Berger in Retrospect

While I was studying for my masters degree in the Science and Medicine of Athletic Performance, I came across an interesting article entitled "Berger in retrospect: the effect of varied weight training programmes on strength" (RN Carpinelli, Br J Sports Med 2002, 36: 319-324). For me, this cast doubt on the theory that strength is best achieved using multiple sets with multiple reps with regular frequency of workouts. It suggested that there is a threshold effect to weight-lifting, that if you somehow push past a certain threshold, your body will adapt and increase in performance capability.

Bernt and I did a little experiment on ourselves after reading that article. Over a period of 3 months, we did once weekly workouts that consisted of 10 different strength exercises. The goal was to lift as much weight as possible for a total of 8 repetitions. If we did not achieve 8 reps, we would continue using that weight until it was possible. If we did more reps, we would increase the weight on successive workouts. With a sample size of 2, we saw that we had significant increases in strength over the 3 months. By the end we were easily capable of lifting at least 50% more weight than we had started out with.

After a nearly 4 year hiatus, we have decided to give this program a try again. Now that we have Liam, time is even more precious. This regime is a time-efficient way to gain and maintain strength. We decided that if we could do this every week interspersed with at least 2 other short workouts we considered ourselves active enough.

We decided on the following exercises:
1. pull ups
2. squats
3. one-armed row
4. deadlift
5. triceps press
6. bench press
7. knees to elbows
8. 50 strokes on the rowing machine for distance

We have been doing this for 4 weeks now with great improvement. The unlikely challenging exercise is the 50 strokes on the rowing machine. It is an exhausting combination of power and endurance. Whew!