Review of Cardiovascular Training Guidelines

Review of Cardiovascular Training Guidelines

The goal of this article is to quickly do a review of the cardiovascular training guidelines we have been discussing in this series so far, much like we did in our Review Of Resistance Training Guidelines. I know many people don’t have the time to sift through a...
Foundational Cardio Protocols

Foundational Cardio Protocols

Many people are simply not familiar with the variety of cardio protocols out there. So far in this exercise series, we have discussed some of the things you need to take into account when programming cardiovascular training. However, I realise that some of you may not...
Understanding Cardio Programming

Understanding Cardio Programming

Cardio programming isn’t actually too complicated or hard to understand, however, there is some nuance to it. It can be difficult for people who are new to programming cardio into their training programs, as they may simply not know where to start. Most people...
Why Do Cardio?

Why Do Cardio?

Why do cardio? A very basic question, but understanding the answer does actually allow you to make much better decisions about your training program. So far in this foundational programming article series, we have mainly been discussing resistance training principles...
Review of Resistance Training Guidelines

Review of Resistance Training Guidelines

The goal of this article is to provide an overview and review of the resistance training guidelines we have been discussing in this article series on how to design your own program. We have discussed a lot so far, and I know that has been a lot to take in, but I hope...
Rest Periods

Rest Periods

Now, the final thing we need to discuss in relation to resistance training in the exercise fundamentals series is the length of the rest period between sets. There is clearly a difference in performance on subsequent sets, depending on whether you rest for 30 seconds...
Volume: How Many Sets Should You Do?

Volume: How Many Sets Should You Do?

Volume is a key driver of muscle growth and strength gain. It is pretty easy to understand that the more work you do, the more results you get, up until a point. In resistance training, we generally measure training volume by virtue of the number of sets you perform....
Rep Tempo and Time Under Tension

Rep Tempo and Time Under Tension

Tempo is one of the most underutilised and poorly understood training variables, and it is actually an important variable to grasp if you want to get the most out of your resistance training. It isn’t even a difficult concept to grasp, yet many people willfully...
RIR & RPE: Do You Need To Train To Failure?

RIR & RPE: Do You Need To Train To Failure?

The concepts of Reps In Reserve (RIR) and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) are incredibly helpful. Despite this, they are often poorly understood and poorly utilised in the health and fitness world. Fitness culture would often lead you to believe that there is no...
Understanding Reps

Understanding Reps

Understanding reps is essential to understanding resistance training. After all, a workout is just a collection of reps. If you optimise the rep, you are well on your way to effective training. However, to optimise your reps, first you have to actually build out your...