Developing a Resistance Training Program
Many factors go into the development of a systematic, progressive resistance training program. It is important to consider these factors when creating a program and evaluating clients’ progress through that program. First, before beginning any type of physical training, the client should see a physician. A physical exam performed by a physician will reveal whether an individual thinking of starting a resistance training program is physically ready to do so. The exam may also reveal health conditions that may limit the client. Through the physical exam, the fitness professional may learn the general health history of the client. For a client cleared to begin training, the fitness professional should perform some initial evaluation of physical fitness. This fitness evaluation will indicate strengths and weaknesses of the client. Results of the fitness evaluation should be documented, so that they can be consulted periodically throughout the training program to demonstrate progress in specified areas. Most fitness tests measure flexibility, aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, strength, muscular endurance, quickness, body fat, and stability.
Unlike most other clients, clients who are athletes may request a training program focused on a specific aspect of fitness. For example, a hockey player may want to improve his or her quickness. In such cases, further fitness testing may be useful. The hockey player’s lateral movement, stride power, stride length, and agility, for example, might be assessed. Fitness tests on this level can be important in goal setting.
In addition to the pre-training physical exam and fitness evaluation, the client’s training background should be outlined for the fitness professional. What experience does the client have in exercise or other physical activity? When did the client last complete a training session? Such information can help the fitness professional design an appropriate resistance training schedule and will furthermore be useful in determining the exercises to prescribe. A client with no history of resistance training will have to be taught proper weight lifting techniques and initially must be prescribed only baseline movements. A prescription for advanced movements might prove dangerous to the inexperienced client and would certainly be inefficient, given the amount of time needed to teach each movement.
When designing the resistance training program and associated workouts, the fitness professional must also understand client needs and goals and ensure that the program will deliver steady progress in addressing them. While an average person’s needs and goals may center on general health, those of an elite athlete may comprise mastery of advanced athletic skills. Client needs and goals dictate the number and duration of training sessions, the intensity of training, and the number of repetitions or sets during a session.
When all such considerations have been factored in and an appropriate program designed, it is time to begin the training sessions, and here there are certain principles to which all clients must adhere. Warming up and cooling down must be part of any workout, not only to minimize risk of injury to the client, but to improve performance during the session and quicken recovery from any especially intense prior session.
The fitness professional must inform clients that careful body positioning is important in resistance training. Proper body positioning creates a safer, more productive environment. Beginners should always start with low weights and perform high repetitions (12–15) and low sets (2–3); this helps them gain proper form and a sound strength and muscular endurance base. The tempo of the movements should be slow, to efficiently recruit muscle fibers and decrease the risk of injury. Once the client has learned the techniques and developed an appropriate fitness base, weight can be increased, repetitions can be lowered, and sets made more numerous to accommodate the client’s progress.
Even athletes with extensive resistance training backgrounds must perform all activities with strict attention to body position. The intensity and volume of workouts are dictated by the phase of training the athlete is completing. Athletes should work within a periodized training regimen so that peak performance coincides with important athletic competitions. For this reason, athletes’ workouts are very different during the recovery phase (off season) than during the in-season phase. But whatever the time of year, athletes seek to be sport-specific in terms of the movements performed during training. Movements will often be very advanced in nature, efficiently replicating whatever physical performance is characteristic of the athlete’s sport.