Bodybuilding Workout Progression
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How a single progress scheme could double your
gains
Dear Friend,
last week I told you how a small change in your rep scheme could
boost your muscle gains.
It was about how to determine your optimum rep scheme for all
exercises. This article is directly
connected to my last article so probably you should read it again,
if you did forget it.
The techniques described in these two articles work in synergy
and adapting both to your current
workout schedule should give you a significant boost in your gains.
Did you ever hear about the double progress scheme?
Chances are good, but probably you don't know the name. Double
progress means that you increase
the weight for any exercise after you are able to perform a
predefined number of reps.
For example you are increasing your weight on bench presses after
you are able to do more than 10 reps.
This is called double progress, because you progress your reps
before you progress your weight.
This is well known and almost anybody is using it.
But is it the best way to go?
Probably not for you!
By using a double progress scheme, you are trying to progress two
different systems of your body at the
same time.
1. with increasing your reps you are trying to enhance the energy
systems of your muscles
2. with increasing the weight you are trying to enhance the
performance of your muscle fibers
These two systems don't mix up too well. In fact it's like
trying to walk at two sides of a street at the same time.
While working out with different training clients I found out
that all clients hit sometimes a plateau because they were not able
to perform one more rep for weeks.
But at the same time, it is no problem for them to add 5 pounds
and keep the same rep number.
For example one of my clients was able to bench press 260 pounds
for 8 reps. But he wasn't able to make one more repetition for 6
weeks before he consulted me.
So I told him, that he could increase his weight by 2.5 pounds
without decreasing his reps.
He didn't believe me, but he tried to do this. And of course it
worked.
It didn't only work one time - it worked 5 times in a row. So he
was able to increase his bench press weight by 12.5 pounds in
5 training units without doing less than 8 repetitions.
After this he reached his second plateau. He wasn't able to
increase the weight and keeping up the 8 reps. So I told him to
decrease his reps and keep increasing the weight.
After this he was able to increase his weight at 7 repetitions
another 3 times in a row - summing up to 20 pounds more bench press
power in a few weeks.
After an additional 3 week special endurance cycle where his
energy systems where targeted he was able to bench press 280
pounds for 10 reps.
Could you think how happy he was? He planned to bench press 270
pounds in this time with his double progress scheme before he hit
the plateau.
But with separating the two progress schemes, he didn't not only
work around the plateau - instead he doubled his progress rate.
Believe me or not - this happens over and over again. And because
of this I suggest that you try out to go for single progress scheme
instead of a double progress scheme.
And this works really great. In fact most of my customers were
able to double their weight increment steps instantly. Don't rely on
me - try it out and you'll see what I am talking about here.
If you hit your next plateau - don't get frustrated.
It's not anytime over training - sometimes it could be that you did
try to walk on both sides of the street at the same time.
But how fits this together with the optimum rep scheme discussed
last week?
Determine your optimum rep scheme - only increase the weights -
until you can't do this anymore. After this - work on your muscles
energy systems.
If you do this, you add the next gains to your big time goal.
To increase your workout progress go to X-Size Bodybuilding
Best regards,
Oliver Wolter
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