It is pretty long, but I'll paste it here. I'll try to cut out some of the metaphorical stuff that he includes in there, he overdoes it a bit...
BEFORE YOU READ: Remember, before there was something.... there WASN'T. Just like TV. One minute it wasn't there, the next it was. People seem to be skeptical of anything that is outside of what is already there. But now.. IT IS. What you are about to read is a 3/4 year journey of reading, thought, logic and common sense and trial and error through just about every method of training. Everyone seemed to have a piece of the puzzle... but now I've put them together how it should be.
Throw your skeptisim out of the window and remain very open. The greatest skill that most humans do not possess is the ability to UNLEARN what you have been taught. People wish to hold on to their opinions (whether it be their own or copied and pasted from someone else). Just try the method of training and you shall see what i mean. Keep your mind BLANK throughout this.
One of the problems with today’s world is that we get lazier and rely on other people to do things for us. Instead of reading things for ourselves we simply accept something that was said to us by someone of higher power. We assume that because they told us, it must be correct. If it came from the man with 22 inch biceps, it HAS to be true. Some hold what was told to them so dearly that they will defend it without knowing about it.
What i am offering is not magic. It is not a cheat, it is not unsafe... in fact it's safer (since co-operation with your training partner is ESSENTIAL to get faster results..... about 5000% faster). This will be a lot to read, but i can assure you, it is WELL WORTH your ten minutes... or less if you read faster.
What is wrong with the normal training method of one body part a day conventionally? A lot!
If you look around, you will see people taking so long to get big from twig status... of course it is fast at the beginning for those who train however they wish, because of the body needing to adapt to the activity itself.
When you weight train you do not train muscles, you are working the body’s ability to provide energy and nutrients. Once you run out, it's pretty much pointless. As you get bigger, you produce more metabolites and your kidneys need to deal with all of this. Recovery is systemic (whole body), meaning your endocrine system needs a break, so does your CNS. The training program I’m about to give you guys is a lot more economical for you guys too. You'll see
Your body is lazy. It’s the laziest thing there is on this planet almost. It wants to do the MINIMUM it can just to get the job done and if it thinks it’s too hard instead of putting in a lil extra effort, it gives up like a chav attempting long division. The mind and body work separately. This meaning that although your brain controls all your body’s processes on autopilot, you need to force your body to adapt. Your body does some of the work but we as intelligent athletes need to push it beyond what it is capable of doing.
This is where my saying comes in: “If you can lift it, it’s too light!”
Sure if you do what you are able to you’ll grow some muscle training the way the magazines tell you to, but look around. You’ll see people wasting most of the exercise doing a million sets and getting their training partners to assist them on the concentric phase of the exercise AND stay on that same weight for weeks on end. Sometimes months! A friend of mine told me he had been on the same weight on bench press for a YEAR! He declined my help but to each his own.
For those that don't make it through this whole thing...... it doesn't matter to me. I'll carry on excelling and pushing through life in the minimum amount of time, but for those who do.. Thank you for taking this time to read what I've busted my balls twice over to write. Now onto ENdocrinology of muscle growth.
I'm not alone anymore in my "ramblings of madness" as some have called them in the past. Simply because they are different to what's there.
William Llewelyn now addresses this in ANABOLICS 2006: But now I'll give you the intermediate points of what you can do to help your own body out.
The first thing you need to realise is that bodybuilding is no longer pick up weight + lift it 10 times. It's a heavily scientific activity now.
Muscle growth is a highly complex process involving much more than building proteins from amino acids. Muscle hypertrophy requires the fusion of new cells with existing muscle fibres. These cells can be regenerated at any stage of life which is why even old timers can add SOME new muscle... less than a 21 year old of course but they still can if in good condition.
For muscles to grow they must be DAMAGED. This happens on the way DOWN... not the way up. Muscles are torn by stretch + contraction. This tears muscle fibres (known as microtrauma0...microscopic tears in the muscle.
Usually you will see a guy get a pair of dumbbells and bang out 8 reps on flat DB press....and struggle on number 5 where his friend...will help him lift them but on the way down they’ll fall quickly and then the struggle again.....
This is a waste of time. here is why.
Say you (reader) and I are clones. We do everything the same, diet e.t.c. we are joint at the hip almost. We both do barbell curls with a 30lb barbell.... for 2 sets, 2 times a week. I take 1 minute to do my sets performing them with controlled motion and slow negative...and you take 10 seconds since you lift it rapidly and lower rapidly like most trainers do...
Who will have bigger biceps after 2 months of this? I will! I can handle 30lbs for 2 minutes, while you can only handle it for 20 seconds. This example is very vague but you get the idea.
Anyway back to the damage: We all know that weight training is essential to growing muscle tissue. No "sit on your ass and get huge and ripped pill" exists. The path to hugeness is not magic. Training is the trigger in the anabolic process. Now! How long the bullet flies is up to you. You need to manipulate your hormonal system with nutrition. Which is where John Ivy and Kraemer's Nutrient Timing come into play
INSULIN: Insulin in addition to having the ability to increase protein synthesis and inhibit protein breakdown, insulin is the body's chief nutrient transport hormone. The action of insulin allow cells to transport glucose and amino acids through the plasma membrane. Insulin receptor expression is STRONGLY UPREGULATED after traumatic exercise, so as to provide immediate nutrition to the affected area. This up-regulation has been closely linked to the prostoglandin PGE2
PGE2 and Prostoglandins: Although these are the key initial reactionary chemicals, prostoglandins continue to play a role throughout the muscle building process. This includes their support of hormone receptor proliferation, the enhancement of protein synthesis rates and an intensification of the anabolic signalling of IGF-1 via a shared pathway (PI3K)
IGF-1: Is an insulin like hormone with marked anabolics effects. Owing its name, it also has some insulin like effects as well. IGF-1 increases protein synthesis and supports the proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells. The prostoglandin PGF2alpha is known to strongly up regulate local IGF-1 receptor expression.
MGF: Mechano growth factor is a recently discovered variant of Insulin-like Growth factor 1. This growth factor is produced during an alternate splicing sequence of the IGF protein, and plays a strong role in the support of myoblast proliferation. MGF Expression like many of the growth factors is strongly upregulated in muscle tissue in response to stretch stimulus!
This is where my method comes in.
This method of training is the most suited to your body's physiology (physiology meaning the way it works, the way it is run, the way it functions).
For those of you who haven't fallen asleep, you may have realised something concerning Insulin and exercise:
To increase inuslin blood concentration, one must ingest glucose/dextrose e.t.c e.t.c. Insulin must be present for Growth Hormone to be converted into it's growth factors. This is where most people already begin to fail. Most do not consume a glucose/carb drink during workouts. Most drink water and that is not enough. It is one of the biggest all time wastes of opportunities in the endocrinology of muscle growth. Insulin needs to be used and here is how:
10 mins before workout: consume 30g of carbs preferably in liquid form. Dextrose is dirt cheap to buy in bulk. 20 kilos is something like 25 bucks. In the UK its £25. But 10 minutes before, insulin should be raised so you begin your workout with insulin elevated already.
During workout: Water + about 40g carbs. Ratio of 6g per 100ml of water or you will not be as optimally hydrated.
Post workout: This is when muscles cells are very receptive to insulin: 40g of dextrose to be consumed immediately post workout.
Now you know how one thing leads to another!
Example of Proper Nutrient Timing
There are three phases of the Nutrient Timing system as put forth by John Ivy Ph.D* and Robert Portman Ph.D*. These three phases are The Energy Phase, The Anabolic Phase, and The Growth Phase. The Energy Phase coincides with your workout. The primary metabolic objective of the muscle during this phase is to release sufficient energy to drive muscle contraction. The Anabolic Phase is the 45 minute window following your workout in which your muscle machinery, in the presence of the right combination of nutrients, initiates the repair of damaged muscle protein and replenishes muscle glycogen stores. The Growth Phase extends from the end of the Anabolic Phase to the beginning of the next workout. This is where you eat the rest of your meals as normal every 2/3 hours.
It is the time when the muscle enzymes are involved in increasing the number of contractile proteins and the size of muscle fibers, as well as in helping the muscle fully replenish muscle glycogen depleted during the Energy Phase.
A key point to remember is that immediately after exercise, muscle cell are EXTREMELY sensitive to the anabolic effects of the hormone insulin. Insulin plays the following roles in the body:
-Insulin Increases Protein Synthesis
-Insulin Increases Amino Acid Transport
-Insulin Reduces Protein Degradation
-Insulin increases Glucose Uptake
-Insulin Increases Muscle Glycogen Storage
-Insulin Suppresses Cortisol Release
-Insulin Increases Blood Flow
Another key point to remember is that during exercise, a net protein loss occurs. This is due to an increased use of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) for energy. BCAAs that are needed by your body are generated by muscle protein breakdown (leucine, Valine and Isoleucine. How can we decrease the breakdown of muscle protein, restore muscle glycogen faster, increase protein synthesis, and increase overall recovery? The answer lies in Nutrient Timing. The following is an example of my own Nutrient Timing System...
An hour pre workout
-Usual meal this is the cut off point for eating SOLID FOODS. do not eat from now on until 2 hours post workout. digestion cannot take place efficiently if blood is being diverted to muscles. digestive system is a muscle also.
30 Mins Preworkout
-creatine (MAN CLOUT is the current one i am using)
10 minutes before workout
-30g carbs
-7g BCAAs
During workout my 800ml of water consists of 40g dextrose and 5g BCAAs. I add a teaspoon of whatever to mask the flavor. Just 5g of BCAAS robs all the sweetness from the 40g of dextrose. Bastard BCAAS! Usually it’s a teaspoon of cellmass. That does a good job. Another great mix is Aminovital sachets in a bottle of powerade/Gatorade. Since insulin is high now… it'll transport everything to where it is needed faster than without.
Or these + added BCAAS
(picture of Powerade, Gatorade, big thing of Dextrose)
Immediately Post Workout - 40mins post workout...so ASAP as soon as you finish
- 15g protein
- 40g carbs
- vit c
- vit e
- magnesium
(optional: CoQ10 and R-ALA)
2 hours Post Workout
- 40g protein
- 20g high glycemic carbs
What does this Accomplish?
By using the Nutrient Timing System, we set the nutritional stage for faster recovery. We increase nutrient delivery to the muscles and spare muscle glycogen and protein. We limit suppression of the immune system. We maintain increased insulin sensitivity. We maintain a positive nitrogen balance and stimulate protein synthesis. We promote protein turnover and development.
*The above was taken from Nutrient Timing System, by John Ivy, Ph.D, & Robert Portman, Ph.D.
SO this is how you can avoid muscle soreness. However you wont accomplish much if you overtrain. And so you know.. 4 sets for chest is already overtraining and merely a waste of energy if you are looking to gain weight. If you are training 5 days a week which isn’t necessary anyway, your body won’t love you too much on the inside. You have to remember, recovery is systemic (whole body). You produce metabolites, free radicals and your kidneys have to perform the task of filtering all this out and work hard. When your muscles increase in size, so does the amount of waste produced from exercise. Your kidneys don’t grow in size. So part of why you feel sore for a while is due to overtraining & not recovering efficiently. I’ve been doing this for 4 months myself and have tested the nutrition out constantly. Changing things is not ideal. Myself and my training partner have already found out. When followed as possible, this will yield greater recovery.
Everyone body appearance and fiber type make up may be different, but physiology is not. Some people’s will be better but in essence, we are all identical. Yes factors will determine a lot such as age, hormonal levels, if you are a diabetic or not but that is dealt with accordingly and your metabolism.
But this won't serve you well if you do not train optimally.
"It is not about how much work the muscle can do, but how little it takes to stimulate muscle growth......."
And it isn't as much as you think
People over the years seem to have forgotten the entire point to training with weights. The whole point is using something that is heavier than normal so that our body can adapt to be able to handle that weight easier.
Not to do as many sets as humanly possible. Plus you can NOT do 8 sets at near maximum intensity. even while on gear and even if you wanted to train once a week, it's still not as economical for your body and your time schedule.
Now: Sequential Muscle Fibre Recruitment:
BAck to the office. In the office you have type 1 workers, and type 2 workers. Type 2 is split down into A, B and C. C are the ones in their golden thrones that are rarely called upon.
When a muscle is told to start working.... (a muscle's only function is contraction, nothing more!), type 1 will be called upon. *KEEP IN MIND YOUR BODY IS LAZY AS HELL AND WANTS TO DO THE MINIMUM TO GET THE TASK DONE*
If type 1 cant handle the demands placed upon it, type 2a will be told to walk away from the water cooler and come nad help out mr type 1. If these two guys together cant handle it, type 2b will be called from his private office to help these two guys out.
Muscle fibre recruitment is sequential and power output is in proportion to muscle fibres being used. Example.. the game at the carnival where you hit the button as hard as you can with the mallet. if you hit it harder, the higher lights will light up AS WELL AS the others below it. Hence the heavier you go the more fibres you use. Which is also why doing a lot of warm up sets or hard sets is almost pointless and a waste of energy if you can go higher.
Youwill get just as tired lifting 20 kilos 15 times as you will 21. the amount of work done will not recruit more fibres to be torn. The whole point is to use more WEIGHT (higher INTENSITY) to damage more fibres. The more damage caused, the more that has to be repaired. Which is how i went from benching 88lbs when i had taken a long break from weight training seriously and just jiujitsu body exercises (press ups e.t.c.) to benching 220lbs in 2 months.
So it is wise to preserve energy to damage the larger muscle fibers with the help of all the ones below it. You cannot isolate type 2 muscle fibers without using type 1 fibers also.
There is no point in light, medium and heavy days. Every workout should be heavy. This does place great stress on the body, but you recover fast too because of the use of endogenous insulin e.t.c. as discussed in the posts above (wait wait.... it's all coming together..just give me a lil time).
Lastly, you can now see why multiple sets for growth is NOT necessary since you will be using the fibres it takes PLUS all below it. So you might as well quit wasting energy and save it for the higher weighted sets. No point in pyramidding.
My saying is this: If you can lift it.... it's too light
Overload itself means handling more weight than your body is used to handling. NOT more sets or more reps, only more weight.
Bu this is not possible trying to lift it from the start position.
Now..... I'll explain HOW TO TRAIN:
As you have read further up, muscle is torn by stretching under ECCENTRIC contraction....... and second, the magic happens on the way DOWN. Not on the way up. The reason we need to lift weights is because gravity gets in the way like a bitch on fire. (LOL!) Things happen for a reason so that something else can. Kind of action reaction type. This is the part I'm having trouble explaining but an example is reproduction. The man has to go in, so that the foreskin can be peeled back and the nerve around the rim stimulated. The stimulation happens on the way back out. not on the way in.
So here is the good part. You may as well save energy and completely skip out the lifting phase. It isn't necessary. And before you say anything or think WTF is this guy saying? I haven;t said cut out contraction, I have said cut out the way up. This is where your partner comes in to help you out.
Never in a set should you relax the muscle being worked at any time.
You need to use more weight than you are physically able to handle on your own, ON THE WAY DOWN. on the NEGATIVE PHASE of the exercise. Usually people see the negative phase as only the going down, or they bring the barbell/weight down purposely..... but what we are trying to do, is lift it. You try to lift it but you fail. You fail by the weight stretching the muscle forcefully. These are best done with compound exercises since you have two joints that can work against each other. To damage muscle fibres effectivly.....contraction must be utilised all the way through the negative phase of a repetition all the way to stretch. Good example is bench press. Your shoulder joint ALWAYS contracts but your elbows flex....so it creates a push and pull...your pecs try to push the weight (which is too heavy) but your elbows pull it down making you fail further and since you are contracting with a weight attached (bench press)....that will further tear fibres and going back to fibre recruitment,..the more weight you use (within acceptable ranges), the more fibres you wil tear each session.
BENCH PRESS:: WIth the barbell loaded, your partner helps you lift the bar off the rack. You begin to lower the wieght by flexing your elbows but your chest tries to contract. Imagine trying to bend the bar into a U shape. Your training partner counts to 5 seconds. (So by the time he counts to five you are at the end of the repetition in the stretched position). Once you hit that he helps you lift it as much as he can. You should give each other as much help to LIFT it but not to bring it down! You never relax during the whole set. So in this one set of 8 reps, you have been working for 40 seconds. Which would be 2/3 regular sets. Regular i mean by lifting and owering controlled over one second/two seconds.
The harder you contract and the stricter form you keep, the faster you will benefit from this method. This method is a more effort made each session, more results. Those who follow everything to the T will benefit the most.
With this method of training you arent USING 80% of your 1RM (conc), 90, or even 100. We will be using above 100%...but for the last set. Just keep that in the back of your mind for a minute.
Going WAY too high will be dangerous. The muscle cannot even handle the weight and THAT is where the JOINT wil be affected. There fore you only wanna bump major exercises up for the second set by about 20lbs/15lbs and smaller ones by 10lbs.
CONCLUSION: YOU NEED TO OVER-LOAD!!! A MUSCLE TO MAKE IT GROW. YOU CANNOT OVERLOAD WITHOUT A PARTNER OR A MACHINE THAT LIFTS ITSELF!!!:
And now, what you guys have been reading for. The Trigger!
Here is the programme. It is designed for maximum efficiency while being ost efficient with time. And I'll show you why it covers whole body.
You will be working out 3 times a week whole body. Yes you can recover that quickly and you will see once you do it. I've now been doing it for 4 months. And no you are not under/over training. if you understood how the whole body functioned you wouldn't be suggesting that either. Just try it and see. if you aren't happy you can always go back. But why would you want to
_________________________
NOTE: ALL REPS (NEGATIVE) ARE 5 SECOND LONG. Your partner aids you in lifting the weight as much as he can. It is co-operation to lift it controlled but fast back to the starting point.
The first working set is performed with something slightly above what you are able to lift. The second set is performed at 10lbs or 20lbs plus. The numbers in a set such as 8 or 10 are there as markers. If you can do that then the weight is too light. Those are finishing lines you should not be reaching. It does not matter if you fail at 4/5 reps if you made the most effort that you could and held the 5 seconds lowering while contracting. YOu should also be upping the weight each session. Doesn't matter how much by, but up it!
BENCH PRESS - 2 sets 8 reps
NEGATIVE WEIGHTED PULL UPS - 2 sets 8 reps
UPRIGHT ROW - 2 sets 8 reps
TRICEP PUSH DOWN - 2 sets 8 reps
BARBELL CURL - 2 sets 8 reps
SQUAT/LEG PRESS/ HACK SQUAT - 2 sets 8 reps (calves are also worked in this and ill show you why when i get around to it)
AB MACHINE/ CABLE CURLS/ ANY AB EXERCISE - 2 sets 10 reps
This is the program but it is the way the exercises are performed which maximizes workout productivity. But before i go onto the exercises, just a little mention on GROWTH HORMONE, EXERCISE and TISSUE SYNTHESIS revealing more answers to why this method is the Ultimate for faster muscle growth.
Short-term physical activity stimulates a sharp rise in GH pulse amplitude and the amount of hormone secreted per pulse. Perhaps more importantly, exercise stimulates release of GH isoforms with EXTENDED HALF LIVES, thereby extending the action of this anabolic hormone on target tissues.
Augmented GH release benefits muscle, bone and connective tissue growth and remodeling. It also optimizes the fuel mixture during exercise, principally decreasing tissue glucose uptakes (everywhere apart from muscles and CNS), increasing free fatty acid mobilization (remember..GH is fat releasing and Insulin is fat storing...so consuming a lot of fat won't matter much if you have an OK metabolism and put as much effort as possible into the workouts) and enhancing liver gluconeogenisis (production of glucose).
The net metabolic effect of increased exercise-induced GH production preserves plasma glucose concentration for CNS and muscle function. Many of the growth-promoting effects of GH result from actions of intermediary chemical messengers on different target tissues, rather than a direct effect of GH itself. These peptide messengers, produced in the liver, are termed somatomedins or INSULIN-LIKE growth factors e.g. IGF-1 and 2.(Remember, insulin must be present for this to occur...so wow. you get all this just by ingesting glucose pre,during and post workout. Good bargain huh!)
(THE ABOVE WAS TAKEN FROM PRINCIPLES OF EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY 6th Ed - McARdle..the stuff in brackets is my own)
So the longer you you work for in each set (time under tension) the more GH is produced and the more effects you get from IGF-1 and including MGF with stretch.... now some more light bulbs may turn on and things click into place in your mind.
GH modulates the metabolic mixture during exercise by stimulating fatty acid release from adipose tissue while simultaneously inhibiting cellular glucose uptake. This glucose-sparing action maintains blood-glucose at relatively high levels to augment prolonged exercise performance.
The biggest factor in IGF transport include binding proteins (which you have no control over), nutritional status and plasma insulin levels (which we DO have control over).
Last edited by brandnew on Sat Jun 10, 2006 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by brandnew » Sat Jun 10, 2006 1:29 am 
A pull ups is to be done with a supinated grip at shoulder width. To warm up you would perform a few with no help. Movement is initiated in the shoulder joint and shoulder blades coming together. NOT THE ELBOW JOINT. We want to mainly work latissimus dorsi. So you need to perform pull ups like you would a cable row. Your chest should be at the bar at the beginning of the movement. Latissimus dorsi extends the arm and adducts the arm. So finishing/starting position for the main sets, position is back arched, shoulder blades contracted and arms bent at 90 degrees.
