For anyone new to resistance training, an orientation phase is a necessary first step in order to learn proper form and to minimize initial muscle soreness. When it comes to overload training, this involves new clients gradually increasing the intensity in their desired rep ranges.

This initial intensity leve is often recommended at 70% of maximal effort. Once a client works through the initial muscle soreness, and has learned the proper form, he or she will then be ready to take on more intense overload training.

Keep in mind that it is not possible to objectively evaluate client progress when less than maximum effort is being applied: The client must use the overload training principle to positive failure in order to establish a benchmark and gauge progress.

Mitochondrial Re-Education

It's a simple fact that the power houses within each muscle cell, the mitochondria, are not performing as efficiently as they could in someone who is not accustomed to resistance training. This results in muscle energy stores that are less than completely replenished prior to the next workout, and is often reflected in a marked decrease in the number of reps the beginner is able to perform to positive failure in each set of his or her workout. The process of improving this energy efficiency within each cell can be termed mitochondrial education, and it is a necessary step before the beginner can be expected to recover properly from workout to workout.

Eating & Mitochondrial Re-Education

In order to arrive at this stage, suggest to the beginner that he or she consume large amounts of carbohydrates immediately after a workout. In so doing, the muscles will be supplied with energy exactly when they need it the most -- after the workout. These eating habits, along with the performance of as much post-workout, low level activity as possible, will foster the mitochondrial re-education process.

The Value of Intensity to Beginners

Once the beginner is getting the same reps to failure in each set, the re-education period is over, and the client should be encouraged to attempt the use of greater and greater weights in their rep ranges. This will effectively allow for a gradual increase in the intensity of the beginner's efforts, progressive adaptation, and progress evaluation.

If a client is allowed to level off and continue to use the same weight and the same rep ranges without applying the challenge of the overload principle, the body will quickly adapt and the client will at best maintain their current lean tissue, which may not be the goal for a fat loss client, for instance.

However, an increase in the intensity of effort will not only result in greater tissue increase, but can also result in even greater fat loss. One caveat: Be aware that during the performance of intense work, the adrenal glands are stimulated to release stress hormones that result in the catabolism of body tissues. Since these hormones are not immediately degraded, they remain present in the bloodstream after the intense exercise is over.

Therefore, the higher the intensity of a workout, the shorter the duration must be in order to reduce post-workout catabolism. The client should always be first instructed to monitor his or her between set recovery heart rate to insure adequate recovery, and to prevent overexertion. This target heart rate is usually 100 beats per minute (BPM)  when an aerobic effect is not desired. If an aerobic effect is desired, a recovery heart rate of 125 BPM is usually recommended.

For an equal measure of aerobic and anaerobic effects, a recovery heart rate of 115 BPM is recommended.

The Nervous System & the Beginner

Another phenomenon connected with the beginner is that he or she will experience relatively faster strength gains within the few months after starting out. One of the reasons for this is that the nerve impulses being transmitted are, at the outset, fairly inefficient. Once the neuromuscular function has been conditioned over time, the impulses becomes more efficient, resulting in improved sycronicity of motor unit activity, increased motor unit recruitment, and stronger muscluar contractions.

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