[kenzo242]

1. Correct form- This is necessary not only to prevent injury but to get the proper recruitment of muscles and strengthen the muscles you intend to get stronger. If form is off the wrong muscle take over leading to compensation patterns and decreased strength of muscles being trained (ie: arching back on bench press)

2. Tempo- 4/2/1 and 2/0/2- (eccentric/isometric/concentric) for endurance and strength training, respectively. It creates an emphasis on the time you take to complete 1 rep. Most of our strength gains actually come from the lowering of the weight (eccentric) during a lift. Tempo refers tothe concept of time under tension and research shows that the longer you keep the muscle under tension the stronger you'll get. I don't know about you guys but 7 seconds/rep is too long for me. I think a good rule of thumb is to lift weight with control and emphasize the lowering phase.

3. Frequency and duration-Strength and conditioning needs to be 3-5 times/week and the workouts should not exceed 90 minutes. Make the workouts challenging so you body will grow. ("If you're not growing you're decaying!"- YOUNGER NEXT YEAR) Allow for recovery by changing you exercise intensities from workout to workout.

4. Exercise choice- Example: I wouldn't have an MMA fighter do leg extensions because isolation moves have no place in a dynamic and multiplanar sport like MMA. Train compound or multi-joint moves like power cleans, bench and pull ups etc...

Lastly, train muscle groups evenly. You need muscle balance between the quads and hams, pecs and lats, abs and erectors etc... Here's a good way to know if you have muscle balance or not- If you can bench your bodyweight for more reps than you can do reps of pull ups, you are out of balance and a prime candidate for shoulder injury because of that imbalance.

This is the tip of the iceberg but very important non the less. I hope this helps. My next thread will cover phase training. LAte