Training
Reach 100 repetitions or die trying
This test is a true barometer of relative strength and muscle endurance. You'd be hard pressed to find an exerciser who can do 100 push-ups in a row who isn't lean, strong and built like a tank.
But push-ups are more than a great upper body exercise - they also increase front core endurance. The 100 push-up challenge will expose any gap in your armor. Do you have a sagging hip? Then you need to increase the strength of your front core. Does your head tend to dip forward? Then it's time to improve the flexibility of your thoracic muscles, the health of your shoulders and your posture.
The execution
We're not talking about half-hearted little-girl push-ups over half the range of motion and a dipping head. Perform the repetitions as they should be performed. Note the following for each repetition:
- The elbows form a 45 degree angle with the body
- The cervical spine forms a line with the tailbone (a straight back)
- Perform complete repetitions: The chest almost touches the floor at the lowest point of the movement and the arms are fully extended at the highest point of the movement.
I can't do 100!
Can't do 100 repetitions? Then do the following: Add two sets of push-ups to muscle failure to the end of your training session (with 90 seconds rest between sets). If you fail the first 25 repetitions, make it easier by raising your hands until you have built up sufficient strength and endurance.
Tip: Get defined with sets of 4 repetitions
Nothing screams "strength and conditioning" like EMOM training. Here are two ways to do it.
By Christian Thibaudeau
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-get-ripped-with-4-rep-sets/
EMOM with alternating exercises
EMOM stands for "every Minute on the Minute." which translates to "every minute on the minute. This type of training is usually performed with 2 pairs per training session. This 4 repetition method focuses more on strength - so use about 70% of your maximum weight and only perform large multi-joint exercises: Squats, deadlifts, bench presses, barbell shoulder presses, pull-ups, barbell rows, push presses, front squats, etc. Combine one upper body exercise and one lower body exercise.
You must start a new set every minute. Do exercise 1 on odd minutes and exercise 2 on even minutes. Here is an example:
- Start - 4 repetitions of squats
- 1:00 - 4 repetitions bench press
- 2:00 - 4 repetitions of squats
- 3:00 - 4 reps bench press
- Do this for 14-20 minutes.
Option 1
Your first option is to perform an entire training session using this approach. This means performing two such exercise pairs per training session for 14 to 20 minutes each. Start with 14 minutes and work your way up. Take 5 minutes between the two pairings and do nothing else during this training session except perhaps some accompanying training for the abdominal muscles or another small muscle group.
Option 2
The second option is to perform a regular (but slightly shorter) training session and finish it with an EMOM pairing lasting 14 to 20 minutes.
Tip: The sad truth about the bench press
The most popular chest exercise in the world is not such a great exercise for building pecs. Here's why and a better exercise choice.
By Paul Carter
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-the-sad-truth-about-the-bench-press/
Bench press is not enough
Don't get me wrong, bench presses are a great exercise for building the pressing muscles of the torso, but relying solely on bench presses or performing too many bench presses without any other variations will often overdevelop the anterior shoulder muscles and triceps in relation to the pecs and cause that hunched over look you often see in guys with I.L.S. - imaginary latissimus syndrome.
If you look at the chest development of excellent bench pressers, it is often quite modest. Most bodybuilders, on the other hand, have well-developed pecs and most of them do not base their chest training on barbell bench presses.
This is simply because they perform bench presses differently to either press more weight or build muscle, but the majority of strength athletes don't know how to modify the execution of their bench press to maximize either of these qualities.
Better variations for muscle mass
If you really want to use bench presses to develop your pecs, then guillotine presses - where you lower the bar towards your neck instead of your lower pecs - are a far better choice.
However, people will bombard you with 10,293 studies to prove that this variation will cause shoulder cancer, which is why they avoid it. But Vince Gironda has used this exercise as an excellent chest development exercise and as far as I know none of his athletes have had their chest explode into a bloody mass.
In addition, people generally use pretty sloppy form on the bench press (they bounce the bar off the chest, they ignore shoulder blade retraction, etc.), which takes the pecs out of much of the movement anyway.
If you want to achieve good chest development, then you can't just rely on barbell bench presses. Dumbbell presses with different angles and correctly executed flying movements (palms facing forward and you focus more on the stretching contracting parts of the movement without using too heavy weights) are far better options for full development.
Bench presses can be an excellent weapon in your mass and strength building arsenal, but their status as a legendary chest building exercise is highly overrated.
Tip: Close your eyes during this exercise
Recruit more motor units, improve your exercise execution form and build more strength...by closing your eyes? Yes, here's the explanation of how this works.
By Joel Seedman, PhD
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-close-your-eyes-on-this-lift/
Closing your eyes during any exercise forces your muscle spindles and other proprioceptive mechanisms to work overtime to stabilize the movement and control the weight.
Overhead presses are one of the more difficult exercises to use the closed eye technique. The overhead position increases your center of mass, making it even more challenging in terms of balance and motor control.
Standing barbell shoulder press with eyes closed
As a result, you will be forced to slow down the movement and focus on technique, resulting in improved neuromuscular efficiency, improved motor unit recruitment and improved movement mechanics. As an added benefit, the increased time under tension and increased muscle innervation will produce amazing gains in strength and mass.
Tip: Use latex to improve your squat performance
Does your squat performance leave something to be desired? Use the training method that top powerlifters use to break through plateaus.
By Derek Binford
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-use-latex-to-improve-your-squat/
Squats with reverse use of bands provides an overload effect that allows you to experience the sensation of moving more weight. This is a form of adapted resistance. Basically, the bands support you at the lowest point of the movement, but you move the full weight as you approach the highest point of the movement on the way back up.
Powerlifters use this method to increase their strength production and confidence with heavy weights and even bodybuilders use this technique to develop their legs.
Squats with reverse use of bands
All you need is a set of bands and a power rack. Choose a tension of the bands that allows you to handle about 15 to 20% more than your maximum weight for squats at the highest point.
If your maximum weight for squats is 200 kilos, then use a band tension that allows you to perform squats with 230 to 240 kilos. The weight does not have to be exact. Squats with reverse bands can be performed with a range of repetitions from 1 to 10.
How you attach the bands to the rack depends on how high your rack is. If the rack is not very high, use a double-layered lighter band. Place one end around the barbell bar, then over the top brace of the rack and then around the bar again so that the band pulls the bar upwards.
If the rack is higher, use a slightly heavier band with one end around the barbell bar and the other tied to the top bar of the rack.
For both variations, it is best to use two bands, one on the right and one on the left around the barbell bar.
The aim is for the bands to provide as little tension as possible at the highest point of the movement, but not to hang completely loose from the bar.
What about chains
You may have seen top powerlifters using chains - another form of adapted resistance. Chains provide the opposite effect: the squat gets heavier as you move up. This is another great option if you have access to the right equipment.
Tip: Perform these metabolic complexes
This training method will make you strong, build muscle and even burn some fat. But be warned: it's also pretty nasty.
By Christian Thibaudeau
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-these-metabolic-complexes/
Metabolic complexes for mass and strength
This training method combines three exercises that are performed as a complex - exercises that are performed one after the other with only short intervals of rest. All three exercises target the same muscle group.
- Exercise 1: This exercise is used to build strength. So choose a heavy multi-joint exercise and perform 3 to 6 repetitions per set.
- Exercise 2: A hypertrophy exercise (focusing on building muscle mass) for the same muscle group with 8 to 12 repetitions.
- Exercise 3: A metabolic exercise that trains the same muscle group, performing sets of up to 60 seconds.
Here are some examples
Lower body example 1
|
|
Exercise 1 |
Rest |
|
|
A1 |
Squats |
4-6 |
30-45 sec. |
|
A2 |
Leg presses |
10-12 |
30-45 sec. |
|
A3 |
Pushing a weight sled |
3 min. |
Lower body Example 2
|
|
Exercise |
Pause |
|
|
A1 |
Sumo deadlift |
4-6 |
30-45 sec. |
|
A2 |
Leg curls |
10-12 |
30-45 sec. |
|
A3 |
Kettlebell swings |
30 |
3 min. |
Upper body example 1
|
|
Exercise |
Break |
|
|
A1 |
Bench press |
4-6 |
30-45 sec. |
|
A2 |
Dumbbell incline bench press |
10-12 |
30-45 sec. |
|
A3 |
Battle Ropes |
45 sec. |
3 min. |
Upper body Example 2
|
|
Exercise |
Break |
|
|
A1 |
Barbell row bent forward |
4-6 |
30-45 sec. |
|
A2 |
Seated rowing on cable pulley |
10-12 |
30-45 sec. |
|
A3 |
Rowing ergometer |
3 min. |
Tip: Take this to build muscle
In recent studies, subjects who took this legal supplement doubled their gains compared to a control group.
From TC Luoma
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/tip-take-this-to-grow-muscle/
Phosphatidic acid (PA)
The way in which most supplements work is quite complicated. The way phosphatidic acid (PA) works, on the other hand, is easy to understand:
- mTOR is a kinase enzyme that regulates muscle growth. Basically, mTOR is the main regulator of muscle cell protein synthesis.
- PA in conjunction with training with weights activates mTOR.
- When you take additional PA in the form of a supplement, you activate more mTOR and become stronger and build more muscle.
The study
This supplement is also quite easy to study in the lab. A more recent study involved 28 weightlifters who completed an eight-week periodized training program consisting of two weekly hypertrophy training sessions and one weekly strength training session.
The scientists performed DEXA scans and circumference measurements of the rectus femoris muscle before and after the study. They also tested the maximum strength for one repetition (1RM) before and after. They then divided the subjects into two groups. One got 750 mg of PA daily, while the second group got an identical-looking placebo that contained white flour.
Here's what happened after eight weeks:
- The PA group showed significantly greater gains in lean body mass than the control group (2.4 vs. 1.2 kilos). In other words, the PA group built up twice as much muscle mass.
- The PA group increased the size of their thighs significantly more than the control group (1.01 cm² vs. 0.61 cm²).
- The PA group was able to move more weight during the leg press than the control group (52.0 kg vs. 32.5 kg).
- In addition, the DEXA scan showed that the PA group lost significantly more fat than the control group (-1.3 kg vs. -0.5 kg).
It is recommended that phosphatidic acid be taken one hour before exercise.
References:
1. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-S1-P13
From Eric Bach
Q: Does time under tension play a role in hypertrophy, or is this mainly pseudoscience?
A: Time under tension refers to the duration of a set in seconds. If you perform 10 repetitions with a 3 second eccentric (lowering) phase and a 1 second concentric (lifting) phase, the time under tension will be about 40 seconds.
Does this matter for muscle growth?
My recommendation for most people and most exercises is to simply try to get progressively stronger at a repetition range of 6 to 10 seconds, performing the eccentric repetition in a controlled manner and maintaining tension. This is the best way to stimulate muscle growth.
But let's take a closer look at the time under tension. This is not a primary factor in muscle growth and the duration of the set itself is not really important. However, the physiological response to a certain duration of time under tension could play a role in muscle growth.
Did you understand that? The time under tension itself and the physiological response (an accumulation of lactate and growth factors during a set that lasts 40 to 60 seconds) are not what I would call a growth stimulus. However, they can increase the adaptation stimulated by a stimulus.
So what is the main stimulus for muscle growth? If we were to use an equation, it would look something like this:
(muscle fiber recruitment + mechanical stress on fibers) * number of repetitions = hypertrophy stimulus
The number of muscle fibers you recruit depends on the amount of force relative to your maximum force development potential for that repetition. You can increase the amount of force required relative to your maximum in different ways:
- You can use heavier weights. Heavier weights = a greater percentage of your maximum.
- You can generate exhaustion. Perform more repetitions or use supersets, which will reduce your relative maximum from repetition to repetition because your muscles are tired.
- Accelerate the weight as much as possible during the upward movement. (Force = mass * acceleration). However, you will see that this is good for strength and speed, but not optimal for hypertrophy.
Mechanical load refers to the imposition of a mechanical load on the muscle fibers. This means that you need to create as much muscle tension as possible to stretch the muscle fibers while maintaining tension.
Tension refers to the amount of force the muscle has to produce. The more force required, the higher the tension will be.
Let's look at how a muscle contracts. Each muscle fiber has actin and myosin fibers. These join together when the myosin heads hook into the actin. This is known as a myosin bridge.
The myosin head then pulls the actin and shortens the muscle.
The more force/tension you have to produce, the more myosin bridges have to be formed. During the eccentric phase of the movement, when the muscle fibers lengthen (are stretched), if the myosin bridges remain connected, muscle damage occurs and mTOR activation is stimulated - the two main hypertrophy stimuli.
Muscle contraction through the contraction of actin fibers.
Eccentric part of the repetition, the muscle is stretched under load and muscle damage occurs.
The bridges can only shorten (contract) the muscle fibers, they cannot lengthen (stretch) them.
If the bridges between actin and myosin fibers remain connected, the muscle tension is high - and if you perform an eccentric (lowering) action in this state, the load stretches the muscle fibers, while the myosin bridges try to shorten the muscle fibers. This is mechanical stress and this is the main trigger for growth.
This is also the reason that if you have no control over the weight during the eccentric portion of the movement (very low tension), the workout is much less effective for muscle growth because you are not actively resisting the weight and the potential for muscle damage and mTOR activation is lower.
To maximize mechanical stress, you need to do the following:
- Generate as many actin-myosin bridges as possible, which is the way muscles contract. The more force you need to produce, the more of these bridges you generate.
- Keep the tension fairly constant during the repetition. This is because too much acceleration can reduce the mechanical load. If you use too much momentum, then you need less force from the muscles to move the weight up, which means you reduce the amount of actin-myosin bridges.
- Lengthen/stretch the fiber while keeping the tension high. Less tension means less actin-myosin bridges, which means less hypertrophy stimulation. This is the reason why it is more effective to perform the eccentric repetition in a controlled manner and not quickly. Stretching the fibers as they produce tension is responsible for muscle damage and mTOR activation.
Recruit as many muscle fibers as you can, create a lot of bridges in those fibers and lengthen the fibers while creating as many bridges as possible. Do this over several repetitions. That's it!
What about the time under tension?
This is the reason why the number of repetitions is more important than the time under tension. With each repetition you perform, you have a new surge of mechanical stress over a new loaded extension of muscle fibers.
Here are two hypothetical scenarios to illustrate this.
- A. 10 repetitions at 100 kilos and a 2010 tempo (2 seconds to lower, no pause at the lowest point of the movement, 1 second to lift the weight, no pause at the highest point of the movement). This is a time under tension of 30 seconds because the lowering lasted 2 seconds for each repetition.
- B. 5 repetitions with 100 kilos and a 5010 tempo. This is still a time under tension of 30 seconds because the lowering lasted for 2 seconds on each repetition...but fewer total repetitions were performed.
Even if the load and time under tension are the same, scenario A is more effective. Why? Because the frequency with which you stretch a muscle fiber during a set has an important impact on muscle damage and mTOR activation. Think of it this way: every time you stretch a muscle fiber under load, you trigger growth.
If you now add a third scenario where you perform 10 repetitions at a 5010 tempo (a time under tension of 60 seconds) - would this be more effective? No! To do this, you would have to use significantly less weight - probably something in the 85 to 90 kilo range instead of 100 kilos. The lower weight would result in less muscle tension and each repetition would be less effective.
Caveat: In this example, the longer time under tension would have some benefits that can increase muscle growth. If you reach the 40 to 60 second range, and if the intensity is high enough that you reach muscle failure in that range, then you will produce a lot of lactate and growth factors, which can aid adaptations to the workout.
The three scenarios would be in order of effectiveness:
- 10 reps with 100 kilos at a 2010 tempo
- 10 repetitions with 90 kilos at a 5010 tempo
- 5 repetitions with 100 kilos at a 5010 tempo
By completely reducing tension during the eccentric phase and explosively lifting the weight, you minimize muscle damage and mTOR activation. This would be great for strength and speed, but not good for hypertrophy.
Does time under tension matter?
It will never be the primary growth stimulus. All it does is lead to certain physiological responses such as lactate production and growth factors, which can play a small role in hypertrophy.
Local growth factors can help to slightly increase protein synthesis (which accelerates muscle tissue repair and muscle building), while lactate can increase follistatin levels, which can somewhat inhibit myostatin release. Less myostatin leads to the possibility of building more muscle. But don't jump on the lactate wagon just yet - this probably won't make much difference.
I like to aim for prolonged periods of exercise under tension that won't cause a lot of muscle damage. In this context, think mainly of isolation exercises... especially when the eccentric repetition is not under load the entire time, like side raises and barbell curls. This would be a good approach for people who find it difficult to repair muscle damage, such as older individuals or people with very high stress levels.
In these cases, it may be beneficial to aim for a time under tension of 40 to 60 seconds with a moderate weight.
On a side note, I use a lot of slow eccentric repetitions. I'm not inconsistent here: I use them for purposes other than stimulating maximal growth, such as improving motor learning, strengthening tendons and getting stronger eccentrically.
Strong on bench press, but small pecs
Q: I am a former powerlifter and have transitioned to bodybuilding. I'm strong on the bench press, but I can't get my chest to grow. What's going on here.
A: This is a clear sign that your triceps and/or shoulder muscles are doing a lot of the work. They are receiving the strongest growth stimulus instead of the pecs.
There are several reasons this can happen. Here are the two most common:
- You have a body type that puts either the triceps or shoulder muscles (or both) in an advantageous position during the bench press.
- You have been training your triceps and/or shoulders for a long time in preference to your pecs.
Due to the influence of Westside Barbell, many powerlifters have placed a heavy emphasis on the triceps during supportive training. This is probably the best way to train if you are either focusing entirely on powerlifting or using a very strong lower back arch when bench pressing.
A press shirt will give you a lot of help in the lower half of the range of motion - this is the area where the triceps typically do most of the work. The point where it gets heavy with a press shirt is often at the end of the range of motion, where the triceps are the key muscles. For this reason, supported powerlifters put a lot of emphasis on making the triceps stronger, which results in the pecs getting less attention.
As for the big arch in the lower press, this technique is often used to reduce the range of motion of the press and achieve better leverage ratios. Powerlifters will often lower the bar more towards the bottom of the pecs and then press the weight up in a straight line. This is also done to shorten the range of motion.
This will help you move more weight, but it will also reduce the action of the triceps. And to reiterate - powerlifters who press this way usually emphasize the triceps in their training.
If you've been training this way for a few years, it's quite possible that your triceps have become dominant and your nervous system has learned to rely more on the triceps than the pecs. Therefore, every time you perform a pressing exercise such as bench presses, incline bench presses or dips, you will now rely more on your triceps than your pecs. This will actually make the problem worse over time.
Body type also plays a big role when it comes to which muscles are dominant and what the optimal exercise strategy will be. When it comes to the pressing muscles, people with longer limbs will be more effective at stimulating their pecs and the triceps will be the muscles that are the hardest to develop. The order is as follows:
- Easiest: chest muscles
- Medium: shoulder muscles
- Hardest: triceps
Thus, these people will not need as much direct work for the pecs or modifications to bring the pecs into a favorable position.
On the other hand, your triceps will have a mechanical advantage if you have shorter limbs. Depending on shoulder width, the shoulder muscles may also have an advantage. The chest muscles are therefore the most difficult to develop. The order is as follows:
- Easiest: triceps (if the collarbone is narrow) / shoulder muscles, (if the collarbone is wide)
- Medium: shoulder muscles (if the collarbone is narrow) / triceps, (if the collarbone is wide)
- Hardest: chest muscles
Compared to a long-limbed exerciser, these exercisers will need to perform more targeted training for the pecs.
If you have short limbs, relying on the big presses as your primary chest exercises will not be particularly effective.
If you have short limbs and a narrow collarbone, then I would perform one primary pressing exercise and 3 isolation exercises for the pecs. Choose either wide grip bench presses, Nilsson Presses or dumbbell bench presses (keep the elbows flared out as far as possible - almost in line with the shoulders) as the pressing exercise.
The wider grip reduces the mechanical advantage that the triceps have and promotes a greater stretch in the pectorals (the muscle that is stretched the most is the muscle that is recruited the most). Then add 2 to 3 of the following exercises:
- Power Flys(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDM9QQcVwPc)
- Butterflys (with your hands at shoulder or mid-chest level)
- Flying movements on the cable pulley on the incline bench
- Squeeze Press(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq_wwRslKas)
- Flying movements with dumbbells
If you have short limbs and a wide collarbone, you need to take both the triceps and shoulders out of the movement as much as possible. I would continue to use a pressing exercise and 2 to 3 isolation exercises.
Use a slightly negative incline bench for your pressing exercise to reduce the involvement of the shoulders - so either bench presses on the reverse incline bench with a wide grip or dumbbell bench presses on the reverse incline bench with a slight incline. You should choose from the following isolation exercises:
- Crossover cable pulls
- Flying movements on the cable pulley on the reverse incline bench
- Flying movements with dumbbells on the reverse incline bench
- Squeeze press on the reverse incline bench
- Butterflys (with the hands at the level of the lower pectoral muscles)
You can also use pre- or post-fatigue techniques to increase the focus on your pecs. This means combining your pressing exercise with an isolation exercise as a superset.
Here are three potential strategies:
1. pre-fatigue activation
Start with an isolation exercise for the chest and then move on to a press exercise. Don't go close to muscle failure on the isolation exercise. If you go too far, you will fatigue your chest muscles too much and you will use them less in the press exercise. Use the isolation exercise to practice the contraction. Focus on contracting the pecs as hard as possible and finish the isolation exercise 3 to 4 repetitions before reaching muscle failure.
2. pre-fatigue burnout
Start by performing an isolation exercise for the triceps, which you perform until you reach muscle failure. Then perform your press exercise. By weakening the triceps, you force your body to rely more on the pecs. Of course, you will need to use less weight at first, but think of this as a programming superset that you perform for a few weeks to learn to rely more on the pecs when pressing.
3. post-fatigue burnout
This is the most straightforward approach. Start with your pressing exercise and then immediately move on to an isolation exercise for the pecs and train to muscle failure. This ensures that your pecs have been fully stimulated by this combo. It is important to rest longer between sets (3 to 4 minutes) to avoid creating too much localized fatigue in the pecs, which would limit the use of the pecs in the press exercise of the next set.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-61, https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-62
By Christian Thibaudeau
Look strong and be strong
I want to make you muscular while turning you into a high performance machine. And that's what this plan is all about - getting stronger, more muscular, more powerful and in better shape than ever before.
I'm a big fan of high performance muscle: Any increase in muscle mass must be accompanied by an increase in performance. Even if your goal is to build an impressive body, you should maintain that high-performance mentality. Grow in every way possible so that you can be as powerful as you look. This program will help you achieve that, but first let's take a look at its predecessor, Built For Bad.
Built For Bad Summary
In 2013, I developed a program that helped me get in the best shape of my life: Built For Bad. The concepts of this program were:
- Train hard
- Exercise often
- Focus on 5 exercises
- Train these 5 days a week
It's simple, yet effective. It can transform your body at an intimidating rate. The only problem? Not everyone can handle maximum exercise five days a week. Those who could handle the load made amazing progress. Those who couldn't handle it experienced a slump after 3 to 4 weeks (but still made some gains before that).
Also, Built for Bad did not include training to compensate for weaknesses. If you have balanced development, that's not a problem, but not everyone has balanced body development.
These are two problems that I solved with the Built for Battle program. I've also added a larger exercise selection so you can better tailor the program to your needs.
Built for Battle - Overview
Since this program is meant to work for exercisers at different experience levels with different primary goals, you'll need to customize it. Here's what you need to do, step by step:
- Choose your conditioning level. This will determine how long you will rest between circuit exercises.
- Choose your primary goal: achieving a power look, building explosiveness and power or building muscle mass are the options available. This will determine which group of exercises you choose.
- You will train 5 days a week with training breaks on Thursday and Sunday. On one of these two days you will add a circuit of support exercises.
- One of these training days will be easy. You will work your way up to your 3RM weight (your maximum weight for 3 reps) for each exercise. Then you use this 3RM weight to choose the weights for the other workouts of the week, which use the 5-4-3-2-1 scheme.
- Lastly, look at the options and periodization info at the end. This will take some work and brain power on your part, which is good because it means it's not a pre-made "one size fits all" plan.
Step 1: Choose your fitness level
There are three levels to choose from depending on your level of fitness and how fast you normally train. The ultimate goal is to progress to the highest level. However, your progression should be quite slow - perhaps moving up a level every third week.
Level One
Use this level if your fitness is poor or you are used to a very slow training pace with long breaks. You will take 2:00 to 2:30 minutes between exercises.
Level two
Use this level if your fitness level is average. You will take 1:30 to 2:00 minutes between exercises.
Level Three
Use this level if your fitness level is good or you are used to a fast training pace with short breaks. You will take 1:00 to 1:30 minutes between exercises. Do not move up a level if your performance will suffer. Keep in mind that this is not a superset. Your main goal is not to train as fast as possible, although you should try to use a fairly fast training pace to improve your fitness.
Step 2: Choose your goal and your group of exercises
Each training session includes five exercises that cover the entire body. You will repeat these exercises over the five training days, but the intensity will vary. Perform the exercises as a circuit. Do one set of the first exercise, one set of the second exercise, one set of the third exercise, and so on. Do this circuit five times.
There are three main groups of exercises to choose from. Choose the group that best suits your goal or technical capacity.
Group One - For developing the power look
The power look is characterized by a thick trapezius, a broad back and large shoulder muscles. The exercise selection reflects this. If you like a big, powerful trapezius, then this is the group for you.
- Reposition and press or muscle snatch (snatch from blocks, from a hanging position or from the floor)
- Zercher squats
- Snatch-grip high pull from blocks
- Bench press or incline bench press
- Seated Row or Pendlay Row
Group Two - For developing explosiveness and power
This group is primarily for athletes who want to improve their explosiveness while getting stronger and building muscle. However, even though this plan will build some muscle, it is the least effective of the three plans if you want to look as muscular as possible. In return, however, you will gain a lot of explosiveness and improve your capacity to absorb force.
- Power Clean (from blocks, from a hanging position or from the floor)
- Push Press (standing barbell shoulder press with momentum from the legs)
- Squats
- Pull-ups with a neutral grip
- Bench press
Group Three - For developing mass and strength
This is your big basic plan that will build the most body-wide strength.
- Deadlift
- Barbell shoulder press
- Front squats
- Seated rowing
- Bench press
Note: I chose front squats instead of classic squats because front squats put less strain on the lower back if you already have deadlifts in your program.
And yes, you can swap exercises for comparable exercises. Let's say you've chosen the exercises from group 1, but you'd rather do power cleans, which are in group 2. You can swap the snatch grip high pull for power cleans. But please don't swap exercises that target different muscle groups (e.g. Zercher squats for standing shoulder presses).
Step 3: Know your load patterns (sets & reps)
Monday
Day 1 is the day you work your way up to your 3RM weight and then use that 3RM weight to calibrate the weights for the other workouts. In addition to providing a powerful stimulus for gains in strength and muscle mass, this day also allows you to choose the correct weights for the rest of the week and gives you a good idea of your progression.
Work your way up to your 3RM weight on each exercise. These exercises are performed in the form of a circuit. Yes, it is possible that you will reach your 3RM weight on one exercise before the others, especially during the first week. If this happens, then remove that exercise from the circuit while you try to reach your 3RM weight on the other exercises. But after a Monday training session, it will be quite easy to reach your 3RM weight on all exercises at the same time because you will have a good idea of what you can move.
Important: Aim for technically sound repetitions for the 3RM weight. A 3RM weight where the last repetition takes 5 seconds and where the form of the exercise execution drops and compensatory mechanisms come into play will not work because you will overestimate how much weight you should use for the current week. The goal is to perform perfect reps so that the weight is based on near-perfect execution.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
The primary scheme will be a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown, meaning that your first set will consist of 5 reps, your second will consist of 4 reps, your third will consist of three reps, etc.
There are several reasons why I love the 5-4-3-2-1 scheme:
- Each set feels easy, even when it's harder. You think "what if I used more weight? After all, I have fewer repetitions to perform." This perception allows you to push yourself harder, which is really important on the heavy days.
- By gradually working up to the heavier sets, you prepare your body and nervous system for maximum effort. This makes it easier for you psychologically, neurologically and physically.
- Even though this is a strength building regimen, it will also build muscle mass with sets of 4 and 5 reps, which is especially true for slightly advanced and more advanced exercisers - and especially if you take into account that you will be training everything five times a week. Even if the amount of protein synthesis initiated per training session may be slightly lower than a more traditional training session, it will probably be higher at the end of the week.
Warm up rounds
When performing the 5-4-3-2-1 training sessions, you should perform 2 to 4 warm-up rounds. Do 2 warm-up rounds if it is a lighter training session, 3 if it is a moderate training session and 4 for your heaviest training sessions.
During these warm-up rounds, gradually increase the weight from round to round. If your goal is to build maximum muscle mass, you should warm up with sets of 5 repetitions. If you are focusing on strength and power, you should warm up with sets of 3 repetitions to avoid excessive fatigue.
Step 3: Know the intensity level (the weight used)
The original Built for Bad program was a program where you pushed yourself to the limit in every training session. Five days in a row of pushing yourself to the limit was too much for many people, especially those with more traditional jobs and more stress in their lives. The Built for Battle plan takes this into account and includes two modifications:
- The five training days are not all in a row. So you get a break earlier in the week.
- The intensity goes up and down over the course of the week. Only two training sessions go to the limit, one is of moderate intensity and two are of lower intensity, but include supportive training.
Monday
Work your way up to your 3 RM weight while maintaining a clean form of exercise execution. Do this in 5 to 6 sets after performing 2 to 3 warm-up sets.
Tuesday
- 1 x 5 @ 80% of your 3RM
- 1 x 4 @ 85% of your 3RM
- 1 x 3 @ 90% of your 3RM
- 1 x 2 @ 95% of your 3RM
- 1 x 1 @ 3RM
Wednesday
- 1 x 5 @ 72.5% of your 3RM
- 1 x 4 @ 77.5% of your 3RM
- 1 x 3 @ 82.5% of your 3RM
- 1 x 2 @ 87.5% of your 3RM
- 1 x 1 @ 92.5% of your 3RM, plus support circuit number 1
Thursday
No training
Friday
- 1 x 5 @ 90% of your 3RM
- 1 x 4 @ 95% of your 3RM
- 1 x 3 @ 100% of your 3RM
- 1 x 2 @ 105% of your 3RM
- 1 x 1 @ 110% (attempt) of your 3RM
Saturday
- 1 x 5 @ 70% of your 3RM
- 1 x 4 @ 75% of your 3RM
- 1 x 3 @ 80% of your 3RM
- 1 x 2 @ 85% of your 3RM
- 1 x 1 @ 90% of your 3RM, plus support circuit number 2
Sunday
No training
Note: Only the work sets are shown above.
Step 4: Add the support circuits
Regardless of the group you've chosen for your main exercises, all your muscles will be covered to some degree, but for maximum muscle growth you'll need to add some higher repetition training. This is the role of the assistance cycles, which you will perform twice a week on the lighter days.
It should be noted that the exercise selection here is far less important than with the main exercises. You can swap the exercises listed for exercises that you find more effective or use the circuits to work on weak points. Keep in mind that on Wednesday you will perform medium-weight exercises in the medium repetition range and on Saturday you will focus more on isolation exercises or less strenuous exercises with high repetition numbers.
Wednesday circuit
- Dumbbell incline bench press, followed by 30 to 45 seconds rest
- Rowing bent over with dumbbells, then rest for 30 to 45 seconds
- Bulgarian split squats with the weaker leg, then rest for 30 to 45 seconds
- Bulgarian split squats with the stronger leg, then rest for 30 to 45 seconds
- Romanian deadlift, then rest for 2 to 3 minutes
Perform 2 warm-up rounds and then three rounds of work sets. Use a weight that is challenging but still allows you to complete all your planned repetitions (not to the point of muscle failure, but close to muscle failure).
- First round: 10 repetitions
- Second round: 8 repetitions
- Third round: 6 repetitions
Saturday circuit
- Barbell curls, then 30 to 45 seconds rest
- Lying tricep presses with dumbbells, then rest for 30 to 45 seconds
- Side raises with dumbbells, then 30 to 45 seconds rest
- Dumbbell hammer curl, then rest for 1 to 2 minutes
Perform 2 warm-up rounds and then three rounds of work sets. For these exercises, you should go to muscle failure on the work sets. Try to reach muscle failure in the specified repetition range.
- First round: 12 to 15 repetitions
- Second round: 10 to 12 repetitions
- Third round: 8 to 10 repetitions
Questions and answers
Why does Built for Battle Work work so well?
This program is unconventional and unlike most other programs you'll see in the gym. It's designed to increase strength and mass quickly while improving your conditioning and helping you burn fat. Sounds too good to be true? Well, here's the explanation...
Strength gains
The strength gains come from the rapid improvements in neurological efficiency. The more often you perform a particular exercise, the better your nervous system becomes at performing that exercise in the most effective way possible.
And when it comes to neural efficiency, frequency of execution (not quantity) is key. The more often you "practice" performing an exercise (with good form), the faster you will improve. A very high frequency of execution like this will therefore give you rapid gains in performance within 3 to 4 weeks.
Practicing an exercise more frequently will improve intra- and inter-muscular coordination and make your nervous system more efficient in executing that specific motor program.
The 5-4-3-2-1 scheme uses a low volume per exercise and the circuit form allows for ample rest between sets of the same exercise, minimizing movement-specific fatigue and optimizing motor learning.
Muscle mass
There are many ways to stimulate muscle growth:
- A generation of muscle damage, which is best achieved with a moderate volume and a fairly heavy weight using exercises in which the main muscle undergoes some stretching.
- An accumulation of local growth factors, which is best achieved with longer duration sets where the muscles are under load for 45 to 75 seconds.
- A production of lactate (lactic acid) which has been shown to have a direct effect on muscle growth. This also requires sets of longer duration in the range of 30 to 60 seconds.
- Maximizing mTOR activation, which is best achieved by emphasizing the eccentric or negative phase of the movement.
- Exhausting as many muscle fibers as possible. This usually requires a higher volume either in the form of more repetitions or more sets.
Apart from the first trigger, none of this really applies to what we do during strength circuits. But growth does occur. This is related to the frequency of the training. Although each individual training session may not increase protein synthesis as much as a traditional training session, the fact that you are doing the same exercises five days a week compensates for the smaller increase in protein synthesis rate per training session.
Don't forget that every time you train hard, you increase protein synthesis in the trained muscle (this accelerates muscle repair and building). This increase in local protein synthesis lasts for about 24 hours.
If you train a muscle once a week, you may stimulate a large increase in protein synthesis, but it won't last long. If you train the same muscle five days a week, protein synthesis will remain elevated for pretty much the whole week. So these strength cycles keep your body anabolic all the time.
In addition, the more often you train a muscle, the better you get at contracting that muscle and recruiting the higher threshold muscle fibers. When this happens, it becomes easier to grow a muscle. By training everything five days a week, you improve your capacity to recruit all the big muscles, which is an investment in future gains.
Fat loss
This program is primarily a strength and mass plan, but it can also have positive effects on fat loss.
First of all, the circuit nature of the workout allows you to have a higher work-to-rest ratio, which is especially true once you reach Level 3, where the rest periods between sets are shorter. This keeps your energy expenditure high.
Using the heavier basic exercises helps both from a hormonal perspective (growth hormone release) and from a calorie expenditure perspective - multi-joint exercises with heavier weights mean higher energy expenditure.
The nature of the program (especially groups 1 and 2) has a large impact on insulin sensitivity, which improves nutrient partitioning - more nutrients are sent to the muscles and fewer nutrients are sent to the fat cells. While this is not the primary goal of the program, it is a nice side effect.
Condition
The circuit structure and full-body nature of the workouts will have a positive impact on anaerobic power and capacity, two important energy systems for sport. And since your heart rate will remain elevated for the entire 45 to 60 minutes, this workout will also have a positive impact on cardiac contractile strength, which will improve aerobic capacity.
Of course, we use low repetitions, so I won't claim that this program is the most effective way to improve your fitness, but it will have a positive effect.
Can you periodize the groups?
You may be wondering if you can combine the groups. The answer is yes and no. During a phase (which is 3 to 4 weeks long) you have to stay with one group. The whole system is built on maximizing neurological efficiency to achieve rapid gains in strength with a selection of exercises. Therefore, you cannot use Group 1 on Monday and Group 2 on Tuesday and so on. With the way the load patterns are organized, this wouldn't work anyway.
What you can do, however, is to periodize all 3 groups in a 9 to 12 week training cycle. In this case, I would recommend the following order:
- Week 1-3: Group 3
- Week 4-6: Group 1
- Week 7-9: Group 2
You can even extend each phase to 4 weeks if you prefer to stick with the same exercises for longer. This will make you super muscular, strong and powerful.
The original Built for Bad could not be used for longer than 9 to 12 weeks. Some exercisers couldn't even keep it up for more than 3 to 4 weeks. Since the intensity undulates with this plan, this won't be a problem.
Can you add Loaded Carries?
If you want to add exercises like the Farmer Walk, training with a weight sled or sprints to this program, feel free to do so. And this addition will make the program a very complete program for body-wide performance. However, you cannot just randomly add these exercises to this plan, as this would make recovery too difficult.
What you can do, however, is replace one or both support cycles (Wednesday and Saturday) with Loaded Carries and Sprints. Depending on what you want to emphasize, here are some options:
Emphasize strength
- Farmers Walk: Work your way up to the heaviest weight you can carry for 30 meters. Allow yourself 3 minutes rest.
- Heavy weight sled push: 5 x 30 meters. Allow yourself 3 minutes rest. Emphasis on muscle mass
- A1. Barbell curls: 3 x 8-10 reps, then rest for 15-30 seconds.
- A2. Tire flip: (as many repetitions as you can do in 30 seconds) or Zercher carry (30 meters). Perform 3 sets of work.
- B1. Dumbbell row with supported chest: 8-10 reps, then rest for 15-30 seconds.
- B2. Farmers Walk: (30 meters). Perform 3 work sets.
Emphasis on fitness
- A1. Sprint with weight sled: (light weight for 30 meters). Pause for 15 seconds afterwards.
- A2. Slowly pushing a weight sled: (same weight for 30 meters). Then pause for 2 minutes. Perform 3 passes.
- B. Farmers Walk: Maximum distance in 60 seconds (use grip aids) Perform 5 sets with 1 minute rest between sets.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/built-for-battle
By Christian Thibaudeau
Q: What is the best way to warm up for a max attempt on the bench press or squat? (for younger athletes)
A: Let me first address coaches who are testing max weight with their athletes. I'm not a big fan of testing this in a group setting. It's like begging for injuries and bad form. Put 60 young, competitive men in a room to compare their strength and the whole thing can become a recipe for disaster.
I prefer to test out the 3 to 5 RM weight. Try moving the heaviest weight you can do 3 to 5 reps with. And use the number of reps to set your max weight (1RM weight). This setting is much safer and just as accurate. Here are the percentages I use:
- 5 reps = 87%
- 4 reps = 90%
- 3 reps = 94%
If you can do 5 reps at 315 pounds, then estimate your 1RM weight as follows:
1RM = 315 x 100 / 87 1RM = 315 * 1.149 1RM = 362 pounds
But I digress. Since your 1RM weight is being tested, here's my recommendation....
The progression basically has three phases. It should be noted that you need to have a pretty good idea of what your 1RM weight is - within a 5 kilo range if possible.
If you have already done heavy single reps, then it should be quite easy for you to estimate this. If not, then you can use your sets of 3 to 5 reps. The percentage above will give you an idea of where your 1RM weight will be.
Normally you will have two or three attempts to find your maximum weight on a test like this. The first two phases of preparation will lead you to this first attempt.
Important: Your first attempt should always be a sure thing. There is nothing worse than failing on your first attempt. In a powerlifting competition, you must use the same weight or increase it. For tests, you can reduce the weight further. But failing the attempt will destroy your drive and confidence.
You need a solid attempt to start with. We usually aim for 94 to 95% of the estimated maximum weight on the first attempt. If you don't have experience with heavy single reps, then you're better off using 90% of your estimated max weight for your first attempt.
Here is the first phase of the warm-up:
- Set 1: Empty bar x 10 reps
- Set 2:4 reps using an estimated 40% of your 1RM weight, pause for 10 seconds
- Set 3:4 reps using an estimated 40% of your 1RM weight, pause for 30 seconds
- Set 4:3 repetitions using an estimated 60% of your 1RM weight, pause for 30 seconds
This is the low stress phase. During these 5 repetitions, your focus should be on exaggerated tension and acceleration. Focus on perfect technique. Don't perform these lighter sets half-heartedly - respect the bar and use these sets to get into the perfect groove. The goal is to get the feel for the heavier weights and prepare the nervous system, but it's also about assessing your performance capacity at that moment. For example, if 90% feels like a ton, then you may need to be more conservative in your attempts. If, on the other hand, that weight feels like nothing, then you might be able to perform your take-off attempt at 98% and then try 103% or even 105%. Then move on to... Sets 11 and 12 can be adjusted depending on your performance. A: I've given seminars where I've presented 37 different training methods - and that's not counting the load patterns. My favorite method? The one that gets you to your goals. The "best" training method will depend on what you want to achieve. Do you want to build strength? Do you want to build muscle mass? There are different methods for these goals. Your level of experience will also help determine which training method is good for you. However, if I had to choose two methods - one for strength and one for muscle building, then I would choose this one: Cluster training is my method of choice for rapidly increasing strength. It never fails. Clusters consist of rest intervals between each repetition of your set. A set becomes a series of single repetitions with very short rests in between. Although you can perform clusters with any type of load and rest intervals, traditional clusters require you to use about 90% of your 1RM weight (which is usually your 3RM weight) and perform four to six repetitions with that weight. You rest between 10 and 20 seconds between sets, depending on the exercise used. A set could look like this: There are several factors that influence strength gains: Clusters improve all of this! You achieve maximum recruitment of the fast-twitch muscle fibers when the weight on the bar is in the range of 80 to 82% of your maximum weight for that moment. Of course, you can also achieve this with lighter weights and use fatigue to increase the relative load on the bar. However, by using clusters with 88 to 90% of your maximum weight, you recruit these fibers from the start. As a result, you won't have a single repetition that simply robs you of energy. But it's not enough to simply recruit the fast-twitch fibers. The real strength gains will come from improving your capacity to use a high contraction rate. This is a motor skill. And motor skill development depends not only on the number of repetitions that emphasize this skill, but also on the ratio of "good" to "bad" repetitions. The closer you are to your maximum strength, the higher the contraction rate. The contraction rate increases the most when you need more strength and can no longer recruit more fibers. At 90% of your 1RM weight you have a high contraction rate from the start. If you perform 5 cluster repetitions with 90% of your 1RM weight, you will get 5 repetitions with a very high contraction rate and no repetitions with a low contraction rate. From a motor learning perspective, this is the gold standard. Compare that to 10 reps at 70% of your 1RM weight. Due to fatigue, you'll still end up with 5 to 6 reps where the fast-contracting fibers are maximally recruited and maybe 3 reps with a high contraction rate. But you also have 5 repetitions with a lower contraction rate. From a motor learning perspective, this is clearly inferior. It's like playing golf with 30 great shots, 20 sub-optimal shots and 50 bad shots. The likelihood is that you will not improve quickly. Clusters are also great for building muscle. Hypertrophy has a lot to do with the number of maximally effective repetitions. A maximally effective repetition is one repetition during which you recruit as many fast-contracting fibers as you can. Since these fibers have the greatest growth potential, it's all about stimulating them as much as possible. As we have just seen, if the load is 80% of your maximum weight at that moment, you will recruit the maximum number of fast-twitch muscle fibers you can. You can also achieve this with less weight, as each repetition will exhaust you. As you fatigue, your strength will decrease (2 to 4% per repetition), so the weight on the bar will become heavier relative to what you are actually moving. Here is an example: Weight on the bar Degree of fatigue Relative weight 1 70% 0% 70% 2 70% 3% 73% 3 70% 6% 76% 4 70% 9% 79% 5 70% 12% 82% 6 70% 15% 85% 7 70% 18% 88% 8 70% 21% 91% 9 70% 24% 94% 10 70% 27% 97% As you can see, you have maximum effective repetitions from repetition 5 onwards. That gives you 6 of these in this set. Now let's look at cluster sets. Because of the rest intervals, you will get some recovery, so fatigue will set in a little slower. Weight on the bar Degree of exhaustion Relative weight 1 90% 0% 90% 2 90% 1.5% 91.5% 3 90% 3% 93% 4 90% 4.5% 94.5% 5 90% 6% 96% 6 90% 7.5% 97.5% Clusters allow you to get as many growth-producing reps as you would normally get with a higher repetition set, without having to waste energy performing reps that don't contribute to growth. And because all reps in a cluster are performed at more than 85% of what you can move at that moment (it will range from 90 to 100% at the start of the repetition) this means that not only are you recruiting all your recruitable fast-twitch muscle fibers from the start, but also that each repetition has a high contraction rate. The better you are at making your muscle fibers contract quickly, the higher the contraction rate. This means that you will be able to produce more strength. Developing the capacity to contract your muscle fibers at a high contraction rate is a motor skill. It is not only the number of repetitions with a high contraction rate that counts, but also the ratio of repetitions with a high contraction rate to repetitions with a normal contraction rate. In a cluster with 6 repetitions, all 6 repetitions have a high contraction rate. This is excellent for motor learning. In our 70% set above, you only have 3 repetitions with a contraction rate comparable to that during a cluster set. With 5 repetitions you have a low contraction rate and with two you have a moderate contraction rate. From a motor learning perspective, this is clearly inferior to clustering due to the lower rate. In a regular set of 5 repetitions you also have no wasted repetitions and you complete all repetitions at a fairly high contraction rate. This is true and sets of 5 reps are great for building strength and mass. But cluster sets are even better. This is partly due to the higher average load. In a cluster you use about 90% of your maximum weight, whereas in regular sets of 5 reps you use between 80 and 85% of your maximum weight. Even though fatigue at the end of the set will equalize the relative load, the heavier weight means a higher mechanical load than the lighter weight, which will result in more muscle damage. And with a 90% cluster, you will do 3 more reps with a very high contraction rate (the closer you are to a 100% effort, the higher the contraction rate) compared to a 5-rep set at 82% of your max weight. At 82%, you need 2 to 3 repetitions to reach a relative load of 90%, as you have with the cluster. Finally, during a cluster set, maximal strength, speed and speed are better maintained from repetition to repetition, resulting in more quality repetitions and better motor learning (1). For these reasons, clusters are my favorite training method for building strength. They build as much muscle mass as regular sets of 8 to 12 repetitions due to the number of maximally effective repetitions. They train the nervous system at least as well as the max effort method - and perhaps even better due to the higher number of repetitions. When performing cluster sets, I recommend two working sets, as each set has the same neurological effect as performing three sets of 3 repetitions at 90%. Here is an example of an exercise in a cluster training session. The percentages are for illustration purposes only: Reduce the weight to 88% on the last set if you only managed 4 repetitions in your cluster or if you found the last repetition very difficult. Go up to 92% if you managed 6 clean repetitions in the previous cluster. This is one of the simplest intensity techniques. You perform a certain number of repetitions to muscle failure (or close to muscle failure), pause briefly (10 to 20 seconds) and then continue the set with the same weight, trying to do as many extra repetitions as possible. This is the simple form of rest/pause. There are many other variations. These variations have their uses, but they are extreme variations that cannot be used often or over a long period of time. Regular rest/pause, on the other hand, can be used every week as long as you don't overdo it with the volume. My recommendation for intensity is to start with a weight that you can perform 6 to 8 repetitions with. Pause for 10 to 20 seconds and then perform as many repetitions as you can. I recommend finishing the first part of the set one repetition before reaching muscle failure and for the second part of the set either go to muscle failure (machine exercises or isolation exercises) or stop one repetition before reaching muscle failure (the three heavy multi-joint exercises). This should give you 6 to 8 initial repetitions and 3 to 5 extra repetitions. "Maximal effective repetitions" is a term for repetitions where you recruit and stimulate all the fast contracting muscle fibers you can recruit. Since these fibers have the greatest growth potential, these repetitions will make your muscles grow. If you use a number of 6 to 8 initial repetitions, where the weight is likely to be between 75 and 80% of your maximum weight, then most of your initial repetitions will be maximally effective repetitions. One to two reps may be preparatory reps, which is good as these will increase CNS activation and prepare the groove for the key reps. All the repetitions during the second part of the set will be maximum effective repetitions. In a rest/pause set, you will perform mostly maximal effective reps and maybe two lower impact reps. Two rest/pause sets will have the same impact on muscle growth as 6 regular sets - without the disadvantages that can limit the growth you can achieve through your training session. Just like with cluster sets, you should perform two rest/pause sets - maybe even just one. It could look like this: https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-60 Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-59, By Christian Thibaudeau
My favorite training methods: a list
Q: What are your favorite training methods by far?
1. favorite method for building strength: clusters
Why is this so effective?
But what if we compare a set with 5 cluster repetitions with a regular set with 5 repetitions?
2. favorite training method for muscle building: rest/pause
References:
German Volume Training: 10 x 10
In Germany, the ten-set method aka German Volume Training was used off-season to help weightlifters build lean body mass. This program was so effective that exercisers could routinely move up a weight class within 12 weeks.
The program works because it targets a specific set of motor units and exposes them to a high volume of repetitive effort - specifically, 100 repetitions of a single exercise. The body adapts to this extraordinary stress with hypertrophy of the target muscle fibers. To say that this program builds muscle quickly would be an understatement. Gains of 10 pounds or more within 6 weeks are quite common.
How it is performed
The goal of German Volume Training is to perform 10 sets of 10 repetitions of an exercise with the same weight. You should start with a weight that, if you tried hard, you could do 20 reps with before reaching muscle failure. For most exercises, this is 60% of the 1RM weight (the maximum weight for one repetition). So if you can do one repetition with 100 kilos on the bench, you would use 60 kilos for this exercise. This may look easy at first glance, but you will be positively - or negatively - surprised.
For beginners, I recommend the following training split:
- Day 1: Chest and back
- Day 2: legs and abs
- Day 3: No training
- Day 4: Arms and shoulders
- Day 5 workout-free
Perform one - and only one - exercise for each muscle group. When performing this program, you should keep a detailed record of sets/repetitions, weights and rest intervals. Only count the repetitions performed with strict form. Increase the weight if you can do 10 repetitions in all 10 sets.
You may notice as you perform this workout that even though the number of repetitions may decrease after the sixth or seventh set, it will increase again on the eighth or ninth set. The thing to remember is that you are not going crazy - this is just an interesting neurologically based phenomenon.
Tip: Do this to pull more weight off the floor
Here's an excellent assistance exercise that will really bring your deadlift weights up.
By Eric Bach
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-this-to-rip-more-pounds-off-the-ground/
Not getting anywhere with the deadlift? One way to increase your strength is to strengthen the weak points of the movement. If your weak point is at the bottom of the movement and not just before the top, work on it with this exercise:
The Deadpull Exercise
This is a variation of the deadlift in which you end the movement when the bar is at the height of the middle of your shin, followed by a pause of 3 to 5 seconds at this height before placing the weight back on the floor. Pause for a few seconds between sets with the bar on the floor. As most exercisers lift the weight from the floor, this strengthens the perfect pulling position from the floor.
After your main exercise, perform 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 repetitions with 60 to 80% of your 1RM weight, pausing for about 120 seconds between sets. As a variation, you can pause at mid-shin height, directly below the knee or directly above the knee. Bonus: This exercise builds insane strength and muscle mass in the back extensors and quadriceps.
Tip: train like a strongman
You'll be surprised how top strongman competitors really train. And if you really want to get strong, then you should take a few notes.
By Bret Contreras
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-train-like-a-strongman/
If your primary goal is to get strong, then it makes sense to take a look at what the strongest men in the world do. Believe it or not, they don't train with single reps at their max weight all the time. And they even do some cardio training.
A study was conducted to examine the training methods of strongman competitors. Until then, no such study existed. Winwood and colleagues studied 167 strongmen from 20 different countries on a selection of training topics. The results are quite fascinating.
The highlights of the study
- 66% of strongmen reported that classic squats were the most commonly performed variation of squats. Front squats were also frequently performed.
- 88% of the strongmen reported that conventional deadlifts were the most common variation of deadlifts. Partial repetitions of deadlifts were also popular.
- 80% of strongmen periodized their training and 83% used a training log.
- 74% of strongmen performed hypertrophy training (training for muscle mass), 97% of strongmen performed maximal strength training, 90% of strongmen performed power training and 90% of strongmen performed aerobic training / anaerobic conditioning training.
- 60% of strongmen performed squats and deadlifts with dynamic effort (explosive repetitions with submaximal load), 56% used elastic bands and 38% used chains.
- 88% of strongmen included Olympic weightlifting exercises in their arsenal, with 78% performing deadlifts. Snatches, thrusts and high pulls were also regularly used.
- 54% of strongmen performed plyometric exercises for the lower body, 29% plyometric exercises for the upper body and 20% ballistic exercises (jump squats, bench press throws, etc.).
- 55% of strongmen performed HIIT (high-intensity interval training) training and 53% performed low-intensity cardio training.
- 54% of Strongmen competitors train once a week with Strongmen equipment and 24% use this equipment twice a week.
TIP: Does training with weights inhibit growth
Many "experts" say that children should avoid training with weights because it could stunt their growth. This is nonsense. Here is the explanation
By Mark Rippetoe
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-does-weight-lifting-stunt-height/
Children can exercise without worry with proper instruction and full range of motion exercises. This is no worse than letting them do gymnastics exercises at 4 to 5 years old. However, they need to be taught the correct exercises.
What about epiphyseal fractures?
That's a myth. Show me examples of such damage from barbell training done correctly. There are none. This is pediatric nonsense and goes back to people talking about things that are not part of their specialty.
Pediatricians and orthopedic surgeons are trained in the medical field and how to fix things that are already damaged. That doesn't mean they know how to train. Just because your car mechanic knows how to work on your car doesn't mean he knows how to get downtown in your car. You don't teach young children how to do these exercises incorrectly and then say that the problems that come from doing them incorrectly are the fault of barbell training.
In addition, kids aren't strong enough to use enough weight to hurt themselves, which is a really good argument against quarter reps on squats. You can move heavy weights in quarter squats. However, if you go all the way down and move the weight all the way up, then you won't be able to move heavy weights until you're really strong. This applies equally to adults and children.
Soccer vs. barbell training
I have a bar in my gym that weighs 5 kilos. I can increase the weight to 5.5 kilos. And then I can increase the weight to 6 kilos and 40 kilos and finally 120 kilos. I can scale my barbell to the abilities of an eight-year-old child.
But if you put that same 35 kilo eight-year-old kid on a soccer field and have him run headlong into another 35 kilo kid...is that scalable? I don't think so. "Hello you underdeveloped epiphyses, you still open epiphyses!" And then put cleated shoes on him, let him kick and get kicked in the knees.
And yet there aren't many orthopedic surgeons and pediatricians who advise against kids playing soccer, whereas there are many who advise against kids participating in barbell training. Does that make any sense? But that is the common opinion. The general opinion is that soccer, which is one of the most dangerous sports, is perfectly fine for children, while barbell training is supposed to stunt growth. Stop this nonsense.
Tip: Keep your oestrogen under control
Men need it, but if you have too much of it, your health risks will increase rapidly. And you'll get tubby. We'll show you how to keep your oestrogen under control.
By TC Luoma
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/tip-keep-estrogen-in-check/
It's a fact: high oestrogen levels increase the risk of degenerative diseases and early death.
However, it is becoming increasingly clear that a number of doctors are insular idiots. For this, one need only look at the large estrogen study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Scientists monitored the estrogen levels of a large group of men. They found that men with estradiol (a form of estrogen) in the normal range between 21.8 and 30.11 pg/mL had the lowest number of deaths during the three-year study period. Men with the highest levels (above 37.99 pg/mL) fared the worst, suffering 317% more deaths.
What the doctors got wrong
What some doctors took as a message from this study was that men need estrogen, so they don't want to give their patients anything that can lower estrogen levels. In other words, many doctors are ignoring the much bigger problem of high estrogen levels, as evidenced by the fact that they are so opposed to prescribing anti-estrogen drugs.
The problem is that once estrogen levels rise, so does the risk of degenerative disease. The risk of arteriosclerosis increases, as does the risk of stroke. The prostate grows. And the risk of death also increases. If you are a weightlifter or other athlete, high oestrogen levels also affect your ability to build strength or muscle and make it harder for you to get lean.
How to keep your estrogen levels under control
Consider using estrogen-lowering supplements. High doses of zinc could also be helpful. And if the problem is really serious, you should consult a progressive doctor who can prescribe a prescription estrogen-lowering medication.
Tip: A fun training session on the treadmill
Is it possible to lose fat without becoming a jogger? Yes. Perform Loaded Carries on the treadmill.
By Andrew Heffernan
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-a-treadmill-workout-that-doesnt-suck/
Go for a walk with weights
How do you make the treadmill less dull? One easy way is to grab a weight, drive up the incline and do some Farmers Walk-style walking. You can use a dumbbell, weight plate or kettlebell. (Weight vests are also cool, but this method is more challenging and has more benefits).
Change your position
Hold the weight any way you can: On your shoulder, in front of your abs, in one hand at your side and change position whenever you get tired. You won't be using huge weights here - at the end of the day you're still running on the treadmill, but this is an easy way to incorporate Loaded Carries into your training program.
Walk uphill with 10 kilos
Use a steep incline, but keep the pace moderate. Walking with a 10 kilo weight plate in your hand is one thing - running with it is quite another. Two-minute intervals would be just right for this. If this is easy, first increase the weight and the incline before increasing the speed.
Tip: Increase your pull-up strength with this simple plan
This training strategy combines a high frequency with very low repetitions to get you doing pull-ups in double digits.
By Christian Thibaudeau
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-increase-pull-up-power-with-this-simple-plan/
Mini sets for maximum gains
Are you bad at pull-ups? You need to train them regularly and often. Start each training session with a total of 20 pull-ups performed in the shortest possible time, performing mini sets at half your current maximum effort. Use a stopwatch to check how long it takes you and try to beat this time in your next training session.
The best strategy is not to reach muscle failure at the end of any of the mini sets, as this would require too long a pause during the sets and your 20 pull-ups would take longer.
The whole thing works as follows:
- Let's say your current max is 4 or 5 pull-ups. Start with mini sets of 2 repetitions, resting as short as possible between sets - about 20 seconds rest should be enough.
- If the second repetition becomes difficult to perform, extend the breaks to 30 seconds.
- If the second repetition becomes difficult again, even with longer rest intervals, then switch to sets with one repetition and 15 to 20 seconds rest until you have reached your daily goal (20 repetitions).
As you get stronger, you will be able to use more than 2 reps on your mini sets. However, you should only increase the number of repetitions gradually and carefully. Check the time it takes you to complete 20 repetitions to evaluate your strategy. As you increase the number of repetitions per set, your training time should continue to decrease.
Ideally, after 8 to 10 weeks, you should be able to perform 20 repetitions in the form of just two sets of 10 repetitions with 20 seconds rest. When this happens, you will probably be able to perform 15 good pull-ups in a row.
Progression method: 30 total repetitions and then use additional weights
Once you can perform 20 total reps in 2 mini sets with no more than 30 seconds rest between sets, increase the target reps to 30 and continue with the progression. If you can eventually perform 30 total reps in two sets with less than 20 seconds rest between sets, then go back to 20 total reps, but here's the killer...Hang 7.5 kilos of extra weight around your waist and start progression again.
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-use-gvt-to-build-muscle-fast/
From Charles Poliquin
