GROW LIKE A WEED BUT DON'T GROW WEED

This article like many others is designed to help you understand to help you understand what goes on in the body to make it grow bigger muscles, unlike most others this is based on sound science.
My background is 17yrs of training and university studies in exercise physiology the bodies primary aim is to create and maintain the optimum internal environment for the body to adapt to the stimulus of the outside environment. Any dedicated bodybuilder will tell you how much time and effort it takes to subvert this process and produce muscle growth continuously.
The main systems that we tamper with are the hormonal and nervous systems. The nervous system is stressed is stressed by training and so will need time to recuperate, like muscle early changes easily. These early changes in the nervous system are responsible for your early strength gains, due to increased efficiency, there is not enough muscle growth for 8-10 weeks to make any noticeable difference, this gives some kind of an idea of the timescale over which growth occurs. The growth will level of after 1yr, this onset of limited returns is something that we are all familiar with, at this point the introduction of pharmaceuticals will produce growth due to the reduction of recovery times.
I like everyone else have tried to overcome this and I have tried every routine under the sun .The training principles I will try to explain is the result on my studies and experience.
Heavy duty training of the type championed by Mike Mentzer and Dorian being examples of what can be achieved with this type of training, with Dorian being a lesson in what can results from bad biomechanics, not enough rest, and the pharmaceuticals needed to overcome these. Fast twitch fibers produce the great majority of the increase in muscle size, and they respond to high intensity exercise over short durations. Following these guidelines my intensity increased while my duration shortened and frequency decreased while my gains increased.
The real changes came from my introduction to biomechanicss and more advanced exercise physiology. Each muscle has a point at which it can generate its maximum force, this is at around half its full length. This is due to the mechanics of the joint and the sliding filaments within the muscle fibers which are at there most efficient up to this point .We all know from experience were the failure point is in most exercise and this is usually when a muscle is fully extended, this is the point at which most muscle and tendon tears take place. At the point of failure half reps and forced reps have been used to help you past the weakest part of the exercise, i.e. the half closest to full extension. The logic behind this part of the principle is to produce failure at the strongest part of the rep rather than the weakest. The extra intensity that this will produces is a greater and ongoing stimulus to overcome the homeostatic status quo. The increased gains and fatigue from this training will be a testament to how close you will get to the magic point of 100% fiber recruitment. You will need to close to this figure before you start to use the second and more reluctant type of fast twitch fibers, this will take you into a new area of growth.
In most other training methods performing full reps is a given of religious proportions this is despite there being no evidence to suggest it is best, while ignoring the practical problems. How many of you have seen stars at the bottom of a leg press rep because your ribs are being squashed, ad the untold injuries caused at the bottom of the shoulder press rep.
Shoulder press is a good example of the problems full reps can cause, whether to the front or back when you move your head to accommodate the bar you will also be moving your spine which in turn will move your shoulders placing them in a weaker pressing position and prone to injury. The end result of the changes is that you will perform shorter more effective reps. We all know that compound movements performed to high intensity produce hormonal surges, so an increase in intensity and the use of compound will surely produce an increase in these surges. This increasing intensity will produce the need for more rest between training .Now if this is beginning sound to easy when you are leg-pressing 2000lbs and shoulder pressing 400lbs you change your mind, I did. Each body part will receive direct training every two weeks, which prevents over training and the resulting increasing Cortisol levels.
This lack of training still flies in the face of current practice but does follow the ongoing trend, so take that step ahead. What follows is a metaphor to try and explain the science of why this is essential. For a moment think of your muscle fibers as strands of hair, both are long strands of protein being continuously repaired and hopefully growing. Now consider the breakdown of muscle fibers that takes place during training to a short hair cut, how long will it take your hair to regain its lost length and then grow, two weeks, and muscle is more complex. This may seem a strange way to explanation but both examples of protein synthesis, and although hormone levels will influence this the body has a lot of stress to deal with, and training before this process is complete will only be negative, like trying to grow long hair while cutting of any new growth.
If you are taking anything to speed to increase recovery you can increase the frequency to three or four times a week. Many people will only experience any real growth while taking steroids this is down to the lack of time to recuperate while clean. How many times have you had a growth spurt when returning to training from holiday or a rest? While clean I suggest you follow this schedule:
onday/Tuesday Thursday/Friday
) Legs 2) Chest & Arms
) Back & Calves 4) Delts & Traps
When you are on a course increase your frequency but keep the same order. You will notice that the amount of growth for the biggest muscle groups is more this is due to either pre-exhaustion or complexity of the group. Pre-exhaust is an excellent technique to bring up lagging body parts. The exercises chosen lend themselves well to this style of training, so stick with them.
Day 1 2/3 Deadlift Knees slightly bent abs tight bend from the waist until the bar reaches your knees, keeping your back flat at all times. Leg Extensions only raise your lower leg to parallel to the floor. Leg press down only until knees are just above 90 degrees.
Day 2 Cable Crossovers 2/3 reps with no stretch. Bench Press - Flat or Slight incline Drop the bar 4-5 inches. until you're upper arms are parallel to the floor. Preacher Curls - Bar or Dumbbell Never below 90degrees at the elbow. Tricep Extensions or Pushdowns Elbows just higher than 90 degrees.
Day 3. Pullovers 2/3 reps with no stretch. Pulldowns. Lean into the machine and pull the bar down to your head, keeping your elbows under the bar. Calf raises on the leg press 2/3 reps keeping legs straight.
Day 4 Overhead press. Using a smith machine lower the bar to your head, keeping elbows and shoulders under the bar before pressing. Shrugs 2/3 reps with no stretch.
Abs Once a week crunches and leg raises. In all cases controlling the weight is essential, keep reps too12+,and for calves ad abs 20+.Train at a comfortable that will keep you warm.
Once you adapt to this style of training you will find that your weights will increase rapidly, never reduce control of the reps or amount of reps to help your ego.
Paul Garner