Logical Exercise by Paul Marsland

Exercise Bulletin # 1.

Copyright Paul Marsland 2013/2014/2015

Table of Contents

An accumulation of twenty years knowledge and experience in the field of High Intensity Resistance Training..

Contents: Types of Training Methods I've used pros and cons Mental Application and Focus Pre Workout and during a

workout Myths, Half Truths and Fallacies of modern exercise debunked Exercise Science Principles Explained How to design a workout based on your specific needs Pros and Cons of Full Body Vs Split Routines How one set per exercise and infrequent high intensity resistance

workouts can work for you.. Fatigue Rate Testing INTENSE REPS the Utimate In High Intensity Methods Understanding Cardio A brief Note on Nutrition

Testimonials

Mike LipowskiPresident,I.A.R.T./ PURE PHYSIQUEAuthor and Pro-Natural Bodybuilder

Paul is in a very small class of fitness professionals that has a solidunderstanding of exercise performance as both a science and an art,

and can break it down to its most fundamental level as well asdemonstrate how it can be applied in the most advanced manner imaginable.

James Biddle, Owner United Exercise

I have been corresponding with Paul now for many years. He is extremely well versed on thesubject of strength training, particularly high intensity style applications. I have no doubt that

anyone wishing to embark on a strength and conditioning program would get first classadvice from Paul, giving them the best chance of achieving their goals.

Franny GoodrichAuthor:

"Diet, Exercise, & Weight-loss SELF-DEFENSE""Diet, Exercise, & Weight-loss Bull**t-Exposed!"

Founder:Body Coaches of America

(Consumer Protection Group against fraudulent claims by Fitness and Weight-loss industry)

"It is sad to see the state of strength training these days. For every informed strengthprofessionals out there, there are 10 others who continue to teach outdated, anecdotal, and

non-evidence-based training protocols. Paul Marsland represents what is "right" in ourindustry. His years of experience and firm grasp of strength-training science is refreshing. I

would enthusiastically endorse Paul Marsland as a strength training expert to anyorganization or group who is seeking a to properly enrich the minds of their young athletes. Iam certain that they will takeaway valuable strength training principles that will serve them

well over the course of their entire athletic career."

Chris Lutz

Paul is a member of my professional network of fewindividuals who I can really say that I trust and know what they

are doing. I'd gladly recommend Paul and be happy to referanyone to use his services.

Craig Murway CCS CPTIART Certified Fitness Clinician

2008 Nominee for Trainer of The Year by Exercisetv.cityvoter.comDirector of Training for Prescribed Exercisewww.prescribedexercise.net

When it comes to brief, efficient & truly effective exercise prescription Paul Marsland issecond to no one. He practices what he preaches & he is the genuine article. I recommend his

teachings/writings to anyone who wants to learn the correct way to train.

Joel Waldmanowner Belmar Fitness-Iron City Gym since 1972

High Intensity Strength trainer since 1970

While Paul and I have never met...we have chatted many times online about the parametersof "proper" strength training. His insights are keen, his practical and theoretical knowledgevast, and he is no armchair expert as his impressive physique will attest to. He has producedreal world results with his hi-intensity methodology and I highly recommend that if you have

the opportunity to see him lecture, move mountains to attend. Paul is the real deal.

Brandon Schultz, D.C.President, Alignment Is Life Health Center, Inc.

Personal Training Program Coordinator, Pinnacle Career Institute North, Kansas City, MO,USA

I have communicated with Paul for many years. From our discussions, I have come toadmire the ability of Paul to wade through the ideologies in the fitness world and if it

"sounds" good but doesn't work, he quickly discards it. He is a man of integrity because hewon't say a word about anything until he has DONE it himself. I respect Paul's

professionalism, his intelligence, and his consistency.

Michael PetrellaOwner STG Strength and Power

IART MEDX HIT CertifiedCoach to 39 World Records in Powerlifting

Paul Marsland is one of the rare few in this industry that is a combination of real worldunderstanding of exercise theory and practice, and demonstrated results both in physique and

strength. Paul separates himself from others by being a great teacher of strength trainingwhile continuing to be a student of the practice himself. Anyone interested in strength

training, sports development or physique enhancement would be well advised to listen whenPaul speaks.

Prologue

After 20 years of training and applying and using most of the methods out there. I thought I'd write a

bulletin on my experiences through the years, the methods I've used both good and bad, the gymsand the

characters that fill them, competing in body-building and grip competition, the science behind exercise and

the truths and mistakes people often make. What follows is an accumulation of twenty years personal

experience and knowledge

The Journey Begins

My first memories of training are when my Dad who used to do full contact karatehad a weights set in the garage of our home. It was pretty basic consisting of a

multi bench and a weights set, also my Dad had made is own lat pulldown and lowpulley row from girders, the weights used for the stack were balancing weightsused on elevators, basic but it worked! I remember being bored one day I was

around 18 years old at the time and was your typical skinny teenager, so I venturedinto the garage to have a play around, I did the usual bench press and curls, butthe feeling I got after doing my first few sets was something special, it just feltright...the next day I went back and did the same, this continued for about a

week.

I started buying the muscle magazines and read them over and over devouring theinformation they held, I like many other people picked a routine from the current

champ of that time (whose name escapes me now) and started on my first bodybuildingworkout..thinking that If I trained like them I would end up looking them.

I can specially remember one workout, doing 22 sets for my shoulders as for somereason, they unlike all the other body parts I trained, never got sore? I figured

(wrongly) that muscular soreness was related to growth, l later learned that it hasnothing to do with growth and that it is purely genetic, i.e. some people get postworkout muscle soreness and some don't, although from a psychological viewpoint it does serve to motivate, as you feel like you have achieved something

worthwhile.

Yet despite doing 22 sets my shoulders still were not sore, howeverbeing one of my more responsive body parts grew in spite of this madness!

I continued on this path for a few months till I came across an interview in theBritish muscle magazine called Muscle and Co, it was by a guy called John Littlewho was interviewing Mr Universe and Mr Olympia competitor Mike Mentzer.

Mentzer's physique was impressive being both very thickly muscled and huge! Butwhat struck me most was his intellect, instead of the usual high volume and highfrequency workouts, he advocated low sets of high intensity effort and infrequent

workouts to allow for muscle growth to take place , unlike most of the other bodybuildersthat I'd read about , he explained in great detail why science backed him

up. I re-read the article and decided to give this training a try, there was also anadvert for his Heavy Duty Journal which I quickly ordered (now a classic and going

for large sums of money on E bay, sadly I lost my original copy) and waited withexcitement for it to arrive, contained within was more training information and joy

of joys Mentzer's own Mr Olympia workout!

I began in earnest using his methods and immediately started to see a change inmy physique, much faster than before ( a testament to this day, some 20 years

later I still use high intensity but in a style which is tailored to my own specificneeds, something I learnt through application and experience ) by now I had also

began training in a commercial gym owned by a former Nabba Mr Universe.

I was also, or so I thought an expert on Mike Mentzer and his methods.Two of my friends also trained there but they used the more popular multi set

approach, in contrast I stood out like a sore thumb and often got quizzical looks as Itrained like a mad mad, pushing myself through those gruelling workouts. I was a

high intensity training zealot!

Then one day the owner who was very muscular came up-to me while I wastraining and asked .

What's that type of training you are doing?....I replied High Intensity, its what Mike Menzterdoes....he then replied, Do you know Mentzer has never won a bodybuilding

title?....now this was like showing a red rag to a bull, as Mentzer was myhero, I shot back Really?? that's funny as he's won both the Mr America and Mr

Universe getting a perfect score...somewhat taken aback by my response, hestated You know if you want to build a big chest, bench press are best...again Ishot back...OK, What's the primary function of the pectorals then?...he couldn'tanswer and stuttered, OK smart arse I bet you 3000 that I can get your friends

bigger than you in three monthsHe never did and I never got my 3000, needless to say I wasn't his most popular

member, but I didn't care... Another time a professional body builder from Americacalled Mike Quinn was giving a seminar at the same gym, he was huge and veryimpressive, he talked about his training and quoted some of his measurements

claiming 22 inch arms and 17 inch forearms amongst others. He then opened theroom to questions, upon seeing my hand go up, apparently the gym owner covered

his face with his hands, dreading the worst........I asked Mike Quinn what he thought about the likes of Mr Olympia Arnold

Schwarzenegger training using nautilus machines and the methods employed bythem. . He replied that this was untrue, I countered him by saying I had books withpictures of Arnold training on said machines, and while I was at my home I wouldget a tape measure so we could tape his so called 22 inch arms, if looks could killI'd be dead, as he glared at me menacingly and quickly changed the subject. He

was still good enough to pose for a photo with me afterwards though..I laterlearned a couple of years later, that he was beaten to within an inch of his life with

a metal pole by a Mafioso gangster outside a bar in Miami and never competedagain.

Whilst training at that gym I met some of the best body-builders of that time,(circa 1989-1990) guys like Berry Demay, Tom Platz, Rich Gaspari and my favouriteGary Strydom, of whom is still competing today and looks just as good if not better

than he did back then.

I also got to meet former Worlds Strongest Man, Bill Kazamier. I'd watched WorldsStrongest Man on TV since I was about 13 (and still do to this day and would later

in fact train for Strongman competition) Kazamier was like a grizzly bear everythingabout him was huge and his strength was unquestioned, after his seminar he gavea strength demonstration, I can remember him picking up the heaviest dumbbells

are gym had and pressed them overhead like they were nothing.

A few years later I also got to meet another body-building hero of mine and MrOlympia winner Dorian Yates, it was about 1992, Dorian like me was a disciple ofhigh intensity training and quoted Mike Menter as a major influence, he was proof

indeed that with the right genetics amongst other things, that high intensitytraining worked, him being the best body-builder in the world at that time. I'd

followed Dorian for years from his early days of winning the British Championshipsand obviously knew he was a big guy, but nothing prepared me for seeing him in

real life, I literally could not believe someone could get so big!! He tipped thescales at 300lbs and still had his abdominals showing...I was literally in a state ofshock upon seeing him on stage. I even managed to get a signed copy of his book.

By now I was a fully fledged body-builder, or so I thought, buying the magazines ona regular basis and decided that I was going to compete.!!..(god knows what I was

thinking at that time) ..so I decided to enter the North West Championships and Mr Liverpool,competing in the Juniors classes. I'd been training just 18 months at this

time and was still very skinny, I also had no idea how to diet for these types ofcontests.

I was to be in for a reality check. I got to the North West and upon checking inbackstage could not believe the size of the juniors, compared to me they were

huge, I couldn't understand it and was downhearted to say the least, never the lessI gave it my best and came 4th out of a class of six..

I was praised for my posing routine though. A few weeks later I entered the MrLiverpool and won my class but it was between me and another competitor, but as Iwalked off stage trophy in hand, the owner of my gym (Mr anti Mentzer) said, You

know son, if there was a trophy for best posing routine you would have won ithands down, well done....I was both elated and shocked by his comments. I still

have both trophy's from those contests to this day.

I had initially forbidden my Mum and Dad to come and see me for fear of gettingembarrassed , but as I left the dressing room, lo and behold there they were, theyhad sneaked and in and watched me, that probably explained the loud cheering I

could hear from the stands! My Mum, being my Mum burst into tears and gave me abig hug saying how proud she was of me....If I'm honest I got quite emotionalmyself and I'm glad they came to see me. After that though I never competed

again as I was left bewildered why everyone was so much bigger? I was later tolearn why....

As well as competing myself, I used to attend the various contests that some of

the other gym members competed in. I remember one in particular, where about15 of us had air horns and as the guy who was competing from on our gym came on

stage we let rip, it was so loud you couldn't even hear his posing music, hecompleted his routine and left the stage with the air horns still blasting!! There

was also a guy in our gym who was the current Junior Mr Britain, he was probablyone of the most genetically gifted people I've ever seen, for his age he was simplystaggering and looked like a mini professional he was that good, the last I heard ofthough was that he had stopped training which is a shame, for him it was probably

too easy and he lost interest.

I got to know quite a few of the guys who competedand some became good friends, one in particular was a guy called Dave Lewis, hewas as hardcore as they came and would often give us tips in the gym, I lost touch

with Dave after I left the gym but was to later learn a few years later he wastragically killed in a motorbike accident in which he lost control, but that was Dave

always living life on the edge.

I carried on training and was making steady progress but noticed I was not gainingin size anywhere near the rate of the other gym members, now I knew that bodybuilders took steroids but had no idea just how common or easy to obtain they

were. I asked my friends what they thought as they seem to have gained a lot ofsize lately and they said if I wanted to try them they could put me in touch withsomeone . I thought it over and in the end decided that I too would try them justtoo see what they were like. At this time I had just turned 21 and my weight was

around 160lbs.

I bought my first course of steroids and with some trepidation began at first Ididn't notice a change then after a couple of weeks my strength started to

increase rapidly as did my size, I was growing so fast it was unreal, people werenow starting to comment on my increased size..I grew so fast I had stretch marks

on my legs, chest and arms.

As my course ran out I just simply stopped rather than taper down, navely thinkingI would keep all my new found size and strength, I couldn't have been more wrong. I developed a

terrible cold,(as steroids repress the immune system) and mysize and strength plummeted back to where I had started..

After a couple of years I changed gyms to a more body-building focused one, whichhad much better equipment and was owned by a successful local body-builder, it

also had a solid reputation of producing competitive body-builders which was whatI aspired too. After a while I decided I would give steroids another try. I bought mynew course and my size sky-rocketed to a new high, upon weighing myself one day

I tipped the scales at 212lbs...I was flabbergasted! I recall one day after finishingmy workout the owner asked me what type of training I was doing and whatsteroids I was taking. . Reluctant to answer, I asked him Why? he replied

Because whatever it is you are doing is working as I've never seen anyone grow sofast.....I walked out that gym like I was on cloud nine.

I continued like this for a couple of years but never seemed to get any bigger, againmany years later I learnt that in order to get even bigger I would need to eat more

and take more potent steroids and in greater amounts. Unsure of which directionto go in and also not wanting to upset my girlfriend at that time I quit taking

steroids and embarked on the next phase of my training career which would lastover ten years..

Ellington Darden & Massive Muscles in Ten Weeks..

Reading Mike Mentzers books he often talked about the person who had firstintroduced him to high intensity training, this guy was called Casey Viator. At just

19 years of age he had won the Mr America, unlike every body else at that timewho were training six days a week and using up to 20 sets per body part, Casey

trained just three times per week, training his whole body each workout and usingonly set per exercise to muscular failure.

Viator was trained by Arthur Jones the inventor of Nautilus Machines, and a guycalled Ellington Darden also worked for him, he had also written quite a few books on

using Nautilus Principles with free weights. Intrigued I purchased one calledMassive Muscle in Ten Weeks, using the principles outlined the subject had madesome very impressive gains. I read it cover to cover and was convinced that this

book would unlock my potential.

I followed the routines to the letter, but my gains where some what less impressivethan promised, feeling I needed more extreme routines, I ordered the latest book

Bigger Muscles in 42 days, again by Ellington Darden, now this would unlock mypotential of that I was certain, but again despite my best efforts I failed to realise

the same results as promised.

A few months passed and reading a muscle magazine, I saw an advert for the bookB.I.G (Bulk Instructional Guide) in it was the same subject from the Massive

Muscles books, but this time using Super Slow he had made even more impressivegains than ever.

I can recall performing Super Slow Squats for the first time, I can honestly say itwas probably one of the hardest exercises I have ever performed my legs wereshaking like crazy and burned like nothing I had felt before, after it I was left

gasping on the floor like a fish out of water.

I made slightly better gains using this book but still far short of what waspromised, to this day I still have those books as I managed to re -obtain them from

Amazon for a fraction of their original price. In total I probably have about 40 books on training asI've added more to my collection as the years have gone by. I'm

always looking for further my knowledge in this field.

The Brawn Years, Dr Ken, Super Slow and The I.A.R.T

I decided to see just how big and and strong I could get by training drug free...itwas also around this time I purchased the book Brawn by Stuart McRobert, which

was specifically aimed at the drug free lifter. I read it and at first was somewhatpuzzled, where was the glossy pictures of the professional body-builders and thesplit routines? Instead McRobert talked about training on the basic exercises and

focusing on getting stronger each workout by micro loading (adding a small amountof weight each workout).. He talked at length that most people who train with

weights tend to be hard gainers, and the professional body-builders you see in themagazines have nothing in common with them being genetically gifted.

Now in some ways I could relate to this as my progress whilst not bad was inreality nothing special, especially drug free. So armed with this information Ibegan training on a very basic workout. I had also started training at home as

myself, my brother and my Dad had built a gym in the garage of our house whichwas more than adequate for our needs. It was definitely not your average homegym, we had a heavy duty squat rack capable of supporting 1000 lbs, adjustable

heavy duty bench, numerous bars, a special bar for dead lifts called a Trap Bar , aback multi station and about 1000 lb in weights.

In addition to his books he also published a bi-monthly magazine title Hard GainerThis was a great magazine and full of useful information, I even had a couple of

articles published in it myself over the years. . I especially liked reading articles by a guy called DrKen Leistener who was by profession a chiropractor

but at that time he also co owned a gym called Iron Island Gym, located on LongIsland, New York. I remember one year my Mum & Dad visited, New York and I'dgiven my Dad a mission to visit Iron Island Gym with a copy of HardGainer for Dr

Ken to sign. My poor Dad, took two trains to get there and upon arrival was toldthat he had just missed Dr Ken!

Ralph the co owner upon hearing my Dad's accent asked him what had brought him specifically to that gym, so my Dad explained

what I'd asked him to do . Upon hearing this Ralph gave my Dad a full VIP tour ofthe gym which he video filmed for me. He took the copy of HardGainer off my Dadsaying he would give it to Dr Ken for him to sign upon his return and post it out to

me in England. True to his word a couple of weeks later my signed copy ofHardGainer came in the post along with Dr Ken's own High Intensity News Letter,both of which I still have to this day. To top it all off my Dad also bought me a IronIsland Hooded top which I've barely worn and still have. Sadly Iron Island gym was

later sold and changed names, such is the nature of the gym business, Dr Ken isstill alive and active and even has a FaceBook fan page.

Steadily but surely my strength was increasing and lo and behold I was starting to putsome size on, nothing like before whilst on steroids, but nevertheless I was making

progress. I also noticed that I tended to be much stronger than my size would

suggest..I would later learn and understand why.

I trained in this manner for a good number of years and built my strength to a pointat just 190lbs I was able to Dead lift and Squat in excess of 500lbs and Overhead

press more than my own bodyweight had also gotten into grip training in a big way and evencompeted in the British

Grip Championships in Stafford doing quite well in the Novice Class.

I began to purchase more books on training as my thirst for information grew . Oneday whilst surfing the internet I came across a book specifically written aboutSuper Slow I was familiar with the method having tried it briefly before. So I

ordered it from Amazon and waited patiently for it to arrive, as it was a specialorder from America it took over two months to eventually arrive. It was written byits founder Ken Hutchins and he talked about such things as inroad, turnarounds,

reducing momentum and how moving slowly allowed for greater muscularinvolvement meaning better results....now this I liked as I was always looking forbetter results!! This type of training really seemed to suit my nature though as Iliked the fact you had to move slow and there was just something about it that

really seemed to click with me.

I had also began to participate in some of the online weight training forums andone in particular was run by a guy called Fred Hahn which focused on the Super

Slow method which Fred himself used and with hispersonal training clients.

One day whilst browsing this forum I noticed a post by a guy called Brian Johnston,he'd responded to a post I'd made a comment on regarding training slow...and whyin my opinion I thought it was the best way to train...he'd responded by asking meWhy? and what specifically was so special about this way to train, compared toother methods ? Now I thought I knew my stuff when it came to training and wasif I'm honest a bit arrogant...I thought I knew all the current writers in the world ofhigh intensity and had never heard of this guy...and who was he to challenge me? A

virtual encyclopedia of training knowledge!!

The truth was I couldn't answer him and felt humiliated so I responded with achildish and hostile answer...a few days passed and I decided to find out who thisBrian Johnston was, a google search came up that he was the president of theInternational Association of Resistance Trainers....and was well respected in hisfield and had in fact written a few books on the subject not to mention having

worked personally with my hero Mike Mentzer!

I emailed him apologising for my actions, fully expecting him to tell me where togo, but instead he replied saying it wasn't a problem and this is why he hated suchinternet forums. He even game me a challenge that if I bought his book PrescribedExercise this would explain in more detail where I was going wrong, if I didn't like

it I could have my money back no questions asked .

This was to be the greatest andmost influential decision I would ever make and would forever change how I

thought about exercise forever. I was also later to become an honorary member ofthe I.A.R.T for my contributions and remain good friends with Brian to this day.

I bought Prescribed Exercise and numerous others from the I.A.R.T and increasedmy knowledge to the point where I felt confident enough to write an extensivearticle on the subject of exercise science which was later published in its 2003

Synergy Annual, something which I'm proud of to this day. I've also just recently had published another article in the latest 2013 edition of the IART's Synergy Annual.

Training with High Intensity Legend Fred Fornicola..

One of the highlights of my training career, was when I visited Fred Fornicola on atrip to America in 2005. Fred is well respected in the high intensity training field

and someone whom I had admired and looked up to for years. So to get the chance to meet andspeak with him was something I was really looking forward to, when

he suggested a workout I couldn't resist.

I was accompanied by my friend Mark Collins who also lived in New Jersey whereFred had his training facility, Premier Personal Fitness and my girlfriend who took

the pictures.

I trained Chest Shoulder and Triceps and under Fred's expert instruction gave itevery ounce of effort I had. Afterwards we went for a bite to eat at a local deli andtalked about high intensity training amongst other subjects , he was very down to

earth and we agreed on quite a few things all too soon it was time to leave for NewYork, but it was an experience I will never forget. I wrote an article about my

experience and it was later published on the Cyberpump Web Site.

Due to things like Face Book and other social media and I'm fortunate enough to have been able toremain friends with Fred to this day and we often speak about training.

The Types of Training I've used both good and bad

Dinosaur Training, This type of training is so called because it harps back to the

very earliest days of weight training, using very basic exercises, for as low as onerep in some cases, this type of training got me very strong in certain exercises but

did not yield a great increase in size and after a while I eventually got bored andtried something else. It also encouraged the use of unusual implements such as

barrels and sandbags as this would help build total body strength. The upside of this type of training is that you don't need a lot of equipment to get a full body workout but due to the nature of the equipment it also has a lot of potential for injury so caution should be exercised at all times. In mainly tends to focus on the use of very low reps, sometimes as low as 1 repetition per exercise andusing multiple sets. Its a brutal way to train is effective at building strength but in my opinion not

effective enough to build size.

Super Slow, As previously mentioned this type of training comes under the high

intensity umbrella as its focus is on very brief workouts with some practitionerstraining just once every 7-10 days on as little as 3 to 5 exercises per workout.The trainee lifts the weight in approximately 10 seconds and lowers it in 10

seconds. I found through experience that it lends itself better to machines ratherthan free weights due to the varied strength curves that free weights produce so

whilst being very productive it can be somewhat self limiting in this regard.Also due to the high levels of discipline and concentration it requires not to

mention being a very intense way to train, it may not be suitable for everyone.

But it is extremely safe due to the slow speed of movement which in turn reduces force levelsthereby reducing the potential for injury. The downside is that as weights increase

intra muscular bracing can occur ( bringing into play outside muscles to assist in the lifting of the resistance) this potentially reduces the results produced from

this method as the load is transferred away from the targeted muscles and ontothe joints , so therefore it is usually best practised under the supervision of a qualified

instructor or someone who is familiar with the method, I still rate it as one of myfavourite ways to train, especially if I have limited time or simply for a change of

pace.

Power Factor Training This type of training allows for the trainee to lift the

heaviest possible weights, buy training in the strongest part of the range of motion andusing only a partial range of movement, the theory being that if one fails in thestrongest range, this will stimulate the strongest growth response. I did try this

method and it is fairly intense, but its flawed on many levels, in that training in this manner placesa massive amount of stress on the joints, also the increase in strength in the

strongest part of the rep, had no carry over effect when I returned to regular full range of movement repetitions. ,

This can be attributed to something which has been referred to as type S (Specific) and type G(General) strength curves, what this means Is that some people will gain over the

entire range of movement regardless of what range of movement they employ(Type G) and some will only gain In a specific part (Type S).

Due to the chronicjoint pain I began to experience using it, I abandoned this type of training after a few months.

Also in addition to Power Factor, another method called Static Contraction Trainingwas developed, instead of lifting the weight in the strongest position you

simply held it there statically, as you are approximately 20 % stronger when holding a weight statically than when lifting in a regular fashion. I tried it briefly but I've found it tends to work best

when used as a set variable at the end of a set to make it more demanding.

Negative Based Training

As has been previously mentioned, youcan in fact lower (approximately 40%) more weight than you can lift. Training in

this manner you can therefore theoretically fatigue your muscles to a much deeper level, thereby invoking a greater response for them to grow bigger and stronger.

Negative Only Training due to the manner in which this type of training is employed you need oneor sometimes two people to lift the weight for you, whilst you attempt to lower it slowly in

approximately 10 seconds for a given number of reps or until you can no longer control the lowering.

This can prove difficult at best, as lifting the weights for youis almost a workout in itself, so finding these very helpful people is near on impossible.

Also as fatigue sets in it proves ever more difficult to control the lowering of theweight making it potentially very dangerous. Its also extremely taxing on the body

and should be used sparingly to avoid overtraining.

It is best used on such exercises as Chins or Dips asyou can use your legs to do the lifting for you whist you then lower yourself.

If you have access to certain machines you can do negative accentuated whereby you liftwith two limbs and then lower with one, alternating the lowering as you go, its not

as effective but offers a good compromise.

Rest Pause

I first heard of Rest Pause upon reading Mike Mentzers journals. Its a system oftraining whereby you pick a weight that you can just about get one repetition in

good form, you then re rack the weight for 10 seconds, this allows some orinitial respite and for temporary recovery of the muscle fibres, you then attempt

another repetition, and repeat the process for approximately 4 to 6 repetitions, youmay find that by the third repetition, you will have to reduce the weight in order to

complete them, its also handy to have someone standing by in case you don't completethe rep, on your own. Its a very intense method of training and like negative onlytraining should be used sparingly in your workouts, it tends to lend itself better to

pressing movements.

I did try it in my own workouts, but did not see any better results when using it. What can also happen is that due to the fact you are using

extremely heavy weights, you tend to focus on how much weight you can lift andnot how you lift, so you subconsciously look for ways to make it easier by shiftingyour body into a more mechanical advantageous position, the opposite of what you

should be trying to achieve.

Jreps or Zone Training;This was developed by Brian Johnston of the IART and was brought about by hisexperiments on the bowflex machine and upon using such methods as Stage Reps.Unlike Stage Reps which had limited application to single joint exercises, it takes

the concept much further. Zone Training is a method whereby you break theexercise range of motion down into relevant zones.

The idea is to create fatigue ineach zone working from the hardest to the easiest, for example in the chest press

due to a mechanical disadvantage you are weakest at the bottom half and strongestat the top, so you start by working the bottom half of the exercise coming up to a

point just below half way, upon reaching failure or the desired number ofrepetitions, you then move to the upper half but avoiding lock out as this then places

the stress onto the triceps and joints, the exercise should be very fluid in motionand does take some practise to achieve.

It can also be applied to any exercise and for amore in depth description of this method I would refer you to the Zone Training

books. Of all the methods I've tried , this has been one of the most productive in terms of resultsproduced both in the short and long term and still use it in my workouts to this day. .

I even submitted a hypothesis to the 2nd Edition Zone Trainingbook on how training in the stretched position of an exercise can induce a greaterthan normal IGF-1 response (a hormone which forms part of the muscle building

process)

Its a very intense way to train and the muscular pumps and lactic acid burn have tobe experienced to be believed, the emphasis on this method focuses on not how

much weight you are lifting but how you lift it, Its more about feeling the exerciseand focusing on a stretch and contraction than simply lifting it from point A to point

B with no real thought process. For bodybuilding application I can't recommend it highly enough.

Strongman Training

Whilst this is technically not a method of training I feel itsworth a mention. I've always been into Strongman watching it on TV from a very

early age and the idea of being strong as well as big, always appealed to me.Having mainly trained on body building workouts with reasonable success I

decided to train specifically for Strongman with the goal of eventually competing In

a local competition. I managed to obtain much of the equipment I needed in orderto be able to train for competition, this included, a 800lbs Tractor Tyre for flippingover, a Steel Strongman Log for Pressing, a Thick Bar for pressing, and a couple of

concrete Atlas Stones which are picked up and placed onto platforms of variousheights, everything else I could train for using the gym equipment at my current gym.

Two workouts were focused on gym work and the third was specifically forevents training, in these workouts I would practise the specific events in

preparation for the competition. I was making steady progress and despite a fewniggling injuries was on course to compete, however whilst working as a bouncerone night, I was jumped by three guys, with one of them jumping on my back as I

tackled his other friend, the force of him jumping on my back and me trying to stay upright as aresult, put my lower back out and forced me to cancel my plans of

competing, I was gutted. My lower back has never really been the same since andended my plans of strongman competition.

Some of my achievements in the gym.

Barbell Deadlift 600lbs

Thick Bar Deadlift 450lbs

One Arm Deadlift 380lbs

Hammer Strength Deadlift Machine 700lbs

Barbell Squat 600lbs

Hammer Strength OverHead Press 300lbs

Strongman Log Press 250 lbs

Farmers Walk Holding 250lbs in each hand

Strongman Tyre Flip 800lbs

250 lbs Atlas Stone

Hammer Strength Decline Press 400lbs

I have been experimenting with Negative Emphasised Training, having read a study wherebyadvanced trainees using this method made tremendous gains in size and strength. The idea is you

take a slightly heavier than normal load and lift in a controlled manner, the focus is on lowering itslowly emphasising the negative portion of the repetition . Having giving it some thought anddiscussions with my HIT colleges , I decided on a 2 second positive , followed by a 8 second

negative, thereby making for a total of 10 seconds per repetition, this would make it a nice roundnumber to track and record and was slow enough for safety reasons. Having now been using this

method for a number of weeks I have seen gains that have far surpassed my expectations, theworkouts while brief are extremely fatiguing and taxing to the point I have an A & B workout to

keep the demands to a sustainable level.

In addition to the negative emphasised training, I have come up with what I believe is a veryeffective means of training, it combines the best of rest pause and negatives. The idea is you pick aweight so that you can just about get one rep, it should be an all out effort in good form, you thenlower it in approximately 15-20 seconds, you then rest five seconds and try again. This process is

repeated for 3-4 reps, but you made need to reduce the weight on the second or third repetition, dueto its extremely demanding nature I've coined it INTENSE REPS, I would advise you only train

once per week using it as it is simply too demanding to be used more frequently

*In retrospect whilst this method has proved effective for me, it has to be noted that there is apoint of diminishing returns and. Also for many its simply too taxing, so as with all other

workout demands, more in terms of the applied stimulus is not always better*

See Tweaking the Stimulus in Body By Science By Dr Doug McGuff for more information.

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Muscle Function & Exercise Choice

Its important to understand basic muscle function as this will help you choose the best exercisesthat fulfil this role. So lets look at the major muscles of the body and what are some of the best

exercises for them, starting with largest muscle groups.

Hips & Glutes The Glutemas maximus or Glutes is one of the largest and strongest muscles in you body, its

primary function is to extend the lower legs down and away from the upper body. It is heavilyinvolved in such exercises as the Nautilus Hip & Back machine, Squats, Deadlifts and Leg Press.

Quadricpes & Hamstrings

The quadriceps are a group of muscles which are located on the front of your thigh, and theprimary function is to extend the lower leg around the knee joint. The exercise

which best fulfils its primary function is the Leg Extension Machine, other exercises such as Squatsand Leg Press also involves the quadriceps.

The Hamstrings, are located at the rear of your upper legs, and it primary function is to bring thelower leg towards the glutes in a curling motion. The exercise which fulfils this function is the lying

or seated Leg Curl, again it is also involved with Squatting and Leg Pressing Movements.

Upper Back(Including Latimus Dorsi, Teres major, Rhomboids and Trapezius Muscles )

Rather than list every function of the upper back I will explain the primary role of the largestmuscle the Latimus Dorsi as it makes up two thirds of your back. Its primary function is to adductthe upper arms from a position behind your head, down towards your stomach, in a rotary motion.The exercise which fulfils the primary function and also applies direct resistance to this muscle is

the Nautilus Pullover. It is also heavily involved in Pulldown movements and Chins, and important note in terms of hand

placement and grip, is to work the muscle over its greatest range of motion is to use a shoulderwidth grip and place your hands in a supinated ( palms facing you) position.

In order to work the Rhomboids and Teres Major, various Rows can be employed , also Pulldownsusing a neutral or palms facing each other grip is best. Many people will use a wide pronated grip

for Behind the Pulldowns in the belief a wide grip creates upper back width, this is false and is in infact the least efficient grip to use when training the upper back muscles.

Lastly the trapezius muscle is in fact a back muscle not a shoulder muscle as many would believe,its primary function is to raise the shoulders to the ears, so any form of shrugging movement will

suffice, it is also involved in rows, pulldowns, even pressing movements to some degree.

Pectoral (Major & Minor)

The pectoral muscles or chest muscles are one of the more flashy muscle groups along with the

biceps. Its primary function is to draw the upper arms down and across the lower body ,approximating in the groin region. The best exercises for this are usually something like cable

crossovers or fly s, Decline Bench Press and Dips also heavily involve the pectorals. They are alsoinvolved some what less so in Overhead Pressing and Pulldown movements.

Deltoids

(Anterior Posterior and Medial)

The deltoids or shoulder muscles are made up of three muscles which assist in either raising theupper arms to the front ( anterior), side ( medial), or rear ( posterior) . The best exercise are , front,side and rear raises , either with cables or dumbbells. The anterior deltoid is also involved in mostpressing movements, along with the side deltoids , and the posterior deltoid is involved in various

rowing movements.

Biceps & Triceps

( Bi-Ceps)

Bi, meaning two, as this muscle has two heads, a long and a short. It has three functions. Theprimary function is to supinate the hand , i.e. to twist the hand in a clock wise direction. Its

secondary function is to bend the arm and its third is to assist in raising the arm and hand behind thehard. Any curling motion will suffice as long as there is the ability to supinate the hand.

( Tri-Ceps)

Tri, meaning three heads. The primary function is to assist in extending the arm down and slightlybackwards of the torso, it also assists in extending the arm away from the body in various planes of

motion. The best exercise for the Triceps is the Dip, as it fulfils its primary function. Other suchexercises as Pushdowns or Extensions also serve to work the triceps.

=========================================================

Fatigue Rate Testing & Its Training Implications

I decided today to do some fatigue rate testing to help determine what my optimum time underload for exercise is for both my upper and lower body. Everyone has a different ratio of muscle fibre

types which consists of fast twitch ( fast to fatigue) intermediate ( somewhere in the middle) andslow twitch ( slow to fatigue) . The idea behind this test is to help determine what the dominant

ratio you have, its not ideal nor is it perfect as this would require expensive testing equipment butits useful for giving you a general guideline in terms of time under load and optimum rep ranges

The implications of this, are quite significant in how well do from anaerobic exercise specificallyresistance training . If you study your training patterns and general response to exercise you should

already have an idea what rep schemes work best for you.

In my own case I've always suspected that I have a high level of fast twitch muscle fibres and a highlevel of neurological efficiency ( the nervous systems ability to recruit muscle fibres) as I've always

been relatively strong compared to my size. This would also indicate why I've also tended to respond better to low volume sets , as multiple

sets over tax my fast twitch fibres and I end up over trained in a very short space of time, as the fasttwitch fibres require extended periods of rest to recover from intensive bouts of exercise.

So with this in my mind here is how you perform the test.

For lower body, take a single joint exercise , multiple joints are not appropriate due to a number ofmuscle groups being involved. Ideally use either the Leg Extension or Leg Curl for testing

purposes. Then using a cadence of 2/4 ( 2 seconds up, 4 seconds down) determine your 1RM ( 1Rep Max). Once you have done this , rest briefly 30-45 seconds, don't rest too long as this could

skew the data. Then take 80% of your 1RM and using the same 2/4 cadence perform as many repsas possible till you reach failure. So if your 1RM is 100lbs, take 80lbs and do as many reps as

possible.

In my own case I got 5 reps with 80%, which indicates a high level of fatigue ( something I alreadywas aware of and suspected) so an optimum rep range for my lower body is 4-6 reps on single joint

exercises and 6-8 on multiple joint. Giving me an optimum time under load of 30-60 seconds toallow the recruitment and fatigue of all the available muscle fibres not just the fast twitch.

The same test on my upper body produced very similar results. Again let me point out this test isnot exact and is to help you determine an optimum response to exercise.

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Increasing Demands and Intelligent Periodisation

In addition to very infrequent workouts I'm also a big advocate of using periods of increasing workout demands, this would entail the use of slightly higher volume, set variables and slightly

more frequent workouts, the idea being to shock the body into renewed growth but this strategy can and should be used in the short term otherwise you run the risk of over training. I first became

aware of this whilst reading the book Apex, by Brian Johnston of the I.A.R.T

Intelligent application is the key to success when using this method and what you should do is sit

down and map out a week by week basis on how and what you are hoping to achieve and how you plan to go about it. For example if your goal is to bring up your pectorals as you feel they are

lagging then you should design a program to work on this. This could be the use of greater sets on a couple of exercises or the use of set variables ( force reps, drop sets, etc.) to make each set more

demanding , be creative in your approach, a good trainer will be able to adjust their goals and workouts on the fly. Sometimes a certain exercise might not just feel right, so rather than stick

with it, you will change it for something else and maybe change the way you perform it. Understand the body is very resistant to change and will often look to adapt in the most efficient manner possible, so by changing things up you keep it from adapting to a set level of demands, as

with all things there are limitations and you need a certain level of structure, otherwise you have no means of measuring its effectiveness. Also give each change a fair period of evaluation as jumping from one routine to the next without giving it a fair trial is just as bad as doing the same thing over and over.. What I tend to do is have a core set of routines for each body part and rotate them each

workout.

Here is a brief outline and example of some of the ways you can increase demands.

Force Reps. Force reps are used when upon reaching muscular failure you continue with the assistance of a training partner or if doing a single limb exercise you apply assistance using the other limb, the assistance should be just enough to allow you to compete a few more repetitions in good form,

don't over do this variable as its very taxing.

Compound and Giants SetsThis variable allows you to group a certain number of exercises in a sequence be that compound movements or isolation movements or a combination of the two, the idea being to increase the

volume and demands for a particular muscle group and shock it into growth.

1 & repetitionsThis is mainly used were there is a position of full muscular contraction, the way to perform it is as

follows using the chest fly as an example. Lift the weight slowly to a position of full contraction and then slowly lower the weight a quarter of the way back down, briefly pause and lift the weight

back to the full contraction and then slowly lower the weight to full stretch, continue until muscular failure.

Drop Sets, is a system of training whereby upon reaching your desired number of repetitions ormuscular failure with a given weight, you reduce the weight in order

to carry on with the set, the theory is that it will fatigue the muscles to a muchdeeper level. There is some merit to this, as you are effectively calling into playmore muscles fibres, however there are limitations to this system as once all the

available fibres have been called into play (its physiologically impossible to fatigueall your muscle fibres as evolution will always have some in reserve based on the

fight or flight syndrome) you are effectively just retracing your steps and justmaking further inroads into your recovery ability. Like other methods it should be

used to add variety to your workouts.

Pre Exhaust This method is where you use a isolation exercise to pre fatigue a

muscle, and then follow it by using a multi joint exercise. The idea being to takethe muscle to a deeper level of fatigue, as with most multi joint exercise there is

often a weak link which fails before the larger muscle has been taxed, for example the use of cable crossovers on a pulley machine,

serves to isolate the pectorals and illuminating the triceps, then immediatelyfollowed by Chest Press, the pectorals are already fatigued but the fresh triceps

allow this fatigue be taken to a deeper level. Its quite effective and I often will useit in my own workouts for a change of pace.

Here is an example of a set core of exercises for a chest workout. This is a 3 week cycle using set variables and techniques

Sets and reps are a personal choice but I would personally use no more than one or two sets per exercise.

Week 1. Incline cable chest fly one and quarter reps Seated Chest Press Super Slow

Dips

Week 2. |Cable Crossovers Jrep Halves Decline Press Smith Machine Jrep Halves

Push Ups

Week 3. Seated Chest Press Super Slow Cable Crossovers 1 & reps

Negative Only Dips

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Workout Design and how best to apply it.

Designing a workout should be a very simple process but I'll the first to admit that I have wasted many hours pondering over the finer details of what I thought would be the perfect workout, but the

reality is no such thing exists. As with many things your workouts should be tailored to your specific needs. In order to design a routine what you first need to understand is the primary

functions of the muscles you are training, it still amazes me just how many people go to the gymwith no real thought process of what they are doing and not have a basic understanding of the

muscles they are training, many simply follow or copy what everyone else is doing.

Before you even step into the gym you should have a clear focus of what you wish to achieve and a plan of the exercises you are

going to use. A workout log is invaluable for this and I have logs going back over 10 years.

Pre workout visualisation is a method I use prior to every workout, and its a very powerful tool once mastered. What I do about half an hour before I train, I mentally go through the workout in

my mind step by step, I'm so attuned to this process now that I can virtually feel each exercise as I perform it. It may seem a strange process at first but if you wish to get the very most from your

workouts its something I can't recommended enough.

Another important aspect of obtaining a solid pre workout mental focus and is something I very often see when personal training my clients especially during a high intensity workout is the fear

factor. What effectively happens is that as they begin to approach muscular failure their body senses this and then triggers a basic primeval instinct to stop what they are doing for fear of being

immobilised . Its akin to the flight or fight syndrome one experiences when faced with great danger or peril, understand that your body and muscles have no idea you are in the gym on a machine or lifting a barbell. It just knows that it is being placed under a stressful situation, as fatigue sets in

and the trainee loses the perception of movement in their limbs. The alarm reaction is triggered to run away from this threat and as such it sends a signal to STOP OR YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE THIS THREAT, its at this point most trainees state they can't continue or give up , this is where as

a personal trainer you need to step in and assure them its safe to continue it doesnt matter that the weight has stopped moving whats more important is that you continue to try and

move it.

I myself still feel this response when training and it is a genuine feeling of fear, but I've learnt to over come this response and can continue to lift until muscular failure, with time and discipline it

can be learnt by most everyone.

Full Body Vs Split Routine, Pros and ConsFull Body

If you are performing a full body workout you should try to work the most demanding body parts first as they require the most energy relative to your smaller muscle groups, however I've found and so have many that also practice high intensity training, is that by doing legs first it takes that much

out of me that I can't really do justice to the rest of my workout. What I've found and again this seems to be a common practice , is to start with something like chest press or overhead press and

then train my upper body first as this isn't as metabolically taxing and still leaves enough in reserve to train legs with sufficient intensity. Don't fall into the trap that just because Mr so and so says you

need to do this and that you should stick to it religiously , adapt the workout to your individual needs.

The main advantage of full body workouts is that they are time efficient and allow you to work all your major muscle groups with a low level of volume, however for some, especially those who are fairly strong it may simply prove metabolically too taxing, what this means is that due to the high level of intensity and the demands it places on the individual, it becomes mentally and physically too taxing for the trainee. The general guidelines is too then do even less and reduce the frequency of your workouts, but what can then happen is the stimulus is now too infrequent and the body will

then look for the least metabolically expensive way to adapt, this normally occurs through the neurological system , i.e. you effectively become more skilled at lifting heavier weights and as such

some trainees complain while they continue to get stronger they are not seeing a corresponding increase in size, this is why I advocate periods of higher demands in order to combat to this.

Side Note: A stronger muscle is a bigger muscle or is it?

While there is no denying this, it is not entirely set in stone especially when it comes to increasing size. Increasing the strength of a muscle by lifting ever heavier weights is one means of increasing

its size, but just because you have gotten stronger does not guarantee that your muscle size has increased, as you could have simply become more neurologically efficient. You can increase the

size of your muscle in other ways such as by increasing the demands placed upon it, and achieving a good muscular pump.

Split Routines

The advantages of using a split routine is that it allows you to perform more exercise for your chosen muscle groups and you can devote more energy to body parts that are lagging. However

caution should be applied as too much of good thing can turn bad, slightly increase your sets and note the results till you get to a point of diminishing returns, i.e., a point in when no further exerciseyields a positive response this will take some experimentation on your behalf but if you are serious

about your training then this should not be a problem, be your own personal trainer.

When performing a split routine I find it best to group the relative muscle groups together as this helps keep localised fatigue in check, so for example I would do, Chest, Shoulders and Triceps,

Rest one day, Legs and Calves, Rest one day, Back and Biceps, then take the weekend off for extra recovery. Understand that most pressing and pulling movements use your arms as a primary mover so doing something like Chest & Biceps is in my opinion counter productive as when you come to train Back at a later workout , you are taxing your biceps again which will eventually lead to over

training of that muscle group.

My primary focus as I've previously mentioned is physique enhancement so my recommendations are based on this, in terms of sets I can only give you a guideline as everyone has a different tolerance to exercise stress but there has to be sufficient

volume in order to illicit a hyper tropic response, generally speaking I use 4-8 sets for large muscle groups, and 2-4 for smaller ones. Repetitions are again a personal thing but I found a rep range of 8-

15 reps ideal when training in this manner.

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How to make 1 set per exercise work for you.

Over the past twenty years Ive predominately used a resistance training method that is referred to as H.I.T or High Intensity Training I prefer to use the term High Intensity Resistance Training Its basis is that of very brief workouts , on a limited frequency and by their very nature very intense

were each set of every exercise performed is taken to muscular failure or the point were no additional repetitions can be performed in good form. As such using this training method I've

NEVER trained more than three times per week in the last 20 years.

Another rule is that as one gets stronger (as per the Overload principle) a fundamental requisite ofany strength training program, the demands on your metabolic system increase proportionately , thereby requiring you to reduce both the volume of the work performed in your workouts and the frequency at which you train, this is to allow for both sufficient recovery and overcompensation to take place. Interestingly your ability to recover from such workouts does not increase at the same

rate. Like many other aspects of resistance training, intensity of effort and the ability to both train ata high level of intensity and the ability to produce it are a learned skill which can many years and

some people despite their best efforts never master it.

If you do not allow enough time to recover from your workouts by training too often or by using toogreat a volume (relative to your individual tolerances and needs) you will short circuit the process and your results will suffer as a result .The idea of a workout is not too see just how much exercise you can tolerate it should be to fatigue your muscles as quickly and as efficiently as possible in the

safest manner.

So just how infrequent can your workouts become and still be progressive in nature? Well there is some scientific evidence which actually supports the premise that training just once per week or even every 10 days is enough, providing your workouts are of a high enough intensity as per the Dose Response Relationship of Exercise, i.e. the greater the stimulus placed upon you the less

you need or can tolerate of it.

Is this level of workout frequency suitable for everyone? No, as beginners and novice trainees would do better to train slightly more frequently to allow the skill of training intensely to be learnedand to get accustomed to the discomfort of high intensity resistance training, , but if you have been

training long enough (intermediate and advanced) it should be something you should consider, especially if your gains in terms of size and strength have come to a grinding halt. Doing more is

rarely the answer to your problems especially when it comes to resistance training, my own experience bears this out and those of my personal training clients and in fact my peers.

You should always strive to look to ways to make your workouts harder and not longer.

But I enjoy going the gym and training? I hear you say... How can once per week possibly be enough? There is a distinct difference between exercise and recreation, proper productive high intensity exercise is not fun and as such you can only tolerate very little. Proper productive high

intensity resistance training is not fun nor enjoyable in a pleasurable sense as such it would then be classified as recreation, however you should not dread or feel burdened by the thought of these

workouts either. If you struggle to train with enough intensity on your own then you should seek to find a suitable training partner to help you get the most from these workouts otherwise your results

will be much less.

One of the complaints of those that practise high intensity resistance exercise is a feeling of being drained for a few days after the workout, Dr Doug McGuff ( Of Ultimate Exercise and Body By Science fame) has termed this feeling, ROBAT (run over by a truck) and I can personally testify

to this feeling as for a few days after my workout I feel lethargic and sometimes even irritable, whatI also noticed is that my muscles appeared to be flat and lacked any fullness (something at one pointI mistakenly thought that my workouts were ineffective in stimulating a response ) ...this is due to the fact that high intensity resistance training places a huge demand on the endocrine system, as

you are a placing your body into a highly stressful state, high intensity resistance training being a form of anaerobic (meaning without oxygen) stress it therefore stands to reason that your body will

act in this way in order to combat this threat to its very being. ( See the General Adaptation Syndrome or G.A.S later in this Ebook for how this apply s)

This became effect became more pronounced even when I was training just twice per week, at first Ibecame discouraged thinking that my training was ineffective (something which I really should have known better) but purely by accident one week due to work commitments I was unable to

train for just over a week, upon undressing I noticed that I was looking not only much fuller than usual but a rad bigger! I was puzzled at first and maybe thought it was just the light making me look

better, but I was also aware that I felt more energised of late and was hungry to train again, something which had been lacking for the past couple of weeks a clear sign of over training....as

training to muscular failure requires both high degrees of both volitional effort and physical effort.

Could it be that I was able to generate such high levels of intensity, that training once per week was now not only optimal for me but a necessity? The mirror and my mental focus and indeed appetite

(which is ravenous after a workout for hours) would confirm this to be true!

With this in mind I decided to have the courage of my convictions and continue to train just onceper week using about 6-10 exercises for my whole body.

I continued to train just once per week and my gains did not slow or stop, I still get that ROBAT feeling but instead of ignoring it and going to the gym because I feel I should or that I'm

not that big or strong yet, I wait until I feel fully recovered and my physique fills out again indicating that overcompensation has taken place.

In future if my will can hold out, I may even extend my rest periods to once every ten days, as this of writing and since December 2014 I've

continued to train just once per week with good results.

Update June 2015.

After a period of training with increased volume and frequency I was being discouraged with myresults in spite all the extra work I was performing I even began to dread my workouts which is notlike me at all. I posted my thoughts on a social media group and my good friend and mentor FredFornicola messaged me. We discussed my training and what he had been doing and we decided togo back to what I do and gain from best, namely High Intensity Workouts. This time I would takeme training to another level in terms of volume and frequency. I was too return too slow cadencereps settling on a 3-1-5 cadence ( 3 seconds positive, 1 second static hold, 5 seconds negative) I'vealways like slow reps so I was more than happy to return to them. The most dramatic change wouldcome in m workout itself, it would compromise of 3 separate workouts done once every 4-5 days.

One set of 5-8 reps too failure would be performedWorkouts as follows

A: Chest Press, Pulldown, Leg Press, Calf Raise

B. Leg Extensions, Leg Curl, Chest Fly, Rear Delt, Side Delt, Pullover, Bicep Curl, Tricep Ext,Lower Back

C. Shoulder Press. Low Rows, Leg Press, Shrugs or Neck.

Side Note : The importance of understanding genetics limits.

While I have stated in this article I continue to gain in both size and strength , its important to put this into perspective, as my gains are now very subtle and for the reasons that I'm now very close to my own genetic limits. At present I currently tip the scales at a bodyweight of approximately 235-

240 lbs. Its simply not possible to continue to gain size and strength on a significant basis as with

everything there has to be limitations, if you are a beginner or intermediate trainee then and providing you are training correctly your gains should still be very noticeable if they are not then you should begin to question the effectiveness of your current training. Whether people choose to accept it or not , we are all bound by our genetic limits and even those with tremendous genetic

potential will see a slow down in their progress over the years. A lot of people and companies have gotten very rich by selling the notion that anyone can do it or be just like the champion

bodybuilders you see in the magazines. I myself bought into this belief many years ago. But while I

have been able to gain well beyond my initial expectations in reality it still falls way short of my dreams of becoming like the body-builders I used to aspire too.

This is not too say you should give up on your dreams and aspirations as the only person you should compare yourself too, is you and the only way you can evaluate your results is in retrospect. Not amount of training or method can

make you exceed your genetic potential.

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Myths, Fallacies and Half Truths of Modern Exercise andWeight Training.

"Now we have millions of people who care about exercise and perhaps a couple of dozen whoknow anything about it."

Arthur Jones

When you stop training your muscles turn to fat.

False!The two have no relation one being a contractile tissue and the other simply being a

means of stored energy or excess of calories. You can't flex fat, and muscle ismuch denser than fat.

Where this myth has come about is that those that weighttrain and that tend to carry a large degree of muscle mass are usually very active and consume a

larger number or calories in order to maintain activity levels and themuscle mass they have. Muscle tissue is metabolically very expensive to maintain and as such you

require a larger number of calories to sustain it. What happens is that if you stop training the muscles you

have shrink (atrophy) as the body has no need to maintain this large amount ofmuscle. Muscles are simply a defensive barrier against anaerobic stress, so when you stop training

the body perceives the threat has gone and as such your muscles then atrophy. If you continue to eat the same number of calories as while you were training and relative to your

energy needs, the excess calories are then storedas fat, so it then appears that your muscles have in fact turned into fat.

If you simply reduced your calories in relation to your current activity levels then youwould stay relatively lean.

"Muscle growth, particularly new muscle growth, is a defensive reaction of the body to thestress of exercise, and the body must literally be forced to see necessity of adding more

strength and size. Arthur Jones

Training a certain exercise can make a muscle longer

False!

Muscle length is determined through genetics and cannot be altered throughexercise, it is physiologically impossible. A popular myth is that by performing

certain exercises for the biceps you can make them longer, this is untrue, as biceplength is again determined by genetics and no amount of exercise will lengthen

them. A muscle will only grow as large as its cross sectional height will allow, so ifyou have short muscle bellies in your biceps and triceps chances are you will not

build big arms, and no amount of preacher curls or tricep pushdowns will change that. This is sometimes very difficult for people to accept but its a reality of genetics, chances are if you have

good genetics for building big muscles you will already have them.

You can isolate parts of a muscle with certain exercises and body position

False!

Muscles contract and lengthen, that's it, and based on the all or nothing principlethe muscle fibres are called into to play or they are not. If you think this is not true

make a muscle with you biceps, (bi-cep meaning two heads) now try to relax one ofthe heads of the bicep while keeping the other contracted...answer is, you can't. Anyone that tells you can isolate a certain part of a muscle is a either fool or has no basic understanding of muscle

physiology . Its important to note that muscle fibres are also called into play in a set sequence, going from the slow, to the mixed and then finally the fast twitch, you cannot train or isolate certain muscle fibres by lifting heavy or fast per se, in order to fully tax all your available muscle fibers you need to trainwith enough resistance and ensure that your intensity is of a high enough level and that your sets are

of a long enough time under load.

Higher Repetitions for the abdominals

False!There is somehow the premise that the abdominals require higher repetitions (inthe hundreds) than other muscle groups, how this came about I'm really not sure.

Whilst it is true that some muscle groups respond better to higher reps due toslower fatigue rates the rep range for these is normally in the 15-20 range. The

abdominals are usually engaged on a day to day basis in the action of keeping thetorso straight as is the lower back. If one really feels the need to perform exercise

for the abdominals then the same principles that apply to other muscles groupsshould be employed. Performing set after set will not spot reduce fat away and if

anything cause localised over training. The opposite of what you are trying toachieve, a couple of sets of 8-15 reps will be sufficient to stimulate the abdominals

into growth. Also as many people tend to do , anchoring the feet is a mistake as thisbrings into action the hip flexors and in fact takes away the stress on the

abdominals, the best exercise for the abdominals is the crunch which has a veryshort range of motion. As previously mentioned you should always choose an exercise which mimics the primary function of the muscle you wish to train. Do not be bound by here say and

tradition,

I just want to tone up

is a phrase often used especially by women, the simple factis there is no such thing, the word tone is derived from the word tonus which is

Greek for non flaccid. Women have the same muscles as men, their musclesrespond in the same manner and therefore should be trained in the same way, (highintensity resistance training) the correct term for larger muscles is, Hypertrophy.

Women have nothing to fear when it comes tobuilding big muscles as they lack the testosterone required for this to happen and

women have even less genetic potential than men, although they do posses a muchhigher pain threshold.

If 99.9 % of the men of this planet struggle to add just a few pounds of muscle each year given their higher genetic potential and testosterone levels its highly unlikely and near on impossible for a

women to get too bulky

Your muscle shape is determined at birth and the best wayto improve your shape is to weight train to increase muscle mass and if need be

follow a calorie restricted diet, or avoid over eating to help keep body fat down this will then allow your muscles to stand out in bold relief.

Higher repetitions for definition and lower repetitions for Bulk

This is pure nonsense. Muscular definition is solely diet dependant and requires one tosignificantly reduce their body fat percentage in order for this too happen,. Weighttraining does not burn a significant number of calories to make any impact in this

regard nor does the ever popular myth of cardio, which is simply short for cardiovascular system.

If you wish to get leaner you need to increase your muscle mass and make sure you are in a negative calorie balance i.e. you are burning and eating less calories than you require, however do

not reduce your calories to such a low level that it becomes detrimental to your health, there is evidence coming through now that such extreme low calorie diets are leaving individuals with what

has been termed a damaged metabolic rate and as such they find it near on impossible to lose any further weight or can end up gaining a significant amount of weight back.

Bulk is just another term for larger, low repetitions have no bearing on thisoutcome and just how low is low in relation to medium or high reps? This advice is

vague at best.

Lifting fast makes you fast.

This is a very popular belief but has no basis in science what so ever. The speed ofa movement is governed by two main factors, the strength of the muscles involved

in a specific skill and the ability of the body to recruit the muscle fibres at anygiven time (see Neurological Efficiency) speed of movement has no bearing on this. If this were

true then the opposite should occur, if one lifts slow it will make you slow, and what if you just lift at a regular speed ,what happens then?

An important aspect of lifting fast is what while it does not make you faster, what it does do is increase the rate of force placed on your muscles, connective tissues and joints dramatically , its this

increased rate of force that puts you at a greater risk of injury.

Side note the difference between rep speed and rep cadence. This is something that it often assumed to be the same thing but while they relate to each other they are very

different.

Anyone that lifts in an explosive manner and or does plyometric exercise deserves what theyget.......Hurt! Arthur Jones- Inventor of Nautilus Machines

The next time someone suggests that you move suddenly during any exercise or movement smileand walk away as you are talking to a fool, and do not over look the fact that a very long list has

large muscles and another long list has academic credentials

Arthur Jones

Rep speed

The speed at which you lift is determined by a number of factors, the range of movement of the exercise you are performing as a calf raise as a very different range of movement to that say of a

Supinated Pulldown. And is also determined by your chosen rep cadence.

Rep Cadence

Is the tempo at which you lift for example 10/5 or 5/5 or 10/10. In order to maintain a certain rep cadence you will need to alter or maintain a certain per speed, as using the example of the Supinated pulldown earlier in order to maintain a rep cadence of say 10/10 you would need to lift at a certain speed due to the range of movement your arms have to travel. Now compare that

range of movement to a calf raise as the the range is so short your rep speed will be lower in order to maintain the same cadence. What cadence you use is a personal choice.

Bigger muscles make you muscle bound or make you slower

Again this is purenonsense, a stronger and larger muscle is able to produce more force, which when

applied to a skill or exercise in a specific manner allows one to produce morepower, thereby making the athlete more powerful, i.e., faster, not slower!!

One of the main benefits of strength-training through a full range of motion is that it improvesflexibility and increases functional ability therefore making you MORE mobile not less!

You can lift weights and be called muscle bound and not lift weights and actually be musclebound Gary Bannister

In order to train the core your need to train on a unstable surface

This notion is very popular amongst the functional training crowd, but the science does not bear thisout. Even someone with common sense can see that in order to train a muscle effectively its best to

train that muscle in isolation with an exercise which mimics its function and strength curve. Training on a unstable surface actually reduces the muscular involvement of that muscle being

targeted as other muscles are then brought into play, the opposite of what you should be trying to achieve and is also dangerous as you are effectively balancing on a unstable platform whilst holding

a weight ,what if you were to roll off or slip while holding this resistance In place? Injuries are bound to happen. Leave the balance balls to clowns in the circus and not the gym..

Jump from your bathroom shelf onto your scales to see how much you weigh, in the air you'llweigh nothing and when you land you might register a weight of several hundred pounds

Arthur Jones

You can transfer the skill of one lift to another exercise or sport skill.

One of the more popular myths is that if you mimic a certain skill with weights this then transfers over to the same skill performed without weights. A common one is punching with dumbbells in the

mistaken belief that by adding resistance to this skill when you then punch without the added resistance your punching power will have improved. Based on the principle of specificity this can and does not happen, as the motor skills of a punch are specific in nature and by adding resistance you therefore have to alter the motor skills in order to accommodate the extra resistance , there is zero if any transfer. If you wish to increase your punching power the best approach is to strength

train the muscles involved in this action, and then practise the specific skills of punching in a boxing gym.

The alteration of any element of a movement including a change of speed or force imposed onthe muscle establishes a NEW motor program , a non specific SKILL that the nervous system

must identify and process.Gary Bannister from his Book If you enjoy exercise chances are you are doing it wrong

The Science of Exercise and its inherent principles explained.

Once you understand these principles it will give you a better understanding of howbest to apply yourself to your workouts.

High Intensity what does it mean?

High Intensity Exercise is defined as "a % of one's momentary & volitionalmuscular effort". If you're at positive momentary muscular failure I your rep/set,

you're said to be using 100% intensity of effort. No one knows FOR CERTAIN justwhat % is required to stimulate growth, but by training at a high level of intensity,you can at least make sure that you have done every thing possible to stimulate a

positive response. Also you can measure what you have done & not what you mighthave done on a workout-by-workout basis. Which is important for accurate record

keeping.If for example 95% intensity of effort were all that was required to stimulate

growth, how you would measure it? Answer? you can't..By training to momentary muscular failure, or 100% intensity of effort, you

therefore would cross this threshold of an imaginary 95% and stimulategrowth??.in theory. Realise that growth stimulation is directly linked to intensity of effort, so the

higher the intensity (within limits) the better the growth responseshould be. However, as with volume and frequency of workouts, intensity must also

be regulated, as too much can cause a negative response (on a long term basis,which is different to what you can tolerate on a short term as per I.A.R.T Blitz

cycle). Basically this means if you train too intensely, (long term) or as you becomemore advanced, in terms of muscle mass and strength, the likelihood of overtraining becomes ever more greater, as you are in effect placing greater and

greater demands on you bodies ability to recover and grow.In my early days I often made the mistake that thinking if hard training was bestthen even harder training would be better and I would often use such methods as

SuperSlow flys , followed by Negatively Only Dips for Chest , overkill for sure and itnever produced the results I desired, no wonder as it would have taken days for my

body to recover from such crazy workouts let alone grow......hindsight is awonderful thing.

Anaerobic exercise what is it?

Anaerobic exercise is measured in terms of intensity, as is also aerobic exercise.Weight training is anaerobic in nature so in order for it not to turn into aerobic

exercise, which is endurance-based training it, must be of a high intensity or of amore demanding nature.

So if one is training anaerobic- ally, you will and should be using a high level ofintensity, which will require that your workouts are brief in nature. How brief is

dependant on the overall volume of the workout, the level of effort you are puttingforth, rest between sets & exercises etc.

So what is the answer? This is based on many individual factors, such as, rates of

fatigue for different muscle groups, fibre types, intensity of effort, tolerance tostress and motivation, to name a few So a one theory fits all as is espoused in

some high intensity circles, is a mistake, as this does not address these individualfactors. You will have to experiment a little to find the optimum dose for YOU.

As an advanced trainee, there will & should be times when you will have toincrease the demands of your workouts. This can be done by slightly increasingvolume, frequency or intensity via the use of variables such as force reps, stripsets, negative reps & static holds etc. As mentioned previously what you can

tolerate on a short-term basis (generally 2-3 weeks) can far exceed what you cantolerate in the long-term.

While it is true that we are all the same as humans physiologically, other wisemodern medicine would not exist. We are all different in terms of personality, skin

texture, eye colour, etc. Not do what works for you but ?How?? should be theunderlying question. So the need for an individual exercise prescription based onthe above factors is essential to ensure optimum progress is obtained in the gym.

The S.A.I.D Principle

This stands for Specific Adaptation To Imposed Demands. This means the body willadapt (See General Adaptation Syndrome) to a specific stress or stimulus in a

specific manner. The body is effected by stress in a general manner, bit it is alwaysof a specific nature. Take a suntan for example. The suns ultra violet rays are a

specific form of stress to the skin. The body recognises this and responds to thisalarm reaction by the production of a suntan, which is a defensive barrier. But the stress must be of

certain level of intensity, in order for the body to alter its state orbalance.

Going out in the weakest sunlight will not be enough of a threat to thebody in order for it to change the skin colour to protect it from further stresses orin this case exposure. The same is true for weight training. Larger muscles are the

bodies form of defence against stress, anaerobic exercise stress to be precise.So how does this all fit together? We know that we need to stress the bodies

system with high intensity anaerobic exercise. This will then send a signal to thebody saying, adapt or change or this stress will eventually kill you, or in other

words it sends a signal, that the bodies homoeostasis (balance) is beingthreatened.

It then adapts in the form of larger and stronger muscles (but not a