Saturday, May 21, 2011

Time/Volume Training

It's finally time to get the next program ready to go.  I love making workout programs in phases.  Usually they last anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks.  Sometimes, it's just a single phase, sometimes it's a 90 day, 3 phase split (*like P90X.)  This particular phase, I'm going to kind of play with it.  It's 4 workouts a week, again, no cardio.  I may do an additional ab routine from time to time to keep them popping, but generally, here's what I'm doing.

I had to keep in mind my upcoming tour throughout June.  We'll be living in hotels for several weeks and won't have access to a gym or weights, so I wanted to try a bodyweight routine.

Every set is only 3 reps.  The differing breaks are noted along with total time per body part.

Monday:
Chest Dips - 15 minutes, 10 second break
Handstand Push-Ups - 15 minutes, 10 second break
Diamond Push-Ups - 10 minutes, 10 second break

Tuesday:
Chin-Ups - 15 minutes, 10 second break (moving to back rows when chin-ups fail) *(sets of 3)
One Leg Bench Step Ups - 15 minutes, alternating, so no break. *(sets of 5)
Alternating Calf Raises/V-Ups 15 minutes, SuperSet - no breaks. *(sets of 5)

Thursday:
Bench Press - 20 minutes, 20 second break *(sets of 3, deloading as needed)
Military Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 20 minutes, 20 second break *(sets of 3, deloading as needed)

Friday:
Squats - 20 minutes, 20 second break *(sets of 3, deloading as needed)
Alternating Bi/Tri sets - random/fun stuff.  20 minutes.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

High Volume Body Weight Plan

I'm finishing the final 3 workouts of my 12 week "Stop Training Like an Idiot" plan, and had really nice results, I am thinking about what I want to move into.  High volume training has been something I've been curious about for a long while, and bodyweight stuff is endlessly fascinating to me.  This seems to combine both things.  It's a 2 day split, so probably Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri per week.  I like that it's time sensitive for progression, unlike just lift heavier and more reps all the time that so many plans preach.

I found this from my friends over at www.BodyWeightCulture.com   Head over there and check them out - they have brilliant stuff.

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Time/Volume Training - A Program For Building Mass Even With Bodyweight Exercises!

By Nick Nilsson
This training style is VERY effective for building muscle even with bodyweight 
training. It can be inserted into ANY training split...it can be used 
as a total program or as a single training day. Powerful stuff!


This past summer, I was stumped…how could I use bodyweight training to build substantial muscle mass using exercises like push-ups where I was able to do 30 to 50+ reps per set! 
Enter Time/Volume Training…
This technique allowed me to take exercises where I could do a TON of reps and turn them into effective mass-builders.
Basically, it's kind of a cross between my Compound Exercise Overload training (where you take a weight you can do 6 reps with and do 3 rep sets until you can't get 3 reps anymore, then you drop the weight and keep going - I'll give you a link to that below so you can read more about it) and Escalating Density Training (by Charles Staley - where you take an alloted timeframe and do as many reps as you can within that timeframe).




Time/Volume Training is relatively simple. I'll use back training for my example here (chin-ups, specifically).


For working back, I use a 15 minute block of time (this will vary according to bodypart - use less time for smaller parts).
  • First, start by doing a set of 3 reps. Then stop and rest 10 seconds. Now do another set of 3 reps. Stop and rest 10 seconds.
  • Keep going using 3 rep sets and 10 seconds rest until you can't get 3 reps anymore. When you hit this point, begin taking 20 SECONDS rest in between your 3 rep sets.
  • Keep going using 3 rep sets and 20 seconds rest until you again can't get 3 reps anymore. Then take 30 SECONDS rest in between your 3 rep sets. If you have to increase again, go to 40 seconds, and so on.
  • Keep going in this fashion until your 15 minutes are up.
It's just that simple! Basically, the idea here is not to go to failure on any of your reps but to manage your fatigue so that you can maximize your training volume (i.e. more reps and sets).
And, because I originally worked up this technique to go with bodyweight training (where you can't change resistance), instead of decreasing the weight (like in Compound Exercise Overload), you will instead just increase the rest periods, which gives your body a bit more time to recover in between sets, allowing you to keep doing sets with the exact same resistance.
But just because it's originally designed for bodyweight training doesn't mean you can't use it with free weights and machines as well - it'll work like a charm for that, too!
You'll find when using this technique with different exercises (especially bodyweight exercises, where some tend to be a bit easier than others), you'll be able to go longer before having to increase rest. For example, when doing chins, you'll probably have to increase rest sooner than you will with push-ups.
But rest assured, even if you can do 50 push-ups, you'll STILL get to a point where you're not able to do 3 reps sets on 10 seconds rest and you'll have to bump up the rest periods. 
It's a great way to work bodyweight exercises without resorting to high-rep endurance training. With the 3 rep sets, you're still hitting the power-oriented muscle fibers, which is what allows you to make this type of training work for mass building.
Take a few minutes inbetween bodyparts for recovery.
Here are the time intervals I've been using for this type of training:
Back, Chest and Thighs - 15 minute blocks each
Hamstrings, Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Calves and Abs - 10 minute blocks each

I've also changed up some of the bodypart blocks so that I'm actually working 2 bodyparts at once (I did this with abs and calves). 
Here's a split I've been using (based on bodyweight training) but you can certainly feel free to come up with your own. 
Just be absolutely sure to keep your total workout time to under an hour (I've been shooting for 40 to 50 minutes).
This type of training concept is simple enough where you can simply insert it into whatever your favorite training split is.
My preference is for a 2 day on, 1 day off, 2 day on, 2 days off type of training split, e.g. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.

Day 1:
back - 15 minutes of chin-ups - I was using a regular underhand, close grip for these, coming all the way up and down to full extension.
chest - 15 minutes of dips - I was using two chairs with the back facing each other. I would set my hands on the tops of the chair backs and do dips in between the chairs. Works like a charm!
Combination of Calves and Abs - 10 minutes - NO rest in between bodyparts or sets. I would just go straight from one-legged calf raises (5 reps on each leg using no weight) then right into (5 reps on that exercise, too) then back to calves. Because they're such unrelated bodyparts, their getting rest while you're working the others, so you don't need specific rest for them.
Biceps - because I was doing 15 minutes of Chins, biceps already got a lot of work. I would just finish the workout with one set of flexed arm hang. 
Total workout time: 45 minutes

Day 2:
Thighs - 15 minutes of Bench Step One Legged Squats - Basically, this exercise is a one-legged squat done standing on a chair or bench. Because you're standing up off the ground, you can drop down a lot further, increasing the overall workload. I also recommend hanging onto something for support. This exercise for this long will really beat the crap out of you.
Hamstrings - nothing for me here - the deep bench step squats were PLENTY of work for the hamstrings, believe me. In a normal split, you would do 10 minutes of hamstring work for this type of Time/Volume training.
Shoulders - 10 minutes of Pike Handstand Push-Ups. This is a great exercise for shoulders - it's a bodyweight exercise, making it very effective for functional strength AND it's easy enough where if you've got decent shoulder strength, you should be able to get good training volume. In that same link above, you'll also find Horizontal Push-Ups, which is an easier version of it.
Triceps - 10 minutes of Close Grip Push-Ups - even though I can normally do about 40 to 50 of these in a row, after about 8 straight minutes on 10 seconds rest, I had to increase to 20 seconds rest. The fatigue catches up to you and you'll really be feeling how effective this training is. I again finished with one set of the Flexed Arm Hang here.
Total Workout Time: 40 minutes
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That's the scoop with Time/Volume Training! Like I mentioned, you can insert this methodology into pretty much any training split and any program. It's one of THE best ways to get a mass-building effect out of bodyweight training (when you can get high reps with an exercise) that I've ever found.
Give it a try in your next workout to test the concept then try a couple of complete workouts with it. Then take the concept with you next time you travel and apply to some bodyweight training. You'll look at the hotel gym (with the stationary bike with no seat and the squeaky hydraulic resistance machines) and Laugh

Monday, May 16, 2011

Even Simpler Meal Plan

After I posted my Simplified Meal Plan, I got a bit of feed back via email saying it's too complicated, just "tell me what to eat and I'll do it."

OK.

Here it is.  Follow this, every day, and you'll get ripped.

3 meals in a 6-7 hour window.  This window can be whenever you want.  10am-5pm, 7am-2pm, whatever.

  • Meal 1:  5 Eggs, 2 Slices Cheese, 8oz 85% Ground Beef.
  • Meal 2:  8oz 85% Ground Beef, all the veggies you have.
  • Meal 3:  1 Pound of Fish/Turkey/Chicken and tons of veggies.
That's it.  Eat until full, but make sure to eat enough.  That comes out to roughly 2700 calories.  Women might cut portion size slightly, but that's the idea.  Don't cut it in half!

Workouts:
  • Mon: Lift Heavy Weights, Full Body - 3 sets per body part.
  • Tue: -
  • Wed: Lift Heavy Weights, Full Body
  • Thu: -
  • Fri: Lift Heavy Weights, Full Body
  • Sat: Run 100 Yard Sprints x5-8
  • Sun: -
That's it.  Simple 4 workouts per week, all should be quite short.  Here's a good example of the lifting workout.
  1. Chest - Bench Press or Push-Up
  2. Back - Pull-Up or Reverse Back Rows
  3. Shoulders - Military Press or Pike Press
  4. Legs - Back Barbell Squats or Goblet Squats
That's enough.  The upper body moves will work your arms, no need to crush them with endless curls and triceps extensions.  That's a total of 12 sets.  Even resting 2 minutes between sets, you're looking at a 24ish minute workout.  The sprints workout is probably only 10-12 minutes.  Not a big commitment for a lean, healthy body right?

*note*

You must push yourself hard.  If you're doing sets of 5 push-ups and you could be doing 7.  DO 8.  You have to push close to your limit.  Good youtube examples of these 4-8 exercises are easy to find.  Do some research and watch your form.

Nutrition Laws:
  • Low Carb.  The only carbs you should eat are veggies.  Note that wheat/corn/rice is grains.  Avoid them.
  • Lots of meat/fish/poultry/eggs.  Eat until full, don't feel guilty.  Fatty cuts of meat are fine and healthy.
  • All food should be consumed in a 6-8 hour window of time.
  • 3 larger meals is actually shown to be better for muscle gain and fat loss, contrary to the old 6 meal a day theory.  It's about insulin production and trying to limit that as much as possible.
*additional info*

Once you're at your goal weight, you may add some carbs back in - a sweet potato or two post workout can be great, but not so much during a big fat loss phase.  Adding in carbs however, does not include adding back in the grain family (wheat/corn/rice).  That stuff is just plain bad for you.  Some dairy or legumes is probably ok, but keep it in moderation.  Cheese is better than milk.

Skip anything listed as low fat or reduced calorie.  In fact, skip anything that has labels completely.  If it comes in a box, SKIP IT.

Meat/Fish/Eggs/Poultry and Veggies only.  There is nothing else worth putting in your mouth.

*LINKS AND SOURCES*

Why no grains?
http://whole9life.com/2010/03/the-grain-manifesto/
http://neander-steve.blogspot.com/

Why a 7-8 hour feeding window?
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-intermittent-fasting/
http://www.leangains.com/
http://www.justinowings.com/b/index.php/me/a-low-carbohydrate-diet-mixed-with-inter