Value of training variety
For the past year, i’ve been training using certain variations of high intensity training (total body workouts, split routines). A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, after having been put through a high intensity chest routine by me, wanted to put me through one of his leg workouts. He’s typically a high-volume trainer, so I knew what to expect. Or atleast thought I did. The workout started with squats. Usually I don’t go higher than 145 and try to get 15-20 reps. Though the weight is not much, the 4 second negatives I use on every rep make the weight seem a lot heavier by the time I’m halfway through the set. Well I didn’t do any slow negatives that day. We did 4 sets, progressively increasing the weight each set, which is typically done in higher volume training, getting close to failure each set. The last 2 sets i used 185 and 205 lbs and got 6-12 reps. He helped me do some forced reps on those last 2 sets. I won’t go on to describe the other exercises, which were hack squat, leg extensions, walking up and down stairs holding weights, and leg curls, but I will say that I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t train in only one way. High intensity is a great way to train, but not all the time. My legs were sore for about a week after that workout session. I utilized HIT techniques during the session, used heavier weight, did more sets, and took longer rest periods between sets. HIT works for me because of a serious back problem that can easily be aggravated by poor form and too heavy weight, so I am going to make a point to use good form and not worry about the weight, but once in awhile, go heavier and still use good form to add some variety to my training.
Remember, the smart man is the man who knows that he does not know everything. The man who thinks he knows everything is the ignorant one. There is ALWAYS more to be learned, so take from and give advice to your fellow man.
