Power Muscles Part 2 By Natural Pro Bodybuilder Alberto Nunez Erik Holm has been known to get under some real heavy bars All right so this is where it gets fun as we go over some ways to play with these big compound movements. I mean I love talking about deadlifts and squats, but there is nothing like actually getting your hands dirty. Firstly, we must revisit an article I wrote a long time ago. As you might recall, while I do agree that heavy compound movements are where the majority of your gains will come from, I also stated the fact that you cannot just keep loading away with these week after week. This is where the whole periodization concept comes in and for those who don’t periodize their training, now would be a good time to start! In the following article I go over some simple schemes as to how to set up your training. For 90% of bodybuilders out there, it doesn’t have to be overcomplicated. http://www.3dmusclejourney.com/articles-minimzing-plateaus.php
There has to be a method to your madness in the gym and you will realize this as you become a more advance trainee. Sprinters don’t just go out there and run as fast as they can every day in order to become faster, and likewise a marathon runner doesn’t go out and perform 26 mile runs daily. In our sport we can relate to much more in terms weight training so to illustrate my point once again, powerlifters don’t just go out and try to squat more and more every week. There is a method to their madness, and new levels of performance are planned out by these athletes. Of course the main difference is that their success is measured by how well they perform on a given day, which is totally different from a bodybuilder where our performance is not measured at all while on stage. It’s a cosmetic sport after all, but there is no doubt in my mind that there is at least some correlation to how well you perform in the gym with improvements in your physique. Here is where we can learn from the performance athlete and look at the other side of the fence at our powerlifting brethren. These guys after years of training somehow manage to still make strides in the performance and they have to! After all, their success depends on adding weight to the bar and that mindset of continual progress is one bodybuilders can learn from in order to make continued strides in development.
Erik has some great top to bottom muscularity as heavy squats, deadlifts, and have certainly left their mark on his physique. Avoiding Plateaus
Many other physical endeavors leave you more likely to ever set foot in an emergency room, often some of the most conspicuous ones at that. Anyhow, back to my squatting story and what I did to actually get somewhere again. Somewhere around the 3rd week of trying 405 x 5, I realized coming in week after week and just doing the same damn thing over and over was just not going to work. I recall doing my normal progression warm-ups and realizing it was just not working out. My thought process was…. 135 x 20 (I hate this set the most, but boy do I feel loose and awake after it) At this point I realized that 405 x 5 was going to be a challenge, and was not going to happen. I swallowed my pride with 365 x 5 and left it there. Hardest thing I had ever done at that point in my lifting career because I felt like it was a wasted day. In any case, it left me motivated to not do the same thing next time I stepped foot in the gym. Afterwards, I was more motivated (and recovered) than ever, and I recall going in there and getting 410 for 7 reps somehow. Like many bodybuilders, or people who have been involved in this sport long enough, I was well aware of progression schemes. I had heard of a few bodybuilders using them in order to progress over the long term, but it was hard for me to apply these concepts to my own training. I mean taking 1 step back to take 3 forward? I could not get over taking one step back, and overlooked the fact that really, I was just standing in place. I was still caught up in the mindset that every workout, every week, you have to leave the gym feeling clubbed to death. This was my turning point and this is where I was sold and I purchased Mel Siff’s “Super Training”. I bought it mostly because I was intrigued with progression schemes more than ever, and I felt I worked as hard as anyone and I should be rewarded for my efforts. That year simply by going hard one week, and tapering it down the next week, I was able to get my squat up to 465-475 x 5 (granted I was a very fat 215lbs) and I was able to milk this progression scheme for a while longer too. It's something I would totally recommend for a intermediate lifter; someone with about 1-3 years of hardcore training under their belt.
For years powerlifters have used periodization schemes in order to consistently make gain over the long term. Heavy, Low, Heavy, Low Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Twice a week Squats
Leg Workout #1 Leg Workout # 2
Sometimes a few squats are all I need or honestly can do. A more ADVANCED squat cycle One thing I realized somewhere along the way is that the squat is just as challenging mentally as it is physically. As soon as you take a heavy bar off the rack and feel the weight on your back, those internal safety mechanisms go crazy. The same instincts that told your ancestors to run away and not attack that Saber tooth Tiger set in. I will tell you this much, I have never hit a personal best on a big movement while I was scared or with any doubts in my mind. This is where this squat cycle was born, because I found squats are just as much a mental game as much as a physical one. I figured out that lots of reps with sub-maximal weights not only improved my form, but also made me really confident. Because of this approach and its success, so much of my training today still carries some of these traits. This squat cycle in particular would be done every 3 months or so, each time after I was coming off of a deload. Day 1 Day 6 Day 11 1 set x PR (Break your old 5-6 rep max, I would often find myself getting 7’s or 8’s with what used to be my 5RM) A few key notes in that on -Day 1 I would do nothing else other than calves after the squats. If you can’t complete this day that is fine to as many good squatters are unable to their first time. -Day 6 I would do maybe some extensions and leg curls, but try to go a bit lighter and not as “intense” as I typically would. You want to set yourself up for a good Day 11. -Day 11 If I felt really good I would try two sets, and often find myself beating my old mark both times. Train Heavy and Smart for Long Term Gains. Installing schemes such as these are a great way to really bring up your squat in a safe yet very practical way. It’s a rough enough exercise as it is, so overtraining yourself on squats (or other big compound movements) can be disastrous considering that even when you are fresh squats are quite taxing. You have to put yourself in a prime position to overreach, but it needs to be paced out. As you become more and more advanced you will likely need to add more and more structure, especially on your bread and butter movements such as presses, deadlifts, and squats. Not too many guys with years and years under their belts just stumble onto personal bests. You have to put yourself in a favorable position to excel, and having some method to your madness will allow your gains to be more predictable, keep you healthy (another key long term success) and constantly improving. Progressing on squats and deadlifts is especially important when it comes to those power muscles, don’t get caught from behind!
Don’t get caught from behind, or better yet don’t get caught without one. |
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