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Fadi you mention above the use of PED's when talking about types of training and natural vs enhanced. Are you saying that higher reps are the way to go for a natural bodybuilder and why do you believe this ?
Yes higher reps are the way to go for a natural bodybuilder. I say this because as I've said before, we are as strong as our nervous system, beyond that of our musculature system. How can I say that? Based on my knowledge of the subject and my experience with both Olympic weightlifting and bodybuilding, I know for certain that our nervous system feeds our muscular system and not the other way around. That means my muscles are dependent and are responders to, instead of initiators or precipitators of a muscle contraction; and we all know that in a muscle contraction is where it all begins.
Getting back to being as strong as our nervous system allows us to be, we therefore must include the level of our ability to recover from a stressful situation, and in our case, that stressful event takes place in the iron dungeon. Now it has been established that low reps of 4 & 5 produce strength and power, and going below that and into the 1 and 2 reps, produce maximum neuromuscular efficiency (that's Olympic weightlifting territory). We're left with rep 3, and this seems to produce overall results within the three parameters of strength, power, and neuromuscular efficiency. There is no 100% absolutes here except in extreme cases of attempting a 1RM and beyond.
OK great, so the question remains, why higher reps for the natural bodybuilder? The main two reasons are (again), MPS/muscle protein synthesis, and CNS recovery. Low reps by their very nature, place a tremendous amount of stress on the lifter's CNS, hence all Olympic weightlifters world wide, take full advantage of spreading their high volume training through the application of high frequency training. PED allows for such style of training. Please note a very critical factor here and that is the application of
both high volume and as well as high intensity training done within the same microcycle/week. That is near impossible without the aid of PEDs.
As I've said before, a natural bodybuilder who's aim is muscle building, would do well to train each muscle 3x/week. Why, I mean why not just once or twice per week? The reason behind this is MPS, and the time it remains stimulated post exercise in a natural bodybuilder vs one who is using PEDs. The pros can train a muscle once a week and make it grow both directly and indirectly, simply because of the high MPS PEDs allow for, a time that sits between one and two weeks, instead of one and two days for the natural bodybuilder. We've all seen it. You train your ass off all year to put on a kilo of muscle, then kid wonder wonders off the Streets and blows you away within a matter of 3 months! How can that be..., and to rub salt into the wounds, you hear that he's still going out Friday/Saturday nights partying until the early morning hours, drinking coke whilst you're downing your whey protein shale and egg yolks! Is that fair? I say yes it is actually, but only if your consider the distinction between your sport of bodybuilding and his sport of chemically enhanced bodybuilding, chalk and cheese really.
So in a nutshell, lower reps with heavier weights done once a week, can and are done by the PEDs bodybuilder, because he can. He can both recover from his workouts, and build muscle post workouts.
I'm going to stop writing because I feel like I'm all over the place. Not even sure if I've answered your question Simon, you tell me. Thanks mate.