cont, mor if anybdy likes....
Beyond Failure Training Part 5...The Conclusion
O.K. now it is time to blast the back and biceps. It is imperative that these two muscle groups are worked together because they are intrinsically linked to each other in their function. Any time you are doing any pulling or rowing movement for the back you ALWAYS incorporate the biceps. The reason is quite obvious since you need to use your arms to pull and the biceps is what allow the arm to pull. I get a lot of complaints from people with stubborn biceps and as soon as I take a look at their training, the answer jumps right out at me. Incorrect training sequence, and insufficient intensity. They will work their biceps on separate days from their back training and inadvertently wind up overtraining them because of lack of adequate recovery.
Conversely I get a lot of complaints from people who cannot stimulate their back and when you see the size of their biceps you immediately find the answer. Huge biceps will often take on the burden of the workload when training back and since they are a lot smaller muscle group?.they will give out and reach failure way before the back does. This results in overstimulation of the biceps and understimulation of the back. Both of these problems are solved with beyond failure training.
Starting off with the larger muscle group (the back) we will need to find a way to sufficiently trash and pre-exhaust the back so that when we go to a rowing and pulling movement the back will fail at the same time as the biceps. Now the only way we can achieve pre-exhaustion of the back without including the biceps would be with a pullover machine (or dumbbell pullovers?but the machine is better)
So sitting in the pullover machine with a reverse grip (palms facing up so as to take the triceps out of the movement) we will keep out head and chest pointing up towards the ceiling at all times to totally isolate the back. As with the other bodyparts, we will select a weight that allows us to hit failure at the 8-10 rep mark. At this point your partner will assist you in getting 8 more beyond failure reps. Then the weight is dropped and you continue the set without rest. Once you hit failure---which will be in 3-5 reps?your partner assists for 6 more beyond failure reps. Again the weight is drop and the set is continued and once you hit failure your partner pushes you to get 8 more reps beyond failure. Do this for 2 sets
Next you want to go to a rowing movement. Single arm dumbbell rows or barbell rows are good. Select a weight that will allow you to get 8-10 strict perfect reps. Only do one set here. These are what I call high breather exercises and I find that it is counterproductive to do drop sets and forced reps with these exercises because you wind up sucking wind way before you actually stimulate the muscle.
Next go to a machine movement for the back?some sort of pull down movement. I like some of the hammer machines, but it doesn?t matter. Again we will do 2 sets in the beyond failure style.
That is it for back. Now we move on to biceps, which are, pretty much fried from the back workout. Because of this we will only need 2 sets in beyond failure style to completely destroy them. Machine curls work best here so select a weight where you can get 8-10 and perform the set in beyond failure style with the drop sets and forced reps as you did for back.
At this point your back should be engorged, tight and pumped and you should have difficulty straightening your arms. A job well done. Go home and rest and enjoy your well-earned 2 days off.
So to review, the sequence would look like this
Day 1: Chest and Calves
Day 2: Shoulders and Tris
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back and Bis
Day 5: Legs
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Off
Now some of the things you want to keep in mind with this type of training is that due to its intense nature, it is imperative that you have adequate nutrients in the system at all times. You need to make sure you are getting 2-2.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight each day along with 2 ? 3 grams of carbs depending on your metabolism (if you are carb sensitive cut it back to 1.5-2 grams and compensate the calories with extra protein. Fats should be minimal 40 grams or under.
Rest is highly important when training in this manner, so make sure you are getting at least 7 hours of straight sleep a night along with a good hour nap at some point in the day or evening. If this is not feasible..try and get 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Lastly you will find that after 6 (8 weeks max) that you will start to get burned out training this way. At this point simply scale back the number of sets and triple drop beyond failure reps. When I trained Robbie for the Master?s Olympia he did not touch a weight the week before the show and the 2 weeks prior his workouts were scaled back to 1-2 sets total. His workouts typically lasted 15-20 minutes at this point, but it was necessary to make sure he wasn?t going to go catabolic. Now if you are not coming into a show?.train in this scaled back manner for 3 weeks?.cut back on the protein and carbs because you will not need them and try and get extra rest, maybe even a massage or 2 or sitting in a Jacuzzi hot tub.
In closing I would like to make it perfectly clear that I do not think Beyond Failure training is the only way in the world that one should train. There are many paths up the mountain?some are more painful, yet more productive and some are less painful and take a little longer. It is your choice. The difficulty most people will have in attempting to train in this style is generating sufficient intensity to make sure they are actually going beyond failure, and trusting that the system will work and fighting the urge to train more (i.e. 6 days per week) All I can say is that I took a 54 year old man who was burned out and washed up and transformed his physique into it?s all time best condition?.and it was done with beyond failure training. When Robbie stepped on stage at the Master?s Olympia it was clear that he won. They may not have given him the title (and in fact insulted him by placing him behind a clinical dwarf) but he knew he won and so did Vince Taylor. Look at the pictures in this month?s Flex and read between the lines in J.R. Rosenthal?s report. Robbie Robinson shocked the world that day and was the rightful winner of that show and it was all because of Beyond Failure Training. Train harder then the next guy, and one day nobody will touch you!
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Beyond Failure Training Intensity tips? Zero Momentum reps
By Trevor Smith
Ask anybody who has ever lifted weights for an appreciable time period and they will all agree that the most common question asked by the average person on the street is?."Hey?how much can you bench?"
I hate this question. I mean what does it have to do with the price of tea in China anyway? As if the average person will even know whether or not the numbers you tell them mean you are strong or not. Strength is a relative thing and so whenever I get asked this question, my stock reply is usually something along the lines of "A bit more than your average housewife and a lot less than your average Gorilla"
O.K. so where am I going with this? Actually, I am using this example to try and have you understand that weight is not all important and nor is it the only way to increase the severity and intensity of a set even with something as severe and intense as Beyond Failure Training. Let's face it, we have all seen guys in the gym cranking out reps as fast as they can and making a weight literally fly off their bodies. What I am going to suggest is that by taking a weight you could seemingly "toy with" for 15-20 reps and altering the style the reps are performed in, you will increase the intensity 10 fold and cut the number of reps you can perform down to 3-4. Together this will yield both bigger and eventually stronger muscles because you will eliminate sticking points and will not have to rely on momentum to get past them. Let's use the Bench Press as our exercise of choice for the purposes of example and explanation of Zero Momentum Reps.
The Bench Press is a movement that pretty much has universal sticking points for anyone that performs it. The first quarter of the movement is the most difficult because the pectoral muscles are forced to work almost exclusively until the triceps and deltoids are able to be of assistance in the last half of the movement. Now if one can get past this rather short sticking point, one can effectively incorporate assistance muscle groups like the triceps and the deltoids sooner and thus handle more weight. Now if you are a powerlifter, this is exactly what you are looking to accomplish. If you are a bodybuilder, this is not necessarily the case. Why? Because as bodybuilders, we want the bench-press to completely trash our pectorals and stimulate maximum muscle growth in that area. Now in order to get past this said sticking point and move heavier and heavier weight, explosive power and thrust is developed. Maximum exertion as quickly as possible is the name of the game. (It is this maximum exertion incidentally, that causes pectoral tendons to rupture and explode. If you successfully master the use of Zero Momentum Reps with your pressing movements, it will be impossible for you to tear muscles and or tendons.)
What is being proposed here is that you completely eliminate this explosion and thrust and make a steady, slow and controlled movement for the first quarter part of the exercise. This is the most difficult part of the Bench Press and rather then look to BI-pass it, I am suggesting that one will benefit greatly by savoring every single solitary millimeter of this part of the exercise.And this is how one would do this:
ZMR's (zero momentum reps) will begin with the person slowly lowering the weight down to the chest in a deliberate and controlled manner that takes approximately 2-3 seconds. Once at the bottom part of the movement, the participant should make an effort to exaggerate the stretch and have the hands go below chest level. Once there, the participant will hold for a count of three. It is at this point that the positive portion of the rep will begin. Now this gets tricky to describe without having seen it performed, but one must fight the tendency to "toss" the weight up and literally move the weight as slowly and as little as possible so that the first quarter of the movement takes 1.5-2 seconds. Once the first quarter of the rep is complete, you accelerate the pace and complete the rest of the movement where you once again will pause, this time at the top part of the movement. In this position, one should consciously cramp and squeeze the pectoral muscles together as if one were trying to hold a 5 pound plate between their pecs. After this occurs, the set continues, again with a slow and controlled descent, a pause and exaggerated stretch at the bottom and then a very slow and controlled ascent for the first quarter of the movement. This really is not rocket science, but in terms of muscle growth it will be like discovering plutonium. You will be lucky to get 4-6 reps in this manner and in many cases, 3-4, but if you understand anything about Beyond Failure Training you will know that the sooner you can get the muscle to failure, the sooner you can go Beyond Failure, and the sooner you go Beyond Failure, the sooner the set will be over and the sooner the set is over, the greater the intensity which will yield greater gains!
If you are serious about experiencing extreme intensity, extreme pain and eventually extreme results, give ZMR's a try. You will have to check your ego at the door and get comfortable with the idea of 100-200lbs. less with your bench but having it look and feel 100-200 times more difficult. And for those who think that you will not get strong this way understand this??You are only as strong as your weakest link??.Strengthen the weakest link and you strengthen the entire chain. After a few months you will be back up to the same poundage you were using before, except rather than throwing the weight off your chest to impress the local fitness beauty doing lunges in the corner, you will be taking a slow, solitary and unbearably excruciating dance with the Demon of Pain??.and trust me?he don't give a **** what you can bench.
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Beyond Failure Training Intensity Tip:
Extreme Forced Reps (E.M.R's)
By Trevor Smith
One of the key components to Beyond Failure Training TM is the correct understanding and application of assisting your training partner. In other words, you need to be a good training partner. What defines a good training partner? Simply, it is one who is in tune with your set as much as they are with their own set. It requires total focus and attention for you to derive maximal benefits from your set, and minimizing any chance of injury. I wish I had a dollar for every moron I have encountered that initially agrees to give me a spot, then upon my explanation of what I need from them, they get this look of irritation on their face as if I have some nerve expecting them to actually pay attention to me and do a little more than standing there. At one gym, it got to the point that if I asked someone to spot me and they agreed and I then detected the slightest amount of annoyance from them after my explanation (assist with forced reps when I failed and then help me drop the weight and continue), that I would say, "You know what, go away from me, I don't need your help." Okay, my language may have been a bit harsher but I'll leave out the flowery details. It got to the point where it was just easier for me to bring my wife along so that my training time would be shortened (successfully finding a person to spot me could take 15-20 minutes at times).
It is difficult to focus 100% on your set if you are worried about the competence of your spotter or training partner. Assuming you have a competent spotter, I want to discuss the idea of forced reps and how you can transform them into an amazingly powerful Beyond Failure Training TM Intensity Tip. Stacking Z.M.R.'s, (Zero Momentum Reps) with forced reps will allow you to do Extreme Forced Reps (E.F.R.'s). This method will provide a one-two punch that is the training equivalent to a stack of Sustenon 250 and Anadrol.
Have you ever taken the time to really focus on one single, seemingly insignificant, aspect of training? Something everyone in the gym does since the day they first stepped foot in the gym door? It is my experience that if you do this, you open up a world that rarely is ever examined because people foolishly assume that something as simplistic as spotting, requires no thought or detailed attention. Remember, BOREDOM IS A LACK OF PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL! A single strand of hair can simply look like just a piece of hair. However, if examined under a microscope, you would marvel at the world unveiled. My point is, that those who look past the surface and go deeper than others will experience and learn things that few ever do. This same thing applies to training and in this case, partner assisted forced reps.
Yes, E.F.R.'s seem mindless enough, "When your partner fails, help him with the weight, so he can get a couple more reps." Nothing could be father from the truth with E.F.R.'s. The premise of E.F.R.'s and how they will change the afore mentioned description to: "When your partner fails, make him suffer miserably and keep him under the weight for as long as humanly possible, only assisting him so you can prolong his suffering, never taking the stress off him, only keeping him going in a positive direction or a static direction?anything but a negative direction, so he can understand and experience a true definition of pain and torture." Sounds rather sadistic I know, but B.F.T.TM is sadistic and the muscle growth it yields is also sadistic!
We are going to make one exception with E.F.R.'s. E.F.R's, for the most part, can only be performed with machines. When you perform them, you will understand why. Safety is a key factor in this exception.
Machine biceps curls will be our example. We will stack E.F.R's with another Beyond Failure Training TM intensity technique that I have already discussed in prior articles: Zero Momentum Reps (Z.M.R.'s).
As you grip the handle (I personally find having the hands closer together is more effective at stimulating the entire biceps) slowly begin performing your reps in a manner that has a pause at the bottom of the movement, a slow and deliberate contraction and a pause at the top of the movement. Continue in this fashion until you hit absolute and complete muscular failure on your own (which should be about 4-6 reps). At this point, as you attempt another rep, you should start to stagnate in the first quarter of the movement. You should not be moving forward, or going backwards, but rather "stuck" in place, struggling with the rep. At this point, your partner will place his or her hands on the handle and with the slightest amount of assistance possible, allow you to minutely move forward in a positive direction until the minimal amount of assistance he or she is giving you no longer allows for positive movement and you are once again "stuck in place". Your partner will, once again, allow you to stay stagnated for a few seconds and as they notice that your body starts to tremble and you are about to start moving backwards in the movement, they will once again offer just enough assistance to get you "un-stuck" and allow you to move a bit more in a positive manner. This "Hell-Zone" will continue until the rep is completed to the top part of the movement. The best part is yet to come, however, as you must complete another 1-2 reps in this same manner to insure absolute destruction of the muscle fibers. At this point, the weight is dropped a substantial amount, and the set is continued without rest. Again, once you hit muscular failure on your own, and only then, your partner will follow the same protocol as above. Again, after the 1-2 E.F.R.'s you will drop the weight a final time and continue with the set (at which time you will be praying for a quick and merciful death).
Once the set is completed close to five minutes should have passed on the clock. 5 minutes of continuous pain and torture. Five minutes of hell that left your biceps with so much blood in them, that they are engorged to the point that you cannot bend your arm and most definitely cannot flex them. If you can do either of these things, you did not do the set right and your partner did not do the E.F.R's correctly. Learn to pay attention to detail, for it will yield infinite possibilities with Beyond Failure TrainingTM, which will afford you many more avenues of muscle growth to travel down. Stay strong, stay focused and suffer well.
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