Alwyn Cosgrove - Undulating Periodization: Variable Repetition Training (VRT).

[webmaster]

This training system is probably quite unlike anything you are used to seeing. That's exactly what you need. For six weeks give this program everything you've got and you'll be well on your way to new strength and muscular development.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/alwyn3.htm

HOW TO REVIEW: Post Your Review Of This Article - CLICK ON POST REPLY BELOW! You do NOT need to be a registered member to post a reply in this section!

I got a question about the Split. Where it has A1-A2, B1-B2 etc, on the upper body days, does that mean to superset A1-A2, or to do A1 on Monday, and A2 on Thursday or to just do them all in the same workout.

[Silent_Impact]

BB.com is starting to get some good writers over here. Poliquin, Ian King, John Berardi, and now Alwyn. Great article!

[kmax]

Originally posted by Unregistered
I got a question about the Split. Where it has A1-A2, B1-B2 etc, on the upper body days, does that mean to superset A1-A2, or to do A1 on Monday, and A2 on Thursday or to just do them all in the same workout.

Looks like A1,A2,B2... are in one workout.

[youngdurin]

Anyone who has luck with this would do well to read Optimum Training Systems 'Big Beyond Belief'. Same principles with a bit more detail. Great program!

[trusolman]

Originally posted by youngdurin
Anyone who has luck with this would do well to read Optimum Training Systems 'Big Beyond Belief'. Same principles with a bit more detail. Great program!

where is this available?

[youngdurin]

Go to amazon or www.otsdirect.com . $50 and worth ten times that easily. Great program.

[trusolman]

Originally posted by youngdurin
Go to amazon or www.otsdirect.com . $50 and worth ten times that easily. Great program.

why? can you tell me a bit about your results on it?

[kmax]

Originally posted by trusolman
why? can you tell me a bit about your results on it?

Bump, that's alot of $.

[youngdurin]

I have used every major program in the past, and nothing, NOTHING compares to BBB. I gained mass and strength faster than I ever thought possible. I wont say how much or how fast or you will doubt my validity. What I will say is this: You can spend this much on supplements in a month easily and not get half the results you will from this program. $50 isnt squat for real gains.

[Beast]

I've heard good things about Big Beyond Belief, but haven't read or tried it yet. I'll add it to me list of books to buy.

[trusolman]

Originally posted by youngdurin
I have used every major program in the past, and nothing, NOTHING compares to BBB. I gained mass and strength faster than I ever thought possible. I wont say how much or how fast or you will doubt my validity. What I will say is this: You can spend this much on supplements in a month easily and not get half the results you will from this program. $50 isnt squat for real gains.

vague responses like "i gained more mass and strengh than i ever thought possible" are what make me doubt validity.
i promise i won't doubt your validity if you're real with me. the thing is i went to amazon.com and there were several negative posts from people saying it was a complete waste of their time and money, and you're last reply looks like a paid advertisement.
are you really concerned with me getting results, or just selling a book? because not only is $50 not squat for real gains, but it's really an insignificant amount of money to me personally. the price means nothing to me, but the time investment means everything. i don't have time to waste on a program that won't work better than what i already do. i'm getting good results, but if i can do something even better, i'm all for it.
that's why i'd like to hear about your progress/results. when did you start? how has your body changed? are you still doing it? do you rotate other cycles? why does it work?

[youngdurin]

HEHEHE No I am not paid to endorse anything. So much BS in advertising out there that I hate to say 'I gained 20 pounds overnite!' or some crap like that. Yes there are some negative posts on it. I am not claiming that it will be the answer for everyone but I am saying it is worth a shot. I was already a competive bodybuilder before I began the program so I had above average experience and below average response. The people who did not like the program probably were not up to the challenge. It is easy to look at it and say 'overtraining' and then half ass the workouts, and guess what, get crappy results. On the other hand , I busted ass on the three workouts per day routine with approx 7000 calories per day coming in, and in 6 weeks gained twenty pounds of quality weight. My strength levels increased as much as 30% on some primary moves, and that is 30% over previous maximums, not just regaining strength. In the spirit of experimentation, I tried a multitude of different programs over the course of the next 2-3 years before concluding that nothing is even close to the BBB routine for me. I currently use the 2x/day , 6 days per week variant and love it.
One footnote: the Anabolic Diet prescribed by BBB did not prove effective for me. It was extremely easy to follow and I felt great but after comparing results to a traditional plan, it just doesnt measure up. But lots of guys say different, so maybe I never mastered it.
Summary : BBB is VERY hard work with VERY good results.

[trusolman]

Originally posted by youngdurin
HEHEHE No I am not paid to endorse anything. So much BS in advertising out there that I hate to say 'I gained 20 pounds overnite!' or some crap like that. Yes there are some negative posts on it. I am not claiming that it will be the answer for everyone but I am saying it is worth a shot. I was already a competive bodybuilder before I began the program so I had above average experience and below average response. The people who did not like the program probably were not up to the challenge. It is easy to look at it and say 'overtraining' and then half ass the workouts, and guess what, get crappy results. On the other hand , I busted ass on the three workouts per day routine with approx 7000 calories per day coming in, and in 6 weeks gained twenty pounds of quality weight. My strength levels increased as much as 30% on some primary moves, and that is 30% over previous maximums, not just regaining strength. In the spirit of experimentation, I tried a multitude of different programs over the course of the next 2-3 years before concluding that nothing is even close to the BBB routine for me. I currently use the 2x/day , 6 days per week variant and love it.
One footnote: the Anabolic Diet prescribed by BBB did not prove effective for me. It was extremely easy to follow and I felt great but after comparing results to a traditional plan, it just doesnt measure up. But lots of guys say different, so maybe I never mastered it.
Summary : BBB is VERY hard work with VERY good results.

is there a routine in there for getting lean as well or is it a strictly "bulking up" program? i am currently on a cycle of getting lean until the end of March, but then will want to go on 12 weeks of gaining size/strength again. i want to try to do it without gaining any fat though. alas, summer is upon us and i'm finally getting to a place where i look pretty good without my shirt on. i'm at about 12-13% bodyfat and want to get down to about 9 or 10. i may need to go into April to reach that goal, but i've managed to go down from 23% in the past 8 weeks while only losing 10 lbs overall so i've maintained most of my lean muscle, maybe even gained some.

[youngdurin]

No, the routine is designed to increase LBM, not decrease fat weight. Though I do use when cutting up, I just modify the diet (reduce cals). But you will NOT experience the gains on a low cal regimen.

[trusolman]

Originally posted by youngdurin
No, the routine is designed to increase LBM, not decrease fat weight. Though I do use when cutting up, I just modify the diet (reduce cals). But you will NOT experience the gains on a low cal regimen.

fair enough. i will try it as soon as i complete my cutting cycle. i'll let you know what happens. thanks.

[ec_money]

hey, youngdurin, I have a question for you. I bought the book, and I plan on starting next week, but I'm wondering how important the length of rest intervals really is. The book specifies that rest intervals should change week to week, but the reasoning behind it seems kind of flawed, plus, actually putting it into practice would be a pain in the butt. So, did you actually time out your rest intervals according to the book, or just stick with the volume and intensity fluctuations?

[youngdurin]

The rest periods are essential. They determine load. Huge difference between the same sets/reps done with one minute versus two or three. Not a pain at all. I wear a cheap stopwatch and beep it after every set.

[ec_money]

Okay then, I guess I'll try it.

[ec_money]

I have another question too. Have you tried costa's Titan training? If so, how does that differ, and would you reccomend it?

[youngdurin]

Yep, I tried it, and here is proof that I am not paid to endorse OTS. I did not like it. That is one of the hardest darn programs I have ever tried, I busted my arse on it for about 10 weeks, and I didnt grow a bit. It just didnt work for me. Not saying it is a bad routine, just that it didnt work for me. But man is it hard. The squats will annihilate you, guaranteed. No way will I work that hard if I am not gaining every workout!

[ec_money]

Does it use different principles, that is, is it different from BBB at a theoretical level, or is it just a variation on the same strategy as BBB?

Also, another question. In BBB, when you work the same body part 3 times during the week, do you use the same exercises, or vary them? The book didn't say anything about this.

[youngdurin]

No, Titan is completely different.
Regarding the exercises, you are correct, they do not specify. I think that will be individual. I am still playing with it. There is no set formula that I have found. It varies by each move and the intensity applied to it. For instance, I may be able to do a small move like barbell curls three times weekly but only deadlift once per month if I go heavy. But to attempt to answer your question, I would find your favorite 5-6 moves for each bodypart and rotate them throughout the week, spacing them out as much as possible. I tend to do my biggest compound moves on the first and third workouts of the week (ie Squat T/Sat), and use the middle workout as a sort of recovery session with less demanding moves (ie Lunge or Hack Squat on Th).
Does that help or confuse?

[ec_money]

Thanks. That does help. I was kinda thinking along those lines myself.

[AJbuilder]

youngdurin i have the book too, got one question for you...did you go to failure on all those sets or stayed short of failure? what are you thoughts on this?

[youngdurin]

I take the reps to failure as dictated by form. In other words, I might be able to cheat another one or two out but I typically don't. I very rarely ever perform forced reps, negatives or anything of that sort, as I do not have a partner and I dont really feel they are necessary. I have found the 'irritation' that they speak of in BBB is key, and that is achieved by multiple sets in good form.
Also, form is not always by the textbook definition; find the form that targets your desired bodypart. That may mean a slightly different arc or whatever. For instance, I rarely lock out on any chest move in order to stress the pecs. So that may not be perfect form by the book but it is what works for me.

[AJbuilder]

Originally posted by youngdurin
I take the reps to failure as dictated by form. In other words, I might be able to cheat another one or two out but I typically don't. I very rarely ever perform forced reps, negatives or anything of that sort, as I do not have a partner and I dont really feel they are necessary. I have found the 'irritation' that they speak of in BBB is key, and that is achieved by multiple sets in good form.
Also, form is not always by the textbook definition; find the form that targets your desired bodypart. That may mean a slightly different arc or whatever. For instance, I rarely lock out on any chest move in order to stress the pecs. So that may not be perfect form by the book but it is what works for me.

thanks for the input

[ec_money]

Are you absolutely sure the rest periods are that important? The reasoning behind them doesn't seem very sound, and resting for two minutes between sets seems too easy. I'm more used to a fast paced workout. This workout may be short, but I spend more time standing around than I do working out.

[AJbuilder]

Originally posted by ec_money
Are you absolutely sure the rest periods are that important? The reasoning behind them doesn't seem very sound, and resting for two minutes between sets seems too easy. I'm more used to a fast paced workout. This workout may be short, but I spend more time standing around than I do working out.

actually the rest periods are very important in this program. It starts with 120 sec rest on the first week, then drops to 90 second and 60 sec. on the 2nd ramp phase so it's they're not really long rest periods. 60s rest isnt a long rest period at all so i think you may have misread the program. But the hyperadapt phase is the same as a deloading/detraining phase in which the rest periods must be increased ( in this case they are 180sec) in order to channel the adaptive energies created into new growth. That's the lag time effect Leo Costa talks about in the book and definitly have very sound scientific backings to it.

however,it would make sense to decrease the rest periods even further to 30s or even 10s doing drop sets during the hyperaccelerate/ramp phases. But if that was the case then the micro cycles would be offset by it. The load used in the power and strength phases are there to stimulate myofibrillar hypertrophy while the endurance cycle is there for more sarcoplasmic "fake" muscle growth. If you were to even decrease the rest periods in the power and strength phases to less than 60sec, then you would have to reduce the load/weight dramatically for each set which would also eliminate the necessary tension needed for myofibrillar growth. It would really defeat the purpose of the program given the way it is structured around the three mini cycles.

Reread the book again, you only rest for 2 minutes on the first week and the final three hyperaccelerate/supergrowth weeks. The other ramping weeks you rest less than that.

[ec_money]

I have no problem with a longer rest period for power and strength phases, but two minutes for endurance, at any point in the cycle, strikes me as totally ridiculous. My friend and I did the first day, and we were both like "this is BS". It was such a light workout it felt like a waste of time. I think I'm going to modify it by doing the endurance section in circuit fashion, with two minutes rest between circuits. Circuits have a greater effect on the lactic acid system, which is the point of the endurance phase anyway according to Costa. Plus, I've seen other routines that do something similar. I absolutely cannot stand going to the gym for such a light workout.

To me, the main effective aspects of his system seem to be

the 45 minute limit to each workout

working body parts multiple times during the week

the micro periodization of reps

and the macro periodization of sets

I don't doubt that rest period length has some effect, I just don't think it's that important. Rest periods are timed to ensure adequate recovery, or to push the limit of recovery. A two minute rest period on an endurance set does neither (well it does ensure adequate recovery, but it does so excessively). Costa points out that power lifters often rest for three minutes. However that doesn't mean resting for three minutes will cause you to use the power energy system. That's backwards. Power lifters rest for that long because the intensity of the set forces them to. There's no way a set of 15 reps will require 2 min rest. There may be some other factor at work that Mr. Costa didn't explain, but I'm not gonna do something that feels like a crappy workout for 6 weeks to find out. I hate it when people claim to have scientific principles, and then don't lay them out on the table for everyone to examine. I'll use what he backs up with science and eperiment with the rest on my own.