Baal
12-14-2008, 07:59 PM
This is very to the point, not by any means a complete guide, I have no degree or certification this is based on working with trainers and personal experience. In saying that I would like to add, over the last 5 years I've went from 150lbs to 240lbs.
Majority of what I have learned to work seems to be attributed to ; Dante, Hany Rombod, & Dorian Yates. So these guys really get all of my credit. I'm sure everything I'm about to say is just a reiteration of something they've been doing & saying for a long long time.
Ridiculous thinking
One of the most ridiculous things I see being talked about is people putting a % on importance.
Ex... 70% Diet, 10% Genetics, 10% Training, 10% Drugs...this is completely absurd. All of these things are 100% and completely related. If you lack in one, you fail all together. Except maybe the genetic department, you can make the most of what you have!
The key is consistency folks. Every time you miss a meal, or get ****ty sleep, or don't put effort into training you miss a chance to grow.
Training
Hopefully by the time you decide to turn to AAS you already know a little about your body & how it responds to different types of food & training, and how they affect each other.
The more muscle you have, the more time you need to recover. As you continue to grow you will find that you can be much more intense, and as a result from this intensity you will need a longer rest/recovery period.
Ex.. A 240lb man squating 600lbs for 8 reps will be much more taxing than a 150lbs man squating 200lbs for 8 reps.
We should always strive to push ourselves in the gym. Every time you enter the gym you should be stronger than the last time you were there. I see to many people wondering why they're not growing but when you look at the weight they lifted 1 year ago vs present day nothing has changed.
Our bodies adapt extremely quickly, it's actually extremely fascinating at what the human body can do. With this mind set you can very easily see how important it is to continue to push your limits. In other words, you need to give your body a reason to grow!
Try to increase either weight or reps with the same weight you used last time, every time you go to the gym. It's important to switch up the exercises as-well. You will eventually hit a wall and then it's time to re-evaluate.
Ex of re-evaluation... Do I need to take some time off, continue to get stronger on other movements for the same body part, change training styles for awhile, change diet...etc.
I believe it was Dante who wrote something like, were not looking for 10+10...were looking for 2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2..etc progression over time.
I have noticed in most cases people who are naturally strong generally respond well to low reps, heavy weight with minimum sets & higher frequency. People who are not naturally strong seem to respond well to more volume less frequency. Of course there is always exceptions.
You cannot train with high volume & frequency and expect to not over train.
People get confused about AAS and training. I'm not sure why but after being around these boards its true. Maybe they dont know what to do with their new found strength, or endurance? I dunno.
When you're on a cycle you should notice, you need less time between sets, you can train longer & can keep a higher intensity throughout your workout.
But nothing really changes. You continue to train like you do off cycle as on cycle. You continue to make the increase in weight for each exercise ( progressive over load ) or use the same weight and increase the reps.
I hope people realize that if you can say...bench 315 for 6 off cycle, that just because you can jump to 405 for 6 on cycle you shouldn't. You're just asking for an injury.
Even though you want to make these huge jumps in lifts it's not a smart idea. Take it slow.
I would suggest making a small increase in weight but also increasing the reps at that heavier weight.
Technique
A lot of people get carried away with the weights they use. It should always be quality over quantity.
Yes, everything I said in the training section is true...but if you let your ego drive you in the gym you're wasting the movement.
I do not know who said it, but it's true. If you cannot contract the muscle, and you're just moving the weight..you're doing yourself an injustice.
Cheating can help you push yourself past failure, but it needs to be utilized correctly. You shouldn't need to cheat from the very first movement.
Something I learned from Dorian Yates is, if you cannot hold the weight at the top of the movement you're using the wrong muscles.
So take notice on your technique over the next couple workouts. If you train with someone be honest with each other. You shouldn't be afraid to correct each others form and look for mistakes.
You will only benefit by decreasing the weight and using proper form. It wont take long after you drop the weight to get back to the old weights you were using. I promise you will find new found growth from doing this.
Mimic Muscle Memory
Okay so you can't actually mimic muscle memory, especially because muscle memory is not real haha.
What I am talking about is stretching the fascia. Which is connective tissue that runs through the human body.
Three ways I have discovered to do this is;
1. DC Stretches
2. Blood Pump ( for lack of a better definition )
3. Deep Tissue Massage
1. DC Stretches - Great article - Tried to post the link but I cant so I will copy paste in reply.
Pictures of stretches - http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?image=extremestretches66qo3.jpg
You basically utilize the appropriate stretch after your set, you try to hold it for as long as possible up to 1 minute. I will say they are extremely painful when done correctly.
2. Blood Pump
I came across this after finding fst-7 training - which is worth looking into by the way.
We all know that pump feeling. Some people chase it, some people just enjoy it when it happens. But Hany Rombod has made a training style around it. He doesn't endorse the DC Stretches because he says stretching it from within gives a greater result. I havent been doing fst-7 for very long but I will say this. Im comparison to DC stretches its even more painful, and seems very effective. It's worth looking into www.fst7.com
I really think there is something to this. For me it explains how the 20 rep squat ( or in DC Terms a Widow Maker set ) is so effective at building huge quads.
3. Deep Tissue Massage
Go do it :p
I'll read this over a few times and make a few changes, hopefully some of the mods & vets can help me edit and add to it.
> Baal
Majority of what I have learned to work seems to be attributed to ; Dante, Hany Rombod, & Dorian Yates. So these guys really get all of my credit. I'm sure everything I'm about to say is just a reiteration of something they've been doing & saying for a long long time.
Ridiculous thinking
One of the most ridiculous things I see being talked about is people putting a % on importance.
Ex... 70% Diet, 10% Genetics, 10% Training, 10% Drugs...this is completely absurd. All of these things are 100% and completely related. If you lack in one, you fail all together. Except maybe the genetic department, you can make the most of what you have!
The key is consistency folks. Every time you miss a meal, or get ****ty sleep, or don't put effort into training you miss a chance to grow.
Training
Hopefully by the time you decide to turn to AAS you already know a little about your body & how it responds to different types of food & training, and how they affect each other.
The more muscle you have, the more time you need to recover. As you continue to grow you will find that you can be much more intense, and as a result from this intensity you will need a longer rest/recovery period.
Ex.. A 240lb man squating 600lbs for 8 reps will be much more taxing than a 150lbs man squating 200lbs for 8 reps.
We should always strive to push ourselves in the gym. Every time you enter the gym you should be stronger than the last time you were there. I see to many people wondering why they're not growing but when you look at the weight they lifted 1 year ago vs present day nothing has changed.
Our bodies adapt extremely quickly, it's actually extremely fascinating at what the human body can do. With this mind set you can very easily see how important it is to continue to push your limits. In other words, you need to give your body a reason to grow!
Try to increase either weight or reps with the same weight you used last time, every time you go to the gym. It's important to switch up the exercises as-well. You will eventually hit a wall and then it's time to re-evaluate.
Ex of re-evaluation... Do I need to take some time off, continue to get stronger on other movements for the same body part, change training styles for awhile, change diet...etc.
I believe it was Dante who wrote something like, were not looking for 10+10...were looking for 2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2..etc progression over time.
I have noticed in most cases people who are naturally strong generally respond well to low reps, heavy weight with minimum sets & higher frequency. People who are not naturally strong seem to respond well to more volume less frequency. Of course there is always exceptions.
You cannot train with high volume & frequency and expect to not over train.
People get confused about AAS and training. I'm not sure why but after being around these boards its true. Maybe they dont know what to do with their new found strength, or endurance? I dunno.
When you're on a cycle you should notice, you need less time between sets, you can train longer & can keep a higher intensity throughout your workout.
But nothing really changes. You continue to train like you do off cycle as on cycle. You continue to make the increase in weight for each exercise ( progressive over load ) or use the same weight and increase the reps.
I hope people realize that if you can say...bench 315 for 6 off cycle, that just because you can jump to 405 for 6 on cycle you shouldn't. You're just asking for an injury.
Even though you want to make these huge jumps in lifts it's not a smart idea. Take it slow.
I would suggest making a small increase in weight but also increasing the reps at that heavier weight.
Technique
A lot of people get carried away with the weights they use. It should always be quality over quantity.
Yes, everything I said in the training section is true...but if you let your ego drive you in the gym you're wasting the movement.
I do not know who said it, but it's true. If you cannot contract the muscle, and you're just moving the weight..you're doing yourself an injustice.
Cheating can help you push yourself past failure, but it needs to be utilized correctly. You shouldn't need to cheat from the very first movement.
Something I learned from Dorian Yates is, if you cannot hold the weight at the top of the movement you're using the wrong muscles.
So take notice on your technique over the next couple workouts. If you train with someone be honest with each other. You shouldn't be afraid to correct each others form and look for mistakes.
You will only benefit by decreasing the weight and using proper form. It wont take long after you drop the weight to get back to the old weights you were using. I promise you will find new found growth from doing this.
Mimic Muscle Memory
Okay so you can't actually mimic muscle memory, especially because muscle memory is not real haha.
What I am talking about is stretching the fascia. Which is connective tissue that runs through the human body.
Three ways I have discovered to do this is;
1. DC Stretches
2. Blood Pump ( for lack of a better definition )
3. Deep Tissue Massage
1. DC Stretches - Great article - Tried to post the link but I cant so I will copy paste in reply.
Pictures of stretches - http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?image=extremestretches66qo3.jpg
You basically utilize the appropriate stretch after your set, you try to hold it for as long as possible up to 1 minute. I will say they are extremely painful when done correctly.
2. Blood Pump
I came across this after finding fst-7 training - which is worth looking into by the way.
We all know that pump feeling. Some people chase it, some people just enjoy it when it happens. But Hany Rombod has made a training style around it. He doesn't endorse the DC Stretches because he says stretching it from within gives a greater result. I havent been doing fst-7 for very long but I will say this. Im comparison to DC stretches its even more painful, and seems very effective. It's worth looking into www.fst7.com
I really think there is something to this. For me it explains how the 20 rep squat ( or in DC Terms a Widow Maker set ) is so effective at building huge quads.
3. Deep Tissue Massage
Go do it :p
I'll read this over a few times and make a few changes, hopefully some of the mods & vets can help me edit and add to it.
> Baal