Tweet
a good read by a great guru
===================================
On Heavy Muscle Radio last week - the World's Greatest Bodybuilding Radio Show- Dave and I bounced around training styles and what we feel was the ideal approach when prepping for a contest. Bodybuilders usually go a little crazy and alter their training so far away from their "off-season" training that it's sometimes unrecognizable. I think that's a huge mistake. I have always maintained that the training you did to build your body is the same training you need to do as you run up to a show. The hardcore and heavy training while dieting is, in fact, the main stimulus that allows the body to hold onto and keep that metabolic-boosting muscle while you drop calories to get ripped. If you make the mistake and "lighten up" on your workouts, and fall for the trap that more sets and reps will lean you down, often the muscle ends up looking lean, but lacks that crazy dense look. So swapping "heavy" for a little lighter and a lot more "volume" often backfires leaving you discouraged. The body ends up looking in-shape but misses that something extra that's says, "Holy Shit!" Think Branch Warren or Eduardo Correa. That's dense and it sure doesn't come with lighter weights and super set.
So while there's a great emphasis on diet- eating less carbohydrates, increasing protein and keeping dietary fat lower, many bodybuilders don't know how to tweak their training to maximize muscle size. Here are The Technician's 5 must-do's to look like a freak!
1) Stay Heavy
While there is some wisdom to performing higher reps before a contest, the fact remains, bodybuilders should (generally) not train in a rep range higher than 12. Heavy weight is a core stimulus for muscle growth. Every bodybuilder knows to add size and get bigger; you have to increase the amount of weight you lift on most of the basic exercises. On the other hand, bodybuilders often train lighter before a contest which is a mistake. When you train too light, muscle tissue shrinks giving you either a smaller or flatter appearance. In addition, when your muscles shrink - or you lose size from training too light - the body's metabolic rate tends to drop.
While no ripped-to-the-bone bodybuilder can expect to train as heavy pre-contest as he does in a mass building phase, it is essential to train as heavy "as possible" before a show. Heavy weights maintain the stimulus on muscles before competition which helps you retain muscle while engaged in a rigorous diet. When the poundages or "weights" you lift plummet before a contest, the result is a loss in muscle mass. In general, you ought to be able to lift 90% of your normal weights in a pre-contest phase. For example, the bodybuilder who bench presses 300 pounds for 8 reps in the off-season, ought to be able to lift 270 pounds (and, yes, up to 300lb) before a contest. When a bodybuilder lifts less than 90% of his off season weight, rest assured, he's going to shrink and lose a lot of mass. Why? The stimulus is no longer enough to keep the muscles from atrophying. It's the old saying, "You don't use it; you lose it!"
2) Shorten the Rest Periods
Before a competition, decreasing the amount of rest in-between sets is a good way to increase the total calories burned in each training session. In particular, shorter rest periods tend to burn up stored muscle glycogen which, in turn, causes a shift in metabolism causing the body to burn additional body fat. The pre-contest bodybuilder can rest as little as 40 seconds on smaller body parts such as biceps, triceps, calves, abs and 1 minute for larger body parts like chest, back, quads and hamstrings. As a rule of thumb, bodybuilders can burn more calories and body fat with shorter rest periods. In fact, very short rest periods - even shorter than those I just recommended-- might even be better for ripping up; however, if the poundages or ‘weights used' drop below the 90% threshold mentioned in tip # 1, then you'll end up losing muscle mass. Therefore, keep your rest periods brief before competition yet maintain heavy weights. If your weight begin top drop below 85% or 90% of your off season poundage, you may be training too quickly between sets. In that case, I would suggest you slow down a bit and keep the guidelines I suggested; 40 seconds for smaller body parts and 1 minute for large. Of course, there are always exceptions. That is, you might want to rest 45 seconds to a minute on smaller bodyparts and up to 90 seconds on larger body parts. Keep an eye on your poundages. If you can maintain them close to off season poundages, then try shorter rest periods. And if the poundages start to fall, make an adjustment and rest a bit longer.
===================================
On Heavy Muscle Radio last week - the World's Greatest Bodybuilding Radio Show- Dave and I bounced around training styles and what we feel was the ideal approach when prepping for a contest. Bodybuilders usually go a little crazy and alter their training so far away from their "off-season" training that it's sometimes unrecognizable. I think that's a huge mistake. I have always maintained that the training you did to build your body is the same training you need to do as you run up to a show. The hardcore and heavy training while dieting is, in fact, the main stimulus that allows the body to hold onto and keep that metabolic-boosting muscle while you drop calories to get ripped. If you make the mistake and "lighten up" on your workouts, and fall for the trap that more sets and reps will lean you down, often the muscle ends up looking lean, but lacks that crazy dense look. So swapping "heavy" for a little lighter and a lot more "volume" often backfires leaving you discouraged. The body ends up looking in-shape but misses that something extra that's says, "Holy Shit!" Think Branch Warren or Eduardo Correa. That's dense and it sure doesn't come with lighter weights and super set.
So while there's a great emphasis on diet- eating less carbohydrates, increasing protein and keeping dietary fat lower, many bodybuilders don't know how to tweak their training to maximize muscle size. Here are The Technician's 5 must-do's to look like a freak!
1) Stay Heavy
While there is some wisdom to performing higher reps before a contest, the fact remains, bodybuilders should (generally) not train in a rep range higher than 12. Heavy weight is a core stimulus for muscle growth. Every bodybuilder knows to add size and get bigger; you have to increase the amount of weight you lift on most of the basic exercises. On the other hand, bodybuilders often train lighter before a contest which is a mistake. When you train too light, muscle tissue shrinks giving you either a smaller or flatter appearance. In addition, when your muscles shrink - or you lose size from training too light - the body's metabolic rate tends to drop.
While no ripped-to-the-bone bodybuilder can expect to train as heavy pre-contest as he does in a mass building phase, it is essential to train as heavy "as possible" before a show. Heavy weights maintain the stimulus on muscles before competition which helps you retain muscle while engaged in a rigorous diet. When the poundages or "weights" you lift plummet before a contest, the result is a loss in muscle mass. In general, you ought to be able to lift 90% of your normal weights in a pre-contest phase. For example, the bodybuilder who bench presses 300 pounds for 8 reps in the off-season, ought to be able to lift 270 pounds (and, yes, up to 300lb) before a contest. When a bodybuilder lifts less than 90% of his off season weight, rest assured, he's going to shrink and lose a lot of mass. Why? The stimulus is no longer enough to keep the muscles from atrophying. It's the old saying, "You don't use it; you lose it!"
2) Shorten the Rest Periods
Before a competition, decreasing the amount of rest in-between sets is a good way to increase the total calories burned in each training session. In particular, shorter rest periods tend to burn up stored muscle glycogen which, in turn, causes a shift in metabolism causing the body to burn additional body fat. The pre-contest bodybuilder can rest as little as 40 seconds on smaller body parts such as biceps, triceps, calves, abs and 1 minute for larger body parts like chest, back, quads and hamstrings. As a rule of thumb, bodybuilders can burn more calories and body fat with shorter rest periods. In fact, very short rest periods - even shorter than those I just recommended-- might even be better for ripping up; however, if the poundages or ‘weights used' drop below the 90% threshold mentioned in tip # 1, then you'll end up losing muscle mass. Therefore, keep your rest periods brief before competition yet maintain heavy weights. If your weight begin top drop below 85% or 90% of your off season poundage, you may be training too quickly between sets. In that case, I would suggest you slow down a bit and keep the guidelines I suggested; 40 seconds for smaller body parts and 1 minute for large. Of course, there are always exceptions. That is, you might want to rest 45 seconds to a minute on smaller bodyparts and up to 90 seconds on larger body parts. Keep an eye on your poundages. If you can maintain them close to off season poundages, then try shorter rest periods. And if the poundages start to fall, make an adjustment and rest a bit longer.
Comment