Hello and welcome back to the NightCake substack newsletter! Our goal here is to teach you exactly what you need to do, week by week to learn what it is that will get you to where you want to be.
Now we are talking about training theory.
What is training theory?
First lets talk about weight training, super basic principles and definitions. Weight training is a type of physical exercise focused on the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction. This can involve the use of free weights, such as barbells and dumbbells, or machines that use cables and pulleys to help guide the movement of the weights. Weight training is often used to build muscle strength and size, as well as improve posture, balance, and coordination.
Why is important to train in the gym with weights?
Training in the gym with weights is important because it can help you build strength and muscle, improve your balance and coordination, and increase your overall physical fitness. Weight training is also beneficial for developing and maintaining bone density, which can help prevent osteoporosis and other age-related conditions. Additionally, regular weight training can help reduce stress, boost your mood, and increase your confidence. Overall, weight training a few times a week is a great way to stay healthy and fit!
We posted on our Instagram with a quote about training theory and it's a great topic to get into today.
What is mechanical overload when it comes to weight training?
Mechanical overload is a concept used in weight training that involves increasing the demands on your muscles. This can be done by using heavier weights, doing more repetitions, or by increasing the intensity of the exercise. By doing this, your muscles will adapt, resulting in increased strength, size and endurance.
This is the epitome of training theory. You must lift to get stronger. You must feed the muscles to grow them. This goes with anyone's goal of working out to gain muscle, lose weight, or stay fit in general.
So, let's say your goal is to get bigger glutes and overall more shapely legs. Sounds like squats might be in order. Instead of browsing Instagram for an inspiration of a workout, maybe we can take a moment to break down the goal and apply training theory to it.
I know some will say training theory is psych topic, and it is, but we aren't talking specifically about psychology of exercise (which is a fun class I took in college). We are aiming more for the weightlifting topic of how we go about optimizing our training and nutrition to meet our specific goals.
This applies to growing your glutes. In order to grow, you must engage in a caloric surplus. A surplus that will help you gain muscle and minimize fat would be a 10% increase in calories from your maintenance (which we wrote about earlier) in order to begin the process in your journey.
To apply the theory to your training, you are going to have to work hard – be the "hardest worker in the room" type of hard. This is where a training program comes into play.
Here is a sample 4-week glute growth program that you can use to target your glutes and help them grow. Check out our website for more workouts in PDF form to save and try in future programs.
Week 1: Day 1
Barbell Squat: 4 sets x 10 reps
Deadlift: 4 sets x 8 reps
Cable Kickback: 3 sets x 10 reps
Barbell Glute Bridge: 3 sets x 12 reps
Day 2:
Back Extension: 4 sets x 10 reps
Deadlift: 4 sets x 8 reps
Hip Thrust: 3 sets x 12 reps
Glute Band Work: 3 sets x 15 reps
Week 2: Day 1:
Romanian Deadlift: 4 sets x 8 reps
Sumo Squat: 4 sets x 8 reps
Cable Kickback: 3 sets x 15 reps
Barbell Glute Bridge: 3 sets x 12 reps
Day 2:
Barbell Squat: 4 sets x 10 reps
Deadlift: 4 sets x 8 reps
Cable Kickback: 3 sets x 12 reps
Barbell Glute Bridge: 3 sets x 15 reps
Week 3: Day 1:
Barbell Squat: 4 sets x 10 reps
Deadlift: 4 sets x 8 reps
Cable Kickback: 3 sets x 15 reps
Barbell Glute Bridge: 3 sets x 12 reps
Day 2:
Romanian Deadlift: 4 sets x 8 reps
Single Leg Squat: 4 sets x 8 reps (each leg)
Hip Thrust: 3 sets x 12 reps
Glute Band Work: 3 sets x 15 reps
Week 4: Day 1:
Barbell Squat: 4 sets x 10 reps
Sumo Squat: 4 sets x 8 reps
Cable Kickback: 3 sets x 15 reps
Barbell Glute Bridge: 3 sets x 12 reps
Day 2:
Barbell Squat: 4 sets x 10 reps
Romanian Deadlift: 4 sets x 8 reps
Cable Kickback: 3 sets x 12 reps
Barbell Glute Bridge: 3 sets x 15 reps
We can write programs day in and day out, but to have a program in hand is not the end all be all. What is important is that you are making use of the time in the gym. So this program can be altered in many ways. Will you take this and push yourself to grow your glutes proper?
To know if you are lifting heavy enough to build muscle is to track your progress. Keep a lifting journal or download an app or hire a trainer (my training comes with an app!). Make sure you are gradually increasing the weight you are lifting, and make sure you are pushing yourself and challenging your muscles and lifting to near failure. It should feel hard. Keep track of your progress and make sure your muscles are adapting to the weight. If you find that you are no longer progressing or that your muscles are not adapting to the weight, then you may need to increase the weight.
Let’s dig into “if you find if you are no longer progressing.”
If you find that your progress has stalled, then you may need to check into what you have been doing. Are you putting in effort every time you hit the gym? Are you increasing your calories when they need to be increased?
These types of questions are how we implement the concept of training theory into our training programs. Things need to get heavy, hard, and sometimes intimidating. This is the answer to what is training theory.
Training hard and pushing for the goals you want to achieve. Putting aside short-term pleasures for long term successes and the maintenance of your dream body.
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