The Many Ways To Train

If you’ve ever stepped into a gym, opened a fitness app, or spoken to a trainer, you’ve probably heard terms like hypertrophy, supersets, drop sets, or strength training thrown around like everyone is supposed to automatically understand them.

Truth is — weight training is not just “lifting weights.” There are dozens of different training styles, and each one serves a different purpose. Some methods help you build strength, some help you gain muscle, some improve endurance, and others improve athleticism, movement quality, or simply make workouts more engaging.

As a coach, one of the biggest things I want my clients to understand is this: You do not need to use every training method. You just need the right method for your goal, body, lifestyle, and current fitness level. Here’s a simple breakdown of some of the most common weight training methods:

1. Strength Training

This is what most people think of when they imagine “getting stronger.” The focus here is lifting heavier weights for fewer repetitions, usually around 1–5 reps. Think:

• Squats

• Deadlifts

• Bench presses

• Heavy rows

The goal isn’t to feel exhausted or sweaty. The goal is to progressively move heavier loads over time and build raw strength.

2. Hypertrophy Training

This is muscle-building training. If your goal is to build shape, definition, curves, or overall muscle size, this is usually the sweet spot. Typically:

• Moderate weights

• Moderate reps (around 6–12)

• Controlled movements

• Higher training volume

This is the style most commonly used in body recomposition and aesthetic-focused programs.

3. Endurance Training

This style focuses on helping your muscles work longer without fatiguing quickly.

Usually:

• Lighter weights

• Higher reps (12–20+)

• Minimal rest

It’s great for improving stamina, conditioning, and overall work capacity.

4. Power Training

Power training is all about explosiveness. This includes:

• Olympic lifts

• Jump training

• Plyometrics

• Speed-based movements

Athletes often use this style because it improves speed, force production, and athletic performance.

5. Periodization

This is less of a workout style and more of a smart training strategy. Instead of doing the same thing year-round, your training is divided into phases:

• Muscle-building phase

• Strength phase

• Fat-loss phase

• Performance phase

This helps avoid plateaus, burnout, and overtraining.

6. Supersets

A personal favorite for making workouts efficient. You perform two exercises back-to-back with little rest in between. For example:

• Squats → Shoulder Press

• Bicep Curl → Tricep Extension

Supersets save time, increase intensity, and keep workouts interesting.

7. Circuit Training

Circuit training combines multiple exercises performed one after another with minimal rest, in a loop or "circuit". It’s fantastic if you want:

• Strength + cardio together

• Higher calorie burn

• Faster-paced workouts

This style works especially well for busy people who want maximum output in limited time.

8. Drop Sets

This method burns — in the best way possible. You perform a set until fatigue, immediately reduce the weight, and continue again without resting.

Example:

• 10kg dumbbells → failure

• Drop to 7.5kg → continue

• Drop to 5kg → continue

Great for muscle fatigue and hypertrophy.

9. Pyramid Training

With pyramid training, the weights gradually increase while reps decrease. Example:

• Light weight → high reps

• Medium weight → moderate reps

• Heavy weight → low reps

Then sometimes the pattern reverses back down. This method is excellent for warm-up progression and strength development.

10. Time Under Tension (TUT)

This focuses on how you perform the movement, not just how many reps you complete.

Instead of rushing through reps, you slow them down:

• Slow lowering phase

• Controlled pauses

• Intentional movement

This increases muscle engagement and mind-muscle connection.

11. Functional Training

Functional training focuses on helping your body move better in real life.

This can include:

• Balance work

• Core stability

• Rotational exercises

• Mobility drills

The goal isn’t just aesthetics — it’s improving everyday movement and reducing injury risk.

12. Isometric Training

This involves holding positions under tension without movement. Examples:

• Planks

• Wall sits

• Static holds

Simple, brutal, and incredibly effective for stability and endurance.

13. German Volume Training (GVT)

Also known as the infamous “10x10” method. You perform:

• 10 sets

• 10 reps

• Same exercise

It’s high-volume, mentally challenging, and extremely demanding.

Definitely not beginner-friendly — but effective for hypertrophy.

14. Rest-Pause Training

You perform a heavy set, rest briefly for a few seconds, then continue again.

This allows you to squeeze out more reps and increase training intensity without extending workout duration too much.

15. Pre-Exhaust Training

This method intentionally tires out a muscle before a bigger movement. Example:

• Leg extensions first

• Then squats

It helps place more focus on the target muscle during compound exercises.

16. Cluster Sets

Instead of doing all reps continuously, you break them into mini-groups with tiny rest intervals. For example:

• 2 sets --> Short rest --> 2 sets --> Short rest --> 2 sets

This helps maintain strength and performance with heavier loads.

17. Negative Reps (Eccentric Training)

This focuses on the lowering phase of a movement. Example:

• Slowly lowering during a squat

• Controlled lowering during pull-ups

Eccentric work is incredibly powerful for strength and muscle growth.

18. Density Training

The goal here is simple: Do more work in less time. You either:

• Increase reps

• Increase sets

• Reduce rest

• Or improve total work completed within a fixed timeframe

Great for conditioning and fat loss phases.

19. High-Intensity Training (HIT)

Short workouts. Very intense effort. Shorter rest period between exercises. Usually:

• Fewer exercises

• Few sets

• Training close to failure

Perfect for people who prefer shorter but challenging sessions.

20. CrossFit

CrossFit combines multiple training styles into one:

• Strength

• Cardio

• Olympic lifting

• Functional movement

• Conditioning

It’s fast-paced, varied, and community-driven.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is believing there’s only one “best” way to train.

There isn’t. The best training method is the one that: matches your goals, fits your lifestyle, keeps you consistent, challenges you appropriately, allows recovery and most importantly ... keeps you coming back.

As coaches, we don’t just randomly throw workouts together. Every rep scheme, rest period, exercise order, and training method has a purpose behind it. You don’t need fancy terminology to get results. You just need smart programming, consistency, progressive effort, and patience.