Mainstream resistance training falls into one of 2 camps
Hypertrophy - growing muscle mass
Strength - lifting more weights, specifically compound ones
Social media and the fitness industry have convinced us that these are the only methods of weight training, and it makes sense - ego sells. Being able to say you can bench x amount or looking more muscular is an alluring and money making prospect. Few people ask what the point of having muscle mass or that kind of strength is. If you remove the ego-lifting and mirror-posing, there's not too much substance in those training regimes for most people (unless you’re a pro bodybuilder or competitive powerlifter). I assume the real reason most people want muscle and strength is to be generally functional and able to do activities they enjoy, whether that be activities like sports, hiking, traveling, or just bulletproofing against debilitating injuries (that get more severe as we age). First we need to dispel some myths driving the mainstream:
Myth 1: Muscle = strength
To a certain extent once you have the requisite amount of muscle (able to successfully do physical activities you enjoy, not getting injured), there are diminishing returns in growing more muscle. Look at the powerlifting records out there and you will be shocked. People in my weight class (175 lbs) are benching 400+ lbs, even with similar amounts of muscle. If you are already at that elite level of strength, it may make sense to grow muscle to push the limits, but very few of us are there or need to get there. Also look at athletes like Novak Djokovic - not exactly gonna win bodybuilding competitions but one of the highest performing athletes history has ever seen. (Also, he only eats plants. Here's one of his workouts).
Myth 2: Gym strength = functional strength
Bench pressing is not going to prevent your shoulder injuries or make you better at throwing or hitting, and it honestly might be causing more injuries in reality. Squatting alone is not going to make you jump higher or run faster. If you want to get better at a specific motion, hear me out, you have to work on that very motion in the gym. Want to swing a tennis racket faster? Work on some swinging motions in the gym. Bench pressing is only going to make you a better bench presser, and that’s pretty much it.
Most of our fitness regimes are not helping us become more functional or less injured by any means. In fact, they may even be harming us, especially in promoting an unhealthy mentality with regards to comparing our bodies and lifts to others.
This is why I am currently experimenting with a large shift in my resistance training protocol to target athletic performance, functional strength, and injury prevention. What does this mean?
Generally targeting the 10-20 rep range, with relatively low weight. Focusing on fully stretching a given muscle slowly, and exploding from that position.
Shorter rest times. In the real world we can’t just rest 3-5 minutes everytime we want to exert ourselves, so training the fast twitch muscles to recover and perform on demand. This helps with sports performance.
Each movement has a purpose. If you don’t know why you are doing an exercise, either figure out a good functional purpose or drop it from the routine.
WORKOUT PLAN is linked here with video examples.
Benefits
Shorter workouts ~1 hour
Minimal soreness and quicker recovery times, especially since I do cardio on the same days (see below)
Less injuries while working out, prevents injuries in the real world. Can train consistently for years without getting derailed by heavy lifting fatigue/injury.
Emphasis on free weights/body weight, so don’t have to rely on waiting on machines at the gym.
Real world performance benefits can be seen in a matter of months
Resistance Training: 6 hours per week
Endurance Training: 3-4 hours per week
High Intensity Training: 30 mins per week (4x4x4)
Sauna: 4-5 sessions per week