For the next 3 blogs we will be discussing the 3 different ways you can progress your training, today we will cover:
. What is intensity?
. How to increase it?
. How to regress it?
. Reasons to regress intensity
. Considerations and variables
What is intensity?
Exercise intensity refers to how much energy is expended when exercising. Perceived intensity varies with each person. Intensity has an effect on what fuel the body uses and what kind of adaptations the body makes after exercise. Intensity in physical training is based on the following:
. % of maximum lifting weight
. Lifting weight at a certain repetition range
. Heart rate response to CVT
. Time taken to complete an exercise
. Time spent on rest between sets
How to increase it?
You can increase intensity by doing some of the following:
. Reduce rest periods between sets
. Increase resistance/weight of an exercise
. Increase level on cardiovascular machines
. Increase speed when performing CVT
. Increase heart rate when training
. Increase time spent to complete a repetition of an exercise
How to regress it?
Simply put, you can do the opposite to the section above.
Reasons to regress intensity
There are numerous reasons to regress training intensity but the main reasons are health and safety - these include:
. Loss of form when performing an exercise
. Fatigue from training
. Injury prevention
. Reducing possible muscle soreness
. To allow for quality rest
Considerations and variables
Considerations -
. Increasing volume (blog 4.3) is generally less stressful than intensity
. Intensity doesn't always mean increasing stressors - you can reduce recovery/rest periods
. Listen to your body - protect yourself from injury and fatigue
. Allow the body to adapt - increases in intensity takes time to readjust
Variables -
. Beginners should focus on form before intensity
- this means increasing volume before intensity
. Experts will make minimal intensity changes over time
- smaller increments will be made in intensity progression