i agree with vince, now that he has put forward an idea, instead of just telling everyone else's were wrong.
i have switched to a very rep driven program that involves static holds and partials, all to failure.
this is what one set looks like (well use barbell curls as an example)
5 reps with olympic bar and 15 a side. hold at top of 5th rep for 10 count. at end of 10 count 5 more reps. hold for 10 count. at end of 10 count 5 more reps. now 15 partials in middle range of motion where i tend to feel it best in my bicep.
there is constant tension on the muscle the start of the set to the end of the partials. you arm bicep is on fire and swollen at the end of one set. by the time your session is over you cant curl your arm up to take the earbuds from your ipod out of your ear. i do 3 sets of 4 exercises like this, super-setting with triceps in the same manner. the whole workout takes a little over an hour with no rest set to set. in comparison to my last program i am doing 10x the number of reps per workout. it isnt about the weight being used- its focusing on the muscle working and making sure it is totally and completely wiped out when you leave that gym.
for the first 4 weeks i grew like mad, despite dieting. now im in my 5th week i am only now starting to see a diminishing return on this program- it worked awesome for the first month, and now it has taken its toll on my body. i have slept well over 16 hours today as my body is pretty fatigued. it has brought my arms up considerably, and i try to train them at least twice a week. i'll keep training like this until my gains stop, but as long as im getting the proper rest, nutrients and supps, i cant see it happening anytime soon.
THIS sounds great
LOVE no rest arm worouts, just switch from one exercise to the next.
And this reminds me of the catch 22 of drug free lifting. I have average to poor genetics, and I need VOLUME to grow. But when you train drug free as most of my training has been you can burn out with too many set extenders etc. The best ballance of volume and growth for me was GVT.
The few occasions I've had access to hormones I get really fuckin lazy and totally slack off on my workouts, whats up with that??
No fucking self discipline.