Newsletter Pinnacle Sports Training and Nutrition


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Pinnacle Sports Training Vol. 19

Will Your Current Program Help You Reach Your Goals?


Thought we would get back to basics a bit this issue because I get these questions so often: How many sets and reps should I perform? How much rest in between sets? What should I eat before and after I train?

All great questions, but many possible answers. It all depends on what your goals are. Are you training for strength or power, training to get in shape, training for endurance or speed?


Here is the breakdown on repetitions:

Power – 5 reps maximum. Speed of the movement is key, fatigue should not become a factor.

Strength – 6 reps or less. Slow and controlled descent, explosive on the way back up.

Muscle Hypertrophy (size) – 6-12 reps.

Endurance – 12 or more.

These are the general guidelines but there is some overlap as well. Working strength or power will never boost your muscular endurance, but you would see some increased muscle size. If you only worked in a rep range from 8-12 reps you would still get stronger, you are just not maximizing the strength potential of your body.

Sports that require speed and power need to work more in the lower rep ranges, but there will be times you would be in the hypertrophy range as well. Usually starting a new lifting cycle the reps are higher, 8-10, and then you work down in reps as the weeks progress. This applies to squats, deadlift, bench press, lunges, etc. This does not apply to power/Olympic lifts like the clean, jerk, or snatch. These will always be 5 or less even with light weights. There is no need to ever venture into the endurance range if you are a power athlete.

Someone training to change body composition, lose fat and gain muscle, would stay in the 6-12 rep range for strength and hypertrophy. Don't worry ladies, you don't have enough testosterone to ever gain too much muscle to look bulky. The muscle you do gain will only increase your metabolism and make you look more “toned”. I hate that word but every one understands it.

Number of sets:

Power – 3 to 5 sets. More experienced lifters can go as high as 5 sets with the Olympic lifts.

Strength – 3 to 4 sets. Heavy compound movements like the squat, bench press, deadlift can be as much as 4 sets, don't waste your time doing more that 2 or 3 sets on bicep curls, triceps, leg curls, etc.

Muscle Hypertrophy – 3 to 4 sets. Same rules apply as to training for strength. Doing more than 3 sets for smaller muscle groups can actually be counter-productive.

Endurance – 2 to 3 sets.

The appropriate number of sets also has to do with your level of lifting experience. Obviously, experienced lifters should be able to handle more sets. If you are a beginner, stay on the lower end or the set range. Trying to up your sets to quickly can lead to over training and loss of strength, power, etc.

Rest between sets:

Power – 3 to 4 minutes is ideal for full muscle recovery and to maximize performance on the next set.

Strength – 3 to 4 minutes again for full recovery.

Muscle Hypertrophy – 1 to 1 ˝ minutes.

Endurance – 30 seconds

Three to four minutes between sets may seem like a long time to wait but your body does need that much time to fully recover for the next set. Each set should be an all-out effort, too little rest will inhibit this. When time is an issue, try supersets (alternating exercises that use different muscle groups). For example, between sets of cleans or squats, do close-grip bench press or do your bicep work. This would be a completely different muscle group and not an exercise that would fatigue your system to the point it would hinder performance of the main lift.

Supersets are great when training for extra size as well. Keep up the pace of the workout by alternating exercises. Bench press with chin-ups, shoulder press with rows, DB fly with reverse DB fly (posterior shoulder).

Pre-workout nutrition:

What you eat pre-workout depends a lot on how well you tolerate eating prior to a workout. I know some people who can't eat within 2 hours, I can eat 20 minutes before I go without a problem. Every one will be a little different here.

The point is that you want something in your system to supply energy for an intense workout. No energy = poor workout = wasted time. No matter what you are training for, intensity is the key to making rapid gains.

The meal should be small but should include some protein and carbohydrates, limit the fat. Here are some ideas: yogurt, egg whites, cereal (Raisin Bran or Grape-nuts, not Fruity Pebbles), skim milk and a piece of fruit. There is some research out there now saying to start drinking your protein shake pre-workout, and then finish after. If you need the extra protein I would try this.

Post-workout nutrition:

The post-workout meal is critical to recovery and to reaching your goals. Athletes need to eat immediately after to maximize what the workout will do for their bodies. If you don't eat after, you might as well not even work out. The window of opportunity is one hour max but play is safe and eat right away.

This is a great time for the protein shakes or skim milk for quick protein. Egg whites are excellent as well. Try to eat some faster digesting carbs here also, such as bread with honey, fruit (esp. raisins and grapes), bagel, white rice, etc. Limit fat again for quicker digestion.

If you eat something right away, then look to eat a normal meal one hour later.

For someone training to change body composition, get some protein right away after the workout. A protein shake with water or egg whites will work best. When and what carbs you eat will depend on your daily intake plan. I would recommend eating some carbs for muscle recovery but I would keep it more to fruits and vegetables if fat loss is the goal.

Last but definitely not least, drink lots of water. Muscles are mostly water so drink. Fat loss depends on staying hydrated as well.

Hope this helps you to reach your goals quicker.



Pinnacle Sports Training Vol. 18

Getting Back to Basics


With technology comes “improvement”. In some cases this is true, other times I wonder. Could we be limiting ourselves by relying too much on technology? When it comes to training for athletics I often feel this is the case.

Every day there is some new piece of exercise equipment, a new diet, or some other short cut to achieving your goals. What ever happened to the basics?

By “basics”, I mean good old fashioned hard work and emphasizing technique. Basic lifts like the squat and deadlift must be mastered and performed with perfect technique prior to doing high intensity plyometrics, using a vertimax, or a jump sled. It only makes sense that if you can't handle your own body weight to parallel, you should not put excessive forces on top of dysfunctional joints and muscles. Correct the squat and deadlift first, get strong, then incorporate higher tech training on occasion.

Run technique is another great example. Coaches used to stress the fundamentals of stride, arm swing, flexibility, relaxation, etc. to run efficiently and maximize potential for speed. They believed that speed could be taught, and rightly so. Many trainers now mistakenly believe that speed can be forced upon you. Bungee cords for over-speed training, high-speed treadmills, and other gadgets are all designed to make you run faster than your body is capable of handling. If dysfunction is not addressed first, then we are only strengthening bad habits. Bad habits will result in an athlete hitting the wall in regards to his or her ability to improve speed. It will also increase the likelihood of injury.

My last example deals with hard work and doing what it takes to reach your goals, whether you like it or not. Focus on your weaknesses! If you know you are not good at something, then work on it. It will not go away on its own. I have worked with very good athletes who have done their best to hide when it came time to squat or hang clean because they were not good at it. This will catch up with you at some point during your athletic career. The best athletes are the ones who acknowledge their weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

Train hard but smart. Eat right, don't rely on supplements to make up for your mistakes. Get a good night sleep. Sometimes it is that easy. Old school guys like Walter Payton and Herschel Walker did it with push-ups, pull-ups, running hills, and just being in better shape than any one else. Guys like that need to be better than every one else, and their effort shows it.

P.S. No sooner than I finished this little rant of mine, and I get a call from a buddy who just had a great conversation with U of M's new offensive line coach. Guess what the focus of their training programs will be? Olympic lifting for speed and explosion. Heavy, full body lifts for strength and power. Speed, speed, and more speed is the goal. No room for fancy equipment here, just the time-tested basics.