These Are the Facts:
- There is no "best training program" for everyone.
- What works great for others in the gym may work terribly for you. Likewise, what has worked very well for you may not do jack for someone else.
- You must develop the confidence to abandon the training programs that don't pan out. Give different programs a fair shot, yes, but ditch the methods that don't produce results.
- The only way to find your optimal program and achieve astonishing results is to stop copying routines and start acting like a scientist in order to discover your own "best" program.
- Tinker with the variables (split, exercise selection, frequency, volume, intensity, periodization, etc.), and gain insight into how your body responds.
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/rule_number_one_do_what_works
Good article. With regards to the specific methods discussed inside:
1/wk high volume split vs lower volume higher frequency and HIT. I tried a HIT program once upon a time and didn't get much out of it, but that was back before I knew what I was doing with nutrition, and back then I was using safe training techniques, but not techniques that were very effective, so very little of anything worked for me. I've been pleasantly surprised over the last year to find that I can progress on squats training them only twice a week rather than every time I step in the gym. I've found that only doing 1 work set pre-empts me stalling, so programs like Madcow's and 5/3/1 have done nothing for me.
Westside I've never done Westside, but I did try a program promoted by Bill Starr back in the day to improve your deadlift without deadlifting, which I guess is the same general philosophy behind doing box squats, GM's and board presses to the exclusion of squats, deadlifts and bench presses in order to build your squat, bench and dead. By the time I was done with the program, my 1RM deadlift was my previous 8RM. I enjoyed the program, but for what it claimed to do, it didn't work well for me.
Deloads/Weeks Off I'm exactly the same as Brett when it comes to peaking. I don't peak effectively by taking time off or even by doing lighter work the week before comp. This had been my experience for years, but throughout 2013 I decided to put my experience aside and trust the peaking programs I was given. Did not work. Last comp I should have been good for a 157.5kg squat based on my 150kg 2RM in the gym; instead I struggled with 150kg and failed hopelessly with 155kg.
Assistance Lifts I don't know that these directly help my main lifts in any way, except for when they focus on a technical issue that needs work, but they generally allow me to rack up more volume without burning out, keep things more balanced and equate to less frequent injuries, all of which has proven to support my progress better than not doing assistance exercises.
Pre-Determined Periodisation I find this sucks for a lot of reasons, but what sucks even more is not following pre-determined periodisation. I should note that I don't have the full details of every workout planned months in advance, but if I want to hit a certain PB at a certain time, I need to figure out roughly what I'm going to be doing with my main lifts a long time in advance, and do my best to stay the course, deviating from it only when needed.
