Muscular strength is an essential aspect of training, too often forgotten for fear of injury. Working on muscular strength helps to solidify tendons and thus gain strength. The stronger we are, the easier our environment becomes to manipulate. The muscular demands of a task become easier, because we are more muscularly efficient. A safe training method for beginners in muscular strength is to do 5x5MR ( MR: Maximum Repetition).
The 5x5MR method consists of doing 5 repetitions at 85% of RM. The load remains the same and will only increase when you’re able to do the new load for the full 5×5. In other words, the load doesn’t vary during the sets, and will only increase if it can be done for all 5 sets. For this method, it’s advisable to have around 1 to 2 exercises per muscle group, and to take a long rest of 3 to 5 minutes between sets to recover properly and develop a similar effort each time. However, advanced users will quickly reach a plateau with this type of session programming, which mainly enables beginners in strength training to get used to a heavier load during a session. Initially, when you’re new to strength training, the aim is for your body to adapt to recruiting as many muscle fibres as possible in order to develop the greatest strength to lift a load. For an advanced trainee, the initial adaptation has already taken place, so more complex methods are required in order to achieve the benefits of strength.
An important point when starting strength training is to have good stabilization of the joints. Without recruitment of the internal units and small muscle masses, the risk of injury is increased. If you’re new to this area of training and feel that your body is unstable, it’s advisable to reduce the load and work on other training factors. An appointment with a fitness professional would be a wonderful option before embarking on strength training. The specialist will be able to assess your biomechanics, as well as the stability of your joints, so that you can develop safely.
Finally, if you have any questions about this training method, make an appointment with a kinesiologist! Nothing beats a training plan tailored to your needs!
Maude Fleury-Rousseau M.Sc.
Kinesiologist
Reference : Arsenault, Keven. Le recueil des techniques d’entraînements, plus de 150 techniques
