Your body adapts to the type of training you do. This adaptation is known as the SAID principle, which stands for Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. In simple terms, SAID means you are fit for what you do. To be a better runner, you should focus on running, while to get stronger, you should perform workouts that challenge your strength, such as lifting heavy weights.
However, it’s essential not only to train specifically for your goals, but also to ensure that your workouts are progressive and become progressively more challenging over time. Doing the same workout repeatedly will help maintain your current fitness or strength but won’t allow you to progress further. To avoid training plateaus, it’s important to learn how to manipulate training variables, which are the modifiable elements of your workouts. By adjusting these variables, you can gradually increase the intensity of your workouts and continue making progress.
The main training variables for strength and muscle building include:
- Weight
- Training frequency
- Reps per set
- Number of sets per exercise
- Number of exercises per muscle group
- Length of rest between sets
- Choice of workout equipment
- Choice of training split
- Choice of exercises
By using these variables, you can create a multitude of workouts and training programs to maintain your progress. Additionally, you can also manipulate time under tension (TUT) to further adjust the intensity of your workouts.
Time under tension (TUT) refers to the time your muscles are under strain during a set. It is intrinsically linked to your training tempo, which is the speed at which you perform your reps. Manipulating your rep speed can affect TUT, and although some fitness experts believe there is an optimal TUT for specific training goals, research shows that the TUT range for muscle gains is broad, ranging from as little as 15-20 seconds to as much as 60-90 seconds.
While there is little evidence to suggest that hitting a specific set duration is crucial for making gains, controlling your rep speed and set duration can be beneficial in certain circumstances, such as getting a more intense workout from lighter weights, training when injured, workout progression, better form, and increased mind-muscle control.
