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X-Ray Vision - Take A Good Hard Look!
Researched and Composed by Jacob Wilson, BSc. (Hons), MSc. CSCS
Goals of This Article
In the spirit of this series, the sole purpose of this article is for you, as an athlete to
understand exactly how well your overall conditioning actually is. I will break down
almost every factor involved in building a championship physique. Your job will be to
realize what your strengths and weaknesses are. And folks, I have news for
you...Everyone has weaknesses, if we did not then improvement would be an
impossibility. The goal of any athlete is to realize what those shortcomings are, and
to make them strengths. That is by far the quickest way to improve.
I remember Shawn Ray during Olympia prep, mentioning the fact that he was not
just a bodybuilder, but an athlete. And as such, he followed every sport available,
with extreme precision. Not for the sheer enjoyment of the events, but to actually
learn from these other athletes.
Interestingly enough, many of us do the same, but do not actually learn from these
other greats. If you study Magic Johnson, you would know that every off season, he
worked extremely hard on his weaknesses. In doing so these quickly became
strengths. Eddie George the past several months has literally dissected his game, his
mechanics, his very essence if you will. This year everyone was predicting his
demise. I on the other hand, knew of his off season conditioning program, and ended
out drafting him on my fantasy football team. He scored two touchdowns this past
Sunday, one of which was the game winner, and a two point conversion!
Abc is comprehensive, meaning we build on past articles, which is just as it should
be. And the most important subject covered by Mr. Knowlden last month was the
following on homeostasis
Your body is naturally resistant to change. It prefers to be in a constant state with no
change to its environment. It simply does not want big, freaky muscles. You have to
force this complex machine to accept them. The principle is that simple. Without the
right weapons you will never even come close to pushing your body to reach its
potential.
---- Adam " Old School " Knowlden
We cannot leave a statement like that behind us. Rather, we should hold tight to it,
and make it applicable to all areas of our hypertrophy based program. You see,
athletes tend to cover up their weaknesses, and build up a stagnant state, rather
then address them. Which means that the homeostasis principle is a mental one, as
well as a physical. In that spirit, we must address both the mind, and the body
within the following series. You must be willing to honestly critique your abilities, and
additionally make the necessary changes to correct them.
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Just as Eddie George doubled his game this past season, you can literally double
your ability to add muscle to your frame. Which by the way, is the name of the
game!
1. Explosive Ability
Have you ever noticed how slow bodybuilders move? I think if you lined up most
bodybuilders, with your average Joe, and had them walk in a straight line for 100
yards, you would find that the average Joe had gone the distance, while we were
back on the 20 yard line.
This is due to many factors. The main one being, that we are very self conscious
about wasting energy. A popular bodybuilding saying is
“ why run when you can walk, and why walk when you can crawl. “ What can I say,
the principle works!
The factor that should not be involved though, is an inability to move quickly if called
upon to do so. Even though we move slowly 99 percent of the time, we should have
an extreme capacity to explode with excessive force at any given moment! Take
Kevin Levrone for example. He is perhaps the greatest athlete to ever grace the
stage and can actually run a 4.1 40!
The question now is why is this an important factor in training? The answer is based
on the fact that we have three( actually more, but essentially ) muscle fiber
subtypes. These include fast twitch IIA and IIB cells, and also slow twitch I fibers.
The best way to explain this to you, would be to quote my muscle fiber article:
Even a small muscle group has well over a 100, 000 muscle fibers! Take the
brachialis for example (see 8 weeks to bigger forearms for a picture ). As small as it
is, it contains easily over 150, 000 muscle fibers! A Motor Neuron is what stimulates
our muscles to contract. In essence a motor Neuron is simply a message boy. Which
is to say it carries impulses (messages) from our brain and spinal cord to our
muscles. Another example would be a mailing shoot, in which one person places a
letter and it is carried to another section of a building almost immediately. One
motor neuron controls a number of muscle fibers. This can be as few as 2 or as
many as 2, 000! Again, one muscle group can have hundreds of thousands of muscle
cells! A single motor neuron and the fibers it stimulates is called a motor unit. If the
brachialis contains 150, 000 muscle fibers and the average motor unit contained 150
of these cells, then there would be a total of 1, 000 motor units in this muscle group.
Here is the cool part, each motor unit mainly contains muscle cells of its kind! In
addition, the motor unit fires with a frequency that is conducive to the fibers it
stimulates. Simply put, a slow twitch motor neuron will cause the muscles in it to
contract slowly. This again is conducive to endurance, while a fast twitch unit will fire
quickly! The quicker it fires the more power it produces. The way your body recruits
these motor units is actually quite easy to understand. If the activity is light it will
mainly stimulate slower twitch muscle fibers, when it becomes too intense it will call
on its fast twitch IIA fibers, and last of all (for the highest intensity movements) it
will recruit the fast twitch IIB fibers. This is why slow twitch muscles are called low
threshold, and fast twitch IIB's are called high threshold. Low threshold because they
are the first muscle fibers to be recruited and high threshold because they are only
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recruited under the most intense circumstances! You should understand that your
body almost always activates its muscle fibers in this fashion!
--- Quote Muscle Fibers Part II
I discussed also in that article, that there are many ways to stimulate these fibers.
But the basic essence, is that the more intense tasks will stimulate fast twitch fibers,
and the lighter, longer ones will stimulate growth in the slower twitch fibers.
Fast twitch fibers are the larger of the three, and more precisely, IIB cells are the
most prominent in diameter. You can stimulate them through a maintained set(
again see anatomy article ), heavier weight, or explosive movements! Which is why
this is such an important ability.
In essence, by developing the ability to train explosively, you will be able to more
readily tap into, or activate the threshold of your larger IIB fibers, which are
extremely difficult to build up.
Your ability to explode within a given criterion task is best tested on compound
exercises, such as the bench press, pull-ups, bent over row, squat, parallel dip,
standing barbell curl and military press. A well conditioned bodybuilder will have the
ability to accelerate the weight like a bullet out of gun. Their muscles will literally feel
overly excited at the bottom of a movement. If you are poor in this respect, your
body will have an almost delayed effect, as if it takes a while to turn on the machine.
Stretch Reflex
Before we continue, I would like to discuss a phenomenon known as “ stretch reflex.
“ Our bodies have many safety mechanisms, and this is the case here.
In essence to prevent overextension and serious injury to the muscles and tendons,
muscles are equipped with special nerve cells called spindles that apply the brakes
when maximum elasticity is reached. When I say applying the breaks that is exactly
what I mean. Lets say that you were walking and stumbled. You know the type of
stumbles that happen in a crowd that make you feel like a freaking moron. After
stumbling, you immediately brace yourself with your forward leg, spindle fibers in
your leg send a message to your central nervous system, and this sets off the
protective mechanism which we have already referred to. That mechanism causes a
very powerful contraction in the muscles, which prevent you from falling.
The great news, is that by focusing on this, you can actually improve the skill of
utilizing the stretch reflex.
Studies have shown, that the quicker you load, or stretch the muscle, the more
effective the protective mechanism. In essence you will end out recruiting a
tremendous amount more muscle fibers, and take advantage of elastic energy. To
further explain elastic energy, When a muscle is stretched, the faster an athlete
explodes out of that stretch the more force they will be able to produce. It is similar
to a rubber band, the quicker I release it the farther it will go. You are literally
lowering time in the hole.
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In addition to this, our bodies have another protective mechanism known as
anticipatory tension. What else did you notice, the last time you stumbled? Your
whole body tensed up right. That's the basic premise here. Your body tensed itself
incase it fell. Fortunately the stretch reflex and anticipatory tension can be trained
together.
There are several ways to accomplish this, and I will outline the most prominent.
Plyometrics - As I discussed in my enhanced neural drive article, plyo would be any
hopping, skipping, or jumping movements. As stated, you want to use exercises,
that are compound to work on explosive movements, therefore choose
corresponding plyometric exercises.
Depth Jumps- You can use depth jumps. This is where you stand on a box, step off
of it, and explode straight up in the air. You can also try this on one leg! Another
method is simply jumping up and down as fast as possible. Or hoping forward on one
or two feet.
Clap Pushups - Clap pushups are my favorite form of plyo.
Enhanced Neural Drive ( I suggest you read the article ) - Again, the key here is to
begin with a one repetition maximum, rest 3-5 minutes and then perform plyo.
Set One: One Rep Maximum on Bench Press
Set Two: 6-10 explosive clap pushups
Repeat twice, for a total of 3 cycles. (taken from neural drive article)
Explosive Perform Exercises - This of course is the most direct way of enhancement.
If I were performing a bench press, I would have a quick lowering time, and an
explosive concentric press afterwards. Which, is extremely similar to a plyometric
movement. Old School discussed using this on pullups. If you have ever tried
exploding through an entire set of these, you know what a rush it can be! Again, you
need to limit the time you have in the hole!
Another technique is known as "compensatory acceleration." You train the central
nervous system (CNS) to improve the rate of force development when using high
loads. There have been some excellent studies on this subject, and one of the more
popular was conducted by Jones et al. in 1996. The journal was entitled: The Effects
of Compensatory Acceleration on Upper Body Strength and Power. J. Strength and
Cond. Res. 10(4):287
Note: You can use enhanced neural drive prior to explosive sets.
Note on Specificity: What is important to understand is that reversible action
movements, which are a more accurate term for plyometrics, refers to a specific
skill. The theory is simply to develop the skill, to break through plateaus in your
bodybuilding. However, this skill should be viewed as a separate motor ability then
lifting for strength.
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Optimized Motor Unit Recruitment
Essentially the name of the game within this category is to maximally recruit as
many motor units as possible, namely fast twitch IIB, which are the hardest to
target. The body will not maximally recruit as many motor units as possible, until it
is forced to maximally perform. It is that simple! This will occur at the focal point of a
set. Which is why Mike Mentzer, The Austrian Oak and so many others advocate
pushing yourself to the limit on the last rep. That could occur on the 10th rep, or if
you are working heavy enough it can take place on the first rep.
Note: Remember, targeting fast twitch fibers is a very complex equation. Explosive
movements are one way, which needs to be in your arsenal. However, maintaining a
set as in 8-12 reps is also an effective way. Be sure and read muscle fibers part two
in the anatomy section for further detail.
This is where the mighty strip set can again be deployed! You would begin by
choosing a weight you can only lift one time. Once you get the rep, you will not
attempt a second one, but rather set the weight on the rack, and strip 2-10 percent
of the weight off which would again at this point equal your one rep maximum( due
to fatigue ). You would eek out another rep and then repeat the process. Continue
until you have gotten 6-8 reps.
What just happened you ask!? For each rep, you maximally recruited as many motor
units as possible!
Maximally Recruited Motor Units = Explosion!
In summary, you need a good ability to accelerate a weight. However, you should
also realize that this is just one vital tool. You will not always train like this. In fact,
for a high percentage of your sets, you will train much slower and more precisely(
again see muscle fiber article ). And as such, you will never be as explosive as a
power lifter. Rather, you will seek a happy medium on all lifting styles. We will now
address those.
I would personally work on explosive training one to three times a year, or in cycles.
Rhythmic Lifting - 4 weeks
Explosive Training - 4 weeks
etc.
Just like any other cycle.
2. Concentric, Static, and Eccentric Strength
Concentric strength is your ability to lift a particular weight positively. The up phase
of the lift, so to speak. The eccentric portion of a rep is the phase in which you lower
the weight, and the static portion would be the phase in which you have shortened,
or fully contracted the muscle, I.E. the lockout on a dumbbell bench press.
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You need to consciously be aware that each of these plays a major role in your
training program. There are several ways to discover if you have adequately
strengthened each portion of the lift.
A. Concentric Ability - The positive phase of a lift is normally the most focused of the
three phases. Most likely this is “ relatively “ your strongest point. And it is for this
reason, that many bodybuilders plateau concentrically first and foremost. The way I
would like you to see if your positive phase is in good shape, is if you have been
stagnant lately on it. Say you have been stuck with a certain lift for quite a while.
You need to understand, that although it is certainly not the only way, progressive
resistance, generally in the higher rep range( 6-12 ) is certainly one of the best tools
in building your physique. Which means stagnant phases in this category will not
yield optimal growth. If this is the case, I would suggest a round about attack on
your concentric talent. What I am saying is to literally single it out every workout, for
at least one phase, by utilizing concentric super overload. Use it to get out of that
sticking point, and then carry on. Or you might use enhanced neural drive, or both
methods for that matter. But my point is to pull out all the stops. Naturally this is not
the case with each body part, so you will have to analyze each of your lifts. For
example you may be progressing on your bench press, and squat, but not at all on
your standing barbell curl. With that in mind, focus on taking that rut out. The
priority principle is also an excellent tool.
B. Static Ability - As stated, concentric is usually a strong point in a bodybuilders
arsenal, as such, it must be carefully scrutinized, and perhaps only narrowed down
to one body part. Static strength on the other hand in a criterion task is usually an
overall weak point. And it should be stronger than your concentric ability. For
example if you can get 315 on the bench for 2 reps, that would total about 10
seconds max. Statically, you should be able to hold the weight straight over your
chest for at least 30 seconds.
That is one way to test static strength, another is to test it after a set is complete.
You finish a set on the bench press, and then attempt to hold it statically for as long
as possible. If you can only do this for a few seconds, you are weak in this area.
What needs to again be emphasized is that progressive resistance is a vital aspect in
your hypertrophy program. But does that only mean in your ability to get a certain
number of repetitions with a weight? No and no wise! Due to the fact, that you are
most likely weak in this area, you will be able to rapidly increase your strength and
with it, your muscle mass. Essentially by forcing your muscle face a new stimulus, it
will be overloaded to a point in which super compensation is no longer a choice!
Note again on Specificity: As bodybuilders, it is vital to continually force the body to
new stimuli. As adaptation is a change in the organism in response to an
environmental change. However, these changes are specific. Therefore static
strength is specific to the criterion task, and generally has low transfer to say
concentric strength, or eccentric strength.
How to increase static strength
A. The most general way would be to incorporate what many call X-rep training.
Which means, the whole set is performed statically. Choose a weight on whatever
exercise you can perform, lift it so that you are fully contracted and then hold it
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there for 30-70 seconds( optimal tension zone for mass gains ). If an area is weak
statically, you will find that your poundage's will go up in a hurry. Almost as if it were
your first year in the gym again!
You can also build up static strength half way through the movement. Which means
that you would squat down about 1/4 of the way, and just hold the weight until
failure. Static strength gains will be specific to the degree you train it. I.E. a 90
degree squat will be specific to a 90 degree squat, and not to a 1/4 squat.
B. The second way to improve this weakness is to attack it after a normal set is
complete. Say you are performing incline bench presses. After your last rep, hold the
weight overhead until you can no longer do so. You will notice a drastic improvement
in no time.
Finally, you may already have a strong base in this area. If this is the case, dissect
each body part, and see which one is lacking statically. It may be only a few body
parts. However, remember that this is a sport of symmetry, treat it as such, and
reap the benefits of optimal growth!
C. Eccentric Strength - Raise your hand if you have heard that the eccentric portion
of a rep is where most of the stimulus for muscle growth occurs. Ok, most of you did
great! Now raise your hands if you know why.
Not as many this time. That is mostly because the latter is rarely addressed.
I have actually discussed it in more detail in the anatomy section of the site. But I
would like to re-address it from a rarely discussed standpoint.
You see, when you lower a weight( eccentric phase ) the body only recruits half of
the muscle fibers that it did on the positive portion. The point is obvious, you end out
placing double the stimulus on the way down on the muscle fibers being worked at
that stage, then you did on the way up! That's a powerful statement right there. And
it also highlights the vitality of the negative! Anytime you can get twice as much out
of a movement, you must suck the life out of the situation.
Going back to your level of eccentric efficiency, there are many ways to test this. As
you know, you can, or should have a much higher level of strength at the negative
level, then the positive. In fact, up to 150 times the strength. That is quite a jump in
strength ( read Adam Knowlden‘s Shock Your Body Out of The Convert Zone article
to find out why this is the case )!
Most bodybuilders however are not reaching those types of limits. The first step to
knowing if this is a weakness is if you are failing eccentrically at about the same time
you are failing concentrically. Take the squat for example. When you reach the end
of a set, are you barely able to get an eccentric rep when you are near concentric
failure? Are you barely able to control the weight on the way down?
If that is the case, then I can tell you right off the bat, you seriously need to work on
this aspect of your training. Basically your eccentric ability should always be
extremely stronger than your concentric ability. Especially in bodybuilding.
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Before moving on, let me emphasize two more factors, or benefits to building this
area up. First off, notice how I mentioned the word “ control “ a minute ago.
Negative training heavily relies on your ability to control a weight. And secondly, this
type of training can target, and in many cases actually reverse the order of
recruitment in motor units. Notice in the above quote I stated the following:
This is why slow twitch muscles are called low threshold, and fast twitch IIB's are
called high threshold. Low threshold because they are the first muscle fibers to be
recruited and high threshold because they are only recruited under the most intense
circumstances! You should understand that your body almost always activates its
muscle fibers in this fashion!
Read that part that I highlighted. I said “ almost “ always. In the case of heavy
negatives, studies have shown that the process can reverse, and you will end up
recruiting fast twitch fibers first in the set. That to me is amazing! Studies like these
show the extreme complexities housed within our sport. We are literally pioneers
exploring a new frontier. That is how much more their is to discover in physiology!
Scientists have not even begun to tap into the complexities of a cell.
And our knowledge doubles every 5 years in this respect. The point is simply that no
one, can simplify anything this complex. It takes a person willing to push himself not
only in the gym, but also in the film room( so to speak ) as you are doing right now
by assessing yourself
I would refer you to Old Schools articles on negatives, and also the articles in the
anatomy section to get a more in depth look on how to enhance your ability. Briefly
however you can use forced negatives, assisted negatives, heavy negative training,
an emphasis on the negative, and Old School negatives.
One point I would like to address, which hasn’t been in past articles is heavy, pure
negative training. This is referring to using an actual heavier weight than you would
use with concentric training. Which would mean, if you can lift 225 on the bench
press 6 times, you might eccentric train for 6 reps using 265.
The nail I want to hammer home is that, if you are weak in this area, you need to
build up slow. Do not go packing on 150 percent of your normal training weight. But
rather start by only adding 10-15 percent and training that way. Also heavy
negatives should be kept to no more than 6 reps, because it is working beyond your
previous limits. Which, if not addressed properly can lead to serious injury.
As always, you may only be weak eccentrically on one or two body parts, or it may
be an overall phenomenon. Either way, it needs to be addressed immediately if
optimal gains are your interest.
3. Anaerobic Efficiency - Systematic, Storage, Productive Capabilities etc.
Note: If you have any specific questions, or would like to get into further anatomical,
and physiological detail, consult our anatomy section, as it will most certainly assist
you in these matters!
Anaerobic - Without Oxygen
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As intense as it sounds, almost every set in the weight room relies heavily on
anaerobic processes. We literally train under the gun! To further compound the
situation, we stay in this zone until we can no longer function at the given
task at hand.
Putting two and two together, it is easy to understand that your anaerobic
capabilities must be absolutely superior, in every way shape and form! In order to
accomplish this feat you will need to single out the energy path ways used to supply
your muscles with ATP( our cells source of energy ) while the muscles are not being
delivered oxygen. There are five main factors I will address in improving your
anaerobic capacity. Each of these factors should be addressed in your own program,
enabling you to see which aspect of your anaerobic conditioning needs the most
amount of work.
A. The first factor, and supplier of energy for that matter would be the ATP-CP
system ( creatine phosphate ). Your body has only a minute supply of ATP readily
available. The muscle cell stores a substance called creatine phosphate. This is used
to literally recycle ATP. Combined, the elite athlete can derive several seconds of all
out energy production.
B. The second factor we need to address is the GLA system ( Glycogen-Lactic Acid ).
When you run out of creatine phosphate, your body relies on stored glycogen, which
is a complex carbohydrate. Think of glycogen as a miniature starch. The main
difference between the two, is that starch has many more chains of glucose, then
does glycogen. Which would explain why a cell would prefer the former. Your cell
breaks down the glycogen by hydrolysis( uses water to break down the carb, similar
to placing a substance in a container of water and watching it dissolve, it hydrates it
) which allows available glucose, to be synthesized into ATP. This process takes a bit
longer than the CP system, but can still afford powerful contractions, for 30-70
seconds of all out work. The problem of course is that this processing of glucose into
ATP leaves a bi product called lactic acid. You know the importance of maintaining a
correct PH balance. The more acidic( acid meaning molecule can release hydrogen
ions ) the interior of your muscles get, the more interference the chemical processes
needed for contraction become. This also interferes with ATP production. The afore
mentioned combined with depleted energy stores eventually causes failure if
intensity is maintained.
C. The third factor, vital to anaerobic conditioning is your transitional capabilities.
Which is to say, how efficiently, or quickly for that matter can you change gears! On
that note. Do you recall the last time you drove with a newbie on a clutch? I swear,
it is comparable to driving on insanely ruff terrain!
The machine, that is your body operates similarly, in that it must make a transition
from one energy system to the next to maintain contractile efficiency. If your level of
conditioning is lacking, then you will not be able to make the transition smooth
enough, and failure will set in before you had a chance to stimulate optimal growth.
Turn that scenario around, and you will have the energy producing capabilities to
stimulate your muscles to a level you never dreamed possible!
D. Storage Capabilities - If I have a fanny pack full of food, and a family to feed, how
many people do you believe will walk away with full stomachs? Another way to
compare this, would be to remember your last hiking trip. If you had a long trail to
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travel, and only brought one small bottle of water, you would probably fail of
dehydration one third of the way up, no matter what type of condition you were in!
Your muscle cells are no different. The more energy packed into the cells, the
greater your capacity to optimize a set will be. Fortunately we can actually increase
our cytosol’s( this is the extra cellular material in the cell ) ability to store creatine,
and glycogen( and other nutrients such as amino‘s etc. ). By increasing our energy
reserves, we increase the longevity of a working set. A person hindered by energy
reserves, is a person asking to run into an unnecessary plateau. I again, liken this to
going on a hike without the nutrients to make it up the trail.
E. Cellular Furnace - If you have ever had the privilege of looking at a cell under the
intense magnification of an electron microscope, you realize how spectacular the
experience can be. There is an entire factory inside of a substance that cannot even
be detected by the human eye. It boggles the mind. If you have not done so, I would
highly suggest going to a local science center, and doing so. It will most definitely
give you a greater perspective on the complexity and shear genius that is your body.
When carefully examining a cell, you will see several structures within it. Firstly the
cell membrane( basically the protective layer of the cell, the skin so to speak, ), and
once you actually enter the Cytoplasm, which is essentially the cell environment,
several organs( actually organelles or miniature organs ) appear. Each of these
organs has a particular purpose. Just like specific organs in your overall anatomy
have functions. There is protein synthesizing machinery( rER, free ribosomes etc. ),
there are packaging centers( golgi body ), digestion capsules ( lysosomes ) and
much much more.
The important thing to understand is that you can almost always classify a cell type,
or its function, by seeing what the organelle most prominent within the cytoplasm is(
cell environment, like the inside of your body ). For example, if I have several squat
racks in a room, then the room must be designated for hardcore bodybuilders, or
power lifters for that matter! But if all you see in a room is a bunch of sissy, pansy
machines, then you can bet that you are viewing a gym that was built for sissies and
pansies( I believe JP would agree with me on this one ).
The main organelle we are concerned with here, is the mitochondria. From my past
writings you understand the importance of this vital cell component. As stated, our
fuel source for muscular contraction comes from ATP! 95 percent of the ATP used for
muscular contractions is produced in the mitochondria( again, see anatomy of a
muscle and muscle fibers part 3 for a complete understanding on mitochondria)!
Which would mean that an efficient muscle cell, would be jam packed with this
machinery! An inefficient muscle cell, would not have a high density in this respect.
And by not having it, then the owner of that fiber is literally screwing himself over in
countless aspects. Namely for this subject however, he will not be able to produce
enough ATP to sustain, or maintain intensity throughout a given set. If you cannot
maintain a set, you cannot push yourself to optimal limits, which lead to optimal
growth! In addition to this, as the demand for ATP increases, you will have a higher
ability to process it, and there will be much less lactate build up! Which as you know
will enhance your ability to maintain the time under tension in a given set, big time!
You have no choice to address this issue!
Breakdown - How To Assess Each of These Areas, and How to Build Them Up.
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ATP-CP System - Summed up this provides incredibly efficient energy for 20-30
seconds. Your fast twitch IIB fibers would be worked best in this time range. Namely
30 all out explosive seconds. The best way to attack this area would be to use
explosive, all out training for 30 seconds at a time. If you can explode with a weight
in that time frame, this system is probably extremely efficient. However, if you
notice, that you can only maintain explosive movements for about 1 or 5 reps( with
a weight you can get about 6-10 reps with), then you are most likely lacking in this
area. Take even the most gifted sprinters and even their muscular contractile
efficiency almost immediately began to slow in a race, but they are so efficient in
their anaerobic systems, that you cannot detect the this at all.
Going back to explosive training. It’s one thing to be able to explode with one rep.
That is essentially what powerlifting is centered on. It is another thing to be able to
explode for 6-12 reps straight with a maintained intensity. That is bodybuilding! And
that is where energy systems come into play.
GLA System - Bodybuilders will have to train in the 30-70 second range, there is not
doubt about that( 6-15 reps). And by doing so they will rely heavily on their GLA
energy pathway. In fact, I would say that most growth, occurs in this range(
definitely in the fast twitch IIA fibers) , and studies would back this up. Which is why
hypertrophy athletes are high rep lifters. Again, if the limit is 70 seconds, then you
will want to push this limit( pushing the outter envelope of a system is what will
drive its threshold back, which is why I recommend 60-70 seconds for improvement
). I recommend the 60 seconds and grow man grow method. Essentially, for a
workout, you will make sure that you never go below 60 seconds on a set. That
means that if you have to use partial reps to sustain a set, then that is what it will
take! Say I choose a weight on barbell curls that I can curl for 12 reps. If I fail on the
last rep, and while timing myself notice that there are 15 seconds left, then I will use
partial reps to continue the set until this has been completed. You will know if this
system is weak, if your body shuts down almost immediately when lactic acid builds
up. Or if you notice lactic acid build up too quickly. The body should be efficient at
getting rid of it. But if this is not the case, then you will feel a burn almost
immediately when entering the GLA system and will not be able to sustain
contraction.
Transitional Capabilities - One of the best ways to test your transitional capabilities is
on the 20 rep, rest pause squat. If you find that you cannot make it past rep 10,
most likely, you are extremely weak in this area! Again, this is your ability to change
from the ATP-CP system over to the GLA system, smoothly in the middle of a set. A
well conditioned bodybuilder can do this almost seamlessly. If you feel, that you are
reaching a sticking point in the middle of a set due to this, then the best way to
correct it is by forcing a transition at peaked levels.
One example of this would be to use a weight that will allow you 30 seconds of all
out effort, in which you reach failure. At this stage you have exhausted the first
energy system. Strip the weight immediately and continue for 40 more seconds (
about 8 more reps, or 12 depending on tempo ) and you will have made a limit
transition. When I say limit, I am referring to the fact, that you not only forced the
body to change systems, but to tax both to their highest levels. Any shocking
method that takes you past failure can assist this.
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Storage Capabilities - Again, if you feel you are not getting a bang for your buck out
of a set, because energy is low( which is really an easy aspect to assess ), then you
need to build up your storage capacity. The method is simple! Utilize methods that
tax the cells energy stores. Supersets, posing in between sets, high repetition
training, the hundred rep rest pause method, the 15-20-25 method, partial
repetitions etc. Force the body to have no choice but to enhance its ability to collect
energy!
Mitochondria Density - Studies show the following for building up mitochondrial
density:
Fast Twitch IIB " Glycolytic Fibers " - 10 minutes of fast running (at close to 100%
VO2max ) ( simply means running as quickly as possible for 10 minutes ) produced
the absolute greatest results in these muscle fibers as far as mitochondrial density is
concerned.
Fast Twitch IIA " Oxidative Fibers " - 10 minute all out cardio did the same thing for
IIA fibers! Slow Twitch I " Oxidative Fibers " - Slow twitch were another story
however. 10 minute runs did increase slow twitch. But optimal results were found in
the 27 minute range at at 85% VO2max. In other words a very brisk half hour
session of cardio. Increases were actually more in the 60 minute range with easy
going intensity, but comparatively speaking 27 minutes was essentially just as
effective! And gave you more bang for your buck! -- From Muscle Fibers Part Three
Article, make sure and read this piece for more in depth info on enhancing this
aspect of your conditioning. It is too vital to ignore!
4. Ability to Maintain Intensity Throughout A Workout - Aerobic Conditioning /
Capillarization / Recovery
A constant pounding...that sums up this sport in a few simple words. Like a prize
fighter, the bodybuilder must endure blow after blow, and then come back for more.
Even if we have the above credentials down, and can maintain a high level of
intensity from rep one to rep twelve, we still must face several other like sets. And if
our intensity falters, our training effect( growth, strength gains, etc ) will also lower
with it.
To further compound this dilemma, we must recover within days for the following
bout. Our stamina must be incessant, proficient, and beyond the scope of what one
would call reasonable. This is due to our expectations, which far exceed reason, and
enter into the realm of pure freak, freaky, and freakier!
What we need to therefore do, is address the factors involves in maintaining one’s
intensity throughout a workout, and from workout to workout.
Recovery Ability Between Successive Sets
Depletion is the main aspect we will address here. Firstly what type of exercise is
involved in a typical hypertrophy set? That would be anaerobic correct...Which
means that you worked without oxygen. And therefore must repay that oxygen dept!
The quicker you can repay this dept, the sooner you will be able to get back under
the rack. Secondly you depleted your ATP stores( and creatine phosphate etc. ). And
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finally you built up several waste products which prohibit efficient contraction and
intensity during further sets.
Now, if you will notice, or to further expound on these points, in between sets( even
shorter ones ), we are essentially sucking wind. This is for several reasons. Firstly, as
I stated we need to repay our oxygen dept in order to function properly again, and
secondly in order to replenish ATP stores( and everything in between ) we need to
use additional oxygen to fuel the process.
Can we step aside for a moment? When you have completed a set, you have
depleted your energy stores. Obviously replenishing these is contingent on your diet.
If you have a diet low in carbs, you will naturally have less glycogen stores within
the muscle cells. Additionally, the meal prior to training has a significant effect. The
body will take its energy( in the form of glucose that is ) in three different ways:
remaining glycogen supplies in the muscles
absorption of glucose from food in the intestine, which gets to working muscle
through the bloodstream
and finally breakdown of the liver's glycogen into glucose, which gets to
working muscle through the bloodstream
As you can see, from especially choice two, that a complex carbohydrate meal, prior
to training, can enhance your workout big time, as the muscles will absorb the
glucose from the food in your intestines.
Recovery Ability Between Workouts
Recovery in between workouts is contingent on a few basic factors. This would be
hormone production, how efficiently your muscles are being replenished with micro
and macronutrients, and finally how efficient the muscle is at supporting its current
muscle mass. I mention the latter, because if you have a low ability to maintain the
current level of muscle, then you will most definitely have a low ability to support the
process of hypertrophy, and probably will not be able to support it at all.
Additionally, if you are dieting, muscle loss will undoubtedly play a much larger role!
Note: We are addressing the physical conditioning aspect of bodybuilding here.
However, it goes without saying, that diet, and sleep are vital to the recovery
process. This area also needs to be assessed by you.
Enhancing The Factors Involved in Recovery Between Sets and Workouts
Putting two and two together, it is apparent that we need to increase our ability to
consume oxygen and deliver oxygen, deliver micro and macro nutrients, clear waste
from the muscle cells, and finally have the ability to process and use all of these
substances arriving at the muscle. After all, its one thing to receive something, it is
another to be able to utilize that something.
Stroke Volume of The Left Ventricle, V02 Max, Capillarization, Ability To Process
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I often hear, that bodybuilding is a purely anaerobic sport. Let me ask you a
question. What are you doing right now? You are performing an aerobic activity
correct. My guess is that you are either on your computer, on the couch or
someplace else. ( man, I hope some of you are not sitting on the toilet reading this.
You work your behind off to write an article, and people end up reading it in the
freaking bathroom. ) When you go to sleep at night, what type of activity are you
involved in? The same damn thing. You are breathing in oxygen, therefore it is
aerobic. And the same holds true, in between sets, which accounts for almost half, if
not more of a particular workout. The minority of our work is done training, and the
rest is pure recovery.
You can now see the need to be superior aerobically. Lets begin with the first factor
bolded above. This is the stroke volume of your left ventricle. Now, in order to
understand stroke volume, you need to understand what blood does. It carries all
the nutrients, water and gases( like oxygen ) to our muscles. The quicker that blood
gets to the muscles, the better, let me tell you!
The left ventricle is what ejects or pumps blood throughout the body! Hence, stroke
volume is the literal amount of blood ejected from the ventricle each beat!
The importance of this is without question. The higher your stroke volume, the more
efficiently you can replenish your working cells.
You can tell your stroke volume by taking your pulse, and counting the beats per
minute. If your heart rate is at 80 beats per minute, then that is how many times
your heart had to pump blood in a minute to meet your cellular needs. However, if
you lowered that( we will discuss how in a sec ) to 55 beats a minute, then you
would have drastically enhanced the stroke volume of the left ventricle. Making the
body have to undergo much less stress.
Translate this to your workout. After a set, your heart rate would be racing.
However, a well conditioned heart would be able to deliver the same amount of
blood, in a much more efficient way than an out of shape heart. You would recover
extremely quicker, with a left ventricle that had a greater means and capacity to
deliver blood to the cells in need of it!
Therefore Increased Stroke Volume will:
1. Enhance Your Ability To Recover Between Sets
2. Enhance your ability between workouts to deliver nutrient rich blood to the
muscles that need repair. They will have the needed building blocks, and you will
increase the efficiency of hormone production. Furthermore, recover is a difficult
enough task. If you could cut the load, or really stress on your heart in half wouldn’t
you do it? After all, less stress and less energy expenditure leads to more energy
devoted to hypertrophy of the desired body parts!
The second aspect discussed was the VO2 Max. This is simply defined as the
maximum volume of oxygen consumed by the body each minute of exercise. The
two factors involved in this would be the delivery system( stroke volume ), and the
processing system. We have already discussed the former, therefore we can move
onto the latter.
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This, again is your muscles mitochondrial density. The higher amount of
mitochondria you have, the greater the capacity for processing oxygen will be. We
have already discussed the importance of recovery between workouts due to stroke
volume. Let me re-bring to your attention, the vital importance of m. density in this
process as well.
ATP is the human body's perfect energy currency! In fact essentially all cells run off
of it! The process of repairing a muscle is also fueled through this mechanism! If you
do not have sufficient Mitochondrial density, you will reach a point in which muscular
growth becomes an impossibility! This is why I stated that you will never even come
close to reaching your genetic potential if you did not seriously train for density in
this area! Literally, your muscles will get to a point in which hypertrophy cannot be
supported any longer and even maintained! You see muscle is constantly being
repaired and maintained. Even when I stand up tiny tears occur in these cells. The
more muscle you have the more energy it takes to just maintain it. Eventually( and
when I say this, it happens sooner than most realize! ) maintaining the mass
becomes a massive job, let alone building it up. The answer: Well you already know
it! Build up your mitochondrial density!!! Not only will you continue to grow, but you
will grow faster, because you are supplying your body with energy quicker and more
efficiency to accomplish the difficult task of building a muscle up! Again, you have
two choices --- Quote from muscle fibers part III
The last factor was capillary density. These blood vessels connect a muscle to our
cardiovascular system. They literally carry the nutrients and oxygen to your working
muscles. Additionally they get rid of metabolic wastes formed through exercise. Lets
add this up,
More nutrients in + more wastes out = a greater capacity to stimulate, and support
growth!
Assessing Your Cardiovascular Conditioning
Many a bodybuilder are extremely easy to assess. If you have a problem making it
up a single flight of stairs or a small hill( aside from the next day after a leg workout
) then you are seriously, seriously out of shape in this area, and are without a doubt
sabotaging your efforts. Essentially, you should have no problem with bipedal forms
of travel. No walking, or normal movements should tax your cardiovascular system.
Walking up a flight of stairs should be nothing to you.
That is the first step. Now, however, if you have reached that step then you need to
assess further. Are you having trouble recovering between sets, or workouts? Has
your whole body plateaud in muscle growth for quite some time? Can you maintain
your intensity throughout the duration of a workout, or does it seriously falter. If you
answered yes to any of those questions, then I would work on all of the aspects
above seriously.
Just Do It!
The question now is how to improve each of these aspects. I will outline it for you.
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Stroke Volume, VO2 Max - The goal, essentially, is to enhance your hearts ability to
pump nutrient rich blood to the muscles. The first way to approach the heart, is
through a similar view to that of your weight training sessions. You see, the heart is
made of “ cardiac “ muscle. The difference between cardiac and skeletal muscle, is
that you can voluntarily contract the latter, while this cannot occur in the former.
The similarities however, is that both can be hypertrophied!
Even though we cannot voluntarily contract our heart, we can voluntarily increase
the workload on our entire bodies, thus, increasing the workload on the heart. This is
of vital importance. A trained athlete will have a bigger heart, than an untrained.
That is the main adaptation. You will not pump blood more powerfully pound for
pound, but rather have a larger heart which equals a greater pump! It will also
increase its filling capacity ( ability to fill up with blood before each beat ) due to its
new enlarged state.
The best way to build this muscle is through high intensity cardiovascular work. One
of the best quotes I have heard, was by Trackman Dave in our forums. He stated the
following:
“ Progressive resistance, it applies to cardiovascular training as well. “
Therefore, you will not only want to work on this aspect of your training, but you will
want to use progressively harder workouts. Most gym equipment, have progressive
levels, which makes it easy to gauge. As you progress, you should also notice a
lower resting heart rate. I would definitely take your pulse now, and gauge its
improvements over the next 6-12 months. They can actually be quite drastic if you
train hard enough.
Suggestions
If you are completely out of shape in this area, then even starting off with
one 25 minute cardio session a week can enhance your conditioning. After
about a month of this, you might add one hardcore 10 minute session.
If you have a good cardio base, but would like to enhance it, you can jump
right into the two aerobic sessions a weak.
One interesting fact about most pro bodybuilders is that they do a mass
amount of cardio pre-contest. Here is a quote from Ronnie Coleman on his
prep for the 99 Mr. Olympia. Which was by far his best condition ever!
This year, I changed things up quite a bit. For example, instead of doing 30 minutes
of cardio in the morning and at night 8 weeks out from the contest, I ended up doing
one hour of cardio twice a day, 12 weeks out. It helped me get much harder than the
previous year. --- Ronnie Coleman - Battle For Olympia 98
Paul Dillet, Mike Mattarazzo, Cormier and many other athletes will give similar
testimonials. The point I am trying to make, is that like other sports, you can rev
your cardiovascular conditioning, during a certain portion of a year, which may
coincide directly with your cut. You might end out doing 3-4 hardcore cardio sessions
every week. Then, during bulking season, just maintain your condition with much
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less frequent training sessions. Take any sport and you will find similar scenario's. In
the off season a baseball, basketball, or football player will
work on several aspects of physical conditioning, and attempt to hold on to it during
the season, but with a much different training style, directed more toward game day
performance.
Ultimately, as Trackman Dave stated, you will want to progressively increase the
intensity of your workouts. By exposing the heart to a higher workload, it will adapt
and become a much more efficient pump! Which is easily the most vital component
in our bodies! And again, checking your resting heart rate, is probably the best way
to gauge the effectiveness of your program, aside from how you actually feel in the
weight room.
Capillarization
Capillaries are of prime concern here, because they are plentiful in muscle tissue. In
fact, every muscle fiber is associated with at least one capillary and usually more. If
you want specific capillarization( increasing the number of capillaries per muscle
group ), then you need to train specifically. By far, and I mean extremely far, the
best way to stimulate this wanted adaptation is through the utilization of supersets,
tri-sets, and giant sets! They create a high demand for blood, and waste
management, and you will see tremendous adaptations, quickly by incorporating
them( see old schools shock your body to the next level for further instructions ).
Posing between sets also works, as does higher repetition sets.
Efficiency of Gas Exchange in the Lungs
This goes hand and hand with the above statements. I believe the best method for in
weight room performance would be supersetting opposite body parts. This will also
increase your hearts conditioning. Most people are far from being in the condition
they need to be in. Which is why, during a workout like 13 weeks to burning fat, they
feel as if they will faint, due to the opposite body, compound supersets. What they
need to realize, is that they are literally and quite directly enhancing every area
mentioned above, in one fail swoop! It works that well!
5. Motionary Status - Flexibility, Scar Tissue, Fascia Hindrance etc.
It is sections like these that separate the good from the bad, and the great from the
good athletes. I truly believe that range of motion is one of the most sacred keys to
our sport. What I will do is discuss each factor involved and how to correct this, if it
is a weak point in your conditioning.
A. Muscles work in opposite directions. In other words, at the knee joint you are
capable of flexion( to decrease the angle between two body parts ) and extension (
to straighten out the angle ). If one muscle group is tight, and not
flexible, it will literally fight against its mirroring partner. Which would mean if your
knee flexors( hamstrings ) were restricted in their range of motion, then your quads
would not be able to perform at full efficiency. Furthermore, within a single exercise,
especially compound ones, any number of muscle groups can hinder the
effectiveness of the whole movement.
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Take the squat for example. You may have flexible hammies and quads, but very
stiff anterior calf muscles. If this is the case, then by simply increasing your anterior
calf muscles range of motion, you will drastically improve your entire squats range of
motion, and your ability to lift weight / stimulate muscle growth.
The first rule of thumb for increasing flexibility is to always stretch every body part
worked, during each workout. If you worked the quads, then stretch them. End the
lazy attitude, of not feeling that it is worth it, and get down and stretch em!
B. Fascia Stretching
I have discussed this in detail many times before. Briefly, every muscle is bound
together by connective tissue. If the connective tissue is bound to tight or is
restricting the muscle group, then growth will be slowed. The key here is to utilize
deep fascia stretching. Further more, fascia stretching with several angles can
enhance separation.
Old School and I were just discussing cadavers the other day. And if you notice,
when looking at one. The connective tissue between muscle groups, is very
manipulate-able. In other words, deep stretching would have a profound effect on
this tissue, as would non stretching. Which is to say, muscle groups would almost get
glued together so to speak. Therefore intense manipulation can change this. I
discuss this in detail in the article entitled: Can You Use The Muscle Memory
Phenomenon, Without Ever Having The Muscle!? I suggest you read it. As it will
tremendously benefit you.
And on this note, training can actually shorten connective tissue! This is a terrible
concept to have to face! And in fact, due to this, bones will actually get pulled closer
together. Not a pretty picture.
We will get into more detail in stretching in further articles. But again, you need to
be extremely flexible! As an overview:
1. If any exercise is effected by flexibility you need to correct it!
2. If a body part is giving you problems, it is most likely scar tissue. Work it out!
3. If you feel muscle growth is slowed, and you feel tightness in the area of the
muscle, your surrounding fascia is probably restricting further growth. I suggest
addressing it with fascia stretching.
Conclusion
We have now reached the end of the road( for part one of this series that is ), and
find ourselves facing a two way street. You can turn right, and decide not to put the
work in that it will inevitably take to dissect every essence of your conditioning, or
you can head left, and find yourself on the road to optimal success in this sport. The
choice is yours, but I warn you, you take a chance either way( I know, I need to get
off this Neo theme ).
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Note: Part Two Will Cover A tremendous amount more. It will delve into the
unthinkable, and assist you in developing a like body! Stay tooned!
Your In Sport
Jacob Wilson jwilson@abcbodybuilding.com
President Abcbodybuilding / Beyond Failure Magazine
© ABC Bodybuilding Company. All rights reserved. Disclaimer
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