Strength training program

[Haakon_Myrseth]

This is my strength-training program:

Warm up with joint rotations: 10 minutes
Leg raises, front, rear and sides: 5 minutes
Then I superset adductor pull downs with leg curls. I do 3 sets of 15reps of each of the exercises. I use 40kg for adductor pull downs.
Then I do 3 sets of 15reps of leg extensions. 2 min. break between sets.
Then I do 3 sets of squats and 12reps for each set. I take 2 minutes break between the sets.
After that I do 3 sets of 15reps of front lunges.
When these exercises are done, I do my isometrics for front and side splits.
After my isometrics I do deadlifts: 3 sets of 15reps using 90kg. I don't do good mornings because I can easily do 2/3 of my bodyweight, and further strengthening is developed by deadlifts.
Relaxed stretches. Usually side and front splits

Then I have a few questions:
1: I currently use 40kg while doing adductor pull downs and that means that both my legs can lift a total of 80kg, and I use 90kg for deadlifts. Is my back strength far ahead of my adductors strength?
2: Are the deadlifts shown on the VHS secrets of stretching the so-called stiff-legged deadlifts?
3: I can quite easily do 15 reps of adductor pull downs using 40kg. Should I then go up to 45kg and work up to 15reps, I'm not certain on how I should increase the load for most of these exercises.
4: Can I do front and side lunges in a same workout. For example 3sets of 15reps of front lunges, then 3sets of 15reps of side lunges?
5: Can I do this strength-training program every other day, or would that be too much? During my Christmas holiday I don’t do any other activities, which is why I find this a great opportunity to work a little extra on my leg strength and flexibility.

I have your book "Stretching Scientifically, video "Secrets of Stretching", "Explosive power and jumping ability for all sports" and "Science of Sports Training". I haven't finished reading science of sports training yet.
I am 16 years old in case you want to know

Looking forward to get some feedback.

Haakon Myrseth

[mmeloon]

Haakon, is there any reason you are doing squats and deadlifts so late in your routine (after other exercises)? Most people typically do those first because they are the most demanding. I would argue that doing working your adductors and hip flexors could weaken your stabilizing muscles and prevent you from doing your best on the important exercises like squats.

You mention that during the holiday you don't do any other activities. I assume that means that typically you DO engage in other sports. If so, you might be better off dumping the leg extensions and leg curls and just focusing all your efforts on those squats and deadlifts. I don't mean increasing the number of sets you are doing, I mean pushing yourself nearly to failure on those squats.

I can't answer many of your specific questions (hopefully Mr. Kurz can) but I do have two additional comments.

You ask about how to increase weights on your leg adductor pulldowns. A jump for 40kg to 45kg is pretty substancial. I'm guessing that you want to increase the weight by that much because of the weight choices you are given (either on the selectable weight stack or from free weights). My preference would be to increase weights by smaller increments. If you cannot increase from 40kg to 41 or 42.5 kg using what's available to you, you can always make your own weights. I went to the hardware store and bought enough heavy-duty washers to make two sets of 1.5 lb each. I just tie them together with twine and use them to increase weights by as little as I wish.

In regards to your question on strength training frequency, I think you'll just have to experiment. So long as you are increasing the weights with good form every week or so, I think you're doing fine. If you can do that by training every other day, then great. Perhaps you'll have to train every third day. Or every fourth. Perhaps you can gain by training every other day but can get even better results if you did every fourth day. It's difficult for us to say. You should really experiment to find out what works best for you based on your intensity, metabolism, diet, sleep schedule, etc.

Good luck!
-Mark

[Thomas Kurz]

First, consult your physician whether lifting these weights is good for you. If you lift more than your body, and particularly your skeleton, is ready for, you can seriously hurt yourself and stunt your growth too.

Now, to your questions:

1. That you can lift 40 kg with each leg does not mean that you can lift 80 kg with both legs with the same ease. You are the best judge whether your lower back strength is sufficiently ahead of the strength of your adductors for your safety. If your lower back feels good during and after the exercises then it is.

2. I suppose so. What's the difference how are they called?

3. I am not sure you need to increase the load. If your goal is to lift yourself off the floor, then the load would depend on your body weight. When the sum of weights you pull down with both legs is the same or greater than your body weight, then would be the time to start working on lifting yourself up from the floor--initially helping yourself with your arms and then not.

4. If it feels good and helps increasing strength of your legs then do it.

5. That depends on the speed of your recovery.

Comment: You do enough complex exercises for your legs (thighs etc.) so I think you can drop leg extensions for sure and leg curls if you feel that your hamstrings get enough workout with lunges and deadlifts. Good mornings are good for keeping hamstrings in good shape. I do good mornings in one or two sets of 12-30 reps from time to time, sometimes twice a week, sometimes once a week, to maintain muscular endurance of my lower back and hamstrings. Other exercise for that purpose that “comes and goes” is back extension on the bench in one or two sets of up to 30 reps.

The reason I do deadlifts and other low-back exercises after squats and after the work on adductors is that I would not like to have my lower back and hamstrings fatigued during squats, adductor flys, and splits. Fatigued adductors and quads do not bother me during deadlifts. Squats can be done in supersets with adductor exercises. Even in very deep squats, and quite heavy (for someone who is not a powerlifter) fatigue of adductors is not much of a limiting factor.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

[Haakon_Myrseth]

I weigh about 68kg, and I train with 40kg in adductor pulldown. I am currently stuck at it, sometimes I may add one set with 45kg, but then my adductors are really tired so I then do two sets with 40kg. I am still not happy with my progress in the side split. I can get into one using weights, but I can't without them. I do isometric side stretch without weights, as I was told to, but I can't progress. I lift a lot in adductor pulldowns, but should I try increasing the load more? It would be difficult. I lift 55kg for 12reps for 3 sets in my workouts. And I use about 25kg in front and side lunges. Is my strength in other exercises the reason I am not progressing in the side split, and front split? I have the same problem in the front split, because I can't get it totally flat.

[Thomas Kurz]

It seems to me that those heavy weights make your muscles tense hard enough to trigger the postcontractive relaxation (see Stretching Scientifically pages 16 and 116). Lighter weights (or no weights) are not enough for you because either a) you cannot tense your muscles hard enough by your own will or b) you progressed too fast to heavy weights and you have desensitized yourself to lighter tensions.

Possible solutions:

1. Reduce weights in exercises leading directly to splits (targeting inner thigh) but increase the number and duration of tensions in full range of motion/stretch.

2. When very well warmed-up (when sweating buckets) do stretches, either relaxed or isometric, until you reach nearly your maximal reach and tense the stretched muscles--not too strongly--just enough to feel more tension than stretch. Stay in such stretches as long as comfortable.

[Haakon_Myrseth]

I believe you are correct. You see, when I got the video Secrets of Stretching, adductor flies were too esay, even with ancle weights, and I didn't have iron boots. So I began doing adductor pulldowns instead working with heavy weights, about 30kg and advancing very quickly up to 40-45kg. I had been doing isometric strength exercises for a while before I got the video, but I didn't do strength exercises, which is why I stagnated after 6 weeks. When I began doing adductor pulldowns I got into a sidesplit after two weeks.
So more tensions and longer tensions in strethced positions. I did it yesterday, and it worked very well. I did as you told me too, I did isometric stretching, and in the nearly maximal stretch I tensed the muscles just a little too feel more tension than stretch for about 1 minute or even more.
And you said that I could not tense my muscles that hard by my own will which is true- I can't. When I use weights, it's like my muscles doesn't have any other option than to tense harder.
Should I do more reps in adductor pulldowns? for example 30reps of 3 sets and using less weight? would that help?

[Thomas Kurz]

Give time for the exercises that work to show how well they deliver. Then, if after a few weeks you will feel you could do better with more or different exercises--then try them.