Upper Back Training for Powerlifters
by
Greg Reshel (1994)
Last month's article mentioned that the muscle groups that stabilize the upper
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Upper Back Training for Powerlifters, Part Two
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Upper Back Training for Powerlifters, Part Three
Part Three: Power Bodybuilding
by
Greg Reshel (1994)
A deep foundation in upper back training will allow you to
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Upper Back Training for Powerlifters, Part Four
Part Four: Residual Effect Bench Press Peak
by
Greg Reshel (1994)
In the last three articles we have mentioned that
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Upper Back Training for Powerlifters, Part Five
Bench Press Peaking Program
by
Greg Reshel (1994)
Last month, if you recall, we showed you one example of using upper back training to residual effect peak your bench
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A Question of Priority - Charles A. Smith (1985)
Available Now
"Death at any time is tragic, but when it strikes a relatively young person in the prime of his life and at the height of his powers, it is devastating." IFBB Constitution.
I have a faint suspicion that, after reading this article, there are those who will shove me on their shoot list (with all the enthusiasm of Albert Schweitzer running to an organ recital). I say this because as you will see, I am as irrevocably opposed to athletes using anabolic steroids as preachers and priests are opposed to sin. I think the use of these drugs is unfair, unsportsmanlike and potentially dangerous; as dangerous as Russian Roulette and as unfair and unsportsmanlike as a boxer with brass knuckles under his gloves fighting another boxer with only standard equipment.
I know the above statement is an emotional one, an opinion, at least partly coming from the heart, but this is so because I am not without some bitter and personal experiences. For 20 years, before I retired, I was a law enforcement officer, a member of the Texas Narcotics Officers Association, and the supervisor of a department handling all juvenile offenses referred to a local Juvenile Court - including narcotics violations - and the present widespread use of steroids and by men as well as women strength athletes scares me stiff. I know, from having seen it for years, what harm drugs can and will continue to do. And I know there isn't one victim - the user - as so many claim- but scores. There are the parents, wives, girlfriends, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends and all suffer, all are victims. Not to mention, in the case of the use of anabolic steroids, victimization of your opponents and fair play.
I am further troubled by what seems to be a passion, one could easily use the work obsession, on the part of some strength athletes to win at all costs and by any means; taking part in an athletic activity for the fun one gets out of it and for the health benefits derived is rapidly vanishing. I am distressed because there are many people - especially those at the top of our sport - who are prostituting the very ideals of weight training - "A healthy mind in a healthy body."
I cannot remain unconcerned for the future welfare, physical as well as mental, of every contestant in physique and strength contests no matter what his or her status in the sport might by; but I'm most concerned for a group of very personable young ladies I watched competing in a powerlifting contest a few months ago, for I am well aware that if and when they pass the point of beginners, they will, beyond any doubt, come up against the problem of anabolic steroid use. To me, these young ladies symbolize the entire problem.
The powerlifting contest I attended was an Inter-Collegiate affair between three Southern States and the universities therein. There were about 35 young women taking part, some of them looking no older than 15 and more suited to the wearing of be-ribboned plaits than the page boy bobs and pony tails with which they were coiffured. But all were over 16 years of age and none older than 22.
It was their enthusiasm for the contest that impressed me. They were all rivals but they lifted with one another as well as against one another. They were a happy bunch of training partners and friends, having fun getting a good time out of the contest, and their spirit deeply touched me, and, for a fleeting moment, gave me back some sense of the enthusiasm and youth that long ago left me.
The girls cheered when a competitor made a good bench, slapped backs, shook hands and congratulated the successful lifter. When a deadlift went down the drain they all consoled the athlete who failed and hugged her with genuine sympathy. And when the contest was over, the entire group got together, teammates and rivals, ad had their photo taken. It was one of the finest displays of sportsmanship I have ever seen on all my 65 years of association with physical culture.
So I went up to the official running the meet and introduced myself. I explained I had been a judge at many AAU Mr. America and local physique contests. I told him I had been secretary of the New York City Metropolitan AAU Weightlifting Committee for several years and I had officiated at many Olympic lifting meets where world and national records had been set. I knew powerlifting, I said, and thought I might make myself useful as a judge, and my experience, such as it was, available. He expressed interest and handed me a copy of the International Powerlifting Federation rules.
So I took them home and read them. 17 pages of very small, closely spaced type, the sort of print lawyers warn you to read carefully before signing. What I read not only impressed me but left me dismayed. I was favorably impressed by some of the rules that obviously sought to ensure that every lifter got a fair shake, that no competitor would have an unfair advantage over another.
But what dismayed me was that nowhere in the rules was there a single censure against the use of anabolic steroids. So I turned to he constitution of the organization and there found provision for testing competitors, in the event they had been using these drugs, and a penalty assessed suspending them. But nowhere was there any expressed rule which said the use of anabolic steroids by any competitor is strictly forbidden.
What ban there was, was to me an implied one and the rule that should have been Numero Uno, at the head of all the other rules , just wasn't there. For without this rule, a Sine Qua Non, a top, if not THE top priority, all the other rules were rendered less potent, and the care used by those who had framed the rules to see that each and every competitor lifted on equal terms with the others was thus rendered less powerful. But to their credit, the IPF has for several years conducted testing at the major international competitions. But sad to say, the USPF has done very little to further the cause of testing. For instance, they have never done standard testing at a national meet for men, and they have only tested once for women and then they never properly followed through on the several positive test results which appeared.
As for the rules of the IFBB, the governing body for international physique contests, their rules were couched in stronger terms. In their regulations they said their organization existed to "promote interest in and dedication to better health and fitness through physical culture, proper nutrition and weight training." They further stated that "the IFBB was opposed to the use of drugs that artificially build muscle and strength."
They also proclaimed themselves as safeguarding the health and physical fitness of the bodybuilders and to underscore their stand they added, "The use of drugs, as defined by the IOC, is also forbidden. The secretary or the chairman of the IFBB judges committee can immediately disqualify any competitor who breaks these rules." To further implement the ban on drug use by competitors, the IFBB instituted testing for the use of anabolic steroids, starting January 1st, 1985. However it must, in all fairness, be added that the IOC has been testing for steroids since 1976, yet the IFBB has never tested at its top competitions. And it must be further admitted that the testing scheduled to begin this year will not include the Olympia events. To me, actions speak louder than words.
I have the opinion, and some may think it simplistic, that ALL judges, referees, coaches and competitors are honor bound to stop the use of steroids where they know them to be used, or to inform the judges committee if they see them being used. It is true that the toughest thing to legislate is morality, but that should not stop us from striving for what we know to be right and true and fair. If we know something wrong is taking place and we stay silent, we are not only aiding the offense, we become accomplices.
If you believe the use of anabolic steroids by strength athletes and bodybuilding competitors gives them an unfair advantage over other competitors, if you believe the use of anabolic steroids is a health hazard to athletes, then you must ask, "Why isn't something being done - more than has been done - to stop strength athletes and bodybuilders from using these drugs?" How can we answer this question? Perhaps one way is to place some of the rules alongside the horrible effects the use of anabolic steroids have caused. Then we can see where the priority in the rules lies.
For example, we have a powerlifting rule that in detail tells us the use of oil, grease and all other lubricants is strictly prohibited. That only powder may be used, that powder includes chalk, talc, resin and magnesium carbonate. That no foreign substance may be applied by the lifter to the platform or equipment.
But we have a world class athlete, an anabolic steroid user, at the age of 23 suffering a heart attack and dying. He had no prior history of heart problems. His family had no prior history of heart problems. An autopsy revealed a heart 31 percent larger than acceptable for a man his age, plus an undersized coronary artery. Chalk, talc or resin isn't going to help his lifting anymore. So where does the priority in the rules lie?
We have another powerlifting rule telling us that "an athletic supporter or cotton brief shall be worn under the lifting suit. That swim trunks or any other garments which may be rubberized or of similar stretch material shall be forbidden."
And we have a powerlifter, just 21 years of age and an anabolic steroid user, suffering a heart attack and subsequently dying in a hospital of pulmonary complications. It is alleged an autopsy revealed a liver so grossly hypertrophied that it weighed multiple times that of a normal human liver. Athletic supporters or cotton briefs won't mean much to this young man anymore. So where does the rule priority lie?
We have a powerlifting rule concerning the lifting costume. It tells us the costume shall be full length and of stretch material. We are also informed that shoulder straps must be worn at all times. We are told the length of the leg of the lifting suit must not exceed 14 centimeters from the middle of the crotch.
And we have a powerlifter just 29 years of age, an anabolic steroid user, suffering a stroke and dying in a hospital the next day. It's no consolation to his family that shoulder straps must be worn at all times, or the leg length of the suit must not exceed 14 centimeters. So tell me, where does the priority in the rules lie here?
And there is another anabolic steroid user, 33 years of age, whit no prior history of heart trouble, or family history of heart trouble, suffering a devastating heart attack and then, some time after, having to undergo a quintuple bypass because every artery was 90% blocked. And on and on it goes in both sports. And in bodybuilding there are similar precise rules governing such things as posing briefs and mandatory poses. Doesn't a ban against the use of anabolic steroids carry more weight than the above cited regulations?
Nor are the women exempt. There are women in their mid-twenties who have used anabolic steroids heavily and who are now suffering the consequences. Male pattern baldness, excessive body-hair growth. Deepened voices. Acne problems. Menstrual dysfunction. Clitoral hypertrophy. Male physical characteristics. These have allbeen experienced. So where does the rules priority lie.
It lies in that one rule expressly and explicitly forbidding the use of anabolic steroids not only in competition but in training. And then enforcing that rule fast and forcefully. No matter how often we forget this fact or seek, consciously or otherwise, to evade it. we ARE our brothers' keepers and our sisters' too.
One of the most shocking apologies for the use of anabolic steroids I have ever had to listen to came over TV recently. It dealt with the busting of the Russian super-heavy Pisarenko, a teammate and a coach, at Montreal Airport, for smuggling anabolic steroids into Canada. "After all," said a Canadian official, "Pisarenko wasn't using steroids. He merely had them. He was bringing them in for a friend as a present," the Canadian apologist explained. Ten thousand bucks worth of steroids. Some present! Some friend!
In my opinion the use of anabolic steroids by strength athletes is slowly eroding the edifice of our sport. We cannot deny the simple fact that bodybuilders and lifters use them for one purpose and one purpose only - to give them an advantage over other competitors. And for what gain? For a trophy whose shine will one day tarnish, and a reputation that will one day be forgotten. And all they will be left with - perhaps - is a failing heart, kidneys, liver, or some other medical, possibly fatal problem.
Speaking as one who knows a little law, anabolic steroids are prescription drugs and the distribution of them by any person other than a doctor, who can prescribe them, is illegal. And for those who black market them, I can't find words strong enough to express my contempt or disgust. These persons have no though whatever for the long term physical welfare of the strength athlete. To me they are nothing more than bloodsuckers, concerned only with packing their pockets with dirty money and ballooning their bank balances.
We must get our priorities straight. We have a lesson to learn. We have a job to do. All top sports administrators must not only recognize but admit that anabolic steroids are dangerous to use, and unfair and unsportsmanlike in that use; and their efforts must the directed to stopping this use, except by those who really need them - the terminal cancer patient - the burn victim - the sufferer from extreme malnutrition. Thomas Gray in his poem, "Elegy in a Country Churchyard" said that "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, / And all that beauty, all that wealth ere gave, / Await alike the inevitable hour, / The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
The unethical, dishonorable paths of "glory" that some of our strength athletes are treading can, in fact will, through the use of anabolic steroids, lead them to the grave much faster than most of them care to admit.
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Make Your Benches Click - Eberhard Schneider
Available October 21/2014
Age-related changes influence all physiological systems, including those used during exercise and sport. Highlighting masters athletes—older adults who train and compete in organized sports—Nutrition and Performance in Masters Athletes examines the extent to which regular physical training can impact these changes. This book bridges the gap between theory and practice, addressing nutritional, exercise and sport sciences, and the actual performance of masters athletes and older exercisers. It reviews in detail many age-related changes that occur in the physiological systems, provides implications of these changes for masters athletes, coaches and clinicians, explores scientifically-based methods to maximize sprint, strength and power, team sport players, endurance and ultra-endurance performance, and focuses on the unique nutritional needs of master athletes.
MAKE YOUR BENCHES CLICK
by
Eberhard Schneider
Even with just a bare minimum of weight training experience you know that you can use a lot more weight in half squats than in full squats. The same goes for bench presses, where you can handle significantly more weight in the upper half of the movement than when you let the bar travel all the way down to your chest. Some 'purists' view such short movements with contempt, decrying them as 'incomplete' and a sure way to get unevenly developed and possibly injured. The fact is that when you combine your training to full range movements only you also limit the exercise poundages to the amount that you can move through the sticking point, and thus you never get to tap your vastly larger potential for heavier weights in short-range movements.
So if you want to attain your maximum possible degree of muscle and strength you cannot afford to use only those weights which you find manageable in the weakest phase of the exercise and thereby leave substantial areas of your developmental possibilities unexploited. Instead, you must increase your poundages beyond what you can handle in full movements - and the best way is to practice heavy partial reps in the power rack. The superior and muscle building properties of this wonderful piece of equipment have been dealt with by various authors, and my own experience substantiates the numerous glowing appraisals. To quote just one (Ken Leistner, Iron Man, May 1974): "There is only one way to become really strong and that is to handle heavy weights. There is no other training method which allows one to handle the type of weight that one can use in a rack workout. No athlete can measurably improve his performance by waving around 30 pound dumbbells. But the ponderous loads that can easily be worked up to on the rack insure almost immediate strength gains. It is for this reason that so many Olympic and Power lifters depend on the rack for strength gains."
Now, I am no strength champion, but I am one of those unsung basement home gym trainers with limited physical potential and am rapidly closing in on 40 years of age. I have no personal experience with steroids - in my opinion taking steroids betrays a latent neurosis - and my best bench press of 308 lbs at 190 was built on nothing stronger than brewer's yeast, wheat germ oil and calcium. Reading about 500 lb bench presses no longer makes my thinning hair stand on end because I have my own standards - and by my own standards I do not regard a 300 lb bench as measly or something to bicker about.
My point is, while I do not want to forgo the very noticeable developmental value of handling 300 pounds on the bench, I cannot even hope to work up to that poundage at every workout without going stale very quickly and running the risk of injury. So do I have to reconcile myself to using lighter weights and consequently not achieving an optimal growth stimulus? Not on your nelly! [It helps to be named Eberhard when using that expression.)
I simply employ the power rack principle negotiating the heavy weight only through the upper half of the bench press movement - and my special quirk is that I do not use a power rack at all because it exhibits a particular drawback which I do not like to contend with: lack of pre-stretch. Let me explain.
When you take the weight out of regular bench press uprights and then lower it from the extended-arm position, your bench press muscles are stretched via eccentric contraction and this elicits a reflex which activates additional muscle fibers so that you have more strength at your disposal for pressing the weight back up to lockout. In a power rack, however, you must start your first rep from the dead point of the low position and cannot take advantage of the pre-stretch reflex as this will not make itself felt until you are halfway through the second rep. Setting a heavy load in motion out of the dead point is sheer drudgery, and I believe that even heavy training should be inherently pleasurable.
This is where my 'click-trick' comes in. As you can see in the accompanying photo I have simply would some thick wire around one upright, with a straight end jutting out horizontally at the exact height to which I want to lower the bar. When I lie back on the bench this straight end is pushed back so that it does not graze my scalp, and then with a deft flick of my left index finger is pivoted to where it hovers about seven inches above my chest. The weight is then taken out of the uprights (I use a rather narrow grip of about 25 inches to let the triceps bear the full brunt), and lowered to where it touches the wire with an audible 'click' and even bends it down to about half an inch. The click is the signal for firing nerve impulses with full force to press the weight back up, which, because of the pre-stretch, is not as hard as if I had started the movement from the dead point. The beautiful thing about this very simple device is that it allows me to use my maximum bench press weight in regular training, thereby subjecting my muscles to very heavy resistance, while at the same time, because of the limited movement, not tearing at the tissues like real full-range maximum attempts. And the click-wire always gives me the reassurance that I have let the bar down far enough, but not too far as this would come too close to resembling all-out maximum attempts.
Well, it works for me - for the time being at least, and may work again as well at a later date.
Update: 16 weeks have passed since my spree of partial benches and my progress is slowing down. Feeling the need to remunerate myself for my stick-to-itiveness by affording some variety, I have widened my grip a bit and am now doing full movements with medium weights and higher reps plus extra concentration on the working muscles. Pump City!!! The effect is simply enormous. This goes to show once more that instead of hoping for an absolutely ideal system which will work indefinitely, the diversified approach of milking a method for all you're worth and then deliberately changing the growth stimulus for continued gains is the way to go on going on.
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Total Tonnage - Jon Smoker
The author at 66 years of age in 2013.
http://www.catalystathletics.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41&products_id=711
Total Tonnage: The Secret of Progress
by
Jon Smoker (1985)
A few years ago when information first began leaking out about Eastern bloc training systems, one of the more significant items to emerge was that the athletes engage in a preparatory phase prior to cycling for competition, in which the main concern is an increase in the total tonnage over the previous preparatory stage. The research done by the scientists in those countries had proven rather conclusively that this type of training is paramount to increased performances on the platform later on. The physiological reason as to why this is the case is complex and even open to debate on the theoretical level.
Suffice it to say that, in a very abstract sense, the body is an electromagnetic force field whose parameters expand as a response to increased gravitational demands. In other words, the more total weight that the body is subjected to endure, the more it will grow as a result. The bottom line, all theories aside, is that it works.
The next thing I am going to say will not be so free from controversy: Namely, that apart from the actual exercises selected, which will depend on which branch of the iron game the individual is in, the actual method used to increase one's total tonnage is irrelevant. Or, in other words, if one wants to subject the body to C tons of work, there is no easy way to do it. No matter how the sets and reps are broken down, it is going to hurt, the body is going to feel blitzed or beyond. And with proper rest and nutrition, there will be growth as a result.
Now, I am sure that the first people to recoil with horror at my suggestion would be the Eastern bloc scientists. But then, politics has a way of infiltrating everything and so the regimentation of their societies has found its way into the locker room. One of the things that I have always found most beautiful about the iron game in the West is the freedom to experiment. And when one begins to look through the training systems of the great iron me in our country, one does find the total tonnage system popping up everywhere, mostly implicitly, but in different guises - all of which seems to work. which lends evidence to my theory. And the fact that there is no uniformity has definitely not hurt our results. Our country is far superior in two out of the three branches of the iron game - powerlifting and bodybuilding.
And now, if I may be permitted to to digress for a minute, since it is germane to my argument, I would like to say that although we are not very competitive in Olympic weightlifting, I have always felt it to be an unfair criticism that Eastern bloc writers have leveled at the United States, that we have somehow failed because we are not superior in that branch of the iron game, too. Ask yourself, what kind of attributes does a top Olympic lifter need? Speed, strength, timing, quick reflexes, balance and explosive power and flexibility. And now ask yourself where these qualities are most often manifested in American sports. Why, in football of course. There is no doubt in my mind that Walter Payton would make a phenomenal Olympic lifter, and yet why would he want to do that when he can get rich toting a pigskin around?
Even the smaller guys with these athletic attributes go into wrestling since there is no high school weightlifting, although most are good enough to play high school football and intramural college football anyway. So, by the time they leave college and size does become a factor, it is really too late for them to start Olympic lifting. And, to further blunt the Eastern bloc critics, most all football players pump a lot of iron, including some total tonnage work (though it is not labeled as such), such as the very popular circuit training now used by many teams for part of the year. It is a nebulous comment indeed to say that there is more iron pumping going on in communist countries and, even more so, that regimentation is the only way to get results. Look at some of the behemoths we have on the football field to go along with our superior bodybuilders and powerlifters. And yet countless different systems have been used, based on a few key concepts, one of which is total tonnage. To criticize the United States for having inferior Olympic lifters is tantamount to criticizing communist countries for having no decent football players. Now, that is not to say that the regimented tonnage systems used in communist countries will not work; obviously they do. But, to get back to my original point, they only work because any system will work as long as the correct exercises are employed and the total tonnage is increased. And, the bottom line here is that the superstars in communist countries like Alexeev, are allowed freedom in training anyway.
To further prove that high tonnage training works, let us look at two of the very best people in the West. Paul Anderson is still the all-time unofficial leader in the squat, and, at various times in his training, the amount of total tonnage he used was incredible. In fact, he sometimes did hundreds of squats with no weight at all. Tom Platz, on the other hand, is almost unanimously credited with having the best developed legs ever and, although he varies his workouts frequently, he also includes some total tonnage in his work using 30 to 50 or even 70 repetitions per set.
Of course, these are not the only methods. Other ways of working on one's total tonnage would be Johnny Fuller's 10 sets of 32 reps on all exercises; the rest-pause system whereby a weight is used that can be handled for 15 repetitions, and with very little rest between sets, seeing how many reps can be performed in 15 minutes, or doing one rep with a certain weight every minute until 100 sets have been completed.
My own system is based on the principle of getting something painful over with as fast as possible, so i just use on set of mega-reps. This idea was originally suggested to me a number of years ago when I was reading about a female marathon runner who used 100x100 in the squat as part of her training.
Liking a challenge, I worked at if off and on between heavy cycles until I could perform this feat. Along the way I realized that this was another method of increasing my total tonnage prior to cycling for heavy lifts. So now when I am in this preparatory phase of my training I can increase my total tonnage by a 1/2-ton by increasing the weight and repetitions by five. So the next time around I did 105x105 and then 110x110 and so on. But it has worked, you might ask? Have my individual lifts increased?
Of course this is only one phase of my training, but it certainly hasn't hurt. My squat goes up every year, starting with a 235 at 123 ten years ago, to my latest effort of 656 at 179 (adolescent growth was not a factor either as I was 25 at my first meet). Because I am more of a scientist interested in discovering the immutable laws of weightlifting, rather than being strictly an athlete, I experiment on myself with the one event that I happen to enjoy. However, this type of training can and should be used for any muscle group or weightlifting event. Almost all other successful powerlifters use some type of total tonnage training at various points in their training. The Finnish deadlift routine that is being widely used currently employs this type of training in the early phase with 10 sets of 10 reps in the stiff-legged deadlift off blocks. Lamar Gant, the world's top deadlifter pound for pound, has been known to work many sets of 20 reps in the deadlift until he was ready to drop. And Don Blue, a light-weight champion of the mid-seventies, used 10x10 in all three powerlifts.
Now remember, I never said that the exercises used in this type of training is irrelevant. Thus, Olympic lifters working on their total tonnage training phase would surely want to use squats and various pulling and pressing movements, which ones exactly would be open to a certain amount of debate. This is how the Eastern bloc athletes handle this phase of their training. They have no jobs, aside from their event, so what they are doing in actuality is stimulating hard work, but in a methodical fashion. Basically, that is all I am talking about - hard work.
Take any human being, have him work very hard, give him all the rest and nutrition he wants, and if he has the proper heredity for growth he will get bigger and stronger. It is exactly what goes on in Eastern bloc training centers. It is just that the exercises are selected to stimulate growth in the most important muscle groups for the specific sport involved. The same thing goes on in football training camps; plenty of hard work, all the food they can eat and curfew hours. And this is the same kind of regimen that has produced, in a haphazard way, all the countless asymmetric muscular giants that one sees walking around who have never touched a barbell, but who work long hours on a construction crew or loading dock, etc. In fact, a few years ago Dr. Terry Todd did an informal experiment in which he took kids from the city and had them do hard work on a camp, like chopping wood. After a certain amount of time, they all showed increases in their measurements and strength. Boxers are doing the same thing to improve their upper body strength and endurance when they chop down trees before a fight; and the bigger the fight, the more trees they cut. It is the same principle - total tonnage. I even experienced the same thing when I was in the Army. I did not lift weights those days and the basic training was especially physically grueling. We were required to run everywhere, even back to the barracks after mess-hall with a full stomach. And when I got home, a pair of pants I had bought just before I went in was much too tight in the legs and hips to wear anymore. The same principle was involved; good hard work, total tonnage. And actually, I do believe that most strength athletes do employ a certain amount of this type of training without calling it such nor computing their total tonnage. The latter is a mistake for how does the athlete know for sure that he is forcing himself to work harder without the empirical evidence of the total tons involved.
Now, it is not only important to do this type of training; it is equally important to choose a system that can be done twice or three times per year and not vary it. Only by repeating a certain system and computing the tons involved will the athlete be sure that he is forcing his body to work harder. Or, in other words, doing a bunch of haphazard exercises and computing the total tonnage would be as bad as not computing the tonnage at all. As I said, the original scheme of sets and reps chosen for the specific exercises is not all that important, but once a scheme is chosen, it should be adhered to in preparatory training cycles. Only in this fashion will the athlete have a benchmark to go by.
Apart from the fact that this type of training gets results, why is it beneficial? First of all, we strength athletes are always being cautioned that lifting heavy all the time will 'burn you out'. So, concentrating on total tonnage training now and then gives one a break from heavy lifting without just taking a non-working break. But, even more importantly, if is also a natural compliment to heavy training. One 'burns out' doing heavy lifts because 1) it is hard on connectivetissues, 2) it is not really conducive to muscular gains and 3) it becomes a chore psychologically to deal with heavy weight all the time. Total tonnage training on the other hand places more of a strain on the muscles, producing a tremendous overload on them, so that at first when one goes back to heavy training, the freshly strengthened muscles take some of the strain off the connective tissues, giving them a chance to get stronger. This is why I have found that when I go from total tonnage training to heavy lifting, it takes only a two-month cycle to surpass what I was previously hitting for singles. And conversely, when I go from heavy lifting to total tonnage training the connective tissue is stronger and so it only takes a few weeks and I can increase my tonnage. The two definitely compliment each other.
On another level, total tonnage training will help one make gains because increases are basically a matter of will, whereas with heavy lifting, there comes a point where the body rebels and no matter how badly one wants another five pounds on a lift the body will not respond, or worse yet winds up injured. Total tonnage, on the other hand, requires a mindset or will to punish one's body a little more than last time and pick up the extra ton or whatever the goal is. However, this type of training is also not without risk. Because there is such a tremendous overload on the muscles, the chance of cramping is ever present. Stretching before and after a workout is should be employed, and an adequate supply of vitamins, minerals and water should be used.
Another facet of this training is that it obviously taxes the cardiovascular system more than heavy training. This is one more reason that this type of training is important. One only has to lift in one contest or pump all day in one physique competition to know how important endurance is. And, along with this being excellent cardiovascular work, it is an excellent way to expand the rib cage. I can guarantee that you can hang more meat on a larger rib cage, so it most definitely helps the athlete in the pursuit of muscular gains later on when he goes back to heavy training again. The question of whether or not muscular gains will be realized while on this type of program is an individual matter, depending on one's metabolism. Almost everyone will experience an increase in appetite on this type of routine because of the calories being burned and the muscle tissue being torn down, which must be replenished. But, if a person's rate of metabolism is high enough, there will be no increase in weight - some guys get very big from heavy construction and others just get wiry strong. The bottom line here is that at least this type of training does not allow fat to set in and, for the aforementioned reasons, it will give one a base to realize the muscular potential that any given individual's heredity will allow.
There is one last criticism that I can anticipate against this type of training - that it stimulates slow twitch muscle fibers instead of fast twitch. Of course this is no criticism for a bodybuilder; muscle is muscle as far as he is concerned. But what about a strength athlete? I am convinced t hat slow twitch muscle fiber can be used in a strength movement. In a chicken, for example, the wings are mostly fast twitch, and yet their wings could be use, theoretically at least, to lift things. From my personal experience, I cannot be convinced otherwise, since although I was at my heaviest for my last meet (179), I made my best squat pound for pound (3.7). So, if I have added slow twitch muscle fibers, it certainly has not hurt. Or, as Pacifico has put it when discussing bodybuilding for powerlifters, "One needs a cushion of muscle to go down with 6, 7 or 800 pounds in the squat." And that cushion of muscle could include slow twitch muscle fiber. I rest my case.
In conclusion, I believe that the periodic, systematic employment of total tonnage training is one of the immutable laws of the iron game. To not employ this type of training is to invite stagnation to set into your lifting career. In fact, I am so convinced that this type of training is essential that I think even the fast gaining naturals can prolong their careers and avoid training injuries by doing this type of training, even if they do not seem to need it over the first few years of their careers in order to make gains.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/the-importance-of-tracking-volume/
http://www.brutestrengthperformance.com/1/post/2013/10/submaximal-loads-for-maximal-results.html
Now, I am sure that the first people to recoil with horror at my suggestion would be the Eastern bloc scientists. But then, politics has a way of infiltrating everything and so the regimentation of their societies has found its way into the locker room. One of the things that I have always found most beautiful about the iron game in the West is the freedom to experiment. And when one begins to look through the training systems of the great iron me in our country, one does find the total tonnage system popping up everywhere, mostly implicitly, but in different guises - all of which seems to work. which lends evidence to my theory. And the fact that there is no uniformity has definitely not hurt our results. Our country is far superior in two out of the three branches of the iron game - powerlifting and bodybuilding.
And now, if I may be permitted to to digress for a minute, since it is germane to my argument, I would like to say that although we are not very competitive in Olympic weightlifting, I have always felt it to be an unfair criticism that Eastern bloc writers have leveled at the United States, that we have somehow failed because we are not superior in that branch of the iron game, too. Ask yourself, what kind of attributes does a top Olympic lifter need? Speed, strength, timing, quick reflexes, balance and explosive power and flexibility. And now ask yourself where these qualities are most often manifested in American sports. Why, in football of course. There is no doubt in my mind that Walter Payton would make a phenomenal Olympic lifter, and yet why would he want to do that when he can get rich toting a pigskin around?
Even the smaller guys with these athletic attributes go into wrestling since there is no high school weightlifting, although most are good enough to play high school football and intramural college football anyway. So, by the time they leave college and size does become a factor, it is really too late for them to start Olympic lifting. And, to further blunt the Eastern bloc critics, most all football players pump a lot of iron, including some total tonnage work (though it is not labeled as such), such as the very popular circuit training now used by many teams for part of the year. It is a nebulous comment indeed to say that there is more iron pumping going on in communist countries and, even more so, that regimentation is the only way to get results. Look at some of the behemoths we have on the football field to go along with our superior bodybuilders and powerlifters. And yet countless different systems have been used, based on a few key concepts, one of which is total tonnage. To criticize the United States for having inferior Olympic lifters is tantamount to criticizing communist countries for having no decent football players. Now, that is not to say that the regimented tonnage systems used in communist countries will not work; obviously they do. But, to get back to my original point, they only work because any system will work as long as the correct exercises are employed and the total tonnage is increased. And, the bottom line here is that the superstars in communist countries like Alexeev, are allowed freedom in training anyway.
To further prove that high tonnage training works, let us look at two of the very best people in the West. Paul Anderson is still the all-time unofficial leader in the squat, and, at various times in his training, the amount of total tonnage he used was incredible. In fact, he sometimes did hundreds of squats with no weight at all. Tom Platz, on the other hand, is almost unanimously credited with having the best developed legs ever and, although he varies his workouts frequently, he also includes some total tonnage in his work using 30 to 50 or even 70 repetitions per set.
Of course, these are not the only methods. Other ways of working on one's total tonnage would be Johnny Fuller's 10 sets of 32 reps on all exercises; the rest-pause system whereby a weight is used that can be handled for 15 repetitions, and with very little rest between sets, seeing how many reps can be performed in 15 minutes, or doing one rep with a certain weight every minute until 100 sets have been completed.
My own system is based on the principle of getting something painful over with as fast as possible, so i just use on set of mega-reps. This idea was originally suggested to me a number of years ago when I was reading about a female marathon runner who used 100x100 in the squat as part of her training.
Liking a challenge, I worked at if off and on between heavy cycles until I could perform this feat. Along the way I realized that this was another method of increasing my total tonnage prior to cycling for heavy lifts. So now when I am in this preparatory phase of my training I can increase my total tonnage by a 1/2-ton by increasing the weight and repetitions by five. So the next time around I did 105x105 and then 110x110 and so on. But it has worked, you might ask? Have my individual lifts increased?
Of course this is only one phase of my training, but it certainly hasn't hurt. My squat goes up every year, starting with a 235 at 123 ten years ago, to my latest effort of 656 at 179 (adolescent growth was not a factor either as I was 25 at my first meet). Because I am more of a scientist interested in discovering the immutable laws of weightlifting, rather than being strictly an athlete, I experiment on myself with the one event that I happen to enjoy. However, this type of training can and should be used for any muscle group or weightlifting event. Almost all other successful powerlifters use some type of total tonnage training at various points in their training. The Finnish deadlift routine that is being widely used currently employs this type of training in the early phase with 10 sets of 10 reps in the stiff-legged deadlift off blocks. Lamar Gant, the world's top deadlifter pound for pound, has been known to work many sets of 20 reps in the deadlift until he was ready to drop. And Don Blue, a light-weight champion of the mid-seventies, used 10x10 in all three powerlifts.
Now remember, I never said that the exercises used in this type of training is irrelevant. Thus, Olympic lifters working on their total tonnage training phase would surely want to use squats and various pulling and pressing movements, which ones exactly would be open to a certain amount of debate. This is how the Eastern bloc athletes handle this phase of their training. They have no jobs, aside from their event, so what they are doing in actuality is stimulating hard work, but in a methodical fashion. Basically, that is all I am talking about - hard work.
Take any human being, have him work very hard, give him all the rest and nutrition he wants, and if he has the proper heredity for growth he will get bigger and stronger. It is exactly what goes on in Eastern bloc training centers. It is just that the exercises are selected to stimulate growth in the most important muscle groups for the specific sport involved. The same thing goes on in football training camps; plenty of hard work, all the food they can eat and curfew hours. And this is the same kind of regimen that has produced, in a haphazard way, all the countless asymmetric muscular giants that one sees walking around who have never touched a barbell, but who work long hours on a construction crew or loading dock, etc. In fact, a few years ago Dr. Terry Todd did an informal experiment in which he took kids from the city and had them do hard work on a camp, like chopping wood. After a certain amount of time, they all showed increases in their measurements and strength. Boxers are doing the same thing to improve their upper body strength and endurance when they chop down trees before a fight; and the bigger the fight, the more trees they cut. It is the same principle - total tonnage. I even experienced the same thing when I was in the Army. I did not lift weights those days and the basic training was especially physically grueling. We were required to run everywhere, even back to the barracks after mess-hall with a full stomach. And when I got home, a pair of pants I had bought just before I went in was much too tight in the legs and hips to wear anymore. The same principle was involved; good hard work, total tonnage. And actually, I do believe that most strength athletes do employ a certain amount of this type of training without calling it such nor computing their total tonnage. The latter is a mistake for how does the athlete know for sure that he is forcing himself to work harder without the empirical evidence of the total tons involved.
Now, it is not only important to do this type of training; it is equally important to choose a system that can be done twice or three times per year and not vary it. Only by repeating a certain system and computing the tons involved will the athlete be sure that he is forcing his body to work harder. Or, in other words, doing a bunch of haphazard exercises and computing the total tonnage would be as bad as not computing the tonnage at all. As I said, the original scheme of sets and reps chosen for the specific exercises is not all that important, but once a scheme is chosen, it should be adhered to in preparatory training cycles. Only in this fashion will the athlete have a benchmark to go by.
Apart from the fact that this type of training gets results, why is it beneficial? First of all, we strength athletes are always being cautioned that lifting heavy all the time will 'burn you out'. So, concentrating on total tonnage training now and then gives one a break from heavy lifting without just taking a non-working break. But, even more importantly, if is also a natural compliment to heavy training. One 'burns out' doing heavy lifts because 1) it is hard on connectivetissues, 2) it is not really conducive to muscular gains and 3) it becomes a chore psychologically to deal with heavy weight all the time. Total tonnage training on the other hand places more of a strain on the muscles, producing a tremendous overload on them, so that at first when one goes back to heavy training, the freshly strengthened muscles take some of the strain off the connective tissues, giving them a chance to get stronger. This is why I have found that when I go from total tonnage training to heavy lifting, it takes only a two-month cycle to surpass what I was previously hitting for singles. And conversely, when I go from heavy lifting to total tonnage training the connective tissue is stronger and so it only takes a few weeks and I can increase my tonnage. The two definitely compliment each other.
On another level, total tonnage training will help one make gains because increases are basically a matter of will, whereas with heavy lifting, there comes a point where the body rebels and no matter how badly one wants another five pounds on a lift the body will not respond, or worse yet winds up injured. Total tonnage, on the other hand, requires a mindset or will to punish one's body a little more than last time and pick up the extra ton or whatever the goal is. However, this type of training is also not without risk. Because there is such a tremendous overload on the muscles, the chance of cramping is ever present. Stretching before and after a workout is should be employed, and an adequate supply of vitamins, minerals and water should be used.
Another facet of this training is that it obviously taxes the cardiovascular system more than heavy training. This is one more reason that this type of training is important. One only has to lift in one contest or pump all day in one physique competition to know how important endurance is. And, along with this being excellent cardiovascular work, it is an excellent way to expand the rib cage. I can guarantee that you can hang more meat on a larger rib cage, so it most definitely helps the athlete in the pursuit of muscular gains later on when he goes back to heavy training again. The question of whether or not muscular gains will be realized while on this type of program is an individual matter, depending on one's metabolism. Almost everyone will experience an increase in appetite on this type of routine because of the calories being burned and the muscle tissue being torn down, which must be replenished. But, if a person's rate of metabolism is high enough, there will be no increase in weight - some guys get very big from heavy construction and others just get wiry strong. The bottom line here is that at least this type of training does not allow fat to set in and, for the aforementioned reasons, it will give one a base to realize the muscular potential that any given individual's heredity will allow.
There is one last criticism that I can anticipate against this type of training - that it stimulates slow twitch muscle fibers instead of fast twitch. Of course this is no criticism for a bodybuilder; muscle is muscle as far as he is concerned. But what about a strength athlete? I am convinced t hat slow twitch muscle fiber can be used in a strength movement. In a chicken, for example, the wings are mostly fast twitch, and yet their wings could be use, theoretically at least, to lift things. From my personal experience, I cannot be convinced otherwise, since although I was at my heaviest for my last meet (179), I made my best squat pound for pound (3.7). So, if I have added slow twitch muscle fibers, it certainly has not hurt. Or, as Pacifico has put it when discussing bodybuilding for powerlifters, "One needs a cushion of muscle to go down with 6, 7 or 800 pounds in the squat." And that cushion of muscle could include slow twitch muscle fiber. I rest my case.
In conclusion, I believe that the periodic, systematic employment of total tonnage training is one of the immutable laws of the iron game. To not employ this type of training is to invite stagnation to set into your lifting career. In fact, I am so convinced that this type of training is essential that I think even the fast gaining naturals can prolong their careers and avoid training injuries by doing this type of training, even if they do not seem to need it over the first few years of their careers in order to make gains.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/the-importance-of-tracking-volume/
http://www.brutestrengthperformance.com/1/post/2013/10/submaximal-loads-for-maximal-results.html
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Cambered Bar Variations - Bob Gallucci
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"Bodybuilders' World"
photos by Kurt Stallaert
"Athletes Among Us"
photography by Jordan Matter
Schwarzenegger Before and After Photos
Squat.
Mother.
Son.
Article!
In most weight training establishments there is a myriad of physical training devices which, to the general public, must resemble some of the equipment that was used in a Vincent Price movie. Most young trainees are attracted to the shiny, padded machines and often will pass by some of the more conventional pieces of apparatus. One such neglected and misunderstood device is the cambered bar.
I first saw a photo of a strange shaped bar in a 1967 magazine which depicted former Mr. Universe, Bruce Randall, performing a good morning exercise with a monstrous weight. The weight was so heavy that the Olympic bar he was using was actually bent somewhat by the stress placed on his wide back due to that excessive weight.
I next encountered this strangely formed bar at the local Hartford YMCA where I learned the rudiments of weight training. Because lifters had left large weights on the one Olympic barbell overnight for many nights, the bar was bent in a curved position which seemed to make performing the good morning exercise easier and allowed me to do a deeper bench press.
Deciding that this bend in the bar could be useful for bench pressing, I asked one of my Dad's friends if he would weld a barbell according to my instructions (the bar was U-shaped towards the center and its measurements were specific to my shoulder width in 1968). Upon receiving the bar, we named it the 'horseshoe barbell' because of its unique shape in the center. Other people began to use the bar and in the early 1970's I noticed that this horseshoe bar could be purchased from various equipment companies which labeled it the cambered bar.
Although the use of the bar spread, I noticed that most people used the horseshoe bar primarily for one use only, the bench press. It is the purpose of this article to explain the many uses of the horseshoe bar, which most of our trainees at Gallucci's Gym include frequently in their routines.
1) Horseshoe Bench Press.
The horseshoe bar can be used for increasing the depth (stretch) in the bench press. This will allow greater flexibility at the shoulder and increase strength and hypertrophy development. Because the most severe muscular contraction is a contraction while that muscle is stretched (in this case the the pectoralis and anterior deltoid), you must warm the area thoroughly by using a progressively heavier load (this will decrease the incidence of injuries which can result from this exercise). Personally, I use 3 to 4 sets of progressively heavier warmups before I reach my first set of 6 reps in the horseshoe bench press. If you want to increase your bench press, stimulate muscle growth, and experience the soreness which is commonly associated with growth, try this exercise on a regular basis for 5 sets of 6-8 reps.
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2) Horseshoe Good Mornings
Although the use of the bar spread, I noticed that most people used the horseshoe bar primarily for one use only, the bench press. It is the purpose of this article to explain the many uses of the horseshoe bar, which most of our trainees at Gallucci's Gym include frequently in their routines.
1) Horseshoe Bench Press.
The horseshoe bar can be used for increasing the depth (stretch) in the bench press. This will allow greater flexibility at the shoulder and increase strength and hypertrophy development. Because the most severe muscular contraction is a contraction while that muscle is stretched (in this case the the pectoralis and anterior deltoid), you must warm the area thoroughly by using a progressively heavier load (this will decrease the incidence of injuries which can result from this exercise). Personally, I use 3 to 4 sets of progressively heavier warmups before I reach my first set of 6 reps in the horseshoe bench press. If you want to increase your bench press, stimulate muscle growth, and experience the soreness which is commonly associated with growth, try this exercise on a regular basis for 5 sets of 6-8 reps.
2) Horseshoe Good Mornings
The old Bruce Randall exercise! Using a straight bar and placing that bar on the cervical area (neck) of the back, I maximally used about 200 pounds with great discomfort. I always felt like my neck was worked harder than my lower back and hamstrings. The horseshoe bar can be placed on the thoracic vertebrae (between the two scapulae-shoulder blades). This allows the trainee to hold the outside sections of the bar while placing most of the stress from the resistance on the upper back rather than the neck.
Lock the knees and go from the upright position to a position where the upper body is parallel to the floor (see photo). Keep the head up and breathe in on the way down. When completely coming erect, forcibly blow air out from the mouth (his helps to clear the head and curtails the Valsalva movement - the restriction of blood flow to the head causing blackouts). This exercise greatly works both the hamstrings and the lower back muscles.
3) Horseshoe Bar Squat
For many years, I tried to do a front squat and found that:
A) It is a very difficult exercise (balance is hard to maintain due to supporting the bar on the shoulders. Slight movement can cause loss of balance).
B) It is a very dangerous exercise (tremendous stress is placed upon the acromio-clavicular joint of the shoulder.
C) It is a very discomforting exercise (depending on one's anatomical development, i.e., if the trainee does not have sufficient anterior deltoid development he may find it extremely difficult to support the bar.
Because the benefits of the front squat are so great, I have many trainees who want to do front squats but who never excelled at them because of the 3 D's (difficult, dangerous and discomforting). The horseshoe bar provides a means of performing the front squat by placing the bar in the same position as the horseshoe good morning exercise (upper back area) and squatting down to a parallel position. There is no stress on the neck. There is less stress placed upon the acromio-clavicular joint (especially if the bar is slightly less than your shoulder width - see photo above). Balance is greatly improved. The greatest improvement is the stress placed directly on the quadriceps and the thigh in a straighter position which places the resistance on these areas and not as much on the gluteal area.
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4) Horseshoe Bar Lunge
The bar should be placed on the upper back (same position as in exercises 2 and 3). Standing in an upright position, lunge forward with one leg so that the thigh is parallel to the floor. Push off with the extended leg back to the starting position. Repeat with the alternate leg. This exercise offers the trainee greater balance and less discomfort in the cervical area because of bar placement. This exercise works the quadriceps and thigh adductors.
5) Horseshoe Bar Shrug
Simply hold the bar by the outside grips and allow the bar to hang at arms' length from a standing position. Begin rotating the bar in a circular fashion from front to back without bending the elbows. Notice the improved range of motion that the horseshoe bar allows when compared to a regular barbell. This exercise works the trapezius and upper back muscles primarily.
6) Horseshoe Bar Overhead Press
I love to press behind the neck. Unfortunately, I have developed a severe acromio-clavicular problem from this activity. By using the horseshoe bar I am able to press the bar in a straight line from earlobe level to a full extension. Grasp the barbell on the outside grips and remove it from the rack or stands. The horseshoe part of the bar should be directly rearward. Press the bar straight up. This exercise allows the trainee to place great stress on the deltoid and triceps muscles with less stress on the shoulder joints relative to the press behind neck. It is a little difficult to perform at first, but allow time to physically and mentally understand the exercise and you should find it most helpful.
7) Decline Horseshoe Bar Bench Press
One of the biggest complaints when performing a decline pressing motion with the regular barbell is the lack of range of motion. The horseshoe bar remedies this problem. While lying on a decline, take the bar off of power stands. Grasping the outside gripping area, lower the bar towards the chest. Press straight up and exhale. You will find that you are able to increase your range of motion in this exercise by 4-5 inches and that you are placing increased stress on the muscles of the chest and shoulder areas. It is one of my favorite exercises and it requires a spotter to do forced reps.
These are the main exercises that have found to be of outstanding value when used in conjunction with the horseshoe bar. There are others as well.
B) It is a very dangerous exercise (tremendous stress is placed upon the acromio-clavicular joint of the shoulder.
C) It is a very discomforting exercise (depending on one's anatomical development, i.e., if the trainee does not have sufficient anterior deltoid development he may find it extremely difficult to support the bar.
Because the benefits of the front squat are so great, I have many trainees who want to do front squats but who never excelled at them because of the 3 D's (difficult, dangerous and discomforting). The horseshoe bar provides a means of performing the front squat by placing the bar in the same position as the horseshoe good morning exercise (upper back area) and squatting down to a parallel position. There is no stress on the neck. There is less stress placed upon the acromio-clavicular joint (especially if the bar is slightly less than your shoulder width - see photo above). Balance is greatly improved. The greatest improvement is the stress placed directly on the quadriceps and the thigh in a straighter position which places the resistance on these areas and not as much on the gluteal area.
4) Horseshoe Bar Lunge
The bar should be placed on the upper back (same position as in exercises 2 and 3). Standing in an upright position, lunge forward with one leg so that the thigh is parallel to the floor. Push off with the extended leg back to the starting position. Repeat with the alternate leg. This exercise offers the trainee greater balance and less discomfort in the cervical area because of bar placement. This exercise works the quadriceps and thigh adductors.
Simply hold the bar by the outside grips and allow the bar to hang at arms' length from a standing position. Begin rotating the bar in a circular fashion from front to back without bending the elbows. Notice the improved range of motion that the horseshoe bar allows when compared to a regular barbell. This exercise works the trapezius and upper back muscles primarily.
6) Horseshoe Bar Overhead Press
I love to press behind the neck. Unfortunately, I have developed a severe acromio-clavicular problem from this activity. By using the horseshoe bar I am able to press the bar in a straight line from earlobe level to a full extension. Grasp the barbell on the outside grips and remove it from the rack or stands. The horseshoe part of the bar should be directly rearward. Press the bar straight up. This exercise allows the trainee to place great stress on the deltoid and triceps muscles with less stress on the shoulder joints relative to the press behind neck. It is a little difficult to perform at first, but allow time to physically and mentally understand the exercise and you should find it most helpful.
7) Decline Horseshoe Bar Bench Press
One of the biggest complaints when performing a decline pressing motion with the regular barbell is the lack of range of motion. The horseshoe bar remedies this problem. While lying on a decline, take the bar off of power stands. Grasping the outside gripping area, lower the bar towards the chest. Press straight up and exhale. You will find that you are able to increase your range of motion in this exercise by 4-5 inches and that you are placing increased stress on the muscles of the chest and shoulder areas. It is one of my favorite exercises and it requires a spotter to do forced reps.
These are the main exercises that have found to be of outstanding value when used in conjunction with the horseshoe bar. There are others as well.
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Foundation Building - Don Ross
Progressive Resistance Method
Muscle building is the process of your body adapting to work it's not accustomed to doing. In the beginning, a simple basic program will cause rapid growth. As your muscles adapt to the workload, you continue to add resistance in the form of increased poundages.
The most frequently used method of weight training is the progressive resistance method. You start with a fairly light weight that you can easily do the prescribed repetitions with. With each progressive set, you increase the weight. On the last set, you will barely be able to perform all your reps. The other sets provide you with a warmup and a "pump". The final set is the maximum effort set. It is the one that produces the majority of the results.
When you are able to surpass the prescribed reps on your final set, you add more weight to all your sets for your next workout. This is how intensity is created. This method has been used successfully by many champions for decades. Many of you will find it intense enough to produce continuous gains.
Foundation Building Routine One - Muscles, Tendons, Ligaments.
So this basic routine 3 days a week with 1 or 2 days between each workout. The 1st week, do 2 sets of each exercise. Perform the exercise, rest, then perform it again. Use a weight that you can do 10 repetitions with. The final rep on the last set should be difficult. The squats and calf raises are a compound exercise, or 'super-set'. After completing each set of squats immediately do a set of calf raises.
The 2nd week do 3 sets of each exercise. Add weight with each set. For the final set, use a weight that you can handle for 8 reps, and try for 10. Aim at increasing the weight you use as frequently as possible, but never sacrifice good form for heavier poundage in this program. Rest 3-5 minutes between sets for plenty of recuperation time, and you might have to time that the first few workouts just to get an idea in your head of how long it actually is. Follow this program for 6 weeks before tackling the next routine.
Foundation Building Routine One
Standing Overhead Press - 3 sets of 10 reps.
Bench Press - all exercises for 3 x 10.
Bentover Barbell Row.
Barbell Triceps (French) Press.
Barbell Curl.
Squat, superset with ->
Calf Raise.
Stiff Legged Deadlift.
Foundation Building Routine Two - Enlarging Your Basic Structure
This routine is designed to widen and thicken your basic structure. Instead of sets of 10, the reps will be lower in some cases, enabling you to lift heavier weight.
Hang from a chinning bar before and after each workout. At first, you may find it hard to recover, and find gripping difficult in your next few exercises, but you will soon adjust. Enlarge your rib cage with a superset of breathing squats and breathing pullovers. Your rib cage size constitutes most of your chest measurement. A large rib cage minimizes your waist, for those of you who are naturally thick-waisted. While you are still winded from the breathing squats, do the breathing pullovers. Go to a flat bench with a very light barbell. This is strictly a breathing exercise. If you feel a muscle pump in your lats or triceps, you are using too much weight.
Do 2 sets of 8 in the half squat with the heaviest weight possible. Do 3 x 6 in the bench press, then take 20 pounds off the bar and do 3 sets of bench presses to the neck, doing 6 reps per set.
Stay on this program for at least 2 months. Keep it as long as it works. Once you've completed these two foundation routines, you'll be ready to tackle a split routine, the next step in size training.
Foundation Building Routine Two
Chinning Bar Hang
Lat Machine Pulldown - 3 x 8.
Breathing Squat, 3x 20, superset with ->
Breathing Pullovers, 3 x 20.
Half Squats - 2 x 8.
Standing Calf Machine - 3 x 15.
Bench Press - 3 x 6.
Bench Press to Neck - 3 x 6.
Incline Flye - 3 x 8.
Press Behind Neck - 3 x 6.
Deadlift Shrugs - 3 x 10
[deadlift, shrug the bar and hold contracted for 1/2 second, repeat].
Dumbbell Curl - 3 x 6.
Two-Dumbbell Triceps Press - 3 x 8.
Weighted Situps - 3 x 10.
Next: The Bulk and Power Routine.
Bench Press - 3 x 6.
Bench Press to Neck - 3 x 6.
Incline Flye - 3 x 8.
Press Behind Neck - 3 x 6.
Deadlift Shrugs - 3 x 10
[deadlift, shrug the bar and hold contracted for 1/2 second, repeat].
Dumbbell Curl - 3 x 6.
Two-Dumbbell Triceps Press - 3 x 8.
Weighted Situps - 3 x 10.
Next: The Bulk and Power Routine.
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Bulk and Power Routine - Don Ross
BULK AND POWER
The goal behind this first advanced program is to stimulate muscle growth though heavy exercise. Power-building movements that work general areas of the body are used. There is no emphasis on isolating individual muscles.
You may be used to doing a larger variety of exercises and many more sets per body part. Despite this, follow the program exactly as outlined, without adding anything. You will have a tremendous reserve of energy from back-cycling to a smaller amount. This will allow you to apply MORE EFFORT WITH EACH SET. In other words, you will SUBSTITUTE QUANTITY WITH QUALITY. The strength increases you will experience will be proof of muscle increase.
The workouts will be done 4 days a week - Part 1 on the 1st and 4th days, Part 2 on the 2nd and 5th days. Rest and allow the muscles to grow on the 3rd, 6th and 7th days.
Constantly strive to lift heavier weights.
Always use good form. It is important that each exercise be performed correctly.
Use the progressive resistance method. With each progressive set of an exercise, increase the weight.
Rest about 2-3 minutes between sets, or longer if you feel the need.
Before each workout ride the stationary bike for a warmup, and to provide cardiovascular work to keep bodyfat at a minimum. You should notice continued results from this routine.
Remember that your gains are in direct proportion to your effort and determination.
1st and 4th Days
Stationary Bike - 15 minutes.
Squat - 2 x 20, 2 x 12, 2 x 8.
Leg Extension - 4 x 8.
Leg Curl - 4 x 8.
Standing Calf Raise - 8 x 15-20.
Barbell Bend-Overs (Good Mornings) - 4 x 8.
Decline Weighted Situp - 4 x 10-15.
2nd and 5th Days
Stationary Bike - 15 minutes.
Alternate Dumbbell Press - 4 x 8.
Upright Barbell Row - 4 x 6.
Shrug - 3 x 8.
Pullover Machine (or Straight Pulldown) - 3 x 8.
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| Click Pic to ENLARGE |
Bentover Dumbbell Row (one dumbbell or two) - 4 x 8.
Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 x 8.
Seated Dumbbell Curl - 4 x 8.
Lying Triceps Extension - 4 x 8.
Next: Muscle Density and Apparent Mass.
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Muscle Density and Apparent Mass - Don Ross
MUSCLE DENSITY AND APPARENT MASS
While the previous program was one of power bodybuilding to stimulate growth through the use of heavy weights and basic muscle-group exercises, this routine in our mass building program will further enlarge your muscles by METHODICALLY CUTTING DOWN YOUR REST PERIODS BETWEEN SETS.
The exercises, this time, are meant to isolate individual muscles and emphasize those areas that will add AN ILLUSION OF SIZE. The increasingly shorter rest periods will help burn fat, reducing the waist and adding to this illusion.
This routine and diet was what I used in 1972 to go from a 190-lb bodybuilder to a full-fledged heavyweight in a very short time. It got me up to 215 in just three months. The fourth month, I cut down to 210 to win the Heavyweight Class in the Mr. World Contest.
The routine is a 2-way split. You will work your upper body 3 days a week and your lower body and neck twice. You will do 2 exercises per body part (3 for thighs) and 5 sets per exercise. Start with a mild warmup, and then go immediately to the heaviest weight that you can properly do the prescribed reps with. Train down the rack, going to the next lighter weight and do on down the line. (Step bombing - each set is a maximum effort. Use a lighter weight each of the five sets so that you can keep your reps about the same with a maximum effort on each set. You will finish with a comparatively light weight but it will feel like a ton and have the same effect on the muscle as a heavy weight.) Do each set until no more repetitions can be performed. Then try to force out an extra rep. Rest as little as possible between sets. Also, lower the weights at a controlled speed to take advantage of negative resistance.
You all know how hard it is to get calf muscles to respond, so I needn't remind you to put every ounce of effort into the two calf exercises here. Go from the ab crunched to the leg raises without rest. Exhale hard on each upward movement. Finally, while most bodybuilders neglect their necks, we will work outs with neck bridges and partner (or solo) resistance movements.
These routines will build size and the kind of proportion that will create the illusion of even more size.
THE MUSCLE DENSITY AND APPARENT MASS ROUTINE
1st, 3rd and 5th Days
Incline Barbell Press - 5 x 6.
Decline Flye - 5 x 8.
Standing Lateral Raise - 5 x 8.
Upright Dumbbell Row - 5 x 6.
Lat Pulldown - 5 x 8.
45 Degree Pulley Row - 5 x 6.
Barbell Curl, Back Against Wall or Post - 5 x 6.
Seated Dumbbell Curl - 5 x 8.
Dumbbell Triceps Press - 5 x 8
(hold two dumbbells with palms toward each other,
elbows pointing straight up and dumbbell on either side of your head).
45 Degree Pulley Overhead Triceps Extensions - 5 x 8.
2nd and 4th Days
Hyperextensions - 3 x 10.
Hack Squat - 5 x 8.
Leg Extension - 5 x 8.
Leg Curl - 5 x 8.
Standing Calf Raise - 5 x 15.
Seated Calf Raise - 5 x 15.
Ab Crunch superset with ->
Leg Raise - 4 x 25.
Neck Bridge - 3 x 10.
Front Neck Resistance - 3 x 10.
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Crossfit at Any Age - Lindsay Berra
CROSSFIT AT ANY AGE
by
Lindsay Berra (2014)
The sport of fitness may seem like the playground for the young, but as anyone who's walked into a box knows, athletes of all ages are throwing down on the daily. Still, the body changes as it ages, and the smart athlete is the one who pays attention, learns, and adapts . . .
Don't you dare complain. Don't you dare quit. Don't you dare back off for even a second. That's what every athlete slogging through a brutal chipper workout at CrossFit Hell's Kitchen on a 92-degree, thick-as-pea-soup July day in New York City is telling themselves. The workout is dubbed the 'Jacinto Storm' in honor of Hell's Kitchen's oldest member, Jacinto Bonilla, who happens to be turning 75 on this very day. The WOD: 75 double-unders, 75 air squats, 75 pushups, 75 pullups, 75 wall balls, 75 kettlebell swings, 75 deadlifts, 75 double-unders. If you're fast, you can do it sub-30. For most, it's more in the 40- to 50-minute range. But no one wants to slack off because a rule is a rule. The white-bearded Bonilla is grinding away along with everyone else, and if the relentless septuagenarian beats you, a 75-burpee penalty will be assessed.
Jacinto Bonilla
Bonilla, no doubt, is inspiring. He began CrossFitting in 2008, despite rotator cuff tears in his shoulders and a herniated disk in his lower back that he's had since "sometime in the late '70s." Now, the oldest-ever CrossFit Games competitor has a 400 pound deadlift and an engine - and bodyfat percentage - that puts a lot of teenagers to shame.
He's motivated by the same things that motivate nearly every CrossFitter: He wants to continue to get stronger and faster, and he wants to be healthy. "People my age, they have canes," he says. "I see my friends getting older and I see their big guts and say to myself, 'I am never going to be like that.'"
Now, not everyone can be Jacinto Bonilla, and as amazing as he is, even Bonilla isn't the same athlete - or the same human - he was 30, 40 or 50 years ago. Like the rest of us, Bonilla remembers a time when he could eat whatever he wanted, sleep little, work out twice a day and never be worse for the wear. But as he's aged, he's had to battle the degeneration of his tissues, an increase in dehydration, and a decrease in mobility, metabolism and hormone levels. Sure, Bonilla still cheats with some rice and beans every now and then, but he's managed it all like a champ. With a little knowledge, so can you.
-- "Mobility issues in the older athlete are one of the reasons muscle-ups are not part of the 55-and-older WODs in the CrossFit Games. It's smart to adjust movements and WODs based on mobility issues that stem from injury or age-related problems. The bottom line is to assess mobility. Document previous mobility-related problems and educate the athletes on how to make the necessary modifications.
Bob Lefavi, 55, Rincon Athletic Crossfit in Georgia.
Mobility
"At no point in your life is it OK to lose range of motion," says Kelly Starrett, CrossFit's mobility guru and author of Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance. "There are normal ranges that everyone, no matter their age, should maintain."
http://www.suppleleopard.com/
But certainly, as we get older, that becomes more and more difficult. Nearly every athlete in their 40's suffers from injuries like a rotator cuff tear, a herniated disk or some degree of spinal stenosis. Or all three.
With age also comes the onset of global hypomobility; the normal movement of joints will decrease and tissues will become stiffer. The cumulative effect of everyday life - like sitting in a chair from 9 to 5 - makes it even worse.
Every CrossFitter loves their foam roller and lacrosse ball, but the aging athlete must have a much greater focus on tissue quality and must devote much more than the obligatory five-minute post WOD to maintain it.
If you're sticking to a CrossFit training model, which is mechanical and consistent, you can avoid getting into slumps of immobility. But if you move improperly, your bones will adapt. Load them too little and they'll become weaker; load them too much and they'll become thicker. Tissues also become too tight or too loose based on poor movement patterns. And once you lose mobility, fascia can take upward of seven months to remodel, while bony changes can take 18 months. Still, there's always a way back. "Our muscles are like obedient dogs," Starrett says. "There is no point at which you can't reclaim normal function."
It doesn't matter whether you can't do a pistol, but barring any major structural limitations, you should be able to get into the bottom position to maintain the mobility of the ankle joint. And you should do it often. Kettlebell swings would go overhead. Sure, everyone can do a Russian swing, but in rel life if the pasta bowl is on the top shelf or that light bulb needs to be changed, you need to be able to extend your arm straight overhead. "Training consistently to full range of motion is important," Starrett says. "These are normal, physiological ranges everyone should have throughout life."
-- "I don't believe that getting older means I should slow down or even stop working out. It does mean that I've just become a little smarter about it. I work out on a 3-on, 1-off schedule, and I've noticed since about the age of 35 how important scheduling rest into my week is. I always feel rejuvenated and excited about my training. Those rest days have kept me injury-free since I started Crossfit."
Wendy Reo, 40, CrossFit Nutley in New Jersey.
Hydration
As a CrossFitter, you think you're doing everything right by eating Paleo, right? Well, maybe not, at least when it comes to hydration. If your postworkout meal is a sweet potato mash with some grilled chicken, chances are you're missing out on the sodium your body needs to help it absorb water. Sodium is the most important of electrolytes, and it helps to regulate the amount of water that's in and around your cells. Without enough electrolytes, the water we drink just runs right through us; that's why so many people who hit their goal of drinking 2 liters a day of water are running to the bathroom every five minutes.
Hyponatremia occurs when the level of sodium in the blood is abnormally low, which will prevent the proper absorption of fluid. CrossFitters get away with mild cases because met-cons rarely run longer than 20 minutes.
List of CrossFit Acronyms and Abbreviations:
http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html#General10
"The real issue, though, is that poor hydration creates brittle tissues that are more susceptible to injury," Starrett says. Even young athletes with dehydration issues will see more cartilage damage, tissue friability (theconditionofbeingeasilycrumbledorpulverized), tendinopathy and greater stiffness problems, but because the body naturally dehydrates over time, older athletes must pay even more attention to their fluid/electrolyte balance. Dehydration also causes a decrease in the production of synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints, and a decrease in the fluid level in our spinal disks, which can lead to spinal and nerve problems that can affect muscle activation in the entire body.
To aid in hydration, Starrett recommends adding a pinch of sea salt or a low-sugar electrolyte supplement such as a Nuun tablet to your water bottle. Or simply get some salt in your food and drink some water when you eat.
- - "Eat like when I was 20? No way! I don't work out like when I was 20, either. So I take more rest and have to pay close attention to what I eat. Now that I'm 40, it's the quality and not the quantity of food I eat that has proven to be the dominant factor in how fit I am and how I look at any given time. For me, excluding sugars, alcohol and complex carbohydrates and increasing healthy fats and lean proteins works best to increase performance and aesthetics."
-- Greg Arsenuk, Guerilla Fitness Crossfit Montclair in New Jersey.
Nutrition
It's infuriating to older folks. The young CrossFitter comes into the box on a Saturday morning, bragging about the whole pepperoni pizza and the case of beer he demolished the night before, then blows through the WOD no worse for wear. But sooner or later, things catch up.
"Every athlete at every age needs, at the very least, the proper amount of micronutrients, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D to recover properly," says Dr. Rick Cohen of Core 4 Nutrition in Santa Barbara, California. "It's just that the younger fellows haven't drained the pot yet and have a greater ability to recover without it. Older athletes need to keep the reservoir higher.
Essential to the 30- and 40-year-old athlete is a good level of nitric oxide, which is found in vegetables like beets, spinach and kale. Cohen calls it "the K-factor for the aging athlete" because it can increase recovery rates, energy and endurance.
As athletes enter their 50s, coenzyme Q10, found in meats, fish, beans nuts and seeds, becomes more important for the support of mitochondrial efficiency or energy production within their cells.
Once athletes reach their 60s and 70s, good nutrition is critical. "If you're an aging athlete and still pushing hard in the gym, you'd better be paying attention to everything," Cohen says. "If not, a deficit in one of those areas will get you."
But how do you know whether you're getting enough? Normal blood tests done at a physical won't cover it, but there are several companies that offer assessments through the mail, including Core4, WellnessFX and Genova Diagnostics. "Get some tests and figure out what your body needs, as opposed to following blanket recommendations," Cohen says. "If you optimize your nutritional your nutritional levels, really good things happen and your decline will be slower."
Another nutritional nugget for older CrossFitters is to pay attention to how the body uses protein. Many will notice that as they age, they don't digest protein as well. If your protein powder or skirt steaks are running right through you, your amino-acid levels will decline. Cohen suggests taking a digestive enzyme supplement when you eat protein or mixing an essential amino-acid blend into your water bottle.
But how do you know whether you're getting enough? Normal blood tests done at a physical won't cover it, but there are several companies that offer assessments through the mail, including Core4, WellnessFX and Genova Diagnostics. "Get some tests and figure out what your body needs, as opposed to following blanket recommendations," Cohen says. "If you optimize your nutritional your nutritional levels, really good things happen and your decline will be slower."
Another nutritional nugget for older CrossFitters is to pay attention to how the body uses protein. Many will notice that as they age, they don't digest protein as well. If your protein powder or skirt steaks are running right through you, your amino-acid levels will decline. Cohen suggests taking a digestive enzyme supplement when you eat protein or mixing an essential amino-acid blend into your water bottle.
Metabolism
When you drop body fat, good things happen. But as you age, your metabolism naturally slows down, which causes the body to more easily store fat. The fitter the heart, the easier it is to maintain a faster metabolism. And to keep the heart fit, you have to train aerobically.
"CrossFitters pound themselves with interval training and can overdo it at 80 to 85 percent of their max heart rate," says Eric Cressey of Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson, Massachusetts. "As we age, we can benefit from lower lows and higher highs." That means hopping on the rower or going for a jog a few times per week, with the heart rate at around 60 percent of its maximum.
"CrossFitters pound themselves with interval training and can overdo it at 80 to 85 percent of their max heart rate," says Eric Cressey of Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson, Massachusetts. "As we age, we can benefit from lower lows and higher highs." That means hopping on the rower or going for a jog a few times per week, with the heart rate at around 60 percent of its maximum.
But how can you tell whether you need this type of training? Cressey recommends simply monitoring your resting heart rate. Check your pulse rate first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. If you're reasonably fit, it should be below 60 beats per minute. If not, you are someone who would likely benefit from the addition of some lower-intensity aerobic exercise.
An elevated resting heart rate also speaks to recovery. When we exercise, metabolites build up in the bloodstream. As the metabolites increase, your average heart rate will rise. If your body is fully recovered from a workout and the metabolites have cleared from the bloodstream, the heart rate will normalize. So if your resting heart rate is elevated in the days following a workout, odds are you could use an extra day off.
-- "It's become very helpful for me to get a thorough warm-up. The days of walking in and throwing down are gone. I spend time doing mobility, some basic flossing and then some sort of active warm-up before I start any kind of training, even on days I'm only doing strength. The shorter the workout, the longer the warm-up. [Floss Bands are an essential performance tool and should be a staple in the gym bag of every athlete looking to improve range, restore joint mechanics, or unglue matted down or previously injured tissue. Compression tack and flossing works on many levels; including re-perfusing tissues that have become stiff or gone cold after injury, and by compressing swelling out of tissues and joints.]
Ryan Southern, 35, North Plano Crossfit in Texas.
Flossing Primers:
-- "I had major hip surgery when I was 30, and I have to work to maintain mobility. That means taking lots of fish oil, warming up thoroughly and before I work out, stretching and rolling out after workouts, being diligent about movements to maintain range of motion and doing yoga a few times per week. It also means I have to listen to my body more. There is no shame in dumping a back squat, using lees weight or modifying a workout in some way if it will prevent a spasm or further injury and keep me moving."
Lindsay Berra, 36, CrossFit Nutley in New Jersey
Warm Up
You know it because you hear it all the time, usually in the form of a metaphor related to an automobile. The engine has to be warm before you rev the car. You cannot expect to go from zero to 60 without getting injured. It makes perfect sense, but so many CrossFitters ignore the logic and jump right into a WOD without a proper warmup. Again, this is something you might be able to get away with when you're 20, bet even then, it's a bad idea to push a cold muscle. And as you age, a bad idea can turn catastrophic.
The science is clear. When you're relaxed, lounging on the couch or sitting at your desk, most of the small blood vessels, or capillaries, are closed, with very little blood flow going to your muscles. After 10 minutes of warming up, the capillaries are open and blood flow to the muscles increases dramatically. With better blood flow comes an increase in temperature. At higher temperatures, the hemoglobin in your blood releases more oxygen and muscles can contract and nerves can transmit faster, leading to maximum efficiency. And when muscles,tendons and ligaments are warm and supple, they're much less likely to be forced into a dangerous position. "It's pretty simple," Starrett says. "Not warming up is a barrier to performance."
When you're young, you at least want to crack a sweat before you begin to really push or stretch your muscles. As you age, your warmup needs to be more substantial. "We expect our older athletes to warm up for a lot longer," Starrett says. "Before our CrossFit classes, we want everyone to have been there for 20 minutes and be hot and sweaty before we start."
Cool-Down and Recovery
On the other side of the WOD, a cool-down is equally as important, especially for the older athlete whose heart is already less efficient than his or her younger counterpart's. Another automobile analogy: If you run an engine hot, then suddenly stop it, it can backfire. This is the CrossFit equivalent of finishing "Filthy 50" (see link below) then flopping on the filthy floor.
http://tracker.dailyburn.com/workouts/33242
When we work out, blood is preferentially directed to the large muscles used for exercise with less return to the brain, heart and lungs. When you're done working out, a cool-down period helps return blood to the heart and the body to its resting state.
Skipping a cool-down also can cause lactic acid to build up more quickly in the muscles and blood, causing fatigue and soreness to set in faster. This can be especially frustrating for older athletes for whom recovery is already going to be slower.
As we age, our hormonal levels decrease (see below), which causes cellular turnover to happen at a slower rate, which means it takes muscle tissue longer to heal after it is broken down. Sleep becomes more and more important; a minimum of eight hours per night is recommended for adequate recovery.
-- "I train hard, but recovery is key. If I feel tired, then I know I need to give myself a rest. mabe it's just bringing down the intensity or going through the motions that day. It may be an active rest day of a hike, swim or surf. Something fun! More fun than a workout. Or maybe it's just complete relaxation and just doing nothing. Okay, honestly, that doesn't happen much. But when it does it's really nice."
Bill Grundler, 45, CrossFit Inferno in California.
http://www.crossfitinferno.com/wod/
Hormones
As we age, growth-hormone levels, along with other hormone levels, decrease, which means recovery at the cellular level takes longer. After the age of 20, growth-hormone levels decrease rapidly until around age 60, with the sharpest decline between ages 40 and 60.
"The decline of testosterone and growth hormone in men directly affects stamina and recovery time," orthopedist Dr. Michael Kelly says. "Normal aging does not prohibit an athlete from making gains in endurance and strength, but they will happen at a slower rate. In women, the hormonal decline has similar effects on muscle changes and endurance but less of an effect on overall athletic performance. As we age, we also develop a greater percentage of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which causes a decrease in speed and explosive power. But, in both sexes, weight training can mitigate the decline."
Lifting heavy loads counters the loss of bone density and stimulates testosterone release. While women have just 5% of the testosterone that men have, the hormone is crucial to both sexes for metabolism, recovery and maintaining bone density, tissue elasticity and energy levels.
While many aging athletes will feel compelled to increase the duration of their workouts at the expense of intensity, workouts about 80% intensity better stimulate testosterone release and help to maintain muscle mass. That's not to say all workouts should be that intense. As discussed above, workouts at a lower intensity can also be very beneficial.
When it comes to hormones, women have more of a time clock, while men see a more gradual decline. Women want to keep their estrogen levels low and their progesterone levels high, and the balance is even more important as they approach menopause. Estrogen plays a crucial role in bone density, fat deposition and regulation of the cardiovascular system. While it's difficult to increase progesterone with diet, foods rich in vitamins B-6 and C, zinc and magnesium can help.
Men have an easier time boosting testosterone levels through the consumption of healthy fats. While young men may never think about it, it's not a bad idea to pay attention to testosterone levels early on so there's a baseline to revert back to over time.
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Arnold's Body of Work - Sean Hyson
The History of Muscle Beach
Article by Sean Hyson:
Carb Backloading,
What's Old is New
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Click Pics to ENLARGE
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The most famous physique in the history of the world has had many shapes and sizes. See how Arnold has transformed his body as he's moved from bodybuilder to movie star to Governator - -
and back.
Trying to choose Arnold's best look is like attempting to pick his best movie one-liner. His physique has undergone so many changes over the years, each one awesome in its own way, that it becomes the proverbial apples vs. oranges debate. But many bodybuilding pundits agree that Arnold's peak shape - onstage, anyway - came at the 1974 Mr. Olympia, a year prior to the contest filmed for the movie Pumping Iron (which causal fans assume was Arnold's most impressive showing). On the 40th anniversary of that competition, we look back at how Arnold's physique has followed his amazing career, changing for contests, movies, and the demands of a life as public as any ever lived.
1974 Mr. Olympia Chest/Back Workout
Arnold cut the range of motion on his bench presses one-quarter of the way from lockout in order to keep tension on his pecs. On wide-grip pullups, however, he lowered his body until he felt a deep stretch in his lats, which activates them better. Arnold used this routine on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Bench Press superset Wide Grip Pullup, 5 x 10-12.
Dumbbell Flye superset Seated Cable Row, 5 x 10-12.
Dip (to failure) superset Bentover Row, 5 x 12.
Cable Crossover superset Dumbbell Row, 3 x 12.
'74, AND SO MUCH MORE
On Oct. 12, 1974, Arnold swaggered onto the stage at New York City's Felt Forum to meet Lou Ferrigno. Though the man who would be Hulk was four years younger and 20 pounds heavier, Arnold's smirk grew wider as he hit his first few poses. At 240-plus pounds, yet with a waistline that still measured just 34 inches, Arnold had brought his best-ever body to the Olympia dais -- and he knew it. He'd decided months earlier that he'd retire from bodybuilding after that night, and wanted to punctuate his reign over the sport by leaving no doubt that he was the greatest bodybuilder ever.
His blend of mass, symmetry, and definition was absolutely perfect. His arms were thick, his already legendary biceps fully peaked. Even Ferrigno, at 6'5", couldn't out-muscle him.
At the same time, Arnold hadn't sacrificed any of the definition he'd shown the year before. When he hit his chest poses, lines etched across his pecs as if being chiseled in right before your eyes. His abs and thighs, though never his strong suit, were sharp and fully formed.
He had no weak point. He was the best bodybuilder in the world.
A STRONG FOUNDATION
Arnold began training at age 15. While his focus was always on bodybuilding, he wanted his muscles to be not only aesthetic but also powerful. Heavy training in the form of Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting were part of his routines almost from the beginning. Understanding that the traps and spinal erectors developed best with heavy clean and deadlift movements, Arnold worked up to sets of only 5, 3, and from time to time, single reps. "By forcing myself to go to the limit," he wrote in his 1985 book The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, "I counterbalanced the lighter-weight, higher-rep training that made up the majority of my workouts."
After less than a year of training, Arnold made his first contest appearance ever, in a weightlifting competition held in a beer hall by the Athletic Union in Graz, his hometown. He clean and pressed 150 pounds. "The crowd gave a big cheer," he wrote in his 2012 biography Total Recall. "The applause had an effect like I'd never imagined." Buoyed by the audience, Arnold pressed 185 on his next attempt -- "35 pounds more than I ever had before . . . I discovered that I performed much, much better in front of others."
Arnold's Weightlifting Workout
This routine, which Arnold followed in the mid-60s, combines conventional bodybuilding training with Olympic weightlifting exercises that build brute strength. He rested as long as needed, sometimes up to five minutes, between sets of heavy exercises.
Clean and Press - 5 x 5.
Push Press - 6, 4, 2.
Upright Row - 10, 6, 4.
Lateral Raise - 3 x 10.
Barbell Curl - 3 x 10.
Overhead Triceps Extension - 3 x 10.
Later, Arnold had other victories in strength competitions, including the International Powerlifting Championships and the 1967 annual Munich stone-lifting contest, in which he hoisted a 560-pound stone -- with no warmup. By the end of the 1960s, Arnold weighed 250 pounds, had a 520 bench press, and carried a physique that was rough and lacking definition, but undeniably Herculean.
Of course, Arnold's flirtation with powerlifting led to his friendship with future Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu, who Arnold in turn encouraged to take up bodybuilding. As Arnold wrote in his Encyclopedia, "Franco and I started out as weightlifters, which gave us a muscle density that bodybuilders who have not done power training lack."
After less than a year of training, Arnold made his first contest appearance ever, in a weightlifting competition held in a beer hall by the Athletic Union in Graz, his hometown. He clean and pressed 150 pounds. "The crowd gave a big cheer," he wrote in his 2012 biography Total Recall. "The applause had an effect like I'd never imagined." Buoyed by the audience, Arnold pressed 185 on his next attempt -- "35 pounds more than I ever had before . . . I discovered that I performed much, much better in front of others."
Arnold's Weightlifting Workout
This routine, which Arnold followed in the mid-60s, combines conventional bodybuilding training with Olympic weightlifting exercises that build brute strength. He rested as long as needed, sometimes up to five minutes, between sets of heavy exercises.
Clean and Press - 5 x 5.
Push Press - 6, 4, 2.
Upright Row - 10, 6, 4.
Lateral Raise - 3 x 10.
Barbell Curl - 3 x 10.
Overhead Triceps Extension - 3 x 10.
Later, Arnold had other victories in strength competitions, including the International Powerlifting Championships and the 1967 annual Munich stone-lifting contest, in which he hoisted a 560-pound stone -- with no warmup. By the end of the 1960s, Arnold weighed 250 pounds, had a 520 bench press, and carried a physique that was rough and lacking definition, but undeniably Herculean.
Of course, Arnold's flirtation with powerlifting led to his friendship with future Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu, who Arnold in turn encouraged to take up bodybuilding. As Arnold wrote in his Encyclopedia, "Franco and I started out as weightlifters, which gave us a muscle density that bodybuilders who have not done power training lack."
MOVIE MUSCLES AND THE BODY POLITIC
As Arnold's film career took off in the late 1970s, his training shifted to suit whatever role he had to embody. As he told Men's Fitness in 2012, "When I did Stay Hungry, [director] Bob Rafelson made me lose 30 pounds. So two-thirds of my training was cardio and one-third was weight training." In contrast, when Arnold made Conan the Barbarian, "they wanted me to look like a powerful guy who had gotten his body through fighting and hard work. I had to be big and strong but not as defined so I did heavier weight training."
In general, throughout Arnold's prime film-making years, he used lighter training loads and incorporated more circuit work, sometimes doing a set of up to six exercises in a row without rest. The intense pace kept his heart rate up, allowing him to burn more calories and stay lean while keeping every muscle group pumped. It also allowed him to accomplish workouts in well under an hour, which made his travel and shooting schedules more manageable.
Arnold was renowned for having a massive trailer delivered to sets of his movies, so that he could train between shooting scenes. He even allowed his coworkers to work out in it, included ex-wrestler (and fellow future governor) Jesse Ventura, while making Predator in the Mexican jungle.
In 1997, Arnold underwent open heart surgery to repair a defective valve, and doctors cautioned him to reduce the intensity of his training going forward. In 2003, he needed shoulder surgery after an accident on the set of Terminator 3 -- the shoulder was operated on again in 2012.
Arnold's Workout Today
The exercises are done as a circuit. The number of circuits depends on how much time he has. He rests two minutes after the calf raise, and after the circuits are done, finishes off with the Swiss Ball crunch.
High Intensity Intervals - use an exercise bike or elliptical machine. Work hard for 30 seconds, then go easy for 30 seconds. Repeat for 10 minutes.
Circuit (15 reps throughout)
Bench Press
Lat Pulldown
Lateral Raise
Lawnmower Row
Barbell Curl
Single Leg Calf Raise
As governor of California from 2003 to 2011, Arnold relied more on cardio, for heart health and to burn off fat. Though old age and injuries have tempered his weight training in recent years, as his latest movies and photos show, he is still in incredible shape, and shockingly muscular for a man of 67 years. He still performs many of his own stunts, and commits to performing some physical activity daily.
"My dream now is to live forever," he told us. "But I doubt it."
And then he let out a big laugh.
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A Guide to Shoulder Training - Don Ross
Don Ross
Click Pics to ENLARGE
Lou Ferrigno
A GUIDE TO CHAMPIONSHIP SHOULDERS
by
Don Ross (1973)
A GUIDE TO CHAMPIONSHIP SHOULDERS
by
Don Ross (1973)
Big shoulders are indicative of a powerful man, even more so than arm development. When a weightlifting champion, pro wrestler, of heavyweight boxing champion is seen wearing a coat or sport jacket, it is the width of his shoulders that makes him stand out in a crowd. Record bench presses and Olympic lifts are largely the result of superior shoulder strength.
Those who begin bodybuilding with wide shoulders are very fortunate. Bone structure largely determines a person's shoulder girth. Those with wide scapula (shoulder blades) can more easily achieve that tapered look that is very much emphasized in modern physique competition. If you re not blessed with wide shoulders, you have special work to do to make up for this and your shoulder routine will be different from that of a broader person.
A) Training for Width
When I began bodybuilding, my shoulders were considerably under par. It seemed as though my hips were wider than my shoulders. I did not let this discourage me and, in fact, worked my shoulders more than any other body part in many of my workouts. Shoulder work cannot be over-emphasized. I have ye to see a pair of overdeveloped shoulders.
To begin with, shoulder width by skeletal structure can be broadened somewhat. This can be done by stretching the ligaments of the scapula. The best way to do this is with wide grip chin-ups. Spacing your hands far apart on the bar, do two sets of as many chin-ups as possible. If you have wrist straps available, use them to help you hang onto the bar. After each set, when you are no longer able to perform any more reps, let yourself hang for a minute or so.
The next two exercises in this routine are for enlarging the outer head of the deltoid muscles. This will complete the wide look by thickening the shoulder muscles themselves. Using a collar-to-collar grip on a standard barbell, do four sets of presses behind the neck. Bring the bar all the way down to the base of the neck, then lock out overhead. Do between 6-8 reps. Use a weight that makes that final rep of each set a real struggle.
The last exercise is the upright row. This is great for shoulder width, but it also builds the trapezius muscles between the neck and the deltoid. If narrow shoulders are your problem, it is best to avoid too much trap work since large trapezius muscles can detract from the width of your shoulders. The same goes for neck development. Some neck work should be done, but avoid an excess of these exercises. Grip the bar with your hands only a couple of inches apart. Keep your body straight and pull the bar up to the t op of your pectoral muscle, just under the clavicle. Do two sets of 8-10 reps.
Course A -
1) Wide Grip Chin, 2 sets of as many reps as possible.
2) Wide Grip Press Behind Neck, 4 x 6-8.
3) Upright Row, 2 x 8-10.
B) Build Giant Deltoids
After six to eight weeks on the above shoulder widening course, it will be time to concentrate on training the deltoid muscles for muscular mass. If your shoulders are naturally wide, you can start off with this routine.
The first exercise is the incline barbell press. Use a grip beyond shoulder width while lying on an incline bench. Do 3 sets of 6 reps. This exercise will add size to the frontal deltoid head as well as building the area where the pectoral muscles of the chest tie in with the deltoids.
The standing alternate dumbbell press is one of the best all-around upper body developers. Use heavy dumbbells and try to do your first three or four reps without too much bending from side to side. Do your last reps using the bending motion to assist you. This will enable you to use a heavier weight and hence add muscular bulk to the deltoid. This exercise will also firm up the obliques and bring out those finger-like serratus muscles below the chest. Do 3 sets of 6 reps.
The high pull is similar to the upright row. Use a wider grip, about shoulder width. Use as heavy a weight as possible for the number of reps recommended. Start with the barbell on the floor. Pull hard till the bar is pulled up to chest level. Unlike upright rowing, the bar goes down to the floor with each rep. In all of these exercises try to add weight every few workouts, whenever you can do more reps than are recommended. Do 4 sets of 4 reps in the high pull.
Course B -
1) Incline Press, 3 x 6.
2) Standing Alternate DB Press, 3 x 6.
3) High Pull, 4 x 4.
C) Definition Training
Use the deltoid size routine for at least two months. During this time increase your intake of high protein foods, especially meats and dairy products. The next routine will accomplish several purposes. First, it will concentrate on areas we didn't use much in the last routine. This will develop seldom used muscle fibers, spurring your deltoids on to even greater size gains. It will complete the development of all three sections of the muscle, creating symmetry. Finally, it will chisel out striations and separation.
This will be accomplished by the use of concentration exercises for each muscle area. The first exercise is the seated lateral or fly. Sit on a bench holding a light dumbbell in each hand. Sitting on a bench will discourage back bending. Keep your palms facing downward throughout the movement and your arms slightly bent. Raise your arms until your hands are directly over your shoulders. Do 5 sets of 6-8 reps.
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For the next exercise you will need a rubber chest expander or a set of cables. This is a great piece of equipment and is a must for a traveling bodybuilder. Make sure you buy an expander set of the right strength. You should be able to do at least eight reps of the following exercise with it. Keeping your elbows locked and holding your arms straight out in front of you, pull your straight out to your sides. Don't bend your elbows! Do as many reps as possible. These will develop your posterior, or rear deltoids. Bentover lateral raises accomplish similar results, however, with the expander resistance increases toward the end of the movement where the most work is needed. Do 3 sets of as many reps as possible and stay on this course until the acronym AMRAP becomes popular with weight trainers.
To build size and definition in the frontal deltoids, hold a light barbell with a shoulder width grip. Keeping your arms straight and not bending your elbows, raise the barbell over your head. This is the front delt raise. Do 3 sets of 6-8 reps.
In this final program don't rest for more than a minute between sets. Do each rep strictly. Get a maximum amount of reps out of each set in all three programs. Work hard and diligently on each program for two months. At the end of the six months you should notice quite a difference in your shoulder development.
Course C -
Seated Lateral Raise, 5 x 6-8.
Expander Rear Delt Exercise, 3 x maximum.
Full Front Raise, 3 x 6-8.
The high pull is similar to the upright row. Use a wider grip, about shoulder width. Use as heavy a weight as possible for the number of reps recommended. Start with the barbell on the floor. Pull hard till the bar is pulled up to chest level. Unlike upright rowing, the bar goes down to the floor with each rep. In all of these exercises try to add weight every few workouts, whenever you can do more reps than are recommended. Do 4 sets of 4 reps in the high pull.
Course B -
1) Incline Press, 3 x 6.
2) Standing Alternate DB Press, 3 x 6.
3) High Pull, 4 x 4.
C) Definition Training
Use the deltoid size routine for at least two months. During this time increase your intake of high protein foods, especially meats and dairy products. The next routine will accomplish several purposes. First, it will concentrate on areas we didn't use much in the last routine. This will develop seldom used muscle fibers, spurring your deltoids on to even greater size gains. It will complete the development of all three sections of the muscle, creating symmetry. Finally, it will chisel out striations and separation.
This will be accomplished by the use of concentration exercises for each muscle area. The first exercise is the seated lateral or fly. Sit on a bench holding a light dumbbell in each hand. Sitting on a bench will discourage back bending. Keep your palms facing downward throughout the movement and your arms slightly bent. Raise your arms until your hands are directly over your shoulders. Do 5 sets of 6-8 reps.
For the next exercise you will need a rubber chest expander or a set of cables. This is a great piece of equipment and is a must for a traveling bodybuilder. Make sure you buy an expander set of the right strength. You should be able to do at least eight reps of the following exercise with it. Keeping your elbows locked and holding your arms straight out in front of you, pull your straight out to your sides. Don't bend your elbows! Do as many reps as possible. These will develop your posterior, or rear deltoids. Bentover lateral raises accomplish similar results, however, with the expander resistance increases toward the end of the movement where the most work is needed. Do 3 sets of as many reps as possible and stay on this course until the acronym AMRAP becomes popular with weight trainers.
To build size and definition in the frontal deltoids, hold a light barbell with a shoulder width grip. Keeping your arms straight and not bending your elbows, raise the barbell over your head. This is the front delt raise. Do 3 sets of 6-8 reps.
In this final program don't rest for more than a minute between sets. Do each rep strictly. Get a maximum amount of reps out of each set in all three programs. Work hard and diligently on each program for two months. At the end of the six months you should notice quite a difference in your shoulder development.
Course C -
Seated Lateral Raise, 5 x 6-8.
Expander Rear Delt Exercise, 3 x maximum.
Full Front Raise, 3 x 6-8.
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Individual Differences in the Perception of Pain - Jud Biasiotto and Ed Ritter (1981)
The tremendous poundages that are being lifted today by competitive weightlifters are far beyond the comprehension of most men and women who are not associated with strength sports. Even for many lifters, the awesome totals that are being established by elite or world class lifters are mind boggling. To say that some powerlifters are now capable of triple their bodyweight in the bench press and 11 or even 12 times their bodyweight in totals is downright frightening -- especially in light of the fact that as recent as two years ago, a double bodyweight bench press was considered super, and a total equaling 10 times bodyweight was considered nearly physically impossible.
Today, even a mediocre lifter can push more iron than the world class lifters of 10 years ago. Month after month, world, national, and state records are being smashed with predictable regularity. Where will it all end? The fact that Mrs. Maxwell Rogers, a 114 pound housewife, lifted a 3200 pound automobile six inches off the ground in order to free her son who was trapped under the car may very well indicate that we are only in the embryonic stage of tapping the reservoir of strength that we possess.
Although today's lifters are developing physical massiveness and power that is unparalleled in the history of man, they are also experiencing significantly more injuries -- many of which are of a serious nature. Crushed knee caps, ripped quadriceps, torn biceps, broken arms, dislocated shoulders and knees, as well as minor tears, sprains and strains are certainly more commonplace than before. For the competitive lifter, injury is not a remote possibility, rather it is a strong probability as lifters push themselves closer and closer to their physiological limits. Thus, coaches and lifters will have to face the problem of dealing with injury and the resulting pain.
Most of us expect that when we are injured we will experience pain, and furthermore, we expect that the degree of pain will be directly proportional to the degree of injury. Laboratory research as well as clinical observation has clearly shown that this view is an oversimplification. The psychological state of the individual has a great deal to do with the experience of pain. Especially important is what the injury means for the individual in terms of future prospects. For example, clinical studies of soldiers have shown that the so called 'million dollar wound' (one that is serious enough to take one out of action for the duration of the war, but not serious enough to cause a permanent, severe handicap) can be viewed with euphoria and little pain.
A lifter's expectations concerning pain are affected by many factors including cultural conditioning, one's self-concept, and the reaction of others to the injury. Such factors can produce hypochondriacs on the one hand, and stoics on the other.
For instance, some lifters magnify their injuries so much that they lose valuable training time. They constantly complain and pamper their injuries -- even when they are relatively minor. These athletes are usually motivated by sympathy and the attention they receive from others. Generally speaking, these athletes seldom reach their lifting potentials.
At the other extreme are athletes who are very stoic when it comes to their injuries. Rather than complain about their injuries, they tend to ignore them. For example, a few years ago we were working with Yoshi Takai (who was ranked as the number two gymnast in the world at the time), and during the National GFA Championships, Yoshi ripped the palm of his hand wide open while working on the high bar.
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| Yoshiaki Takei |
Like Yoshi, some athletes will participate with pain and injury, but unlike Yoshi, they will let everyone know that they're hurt. From a purely psychological standpoint, this type of behavior significantly decreases the pressure to perform well, because if the athlete fails, he has a legitimate excuse -- his injury. Many times, because of the decrease in pressure and expectations of the audience, the athlete may do better than he expected. However, the reverse can occur with athletes who perform better under pressure.
The severity of the injury, of course, has a lot to do with the athlete's performance. If the injury is crippling, it is doubtful that the athlete will be able to perform, let alone perform well. However, I have observed such a feat. A powerlifter we were working with named Tommy Dopson had been training for months for the Georgia Iron Man Championships which were held near Statesboro, Ga. It was at these championships that Tommy planned to go for his Master's rating. He had worked super hard for the meet, and had sacrificed just bout everything -- including a semester at school. At the meet, Tommy seemed relaxed and confident. Tommy's squats and bench presses went just as planned. In fact, going into the deadlift Tommy looked like a shoe-in to get his Master's. All he had to do was pull a 530 deadlift -- a weight that he had pulled many times before.
However, on his first attempt with the weight, Tommy ripped a muscle in his lower lumbar region. He immediately fell to the platform with a severe back spasm. He was then carried to the dressing room so that he could get medical attention. It was obvious that he was in extreme pain, and just as obvious that his bid to go Master would have to wait, but Tommy refused to give up his goal. Tommy, who was trained in self-hypnosis, was able to hypnotize himself and induce hypnotic analgesia -- thereby removing the sensation of pain from his back. Moments later, against everyone's judgement, he returned to the platform and showed no sign that he was experiencing any pain whatsover.
During the time interval between Tommy's injury and his return to the platform, the bar had been raised to 540 lbs. To be honest, we didn't believe that he could pull the weight. Even though Tommy was successful in blocking out the pain, his body was still injured. To our amazement, and to the amazement of everyone else, Tommy pulled a hard, legitimate lift.
As he said later, "The pain of not trying would have been much greater than the pain from my injury."
Of course, what Tommy did was extremely dangerous, and we certainly do not advocate such measure. By continuing to lift, he could have injured himself further. Pain is a warning that something is wrong. To ignore such a warning can be self-defeating. Still, many lifters continue to lift while injured or experiencing pain. The fear of atrophying, falling behind the competition, losing strength and power that was developed over months of training are just a few of the reasons why some lifters push themselves in spite of pain.
But what causes pain?
The Perception of Pain
There are four different senses associated with the skin: pressure, warmth, cold, and pain. Specialized receptors in the skin have been identified for each of these senses with the notable exception of pain. That is, when a temperature receptor in the skin is stimulated, impulses travel over nerves to the spinal cord where they ascend to the brain. Then they reach the sensory area or the parietal love, they give rise to a temperature sensation. In fact, electrical stimulation of this area of the brain will produce temperature sensations even though the skin has not been stimulated. But no one has discovered a specialized receptor in the skin for pain, and unlike other senses, there is no area on the cerebral cortex which gives rise to sensations of pain. So how do pain signals get started?
Fast Fibers Versus Slow
Some of the axons of nerves in your skin have a fatty sheath around them (myelinated fibers) and are thus insulated. This insulation affects the speed of the nervous impulse -- making it many times faster than other impulses from fibers which are not insulated. The unmyelinated nerve fibers of your skin are relatively slow to send their impulses to the spinal cord. Interestingly, when the slow fibers are intensely stimulated they produce a sensation of pain, whereas, stimulation of the fast fibers produces a pressure or temperature sensation. (The research procedure involves sticking a micro-electrode into the fiber, stimulating it electrically, and observing what happens.) It is the relative amount of activity of fast and slow fibers that determines whether or not pain messages will get through to the brain.
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The Spinal Gate
Physiological psychologist Ronald Melzack and his associate Patrick Wall (foremost researchers in the area of pain) have proposed that there is a kind of neurological gate in the spinal cord which determines whether or not you will experience pain. If the fast fibers are active, then this blocks of closes the gate so that the pain messages arriving via the slow fibers will not get through. Thus, the individual feels no pain. If, on the other hand, there is little fast fiber activity (especially if the fast fibers were destroyed), then even slight slow fiber stimulation will cause pain.
Cortical Control of Pain
According to Melzack and Wall, the spinal gate can be affected by higher centers in the brain. The descending fibers in the spinal cord run from the brain down through the spinal cord. The descending fibers can affect the spinal gate and thereby control the amount of stimulation passing through.
The perception of pain depends not only on stimulation of pain fibers, but to a great extent on what the rest of the nervous system is doing. For example, we're sure that all of you have experienced painful injuries, but that you sometimes found yourself so involved in doing something that you were unaware of any pain. The key to cognitive control of pain involves this ability to control one's attention, and also control one's interpretation of the sensations which may or may not be interpreted as pain.
Altering one's expectations through hypnosis, suggestion, placebos, and other psychological means can be quite effective in reducing pain. One lifter we know uses mono-idealism to block out pain during the deadlift. He quickly shouts, 'Pull! Pull! Pull! . . . Pull!', and this preoccupation effectively blocks out pain.
Psychological influences often seem mysterious to individuals because they think of mental events as some kind of ethereal force which is somehow separate from the body. But if you destroy the body, you destroy the mind. The mind is in fact brain, and although the physical mechanism which gives rise to consciousness is still a great mystery, no scientist doubts its physical basis.
When we teach someone something, we are indirectly operating on the brain, changing the structure and/or functioning of neurons in a much more specific and controlled way than is yet possible with direct surgical intervention.
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Progressive Levels of Training - Steve Davis (1976)
Progressive weight training is not limited to the simple increase of weight in a given exercise to increase muscle mass. Progressive weight training can encompass time and timing -- two complex considerations for the bodybuilder.
To begin, count your most important 'peak' of the year as the ending day of your training plan and backdate 365 days from that point as the start. The theory is to divide the year into seven individual time periods each representing increased training intensity. Frank Zane was one of the originators of this type of training applied to bodybuilding. He applied it to his training with success that is now bodybuilding history.
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To begin, count your most important 'peak' of the year as the ending day of your training plan and backdate 365 days from that point as the start. The theory is to divide the year into seven individual time periods each representing increased training intensity. Frank Zane was one of the originators of this type of training applied to bodybuilding. He applied it to his training with success that is now bodybuilding history.
Using this training method I was able to go from a fourth place finish in the 1975 Mr. Los Angeles to winning the AABA Mr. California and Most Muscular, and taking second place in the AABA Mr. America. This training program will transform your physique like none other because it's really a framework that you will personally design.
Here is a short summary of the progression levels:
Level One
This level is the foundation for your entire year's training. You should try to avoid any injury for the year by insuring that you start with light weights and proper exercise performance. You should plan to work each of the body parts (shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, chest, back, legs, and waist) three times per week using one exercise. Do three sets per body part and train the entire body each day. Begin this level after a short layoff following the prior year's major peak. Stay at this level for 5 weeks.
Level Two
Work each body part twice per week doing five sets. Use a split routine and train the upper body on Monday and Thursday, the lower body on Tuesday and Friday. Again, use only one exercise per body part. Stay at this level for 8-10 weeks.
Level Three
Work each body part twice per week, however, select two exercises for each body part and do five sets of each exercise. Use the same split routine as Level Two. Stay at this level for 5 weeks.
Level Four
Select three exercises per body part and do five sets per exercise. Again work on the same split routine. Stay at this level for 5 weeks.
Level Five
Select two exercises per body part, split your workouts like this:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday - Shoulders, Triceps, Biceps, Forearms, Calves.
Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday - Chest, Back, Forearms, Legs, Abs.
Stay at this level for 10 weeks.
Level Six
Increase the number of exercises to three per body part and stay on this level for 10 weeks.
Level Seven
This level should take you successfully to your main peak of that year. Increase the number of sets per body part to 20, training each body part three times per week. This is the level at which you are to put the final touches on your physique this year for that look of total preparedness. Much like a chef, the bodybuilder must bring all his body parts to readiness at the same time so that the whole body becomes greater than the sum of its parts. One way to insure readiness is to spend time posing during this period to further bring out that finished look.
A word about the repetition counts. When doing 3 sets of an exercise start with 12 reps; add weight, do 10 reps; add weight and do 8 reps. The basic 5-set approach begins with a light weight for 12 reps; more weight and 10 reps; more weight and 8 reps; more weight and 7 reps; more weight and 6 reps.
Don't rest longer than 15-30 seconds between sets EVER. The shorter the rest periods between sets, the greater the work intensity. I say nothing here about the specific exercises you might use. The reason for this omission is that it is your responsibility to find the exercises that work best for you and use them. Select exercises that are best for your body type, your training style and for your development of symmetry and proportion.
Nutrition is 75% of bodybuilding. Don't get your information by hearsay. Get good books on mega-vitamin therapy and other nutritional practices. Keep an ear open in the gym, but at the same time keep your eyes on the writings of nutrition experts as they come out, even if they themselves are not bodybuilders. I've often heard bodybuilders brag about how much protein powder or liver tablets they consume daily. This is the tired old quantity theory that assumes if One is good, than One Hundred will be that much better. Nonsense.
Keep your supplement and food thresholds as low as possible. Why not try to get all you need from the least amount. Again, use the'levels' approach on your personal nutrition. Start with minimum amounts and increase them only as the need arises -- say, from more intense training. Vince Gironda told me that he never takes the same supplements each day. He takes what his body tells him he needs instead. Eating, taking supplements, and training are parts of the process that are different each day. The novice should react to his diet and supplementation as the need arises, even daily, and so should more advance trainers.
Finally, use the parable Know Thyself to its utmost. Know or learn what makes you tick, what your goals are, what exercises work for you, what supplements and foods you need and when, and the right level of physical development to be on. It's a little harder to train instinctively today, because so much is done for us. But I maintain that time will be saved and higher levels of success will be reached once you learn to teach yourself, and learn from yourself and your personal experiences.
That is progression.
Here is a short summary of the progression levels:
Level One
This level is the foundation for your entire year's training. You should try to avoid any injury for the year by insuring that you start with light weights and proper exercise performance. You should plan to work each of the body parts (shoulders, triceps, biceps, forearms, chest, back, legs, and waist) three times per week using one exercise. Do three sets per body part and train the entire body each day. Begin this level after a short layoff following the prior year's major peak. Stay at this level for 5 weeks.
Level Two
Work each body part twice per week doing five sets. Use a split routine and train the upper body on Monday and Thursday, the lower body on Tuesday and Friday. Again, use only one exercise per body part. Stay at this level for 8-10 weeks.
Level Three
Work each body part twice per week, however, select two exercises for each body part and do five sets of each exercise. Use the same split routine as Level Two. Stay at this level for 5 weeks.
Level Four
Select three exercises per body part and do five sets per exercise. Again work on the same split routine. Stay at this level for 5 weeks.
Level Five
Select two exercises per body part, split your workouts like this:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday - Shoulders, Triceps, Biceps, Forearms, Calves.
Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday - Chest, Back, Forearms, Legs, Abs.
Stay at this level for 10 weeks.
Level Six
Increase the number of exercises to three per body part and stay on this level for 10 weeks.
Level Seven
This level should take you successfully to your main peak of that year. Increase the number of sets per body part to 20, training each body part three times per week. This is the level at which you are to put the final touches on your physique this year for that look of total preparedness. Much like a chef, the bodybuilder must bring all his body parts to readiness at the same time so that the whole body becomes greater than the sum of its parts. One way to insure readiness is to spend time posing during this period to further bring out that finished look.
A word about the repetition counts. When doing 3 sets of an exercise start with 12 reps; add weight, do 10 reps; add weight and do 8 reps. The basic 5-set approach begins with a light weight for 12 reps; more weight and 10 reps; more weight and 8 reps; more weight and 7 reps; more weight and 6 reps.
Don't rest longer than 15-30 seconds between sets EVER. The shorter the rest periods between sets, the greater the work intensity. I say nothing here about the specific exercises you might use. The reason for this omission is that it is your responsibility to find the exercises that work best for you and use them. Select exercises that are best for your body type, your training style and for your development of symmetry and proportion.
Nutrition is 75% of bodybuilding. Don't get your information by hearsay. Get good books on mega-vitamin therapy and other nutritional practices. Keep an ear open in the gym, but at the same time keep your eyes on the writings of nutrition experts as they come out, even if they themselves are not bodybuilders. I've often heard bodybuilders brag about how much protein powder or liver tablets they consume daily. This is the tired old quantity theory that assumes if One is good, than One Hundred will be that much better. Nonsense.
Keep your supplement and food thresholds as low as possible. Why not try to get all you need from the least amount. Again, use the'levels' approach on your personal nutrition. Start with minimum amounts and increase them only as the need arises -- say, from more intense training. Vince Gironda told me that he never takes the same supplements each day. He takes what his body tells him he needs instead. Eating, taking supplements, and training are parts of the process that are different each day. The novice should react to his diet and supplementation as the need arises, even daily, and so should more advance trainers.
Finally, use the parable Know Thyself to its utmost. Know or learn what makes you tick, what your goals are, what exercises work for you, what supplements and foods you need and when, and the right level of physical development to be on. It's a little harder to train instinctively today, because so much is done for us. But I maintain that time will be saved and higher levels of success will be reached once you learn to teach yourself, and learn from yourself and your personal experiences.
That is progression.
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Weight Training/Conditioning Leg Routine
You can fire up the cardio effect of any weight training program by adding a conditioning component between sets (think Jump Squats, Burpees, Steep Incline Treadmill or Elliptical, etc.). In this workout, you will be following each leg superset with some high intensity pant-and-puffing. Why?
For starters, you'll be getting more bang for your buck by knocking out a cardio workout while simultaneously hitting your legs and glutes from several different angles. You'll also jump-start your metabolism and, if done intensely enough, will keep it revving for hours afterwards.
The Workout
Move through the supersets, performing rounds of each before moving on to the next superset pairing. Keep moving! Perform 8-12 reps (this can be varied) of each exercise in the superset - without rest (this cannot be varied) - then finish it off with the cardio booster. After that you can take a breather before going back to the top and repeating the whole three movement circuit, but keep it minimal and keep trying to shorten these rest periods and increase your poundages and cardio movement intensity as well. Work up to four rounds of each superset.
Superset A:
Barbell Semi-Stiff-Legged Deadlift - superset with
Dumbbell of Barbell Reverse Lunge - go directly to
your choice of a cardio boosting movement or machine.
Superset B:
Barbell Squat to Leg Extension to Cardio Boost.
Superset C:
Glute Ham Raise to Dumbbell or Barbell Step-up to Cardio Boost.
Feel free to develop this idea with other supersets, other movements or bodyparts.
It can quite easily be altered to accommodate whatever goals you're after.
The routine can be anywhere from mainly strength-centered, with a slight cardio-conditioning aspect
to cardio/endurance-specific with a goal of hypertrophy from the weight movements.
There's no limit once you lose the fear of thinking for yourself.
Use slow, controlled movements on the first two movements, even though you might get the urge to speed up the rep execution just to get done once your heart starts racing. Keep Control! I mean, who's the boss around here . . . is it you or is it fear?
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Rapid Weight Gain - Fred R. Howell
Click Pics to ENLARGE
You Can Gain 25 lbs. in One Month
As Rader, Eells and Hise Did
Wayne Martin gained 25 pounds in one month. Not only had he gained almost a pound a day, but he did it without living a sheltered life. It didn't seem possible at first. When he weighed himself on my scales I thought they must be busted! I shook the scale as hard as I could and then ran downstairs to the gym to get a 50-lb plate to test the scale. First I weighed myself and then I tried the barbell plate. Both my weight and that of the barbell plate registered right on the mark! Wayne stepped back on the scale and it said the same thing. 185 pounds. One month ago, on the same scale, he weighed 160.
It all started when we were in high school. One night around 9:30, I was doing my last exercise when the side door opened and closed. Bounding down the stairs came Wayne and puffing and panting he said, "You just have to help me gain weight. I want to make the wrestling team and besides that, the guys at work pick on me. One guy has a sister that knows my sister, and my big-mouth sister told him I lift weights! Now he makes sure I get all the heavy stuff to do like unloading a truck or moving stuff around in the storeroom."
"And how long do we have to perform this miracle?" I asked.
"About five weeks."
"You must be nuts! Your biggest gain so far was five pounds in a month. Besides that, you go to school and hold down a part time job. Exactly when do you expect to find the time to train?"
"After I get home from work at quarter past nine at night. I can train out in the back yard in the fresh air. No one can see me because we have a lot of shrubs between us and the neighbors. I have to gain weight! The lighter classes in wrestling will be packed with guys trying to make the team."
"How much time do you have to exercise?"
"I figure about a half an hour. Then I can get to bed by 10 and get eight-and-a-half hours sleep."
"Now hold it just one minute Wayne, old man. You used to make fun of me, for wanting to gain weight. You said I looked like a bloated watermelon."
"I was only kidding you. Now, if I recall, you said you could put weight on a broomstick if you could get it to do just one exercise. So, here's your chance to prove it."
"Let me think about it for a couple of days, Wayne, and maybe I can come up with some kind of routine to put some quick beef on you."
"Don't forget, I can train in my backyard where it's cool."
At first it seemed impossible to find a routine that would work. Wayne was up at 6:30 in the morning and was out to catch the school bus at 7:00. There was a funny sight. He lives on the side of a hill and got the school bus on the main highway at the bottom of the hill. Sleeping late most mornings, he would come hopping down the hill on one foot, trying to put his other shoe on and hollering for the bus driver to wait for him!
Then, at 3:00 he would ride the school bus to his stock-boy job at the Grand Union Supermarket. He was done at 9:00 and with a lucky ride using his thumb would be home a little after that. This, plus homework and working all day Saturday was a rough schedule. Then on Sunday his dad would find something to keep him busy such as mowing the lawn, painting the porch or washing the car.
Friday evening Wayne was back at my house to get his miracle routine.
"First, Wayne, get yourself some lengths of sturdy timber and sink a couple of them in the ground in the backyard to use as a squat rack. Then get a large hunk of plywood so you can use it to do some pullovers on. Now listen carefully.
"Load your barbell to equal your bodyweight, and you're ready to do the bodyweight squats. Be sure to add weight to your bar when you start to gain weight, but never use more than bodyweight on the bar.
"Now do 3 sets of 20 reps. Take three deep breaths between each rep. Rest about two minutes between sets or until your breathing returns to normal.
"Then you get to rest by doing three sets of the two-arm pullover. Get the piece of plywood and put a rug or some type of material on it for comfort. Do 3 sets of 15 reps and use about 30 pounds on your 5-foot bar. No cheating or bouncing the weight. You can bend your elbows just a little to make the exercise more comfortable.
"The bar should be light and easy to use. If you start to add poundage, you will defeat the purpose of the exercise. We want to expand the rib cage, not exercise the surface muscles of the chest."
"What about my arms, Fred? I don't want them to shrink!"
"I wouldn't want your biceps to shrink to the size of your brain, so after a few warmup curls, do one set of barbell curls for 12 reps.
"Then one set of rowing, 12 reps, for your upper back. Last and very important, do one set of abdominal exercise. If time and energy permits, you might want to do a few side bends too. The waistline is like a weed in the garden. It grows fast and is very hard to get rid of after you own it!
"There are experts who claim that abdominal exercise holds back weight gains, but why cause yourself a problem? Any good abdominal exercise will do. Use one you like and you won't skip it because you're tired."
"I like to hang from a tree limb and do leg raises."
"Good. It gave you good results before and will help you keep in shape. Lucky your neighbors can't see you playing in the tree.
"Now, living at home, Wayne, you're a victim of 'mother knows best' but try to get as much protein as possible. Don't stuff yourself with flab makers like cake, pie and bread. Get a balanced diet. Use supplements and drink skim milk instead of soda. Be sure to eat a snack before you go to bed. If you don't pack in the groceries then you won't gain weight. Your body can't make something out of nothing. You can't eat like a girl and expect to grow out of your clothes.
"The first workout do only one set of bodyweight squats. Then, the second and third workouts do two sets, and after that you can do the full three sets at each workout. Break in slowly if you're not used to high reps in the squat.
"Bodyweight squats can fool you. They look so easy! If you take three deep breaths between reps and do the full 20 reps it may make your legs sore. Raised on low reps, much to my sorrow, I decided to try these light, high-rep squats. I did one set and had sore legs for three days.
"Your mental attitude is very important. You must feel this course of action will help you gain weight. Any negative thoughts and worry will slow down the results. You must feel yourself growing. This outlook will give you the ambition and pep never to miss a workout. It will give you a reason to care about what you eat and how long you sleep. Keep your goal to yourself. Others may try to discourage you and say it can't be done. Realize it can be done. Men such as John Grimek, Bob Hoffman, Jim Douglass, Leo Murdock, Joe Hise, Jules Bacon, Arthur Saxon, Steve Stanko and many others weren't born weighing over 200 pounds.
"Sleep is very important. Nine hours at least each night."
Wayne was able to get more sleep by taking cat naps. He would nap during his forty minute ride to school and back each day. He told the other kids he stayed up late at night and they would let him rest. If you didn't have any homework to do he would stick his head behind a book in the library during free periods and rest.
After he got started on the routine you could see Wayne grow week by week. One month later, Wayne had gained 25 pounds and had outgrown all his shirts.
This course can help you to gain weight. Use it for a month or two and then go back to your regular routine. The idea of this routine is to give you just enough exercise to stimulate growth. If you start to add exercises then the routine will not work. About three weeks into the course, Wayne complained that his triceps were getting soft so we broke our own rule and added the dumbbell bench press for 3 sets of 12 reps. He still gained weight, so it wasn't too much for him. Now, let's go over the routine and also tell you what to do while on it.
1) Bodyweight Squat. 3 sets of 20 reps.
Take three deep breaths between each rep, then squat, three deep breaths, squat, until you rep out the 20 reps. The weight may seem light but if you do the exercise correctly you will be more than glad to set down that bar after a full 20 reps. Use parallel squats if you prefer them over full squats.
2) Two-arm Pullover. 3 sets of 15 reps.
Use a light weight. The purpose of the exercise is to expand the rib cage, not work the surface muscles. If you use too much weight you will pay more attention to moving the weight than expanding the rib cage.
3) Two-arm Curl. 1 set of 15 reps.
4) Barbell Row. 1 set of 15 reps.
5) A set of your favorite abdominal exercise for 20 reps.
6) Dumbbell Bench Press. 3 sets of 12 reps.
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Since the days of Calvert, Mark Berry and Jowett the word has been out that chest and leg exercise will pack on bodyweight rapidly. Puff out the chest and stimulate the legs and before long the scale that refused to move will show a weight gain. This is very important psychologically. If weeks go by with little weight gain by a beginner or someone with months of experience, they begin to doubt that weight training will work for them. A loss of interest, a few skipped workouts, and eventually they drift way from the endeavor.
Now, let's go over the squat again for it is the most important exercise in the routine. If it is not done correctly then most of the weight gain won't materialize. If you have worn holes in the floor doing heavy squats, then bodyweight squats will fool you with the ease with which they can be done. But don't be fooled, they definitely work for what we want here. Take a weight equal to your bodyweight, squat down, come back up, and take three deep breaths, hold the last one as you squat down, inhale on the ascent, take three more deep breaths and repeat. Be sure to exhale strongly as you come out of the squat, and make each of the three breaths as deep as possible.
As for your diet, be sure to eat healthy foods. Don't make the mistake of stuffing yourself with anything that isn't nailed down. Eat chicken, tuna and other fish, vegetables, whole wheat products, fruits and plenty of liquids. Hold it . . . you don't have to flood yourself, just be sure you get enough liquids in your system. The idea is to gain muscle, not fat. Sure, I know some of you are so desperate you will take any weight gain in any form, but you don't want to have to reduce later. Also, you want to build good health at the same time. You can't do all this eating junk food and all sorts of crap and expect to maintain your health.
Not only is the 'hard gainer' prime for this course, but so is the football player who needs a fast weight gain, the wrestler at the low end of his weight class who finds himself pushed around. A few guys have used it to gain employment as policemen and firemen after being so skinny they had to hold on to a tree when the wind blew! Use this course for a couple months, then switch off and do your regular routine for a while, then you can return and use it again.
For each exercise warm up with a light weight for 10 reps. Then do the prescribed exercise and reps. If tears run down your cheeks because you are only allowed one set of curls you can add a second set. But if you change the routine any further, then it will soon become just another standard exercise routine and the rapid weight gain will be lost.
It usually takes about a week to get used to the new way of doing the squat. If after the second week of exercise your legs still feel tired the day you exercise, you can cut the sets of squats down to two. But if at all possible try to do the full three sets of squats. Work out three non-consecutive days each week.
This course will only work if you do. If you follow the instructions to the letter and include the three requirements of the right exercise routine, good nutrition, and plenty of rest you will gain weight. If you burn the candle at both ends, add exercises to the routine and don't eat enough good food, don't blame the course when you don't succeed.
This is your basic road map to occasional rapid weight gain. Now follow the directions to success.
"Now hold it just one minute Wayne, old man. You used to make fun of me, for wanting to gain weight. You said I looked like a bloated watermelon."
"I was only kidding you. Now, if I recall, you said you could put weight on a broomstick if you could get it to do just one exercise. So, here's your chance to prove it."
"Let me think about it for a couple of days, Wayne, and maybe I can come up with some kind of routine to put some quick beef on you."
"Don't forget, I can train in my backyard where it's cool."
At first it seemed impossible to find a routine that would work. Wayne was up at 6:30 in the morning and was out to catch the school bus at 7:00. There was a funny sight. He lives on the side of a hill and got the school bus on the main highway at the bottom of the hill. Sleeping late most mornings, he would come hopping down the hill on one foot, trying to put his other shoe on and hollering for the bus driver to wait for him!
Then, at 3:00 he would ride the school bus to his stock-boy job at the Grand Union Supermarket. He was done at 9:00 and with a lucky ride using his thumb would be home a little after that. This, plus homework and working all day Saturday was a rough schedule. Then on Sunday his dad would find something to keep him busy such as mowing the lawn, painting the porch or washing the car.
Friday evening Wayne was back at my house to get his miracle routine.
"First, Wayne, get yourself some lengths of sturdy timber and sink a couple of them in the ground in the backyard to use as a squat rack. Then get a large hunk of plywood so you can use it to do some pullovers on. Now listen carefully.
"Load your barbell to equal your bodyweight, and you're ready to do the bodyweight squats. Be sure to add weight to your bar when you start to gain weight, but never use more than bodyweight on the bar.
"Now do 3 sets of 20 reps. Take three deep breaths between each rep. Rest about two minutes between sets or until your breathing returns to normal.
"Then you get to rest by doing three sets of the two-arm pullover. Get the piece of plywood and put a rug or some type of material on it for comfort. Do 3 sets of 15 reps and use about 30 pounds on your 5-foot bar. No cheating or bouncing the weight. You can bend your elbows just a little to make the exercise more comfortable.
"The bar should be light and easy to use. If you start to add poundage, you will defeat the purpose of the exercise. We want to expand the rib cage, not exercise the surface muscles of the chest."
"What about my arms, Fred? I don't want them to shrink!"
"I wouldn't want your biceps to shrink to the size of your brain, so after a few warmup curls, do one set of barbell curls for 12 reps.
"Then one set of rowing, 12 reps, for your upper back. Last and very important, do one set of abdominal exercise. If time and energy permits, you might want to do a few side bends too. The waistline is like a weed in the garden. It grows fast and is very hard to get rid of after you own it!
"There are experts who claim that abdominal exercise holds back weight gains, but why cause yourself a problem? Any good abdominal exercise will do. Use one you like and you won't skip it because you're tired."
"I like to hang from a tree limb and do leg raises."
"Good. It gave you good results before and will help you keep in shape. Lucky your neighbors can't see you playing in the tree.
"Now, living at home, Wayne, you're a victim of 'mother knows best' but try to get as much protein as possible. Don't stuff yourself with flab makers like cake, pie and bread. Get a balanced diet. Use supplements and drink skim milk instead of soda. Be sure to eat a snack before you go to bed. If you don't pack in the groceries then you won't gain weight. Your body can't make something out of nothing. You can't eat like a girl and expect to grow out of your clothes.
"The first workout do only one set of bodyweight squats. Then, the second and third workouts do two sets, and after that you can do the full three sets at each workout. Break in slowly if you're not used to high reps in the squat.
"Bodyweight squats can fool you. They look so easy! If you take three deep breaths between reps and do the full 20 reps it may make your legs sore. Raised on low reps, much to my sorrow, I decided to try these light, high-rep squats. I did one set and had sore legs for three days.
"Your mental attitude is very important. You must feel this course of action will help you gain weight. Any negative thoughts and worry will slow down the results. You must feel yourself growing. This outlook will give you the ambition and pep never to miss a workout. It will give you a reason to care about what you eat and how long you sleep. Keep your goal to yourself. Others may try to discourage you and say it can't be done. Realize it can be done. Men such as John Grimek, Bob Hoffman, Jim Douglass, Leo Murdock, Joe Hise, Jules Bacon, Arthur Saxon, Steve Stanko and many others weren't born weighing over 200 pounds.
"Sleep is very important. Nine hours at least each night."
Wayne was able to get more sleep by taking cat naps. He would nap during his forty minute ride to school and back each day. He told the other kids he stayed up late at night and they would let him rest. If you didn't have any homework to do he would stick his head behind a book in the library during free periods and rest.
After he got started on the routine you could see Wayne grow week by week. One month later, Wayne had gained 25 pounds and had outgrown all his shirts.
This course can help you to gain weight. Use it for a month or two and then go back to your regular routine. The idea of this routine is to give you just enough exercise to stimulate growth. If you start to add exercises then the routine will not work. About three weeks into the course, Wayne complained that his triceps were getting soft so we broke our own rule and added the dumbbell bench press for 3 sets of 12 reps. He still gained weight, so it wasn't too much for him. Now, let's go over the routine and also tell you what to do while on it.
1) Bodyweight Squat. 3 sets of 20 reps.
Take three deep breaths between each rep, then squat, three deep breaths, squat, until you rep out the 20 reps. The weight may seem light but if you do the exercise correctly you will be more than glad to set down that bar after a full 20 reps. Use parallel squats if you prefer them over full squats.
2) Two-arm Pullover. 3 sets of 15 reps.
Use a light weight. The purpose of the exercise is to expand the rib cage, not work the surface muscles. If you use too much weight you will pay more attention to moving the weight than expanding the rib cage.
3) Two-arm Curl. 1 set of 15 reps.
4) Barbell Row. 1 set of 15 reps.
5) A set of your favorite abdominal exercise for 20 reps.
6) Dumbbell Bench Press. 3 sets of 12 reps.
Since the days of Calvert, Mark Berry and Jowett the word has been out that chest and leg exercise will pack on bodyweight rapidly. Puff out the chest and stimulate the legs and before long the scale that refused to move will show a weight gain. This is very important psychologically. If weeks go by with little weight gain by a beginner or someone with months of experience, they begin to doubt that weight training will work for them. A loss of interest, a few skipped workouts, and eventually they drift way from the endeavor.
Now, let's go over the squat again for it is the most important exercise in the routine. If it is not done correctly then most of the weight gain won't materialize. If you have worn holes in the floor doing heavy squats, then bodyweight squats will fool you with the ease with which they can be done. But don't be fooled, they definitely work for what we want here. Take a weight equal to your bodyweight, squat down, come back up, and take three deep breaths, hold the last one as you squat down, inhale on the ascent, take three more deep breaths and repeat. Be sure to exhale strongly as you come out of the squat, and make each of the three breaths as deep as possible.
As for your diet, be sure to eat healthy foods. Don't make the mistake of stuffing yourself with anything that isn't nailed down. Eat chicken, tuna and other fish, vegetables, whole wheat products, fruits and plenty of liquids. Hold it . . . you don't have to flood yourself, just be sure you get enough liquids in your system. The idea is to gain muscle, not fat. Sure, I know some of you are so desperate you will take any weight gain in any form, but you don't want to have to reduce later. Also, you want to build good health at the same time. You can't do all this eating junk food and all sorts of crap and expect to maintain your health.
Not only is the 'hard gainer' prime for this course, but so is the football player who needs a fast weight gain, the wrestler at the low end of his weight class who finds himself pushed around. A few guys have used it to gain employment as policemen and firemen after being so skinny they had to hold on to a tree when the wind blew! Use this course for a couple months, then switch off and do your regular routine for a while, then you can return and use it again.
For each exercise warm up with a light weight for 10 reps. Then do the prescribed exercise and reps. If tears run down your cheeks because you are only allowed one set of curls you can add a second set. But if you change the routine any further, then it will soon become just another standard exercise routine and the rapid weight gain will be lost.
It usually takes about a week to get used to the new way of doing the squat. If after the second week of exercise your legs still feel tired the day you exercise, you can cut the sets of squats down to two. But if at all possible try to do the full three sets of squats. Work out three non-consecutive days each week.
This course will only work if you do. If you follow the instructions to the letter and include the three requirements of the right exercise routine, good nutrition, and plenty of rest you will gain weight. If you burn the candle at both ends, add exercises to the routine and don't eat enough good food, don't blame the course when you don't succeed.
This is your basic road map to occasional rapid weight gain. Now follow the directions to success.
↧
Multi-Angular Training - Don Ross
Now you will further stimulate muscle growth by training each muscle group with 4 different exercises, each one hitting the muscle from a different angle. This will completely work each muscle group, working many muscle fibers that weren't worked i8n the previous programs.
You will increase the number of exercises per body part while decreasing the number of sets per exercise. This should allow you plenty of energy to make those constant strength gains which are a sure indication of muscle size increases. The routine will be 6 days a week, working each body part twice a week. Do 3 sets of each exercise. Once again, keep your rest periods between sets to a minimum. Constantly strive to use heavier weights in each exercise while maintaining form.
The 1st day will be upper body day. We will begin with the chest. The exercises for the chest warm up your shoulders, which we will work next. We'll conclude the shoulder work with a rear deltoid exercise, which ties into the upper back structure. We will, therefore, conclude this day's workout with upper back exercises.
Start with a pair of light dumbbells for the incline dumbbell press and do 2 warmup sets of 15 reps. Next move up to the heaviest weight that you can do 8 reps with, palms away. This works your upper chest; the next exercise, the mid-chest. Next work on the shape along the bottom and sides of the pectorals with chest dips. The chest machine will build the cleavage and inner pecs. To build width by enlarging the lateral deltoids, do barbell presses behind the neck with a wide grip. Barbell front raises build the front deltoid and create impressive development of the delt-pec tie-in.
Along with the neck and forearms, the rear deltoids are a frequently neglected muscle. Build these with bentover lateral raises for that finished, round look (the Nautilus 'shoulder girdle row' will do the exact same movement and can be used for this exercise). This will warm up the upper back for the following exercises listed.
The 2nd day we will concentrate on the arms. This body part receives the most attention, so arm development is emphasized in this course. Begin with 2 light warmup sets of standing barbell curls before taking your heaviest weight for 6 reps in the vertical preacher bench curls which pump the inner head of the biceps. The isolated curls work the outer, or long, head. If you haven't been doing reverse-grip barbell curls, they will add instant size to the upper arms. Complete your forearm work with wrist curls.
It is said that the triceps compose 2/3 of the upper arm. This depends largely on how the individual's arms are proportioned. Whatever the case, the triceps make up a lot of the arm's circumference. Enlarging them adds inches of measurement. Begin with close-grip triceps pushdowns on the overhead pulley. This warms up the elbows as well as building muscle. It primes the tendons for the next exercises. Finish this day's workout with neck exercises.
The 3rd day will be lower body day. Begin with abdominal work. This will serve as a warmup for the rest of the routine, and will be a cycle of 4 exercises. Do a set of 10 reps of each exercise, and do one set of each exercise one right after the other without rest. Perform 3 complete cycles. Increase your reps until you reach 20. At this point, perform them harder as you get accustomed to the routine. More reps aren't necessary.
The leg press can be done on a seated or lying type press machine. Begin with a light warmup set, then go heavy for your 3 sets. Conclude the day's workout with lower back work. Alternate hyperextensions with barbell bendovers.
Multi-Angular Training Routine
1st and 4th Days
Incline DB Press - 2 x 15, 1 x 8.
Flat Bench Flye - 3 x 8.
Chest Dips - 3 x 8.
Chest Machine - 3 x 12.
Standing Lateral Raise - 3 x 8.
Barbell Wide Grip PBN - 3 x 6.
Barbell Front Raises - 3 x 8.
Bentover Lateral Raises - 3 x 8.
Chin Ups - 3 x 6.
Lat Machine Pulldown - 3 x 8.
Bentover DB Row - 3 x 8.
Pullover Machine - 3 x 12.
2nd and 5th Days
Vertical Close Grip Preacher Curls - 3 x 6.
Wide Grip Isolated Curls - 3 x 8.
Standing DB Curls - 3 x 8.
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls - 3 x 12.
Barbell Wrist Curls - 3 x 10.
Reverse Grip Barbell Wrist Curls - 3 x 10.
Triceps Pushdowns, Close Grip - 3 x 10.
Triceps Pushdowns, Reverse Grip - 3 x 10.
Medium Grip French Press - 3 x 6.
Triceps Kick-Backs - 3 x 8.
Back Neck Resistance - 3 x 12.
Front Neck Resistance - 3 x 12.
3rd and 6th Days
Crunch/Leg Raise/Modified RollUp/V-up - 3 cycles of 10-20.
Leg Press - 3 x 8.
Leg Extension - 3 x 6.
Leg Curl - 3 x 8.
Lean-back Squats - 3 x 12.
Standing Calf Raise - 3 x 20.
Seated Calf Raise - 3 x 15.
Calf Raise on Leg Press - 3 x 12.
Calf Raise on Hack Machine - 3 x 10.
Hyperextension - 3 x 10, superset with
Barbell Bend-Overs - 3 x 8.
↧
The 4 Rep System Routine - Don Ross
4 REP SYSTEM
This program will continue to shock your muscles into new growth. In it, you benefit from 4 different systems, ranging from low reps/heavy weight to high reps/light weight.
Begin with a light warmup in the 1st exercise of each bodypart, then go immediately to a heavy weight and do 3 sets of 6 reps of that exercise. The 6th rep of each set should be a struggle. Rest no more than a minute between sets, no more than 2 minutes between exercises, and no more than 5 minutes between bodyparts.
The 2nd exercise of the group will consist of 3 sets of 8 reps. In all of these, use a weight that makes the last rep difficult. Use good form in each exercise. The 3rd exercise will be 3 sets of 12 reps. The final exercise of the group will give you the finishing pump of your life! It consists of 2 sets of 20 reps.
This will be a 3-way split routine: chest, shoulders and upper back the 1st day; arms and abs the 2nd day; thighs, calves and lower back the 3rd day.
This is a combination of exercises designed to hit each muscle group from all angles .
THE 4 REP SYSTEM
1st and 4th Days
Chest:
Barbell Bench Press - 3 x 6
Incline Flye - 3 x 8
Decline DB Press - 3 x 12
Cross-Pulley Flyes - 2 x 20
Shoulders:
Barbell Press Behind Neck - 3 x 6
Standing Lateral Raise - 3 x 8
Upright Row - 3 x 12
Dumbbell Presses - 2 x 20
Back:
Behind Neck Chins - 3 x 6
Close Grip Chins - 3 x 8
Bentover BB Row - 3 x 12
Bent Forward Low Pulley Row - 2 x 20
- Take a medium grip on a floor pulley. Standing several feet away from the machine, bend forward. Stretch your arms forward. Pull the bar to your chest by bringing your elbows back.
- Variation: One-Arm Pulley Rows - Brace with one arm against the low pulley machine, pull back on the pulley with the other arm.
2nd and 5th Days
Biceps:
BB Curl - 3 x 6
Seated DB Curl - 3 x 8
Floor Pulley Curls - 3 x 12
- Take a close grip on the bar of a floor pulley. Sit about five feet from the pulley; keep your elbows at your sides, hands level with your waist. Curl the bar to your shoulders.
Preacher Bench Curl - 2 x 20
Triceps:
BB French Press - 3 x 6
Lying DB Triceps Extension - 3 x 8
Triceps Pushdowns, Close Grip - 3 x 12
Triceps Pushdowns, Reverse Grip - 2 x 20
Abdominals:
Decline Situp - 3 x 6
Roman Chair Situp - 3 x 8
Hanging Leg Lift - 3 x 12
Modified Roll Up - 2 x 20
3rd and 6th Days
Thighs:
Leg Press - 3 x 6
Hack Squat - 3 x 8
Leg Extension - 3 x 12
Lean-Back Squat - 2 x 20
Calves:
Standing Calf Raise - 3 x 6
Seated Calf Raise - 3 x 8
One-Legged Calf Raise - 3 x 12
Leg Press Calf Raise - 2 x 20
Lower Back:
Deadlift - 3 x 6
Barbell Bend-Over - 3 x 8
Stiff-Legged Deadlift - 3 x 12
Hyperextension - 2 x 20
Begin with a light warmup in the 1st exercise of each bodypart, then go immediately to a heavy weight and do 3 sets of 6 reps of that exercise. The 6th rep of each set should be a struggle. Rest no more than a minute between sets, no more than 2 minutes between exercises, and no more than 5 minutes between bodyparts.
The 2nd exercise of the group will consist of 3 sets of 8 reps. In all of these, use a weight that makes the last rep difficult. Use good form in each exercise. The 3rd exercise will be 3 sets of 12 reps. The final exercise of the group will give you the finishing pump of your life! It consists of 2 sets of 20 reps.
This will be a 3-way split routine: chest, shoulders and upper back the 1st day; arms and abs the 2nd day; thighs, calves and lower back the 3rd day.
This is a combination of exercises designed to hit each muscle group from all angles .
THE 4 REP SYSTEM
1st and 4th Days
Chest:
Barbell Bench Press - 3 x 6
Incline Flye - 3 x 8
Decline DB Press - 3 x 12
Cross-Pulley Flyes - 2 x 20
Shoulders:
Barbell Press Behind Neck - 3 x 6
Standing Lateral Raise - 3 x 8
Upright Row - 3 x 12
Dumbbell Presses - 2 x 20
Back:
Behind Neck Chins - 3 x 6
Close Grip Chins - 3 x 8
Bentover BB Row - 3 x 12
Bent Forward Low Pulley Row - 2 x 20
- Take a medium grip on a floor pulley. Standing several feet away from the machine, bend forward. Stretch your arms forward. Pull the bar to your chest by bringing your elbows back.
- Variation: One-Arm Pulley Rows - Brace with one arm against the low pulley machine, pull back on the pulley with the other arm.
2nd and 5th Days
Biceps:
BB Curl - 3 x 6
Seated DB Curl - 3 x 8
Floor Pulley Curls - 3 x 12
- Take a close grip on the bar of a floor pulley. Sit about five feet from the pulley; keep your elbows at your sides, hands level with your waist. Curl the bar to your shoulders.
Preacher Bench Curl - 2 x 20
Triceps:
BB French Press - 3 x 6
Lying DB Triceps Extension - 3 x 8
Triceps Pushdowns, Close Grip - 3 x 12
Triceps Pushdowns, Reverse Grip - 2 x 20
Abdominals:
Decline Situp - 3 x 6
Roman Chair Situp - 3 x 8
Hanging Leg Lift - 3 x 12
Modified Roll Up - 2 x 20
3rd and 6th Days
Thighs:
Leg Press - 3 x 6
Hack Squat - 3 x 8
Leg Extension - 3 x 12
Lean-Back Squat - 2 x 20
Calves:
Standing Calf Raise - 3 x 6
Seated Calf Raise - 3 x 8
One-Legged Calf Raise - 3 x 12
Leg Press Calf Raise - 2 x 20
Lower Back:
Deadlift - 3 x 6
Barbell Bend-Over - 3 x 8
Stiff-Legged Deadlift - 3 x 12
Hyperextension - 2 x 20
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