| Anybody who has achieved a little success
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| | we must contract the muscles against
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| with their weight training is always
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| | heavy weights and these contractions
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| bombarded by the same question: How did
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| | controlled by the CNS. If the CNS is not
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| you build that physique.... high weight
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| | recovered from the day before we cannot
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| or high reps? Naturally, the majority of
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| | possibly hope to have a chest workout
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| trainees who have been in a training
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| | that will produce the desired results.
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| plateau for the last several months (or
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| | We would be much better suited to have a
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| years), seek advice from those who have
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| | day of complete rest and to train the
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| proven to be successful. There are two
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| | chest (or whatever the next scheduled
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| types of people who just can't seem to
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| | workout happens to be) when we are
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| stop gaining muscle: those with those
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| | actually capable of doing so
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| one-in a million genetics that allow them
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| | productively. Of course the reasoning of
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| to put on muscle with any haphazard
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| | most serious trainees is that if they
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| training program, and those who have
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| | were not strong on chest day, then they
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| intelligently manipulated their weight
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| | simply need more chest work. Additional
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| training program to keep their training
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| | sets, reps, and possibly an additional
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| dynamic and the muscle gains coming. If
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| | training day during the week are then
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| you are one of those genetic freaks that
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| | added-this only contributes to the
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| respond to anything, then this article is
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| | problem in the first place, ensuring that
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| not for you. If you are a person who
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| | with all that extra hard work we are
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| religiously hits the gym like an animal
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| | breaking even, at best. It should also be
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| with a good nutritional plan, but still
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| | noted that this is a cumulative problem,
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| seems to be merely spinning their wheels
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| | the deeper the ditch we dig into our
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| instead of making the progress they want,
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| | recovery ability, the harder it is to get
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| then this article will be extremely
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| | out.
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| helpful.
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| | So now that we have identified the
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| Before we get into the nuts and bolts of
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| | problem what do we do now???
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| manipulating your weight workouts to
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| | Unfortunately, there is not one answer to
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| avoid training plateaus, three
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| | this question, but there are a few
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| important points need to be emphasized:
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| | general strategies to manipulate your
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| 1. 99% of trainees are over-trained on
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| | training program to keep the gains
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| volume and under-trained on intensity.
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| | coming. The most fundamental rule here is
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| More is not always better.
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| | that the human body responds very quickly
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| 2.The human body will respond to any
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| | to change. It is not adequate, however to
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| acute stimulus, but quickly adapts to
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| | simply change the workout in an arbitrary
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| maintain homeostasis. The workout that
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| | manner-we must have a systematic way of
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| did wonders for the first few weeks will
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| | manipulating our weight training workouts
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| surely stall if no changes are made.
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| | to produce the desired results. Training
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| 3. In order to keep the body adapting in
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| | an exercise from a different angle, or
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| a positive way to our training efforts,
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| | changing the order in which the exercises
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| we must:
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| | in a workout are performed are both good
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| - increase the intensity of the training
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| | ways to achieve this end in the context
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| stimulusor
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| | of your more general weight training
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| - change the training stimulus all
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| | plan. This is not enough, however to
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| together
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| | avoid a training plateau-the overall
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| While the three principles above are
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| | volume and intensity of the workout must
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| fundamental to program design, The
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| | be cycled in a systematic manner.
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| following points also need to be
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| | Volume, Intensity and Overload Explained
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| considered in designing the any weight
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| | With the countless ways in which the
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| training/fitness program...
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| | words volume and intensity are thrown
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| The all or nothing principle
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| | around in the muscle magazines and
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| Muscle fibers fire on an all-or nothing
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| | popular books on weight training and
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| principle-the magnitude or strength of
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| | fitness, the lack of consensus on
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| the contraction is dictated by the number
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| | exactly what these terms mean is not
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| of fibers that simultaneously fire.
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| | surprising. So you had a tough workout-
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| Heavier weights activate more muscle
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| | was it high-intensity? or was high-
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| fibers/ rep. (although this is not the
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| | volume? The formal definition of
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| only means to influence the amount of
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| | training volume is the overall amount of
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| fibers exhausted during a workout ) The
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| | work that was performed during the
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| more fibers exhausted the greater the
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| | workout; take all the sets that you
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| overload, the greater the overload the
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| | performed and multiply the weights x
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| greater the gains.
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| | reps....add these numbers together and
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| There can be too much of a good thing
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| | you have your overall training volume.
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| There is such thing as too much of a good
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| | Intensity is defined by the percentage of
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| thing; with increasing amounts of
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| | your one-rep max in which the exercises
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| overload in a given workout and
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| | were performed; the higher percentage of
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| decreasing amounts of recovery time there
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| | one-rep max a set is performed at, the
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| is a point of diminishing returns. The
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| | higher the intensity. It should then make
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| average trainee will see that things are
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| | sense that there is an intrinsic
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| working well and in an effort to keep the
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| | equilibrium between volume and intensity.
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| gains coming, they reason that if a
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| | If you are performing heavier sets at a
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| little bit is good, then a lot must be
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| | greater percentage of your one rep-max,
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| better so they add more sets and reps and
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| | then you will necessarily be doing less
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| use heavier weights. Most people are
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| | repetitions and the overall volume will
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| constantly flirting with over training
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| | go down. Like-wise, with a ton of sets
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| because of this. The actual weight
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| | and reps we will not be able to train as
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| workout is only a stimulus for muscle
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| | heavy-volume increases and intensity
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| growth.....muscles grow when we are
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| | drops.
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| resting. In order to be efficient, we
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| | The cycling of volume and intensity keeps
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| must perform just enough work, but not
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| | the gains coming by keeping the CNS
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| too much to send the message for the
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| | off-balance. Our CNS is lazy by
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| muscles to grow and change in response to
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| | nature-the first time we perform and
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| the weight training workout. We need to
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| | exercise we use the most muscle-each
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| create maximum overload with a minimal
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| | successive time the exercise is performed
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| demand on the recovery ability to achieve
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| | the CNS "learns" how to contract that
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| maximum gains.
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| | muscle more efficiently by the way in
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| It's all about the CNS!
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| | which it recruits the muscle fibers to
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| Our central nervous system controls the
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| | contract. Many strength gains, for this
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| muscle groups of every body part that we
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| | reason, are due to the CNS becoming more
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| train, yet little attention is given to
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| | efficient, rather than the muscle
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| the large effect that this has on
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| | actually growing. When the CNS becomes
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| recovery. Anybody who has had a great
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| | more efficient, the same weights, sets,
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| weight training workout on one day, only
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| | and reps that caused an overload in
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| to be disappointed on the next can attest
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| | previous workouts will fail to do so
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| to the fact that there is an aspect to
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| | indefinitely. Hence the fundamental rule
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| the recovery ability that is independent
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| | of overload: In order to keep the gains
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| of the body part trained during the
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| | coming we must either increase the
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| previous workout.
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| | intensity of the stimulus (use
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| We have covered many important points
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| | progressively heavier weights), or change
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| regarding muscle physiology and
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| | the stimulus all together by:
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| exercise....so what does all of this mean
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| | - implementing different exercises
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| in the context of an actual workout???
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| | - changing the angle or rep-tempo of
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| For example, imagine that you have just
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| | existing exercises
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| had the best leg workout ever and you
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| | - (most importantly) changing in volume
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| feel great. You even achieved a personal
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| | and intensity over time in a planned,
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| best on a ten-rep max set of squats.
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| | systematic manner
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| Fired up for the next workout, you
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| | The most profound way to change the
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| attempt to tackle the gym with equal
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| | nature of the training stimulus is to
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| fervor the next day-only to find that
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| | change volume/intensity of the workout-
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| your bench press has decreased by about
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| | in this way we are ensuring that any
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| 20%! Common sense would tell us that if
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| | adaptations are due to muscular gains
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| we have just trained legs and will train
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| | rather than a CNS that has learned how to
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| chest the next day, then we will be
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| | do more work with less fatigue on the
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| fine-even if the leg workout was very
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| | muscle. Unfortunately, there is no
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| intense. The problem with this logic is
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| | magical formula to accomplish this, but
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| that the CNS controls the ability of
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| | as a general rule of thumb, workouts
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| these muscle groups to contract. As
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| | should be organized into two phases of
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| stated above, muscles contract on an
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| | training lasting 4-6 weeks. Phase I is
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| all-or nothing principle-the more fibers
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| | the higher volume workout which lasts 4-6
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| that contract the stronger the
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| | weeks, then after a one-week "break-in"
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| contraction. The CNS, after having been
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| | period, begin increasing the weights and
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| stressed during an intense leg workout,
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| | intensity while dropping training volume
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| is still recovering and not able to fire
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| | during phase II training. Additionally,
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| up all those muscle fibers needed in the
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| | within the individual phases of your
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| chest for maximum strength. The
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| | workout, changes in exercises themselves,
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| ramifications of this situation are
| |
| | rep tempo, angle of execution, etc should
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| extremely important: a fatigued CNS will
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| | be further utilized to keep your body
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| not be able to generate the required
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| | guessing (and gaining). Most any popular
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| workload to cause an overload in the
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| | training system is compatible with this;
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| target muscle. Translation: YOU WILL NOT
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| | during the high-volume phase "German
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| GROW! This illustrates the very reasons
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| | volume" training works extremely well,
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| that most people do not experience the
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| | while any high-intensity protocol such as
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| progress with their weight training that
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| | "heavy duty" or otherwise will work
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| they should. Your nutrition may be great,
| |
| | great.
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| you may be getting plenty of rest, but
| |
| | So now you know the "secret" to making
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| you are still not gaining due to a
| |
| | muscle building is really just
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| dysfunctional training protocol that does
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| | intelligent program design. Think twice
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| not allow sufficient recovery.
| |
| | before jumping on the latest fad-workout
|
| We've all been in this situation before
| |
| | bandwagon or wasting time by trying out
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| and pondered endlessly to the cause of
| |
| | the latest workout in a magazine, as
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| the sudden decrease in strength....Was it
| |
| | described by a pro-bodybuilder. The best
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| the diet? Possibly stress? Or maybe you
| |
| | training protocol is dynamic and custom
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| just forgot to wear your lucky underwear?
| |
| | -designed to the goals, lifestyle and
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| The answer, of course is that all other
| |
| | schedule of the trainee. While many
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| things being equal (and of course you did
| |
| | people respond great to a new training
|
| not forget the lucky underwear), the CNS
| |
| | program, lack of a planned cycling of
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| is still fatigued from the previous
| |
| | volume and intensity to keep the workouts
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| workout. If our pectoral muscles are
| |
| | productive leads inevitably to a training
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| capable of pushing 20% more than our CNS
| |
| | plateau. Those who have been and continue
|
| will actually allow on this particular
| |
| | to be successful in this game have become
|
| day, it is no wonder that the chest
| |
| | expert at manipulating their weight
|
| workout will be unproductive.... In order
| |
| | training and fitness workouts to keep the
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| for a muscle to grow it must be
| |
| | progress coming.
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| overloaded, in order to achieve overload
| |
| |
|
