Currently, especially in some magazines in the sector, we are - in my opinion - witnessing a real marketing operation in which the " classic 'genius"on duty"invents"monthly (followed, coincidentally, by the" inevitable book in support of what it proposes ...) this or that on training (in general, short, intense and infrequent, since for now this is the "fashion").
What, however, in such "marketing campaigns" they often forget to mention, is that these "ingenious" methodologies are decades old. For example, everything concerning the "short, intense and infrequent" derives systematically from the writings - always valid, but now quite dated ... - by Arthur Jones (among other things, inventor of nautilis machines and coach of Mike Mentzer) .
A feeling of mine that arose from "observing the (undoubtedly) natural physicists of athletes of a few decades ago, is that currently more time is spent reading magazines"revealing"and / or to buy books"full of innovations"of the" guru "on duty, than to train. This impression of mine is suggested by the fact that the athletes of a few decades ago were on average" bigger "than"natural"current. But if the"natural"current can benefit from the"plus value"of an unquestionably better integration and a" more balanced diet, how is it that, very often, they do not reach the results of their predecessors? A (my) possible solution is that the athletes of a few decades ago were not distracted by many "innovations"(so to speak ...) and consequently ... they thought about training hard more than going after the"news of the month'...
In other words, to obtain noteworthy results, you don't need the "miraculous method of the two-month period", but rather a series of guidelines that are valid always and not ... until the next issue of the magazine ...
Earlier, I mentioned Arthur Jones. Well, its guidelines have not dissolved over time and have lasted - gaining more and more consideration - for decades ...
Here is a brief collection vademecum, his training philosophy (reading, in addition to getting some basic information to optimize your training, you will find ... that many modern and highly advertised "inventors"... they haven't invented anything ...) that can be considered, without a doubt, the backbone of high intensity training.
Three things need to happen for the muscles to get bigger and stronger
you have to stimulate the muscle to grow;
it is necessary to give the muscles the necessary rest time to make them grow;
It is necessary to properly nourish the muscles with the right diet (and possibly supplementation).
ATTENTION: it is sufficient to neglect only one of the previous points to compromise growth!
it is essential to focus on progression
there is a direct relationship between strength and muscle mass, strength is an important parameter to check, as it is an objective way of verifying progress;
how much should strength increase? In athletes not at the limit of their performance, 5% every 1-2 weeks should be a plausible increase;
strength in a bodybuilder is judged by the weight one is capable of lifting - while maintaining good running form - for ten repetitions. Seeking maximum weight for one rep is useless and dangerous!
Adopt the "doubly progressive" method: start with a weight that allows you about 8 repetitions and from training to training try to increase by 1-2 repetitions; when in a certain exercise, you will be able to perform 12 or more repetitions, in the following workout you increase the loads by 5%
Since you will have to progress a little (5%), but steadily, it might be useful to have 500gr discs.
Try to always make training harder
Apart from warm-up sets, never avoid the last repetitions of an exercise. Strive 100% and perform the series until momentary muscle failure;
two methods to increase the intensity of a series, are the forced repetitions and the stripping series. make the series more difficult and not before (as many do ...) to make the series easier;
do not confuse the intensity of the workout with the amount of sets and exercises. If an exercise is done at "high intensity" it is not possible to perform many series and the training must necessarily be short.
it is good that the movements are slow and controlled
in the exercises it is necessary to concentrate on the perfect and slow execution of the movements; no leaps or bounces! The impulses and rebounds stress the joints and contribute very little to "overload" the muscle, which is instead the "goal of bodybuilders. The movement must" be "felt", not done, so ... "just to do something. "...
Four seconds in the positive phase of the movement and four seconds in the negative phase of the movement should be the "norm" in exercises that do not allow maximum contraction; in exercises that present considerable resistance when the muscle is in the shortened position, an additional three seconds must be added in the position of maximum contraction.
What frequency of training and what kind of routines to adopt?
three weekly workouts for the whole body ("full body" routine) are much more productive than any fractional routine: it is necessary to stimulate the whole organism and not just the single muscle;
The three-weekly workout schedule is a good way to start, but if you don't get the desired results, from three weekly full-body workouts, you need to upgrade to two.
Muscle groups during training must be ordered correctly
you often go to the gym to train your pectorals and biceps (and, rarely, your shoulders) and then perform multitudes of exercises for these muscles ... neglecting everything else ...
the reality is, however, that large amounts of muscle mass in small muscles such as, for example, the biceps or deltoids, cannot be gained (unless there are favorable genetic predispositions), if the large muscles (legs and back) do not enlarge themselves ;
It is always good (unless "specializations" or other particular procedures) to start training with the larger muscles which, among other things, give a "general stimulation" to the whole organism, and gradually move on to smaller ones. ...
At the end, here is an example of a program (NB: many other detailed, commented and optimized programs can be found in my technical handouts) to be carried out for about six weeks three times a week (Mon, Wed and Fri or Tue, Thu and Sat); of each exercise it is necessary to perform a series of 8-12 repetitions, according to the procedures described above.
- barbell squat
- pull-over
- deadlifts with straight legs
- calf machine
- horizontal bench presses
- pull ups
- slow forward
- biceps with barbell
- parallel
- abdominal crunches
Ultimately, there is no need for stratospheric knowledge on periodizations, macrocycles, etc. for good results. The few points described above and the willingness to work hard are enough!
Athletic trainer and personal trainer is also the author of the book "The" heterochronism of muscle recovery ". ASI / CONI teacher and collaborator of Physical Culture. For more information you can write to the email address [email protected]
See also: Variable sets and training intensities
Bibliography:
Mentzer - "Heavy Duty"- Ultimate Italy, 1994
Mentzer - "Heavy Duty Journal"- Ultimate Italy, 1994
Ellington Darden - "High-Intensity"- ciccarelli publisher, 1996
Mentzer et al. - "Various articles related to the topic' 1983-20
