’s easy!

One of the biggest benefits of walking is that it is suitable for everyone! Anyone from bodybuilders to the elderly can walk and see the benefits from it.

Walking also requires no learning or practice to perform, meaning steps can start immedietly.

Another huge benefits of walking is that it can be also be performed almost anywhere!

5) Walking is very measurable.

Monitoring your progress with walking is easy.

Treadmill walking provides you with options to adjust incline and speed while also producing a calorie burn number which is useful for monitoring.

Walking outside can also be monitored by tracking steps. All of my current clients are set daily step goals (weekly step goals are also an option) to help them reach their goals.

Walking and monitoring step count can be a game changer for some and have brought great results for my clients.

There are eventually limitations to walking however….

The few downsides to consider with walking include the time large step goals take to reach and also the top end intensity of walking may not be enough.

If your goals include achieving a VERY low bodyfat percentage, you may need to included slightly higher intensity cardio sessions to make your calorie burn more time efficient.

The take away…

Make sure you are taking advantage of steps!

They are easy, low fatigue calorie burn! You don’t even feel like you are exercising!

Walking is very easy to fit into someone’s day and takes less commitment than other forms of more intense exercise.

If you need someone to set you frequent and achievable goals, lets work together!

Get in touch. Fill out my consultation form:

https://thesandcpt.wufoo.com/forms/z14qxxod0zqdmlo/

References:

1) Purdom, T., Kravitz, L., Dokladny, K., & Mermier, C. (2018). Understanding the factors that effect maximal fat oxidation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1), 1-10.

2) Bogdanis, G. C., Vangelakoudi, A., & Maridaki, M. (2008). Peak fat oxidation rate during walking in sedentary overweight men and women. Journal of sports science & medicine, 7(4), 525.

Lockdown is not all bad… hopefully some of you have realised that this period of time may have actually made some of your goals easier to reach.

Here are some examples of things you can do TODAY to improve your physical performance and health.

1)Improve your nutrition

Improving the quality of your nutrition can seem like a daunting task.

However, for those that have found themselves with more time on their hands, now is a great time to experiment with some different foods and nutrition strategies.

Whether this be learning to track calories, meal prep or something as simple as setting a daily fruit and vegetable goal. Many of these goals are much more achievable at home.

Some of the most common issues I hear as a coach when it comes to staying on track with a nutrition strategy are:

• Not having enough time.
• Not having much choice in certain social situations.
• Limited options at work/on the go.

Well guess what…?

All of these issues have been made easier in lockdown! (for most people).

Make the most of your time at home and experiment with new foods, meals, meal timings etc. and see what works for you before you return to a busier schedule!

2) Get more sun exposure.

Outside light exposure is incredibly important for health. The light-dark cycle of day and night is vital for the maintenance of a healthy circadian rhythm and control of melatonin production (a hormone that helps you sleep).

We are programmed to be outside and active during the day when it is light and to slowly relax and drift off to sleep when it is dark in the evening. Avoiding this natural process does not really work in our favour.

The precursor to melatonin is serotonin, which is what is increased during exposure to sunlight. In darkness or the evening, the serotonin is then converted to melatonin to promote a relaxed and sleepy state.

Therefore, sunlight/light exposure is vital and can improve energy levels and mood in the day and help produce more melatonin for a greater sleepiness feeling in the evening and enhanced quality of sleep. Even in cloudier conditions, these benefits can still be had, so get outside!

3) Train

Hopefully a lot of you are still training hard with whatever you have available to you.

Limited equipment and facilities should not mean you need to give up on training.

A great piece of research from Bickel et al. (2011) has recently been circulating social media, highlighting the benefits of maintaining even a minimal amount of training volume.

The study from Bickel et al. (2011) shows how even training with as little as 1/9^th of your usual training volume can help largely maintain strength gains. With optimal muscle hypertrophy being maintained with slightly more volume at 1/3^rd of your usual training volume.

Aside from maintaining your progress, this may be a great time to change training goal or training methods.

Prioritising areas of training such as mobility, bodyweight training, improving cardiovascular fitness or maybe even some CrossFit workouts are all good options to help your stay fit and in shape while also giving yourself the chance to try something new.

4) Focus on optimal recovery

For those of you that are still training, this is a great time to take advantage and optimise your recovery.

With most of us finding ourselves with more time on our hands, we can spend more of that time focusing on some of the finer details that may influence recovery.

Resting well, improving sleep quality and quantity, ensuring optimal nutrition, active recovery and controlling stressors etc. are all aspects of recovery that often get forgotten about in our usual busy lives.

Focusing on introducing a couple of new recovery interventions every week can be a great way of slowly improving recovery.

Implementing more recovery strategies may even end up becoming a staple in your routine and something you may want to continue when lockdown is over!

5) Learn!

This is a great time to experiment with new things and see what works for your body!

This could be an opportunity to try new foods, a new training routine, some new health supplements, reading new training/nutrition books etc.

Although the basics of nutrition and training will apply to the majority of people, when it comes to the fine details there may be some individual differences and personal preferences.

In this period where many variables can be controlled, experimenting with what training and nutrition methods work best for you (and much more) can be very beneficial for current and future progress.

The take away

There are many benefits to having this interesting period of time we currently find ourselves in.

The important thing is realising what you can achieve during this time!

Making the most of this time to adapt and prioritise other aspects of training and nutrition might not only continue your progress; it may also improve your knowledge and experience that could lead to greater progress in the future.

References

Bickel CS, Cross JM, Bamman MM. Exercise dosing to retain resistance training adaptations in young and older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(7):1177‐1187. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e318207c15d

With quarantine still in effect in the UK, many are buying and using whatever equipment they can to continue to work towards their training goals.

Unless you already have a home gym, I’m sure many of you are searching the internet to find some cheap dumbbells… kettlebells…. Barbells…. whatever you can get your hands on for a reasonable price.

The question is… what are the best kit purchases you can make?

The issue with many common pieces of gym equipment, such as fixed dumbbells, fixed barbells or kettlebells is that they aren’t very versatile.

When you take into consideration the amount of exercises you can do with that single piece of equipment… then think about what exercises you can do with the weight of that specific piece of equipment… and you’re probably only left with a few exercises that will actually be worth your time.

Space, cost and availability are also factors to consider.

With that being said, the equipment I have been recommending to my current clients and what are would also recommend to you are:

1. RESISTANCE BANDS (A full set with doorway and handle attachments) 

Resistance bands are a number one purchase for me for a number of reasons. They are low cost, they take up very little to no space, have adjustable tensions/weights and they are incredibly versatile when it comes to exercise selection.

Not many pieces of equipment have such a wide range of training resistances and exercise options as resistance bands do.

2. A PULLUP BAR

The pullup is a very good compound movement for the upper body. Pullups and its variations will have you sorted for strength work for the lat, inner back, bicep and forearms.

The pullup is a great option due to its difficulty… not many can perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions (debatably the top end of the hypertrophy spectrum) of unbroken and controlled repetitions and therefore provides a challenge and room for progression.

Any further progress can be provided by loading a backpack with weights or heavy objects (Books etc.).

A pullup bar can be purchased in many forms, however, the most accessible would be a doorframe pullup bar. A door frame bar is cheap (£10-20) and does not take up too much space.

3. SUSPENSION TRAINING (TRX etc.)

Suspension training is another great bodyweight option that provides a variety of exercises and variable training loads.

Suspension training can provide a full body workout; however, you may need to experiment with some new exercises and take advantage of what suspension training has to offer.

Due to the nature of suspension training, the user’s bodyweight contributes to the overall load used for each exercise. This can be varied depending on the exercise and how the user positions themselves, meaning there is plenty of room for progression with many exercises.

Similar to the doorframe pullup bar, suspension training is cheap, takes up very little space and also has the extra advantage of having variable resistances to better suit your current strength level.

4. SLIDERS (Sliding disks… or recreate with some socks and a hard floor)

Sliders are my last option for home equipment, again, due to their affordability and that they do not take up space.

The sliders themselves will most likely not give you everything you would want from a resistance training session (mainly due to lack of load of specific movements), however, they can open the door for a different variety of movements and muscle groups.

Hamstrings, pecs and abs are muscle groups that can get great stimulation from sliders with exercises such as hamstring curls, pec flys, sliding pushups, slider rollouts and many more!

If you have a small selection of equipment available to you but do not know what you can do with it to help bring your closer to reaching your goal, please enquire for coaching at:https://thesandcpt.wufoo.com/forms/z14qxxod0zqdmlo/

With the very unfortunate news that all gyms across the UK were to close immediately, we now have an even greater challenge in working towards our individual fitness and/or physical performance goals.

Here are 3 tips to keep you on track!

1. KEEP YOUR ENERGY EXPENDITURE HIGH

With many of us now either working from home or self-isolating at home, it is to be expected that there will be a massive drop in daily energy expenditure (overall calorie burn per day).

To offset this, ensure that you are still moving as much as possible. This may mean setting a daily step goal and adding in walks to ensure you hit this goal.

You could also add more exercise into your day to make up for this lack of movement. A jog, a bodyweight circuit or maybe even an exercise machine that you may be able to get your hands on.

We need to continue some form of calorie burn to avoid slipping into an accidental calorie surplus. The outcome of not doing so… gaining bodyfat!

2. KEEP YOUR DIET ON TRACK

Most of my athletes and clients will know that I’m a big fan of tracking calories and knowing what foods and how much of these foods are you putting in your body (macronutrient tracking for those who are slightly more advanced).

Some of the biggest obstacles with accurately monitoring your nutrition include; eating on the go, meals out at restaurants and not being able to prep meals.

Well guess what… ALL OF THOSE HAVE BECOME EASIER.

Working/self-isolating at home means that eating the foods you want to eat, prepared the way you want it… is now totally possible!

This is a double-edged sword however! Make sure you don’t stock up on too much sweets, crisps, snacks and booze… keep these out of your cupboard if possible, to help you stay on track.

P.S. Those struggling with sourcing certain foods, avoid big chain supermarkets and visit local corner shops and farm shops instead.

3. CONTINUE TRAINING

With no gym access, you will be forced off your usual training routine that you may have become quite comfortable with, enjoyed and potentially seen great results from.

Do not worry however. Results can still be had, we just need to change the training stimulus.

This means using the equipment you might have available and making it work!

It may not be perfect but by using a range of different training techniques, you’ll be quite surprised with what you can get out of limited equipment.

Experiment with slowing movements down, paused reps, new bodyweight exercises, partner assisted exercises and more if you get creative!

I would recommend purchasing resistance bands if possible, purely due to their price, versatility and how compact they are. A great training tool for anyone training at home.

If you are struggling to stay on track with your training and need a fully structured training plan, nutrition strategies, someone to keep you accountable weekly and more!

Please fill out my consultation form to see if we are a good fit to work together: https://thesandcpt.wufoo.com/forms/z14qxxod0zqdmlo/

If you are struggling to create a training plan that fits your goal, with the limited equipment that you have, please get in contact for your custom training programme for just £30.

Please directly message me via:

Instagram: lloydtonkin.sandcpt

Or

Facebook: Lloyd Tonkin S&C/PT

1. GET THOSE STEPS IN!

With a work role requiring you to be seated for most of the day, it can be difficult to reach even a minimum number of daily steps.

This means you are on the back foot in terms of calorie expenditure for the day.

To make up the difference in burned calories you’ll need to eat less throughout the day or burn more calories at the gym!

So, make sure you monitor your steps and aim for 10k. Get a couple hundred in every hour, have meetings or lunch walking, walk to and from walk or even invest in a standing desk to keep you on your feet!

2. PREP YOUR MEALS!

When it comes to meal prep, the bottom line is… it’s cheap, time efficient, healthy and keeps you on track with your goals as you know exactly what you are eating!

Eating out on a regular basis is one way to ruin the bank account and pull you off track for your goals (a nightmare if you track calories).

A well-planned meal prep should leave you satisfied enough to avoid hunger and running to the vending machine!

For those who say it takes too much time to meal prep…. next time you cook dinner, cook 3-4 portions instead and box them up! Easy!

3. PLAN WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO TRAIN!

A set schedule for training is vital for staying on track. The majority of desk roles do have the luxury of knowing when they working.

Plan around your hours so you can get the best possible session in.

Before work, lunchtime or afterwork… try them all and see which one gives you the best workout and fits your day the best.

4. GET OUTSIDE!

Daylight exposure is very important for many reasons.

A couple of the main ones being vitamin D and to help serotonin production.

Greater serotonin production in the day, leads to greater melatonin production in the evening, which then leads to a higher quality sleep… and we all know how important sleep is, don’t we!

5. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME OUTSIDE OF WORK!

If you have a 9-5 job, you still have plenty of time in your day that can be used to help you reach your goals and keep you on track outside of work.

Make sure you plan ahead and create a routine and a schedule you can stick to, while developing positive habits that bring you closer to chosen goal.

If you are struggling to reach your goals around your work please feel free to apply for a consultation to see if we would be a good fit to work together!

Consultation Form: https://thesandcpt.wufoo.com/forms/z14qxxod0zqdmlo/

“My hip flexors are tight, do you know a stretch for that? Have you got a stretch for tight hamstrings? My posture is rubbish, got any pec stretches?”

Are examples of some of the most common questions I receive as a strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer.

Anything that is not quite right with an area of the body and the first thing that comes to mind for many is that there NEEDS to be a stretch for it.

The thing with stretching is that… there’s hardly any scientific evidence to say that it does… anything at all actually.

With very limited/hardly any evidence supporting its use for an effective warm-up, in preventing muscle soreness or in preventing injury. There’s even evidence saying it can reduce tendon stiffness (not good for power athletes) and reduce strength performance!

When you read deep into what stretching really is, it’s just an activity that helps you increase your mental tolerance to the discomfort of a certain range of motion. This makes the process of stretching a muscle more of a neuromuscular process than an actual structural change in the muscle.

So, does this mean you should knock stretching on the head completely if there is no actual long-term change?

NO!

But why shouldn’t we stop stretching is it doesn’t make a long-term difference?

Well… although stretching appears to be a placebo…. it still does some of what it claims to do.

It can make you FEEL like your muscles are looser, it can make it FEEL like you can reach new ranges of motion and it can make it FEEL like muscle soreness has been reduced slightly.

Using stretching as a method of tricking the body into getting what you want from it can therefore be advantageous.

But what actually improves flexibility? The answer… loaded stretches!

If your goal is to actually be more mobile and flexible in practical/sporting situations, training through a full range of motion and gaining strength in the deepest range of motion you can reach will be your most effective and time efficient option.

You can still stretch in your warm-up, however use it as tool to simply achieve certain positions and let your strength exercises make the permanent change!

For example, mobilise and stretch ankles and hips to achieve a deeper squat initially but the loaded squat itself is what will make the long-term change to mobility and flexibility (likewise with other lifts).

Another question to be asked is WHY you have a tight area of the body. Unless injured, this will most likely be due to a poorly designed training programme or poor exercise technique (poor range of motion).

A well-designed training programme should address your weak/immobile areas with specific exercises that load these ranges of motion.

If you are failing to target your tight and immobile areas of your body, please enquire about coaching so we can design a programme that fits your needs!

Consultation Form: https://highperformancestrategies.wufoo.com/forms/z14qxxod0zqdmlo/

Yoga has become increasingly more popular in recent years. But should YOU be doing yoga.

Yoga has lots of potential benefits including: improvements in flexibility, balance, reductions in stress, anxiety, depression and even research supporting its use for heart health, sleep and strength increases.

Many yoga lovers boast about its many benefits. But in comparison to what…? And are these benefits worth your time in comparison to other types of training and exercise.

Yoga is often recommended to those who need to work on flexibility/mobility restrictions. I would argue however, that yoga is a very broad and time-consuming method of improving YOUR specific mobility restrictions.

A mobility session targeting the key areas that are often lacking in mobility (hips, upper back, ankles etc) should take no longer that 10-20 minutes (if that). Not to mention that weight training through a full range of motion is one of the best forms of mobility training there is!

So why yoga? Well yoga has hidden reasons why it works and why I still think it has a place.

The main reason being that it’s a specific time and place to actually do your mobility work and chill out!

Mobility and movement training are often the first thing to be brushed under the carpet in someone’s weekly training routine (either because someone hates it or doesn’t actually know what to do…). Committing to a yoga class is one way to guarantee that you will be getting at least some mobility work in.

The second reason is its psychological benefits. Again… another example of something you probably wouldn’t get elsewhere (unless you meditate frequently). It’s ability to help you destress and reduce anxiety alone is enough of a reason to keep many coming back!

With all that being said, many people forget what yoga actually is… its not magic. It’s a low-intensity, sub-maximal exercise consisting of mainly isometric movements using a full range of motion, performed in such a relaxing fashion that it provides great psychological benefits.

I would personally recommend yoga to anyone looking for a place to destress and reduce anxiety or anyone who is struggling to get some mobility work into their week. Give yoga a go and see what you think!

One of the biggest topics of confusion I see from novice to even advanced lifters/athletes is training volume.

Training volume being the total amount of workload being done. In relation to weight training, this is generally referring to the total amount of working sets being performed per session or per week.

The amount of training volume you do is generally decided by your training goal, however, these are just guidelines.

What is commonly forgotten with training volume, is that deciding the correct amount of volume is dependant on a range of different factors.

Mind Muscle Connection

A term that’s commonly used in the bodybuilding sphere but has application elsewhere also. Generally defined as being able to create more activation from the muscle that is being worked.

Having a greater mind muscle connection means that every set creates more muscle activation and therefore greater muscle fibre recruitment. If someone can create a greater mind muscle connection, then in theory, they will get more out of less sets, meaning less overall volume needed.

Time under tension

Another phrase commonly used in bodybuilding and hypertrophy style training, referring to the amount of time a muscle is placed under tension.

The longer a muscle is kept under tension during an exercise, the more fatigue, muscle fibre recruitment and muscle damage there will be. This can lead to a potentially greater physiological adaption (more muscle growth and strength).

Therefore, a single, 60 second set is probably quite comparable to a 3 x 20 second sets, due to a similar time under tension time (given intensity was matched).

Training Intensity

There are many low volume training styles being preached, with Mike Mentzer’s form of HIT/Heavy duty training being one of the first in the weight training sphere.

It doesn’t take much to see that this style of training got results then and still gets results now. What is commonly forgotten however, is the training intensity required to get there. Many physically and psychologically cannot reach the level of intensity required to justify doing a low volume routine.

This is especially the case for novice athletes and gym goers who are yet to have to go through the necessary neural adaptations to perform strength training movements optimally.

This would be a good example of were more volume with a greater amount of sets and reps would produce more benefit.

Recovery Capabilities

Potentially the most important factor in deciding your training volume per session and per week and a difficult one to balance even for advanced athletes and gym goers.

That being, one of managing and learning how much you can personally recover from. For athletes or anyone with a physical job, this can be very important.

Put too many sets in your session and you’ll know about it for the next few days, with the worst case scenario being a training session, game or any physical work requirements in the days following (resulting in a poor performance and a higher risk of injury).

One of my favourite sayings with clients is that “it’s not about how much you can do in your session, its about how much you can RECOVER from”.

Time

How much time do you actually have time to train?

Because if you’re like me, having time to train is becoming more and more sparse (although I still make it a priority).

If you have the capability to produce 2 intense working sets on as opposed to 4 on all your exercises, why not? You may shave a good chunk of time off your training time.

Pacing

Pacing is a topic that has been heavily researched, in particular in endurance events. With the premise of this research being the more you have to come in whatever you are doing, the more you may hold back. This may even happen without you knowing it.

A situation I’ve personally found myself in, with 3-4 sets per exercise resulting in me holding back on my first couple of sets to preserve energy to sustain decent numbers across the 3-4 sets.

Having a good understanding of your goal and your current situation means you can create a good idea of how little you can get away with to reach that goal is a good place to start.

Not all of these factors will apply to you, with there being differences with every individual in regard to developing a training schedule.

However, they are definitely worth thinking about when writing, purchasing or working with someone in designing a training programme.

If you need help with your training apply for a free consultation here: http://bit.ly/TheSandCPT

Or message me directly.