Training Routines

Oliver04 said:

Admin,

In all due respect (you did previously work at woolworths after all) a lot of those programs you linked to a very complex, and somewhat dubious bodybuilding routines. Most average trainers will get fried on that sort of stuff.

Most of the people who are asking the question are novices, which is why they're asking the questions in the first place. Most would be off chasing their first 10-15kg through trying to achieve a 140/100/180 total for reps.

A simple explanation of why they should follow tried and tested routines as well as a link to 2-3 good ones (Rippetoes, PTC's and Fadi's) would suffice.

If you can give me til wednesday I could do a write up explaining exactly these points.

Click to expand...

Oliver04 said:

Admin,

In all due respect (you did previously work at woolworths after all) a lot of those programs you linked to a very complex, and somewhat dubious bodybuilding routines. Most average trainers will get fried on that sort of stuff.

Most of the people who are asking the question are novices, which is why they're asking the questions in the first place. Most would be off chasing their first 10-15kg through trying to achieve a 140/100/180 total for reps.

A simple explanation of why they should follow tried and tested routines as well as a link to 2-3 good ones (Rippetoes, PTC's and Fadi's) would suffice.

If you can give me til wednesday I could do a write up explaining exactly these points.

Click to expand...

The Anti-Bodybuilding Hypertrophy Program
Break the "Rules" and Gain Real Muscle!
by Chad Waterbury​

Anti-Establishment Hypertrophy
I can't read most hypertrophy training articles because of health reasons — they make me sick. Never has there been a topic with more misinformation than muscle-building methods.
At least some strength-training articles seem to have a shred of scientific basis, but with bodybuilding articles, all common sense and science seems to go to the wayside. That's probably because more is understood about the nervous system than muscle soreness, or maybe it's because most of the writers who are only concerned about hypertrophy training are imbeciles who can't even build muscle on themselves. You be the judge.
After a recent seminar, a famous strength trainer told me I should market myself as the guy who could revolutionize bodybuilding. There's only one small problem with that — I don't like bodybuilding. Yep, you heard me right, never have liked it, probably never will. I see most competitive bodybuilders as overly tanned, overly shaved, waddling pieces of uneducated flesh and I have no interest in that market.
Yes, that's harsh, but recently something has slightly changed my views on bodybuilding: I started contributing to Testosterone and I realized there are some pretty damn cool and intelligent people out there who like bodybuilding. I'm not talking about "shaved gorillas posing in thongs" bodybuilding, but the good old hypertrophy-inducing strength-training from the days of the past. So, for all of you out there who love bodybuilding for what it used to be, I've written this article.
Old-time strongmen were the only people who truly revolutionized bodybuilding. Unfortunately, their methods have been largely forgotten. In exchange for infrequent, machine-laden, ineffective bodybuilding methods, many great principles have been lost.
Let me tell you a little secret — hypertrophy training and strength training don't have to be two separate entities. I've never designed a program that was based solely on "hypertrophy" training, but my clients have gained a ton of muscle over the years (if that was the goal). Let me repeat a statement from one of my previous articles: muscle growth is mainly controlled through caloric intake. Assuming all is normal with a trainee's physiology, even the best hypertrophy program won't build appreciable amounts of muscle if there are insufficient calories. Got it?
So allow me to uncover some real hypertrophy methods so you can apply them to your current program in exchange for more functional muscle. Bodybuilders beware: I'm about to barbecue a few of your sacred cows!

Five Hypertrophy Training Principles You Must Understand
1) Train More Often
First and foremost, you must drop the notion that a muscle group can only be trained once a week. Strongmen from the past didn't train that way and you shouldn't either. The more frequent the growth-stimulating sessions you can have, the better.
2) Forget about Time Under Tension
One of the things that really makes me nauseous is the assumption that hypertrophy-inducing sets must last from 40 to 70 seconds (or is it 20 to 90 seconds, or 43.5 to 68.7 seconds?) So that must mean the classic 5 x 5 method doesn't build any muscle since those sets don't last at least 40 seconds. Or maybe I'm just a dumb hillbilly and everyone who uses the 5 x 5 method is actually using a tempo where each rep takes eight seconds? (I don't think so!)
3) There's a Daily Limit to Muscle Stimulation
I can't believe I'm actually going to do this, but I must quote a bodybuilding catch-phrase from the 1980's: stimulate, don't annihilate! There's an absolute limit to the amount of hypertrophy-inducing stimuli you can apply on any given day. That's why those "one day cures" are a huge, stinkin' pile of B.S. I feel sorry for those who actually wasted an entire day attempting such a program.
4) Don't Train to Failure
You must keep the nervous system from becoming overly fatigued if you want to train frequently. Therefore, leave the grunting and screaming to the frat boys who have 13" guns and spend their entire day doing concentration curls and wasting Daddy's money.
5) Train Through Soreness
Initially, you'll probably have constant soreness on this program. That's okay! The soreness will subside once recovery increases and proper adaptation has taken place. Soreness is your body's way of saying, "I need more carbs and protein." So feed your muscles constantly!

The Anti-Bodybuilding Hypertrophy Program
After reading through these principles, you probably understand why I refer to this as an anti-establishment program. I think I broke every so-called "hypertrophy" rule in the book! But you know what? This program rapidly builds muscle and it's very similar to the principles the old-time strongmen used to follow.
Now, let's get to the program that's going to build some serious muscle and increase strength levels! (Keep in mind you can pick your own exercises. Those listed are just examples.)

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