If you’re like most people, you carefully plan your workouts and know beforehand how much resistance you’ll be using for each exercise. The problem with this approach is it doesn’t take into account day-to-day variations in how you feel. If you’re like most people, you have days where you feel stronger than others.
When you approach a workout after a night of not sleeping or after a strenuous day at work, you may not feel as strong or motivated as you do on days you’re well rested and relaxed. A number of factors can impact how strong you feel on a given day – the amount of sleep you had the night before, nutrition, hydration status, stress, and hard you worked during your last workout.
It’s important to plan your workouts and subject your muscles to progressive overload if you’re trying to build strength and mass, but progress doesn’t always happen in a straight line. Some days you feel physically capable of handling greater resistance or greater training volume than others. That’s where auto-regulatory training comes in.
What is Auto-regulatory Training?
Auto-regulatory training is a less regimented approach to resistance training. It takes into consideration how you feel on a particular day. On days where you’re sore, fatigued or otherwise not at your peak, rather than pushing through a workout based on a preconceived plan, you adjust the intensity to take into account how you feel. For a resistance workout, this means lowering the resistance or volume if you’re not feeling as strong on a given day. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Auto-regulatory training is different from instinctive training, another less regimented approach to working out. With instinctive training, you decide how strong you feel on a given day and choose the amount of weight for your first set based on this. With instinctive training, you don’t “test” your strength first by doing your first set and then make adjustments.
That’s where auto-regulatory training has an advantage. With auto-regulatory training, you do a “test” set first, using the resistance you used during your last workout. Then, based on your performance and how you feel after the first set, you decide whether to lower or increase the weight. If you’re not feeling strong or struggle to complete the desired number of reps, you use a lighter weight on the second set. In contrast, if you feel strong, you increase the amount of resistance. It’s a way of listening to your body and adjusting the weight to meet your needs on that particular day. Listening to your body is good, right?
Auto-regulatory Training versus Linear Periodization
A more traditional approach to resistance training is linear periodization. Linear periodization means focusing on one form of training for a specified time period. For example, you might adopt a two-month linear periodization schedule. During the first month, you would focus on lifting heavier weights and doing fewer repetitions to build strength. During the second month, you’d switch to higher reps and lighter weights to focus on muscle endurance. You’re using planned variations in training volume and resistance to achieve specific goals and sticking to a pre-set plan.
Auto-regulatory training is less regimented than a linear periodization because you’re adjusting the amount of resistance and volume of your workout based on how you feel after the first set. You can do this by rating the difficulty of the first set was and adjusting the resistance up or down based on that. The beauty of auto regulation is you push hard when you’re feeling strong and back off when you’re feeling weaker.
Doing It Right
When using auto-regulatory training, don’t go into the workout with preconceived ideas about how hard or easy you think it will be. Do your first set and then adjust the resistance up or down. How many times have you THOUGHT you were too tired or weak to lift a certain amount going in and then surprised yourself by exceeding your expectations? You can’t accurately judge how strong or weak you feel until you start training. Adjust based on your performance AFTER the first set, not before you begin.
Auto-regulatory training gives you the freedom to adjust your workout based on how you feel at any given time. On days you’re tempted to skip a workout because you’re tired, you’ll be less likely to skip because you can make adjustments. It’s all about listening to your body and adapting to what it’s telling you.
How Effective is Auto-regulatory Training?
In a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Auto-regulatory training was more effective for improving lower body strength than linear periodization. Plus, auto regulation reduces the risk of overtraining AND undertraining since you’re maximizing the intensity and volume on days you feel the strongest. Listening to your body makes sense, doesn’t it?
Although auto regulation is best known as a resistance training strategy, you can use it for aerobic workouts too. If you feel tired and your performance is suffering after 10 minutes, scale back the intensity by “auto adjusting.” On days where your energy level is high, push it to the max. The key is to be an accurate judge of how you feel and not use auto-regulation as an excuse not to work hard.
References:
Exercise Biology. “What is Autoregulatory Training”
J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Jul;24(7):1718-23. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181def4a6.
The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (Impact Factor: 1.8). 07/2010; 24(7):1718-23. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181def4a6.
Related Articles By Cathe:
For More Effective Workouts, Science Says You Need Exercise Variety
Linear Versus Non-Linear Periodization: Which is More Effective?
Weight Training: Is It Better to Do More Sets?
Do You Really Need More Exercise Recovery Time as You Age?
5 Reasons to Add Resistance Bands to Your Training
Does Exercise Order Impact Strength Gains?
Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:
STS Strength 90 Day Workout Program
XTrain Workout Series
All of Cathe’s Strength & Toning Workout DVDs
Total Body Workouts
Lower Body Workouts
Upper Body Workouts
