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Researched and Composed by Jacob Wilson
Introduction
The title
sounds crazy doesn't it? Let me guarantee you this, its
no where near as crazy as the gains you will receive by implementing
the following workout principle!!! I will break down in
the paragraphs to come, the very core of mass building!
Its raw essence, if you will.
What Do You Mean By
Raw Essence?
I am sure
that many of you are asking this very question right now.
So I will gladly answer it. The raw essence of gaining
mass, as far as training goes is the exact time that your muscles
are forced to work " under intense
loads. " In other words, optimal mass gains are directly
proportionate to exactly how long your sets last!
Optimal Amount of Time To
Expose Your muscles To Tension And Why!
With that being said I'm
sure your next question is what is the optimal time to force
your muscles to work during a set for mass gains. Through
countless studies and journals, great trainers and bodybuilders
have found that for size gains, a set should last between 30-70
seconds. The simple reason for this is that our larger muscle
fibers, which have the highest potential for growth are fast
twitch type IIa and type IIb white fibers. It has been
noted that if you vary your time range between 30-70 seconds
throughout your workout, you will end up stimulating and optimal
amount of hypertrophy ( muscle growth ) in both of these fibers.
note: We have type I, slow
twitch muscle fibers as well. These are red and have less
potential for growth as compared to fast twitch muscle fibers.
Type I fibers are targeted in activities, such as long distance
running. They have high endurance properties and exert
much less force than the fast twitch white fibers. But
again, they last much longer. You can also stimulate
hypertrophy in these but that is another article in itself.
For example tests have
compared fiber recruition in athletes when they lifted in the
5-15 second range, to the 30-70 second range and found that
the latter incorporated much more muscle fibers than the former.
The reason why this is true is because at a lower second range
your muscles would fail due to a rapid atp( our bodies main
energy source ) shortage, and this rapid shortage of energy,
just doesn't allow enough time for your muscles to be stimulated
enough to grow. Essentially, the total time that
the muscle fibers are required to produce force is shorter in
low-rep sets than in higher-rep sets. Simply put, a hard set
that lasts 30-70 seconds delivers more growth stimulus to the
muscle cells than a hard set that lasts below this because in
a shorter set, failure may occur due to reasons other than muscle
fiber fatigue and before a significant growth stimulus has been
achieved. This should give you a clearer understanding
of why bodybuilders tend to lift in a higher rep range than
power lifters.
note: When
I say 30 seconds, I of course mean a weight that causes you
to fail in that time range. For example, say that you
can barbell curl 135 pounds for a total of 6 repetitions.
If this takes you 30 seconds, then this is the rep range you
would use to fail within this time frame. If this is the
case, then 12 reps would most likely cause you to fail in the
60 second range.
Vary The Time Range To Incorporate
A Maximum Amount Of Muscle Fibers!
As stated above you have
both type IIB and type IIA muscle fibers. The type IIB
fibers have less endurance, and are stronger than the IIA fibers.
These also take longer to recover, i.e. 3-5 minutes. So
when you are working on the lower end, say around 30 seconds
you will be incorporating more IIB fibers, than IIA. Type
IIA fibers will be incorporated to a greater degree in the 35-70
second range. In edition type IIA fibers recover faster
than type IIB. So you can rest shorter, i.e. 30-60 seconds.
Therefore, vary time range, because you need to stimulate growth
in both of these. You might start out by going heavier,
and resting longer, follow this up with higher rep/second sets
and rest less. An example of this would be:
Exercise # 1
Heavy Barbell Curls:
3 sets of a total of 30 seconds each. Rest 3 minutes
between sets. Due to the strain the heavy weight places
on your neural system you will need longer to recover.
Exercise # 2
Incline Dumbbell Curls:
3 sets. 60 seconds the first set, 50 seconds the second
set and 40 the next set. Rest 60-90 seconds. Again
fast twitch IIA recover quickly compared to IIB fibers.
Now this is just a basic
program, but you can see how I hit the biceps throughout in
a variety of ranges, thereby stimulating a maximum amount of
hypertrophy in both IIA and B fibers.
How To Apply This To Your
Current Routine
Out of all the concepts
presented, I see none more exciting then literally having an
actual key to the mass zone!
You see, by staying within this range, you literally ensure
optimal growth! This concept has become so popular with
trainers, that many lift to the clock, rather than by repetitions.
However, if you look at repetitions, you will find that the
6-12 rep range usually falls within the optimal length of time
a set should be carried out. Which is why you will see
me vary the range of reps during my programs. You also
should notice that I discuss tempo frequently. This is
to ensure that you fall within the optimal mass zone.
And in fact, by using a correct tempo I can almost ensure that
I fall within this range. For example, my tempo on squats
is usually 4 seconds for the eccentric portion of the rep, and
2 seconds for the concentric. If I perform a six repetition
set, then it will take me approximately 36-40 seconds.
So you can see how we can pre-plan the time of our set. If
you do a higher repetition set, you will need to speed the tempo
up in order to still fall within the 30-70 second time frame.
A different Approach
With tempo
being one way to measure progress in a set, I have also utilized
another. This approach is a bit unorthodox, but I have
found that it produces tremendous gains! What you literally
do is count seconds rather
repetitions. You will find that you end out pushing yourself
way beyond what you normally would have done!
For example, one of the most asked questions in bodybuilding
is:
" how do
I make my calves grow "
This method
of training can do wonders for any muscle. Take a normal
calf set. I have observed a pattern in people I have trained
on countless occasions when working this muscle. Lets
say that the bodybuilder performing the set does the following
workout routine:
standing
calf raises: 12, 10, 8
donkey calf
raises: 12, 10, 8
Now if you
examine the typical rep used on a calf machine, it takes about
1.5 seconds for each rep to be completed and 2 at the max.
If you analysize this you will find that the typical set of
12 reps lasts a grand total of 24 seconds. Anything less
than that, is even shorter. I believe that 90 percent
of the people who have lagging calves do not force their muscles
to be exposed to tension for a long enough period. Furthermore,
I believe that most people reach " mental failure " while training
calves before reaching true failure. This area is so difficult
to concentrate on and with the build up of lactic acid, its
easy to presume failure before it's actually reached.
This of course holds true to body parts across the board!
My Solution
In this case, I would
solve the problem by eliminating the counting of repetitions.
I would set up the amount of weight that the athlete normally
fails at 12 reps with. Then I would set my stop watch
for 60 seconds and have him no matter what, continue to perform
repetitions until the 60 seconds have ended. Every time
I do this, without fail, I find that the athlete gets way more
repetitions than he normally would have because his focus is
on doing optimal damage to the area, rather than just reaching
failure. This method usually causes a person to fail,
as far as being able to get a full repetition at around 40-45
seconds. At this point I would recommend continuing the
set with partial repetitions until the time is up.
With this training method, you will literally double the amount
of muscle fibers stimulated than you would have, had you simply
went to failure. I have tested this theory on several
occasions. Here are the results from the last test I took.
1. Athlete
Uses failure and repetitions to Gauge The Effectiveness of his
set:
Standing Calf Raises:
12, 10, 8 reps
set one: 27 seconds
set two: 24 seconds
set three: 21 seconds.
2. Athlete
Uses Seconds To Gauge The Effectiveness of his set:
Standing Calf Raises:
60 s., 45 s. , 30 s.
set one: 60 seconds
set two: 45 seconds
set three: 30 seconds
When the athlete used
seconds to measure his set, he was able to expose his muscle
fibers to more than double the stress they had been accustomed
to! He was able to break through mental and physical barriers,
which equals big time growth!
Note On Lagging Body Parts,
etc. Biceps
I want you to take whatever
body part that is lagging and use this training method to boost
yourself into new growth! The most asked question is,
" how can I get my biceps to grow? " This is without a
doubt one of the most painful areas to work in our entire bodies.
It houses an unbelievable amount of nerves. In fact in
martial arts, you are taught to strike the biceps on numerous
occasions for this particular reason. I constantly notice,
no matter how advanced the athlete is, a state of mental failure
reached, before actual failure when training this muscle group.
To ensure that you get the most out of your set, simply go by
the clock for several workouts and I guarantee you will get
unbelievable results! The reason for this, is because
you will have optimally stressed your biceps, each and every
set! What better way to produce results than this?
Overview Of Gains Received
From This Method
1. You know that you are in the
optimal range for gaining mass. Or the range that stimulates
growth in the highest percentage of fast twitch IIA and IIB
muscle fibers
2. It forces you to concentrate
on working the muscle completely, rather than just go to failure
or a certain amount of reps. I have noted, that most people
end out working their muscles in a fuller range of motion when
using this method, rather than seeing how many reps they can
get pump out. This tends to more completely develop the
target area.
3. You will end out pushing yourself
further than you are used to, as displayed in the calf example
above. In this way you will stimulate more muscle fibers,
which equals more growth.
Overview of Use
1. Use this Method on any lagging
body part to ensure that it is being worked in the optimal mass
zone. Remember, the area that is lacking, may be stagnant
for this very reason!
2. One way to measure time can
be tempo. On a barbell curl, 2 seconds on the eccentric
portion, one to raise the weight and a one second peak contraction
at the top range of motion equals 4 seconds a rep. Multiply
this by the number of repetitions and you will know what your
duration is.
3. When not counting reps
concentrate fully on the muscle group! Forget about reps.
Get a complete peak contraction and a full stretch at the bottom
of the movement. If you reach failure before the time
is up, simply complete the set with beyond failure training
techniques. I.E. partial reps, forced reps, negative
reps, etc. etc.
4. Vary your time under tension
to incorporate both IIA and IIB fibers.
Conclusion
Every time I train, I
see a gym moron performing the worst cheat curls possible!
They grab a barbell that is way to heavy for them and do cheat
quarter reps. Usually a set of 10 reps lasts a grand total
of 5 seconds and they wonder why they are not getting gains!
They are simply not exposing their biceps to tension, long enough
to stimulate growth in their muscle fibers. Take care
that you are not doing this and your gains will stay consistent
for the rest of your lifting career! Enjoy the growth,
and go kick your lagging body parts in the ass!
Sincerely
Jacob Wilson ( Trainer@abcbodybuilding.com
)
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