A Closer Look at Training Specificity
By Dustin Parsons B.S.

The Specificity of exercise: To the beginner it means little. To the advanced trainee, it is everything. Regardless of where you fall on the continuum, the more you know, the more you gain. Whether you read about it here, or pick it up "in the trenches", the sooner you understand exactly how your training style dictates the goals you will achieve, the faster your goals will become reality.

The first step in reaching your goals is to determine specifically what those goals are. "I just want to get in shape" is not a specific goal. "I want to gain 5 pounds of muscle and increase my muscle tone" is much more specific. Then, the next step is to match that goal with a specific training program. "Specific" in that EACH variable in the program has a CLEAR objective as a means to the goal. Nothing the successful trainer or trainee does is without clear purpose.

Lets look at some of the common goals of exercise, and SPECIFICALLY how each training variable can be optimized to get the trainee to that goal with the least amount of wasted effort. After all, it is wasted effort that separates the successful from the unsuccessful.


Muscle Mass

A far too common scenario in pursuit of this goal is trainers and trainees believing it is heavy weights and long rest (3 - 4 minutes) between sets that makes one gain muscle mass. The truth of the matter is that this training style makes one become STRONGER, but does not really emphasize muscle mass. For making muscle hypertrophy (grow in size) above all else, follow these guidelines:

• Exercises
  Try to incorporate large muscle group exercises such as the squat, deadlift, lunge, and clean. Exercises that involve large amounts of muscle raise testosterone levels in the body more than other types of exercises. This effect is natural and beneficial for muscle mass in BOTH males and females, however it occurs on a much smaller scale in females. Other than that, pick any exercises you want but be sure to change either the exercises used, and/or the exercise order frequently.
  
  
• Rest Between Sets
  Believe it or not, rest periods of 30 seconds to 1 minute have been found to be the best interval for raising Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) in the body. This hormone is thought to be even more potent than testosterone for muscle growth. (See "Rest Between Sets" in back issues)
  
  
• Repetitions and Resistance
  Pick a resistance load that can be lifted for around 10 repetitions for each set (your 10 RM for that set). There are numerous reasons for doing this for muscle size, one of which is this resistance stimulates the maximum number of muscle fibers. This repetition range also stimulates the secretion of the anabolic hormones more than any other range. (e-mail me and I will send you a great article on this subject).
  

Strength

This IS the goal where heavy weight and long rest periods between sets is crucial. Although true strength training will inevitably increase muscle size, the training style presented here will MAXIMIZE strength and provide smaller returns in muscle size than the guidelines above.

• Exercises
  Usually one will pick exercises that are specific to the movements where strength improvements are most desired. Large muscle group exercises are often preferred for the same reason presented above. Usually free weights are the focus because they seem to improve FUNCTIONAL or APPLIED strength better than machines. Functional strength is strength in the execution of an actual activity or motor skill.
  
  
• Rest Between Sets
  2 to 4 minutes of rest is crucial. The reason is you want to allow enough time for complete ATP and creatine phosphate recovery so that maximum force can be generated during each set. After all, it is FORCE production you are training for!
  
  
• Repetitions and Resistance
  This is where you want heavy weight and low repetitions. The reps should be between 3 and 8, and the resistance between 85 and 95% of your 1 RM.
  
  
  

Speed, Power and Agility

Getting back to specificity, why doesn't lifting heavy weights for low repetitions make you a faster runner? Although strength is one component of speed, practicing doing slow, high force-output movements will make you better at doing what? Performing slow, high force-output movements, of course. Running involves quick, light resistance movements. Specificity will tell you that for building speed and quickness in any activity, you have to train using speed and quickness!

• Exercises
  It is TRUE that some time should be spent in the weight room working on strength, due to the fact that POWER (which determines your speed of movement) is made up of force (strength) over TIME. Weights will improve your force output, but only plyometrics and agility drills will improve your TIME. The bulk of your training should be OUTSIDE of the weight room. You should be doing sport-specific drills for your activity, various plyometric exercises (such as the depth jump) and other agility drills.
  
  
• Rest Between Sets and Resistance
  Obviously, for these types of exercises rest between sets and resistance load should be self-explanatory. You need to focus on light weights and adjust the time in between sets of exercise to match the time between sets of exercise required when competing in your sport or activity. For example, if you have 30 seconds between plays in Football, you will rest 30 seconds between sets of sprints in practice. EVERYTHING is specific!
  

We have taken a small but important look at how specificity will determine the results of a training program. Obviously there is a lot more to know than just what I have presented here, but this is a fine start. This article also raises the importance of KNOWING your specific goals (or that of your clients), in order to be able to design a SPECIFIC training program. When personal training, spend some time in the initial client interview narrowing down goals from the vague "I just want to get in better shape", to the specific "I want to stay the same overall bodyweight but lose some fat and gain some muscle until I have reduced my body composition by 5%". Rarely will a client come to you knowing this information. It is up to you to clarify their visions into actual, measurable physiological changes. Believe me, this will only make your job easier and the results better.

If you have any questions or comments, or would me to e-mail you copy of the "10 Repetition" article, contact Dustin Parsons at parsons@issaonline.com or protrainer@issaonline.com.

- Dustin Parsons B.S.