PLMUSCLE

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="EJACOBS" data-cite="EJACOBS" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="8458" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, an old guy, i bet if he goes for it, he will feel better than he has in 30 yrs, ....</div></blockquote> <p> I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE HERE, THIS IS WHY ALOT OF DOCTORS PRESCRIBE TEST TO OLDER MEN. GIVE THEM THAT YOUNG MANS "HARD" ON. I'M GOING TO BE FORTY AND I FEEL GREAT WHEN I'M ON. A LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN AGE FROM A FIFTY YEAR OLD BUT SAME BENEFIT...PEACE. PL</p>

<p><p>With Tre You Have To Drink Alot Of Water To Help Keep The Kidneys From Shutting Down, Flush Them...peace. Pl</p></p>

<p><p>Prop Is Always A Good Choice For Shorter Ester Along With Some Tren If You Can Handle It. Try The Proped Then Add Some Tren In Their And You;ll Notice The Difference...peace.pl</p></p>

A Little Search And You Should Find What Your Looking For. I Myself Can Honestly Say Have Never Had Blood Work Done Before A Aas Cycle, But After Reading How Benifitial They Are I Will Next Time...peace. Pl

To Each His Or "her" Own. A Good Choice For Your Circumstances. Other May Differ, But Don't We All...peace. Pl

I always warm my wife up with a little foreplay and then go down on her giving her 3-5 O's before we even get started...or how ever many she can take. Just something I enjoy to do for her....hell, I'd live down there if I could. It's really fun when she has a girlfriend over and I can switch between them one after the other.

 

She says she really enjoys it when she is on Var....She says for some reason Var makes her very sensitive down there.

A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, WAY TO GO BROTHER, DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE CAMEL TOE...PEACE.PL

<p>We Have Sections Wich Desribe The Difference In The Two...peace. Pl</p>

<p>Stick With Nolva Or Clomid Or Both As Your Pct...peace. Pl</p>

The Cutting Primer

By rambo @anabolicreview.com

 

It’s about time we had a decent full length post on cutting…

 

Let’s get a few things straight…

1. All of the insights I’m about to provide are not person-specific. What that means is that it is a general guideline, not a bible.

2. I truly do believe that bodybuilding is 80% diet. You can lift your ass off daily, and still look horrible if you aren’t eating right.

3. You are what you eat. It’s just that simple.

 

The BASICS-

1.Postworkout Nutrition- I’m a firm believer that PWO nutrition is hands down the most important aspect of dieting. It is within the 15 minutes after a workout that your body is in dire need of nutrients. It is a completely anabolic state, and what you take in can be optimized to ensure maximum results. A general rule of thumb is 40-60 grams whey protein, and double the amount of whey in carbohydrates (50% dextrose/50% maltodextrin).

 

2. Carbs- You are **** right, carbs. In a strict cutting diet the majority of your carbs should come in the form of PWO nutrition, and the remainder in breakfast. Fibrous veggies are a staple, but keep in mind that they don’t count towards intake, as they have negligible impacts on blood sugar levels. (Exceptions: Carrots, Peas) All high glycemic carbs outside of PWO should be avoided. The best sources of low GI carbs can be found in oatmeal and brown rice, as well as yams.

 

3. Protein- You need tons. 1.5-2.0 grams per pound of lean bodyweight is a good general rule of thumb. You should take in a good portion of your protein in the source of real meals, avoid intaking too many shakes, as real food comes to a better benefit. The list foods with high protein bioavailability is extensive, and I will only cover a few, (Egg whites, Lean steak, Chicken breast, the list goes on forever….).

 

4. Fats- Guess what? You need fat to lose fat. We are talking about the granddaddy of fats, the EFA (Essential Fatty Acid). Good sources of fat are ( Flax Oil, Nuts, Salmon, Olive Oil).

 

5. The separation of Carbs and Fats- This is a hotly debated issue, but again, in my opinion, an important aspect nonetheless. Remember that it is often when you eat items and with what you eat them that is more important than what you are eating. A mouthful, I know, but stay with me. Remember that when you take in certain carbs, you can spike your insulin levels. If you are taking in fats when your insulin has been spiked, you are allowing the basic laws of physiology to act out, and you allow for a higher propensity for fat storage. Separation is key. The sample diet will give a good example of how to separate them.

 

 

 

 

6. Supplements-

 

Glutamine: Helps prevent catabolism when cutting. Best used in dosages of 10grams daily, 5 grams before cardio, 5 grams at another interval, but not after workout as it fights for absorption with the glutamine peptides in whey.

ALA/R-ALA- Gets my supplement of the day award. R-ALA is effective in lowering the spike of insulin when certain carbs are consumed. I could give you a dissertation on the stereoentisomeric properties of the R, but all you need to know is that it has been found to shuttle carbohydrates away from adipose and into myocytes. Translation: Away from fat cells, into muscle cells. It’s a supplement, however, not a miracle worker. It’s not a crutch, and won’t do anything about fat intake. ALA and R-ALA can also aid in the expedition of the ketogenic state. Remember that if you buy R-ALA that you supplement it with Biotin. Glucorell-R is prepackaged with it. If you can afford it, go for it. As far as dosage, with the R, you are looking at 1-2 pills of Glucorell R for each 30-40grams of carb intake.

Protein and Carb Shakes: I’m not going to cover protein, because even if you can’t afford it, you should sell a kidney to get some. Carb drinks are rather convenient, and companies offer pre mixed dosages, (CarboHit, Glycoload, UltraFuel). Dextrose and Maltodextrin can be bought from most supplement stores or online.

 

http://www.allsportsnutition.com

 

7. Cheating- Cheating is essential. Why? Remember, the body runs on homeostasis, it likes to keep balance. After eating so well after a week, your body begins to adjust, and fat loss over time will not be as rapid. The other extremely important aspect is mental sanity. So many diets crash and fail because people don’t give themselves a chance to breath. Remember, cheating is not an opportunity for you to pillage the entire mall food court. Shoot for a cheat meal, not an all out binge. A fast food value meal can be 2,000 calories. Eat that 3 times on one day, and you’ve consumed 6,000 calories. And that’s not good in any case.

 

8. Cardio- Cardio and cutting usually go hand in hand. I won't go into specifics about length, other than cardio shouldn't be excessive. 45 minutes to one hour daily should be sufficient, and should be performed on an empty stomach.

 

 

 

 

Sample Diet:

Note: This is a sample diet for a 200 pound gentleman who is wishing to cut. We can assume his BF to be around 15%. This diet will NOT work for you if those criteria don’t apply to you; however it is easy to customize the below diet to take in account your own statistics. It is the principles that are applicable.. I am not going to post the total amount of calories, only the carb, protein and fat macros for the whole day.

 

 

Meal 1:

Lean Protein, 1/2 cup oatmeal

 

Meal 2:

Protein shake/Lean Protein (2 tbsp flax

 

Meal 3:

Veggies, Lean Protein

 

Workout

 

Meal 4:

PWO Nutrition

 

Meal 5:

Veggies, Lean Protein, 1/2 cup rice or oatmeal.

 

Meal 6:

Shake with Flax

 

That turns into approximately 300 grams protein, 130 grams Carbs, and 50 grams of fat.

 

*Reminder: This is a PRIMER. It’s not mean to be comprehensive.

 

 

 

 

 

Here comes the fun part: Question and Answer….

 

Q: What about dairy?

A: If you don’t mind a soft look, fat free cottage cheese is an excellent caseinate source, but as for milks- way too much processed sugar. NO.

 

Q: Should I do a keto diet?

A: Unless you are morbidly obese, or would like to drag your wilted muscles behind you, stay away from keto. Again, that’s my opinion. You can see my previous posts for my anti-keto ranting.

 

Q: What about cycling carb intake?

A: Obviously on non workout days you will be without a shake, so you will be auto-cycling. It works well that way.

 

Q: Is sodium an issue?

A: Outside of the bloating issue, or if you have high cholesterol, no.

 

Q. How do I make my meals not taste like cardboard?

A. Be creative. Mix in some sugar free jam or splenda in your oats, some hot sauce or soy sauce on your meats, or pick up some sugar free ketchup.

 

Q. I don’t like old fashioned oats. Can I eat the pre mixed oats with fruit?

A. No. Be a man. Those mixes have ridiculous amounts of sugar.

 

Q. What about fruit?

A: Fruit replenishes glycogen stores in the liver, and in my opinion, is not to be a staple of a strict cutting diet, with a few exceptions.

 

Q: Can I eat steak while cutting?

A: Definitely. Make sure it’s a leaner cut.

 

And with this post I take a sabbatical. I’d like to thank ~Swolecat~ for his influence, and to thank all of you who may have indirectly annoyed me enough to result in this elongated post. If I missed anything, or am horribly wrong on anything, feel free to PM me, and I will edit it in. Best of luck, and remember…

 

“Obsessed is a the word that lazy people use for dedicated.”

Diet is 75% of bulking up IMO. You can lift like Ronnie Coleman, but bottom line you will not grow any muscle without the calories behind it for bulking. Simple biology and one equation---->

 

Calorie balance=Calories in - Calorie expenditure

 

If you aren't gaining weight, you are not in a positive calorie balance so you need to either cut out all cardio, eat more, or both. Try adding up your calories using the links at the bottom of the page, many people who think they "eat all the time" actually eat under 3000 calories per day, which is very low for a bulking diet. Get used to eating frequently also, like every 3 hours tops. The only time I was hungry on my last bulker was right when I woke up in the morning. Remember: an appetite is not necessary to eat. You need to get used to eating what/when you MUST, not what/when you want.

 

There are two ways to bulk: A clean bulk (slower, but leaner gains) and a dirty bulk (faster gains, more fat storage if metabolism isn’t fast) The main difference is that on a clean bulk, you NEVER eat carbs and fats together. Milk is bad for this reason. Eating carbs and fats together causes almost all of the fat to get stored instead of used for energy. Don’t eat carbs in your last 2 meals of the day because they get stored as fat while you sleep. Eat at least 40g protein with every meal, and make meals either protein/fat or protein/carb.

 

PWO=Post Workout, the most anabolic (muscle building) time in anyone’s day is the half hour following a workout. It is best to use a fast-acting protein like Whey. Your muscles soak up protein like a sponge. It is also useful to eat twice as many carbs as protein to help shuttle the proteins to the muscles. The PWO shakes I use are

 

---50g Optimum Nutrition Whey

---50g Dextrose (Corn sugar, causes an insulin spike to increase absorption of protein)

---50g Maltodextrin (Powdered complex carb supplement)

 

Some people prefer to drop the maltodextrin and just do 100g of dextrose. Try both and see what works for you.

 

Eating approximately every 2.5 to 3 hours is good for 3 reasons…

1. You can eat more calories in a day if your meals are smaller. Its easier to eat 600 calorie meals 6 times a day then it is to eat 1200 calorie meals 3 times a day.

2. Your body can only digest so many calories at a meal, and the rest gets stored as fat. Lowering the amount of food eaten at one time reduces the “extra” over what you need.

3. Muscles start to catabolize (break down) if they are without protein for 3-4 hours unless you are sleeping. Hell, when I'm bulking I drink a milk/casein shake when I get up to piss at night.

 

For all you 130-150 pounders thinking about taking steroids... re-evaluate your diets. If you can't gain weight naturally, steroids aren't going to do anything for you except shrink your balls. Think about it... raw materials to form muscles have to come from somewhere right? Try eating 300g protein, 400g carbs, and 150g fats.

 

You will grow.

 

A couple useful links

 

1) http://www.fitday.com <----Huge database of foods, can look up pro/fat/carbs and calories on them.

 

2) http://www.ntwrks.com/~mikev/chart1.html <------Basically the same

 

3) http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/berardi41.htm <----- An equation that you

plug in your weight and bodyfat percentage and it will tell you how many calories you need to eat every day to grow.

 

If your diet is "all that and a bag of chips", and you STILL weigh 140 pounds dripping wet, either you have a SERIOUS thyroid problem or your training sucks. Remember "The Big 5" - Squat, Deadlift, Row, Bench, Military.

5x5 Training

Written by Needsize

 

The premise of the routine is progressive overload, meaning that every week you are putting increasing amounts of stress on the muscles, generally through small increases in the amount of weight used. The progressive overload forces the body to grow to adapt to the increasing amounts of stress, even though the body really isnt training to failure.

 

The routine consists of choosing a heavy compound exercise to use for each bodypart, these can include, squat, deadlifts, bench press, close grip bench, standing barbell curls, military press, etc. On top of the initial 5x5, you also choose 2 other exercises, and aim to do 2 sets on each, of 8-10 reps per set.

 

Here's a sample routine

 

Chest

 

Flat bench 5x5

incline dumbell press 2x8-10

incline flyes 2x8-10

 

The key for me when using this routine is to start light, at weights that you can easily nail your reps and concentrate on form. For example, say you can bench 225lbs for 8 reps, start with 195lbs on the bar. This should be easy, but if you keep your reps slow and in control, you will still get a good pump and have a good workout. Next week, bump up the weight by a SMALL increment, remember the key is to be able to keep adding weight, it's not a race to get to the massive poundages. If you add too quickly you will plateau in a hurry and the routine wont do jack for you. So you hit 5x5 on 195, next week its 200, the week after 205, etc. When you get to a point where you're starting to have trouble hitting your reps, add something extra to help, if you're natural, thats when I would throw in creatine and whatever else as this will help you keep adding weight. If you dont get all 5x5, then do not add more weight next week, stick with the same and the odds are you'll hit it next time you try.

 

This routine is very effective as it targets fast twitch muscle fibres(5x5) as well as slower twitch(8-10reps) all in the same workout. Generally when done correctly you can gain lots of size as well as some pretty incredible strength all at the same time. I'm only a bodybuilder and dont give a rat's ass about strength, but have hit lifts (ie, deadlift 550lbs for 5 reps) that would allow me to compete as a powerlifter.

 

Eventually no matter what you are doing or what you are on, the strength gains will come to an end. What I have found worked well for me was when I couldnt add more weight to the 5x5, I switched over to 5x3 instead, and was able to keep adding weight. The beauty there is that as you keep adding weight past where you were stuck on the 5x5, that weight you were stuck on will feel like a joke when you go back to it as you were just lifting more, albiet for less reps.

Here's an example I used when my squats went stale. I had been stuck on 405lbs for a while, but just couldnt get all my sets so that I could add more weight, so heres what I did.

 

week 1 410lbs 5x3reps

 

week 2 415lbs 5x3reps

 

week 3 420lbs 5x3 reps

 

week 4 425lbs 5x3 reps

 

week 5 430lbs 5x3reps

 

week 6 435lbs 5x3 reps

 

then back to 5x5

 

week 7 405lbs 5x5(now this felt really light after 435lbs)

 

week 8 410lbs 5x5

etc.......

 

But this time when I finally plateaued again, I was squatting 445lbs for 5's. Notice the weight increases were very small, percentage wise it was almost nothing, but see how it added up. When I first started the 5x5 routine back in the day, I was squatting 225lbs for 5x5, and since then the program has allowed me to put over 200lbs on my squat, and about 4" on my quads

 

I forgot to mention, I dont think this approach will work for calves as you need a higher rep range

 

No, not all 5x5 are to failure, the first couple you should have to work for and get a good pump from, but they wont be to complete failure or you wont have a chance of getting all your sets. What tends to happen with me is a set feels pretty close to failure, but after a rest of 3-4 minutes, I can hit the next set easily enough. I do take to 8-10 reps to failure though

 

when supersetting I wait that minute or so between every set, so a set for bis, wait 1-1 1/2 minutes, do a set for tris, and so on. On the 5x5 I rest 3-4 minutes for say squats, but on most others, including deads I superset with another exercise same as with arms. For the 8-10 ones, usually around 2 minutes, but I cut that lower and lower as I progress through the workout

 

I wear a watch so I keep the breaks consistent, this way I know that if I go up in weight or anything then it wasnt because I rested longer. Its during the 8-10 sets that I start cutting the rest times down

 

I've got my body split into 4 days, which leaves me with 3 rest days per week

 

Day 1 chest/calves

Chest- see earlier post

standing calve raises 5x15

 

Day 2 back/shoulders

military press 5x5

side laterals 3-5x8-10

deads 5x5

chins 2x8-10

shrugs 2x8-10

rows 2x8-10

bent over laterals 2x8-10

 

Day 3&4 rest

 

Day 5 bis/tris

close grip bench 5x5

standing barbell curls 5x5

weighted dips 2x8-10

incline dumbell curls 2x8-10

skull crushers 2x8-10

preacher curls 2x8-10

 

Day 6 legs

squats 5x5

leg press or hacks 2x8-10( I dont do any more exercises for quads as I dont need to)

stiff legged deads 2x8-10

leg curls 2x8-10

seated calve raises 5x15

abs - weighted static holds

 

Day 7 rest

 

It's pretty rare that I change the 5x5 exercises as there really arent that many good mass building exercises. For tri I sometimes switch close grip with weighted dips(but frankly I dont want to add any more weight to my dips), maybe switch military press with dumbells, etc... But there is no substitute for deads and squats, and using a bar instead of dumbells on stuff like bench or curls give me more freedom to add whatever amount of weight that I want, instead of having to go up 5lb per side every time

 

 

Another Sample routine

 

Day 1 chest/calves

Flat bench 5x5

incline dumbell press 2x8-10

incline flyes 2x8-10

standing calve raises 5x15

 

Day 2 Back/Shoulders

military press 5x5

side laterals 3-5x8-10

deads 5x5

chins 2x8-10

shrugs 2x8-10

rows 2x8-10

bent over laterals 2x8-10

 

Day 3&4 rest

 

Day 5 Bis/Tris

close grip bench 5x5

standing barbell curls 5x5

weighted dips 2x8-10

incline dumbell curls 2x8-10

skull crushers 2x8-10

preacher curls 2x8-10

 

Day 6 Legs

squats 5x5

leg press or hacks 2x8-10( I dont do any more exercises for quads as I dont need to)

stiff legged deads 2x8-10

leg curls 2x8-10

seated calve raises 5x15

abs - weighted static holds

 

Day 7 rest

__________________

Periodization

by Dave Tate

 

When it comes to setting up a strength-training program, I feel it's important to understand all aspects of the program, including how it all fits together. The organization of training can be defined as periodization. There are several periodization models being used today for the development of strength. This article will explore some of the basic definitions of the concept as well as the Western (or linear) method of periodization.

 

The Western method of periodization is one of the most popular methods for strength development. It's the same method I used for the first 12 years of my competitive career. Did it work? Sure, up to a certain point, but then I hit a plateau. This was when the injuries started and my strength began to digress. After we get the basics out of the way, I'll explore why this happened and why so many coaches and athletes still use the program today.

 

 

Terminology and Definitions

 

Periodization is the organization of training into basic workable units. These units are defined as the training session, the micro cycle, the meso cycle, the macro cycle and the quadrennial. Let's define and explore each of these just to make sure we're all on the same page.

 

The Training Session: The training session consists of one workout designed to fulfill a specific purpose. These training sessions can be once per day or up to six per day depending on the goals of the program. The most import aspect of the training session is that it should have some type of meaning. There should be a definite training goal in mind. Your goal for that session may be to perform one more repetition than last time, or to lift five more pounds. Your goal could also involve fulfilling some type of restorative or recovery purpose.

 

The problem is that many training sessions today don't have a specific purpose that will lead to the short or long term goals of the athlete. The athlete or coach just goes in the gym and wings it, but each session must build on the others to fulfill a desired purpose. For example, if you want a bigger bench, then each training session for that lift must have the development of the bench press in mind. If your exercise selection doesn't complement this, you'll just be spinning your wheels.

 

All exercises chosen should fulfill a purpose related to the development of strength, stability, confidence, muscle balance, technique, or bringing up weak points. If one or more of these variables isn't being met with the chosen movement, then dump that exercise!

 

 

The Micro Cycle

 

The micro cycle is the recruitment of a number of different training sessions. There should be at least two training sessions per micro cycle that consist of different types of workouts. The micro cycle also should have specific meaning and purpose. There are many different types of micro cycles including the introduction, restorative, competitive and the shock micro cycle. The average micro cycle will range five to ten days with the average being seven days.

 

The Introduction Micro: This cycle can and should be used for a number of introduction purposes. It can be used for educational purposes to teach the clients or athletes about the training program and all its variables. This is a very important aspect of training that many coaches and trainers overlook. I believe that the client or athlete must know how the program was designed and why it was designed that way. Better yet, they should be a part of the program design.

 

Whenever I design a strength-training program, the client is a very large part of the process. Who knows better than the trainee what works and what doesn't work for him? The client has more experience training themselves than anyone, so why not use this knowledge to better the program? The trainee must know where they're going and how and why this program will help them get there.

 

A second type of introduction micro cycle may be used to introduce the trainee to the exercises he'll be performing over the next few cycles. This gives him a chance to have a "walk through" of the different exercises and get used to the correct form and technique that'll be needed for the higher intensities later on.

 

Exercise technique is another overlooked aspect of most training programs today. When I walk into any gym or health club I'm impressed with the lack of technique being practiced. You'd think with the number of trainers and coaches around today that this problem would be getting better, but in many ways it's worse. Now you have trainers who have no idea what they're doing showing a client how to perform an exercise!

 

Not all trainers are bad, of course. There are many excellent trainers I've spoken with across the world and I've learned a great deal from many of them. These trainers are usually very expensive and hard to find so it would be best for most people to buy a book on exercise technique or attend one of the many seminars offered by today's top strength coaches.

 

The Restorative Micro: This cycle is designed to aid in the recovery process. It can involve anything from taking a week off to implementing some restorative techniques such as contrast showers, steams, saunas, massage, active rest or "feeder" workouts.

 

Active rest involves those workouts that implement a type of training other than what the athlete normally does. For a weightlifter this can include walking, or for a football player, playing basketball.

 

The "feeder" type workouts are those intended to better prepare the muscle for an upcoming training session. When these workouts make up the majority of the training micro cycle it then becomes a restorative cycle. Active rest and feeder workouts will be discussed in a future article because of the importance they have in the total development of a strength training program. After all, if you're not recovering, then you're not making gains!

 

The Competitive Micro: This is the cycle leading up to the competition or event. For a powerlifter this would consists of the five to seven days right before the competition. During this time they should lower the training volume and intensity.

 

The week before can make or break the outcome of the competition. Too much work and the lifter will go into the meet overtrained and tired. Too little work and he'll go in under prepared. For the football player this can be the last three to six days before the game. It becomes a tight balancing act during the season to ensure the optimum amount of training with the right amount of recovery and restoration.

 

The Shock Micro: This micro cycle is designed around shocking the body into new growth and adaptation. This shock can come in many forms and can range from taking a week off to a high volume training cycle.

 

 

The Meso Cycle

 

This cycle is made up of many micro cycles designed around one specific purpose. Most programs use this cycle to develop one component of fitness such as strength, power, endurance or some other physical ability. These cycles range from one to four months. There are many types of meso cycles including introduction, base, competitive, restoration, strength and power cycles.

 

The Introduction Meso: This cycle is designed to introduce a person to fitness or strength training. Like the introduction micro cycle, most of the time is spent on the teaching of the movements and training program.

 

The Base Meso: It's been said many times that you can't build a house on a weak foundation. The base meso cycle is usually designed to build a strong and fundamental base of fitness (a solid foundation).

 

An example of the effectiveness of a base-building meso cycle would be my wife, Traci. When she first came to train with us a Westside, her back was so weak and sore that she had a hard time picking up an empty barbell.

 

Most of her training during the first few months consisted of building up her abdominal, lower back, glutes, hips and hamstrings. She performed endless sets of reverse hypers, glute-ham raises, and abdominal pulldowns. When her base was built up, heavier training was introduced and within the first year she'd totaled her fist "Elite" with a 360 squat, 240 bench, and 315 deadlift in the 123 pound class. Not bad for not being able to pick up a barbell without pain 12 months earlier. Without taking the time to develop a solid foundation, her gains wouldn't have been possible.

 

Other Meso Cycles: The strength and power meso cycle is designed around building strength, while the competitive meso cycle is that cycle leading up to the competition or test date (the day you attempt a new PR). These meso cycles can be designed a number of different ways and all are intended to bring out the highest level of competitive strength.

 

Competitive strength is different than maximal strength because it utilizes the elements of the competition to bring out the highest strength levels. With competitive strength, many times there's a break from training right before the competition to help the body restore and prepare for peak performance. There's also the element of the spectators and a "psyche up" to help bring out higher strength levels.

 

Maximal strength is the max level of strength that can be displayed in the gym. This is why many times we don't recommend training with a psyche-up in the gym. Psyching up during training can actually be detrimental to strength performance because of the increased demand on the central nervous system.

 

 

The Western Method of Periodization

 

The Western or linear method of periodization is the most practiced yet most misunderstood form of periodization used by lifters and coaches today. I was first introduced to the Western method from the NSCA journal and from the "workouts of the month" section in Powerlifting USA magazine. This method consists of a hypertrophy phase, basic strength phase, power phase, peak phase and a transition phase. Many times other terms will be used but the parameters are basically the same.

 

The Hypertrophy Phase: This phase is intended to condition and build muscle mass. This phase is characterized by a high volume and low intensity. In this case, the volume refers to the amount of repetitions being preformed while the intensity refers to the amount of weight lifted in relation to your one rep max. The typical load or intensity lifted is in the 50 to 70% range for three to five sets of 8 to 20 reps. The average rest between sets is two to three minutes and the average length of the entire phase is between four to six weeks. These parameters are intended to build a solid base of support for the upcoming strength phase.

 

 

Sample Hypertrophy Cycle

 

Week 1:5sets/10reps/62%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 2:4sets/10reps/64%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 3:3sets/10reps/66%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 4:3sets/8reps/68%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 5:3sets/8reps/70%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

The Strength Phase: The goals of the strength phase is to, you guessed it, increase muscle strength. The parameters for this phase are characterized with a typical load between 75 to 86%, utilizing three to five sets of 4 to 6 reps. The average rest is two to four minutes and the duration is four to six weeks. As you can see, the intensity is beginning to increase while the volume is beginning to decrease.

 

Sample Strength Meso Cycle

 

 

Week 1:5sets/6reps/75%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 2:5sets/6reps/77%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 3:4sets/5reps/79%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 4:4sets/5reps/82%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 5:3sets/4reps/85%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

The Power Phase: This phase is designed to increase the overall power of the athlete. The parameters of this phase are characterized by performing three to five sets of 3 to 5 reps with 86% to 93% intensity. The duration of this phase is normally four weeks. The rest is usually between three to five minutes.

 

 

Sample Power Meso Cycle

 

Week 1:3sets/4reps/87%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 2:3sets/3reps/89%intensity/Rest 3mintues

 

Week 3:3sets/3reps/91%intensity/Rest 4mintues

 

Week 4:3sets/3reps/93%intensity/Rest 5mintues

 

The Peak Phase: This is the final phase of strength development. This phase is designed to "peak" on all the abilities that have been developed earlier. The peak phase is characterized by performing two to three sets of 1 to 3 reps with 93% or more. The average rest is now increased to four to seven minutes and the duration is two to four weeks. You'll again notice that the volume is lower and the intensity is increased.

 

Sample Peaking Meso Cycle

 

Week 1:3sets/3reps/95%intensity/Rest 5mintues

 

Week 2:2sets/2reps/97%intensity/Rest 7mintues

 

Week 3:2sets/1reps/99%intensity/Rest 7mintues

 

The Transition or Active Rest Phase: This is the final phase of this macro cycle known as the Western method of periodization. This phase can be done a couple of ways. The first is to perform three to five sets of 10 to 15 reps with 50% of your new one rep max.

 

The second way is to break away from training altogether and only perform light physical activity. For many powerlifters and strength athletes this phase is normally just taking time off and performing no weightlifting. Others may choose to go to the gym and perform bodybuilding style exercises with very little work done in the classic lifts (squat, bench and deadlift).

 

 

Problems and Pitfalls

 

This Western method of training has become very popular in the United States over the past 20 to 30 years and has been practiced by most powerlifters and strength athletes in one form or another. If you read the training programs of most powerlifters you'll notice this same structure. As I mentioned earlier, this is the same training routine I used myself for 12 years before moving to Columbus to train at Westside. I had very good results with this training for some time, but I also had many problems with it as well.

 

Having now gotten away from this type of training and looking back as an outsider, I can see where the program is lacking and why I had so many problems. I used to feel it was the only way to train (mostly because it was all I ever knew). It was also the only type of program for which I could find a lot of research. Some of the limitations to this linear style of periodization include:

 

1) It's a percentage-based program

2) It starts with a high volume

3) It only has one peak

4) Your abilities aren't maintained

5) The program has no direction to the future

 

According to Vladimir Zatsiorsky in the text, Science and Practice of Strength Training, long breaks (from working at percentages close to your 1RM) can ruin physical fitness. Vladimir asks, "If a mountaineer wants to climb to the summit, will he climb halfway up then back down to go back up again?" These long breaks are detrimental because motor abilities are built and retained at different rates which are fairly specific to each individual. Some may be lost very quickly while others will be held.

 

According to Zimkin, as much a 10 to 15% of strength can be lost in a period of a few weeks. This is where a percentage-based system has many problems. If the lifter has lost 10% of his strength and begins the cycle at 62% of his contest max, the actual percent can really be as high as 72%. This is why many times the lifter will get through three quarters of the training cycle and then start missing lifts. Many times I'd get to week eight or nine and not be able to complete the desired number of reps. With this type of training you have to hope your strength catches up to the intensity.

 

One way to combat this is to pick a smaller weight at the start and then jump it up toward the end. This is what many lifters, including myself, used to do. The problem with this is you never really know when to jump it up. This will lead you to being able to perform triples in training with more weight than the single you could perform on the platform at a meet. Percentages have to be used only as guidelines.

 

Another problem with the Western method of periodization is that many abilities aren't maintained. The muscle mass that was built during the hypertrophy phase isn't maintained throughout the full cycle. Same goes with the strength phase. The best training weeks are normally the first or second week of triples coming off the strength phase. Then your strength begins to shut down because it's very hard to train at or above 90% for longer than three weeks. This is another reason why you may be able to triple more in training than what you can display on the platform.

 

As mentioned above, there's only one peak with the linear method. If you want to enter multiple meets or have a competitive season such as a football player then what do you do? Another mark against this traditional approach.

 

The Western method of periodization also advises you to drop the supplemental movements as the meet approaches, especially during the final three or four weeks during the peak phase. The reason for this is that the intensity is so high that you'd want to keep the volume down. My question is why would you want to drop the movements that made you strong in the first place?

 

Lets face it, if it was true that all you have to do is squat, bench and deadlift wouldn't we all be doing it? Not only that, but wouldn't every gym in the country have 20 or 30 guys who could bench 500 since half the members only do bench presses and curls anyway? Why would any of us do any more than we have to?

 

The fact is, we've all found out through trial and error that we need supplemental movements to push our lifts up. A great example of this is if your pecs and shoulder were strong enough to bench press 500 but your triceps were only strong enough to bench 420. If that were true, what do you think you'd bench? You're only as strong as your weakest link and it's your responsibility to find out what that weak link is and fix it. If your car needed new tires to run faster would you buy a new car or change the tires? The supplemental aspect of your training is perhaps the most important and yet you're expected to drop it right before a competition?

 

You're also never really told what and how to train the supplemental lifts. Are you supposed to begin with a high volume and drop over time while increasing the intensity like you do with the main lifts? If you're anything like I was then you just kind of wing it and hope it all fits into place.

 

With all this in mind, why would anybody use this type of periodization? Well, the answer is quite simple: it's what most lifters have always done or been told to do. There have been few, if any, alternatives that work as well or better

Super Slow Resistance Training

Jeff Nelson, M.Ed. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D.

 

Introduction

 

There are many different methods of resistance training. One form of resistance exercise that has drawn attention is superslow resistance training. Evidence of increasing interest is becoming more apparent with the rise of internet references and the availability of superslow certifications. This form of training has been presented as a safe and effective means of building strength in both beginning and advanced weight training (Westcott, 1999). Superslow training, originated in 1982 by Ken Hutchins, was developed in an osteoporosis study with older women because of the need to utilize a safer speed for subjects to perform the resistance exercises. The result was the beginning of a new resistance training technique, which became known as superslow strength training. In a standard Nautilus training protocol, 8-12 repetitions are performed (Westcott, 1999). Each repetition represents a two-second concentric action, a one-second pause, followed by a four-second eccentric action. The total time for the set requires approximately 55-85 seconds for completion. The superslow protocol represents 4-6 repetitions consisting of a 10-second concentric phase followed by a four-second eccentric phase. This protocol also requires about 55-85 seconds for completion. One possible advantage of superslow training is that it involves less momentum, resulting in a more evenly applied muscle force throughout the range of motion. A potential disadvantage of this training is that it is characterized as tedious and tough.

 

Physiology of Superslow Training

 

An objective of superslow resistance training is to create more tension in a muscle for a given workload. This is accomplished by decreasing the speed of movement. The amount of force or tension a muscle can develop during a muscle action is substantially affected by the rate of muscle shortening (concentric phase) or lengthening (eccentric phase) (Smith, Weiss, and Lehmkuhl, 1995). The amount of tension generated in a muscle is related to the number of contracting fibers. Each muscle fiber (or muscle cell) contains up to several hundred to several thousand myofibrils, which are composed of myosin (thick) and actin (thin) protein filaments (Guyton and Hall, 1996). The repeating units of thick and thin filaments within each myofibril comprise the basic contractile unit, the sarcomere. In a muscle fiber, the slower the rate at which the actin and myosin filaments slide past each other, the greater the number of links or cross-bridges that can be formed between the filaments (Smith, Weiss, and Lehmkuhl, 1995). The more cross-bridges there are per unit of time, the more tension created. Thus at slow muscle action speeds, a higher number of cross-bridges can be formed, which leads to a maximum amount of tension for a given workload.

 

The tension in a muscle is related to the number of motor units firing and to the frequency with which impulses are conveyed to the motor neurons (Berger, 1982). Physiologically, using a slower speed protocol requires the activation of more muscle fibers and an increase in the frequency of firing in order to maintain a force necessary to lift a given workload (Smith, Weiss, and Lehmkuhl, 1995). This provides stimulation for muscle strength development. The initial strength development involves neurological adaptations (stimulation of muscle fibers through increased firing and recruitment) followed by muscle hypertrophy (Enoka, 1986). In muscle hypertrophy, an increase in protein synthesis results in a multiplication of myofibrils within muscle fibers leading to an enlargement of the cross-sectional area of the muscle (Berger, 1982). There is also a corresponding increase in the number of actin and myosin filaments, which subsequently increases the capacity for cross-bridge formation (Guyton and Hall, 1996).

 

Superslow Resistance Training Research

 

Although superslow resistance training has been around for a while, only two peer-reviewed manuscripts have been written. The first manuscript describes two studies by Westcott et al. (2001). The first Wescott et al. study was conducted in 1993 and consisted of 74 previously sedentary men and women with an average age of 56 years. The subjects were placed in groups of six and closely supervised for eight weeks. All of the subjects performed one set of 13 exercises (Nautilus equipment) three days per week. These exercises consisted of the leg extension, leg curl, leg press, neck flexion, neck extension, pullover, chest press, chest cross, lateral raise, bicep curl, triceps extension, abdominal crunch, and low back. Of the 74 subjects, 39 (10 males and 29 females) trained at a regular speed and 35 (13 males and 22 females) trained at the slow speed. Although both groups differed in the time spent in concentric phase, both groups had a 4-second eccentric phase. Each of the subjects was tested using either a 10-RM weight load (regular speed group) or a 5-RM weight load (slow speed group) at weeks 2 and 8 in the study for the determination of pre- and post-test strength assessments. The results indicated that the slow speed group attained superior strength gains, gaining an average of 26 lbs in strength for the 13 exercises combined, compared to an average of 18 lbs for the regular speed group.

 

The second study of the first manuscript was conducted in 1999 and consisted of 73 previously sedentary men and women with an average age of 53 years. This study was similar to the 1993 study except that it was a 10-week study and the pre- and post-test strength assessments were based on 10-RM weight load (regular speed group) and a 5-RM weight load (slow speed group) of the chest press only at weeks 2 and 10 in the study. Of the 73 subjects, 43 (13 males and 30 females) trained at a regular speed and 30 (10 males and 20 females) trained at the slow speed. This study supported the 1993 study conclusions in that the slow speed group achieved higher results that the regular speed group, gaining an average of 24 lbs in strength for the chest press, compared to an average of 16 lbs for the regular speed group.

 

The other recent peer-reviewed manuscript describes a study by Keeler et al. (2001). This study consisted of 14 sedentary women with an average age of 32.8 ± 8.9 years. The subjects were randomly assigned to either a superslow group (6 subjects) or a traditional training group (8 subjects). Strength was assessed for both pre- and post-test using a 1-RM on 8 strength exercises: leg extension, leg curl, leg press, bench press, compound row, biceps curl, triceps extension, and torso arm (anterior lateral pull-down). The subjects trained three times per week for 10 weeks. For this study, the superslow protocol was defined as a 10-second concentric muscle action, followed by a 5-second eccentric muscle action. The traditional protocol consisted of a 2-second concentric phase, followed by a 4-second eccentric phase. Both groups performed one set of each of the eight exercises reaching momentary muscular fatigue between 8-12 repetitions. The traditional and the superslow groups began the exercises using 80% and 50% of the 1RM, respectively, until muscular fatigue was reached. The weight was then increased in increments of 5% when the maximum repetitions could be completed in good form. Increments of 2.5% were used for the leg press exercise only. The results indicated that both groups had a significant training effect for the 8 exercises. Further, the traditional group improved significantly more than the superslow group in total weight lifted for the leg press, leg curl, leg extension, torso arm, and the chest press. The results for the chest press indicated that the traditional group improved by an average of 26 lbs compared to the superslow group improving by an average of 9 lbs. It was concluded that traditional training is superior to that of superslow strength training for improving strength as assessed with the 1-RM for the initial phase of strength training in sedentary women.

 

Discussion

 

The Westcott et al. (2001) manuscript describes two studies (1993 and 1999 studies) that report the superslow resistance training resulting in superior strength gains than a traditional strength training method. In contrast, the Keeler et al. (2001) study indicates that the traditional strength training group improved better than the superslow group for 5 of the 8 exercises. The different outcomes between studies may be due to different subject populations, training methodologies, and testing procedures. Westcott et al. recruited sedentary men and women with an average age in both studies of 54.5 yrs., where as the Keeler et al. study had sedentary women whose average age was 32.8 yrs. Very little is documented how various age populations may be differentially affected by the training regimen (superslow versus traditional speed), although this factor certainly needs further elucidation.

The Keeler et al. (2001) study trained the traditional resistance exercise group using 80% of 1RM while the superslow group trained at 50% of 1RM. Both groups performed 8 to 12 repetitions to muscular fatigue. The authors said it was recommended that the superslow training group weight load be reduced 30% from what is normally used (however, the source for this recommendation was not cited in the study). Contrariwise, in the Westcott et al. (2001) studies, the traditional training group performed 8 to 12 repetitions to fatigue where as the superslow training group performed 4 to 6 repetitions to fatigue. Given that resistance load intensity has a direct association with muscle force production, this is a major difference noted in training methodologies of these investigations, and certainly warrants further investigation.

 

Finally, in the Keeler et al. (2001) study, strength measurements were quantified with 1-RM assessments of strength for the superslow and the traditional strength training groups. Conversely, in the Westcott et al. (2001) investigations the traditional strength training group was assessed with a 10-RM while the superslow was measured with a 5-RM. Certainly, the differences across the board in strength assessments may also be contributing factors to the varying results observed in these investigations.

 

Conclusions

 

Although a final conclusion of the efficacy of superslow training versus traditional strength training warrants further research, some strong applications can be ascertained. Both training methods demonstrated significant increases in strength from pre- to post-testing. Since variety of resistance training stimulus is an important aspect of training design, perhaps incorporating both of these methods is a viable option for many clients. While some clients may find the superslow method somewhat tedious and challenging, other clients may relish in this type of challenge. Therefore, the personal trainer is reminded of the importance of individualizing the workout scheme to keep the client motivated, as well as challenged. Future randomized studies are needed to establish whether a true difference does exist between superslow and traditional protocols in developing strength in men and women (of all ages).

 

References

 

Berger, R. A. (1982). Applied Exercise Physiology. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Lea & Febiger.

Berne, R. M., & Levy, M. N. (1998). Physiology (4th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby, Inc.

Enoka, R. M. (1988). Muscle strength and its development – New perspectives. Sports Medicine, 6, 146-168.

Guyton, A. C., & Hall, J. E. (1996). Textbook of Medical Physiology (9th ed.). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: W. B Saunders Company.

Keeler, L. K., Finkelstein, L. H., Miller, W., & Fernhall, B. (2001). Early-phase adaptations of traditional-speed vs. superslow resistance training on strength and aerobic capacity in sedentary individuals. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 15(3), 309-314.

Smith, L. K., Weiss, E. L., & Lehmkuhl, L. D. (1996). Brunnstrom’s Clinical Kinesiology (5th ed.). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: F. A. Davis Company.

Westcott, W. (1999). The scoop on super slow strength training. Idea Personal Trainer, Nov-Dec, 37-42.

Westcott, W. L., Winett, R. A., Anderson, E. S., Wojcik, J. R., Loud, R. L. R., Cleggett, E., & Glover, S. (2001). Effects of regular and slow speed resistance training on muscle strength. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 41, 154-158.

__________________

Hybrid Hypertrophy

by Chad Waterbury

 

 

If I’m good at anything, it’s the ability to take relatively well-known parameters and arrange them in a more effective manner. I’m ecstatic to inform you that I’ve been experimenting with a new method that induces a metamorphosis of size and strength. As the transcendent Bob Dylan once sang, "Times, they are a changin’." As such, be prepared for what follows!

 

 

Torching the Burnout Method

 

One method that’s always resurfacing in various forms in the field of hypertrophy training is the "burnout method." Excluding the awful name, a few trainees have found it somewhat useful in packing on a little muscle. It basically consists of performing an exercise with pseudo-maximal strength parameters, followed by a sub-maximal set taken to failure. It’s reared its head in many forms, but one of the better known methods is this:

 

Exercise: Squats (for example)

 

Sets: 5

Reps: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

Load: 10 Reps Max, 8RM, 6RM, 4RM, 2RM

 

Followed by:

 

Exercise: Squats

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 18-20 (taken to failure)

Load: 18-20RM

 

To summarize, the first five sets consist of increasing loads and decreasing reps in an effort to recruit the high-threshold fast-fatigable (FF) motor units. Once maximal strength has been "primed," one last set with a sub-maximal (~60% of 1RM) is taken to failure.

 

Not a bad idea, but it definitely has its shortcomings:

 

Shortcoming #1 — Failure training. Bad, bad and more bad. Sending your kids to play with Michael Jackson bad. Training to failure is so outdated that I can’t even bear to discuss it. Failure training induces excessive CNS fatigue. Successful training (of any sort) revolves around fatigue management. Therefore, any method that induces excessive fatigue should be avoided.

 

Bottom Line: The burnout method revolves around taking the last set to absolute failure and this should be avoided in order to keep the nervous system as fresh as possible.

 

Shortcoming #2 — Excessive Parameters. If you try to accomplish everything in one session, you’re going to be in trouble, and overtraining will be right around the corner. If you focus on increasing one or two strength qualities during a single session, you’ll be much better off.

 

Bottom Line: Excessive sets + Excessive rep ranges + Muscular failure = Shitty results.

 

Shortcoming #3 — Inferior Maximal Strength Gains. I don’t care if you have no desire to ever step foot inside a powerlifting or Olympic lifting circle, you must be cognizant of maximal strength training if you want to become massive and massively strong.

 

Bottom Line: The burnout method leads to sub par strength gains which, in turn, wreak havoc on your hypertrophy efforts since the recruitment of the massive FF motor units are only emphasized in the middle portion of the workout.

 

Shortcomings #1 and #2 are relatively easy to resolve. Regarding failure training, the only modification that needs to be made is to stop one rep short of failure. Simple enough.

 

Shortcoming #2 (excessive parameters) can also be fixed. You could merely replace the inverse set/rep relationship with more constant parameters such as 3 x 3 or 5 x 5. But the biggest shortcoming of all (inferior maximal strength gains) hasn’t been addressed — until now.

 

One of the most interesting observations I’ve made within the realms of iron apparatuses is that the nervous system best "remembers" the last set. It’s akin to listening to a three-hour seminar: you usually only remember the end points. The same appears to be true with weight training.

 

Therefore, the traditional burnout method leaves your nervous system remembering a light load that primarily taxed the fast fatigue-resistant (FFR) motor units. This is bad news if it’s done week in and week out because you’ll lose your maximal strength levels in no time.

 

But wait, you don’t care about maximal strength, you only care about muscle mass increases, right? Please refer back to my "bottom line" statement in the aforementioned point #3 before I track you down and choke you out!

 

 

The Solution

 

I’ve found a better way. If you incorporate the following method into your next hypertrophy phase, you’ll be bigger and stronger than ever. This method is based on three important principles:

 

1) Avoiding absolute muscular failure.

 

2) Maintaining relatively constant parameters that don’t confuse the hell out of your nervous system.

 

3) Achieving greater maximal strength increases.

 

Here’s how it works. To begin, you’ll perform the first compound exercise for 3-4 sets until you reach a 3RM for that lift. Remember, a 3RM represents a load you could lift for three perfect reps without losing form. If you must compromise form to reach the third rep, decrease the load 2.5% and try again.

 

Second, you’ll pick a different exercise for the same muscle group and perform 12-14 reps while stopping one rep short of muscular failure.

 

Lastly, you’ll perform one set of 2-3 reps with the same compound exercise that you start with. Oftentimes, you won’t be able to perform all three reps with the same load you started with, but you should be able to perform at least two reps. This will effectively re-recruit the FF motor units so you won’t leave the CNS remembering a light load.

 

Keep in mind, this isn't a "pure" maximal strength program; this is a hypertrophy-based program that also causes maximal strength gains.

 

 

The Program

 

I titled this program "Hybrid Hypertrophy" since it combines a few different methods into the same session. Up to this point, most of my programs revolved around training a single strength quality within each session. Since this program combines a few methods into each workout, you’ll be able to perform it for up to four weeks before switching programs. (Some of my clients have performed this program for as long as six weeks without losing the effect, but stick to four weeks as a starting point.)

 

Note: Please do everything in your power to adhere to the following exercises. I tried to choose exercises that are virtually ubiquitous to every gym, whether it be commercial or home. Each day consists of specific exercises that I’ve found most useful.

 

DAY 1

 

Exercise: Close-Grip Bench Presses

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 60 seconds between sets

 

Rest 60 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Barbell Skull Crushers

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

 

Rest 180 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Close-Grip Bench Presses

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

 

Exercise: Deadlifts

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 75 seconds between sets

Note: Shoulder-width stance, non-mixed grip. Keep your torso as vertical as possible.

 

Rest 75 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Front Squats

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

 

Rest 180 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Deadlifts

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

Note: Shoulder-width stance, non-mixed grip. Keep your torso as vertical as possible.

 

Exercise: Chin-ups

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 75 seconds between sets

Note: Use a palms-up, wider than shoulder width grip.

 

Rest 75 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Decline Bench Dumbbell Pullovers or Straight Arm Cable Pulldowns

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

 

 

 

The straight-arm cable pulldown.

 

Rest 180 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Chin-ups

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

Note: Use a palms-up, wider than shoulder width grip.

 

 

DAY 2

 

OFF. Perform 15-20 minutes of jogging, uphill walking (for calf development), or GPP work.

 

 

DAY 3

 

Exercise: Power Cleans

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 75 seconds between sets

 

Rest 75 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Barbell Back Squats

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

Rest 240 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Power Cleans

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

 

 

 

The Power Clean

 

Exercise: Decline Sit-ups or Flat Sit-ups w/Feet Hooked

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 60 seconds between sets

Note: Hold a dumbbell at your chest for added resistance.

 

Rest 60 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Cable Crunches or Swiss Ball Crunches

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

 

 

 

The Cable Crunch

 

Rest 180 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Decline Sit-ups or Flat Sit-ups w/Feet Hooked

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

Note: Hold a dumbbell for added resistance.

 

Exercise: 45 Degree Incline Dumbbell or Barbell Bench Press

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 60 seconds between sets

 

Rest 60 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Standing Dumbbell Military Press

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

Note: Keep your palms facing each other throughout movement.

 

 

 

 

The Standing Dumbbell Military Press

 

 

 

Rest 180 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: 45 degree Incline Dumbbell or Barbell Bench Press

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

 

 

DAY 4

 

OFF. Perform 15-20 minutes of jogging, uphill walking or GPP work

 

 

DAY 5

 

Exercise: Dips

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 60 seconds between sets

 

Rest 60 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: French Presses

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

Note: Perform with an EZ-Curl bar, if available. If not, use a barbell or use dumbbells and keep your palms facing each other.

 

Rest 180 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Dips

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

 

Exercise: Seated Cable Rows or Bent-over Barbell Rows

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 60 seconds between sets

Note: Utilize a shoulder-width, supinated (palms up) grip for either exercise.

 

Rest 60 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Dumbbell Rear Delt Side Raises

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

Note: Lay facedown on a 30-45 degree incline bench and perform dumbbell side raises. Or, perform them from a standing, bent-over position, if desired.

 

Rest 180 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Seated Cable Rows or Bent-over Barbell Rows

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

Note: Utilize a shoulder-width, supinated grip for either exercise.

 

Exercise: Rack Pulls or Partial Deadlift with Dumbbells or Barbell

 

Sets: 3

Reps: 3

Loads: 6RM, 5RM, 3RM

Rest: 75 seconds between sets

 

 

 

The Partial Deadlift (Rack Pull)

 

 

 

Rest 75 seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Box Squats

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 12-14

Load: 14RM

Note: Utilize a box or bench that allows your hip joint to drop just below knee level.

 

Rest 240s seconds and perform:

 

Exercise: Rack Pulls or Partial Deadlift with Dumbbells or Barbell

 

Sets: 1

Reps: 2-3

Load: 3RM

 

 

DAY 6

 

OFF. Perform 15-20 minutes of jogging, uphill walking or GPP work.

 

 

DAY 7

 

Off completely.

 

 

Supplement Plan

 

If you want to achieve mind-blowing results on this program, you should supplement your workouts as follows:

 

1. 45-60 minutes before the workout: 1-2 capsules of Spike.

 

2. During Workout: half serving Surge.

 

3. Immediately after workout: 1 full serving of Surge with 5 grams of micronized creatine. (Take note that the second serving of Surge should be a full serving, not a half, on this program.)

 

4. Wait 30-45 minutes and consume another full serving of Surge.

 

5. Wait 30-45 minutes and consume a meal that consists of a 2:1 ratio of carbs/protein (minimal fat).

 

6. Two hours later consume one serving of Power Drive mixed in carbonated water.

 

7. Before bed: ZMA.

 

 

The above plan is ideal for maximum hypertrophy on this program. In addition, Alpha Male and Methoxy-7 will further your gains. None of the above are absolutely required, but I must state that every one of my clients who achieved incredible results on this program followed the above supplement plan exactly as stated. Keep that in mind.

 

 

Pushing the Limits

 

This program pushes the limits of recovery, but the results are outstanding if you incorporate this method the next time you’re long on sleep and short on stress. You'll be blown away

__________________

Rest Pause Training

Written By Mike Mahler

 

Mike Mahler is a strength coach and a certified kettlebell instructor based in Santa Monica, California. Mike has been a strength athlete for over ten years and designs strength training programs for athletes, law enforcement, and fire fighters. Mike is available for phone consultations and personal training in the Los Angeles/Washington DC area. For more information, visit Mike's site at http://www.mikemahler.com or email Mike at [email protected].

 

 

Go to any gym these days and you see most trainees doing an endless number of reps all in the hopes of attaining the oh-so elusive and fleetingly short pump. Blame it on Arnold who, years ago in the movie "Pumping Iron," said that getting a pump was as good as coming, or, in Arnold-ese, comink. Ha!

 

Regardless, going hard and heavy seems to be a part of some distant past as most people these days think that squat racks are a convenient place to do barbell curls. To make matters worse, many gyms have become magnets for meaningless conversations and look more like places for people to hook up then for serious training to take place.

 

I'm not sure what's worse, the meaningless conversations or the pseudo lifters that attempt to look serious by growling and grunting with each high-rep set and then browse through the newspaper between each worthless set.

 

Mind you, I'm not saying that high reps are a waste of time. High-rep programs such as the "Super Squats" program produce incredible results and I often do high-rep ballistic sets for high-octane fat burning. However, a very effective and forgotten way to get much stronger and bigger is to do several sets of low reps with short rest periods. One form of this training philosophy is called rest-pause training.

 

 

Rest-pause training will separate the serious lifter from the pseudo lifter in no time, as you don't have time to mess around between each set. In additon, this form of training is super intense and requires your full attention.

 

Bodybuilders during Arnold's competition days used to do rest-pause training from time to time, to get bigger and harder physiques. Mike Mentzer had incredible results with rest-pause training and found it to be an effective way to blast through training plateaus.

 

Unlike a standard powerlifting routine where you do low reps (1-3 reps) for several sets with long rest periods (3-5 minutes), rest-pause training requires you to take 10-15 second breaks between each set. You're basically taking a short break between each rep in order to use the maximum amount of weight. Since the breaks are short and the weights are heavy, hypertrophy will follow like a charm.

 

As effective as rest pause training is, it can also be extremely difficult to break into. After all, most people will have trouble taking their one-rep max on the bench press and doing it every 10-15 seconds for 5-6 sets. Chances are they won't get past the second set and will most likely be lucky if they even get that far.

 

 

Luckily, I recently came up with a way to combine a training approach that I learned from Coach Ethan Reeve of Wakeforest University with rest-pause training to make it much more user friendly.

 

What you do initially to prepare yourself for modified rest-pause training is to take your three rep max and do ten singles with that weight. Instead of taking only 10-15 seconds between each set, take one-minute breaks between each set.

 

For most people, this won't be too difficult and that, of course, is the point. I want you to build a pattern of success with a few relatively easy training sessions to prepare you for the brutal rest pause training sessions to follow. Once you can complete all ten singles with one minute breaks, decrease the breaks to 45 seconds between each set. Keep the weight the same.

 

Once you can complete all ten sets at 45 seconds, go down to 30 seconds. Once you can do that, go to 15 seconds (even though you're only resting 15 seconds, you'll still rack the weight in-between).

 

At 15 seconds you'll definitely understand how rest-pause training works and you'll love how hard and pumped up your muscles feel after doing several sets. It's much more satisfying then the bloated, soft feel of doing lots of reps with a relatively light weight. If your body-fat is low enough, your veins should look like they're going to explode.

 

Once you've completed ten sets with 15 second breaks, increase the weight by 10 pounds and go back to one minute breaks between sets. Work your way down the rest pause ladder again until you're back to 15-second breaks. At that point, increase the weight again by another 10 pounds.

 

 

After using this method for only ten days, I added 10 pounds to my best overhead press. Before rest-pause training, I had been stuck at a frustrating plateau for months. In additon to the strength increase, I got several comments from friends and family that my shoulders and arms looked much bigger. I was elated to say the least.

 

Another benefit to rest pause training is that it gives the CNS (central nervous system) a tremendous boost that's better then any caffeine rush that I've ever experienced. I literally felt invincible and wanted to take the world on after each workout.

 

 

At this point you're probably wondering how you could incorporate rest pause training into your program. I never thought you'd ask!

 

Monday / Friday

 

Chest, Back, and Biceps

Bottom Position Medium-Grip Bench Presses: 10x1

Note: Do these inside of a power rack. Set the pins as low as possible-making allotments for the width of your chest-and begin the lift from the down position.

Bent-over Barbell Rows: 10x1

One Arm Dumbbell Curls: 10x1

 

Wednesday / Saturday

 

Legs and Shoulders

Bottom Position Squats: 10x1

Note: Do these in a power rack. Put the pins down low and begin the squat from the down position.

Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 10x1

Standing Military Presses 10x1

Standing Calf Raises: 10x1

 

Rack the weight each time and take one to two minute breaks in between each exercise. Each workout should be pretty brief; not more then 45 minutes, at least in the beginning. As you get better and the rest periods get shorter, you'll take much less time to complete each workout.

 

As you can see, this is a very simple program and it's meant to be that way! Rest-pause training isn't easy and takes everything that you have. Also, you may have noticed that I haven't added any specific triceps exercises. You'll get all you need with the bottom-position bench presses and the military presses, so leave the triceps-isolation exercises out for five weeks. Regarding abs, feel free to do a few sets of weighted sit-ups, side bends, or windmills after each workout.

 

 

I challenge you to give this program a try for five weeks and discover for yourself what the old-time strongmen have known for years: the path to a strong and hard body is paved with heavy, low-rep training. Let me know how it works out for you.

__________________

Diet Philosophy: For fat sources, I like omega-3's (flaxseeds) and extra virgin olive oils (mono unsaturated fat)--118 calories per tablespoon. I throw 2-3 tablespoons in my morning and afternoon shakes but not in the post workout or bedtime ones (self explanatory). Go slow with olive oil or you will be seat belting yourself to the toilet the first couple days. As far as diet I am like Palumbo in that aspect...I like high protein, moderate (good) fats and low to moderate carbs..I eat the amount of protein grams I want to ingest first and if its before 6-7pm I satisfy the rest of my hunger with carbs. If I go to McDonalds I'll blast as many hamburgers as I can and skip the fries(laughing) but true. After 6-7pm I will go high protein and trace to low carbs (example huge steak and a lot of a vegetable but no rice, pasta or bread).

 

This is the way I have found thru trial and error that I can keep myself and people I train fairly lean but still have them gaining at the highest rate. I’m not a calorie counter at all. I’m a protein gram counter. I weigh myself and others once a month on the same scale and if they are not gaining I already know they are on high protein so I fix the problem with added mono unsat's (olive oil), flaxseeds and some extra carbs here or there. A simple way to keep the scale going up: I run into the same problem from time to time and I know I cannot eat any more than I do.....the savior for me is extra virgin olive oil--I work my way up to 3-4 tablespoons per protein drink...118 calories per tablespoon of a mostly monounsaturated fat (besides its other health benefits.

10

 

I like people to do this at their meals:

1) pound down the protein amount they must get in first for that meal

 

2) add flax or olive oil to that meal if it allows i.e. protein drinks etc (and its before 6pm)

 

3) finally eat carbohydrates to satisfy any other hunger pangs at that meal and don’t worry about grams! If you cut your carbs off at 6pm the night before you can pound raisin bran at breakfast and pasta at lunch etc etc your not going to have to worry about it (your going low carb after 6pm again tonight) Off-season you shouldn’t feel like your abstaining or dieting--hell if you want 25 chocolate chip cookies--pound them down at 2pm (after you downed your protein drink first) After 6pm worry about carb grams--keep them low to trace--just delete potatoes, pasta, bread, cereals after 6pm and boatload all the corn, peas, or

vegetables you want with your (after 6pm) protein sources.

Way to cut cost of eating: I buy in bulk period. I buy eggs (5 dozen), ground beef(10lb chubs), rice etc in bulk and save a grip of money. I also always buy according to unit price which seems simple but most people overlook it. I scour flyers for steak deals and go to the supermarket that is selling London Broils for 1.87 a LB and snatch up a slew of them. I am a stingy frugal shopper--my biggest expense is protein powder (I use the 4.4 Pro complex). At lunchtime at work every day I go out to eat (otherwise I go nuts eating homemade food all the time). I am "COUPON BOY"---I get tons of restaurant coupons in the mail and use them religiously.

 

Cutting Diet: Lets say "John Smith" is a 275lb bodybuilder holding 16% body fat in the off-season. He is smooth but his heavy training and high protein eating have made it possible for his body to hold 275lbs with probably an ideal contest weight of 226-234lbs or so. Since his present diet is allowing him to hold a "hypothetical" 230lbs of lean mass, what do you think is going to happen on a "cutting diet"....oh he will get ripped but probably at a 60-40 or 70-30 body fat to muscle mass ratio loss. My opinion is to leave the training heavy and leave the diet 90% what it is. The only changes I would make are to be religiously strict with low/trace carbs after 6pm and drop dairy 6 weeks out. Let the cardio take off your body fat!

Forty five minutes at a slightly brisk walk on a treadmill first thing in the morning on an empty stomach-- on every day except leg days will do it. Add in maybe usnic acid and a thermogenic and your going to end up inside out shredded. That’s from a bodybuilding standpoint as I hate seeing someone gain 15lbs of muscle from training so hard in the off-season just to panic diet it all off trying to get ripped. In a general everyday sense for people who don’t care about losing 8-20lbs of muscle mass on their way down to leanness,--cardio and a cutting diet will work faster for them. Again, the diet I prefer is high protein, moderate carbs, and moderate good fats (olive oils, flax oils, EFA's)--your stomach is always going to be full on this diet and I want it to be. A main staple of my way of doing things is cutting carbs at night.

 

The only carbs coming in after 5, 6, or 7pm (depending on your schedule and your meal timing) are trace carbs found in vegetables and such.

In the real world I doubt you would of bombed out there, I bet you would of made it up somewhere around 240 to 260 before bombing out You do 185lbs to total failure (which we will hypothetically say is 8 reps ok) FINISH ON THE NEGATIVE-rack the weight and start breathing as deeply as you can to get as much oxygen in for 12 to 15 deep breaths (during this time you might or your training partner might be getting whatever exercise your doing ready for you again--like both of you bringing the bar back to the top again etc) I say 15 deep breaths but I want that whole time period to last maybe 20 seconds tops so depending on your breathing 12 to 15 deep breaths. You went to failure with 185, you racked on the negative, took 15 deep breaths, and now you take the 185 again and go to complete failure again (lets say hypothetically failure was 4 reps) DO THE NEGATIVE PORTION 8 SECONDS DOWN AND RACK IT--15 more deep breaths, then 185 again to total failure FINISH ON THE NEGATIVE AND RACK IT. Depending on your recovery ability, the exercise and if your an advanced trainer or not instead of racking it at the very end you can "try" (and I say try) to hold the weight in a static hold for 20 seconds just before racking it(good luck you'll be shaking like a leaf at that point--I've had some words come out of my mouth trying to hold my static that could hit a triple word score on scrabble)

 

Reason for not doing traps: I let deadlifts and heavy rack deadlifts take care of traps. My reasoning: I can’t see where a 250lb shrug is going to beat 600lb+ rack deadlifts that I try to pull up and back at the top anyway.

 

How to do rack deadlifts: In a power rack, safety bars at knee level (your pulling from knee level)--keep your back arched or at least flat the entire movement (not rounded at all)--if your back starts rounding, its time to end the set or your using too much weight. Personally I pull with an overhand and underhand deadlift grip and with my arms perfectly straight, try to pull my shoulders up and back at the top. I then do about a 4-5 second negative down but I wouldn’t suggest that to others unless I can show how to do it. (I keep locked---my back arched and knees slightly bent and lower it)..It kind of takes a little getting used too.

 

Back Width: With all width movements rest paused I like front pull downs to the chin, rear pull downs to the mid-ear level (no lower), gravitron chins (the air compressor one with the platform), hammer under grip pull downs, and rack chins. Rack chins: Find the widest smythe machine you can (or barbell in a

squat rack) and put a bench in front of it- put the bar about shoulder height- use wrist straps and put your grip as wide as comfortably possible-put your heels up on the bench but cross your legs to take them out of the movement- your legs should almost be straight but not quite- now do chins explosively up and 8 seconds down until the full stretch- any rep that your chin doesn’t either go over the bar or hit the bar doesn’t count! Do one warm-up set and then have someone put a fixed plate barbell (like used for barbell curls) in your lap. On every rest pause the spotter grabs the barbell off the chinners lap and the chinner stands up and counts his 15 deep breaths (and he stays strapped up to the bar). Then the chinner gets back into position after 15 deep breaths and the spotter puts the barbell back on the chinners lap. I want one warm-up straight set with no added weight done for 10-12 reps and then one all out rest pause set for 15 to 20 reps with added weight (use a 30lb barbell this first time out), then 10-30 short range static reps at the end. These are going to be excruciating and tomorrow your lats are going to be killing you. This exercise is my lat width pronto exercise.

You can rig this up where you don’t need a spotter. I’ve done this before by putting my weight belt really loose around me and putting a 35lb plate down the back of it with a short chain, or you can rig up some benches where you can get that barbell off your lap but it’s much easier if you can get someone to help you for the one working rest pause set. You need to really push the stretch down the bottom and then try to explode up to the bar on every rep

 

Back Thickness: I like over grip bent over rows, rack deadlifts, floor deadlifts, and T bar rows using a barbell in a corner and using the pulley handle from a seated row around it (and using multiple 25's or 35's instead of 45's to increase the range of motion)—I’m not a fan of t-bar rows with the pad on the chest apparatus--with heavy weights your lungs go out before your back does.

 

Hamstring exercises: leg curls rest paused, stiff legged deadlifts, and I do the following movement on a leg press religiously (man this one is easier to show and hard to explain here): legs wide, feet are at the very top pushing only with your heels, toes are off the plate. Rest paused for 20 reps. Your pretty much doing a leg press with only your heels and your toes off the top of the plate--it blasts hamstrings and you will feel it as soon as you get up the next morning. You need the right leg press to do this though-some plates are angled weird. I go as deep as I safely can on these--don’t let your ass round up-you can do this by taking in a lot of air, keeping your chest high (and your head stays on the back rest) when your lowering it and your ass will stay down.

 

Quads: a typical quad workout for me is super heavy weights on either a squat, a leg press or a hack squat for 15 to 30 reps (the last 7 reps for me is truly succeed or death). Someone who has a sweep from hell and his wheels are his best body part I usually have him doing a heavy 4-8 rep set on certain exercises (squat)and then maybe a hardcore 20 repper on other exercises. But most guys who could use more leg size I have them do one set in the 4-8 range to failure and another follow-up set with as much weight as they can use in the 15-20 range to failure on legexercises. It just depends on what I see by their pictures. That is about the only time you will ever see me have a person do 2 sets of the same exercise. With bodybuilders with troublesome legs it’s usually those 20 rep sets that make their legs grow and I just have them do that hard and heavy 4-8 rep set to keep the strength gains moving up the ladder.

 

Warm-ups for Legs: Johnny the behemoth who squats 650lbs is going to have to use a lot more warm-up sets than Jimmy the stick-boy. Something like:

135 x 10

225 x 8

315 x 6

405 x 6

495 x 4

650 x failure (4-8 reps)

The bottom line is whether its riding a bike for 15 minutes and doing one warm-up set or doing 10 warmup sets, warm-up sets are just warm-up sets--they mean nothing to me in a growth concept. I feel you should warm-up as much as you deem possible that makes you ready to go all out. This is the mistake I think people make when they say they get injured from low volume training. They think "one set" and go in and try to squat 405lbs without 3 warm-up sets with 135, 225, and 315. A sample hack squat warm-up I’ll do (just so you can see I’m not growing or taxing myself in the least from warm-up sets) is 90lbs on each side for 10, 160 each side for 6, 225 each side for 4, and then 315 on each side Ill go for 12-20 reps

 

Let’s say leg day one is: Leg press, day two: Hack, day three: Squat. You don’t have to do 50 rep leg

presses every time they come around. You could pile more and more weight on every week and let your reps drop slowly till you’re moving some serious poundage at 10-12 reps. Trust me, I bet any money this will be far and away higher weight than you’ve ever been on the leg press. Or you could alternate--50 rep leg presses and then the next time 12 rep heavy....just throwing some options at you in case you thought you HAD to do 50 rep leg presses. By the way I don’t rest pause them--I just sit there with the knees very slightly bent and breathe 5 deep breathes and go, breathe 5 more and go etc...at 40 reps the last 10 I’m doing 3 (breathe) 3 more (breathe) 2 more (breathe) 2 more. (and I refuse to put my hands on my knees at all times).....

 

Rest Pausing: After some time at rest pausing I noticed I started counting 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 at roughly the same pace during every eccentric phase of exercises I did. I went home and did it at a stop watch and kept the same counting cadence and it always comes out somewhere about 8 seconds (every time). So something like a bent over row or rack deadlift Ill count to 8 (5 seconds)and if it’s a bench or bicep curl etc, etc Ill count to 10. With me, counting to 8 always comes out to 5 seconds or so and counting to 10 comes out to 7.8 (lets just say eight) seconds or so. So 99% of my exercises I’m doing a 8 second negative phase on. As far as rest between the rest pauses I find breathing in and out deeply 12 times comes out to about 23 seconds for me every time so I just stick to that. I used to count "one one thousand, two thousand etc etc" but I’ve been rest pausing for a long time now and its all second nature to me.

Stretching:

 

CHEST: Flat bench 90lb dumbbells chest high--lungs full of air-- I drop down into the deepest flye I can for the first 10 seconds or so with my lungs full of air and chest out---then staying there I arch my back slightly and try to press my sternum upward --this is absolutely excruciating--the rest of the 60 seconds I try to concentrate on dropping my elbows even farther down (I try to but I don’t think they are going any lower--LOL)---the last 15 seconds I’m pretty much shaking like a leaf, I have tears in my eyes and I think about dropping bodybuilding and becoming a tap dancer on Broadway (ok that parts not true)--My opinion is people should use dumbbells that are a little over half of what your heaviest set of 6-8 reps would be. I cant state this enough--extreme stretching royally sucks!!! Its painful. But I have seen

amazing things with people -especially in the quads.

 

TRICEPS: Seated on a flat bench-my back up against the barbell---75lb dumbell in my hand behind my head(like in an overhead dumbell extension)--sink dumbell down into position for the first 10 seconds and then an agonizing 50 seconds slightly leaning back and pushing the dumbell down with the back of my head I like one arm at a time in the bottom position of a dumbell triceps extension----going to the extreme stretch and then slightly pushing on the dumbell with the back of my head.

 

SHOULDERS: This one is tough to describe--put a barbell in the squat rack shoulder height--face away from it and reach back and grab it palms up (hands on bottom of bar)---walk yourself outward until you are on your heels and the stretch gets painful--then roll your shoulders downward and hold for 60 seconds.

 

BICEPS: Olympic bar in a power rack or squat rack about neck high---face away from it and reach back and put both hands over the bar gripping it----now either sink down with one leg forward/one leg back or better yet squat down and try (I say try because its absolutely excruciating) to kneel. Go down to the stretch that is almost unbearable and then hold that for 45 to 60 seconds. Your own bodyweight is the load. What I do is put the bar at a place on the squat rack in which I can kneel at a severe stretch and then try to sink my ass down to touch my feet. If its too easy I put the bar up to the next rung.

 

BACK: Honestly for about 3 years my training partner and I would hang a 100lb dumbell from our waist and hung on the widest chin-up bar (with wrist straps) to see who could get closest to 3 minutes--I never made it--I think 2 minutes 27 seconds was my record--but my back width is by far my best body part--I pull on a doorknob or stationary equipment with a rounded back now and its way too hard too explain here--just try it and get your feel for it.

 

HAMSTRINGS: Either leg up on a high barbell holding my toe and trying to force my leg straight with my free hand for an excruciating painful 60 seconds or another exercise I could only show people and not type here.

 

QUADS: Facing a barbell in a power rack about hip high --grip it and simultaneously sink down and throw your knees under the barbell and do a sissy squat underneath it while going up on your toes. then straighten your arms and lean as far back as you can---60 seconds and if this one doesn't make you hate my guts and bring tears to your eyes nothing will---do this one faithfully and tell me in 4 weeks if your quads don’t look a lot different than they used to.

 

CALVES: my weak body part that I couldn’t get up too par until 2 years ago when I finally thought it out and figured out how to make them grow (with only one set twice a week too) I don’t need to stretch calves after because when I do calves I explode on the positive and take 5 seconds to get back to full stretch and then 15 seconds at the very bottom "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand etc" --15 seconds stretching at the bottom thinking and trying to flex my toes toward my shin--it is absolutely unbearable and you will most likely be shaking and want to give up at about 7 reps (I always go for 12reps with maximum weights)--do this on a hack squat or a leg press--my calves have finally taken off due to this.

 

 

Static Holds:

 

Different than extreme stretching. I do extreme stretching for each body part after its finished (holding into a weighted stretched position for 60 seconds)--- Statics are what I do immediately after a working set to try to create even more of an overload ---example: lat pulldowns-300x 14 reps rest paused to failure and then immediately I do a static hold which is pull the bar down 4 inches and lean back slightly. I fight like hell to hold it for 20 seconds counting (one one thousand, two one thousand, three...) but I usually end up shaking like a leaf on some movements (incline presses etc)--trying to hold a three hundred plus pound incline press in a 20 sec. Another example: Incline bench press, John Doe has just completed a rest pause set with 275lbs. He takes the bar off the rack and brings it about 4 inches down (as this is usually where peoples strength range is) and tries to hold it there for a true 20 second count. To be totally honest with you its nothing more than a personal favorite of mine to reach an overload threshold--- someone else might want to do burns down near the bottom for 6-15 short reps, someone else might want to do a 20% more weight negative.

 

 

Cardio:

 

Individualistic choice but I like treadmill or a walk around the neighborhood. Days per week - offseason- 0 to 2 times a week, pre-contest--every day except leg days, minutes per sessions - always 45 minutes (60 minutes if someone got to a serious sticking point)

 

 

Nutrition:

 

Protein Powder: I use Optimum pro complex due to its varied proteins (55gram serving) and 5 grams of glutamine (not glutamic acid) per serving (THATS A HUGE REASON FOR ME)--I pay 38 bucks for 4.4lbs on the net (with no shipping because I buy over 200 bucks worth)--yes I go thru a bucket every 5 to 6 days, but not having to buy glutamine separately and getting in 20-30grams each day of it makes me smile. The protein powder is the most expensive thing in my diet everything else is pretty cheap.

http://www.advantagesupplements.com/opnutprocom4.html

 

A sample day for me is (with protein grams after each item) – Bulk Diet:

 

Breakfast: oatmeal(5) with soy grits and ground flaxseeds on top (23) a little bit of milk(2) in the oatmeal and a protein drink (55)=85grams

 

After-workout snack: two potatoes(7) and a double serving protein drink in cranberry grape juice (110) =117grams

 

Lunch: (quick one because of my work)-can of ravioli (11) and protein drink(65) (cup of water cup of milk in there) =76grams

 

Snack: two 99cent big Macs(54) and 2 cups of milk (20)=74 grams

 

Dinner: 1lb of hamburger (100) cooked drained and then washed off with water thoroughly (to remove as much fat as possible)with condiments and noodles (4) =104grams

 

I keep reasonably lean by taking in zero to trace amounts of carbs (found in vegetables) after 6-7pm

 

Night-time meal: six egg white omelet with peppers or peas(20) or roast beef cold cuts with half waterhalf milk protein drink (65) =85 grams

 

That’s 541 protein grams on average and with me usually eating larger portions than measured I probably venture toward 600 grams a lot. If you look at the food I eat its pretty cheap,specially the way I buy it in bulk.

 

Sample Day – Bulk Diet - Total Calories:

 

1) protein drink(olive oil 600/milk 210/water 0/powder 260/flaxseed 50+ oatmeal 200+ banana 102=1420cals

 

2) post workout drink=3 cups cranberry juice 390, four scoops protein powder 520, 2 baked potatoes 284=1194cals

 

3) chicken rice casserole-cup of rice 190 chicken 581, sauce 150 , two cups milk 280=1201 cals

 

4) T bone steak 1419, water with lemon (trace), mashed potatoes (400)=1819cals

 

5) protein drink with olive oil 600/powder 260/milk 210/ water 0 and protein bar 290 = 1360

 

6) two cups 2% milk 280 and 2 cups cottage cheese 440=720

 

Total calories: 7714

DOGCRAPP TRAINING MANUAL

With everyone talking about DC training I thouhgt ya guys might like to see this...

Posted by scorpio @ MuscleChemistry.com

 

Introduction to Philosophy:

My whole goal is to continually get stronger on key exercises=getting continually bigger. I will state this, the method I am about to describe is what I have found that makes people grow at the absolutely fastest rate possible and why I am being inundated down in this area to train people. It’s going to go against the grain but I'm making people grow about 2 and a half times as fast the normal rate so bear with me. A typical workout for the masses is (lets use chest for an example) doing a body part once every 7 days (once a week)and sometimes even once every 9 days or more. This concept came to the front due to

recovery reasoning and I agree with most typical workouts your going to need a great deal of recovery. Here’s the problem---lets say you train chest once a week for a year and you hypothetically gain 1/64 of an inch in pectoral thickness from each workout. At the end of the year you should be at 52/64 (or 13/16). Almost an inch of thickness (pretty good). To build muscle we are trying to lift at a high enough intensity and load to grow muscle but with enough recovery so the muscle remodels and grows. The problem is everyone is loading up on the volume end of training and its taking away from the recovery part of it. You can train in a way so you can train chest 3 times every nine days and you will recover and grow faster than ever. If you train chest 3 times in 9 days you are now doing chest roughly 136 times a year! So instead of 52 growth phases you are now getting 136 growth phases a year. I personally would rather grow 136 times a year than 52. At a hypothetical 1/64th of an inch per workout you are now at 136/64 (or roughly 2.1 inches of thickness). So now your growing at roughly 2 and a half times as fast as normal people who are doing modern day workouts are. Most people train chest with 3 to 4 exercises and wait the 7-9 days to recover and that is one growth phase. I use the same 3 to 4 exercises but do chest 3 times during those 9 days and get 3 growth phases. Everyone knows a muscle either contracts or doesn’t--you cannot isolate a certain part of it (you can get into positions that present better mechanical advantages though that put a focus on certain deep muscle fibers)--for example incline presses vs. flat presses. One huge mistake beginning bodybuilders make is they have a "must" principle instilled in them. They feel they "must" do this exercise and that exercise and this many sets or they won’t grow.

 

Base Program:

How I set bodybuilders workouts up is I have them pick either their 3 favorite exercises for each body part or better yet the exercises they feel will bring up their weaknesses the most. For me my chest exercises are high incline smythe machine press, hammer seated flat press and slight incline smythe press with hands very very wide----this is because I look at my physique and I feel my problem area is upper and outer pecs---that is my focus. Whenever I train someone new I have them do the following --4 times training in 8 days---with straight sets. Sometimes with rest pause sets but we have to gauge the recovery ability first.

 

Day one would be Monday and would be:

Chest

Shoulders

Triceps

Back width

Back thickness

 

Day two would be Wednesday and would be:

Biceps

Forearms

Calves

Hamstrings

Quads

 

Day three would be Friday and would be:

Chest

Shoulders

Triceps

Back width

Back thickness

(Sat+sun off)

 

Day four would be the following Monday and would be

Biceps

Forearms

Calves

Hamstrings

Quads

 

And so on Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday etc.

Stay with me here--You’re only doing one exercise per muscle group per day. Your doing your first favorite exercise for chest on day one--your doing your second favorite exercise for chest on the next chest workout and your third exercise for chest on the next. You’re hitting every body part twice in 8 days. The volume on everything is simply as many warm-up sets as you need to do- to be ready for your ONE work set. That can be two warm-up sets for a small muscle group or five warm-up sets for a large muscle group on heavy exercise like rack deadlifts. The ONE work set is either a straight set or a rest pause set (depending on your recovery abilities again). For people on the lowest scale of recovery its just that one straight set---next up is a straight set with statics for people with slightly better than that recovery----next up is rest pausing (on many of the of movements) with statics for people with middle of the road recovery on up.

Three key exercises are picked for each body part (hypothetically we will use flat dumbell bench press, incline smythe bench press, and hammer press) ---USING ONLY ONE OF THOSE EXERCISES PER WORKOUT you rotate these in order and take that exercise to it's ultimate strength limit (where at that point you change the exercise and get brutally strong on that new movement too). That can happen in 4 weeks or that can happen 2 years later but it will happen some time (You cannot continually gain strength

to where you eventually bench pressing 905 for reps obviously)---Sometime later when you come back to that original exercise you will start slightly lower than your previous high and then soar past it without fail---

As you progress as a bodybuilder you need to take even more rest time and recovery time. READ THAT AGAIN PLEASE: AS YOU PROGRESS AS A BODYBUILDER IN SIZE AND STRENGTH YOU NEED TO TAKE EVEN MORE REST AND RECOVERY TIME. Example: My recovery ability is probably slightly better now than when I started lifting 13-14 years ago but only slightly...but back then I was benching 135lbs and squatting 155lbs in my first months of lifting. Now I am far and away the strongest person in my gym using poundages three to six times greater than when I first started lifting. With my recovery ability being what it is both then and now do you think I need more time to recover from a 155lb squat for 8reps or a 500lb squat for 8reps? Obviously the answer is NOW! This past year I have been really pounding the slag iron as heavy and hard as I can in preparation of trying to get onstage at about 252lbs early next year. That means a hard 300lbs to me off-season and I’m pretty damn close to that right now. The gains I have made in strength this past year even at my lifting level are nothing short of phenomenal (in my mind). With those strength gains comes the ratio of recovery factor. Whereas a year ago I was training 2 on one off 2 on one off and getting away with it with extreme stretching etc....about 2 months ago I took an extra day off on the weekend because of work obligations and I just started to feel somewhat tired because of how heavy my weights were. If my strength keeps progressing at this level I am eventually going to have to train Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday like outlined above simply because I am reaching poundages that are so far and away above my beginning weights-I have to take the necessary recovery precautions. I am still training as often as I

possibly can per body part--that’s key to me. The more times I can train a body part in a year’s time and recover will mean the fastest growth possible! I’ve done the training a body part every 10 days system in the past and while recovering from that--the gains were so slow over time I got frustrated and realized the frequency of growth phases(for me)was to low. I want to gain 104 times a year instead of 52--the fastest rate that I can accumulate muscle (YET AGAIN WITHIN ONES RECOVERY ABILITY-I CANT SAY THAT ENOUGH)

 

In the past 4-5 years that I have been slowly changing my philosophies of training I’ve been gaining so fast the last couple of years it’s been pretty amazing. I’ve got my training down to extremely low volume (a rest pause set or ONE straight set) with extreme stretching, and with recovery issues always in the back of my mind. I realize the number one problem in this sport that will make or break a bodybuilder is overtraining. Simply as this--you over train you’re done as a bodybuilder gains wise. Kaput. Zip. A waste of valuable time. But I also think there is a problem with under frequency (only if you can train hardcore enough with extremely low volume to recover)--As stated in an earlier post I skirt right along the line of overtraining--I am right there...I’ve done everything in my power (Stretching, glutamine, "super

supplements", sleep)to keep me on this side of the line and its worked for me. I believe everyone has different recovery abilities--the job of a bodybuilder is to find out what their individual recovery ability is and do the least amount of hardcore training to grow so they can train that body part as frequently as possible. For anyone who wants to follow my lead that would mean starting out with straight sets training 4 times in 8 days and strictly gauging yourself recovery wise with every step up you take (statics, rest pauses)

 

Alternate Programs:

MON TUES THURS FRI- For people who have (above normal) recovery ability (hitting body parts twice in that time-or twice in 7 days)

 

MON WEN FRI MON- For pretty much the norm of society with average recovery ability--hitting body parts twice every 8 days

 

MON TUES THUR FRI- With body split into three parts-for people with hectic schedules these are extremely short workouts yet stay roughly in the same scheme as the above.

On this schedule someone would group body parts like the following:

 

DAY ONE:

Chest

Shoulders

Triceps

(Stretches)

 

DAY TWO:

Biceps

Forearms

(Stretches)

Back width

Back thickness

 

DAY THREE:

Calves

Hamstrings

Quads

(Stretches)

 

In the first week of doing this, day one would be hit on Friday again and then the Monday of the following week would be Day 2 again, Tuesday would be Day 3, Wednesday off, Thursday-day one again etc. You would still be hitting body parts twice every 9 days and these workouts would be about 35 minutes tops.

 

Set & Exercise Examples:

 

Example Day One:

First exercise smythe incline presses (ill use the weights I use for example) 135 for warm-up for 12--185 for 8 warm-up--225 for 6-8 warm-up-----then 375 for 8 reps to total absolute failure (then 12-15 deep breaths) 375 for 2-4 reps to total absolute failure (then 12-15 deep breaths) 375 for 1-3 reps to absolute total failure (then a 20-30 second static hold) DONE!--that’s it 375lbs for 8+4+3= 375 for 15 reps rest paused..... next week I go for 385 (again rest paused)-----directly after that rest pause set I go to extreme stretching flyes and that’s it for chest and on to shoulders, triceps and back........the next day I come in to do chest would be day 4 and I would do hammer flat presses in the same rest paused manner (and then extreme stretching again)---the next day I come in to do chest is day seven and I would do my third favorite exercise rest paused and then the cycle repeats. Three chest workouts in nine days with low enough volume to recover in between workouts and high enough intensity and load to grow rapidly--my workouts last an hour—I’m doing one exercise for one all out balls to the wall rest pause set (I don’t count warm-ups only the working set) ---so in simple terms I am using techniques with extreme high intensity(rest pause) which I feel make a persons strength go up as quickly as possible + low volume so I can (recover) as quickly as possible with as many growth phases (damage/remodel/recover) I can do in a years time.

 

Just in case any of you were confused every body part is hit 3 times in 9 days and advanced techniques such as rest pause is used (if it can be used)....Some exercises like hack squats and some back rowing exercises don’t allow themselves to rest pausing too well. A sample couple of days for me would be the following (I’m not including warm-up sets--just working sets):

 

Day One:

Chest- Smythe incline 375 x 15 reps rest pause (RP) and 20 second static rep at end

Shoulders- Front smythe press-330 x 13RP

Triceps- Reverse grip bench 315 for 15-20 reps rest paused

Back width- Rear pull downs to back of head 300 x 18RP (20 second static at end)

Back thickness- Dead lifts straight set of 12-20 reps

 

Day Two:

Biceps- Dumbbell curls rest paused for 20 reps

Forearms- Hammer curls rest paused for 15

Calves- On hack squat straight set for 12 reps but with a 20 second negative phase

Hamstrings- Lying leg curl rest paused for 15-20 reps and then 20 second static at end

Quads- Hack squat straight set of 6 plates each side for 20 reps (of course after warming up)

 

DAY Three: Off

 

Day Four & Five: Same as day one with same concepts but different exercises (and again the same with days seven and eight)

 

Every exercise is done with a controlled but explosive positive and a true 6-10 second negative phase. And the absolutely most important thing of any of this is I write down all weights and reps done from the working set on a notepad (and every time I go into the gym I have to continually look back and beat the previous times reps/weight or both)---If I cant or I don’t beat it, no matter if I love doing the exercise or not, I have to change to a new exercise. Believe me this adds a grave seriousness, a clutch performance or imperativeness to a workout. I have exercises I love to do and knowing I will lose them if I don’t beat the previous stats sucks! But there is a method to this madness because when you get to that wall of sticking point of strength (AND YOU WILL, THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN HACK SQUAT UP TO 50 PLATES A SIDE) that is when your muscle=strength gains will stop.....and you must turn to a different exercise and get strong on that one. And then someday you will peak out on that one too. You can always come back to that loved exercise in the future and you’ll start somewhat low and build up to a peak again- and trust me that peak will be far more than the previous one. Some exercises you’ll stay with and gain strength at for almost up to a year and some exercises you’ll be at the limit in 4 weeks and lose them but its all in the plan. I love reverse grip bench presses--knowing that I have to beat 315 for 17 reps rest paused or else I have to change to maybe dips next time puts a serious sense of urgency into workouts. I

either have to beat it by doing something to the effect of 320 for 15 rest paused or if I stick with 315, I have to get at least 19 reps rest paused or so. If I’m feeling crappy or having an off day I might give myself a little leeway and allow myself another go at it next time around but that’s it. The notepad is your intensity level, how badly you want to keep doing an exercise will be how hard you push to beat the previous. Looking at that piece of paper knowing what you have to do to beat it will bring out the best in you. Again it’s all in the plan to make you the strongest bodybuilder possible which will equal out into the biggest bodybuilder possible

 

Heavy is relative--it doesn’t mean 3 reps --- it means as heavy as you can go on that exercise no matter if it is 5 reps or 50 reps. I personally like to do hack squats for 20 reps but I use about 6 plates on each side rock bottom--that’s as heavy as I can go on that exercise for 20 reps. I could do sets of 6 and probably use maybe 8 or 9 plates a side but my legs (and most people I train) grow best from heavy and 15-50 reps.

 

Question: When you say you go balls to the walls for four weeks, then take it easy for 2 weeks, can you elaborate on the taking it easy part regarding training. Do you take two weeks off? Do you just not train to failure?

 

Doggcrapp: I still train to failure and rest pause but I’ll use those two weeks to get my sanity back honestly. I’ll use those two weeks to either stay with an exercise that I know I’m gaining on, or change up an exercise I feel I’m maxed out strength wise on at that moment. Again I would leave it up to you guys what you want to do. A lot of you will just want to stay with what’s working. I just find myself going crazy sometimes with some of the weights I get up too and try to think of ways to make a movement harder so the weight comes down. –I’ve gone as high as 765lbs on a rack deadlift for 6 reps and I start going stir crazy with anxiety knowing I have to lift that heavy. So Ill do something crazy during those two weeks like rack deadlifts for 30 reps with 495 (real fast) or try out some exercise that I was wondering about. If I like that exercise Ill stay with it. If not I go back with what works. If I am doing something that is working continually I will stay with it during those two weeks. Id say 3/4 of the exercises I stay with and I’ll tool around with some ideas I had with the other 1/4.

 

Question: How much of an increase should we look to add a week in terms of weights? When we pause, do you mean rack the weight after the initial 8 reps, take 15 deep breaths, then fire out 5-6 more then rack and take deep breaths again, then finish? I believe I understand the principal to an extent, but I want to be sure.

 

Doggcrapp; Again the bigger the strength increase will be, the bigger the eventual size increase will be. Personally I have to beat my previous by either 2 reps or I have to add weight and at the very least get the minimum number of reps I allow myself rest paused on that exercise (or like previously stated I lose that exercise). If you find yourself blasting for weeks on end gaining just a rep here and a pound there, I think that is a waste of time--the gains will be coming too slow. Somewhat rapid increases are what we are striving for. If you really put your mind to it you can make rapid strength increases on any exercise and you can make those 2 rep or 5lb (at least) jumps for a lengthy amount of time.

 

Here I'll give you an abbreviated version of what I am looking for:

 

Day 1- Paramount shoulder press (warm-ups), and then 185X14RP (which was a 8+4+2 or something to

that effect) twelve is the lowest I will allow myself on this movement, twenty is the highest)---the next

time you would do paramount shoulder press again would be:

Day 10--paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)

185x18RP

Day 20--paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)

195x13RP

Day 30--paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)

195x16RP

Day 40--paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)

195x18RP

Day 50--paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)

205x12RP

Day 60--paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)

205x14RP

Day 70--paramount shoulder press (warm-ups)

205x13RP DAMMIT - I BLEW IT NOW I HAVE TO GO TO DUMBELL PRESSES NEXT TIME

Hypertrophy-Specific Training (HST)

Hypertrophy-Specific Training arose out of the research looking at both the stimuli and mechanisms for muscle cell hypertrophy. Hypertrophy-Specific Training (HST) is based on physiological principles of hypertrophy first discovered in the laboratory. These principles were then organized into a "method" of mechanically loading the muscle to induce hypertrophy. Of course, translating these principles into applicable methods (sets & reps & schedules) brings in some possibility of error. As the science continues to explore the exact mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy, this error will be whittled away.

 

I didn't start out knowing how muscles grew. After all, it is a process that cannot be observed with the naked eye. In the beginning I simply did what others were doing. Then, I began reading muscle magazines and buying books. Still, I wasn't able to achieve the level of muscularity I saw so prominently displayed in the magazines.

 

For about 10 years I trained with all the popular training styles. I made decent progress in the beginning but as time went by, I seldom saw changes in the mirror, at least not any I could get anyone else to notice. But I continued to pursue the art.

 

As I entered college and graduate school, I finally had access to real research that was only just then beginning to take form. The interest in muscle growth is fairly new in academic circles. As I began to explore the research, it became clear to me that the routines and traditions I was exposed to as a bodybuilder, were NOT based on physiological principles on a cellular level.

 

It was a "fantastic voyage" compared to the European inspired global view of training. At the microscopic level scientists were talking about things like "myogenic stem cells", "growth-factors", "mechanical loading", "synergistic ablation", "smeared Z-lines", "MAPk/ERK" and many other things hidden to the naked eye. All of these things were left out of the equation of traditional training routines.

 

As hypertrophy-specific research progressed in specificity it was clear that traditional training routines had stumbled across many important principles of load induced muscle hypertrophy, but because of their limited perspective (volume and intensity) they failed to capitalize on some critical truths exposed by research at the cellular level. The principles of hypertrophy that HST is based on are as follows (not an exhaustive list):

 

HST Principles

 

1) Mechanical Load

 

Mechanical Load is necessary to induce muscle hypertrophy. This mechanism involves but isn't limited to, MAPk/ERK, satellite cells, growth factors, calcium, and number of other fairly understood factors. It is incorrect to say "we don't know how muscle grows in response to training". The whole point of the HST book is not to discuss HST, but to present the body of research explaining how hypertrophy occurs. Then HST becomes a relatively obvious conclusion if your goal is hypertrophy.

 

2) Acute vs. Chronic Stimuli

 

In order for the loading to result in significant hypertrophy, the stimulus must be applied with sufficient frequency to create a new "environment", as opposed to seemingly random and acute assaults on the mechanical integrity of the tissue. The downside of taking a week of rest every time you load a muscle is that many of the acute responses to training like increased protein synthesis, prostaglandins, IGF-1 levels, and mRNA levels all return to normal in about 36 hours. So, you spend 2 days growing and half a week in a semi-anticatabolic state returning to normal (some people call this recovery), when research shows us that recovery can take place unabated even if a the muscle is loaded again in 48 hours. So true anabolism from loading only lasts 2 days at best once the load is removed. The rest of the time you are simply balancing nitrogen retention without adding to it.

 

3) Progressive Load

 

Over time, the tissue adapts and becomes resistant to the damaging effects of mechanical load. This adaptation (resistance to the stimulus) can happen in as little as 48 hours (Repeated Bout Effect or Rapid Training Effect). As this happens, hypertrophy will stop, though neural and metabolic adaptations can and may continue. As opposed to hypertrophy, the foundation for the development of strength is neuromuscular in nature. Increases in strength from resistance exercise have been attributed to several neural adaptations including altered recruitment patterns, rate coding, motor unit synchronization, reflex potentiation, prime mover antagonist activity, and prime mover agonist activity. So, aside from incremental changes in the number of contractile filaments (hypertrophy), voluntary force production (i.e. strength) is largely a matter of "activating" motor units.

 

4) Strategic Deconditioning

 

At this point, it is necessary to either increase the load (Progressive load), or decrease the degree of conditioning to the load (Strategic Deconditioning). The muscle is sensitive not only to the absolute load, but also to the change in load (up or down). Therefore, you can get a hypertrophic effect from increasing the load from a previous load, even if the absolute load is not maximum, assuming conditioning (resistance to exercise induced micro-damage) is not to extensive. There is a limit to the number of increments you can add to increase the load. You simply reach your maximum voluntary strength eventually. This is why Strategic Deconditioning is required for continued growth once growth has stopped (all things remaining equal).

 

Utilizing Lactic Acid As A Stimulus For Tendon Repair/Health

Now HST incorporates a few other things such as higher reps (for lactic acid) to prepare the muscles and tendons for future heavy loads. This serves as "regular maintenance". Without it, you increase your risk of chronic injuries and pain. The metabolically-taxing reps enhance he****g of strained tendons.

 

Compound Exercises

HST also suggests using compound exercises to maximize the effects of loading on as much muscle as possible per exercise.

 

Progressively Adjusting Reps To Accommodate Progressive Load

 

HST suggests that you use 2 week blocks for each rep range. Why? It has nothing to do with adaptation. It is simply a way to accommodate the ever increasing load. Of course, you could adjust your reps every week (e.g. 15,12,10,8,5,etc), but this is more complicated and people might not understand. Often times, in order to communicate an idea you must simplify things, even at the expense of perfection. If people can't understand it, they won't do it. What good would that do or anybody? Then, over time, people figure out for themselves the other possibilities that exist within the principles of hypertrophy.

 

Low Volume Per Exercise (average volume per week)

 

HST suggests that you limit the number of sets per exercise per workout to 1 or 2. This is based on "some" evidence that sets beyond the first "effective" set do little more than burn calories. There is nothing wrong with burning calories, but when you get to be my age you just don't have the exercise tolerance that you once did. Using hormone replacement (HRT) therapy would of course, increase the number of sets you could do without undue stress.

 

Some may question the validity of HST not utilizing more than 1 or 2 sets per exercise. The number of sets is set low to accommodate the frequency necessary to create an effective and consistent environment to stimulate hypertrophy. Over the course of a week, the volume isn't that different from standard splits (e.g. chest should tri, back bi, legs). (see table)

 

Comparing The Volume Of HST To Traditional Training Routines:

 

Instead of doing 6 sets on bench in one workout, those sets are spread over the course of a week (2 on Mon, 2 on Wed, 2 on Fri). Either way the muscle sees 6 sets each week, however, with HST the distribution of the loading sessions creates a consistent environment conducive to hypertrophy. When you do all six sets at once, you put unnecessary drain on the central nervous system (CNS) and invite centralized overtraining symptoms and burnout.

 

Multiple Consecutive Eccentric Workouts

 

HST utilizes, when practical, eccentric workouts for 2 consecutive weeks. This suggestion is only for exercises that can be performed in eccentric fashion without risk of injury. Eccentric sets are performed with weight that exceeds their 5 rep max. This is done to extend the progression in load, began at the beginning of the HST cycle, for an additional 2 weeks. The fear of over training is no greater during these two weeks than previous weeks if volume is controlled for. Recent research has demonstrated this. (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17, to name a few) Clearly, the effects of eccentric muscle actions on muscle tissue are one of the most well researched subjects in exercise physiology. As the research continues to explore the facets of load induced muscle hypertrophy, HST will apply the new knowledge and become even more effective.

 

For today, HST represents the state of the art and science of hypertrophy. I have now used these principles myself, and have used them successfully to train competitive bodybuilders for some time. It is not "specifically" designed for competitive track athletes, Powerlifters or Olympic lifters, although I have had many athletes from different sports apply HST to their off-season training with ground breaking results. It is designed according to research looking specifically at muscle hypertrophy, not muscle performance. This subject deserves a lot more attention than I am able to give it here.

 

 

To get started on the HST program, follow this workout on Monday, Wednesday & Friday: **See attachment**

 

 

I will cover the topic more thoroughly in the future, including the references that first shed light on the principles that gave rise to HST. In the meantime, if you want to grow as fast as possible, you must apply currently know hypertrophy-specific training principles.

 

Body Part Suggested Exercise(s)

 

Legs

Squat or Leg Press & Leg Curls (Leg Ext. Optional)

 

Calves Sraight Leg Calf Raise

 

Chest Bench (Slight incline) & Dip (Use DB's if shoulders bother you)

 

Back Chins (W&N grip) & Seated or Bent Over Row (W&N grip)

 

Shoulders Lateral Raise (Rear) and Shoulder Press

 

Biceps Any single curling movement per session (switch it frequently)

 

Traps Shrugs

 

Triceps Tricpes Push-down or Lying Tricep Extension

 

Torso

Crunch (w/ weight) or machine

 

 

 

 

References

 

1: Nosaka K, Newton M. Repeated Eccentric Exercise Bouts Do Not Exacerbate Muscle Damage and Repair. J Strength Cond Res. 2002 Feb;16(1):117-122.

2: Nosaka K, Newton M. Concentric or eccentric training effect on eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Jan;34(1):63-9.

3: Proske U, Morgan DL. Muscle damage from eccentric exercise: mechanism, mechanical signs, adaptation and clinical applications. J Physiol. 2001 Dec 1;537(Pt 2):333-45.

4: Nosaka K, Newton M, Sacco P. Responses of human elbow flexor muscles to electrically stimulated forced lengthening exercise. Acta Physiol Scand. 2002 Feb;174(2):137-45.

5: Allen DG. Eccentric muscle damage: mechanisms of early reduction of force. Acta Physiol Scand. 2001 Mar;171(3):311-9.

6: Clarkson PM. Eccentric exercise and muscle damage. Int J Sports Med. 1997 Oct;18 Suppl 4:S314-7.

7: Paddon-Jones D, Abernethy PJ. Acute adaptation to low volume eccentric exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Jul;33(7):1213-9.

8: Nosaka K, Sakamoto K, Newton M, Sacco P. How long does the protective effect on eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage last? Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Sep;33(9):1490-5.

9: McHugh MP, Connolly DA, Eston RG, Gleim GW. Exercise-induced muscle damage and potential mechanisms for the repeated bout effect. Sports Med. 1999 Mar;27(3):157-70.

10: Nosaka K, Sakamoto K, Newton M, Sacco P. The repeated bout effect of reduced-load eccentric exercise on elbow flexor muscle damage. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2001 Jul;85(1-2):34-40.

11: Rennie MJ. How muscles know how to adapt. J Physiol. 2001 Aug 15;535(Pt 1):1.

12. Nosaka K, Sakamoto K. Effect of elbow joint angle on the magnitude of muscle damage to the elbow flexors. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Jan;33(1):22-9.

13: Lieber RL, Friden J. Morphologic and mechanical basis of delayed-onset muscle soreness. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2002 Jan-Feb;10(1):67-73.

14: Nosaka K, Clarkson PM. Influence of previous concentric exercise on eccentric exercise-induced muscledamage. J Sports Sci. 1997 Oct;15(5):477-83.

15: Carson JA. The regulation of gene expression in hypertrophying skeletal muscle. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 1997;25:301-20.

16:. Lieber RL, Friden J. Mechanisms of muscle injury after eccentric contraction. J Sci Med Sport. 1999 Oct;2(3):253-65.

Escalating Density Training

by Charles Staley

 

Q2 (Pronounced "Q-squared") this is a portion of training called Escalating Density Training, or EDT, and it constitutes the hypertrophy portion of Q2 training.

 

What Causes Muscle Growth?

 

If I may dispense with the usual formalities and get right down to brass tacks, so to speak, I'd like you to consider the following statement:

 

"When a biological system experiences a challenge, it modifies itself in order to be able to more easily meet similar challenges in the future."

 

Now, in my opinion, if you're interested in growing muscle, that statement contains everything you'll ever need to know. Muscle is in fact a biological system, and it grows (or atrophies) in direct proportion to the amount of work it is forced to do.

 

 

Of course, all training systems approach this reality by suggesting an endless array of often conflicting recommendations regarding exercise selection, number of reps and sets, length of rest periods, and so on. One system says 3 sets of 10; another says one set to failure. One system recommends resting 1 minute between sets, another 3 minutes. One system employs partial range of motion, another full range of motion. On and on it goes. What gets lost in all this is the simple reality that whatever system allows you to do the most work per unit of time is what causes muscle to grow in an optimal manner.

 

That being said, the next question is "What is work?" And the answer is reflected in the following equation: M x D = W (M= mass or weight, D = distance, and W = work)

 

 

Every training principle you've ever heard of, plus most of the ones you've never heard of, are designed to allow you to do more and more work over the weeks and months. And Q2 is no exception. In fact, let me be the first to say that there is absolutely NOTHING new here. The only thing that's new is the way I'm "framing" or presenting the information. In a sense, the EDT system is just a foolproof way to ensure that you perform more and more work in each workout that you do. The benefits of the EDT method are as follows:

 

• Motivation: When you do an EDT workout, you know when it'll start, but more importantly, you know precisely when it will END. Also, you know exactly what you need to do in that time period. In other words, you have an explicit goal — a definite purpose, and a well-defined time frame for accomplishing your goal. You have to experience this in order to fully appreciate how easily it is to get "up" for ED workouts.

 

 

• Auto-Regulation: Forget about sets and reps. Forget about rest intervals. Forget about time under tension. I'm totally serious — all of these parameters distract you from the essential truth — that you need to do more work this time than you did last time. It literally took me over 20 years of studying these factors to realize that they don't matter. So take out your training log, see how many total repetitions you did during your last workout for the same muscle groups, start the stopwatch, and beat that number.That's all. If you do this every workout, you'll grow. And if you don't you won't.

 

 

• Clarity of Progression: EDT workouts don't allow you to hide from the essential truth of training — progression. You may think you were abiding by the law of progressive overload before, but with EDT, you KNOW you are.

EDT involves doing a workout, measuring how much work was done, and then consistently and gradually increasing that amount of work. When you do, muscle will grow, metabolism will increase, and you'll have a leaner, more muscular body. Now, as it turns out, there's a paradox at work here. Because good fatigue management strategies allow you to do a lot more work, you'll end up plenty sore anyway, so for you masochists out there, fear not — you'll be in plenty of pain.

 

The EDT Program

 

Monday: Lats/Elbow Extensors

First 20-Minute Time Frame

A-1: Chins (palms facing you)

A-2: Lying EZ-Bar Tricep Extensions

Second 20-Minute Time Frame

A-1: Seated Rows (Low cable or machine)

A-2: Reverse-Grip Tricep Pushdowns (palms up)

 

Tuesday: Lower Body/Trunk

First 20-Minute Time Frame

A-1: Back Extensions (a.k.a. hyper extensions)

A-2: Ball Crunches (crunches off a Swiss Ball)

Second 20-Minute Time Frame

A-1: Leg extensions

A-2: Leg Curls

 

Thursday: Pecs/Elbow Flexors

First 20-Minute Time Frame

A-1: Strive Bench Presses (or any machine bench press variant)

A-2: Low Cable Curls

Second 20-Minute Time Frame

A-1: Hammer Incline Presses

A-2: Preacher Hammer Curls

 

Friday: Lower Body

First 20-Minute Time Frame

A-1: Alternating Lunges

A-2: Sit-Ups

Second 20-Minute Time Frame

A-1: Seated Calf Raises

A-2: *Russian Twists

 

*Sit on the ground or a bench with knees bent to 90 degrees and lean your trunk back to 45 degrees. Keeping this trunk angle, and with arms out straight, fingers interlocked and arms maintained at 90 degrees to the upper body, rotate the trunk from the waist (not the shoulders!)

 

Comments on Exercise Selection

This is not a rehab or functional-strength program. It's designed for lean-mass development only. The inclusion of machine-based exercises in the above cycle is based on my preference to avoid technical or coordination-intensive exercises (such as squats or deadlifts) while in a "panicked" state of mind. In theory, this program can be done using more technical lifts as long as you remain "present" or "in the moment." However, for your first exposure to EDT, I strongly suggest sticking to the program as provided.

 

 

Procedure

 

• Each workout consists of two 20-minute time frames separated by a short (5-10 minute) rest period. In each time frame, you'll perform two exercises, for a total of 4 exercises per workout.

 

• In each time frame, the two exercises are performed in alternating fashion, back and forth, until the time frame has elapsed.

 

• After warming up the first 2 exercises, select a load that approximates a 10-12 RM for each exercise. Ideally, the weight used for each exercise should be equally difficult.

 

• Sets, reps, and rest intervals: Generally, most people will find it most effective to do higher repetition (but not maximal effort) sets and shorter rests at the beginning, and then gradually progress to less reps per set and longer rests as fatigue accumulates. As an example, you might begin by performing sets of 6 with very short (15-30 second) rests. As you begin to fatigue, you'll increase your rest intervals as you drop down to sets of 4, then 2, and as the 20-minute time limit approaches, you might crank out a few singles in an effort of accomplish as many repetitions as possible in 20 minutes.

 

 

NOTE: Do not perform early sets to failure, or even near failure. My recommended starting point is to do 1/2 of what is possible (e.g., 5 reps with a 10-RM weight) at the beginning of the time frame. As the time limit approaches however, you'll find yourself working at or near failure as you attempt to break your rep record.

 

• Progression: Each time you repeat the workout; your objective is to simply perform more total repetitions in the same time frame. Apply the 20/5 rule: as soon as you can increase the total number of reps by 20% or more, start the next workout withy 5% more weight and start over.

And that's essentially it. No pre-ordained numbers of sets, reps, or rest periods. It's entirely up to you. Your job is only to complete the 20-minute work period, and then improve on it the next time around.

 

Charles Staley is a sports performance specialist and director of Integrated Sport Solutions in Las Vegas, Nevada. A former martial arts competitor and trainer, Staley is also an Olympic weightlifting coach, as well as a master's level track and field competitor (discus event). He has coached elite athletes from many sports, including martial arts, luge, boxing, track & field, bobsled, football, Olympic weightlifting, and bodybuilding. Staley has written hundreds of published articles, and has lectured extensively on the topics of human performance and sport training.

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