Training

85 percent of Americans suffer from back pain at one time or another. Back pain is the most common cause of disability in adults and results in more than 145 million lost work days per year, at an annual cost of $100 to $200 billion. Pain-relieving medications are the primary treatment, but they only reduce the symptoms and do not treat the cause of the problem.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire offers a three-week "functional restoration program" that includes exercise, relaxation and behavioral counseling. Unfortunately, many of the exercises emphasize flexion and extension of the trunk, which replicate the mechanisms of injury.

Research conducted by Canadian biomechanist Stuart McGill showed that isometric core exercises are superior to traditional dynamic core-building exercises because they develop core stiffness and spinal stability. Stiffness of the core strengthens the muscles of the core and improves their endurance, thereby reducing lower back pain and improving athletic performance. Increased core stiffness transfers strength and speed to the extremities, increasing the load-bearing capacity of the spine and protecting the internal organs during daily movements.

Isometric exercises for the core resulted in greater core stiffness than performing dynamic whole-body exercises that activated the muscles of the core. His research on core stiffness is changing the way we train for sports and treat back pain.

(The Wall Street Journal, November 13, 2015; Backfitpro.com)

The physiological response to a high-intensity interval training program with kettlebells, developed by Brian Williams and Robert Kraemer of Southeastern Louisiana University, is designed to build endurance and strength. The program consists of a 12-minute kettlebell workout that uses the Tabata training regime - repetitions of 20-second kettlebell exercises followed by 10 seconds of rest. The kettlebell exercises used in this training cycle were sumo squats, kettlebell swings, one-arm deadlifts and presses, and sumo deadlifts. The responses to the kettlebell circuit were similar to the responses to interval training of the same duration performed on an ergometer. Calorie expenditure and heart rate were similar for both workouts.

This study has broadened our view of high-intensity training. A high-intensity kettlebell circuit can be a substitute for high-intensity interval training on an ergometer or elliptical trainer.

(Journal Strength and Conditioning Research, 29: 3317 - 3325, 2015)

Here's what you need to know...

1. Whether you want maximum strength, hypertrophy or fat loss, the 24 - 50 principle will get you there faster.
2. The 24 - 50 Principle is the only set/repetition scheme you need to avoid the most common pitfalls that exercisers often fall into. Follow it and adapt it from training session to training session.
3. Learn to arrange your sets and reps to build strength without sacrificing muscle mass, to achieve muscle hypertrophy without losing strength or to lose fat without burning muscle.
4. Each 24 - 50 chart includes specific parameters to help you achieve your goals.

The 24 - 50 principle

What is your goal: strength, hypertrophy (mass) or fat loss?

We've all heard that specific set/repetition schemes are best for each of these goals. While it is true that specific parameters are good for an intended goal, these parameters are often made up out of thin air. Every expert has different set/repeat rules. It gets confusing.

The 24 - 50 principle ends the confusion.

Basically, I've found that certain minimum and maximum set/repetition volumes are necessary for different structural and neural effects. I have developed key sentence/repetition volumes for each of these effects.

Adequate set/repetition volume will determine whether an athlete increases maximal strength with hypertrophy or increases hypertrophy without regard to maximal strength, or whether training provides sufficient stimulus to maintain muscle mass during fat loss.

Depending on your primary goal, your repetitions will be somewhere between 24 and 50.

With the 24 - 50 principle you will be able to

1. determine which set/repetition range is ideal for your goals.
2. figure out why a program is not working
3. Add variables to continuously manipulate your program design.

Choose your goal and find out how to apply the 24 - 50 principle to your training.

1. maximum strength with mass gains

The philosophy of maximal strength training assumes that training with heavy weights and low repetitions will produce minimal, if any, muscle growth.

Those who greatly increase their training load often greatly reduce their training volume. In other words, they perform few repetitions with heavy weights. Why? I blame the western linear periodization schemes that mandate low volume and heavy weights.

Anyone who has been involved in iron sports for any length of time knows that linear periodization has proven to be a lesson in futility. So let's assume that such reasoning is inadequate and manipulate the maximum strength parameters to increase volume.

Why should we increase volume? Because once you reach a certain set/repetition stimulus threshold, hypertrophy will materialize. If you are looking to maximize strength and hypertrophy, then you should follow these guidelines:

The 24 - 50 principle as used for maximal strength in conjunction with hypertrophy

* per week per muscle group

This table shows the parameters that are necessary and sufficient to induce maximal strength gains in conjunction with hypertrophy. Exercisers often use 3 x 3 or 5 x 3 set/repetition schemes during phases of maximal strength training. However, such parameters often do not reach the minimum stimulus threshold required for hypertrophy.

Moving from a 3 x 3 set/repetition scheme to an 8 x 3 set/repetition scheme would result in an immediate hypertrophy effect.

A minimum load of 80% of 1RM weight is necessary to recruit the fast-contracting motor units with a high stimulus threshold, while 90% of 1RM weight is the upper end of the possible load. Why? Because loads higher than 90% of the 1RM weight are too demanding if you are aiming for a set/repetition volume of at least 24.

Strength parameter options: 8 x 3, 10 x 3, 12 x 3, 7 x 4, 8 x 4, or 9 x 4. These would all work well to increase maximal strength and hypertrophy.

2. mass gains without a focus on maximum strength gains

Sometimes we just want to get muscular and bulky and we don't care how strong we are. If that's exactly what you want, then this range is for you!

Targeting only hypertrophy during a given phase of training can also have benefits for those who want maximum strength. Increased hypertrophy - via an accumulation of myosin and actin proteins - allows for greater strength production during subsequent training cycles.

Parameters targeting hypertrophy can vary more than any other goal. You perform a set to muscle failure, which usually consists of 12 repetitions or so. Thus, a 1 x 12 volume would equate to an effeminate, half-hearted set/repetition volume of 12 - which is insufficient for hypertrophy.

On the other hand, when striving for greater hypertrophy, 10 x 10 schemes are often used. This would correspond to a set/repetition volume of 100. The problem? The load required would not be ideal for hypertrophy. To use such a volume, you would need to use a training load of about 60% of your 1RM weight.

Such a load would be useless for hypertrophy training due to the fact that primarily smaller motor units are required, which only have a suboptimal growth potential.

If you want hypertrophy, you should aim for the following:

The 24 - 50 principle as used for hypertrophy

* per week per muscle group

If you want to achieve muscle growth, the stimulus must be sufficient but not overkill. A minimum set/repetition volume of 36 is needed for hypertrophy, but such a volume must be combined with a correct choice of training load.

If you are approaching a training load of 80% of 1RM weight, a volume of 36 is close to the ideal volume for most exercisers. As the training load decreases, the volume must be increased to induce hypertrophy, but any volume above 50 would not allow you to use a load of at least 70% of 1RM weight without inducing excessive structural and neural stress.

Hypertrophy parameter options: 6 x 6, 4 x 12 or 5 x 10. These would provide a powerful hypertrophy effect with the training loads described.

3. fat loss

If you want to lose fat then you need to achieve the right balance of intensity and volume. If the intensity is too low, you will not maintain or increase your muscle mass. If the volume is too high, excessive structural damage will often occur and recovery will take longer than a decrepit obese person running a marathon.

If you want to lose fat, you also need a diet plan that forces your body into a state of energy deficit. Such a state is stressful in itself, so training parameters must be adequately adjusted to address this deficiency.

The following parameters are ideal for those who want to maintain their muscle mass without inducing excessive structural, neural or hormonal stress:

The 24 - 50 principle as used for fat loss

* per week per muscle group

These parameters provide a sufficient stimulus for fat loss. They are tightly regulated as it is difficult to maintain a volume above 24-36 at 70-80% of 1RM weight during a fat loss phase.

If you try to push the volume or intensity higher, you could quickly become unmotivated (a sign of CNS stress) and experience excessive muscle soreness (a sign of excessive structural stress).

Thus, volume and intensity must be tightly regulated, while rests between sets are slightly reduced to achieve a slightly higher cardiovascular stimulus.

Fat loss parameter options: 4 x 6, 4 x 8, 5 x 5 or 5 x 6. These will all work well to maintain muscle mass during periods of calorie deficit.

A few more details

Study these parameters before your next training phase. Plan them before each training session and rotate them throughout the week. Do not use the same parameters for two weeks in a row.

Don't be afraid to get creative, but stick to the recommended ranges. If you do this, you'll be well on your way to developing the body you want.

By Chad Waterbury | 06/06/05

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/set-rep-bible