Change it up! (part II)
In part one of this article, we covered some of the merits of adding variety to your training, as well as certain methods of doing so. Essentially, we concluded that change is good. Especially when it comes to your underwear-- no more than three days, tops; this obviously does not apply to panties worn on your head. You have up to one full week before changing those. Additionally, we focused on one particular type of variation, which involves switching gears while performing an exercise in order to take advantage of eccentric strength. Generally a conglomerate of two movements, such lifts--called either Compound-Isolation Movements or Hybrid Lifts (depending)--were listed and described fully in last month's issue. If you have not already done so, check it out here. Also discussed in part one was the benefits of doing these movements. To quickly recap, benefits include greater total fiber recruitment, increased hormonal activity, as well as the potential for drastic increases in strength. We also discussed ninjas and porn. Making the "Switch" Hopefully over the past month you have been experimenting with the exercises, and have gotten comfortable with performing them. It seems to be that once you try them, you pretty much develop a major jones for comp-isos and hybrid lifts; and why not? They're fun, challenging, and doing them makes people look at you like you've got 87.382 heads. Now, what many people want to know is how exactly to incorporate CIMs and/or hybrids into their training regimen in such a way that it will be analogous to their current goal. There are a lot of simple ways, obviously. Any of the true compound-isolation movements could just be used to replace a lift that you're already doing. For example, just use Fly-Aways instead of your regular dumbbell bench press or Zottmans instead of barbell curls. If your goal is fat loss, these movements are very handy. Because they are so taxing on they body, CIMs and/or HLs will create a huge energy demand. Not only will they be very calorically expensive while you're performing them, but they will also speed up your metabolism. This is due mainly to the accentuated negative; heavy eccentric training has been shown to increase your resting metabolic rate from 11-24%. The net result of all of this is an enhancement of the speed at which your body will use fat for fuel. That is, assuming your diet is in order. So, basically...you'll be hotter. As far as usage for fat loss is concerned, it should be mentioned the heavy lifting (e.g. lifting in the "strength range") is an excellent way to retain lean body mass while losing fat. Overall, the change in your body composition will occur with much greater alacrity than if you were losing muscle alongside fat. If increasing strength is your goal, these movements can be very helpful as secondary exercises. I say secondary because I am a firm believer in relative specificity of exercise. That is, if you want a big bench, practice benching-- often. However, using a movement like the fly-away can help to increase overall chest strength, which will have some obvious carryover to your bench press. While there are a myriad of options, there are two specific uses for compound isolation lifts that I would like to discuss in detail. Fast Times at Rugged High The first situation wherein compound-isos and hybrids can be extremely useful is one in which time is a factor. Because each whole rep of a hybrid lift stresses the muscle both concentrically and eccentrically, less total sets (read: less total time spent) are needed to achieve the desired result. The muscle is working much harder eccentrically than in "normal" movements, and ultimately receives more stimulation. Therefore, it seems theoretically possible that two sets of Fly-Aways provided as much work for the pectorals as three sets of regular dumbbell presses, and certainly more than three sets of flyes. The problem with that theory is that without EMG analysis, it is very difficult to quantify the amount of stimulation a muscle is receiving during exercise. Additionally, the benefits of traditional movements--which are far too many to list here--should not be discounted. However, assuming that the theory is even partially true, it stands to reason that an effective and productive training session, if set up properly, could be completed in a very short period of time. While most people have no problem scheduling time for their workouts, occasionally real-world responsibilities or situations beyond control get in the way of training. While generally being "too busy" to workout is just an excuse, having a severely restricted schedule happens to many of us every so often. Time-efficient training is very useful in these situations, and that is where CIMs and hybrids come in. For an example of how to make use of these exercises in a super-cool time management type of way, check out last month's edition of Scientific Answers. Rip, Tear, and Repair There is no question that the movements presented here are very physically taxing. After all, you're greatly stressing the muscles at work both concentrically and eccentrically, with significant load relative to the movement. Under most circumstances, adding three sets of compound-isolation lifts to your already demanding program will probably be counter productive-- you would probably find yourself in the "Overtraining Zone" pretty quickly. However, there are many ways to avoid such a cataclysmic catastrophe (how's THAT for hyperbole, eh, Mr. Editor!?). Editor's Note: That last line sucked. Proper set up of program is paramount, but the most important factors in overtraining generally boil down to intensity and frequency. Luckily, I'm soooooooo smart that I've come up all sorts of different ways to set this program up. Some of these ways are geared towards the natural trainers-- men and women who are training using only those hormones that Mother Nature saw fit to place in their bodies. Yay for them. Other methods are for the people using legal androgens, such as pro-hormones and pro-steroids, to assist them in their training. And, finally, we've even got a set-up for the law-breakin', syringe wielding AAS users among you. The necessity for such differentiation is pretty obvious, but it this quote from T-Mag author Ron Harris really sums it up perfectly. "As for the training, the best thing about steroids is that they allow you to train with greater intensity and higher volume and frequency, and still make very steady progress. Before some of you drug-free guys get all huffy and say that you train just as hard or harder than any steroid user, I have to be blunt and say sorry, you don't. Believe me, I trained like a demon when I was clean, but drugs have allowed me to take it to a whole new level of raw power, pain, rage, and mind-blowing pumps. I'm able to use techniques like forced reps, drop sets, and supersets at nearly every workout and still be able to recover and grow." After reading this, and researching the subject for a long while, I theorized that much of what Ron said about training while on gear would apply to a person using legal anabolics. After all, both steroids and pro-steroids work in similar ways; that is, they allow you to pack on muscle mass by increasing nitrogen retention, the rate of protein synthesis, and the levels of various hormones in the body. And--most importantly, for our purposes--because of the aforementioned factors, both steroids and pro-steroids greatly enhance recovery ability. That means while you're "on," you can incorporate a few sets of CIMs directly into a preexisting program, and likely be in no danger of overtraining! This may not seem like something of truly profound significance, but it is something which, if properly applied, will allow you to greatly augment the effectiveness of your training. By adding in some well-placed compound-iso lifts, you vastly increase not only your overall workload, but also the total number of muscle fibers recruited, as well as cause more microtrauma to the muscle being worked. Add to that the fact that your body will be able to recover from all of this and come back to do it all again, and you've got yourself a recipe for some serious muscle growth. Aren't anabolics just the greatest? That all being said, here is a great program designed to take advantage of your amazing recovery ability while "assisted." This will incorporate traditional movements alongside comp-isos and hybrids, and will help you pack on the pounds like a high school girl who just got dumped before the senior prom. The Compound-Isolation Training Program Workout A -- Chest/Biceps/Forearms A1) Barbell Bench Press Sets: 4 Reps: 10 A2) Barbell Curl Sets: 3 Reps: 10 B1) Dumbbell Reverse Curl Sets: 2 Reps 10 (to near failure) B2) Zottman Curl Sets: 2 Reps: 8 Description of "B" series: Perform a set of DB reverse curls until you have just one more rep "in the hole" with a load you can perform about 10 reps with. Without rest, pick up a heavier pair of dumbbells and perform Zottman's for 8 good reps. Rest 2 minutes, and repeat. C) Fly-Aways Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10 D) DB Fly/Fly-Away Drop Set Sets: 1 Reps: 10 to near failure, + 4-6 Description: After your last set of Fly-Aways, get a lighter set of dumbbells. Perform a set of flyes until just before failure, which should be around the 10 rep mark. Without resting, simply press the weight back up, and perform Fly-Aways with the same weight for 4-6 more reps. Workout B -- Hip Dominant Legs/Calves/Abs A1) Deadlift Sets: 5 Reps: 8 A2) Swiss Ball Crunch Sets: 5 Reps: 10 B1) Calf Raise in Leg Press Sets: 10 Reps: 3 B2) Siffie Lunge Sets: 8 Reps: 4 C1) Roman Deadlift Sets: 3 Reps: 6-8 C2) Floor Crunches Sets: 3 Reps: 6 D) SLDL/Roman DL Drop Set Sets: 1 Reps: 8 to failure, + 3-5 Description: After your last set of Roman Deads, strip the bar down to your 8RM for the SLDL. Perform all 8 solid reps, then drop down and change it up by executing 3-5 more RDL reps. Workout C -- Back/Triceps A1) Pullups Sets: 4 Reps: 6 A2) Dips Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Note: Add weight if necessary. B1) Seated Row Sets: 3 Reps: 10 B2) California Complex Sets: 3 Reps: 6 C) Pulldown/Tri-Rise Drop Set Sets: 1 Reps: 10-12 to near failure, + 4-6 Description: Perform straight-arm pulldowns with your 12RM. When you've only got one left in you, convert to the Tri-Rise for another 4-6 reps. D) Sternum Chins Sets: 1 to failure. Use bodyweight. Workout D -- Quad Dominant Legs/Abs/Shoulders A1) Barbell Squat Sets: 4 Reps: 8 A2) Decline Sit-Up Sets: 4 Reps: 6 A3) Push Press Sets: 3 Reps: 6 B1) Barbell Front Squat Sets: 2 Reps: 10 B2) Bent-Over Fly Sets: 2 Reps: 10 C) Funky Chicken Sets: 1 extended set Description: Begin with a load that you can handle for 6-8 reps, and work till failure. One you rep out, get the next-lightest set of DBs on the rack and perform as many reps as possible. Repeat until you are using smallest, pinkest, girliest weights in the gym. Notes on the Program Although the split and setup may seem a little unorthodox, rest assured it is not a result of my alleged ADD, and that there is indeed method to my madness. I will explain some of the more "curious" aspects of the CIT program.
Frequency and Set-up All righty. To get back to what we were discussing earlier, I'm going to drop some knowledge on you and give you the methods of setting this up for yo' self, regardless of what you are or are not pumping into your body. Here it be: Set-Up For the Nattys: Training Days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Off Days: Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, my birthday. Set-Up For Those Using PH/PS: Train in this fashion: 2 days on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off. If you're not feeling over training, feel free to cut back rest days a bit. Set-Up For Those Using AAS: Train in this fashion: 3 on, 1 off. OR 2 on, 1 off, 3 on, 1 off. (This works out to having every Wednesday and Sunday off, if you start on a Monday. This is handy for creatures of habit, like myself, who like to have the same days off every week.) Wrapping Up Well, there you have it. Again we see that while change for its own sake is pretty pointless, a little variety can go a long way. Compound-isolation and hybrid movements are two very effective tools for changing up your program. Plus, you'll get hotter. Give the programs an honest try, and let me know how you do. Go get huge. Now. No, seriously, go.
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