Currently, especially in some magazines of the sector, we are - in my opinion - witnessing a real marketing operation in which the by now classic " genius " on duty " invents " monthly (followed, incidentally, by the inevitable book to support of what is proposed ...) this or that on training (generally, short, intense and infrequent, given that for now the "fashion" is this).
What, however, in such "marketing campaigns" they often forget to say, is that these "brilliant" methodologies are decades old. For example, all that concerns the "short, intense and infrequent" systematically derives from the writings - always valid, but now quite dated ... - by Arthur Jones (among other things, inventor of the nautilis machines and coach of Mike Mentzer) .
A feeling of mine from observing the physicists (undoubtedly) of the athletes of a few decades ago, is that currently we spend more time reading " revealing " magazines and / or buying " full of innovations " books of the "guru" on duty, who to train. This impression of mine is suggested by the fact that the athletes of a few decades ago were on average "bigger" than the current " natural ". But if current naturalists can benefit from the " plus value " of an unquestionably better integration and a more balanced diet, how is it that, very often, they do not reach the results of their forerunners? One (my) possible solution is that the athletes of a few decades ago were not distracted by so many " innovations " (so to speak ...) and consequently ... they thought about training harder than going after the " news of the month "...
In other words, to obtain noteworthy results, the " miraculous method of the two-month period " is not needed, but rather a series of guidelines that are always valid and not ... until the next issue of the magazine ...
First, I mentioned Arthur Jones. Well, its guidelines have not faded over time and last - gaining more and more consideration - for decades ...
Here is a brief vademecum, its training philosophy (reading, as well as drawing some basic information to optimize your training, you will notice ... that many modern and super-advertised " inventors " ... have not invented anything. ..) which can be considered, without a doubt, the backbone of high intensity training .
Three things must happen for the muscles to get bigger and stronger
the muscle must be stimulated to grow;
it is necessary to give the muscles the necessary rest time to make them grow;
It is necessary to adequately nourish the muscles with the right nutrition (and possibly supplementation).
ATTENTION: it is sufficient to neglect only one of the previous points to compromise growth!
it is essential to focus on progression
there is a direct relationship between strength and muscle mass, strength is an important parameter to check, since it is an objective way to check progress;
how much should the strength increase? In athletes not at the limit of their performance, a 5% every 1-2 weeks should be a plausible increase;
strength in a bodybuilder is evaluated based on the weight you are able to lift - maintaining a good form of execution - for ten repetitions . Looking for the maximum weight for a repetition is useless and dangerous!
Adopt the "doubly progressive" method: start with a weight that allows about 8 repetitions and training during training try to increase by 1-2 repetitions; when in a certain exercise, you will be able to perform 12 or more repetitions, in the following training increase the loads by 5%
Since you will have to make little progress (5%), but constantly, it may be useful to have 500g discs.
We must always try to make the training harder
apart from the heating series, never avoid the last repetitions of an exercise. Strive to 100% and perform the series until the moment of muscle breakdown;
two methods to increase the intensity of a series are forced repetitions and scaled series (stripping). But don't abuse these intensity techniques and use them wisely; moreover the forced repetitions must be used after the momentary muscular failure, to make the series more difficult and not before (as many do ...) to make the series easier;
do not confuse the intensity of training with the amount of sets and exercises. If an exercise is performed at "high intensity" it is not possible to perform many series and the training must necessarily be short.
it is good that the movements are slow and controlled
in the exercises it is necessary to concentrate on the perfect and slow execution of the movements; no leaps or rebounds! Impulses and rebounds stress the joints and contribute very little to "overload" the muscle, which is the goal of bodybuilders. The movement must be "felt", not played, so ... "just to do something" ...
Four seconds in the positive phase of the movement and four seconds in the negative phase of the movement should be the "norm" in the exercises that do not allow the maximum contraction; in the exercises that show a notable resistance when the muscle is in shortening position, it is necessary to add further three seconds in the position of maximum contraction.
What training frequency and what kind of routines do you adopt?
three weekly workouts for the whole body ("full body" routine) are much more productive than any fractional routine: the whole body must be stimulated and not just the single muscle;
the scheme of three weekly training sessions is a good way to start, but if you do not get the desired results, from three weekly workouts for the whole body, you need to go to two.
Muscle groups during training should be ordered correctly
you often go to the gym to train your pectorals and biceps (and, rarely, your shoulders) and then perform multitudes of exercises for these muscles ... neglecting everything else ...
instead, the reality is that large amounts of muscle mass in small muscles, such as biceps or deltoids, cannot be gained (unless favorable genetic predispositions) if the large muscles (legs and back) do not swell themselves ;
It is always good (unless "specializations" or other particular procedures) to start training with larger muscles which, among other things, give a "general stimulation" to the whole body, and gradually move on to smaller ones ...
Dulcis in fundo, here is an example of a program (NB: many other programs, detailed, commented and optimized can be found in my technical handouts) to be performed for about six weeks with three weekly intervals (Mon, Wed and Fri or Tue, Thu and Sat) ; of each exercise it is necessary to perform a series of 8-12 repetitions, as described above.
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Ultimately, we do not need stratospheric knowledge about periodizations, macrocycles, etc. to get good results. The few points described above and the will to work hard are enough!
 |  Athletic trainer and personal trainer is also author of the book "The heterochronism of muscle recovery". Teacher ASI / CONI and collaborator of Physical Culture. For more information, please write to the email address |
See also: Variable series and training intensity
