Exercise Intensity..The Missing
Link To Massive Muscle Gain?

Exercise intensity is defined as,"The physiological stress on the body during exercise.", In the A.C.E. Personal Trainer Manual, Third Edition.

With that explanation out of the way, let me shed some light on exactly what intensity means to the average guy, (or girl), who wants to gain lean muscle mass.

To paraphrase from the ACE Personal Trainer manual again...

"Exercise intensity can be described as an indicator that tells you how hard your body should be working to achieve a specific training result."

While this definition of workout intensity is certainly correct, it leaves something to be desired.

In my opinion, the most important part...

"How to actually apply the concept of intensity to your weight training workout to get maximum results in minimum time!"

In the traditional sense, exercise intensity has often been thought of as a way to measure the intensity level of certain types of cardiovascular exercise. Therefore, if you exercise, (perform your cardio), at the right intensity level, you will achieve a very specific measurable result. Typically an increase in you aerobic exercise capacity or (V02 Max).

A few of the more common measures of cardiovascular exercise intensity in order of accuracy are:

Target Heart Rate - This is the most accurate way to measure your aerobic intensity. It consists of measuring your pulse after a few minutes of your exercise session and comparing the reading by your recommended target training range.

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)- This is the most subjective of the measures of exercise intensity, as it requires honest and accurate feedback from the person performing the exercise. This measure is primarily based on a series of "how you feel" as you exercise type questions.

The Talk Test - Is another popular, but very subjective measure of your training intensity. The benefit o fusing the talk test, is that it is one of the easiest measures of cardiovascular intensity to utilize.

There are a few different formulas that you can use to calculate your target heart rate / training range:

• While more complex, the Karvonen Formula is considered to be the most effective methods used to calculate your target hear rate. This method requires you to measure your resting heart rate, (averaged over the course of a few days). And plug it into an equation to determine your ideal target heart rate.
  
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• The Maximal Heart Rate Formula is less comprehensive and simpler to perform. The fact that this equation does not require a resting heart rate measurement makes this method more practical for most people.

A Great Article On Aerobic Exercise Intensity!

I know...I Know...

This is all fine and dandy, but where's the part that describes how workout intensity can help you gain lean muscle mass?

Here it goes...

When it comes to hard scientific measures of anaerobic, (weight and strength training), workout intensity, short of drawing blood during the exercise session, there are unfortunately not a lot of quality methods to rely on.

That said, it's extremely important to be able to measure and monitor your weight training exercise intensity as you progress in your muscle gain workouts.

One of the most common mistakes new bodybuilders make is in not accurately assessing their exercise intensity. Without some sort of intensity gauge, you'll inevitably wind up wandering aimlessly around without a specific plan of attack.

This is definitely not the way gain muscle!

If your goal is to gain muscle, then you must have a well thought out muscle building workout program. No if' s and' s or but' s about it...this is the only way to gain impressive amounts of lean muscle mass!

Without many hard "scientific" measurements available, you'll have no choice but to rely on your judgement and assessment of training intensity. While some people may believe that this will hurt them in the long run...don't worry!

Honing this skill will allow you to become more "in-tune" with your own body. If you're able to be honest with yourself about your level of intensity, then you'll quickly find the key that will unlock your body's ability to gain muscle.

You'll eventually understand what it "feels like" to go through a complete muscle building workout.

Once you make this connection...your muscle building potential is virtually unlimited!

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