training: endurance, strenth, power, hypertrophy?

Everyone must have heard so much about high reps vs low reps and how it affects your training and the resulting body shape that people which is the reason why most people gym.

So i've decided to write a post as a form of guide for everyone to follow. Feel free to drop me a mail or message regarding what should be done if you have any questions =)

Before we begin, it is advisable to consult your doctor for your current health status and to ensure that you are fit for gym training as it may be really tough.

Here are some some short forms which will be used in this post:
sets = 1 set consist of the number of reps allocated
reps = repetitions
RM = maximum rep (maximum weight one can do, one single effort)




Muscle Endurance

High reps, Low load.
2-4 sets, 15-30 reps, 50% RM
Duration: 2-4 weeks
resulting body shape : lean
sporting purpose: endurance athletes

referencing: Bruce Lee








Muscle Hypertrophy

Low reps, High load.

4-10 sets, 10-15 reps, 75% RM

Duration: 2-4 weeks

resulting body shape : BIG!

sporting purpose: Body builders

referencing: Arnold 

Muscular Strength

Low reps, High load.

3-5 sets, 1-10 reps, 90% RM

Duration: 6-12 weeks

resulting body shape : well cut body

sporting purpose: buildup phase to power

Referencing: Rain 

Muscular Power

moderate reps, moderate load. FAST!

2-3 sets, 12-15 reps, 60% RM

Duration: as long as the competition phase last

resulting body shape : well defined body

sporting purpose: sprinters, NFL footballers

Referencing: Bolt, Lebron 

The 4 training phase MUST go in the order to get maximum results and to prevent injuries.

ME: training and planning

recently i have been reading lots and lots of Lance Armstrong's books.
Its really giving me a different point of view in my life, my training and made me understand why i chose to go through all these, just to race.

Heres some lines from his book that i would wish to share with everyone:

"If you want to win something, you've got yo have single-mindedness, and it's all too easy to wind up lonesome while you're at it.
A race is an exercise in leaving others behind, and sometimes that can include the ones you love."

-Lance Armstrong

so true. so true.
The amount of hard work one has to put in daily just to build up to a good race is unimaginable. Recently, my classmates have been asking me "Zac, how do you wake up early in the morning every other day, just to clock your mileage?" My reply would be "I just wanted to have a good race. I know that every single training plays a part to the final result and i am just trying to bridge the gap.".
This amount of focus, dedication, commitment and obsession is something an athlete must do and he/she must sacrifice the fun, the late nights and probably the junk food just to achieve this.
This is the price I am willing to pay, to get what i want.

In fact, i have been planning my next season's training plan with my mentor recently. It is gonna be a well detailed plan whereby i will choose my races carefully to lead up to the main races and i will be focusing on what this coming season will be targeted at. It will be a 1.5 years season for me. Hopefully training in australia will bring me up another notch.

Plan well if an athlete wants to get the best out of the training.
Train well if an athlete wants to get the best out of the race.
Race well if an athlete wants to achieve what he is set out to do.


Zac.
trying to beat my best