A note about ADAPTATION

[tri-terror]

I kinda wanted to talk about this in my next article, but this has been bugging me for a little bit so I want to at least get a little bit off my chest.

Bear in mind I will quote no studies or scientific research whatsoever. If you're one of those guys, fuck off for few while I spit the real shit.

What causes a muscle to grow? Get stronger? Natural or enhanced it's the same. Adaptation to a stimulus. When the stimulus stays the same, the adaptation STOPS.

What the fuck am I talking about? WEIGHTS mother fuckers! The weights you use HAVE to go up over a period of time. Bottom line. Yeah you can get some sarcoplasmic hypertrophy from increasing volume(fuck me that sounded a little sciency... gods damn it...), but those gains will stop very quickly.

Super sets, giant sets etc are a great tool to up intensity and even save time in the gym. Adding sets just to add sets though will leave you wanting.

If you are barbell rowing 225 for 8 reps today, in six months you better be doing 245 for 10. Or whavetver, but it HAS TO BE MORE.

More to come later... I got heavy shit to go pick up...

 

[thebrick]

Damn right! I like where you are going with this Tri!

 

[Elvia1023]

I agree in most ways. But I know some guys who have built great physiques from using very high volume and light weight. Not the older guy who used to lift huge weights and later in life went the high volume light weight approach. I mean guys who literally never lift heavy. Highest bench is about 80kg but they use alsorts of intensity techniques.

Progression in everything is key to me. The body needs new stimuli so it can trigger a new response... stimuli isn't just poundage imo. I feel it is useful looking at other sports such as gymnastics, ballet dancing and speed skating to see how some muscles can repsond insanely well without increasing the poundages over time. But sure don't get me wrong I agree with you in everything else you state... bigger weights should mean bigger muscles. Big weights will build big dense muscle so everyone bb should be trying to lift more year after year.

 

[tri-terror]

Elvia those same guys that never bench more than 80kg, imagine what they would look like if they worked up to a 150kg bench...
Insane.
IMO intensity techniques are best used when you reach a strength plateau. Then you incorporate giant sets, pre exhaustion etc.

 

[thebrick]

I always made my best gains going for more weight. A stronger muscle is a bigger muscle. Plain and simple. I do incorporate other techniques more these days, but its because of joint issues. I still love going for max weight when I can.

 

[Elvia1023]

Elvia those same guys that never bench more than 80kg, imagine what they would look like if they worked up to a 150kg bench...
Insane.
IMO intensity techniques are best used when you reach a strength plateau. Then you incorporate giant sets, pre exhaustion etc.

One of those guys is a top bodybuilder in my country. Looks abit like BBoy. I agree though moving up in weight would only be good as long as form is great so possible injuries are minimized.

I always made my best gains going for more weight. A stronger muscle is a bigger muscle. Plain and simple. I do incorporate other techniques more these days, but its because of joint issues. I still love going for max weight when I can.

There are tonnes of guys who are extremely strong but not big at all. Obviously then comes the way of lifting. You can lift like a weightlifter/powerlifter or like a bodybuilder. I think a mix between heavy weight and lighter weight with various techniques is best. I know quite a few guys who train to bodybuild but get lost in the weight and as a result their possible gains suffer. Although I would recommend a strongman program for any bodybuilder at some point in their training. As you state a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle.

I always try and lift heavy but sometimes I will do high reps but try and make that as heavy as possible. My genetics aren't the best but making good gains now. Especially in my legs since I started doing higher reps. My lower back is fucked too so I have to be careful but sure if it was fine I would be trying to pull as much weight as possible Over the years I have learnt to train each bodypart differently as they seem to respond best to a different stimulus.

Might as well add this as the log section is like a ghost town at times. I would appreciate you guys checking out the first video I have ever done in my log. It was last set of leg press and was doing 40 reps but went to failure and got 54 reps with 12 plates. Thanks

 

[AtomAnt]

Tri, I agree with you brother. Adaptation takes on many forms, but the overarching theme is progression. This can be progression with weights, intensity, volume, workload in a given period...and any combination of the above.

Ultimately, as you said, volume will only take you so far. You'll get to a point where adding additional volume will not yield any greater results, but if you keep progressing in weight, you will induce a new stimulus to elicit growth. Then to further compound the effect, you can build on the intensity of the training through any number of techniques to induce more muscular damage and when you create muscular damage (given you have proper nutrition) you allow for greater potential for hypertrophy.

Bottom line, go heavy and get intense and then do it again with heavier wights and more intensity.

Good post.

 

[Enigmatic707]

Kinda like Atom just said-

Progression and Periodization... 2 biggest keys to continual growth. In that idea of periodization I like to think that 75% of the year you should focusing on gaining strength in a particular movement of 8-12 reps. In other words simply gaining strength is not enough, but strength over a period of reps, or time under tension.

 

[AtomAnt]

Kinda like Atom just said-

Progression and Periodization... 2 biggest keys to continual growth. In that idea of periodization I like to think that 75% of the year you should focusing on gaining strength in a particular movement of 8-12 reps. In other words simply gaining strength is not enough, but strength over a period of reps, or time under tension.

Much like progression, I think periodization can also take on several forms, but ultimately you need to set up your periodization strategy to reach your end goal. For example, a few close friends of mine train for strength and growth for a given period and then randomly switch programs with no rhyme or reason with no planning in place as to how the change in program will help them reach their ultimate goal. They just do a randomly different program for a while and then change it up.

Since I train DC, I'll use that as an example of one way periodization is incorporated into the grand scheme. When you think about it, DC blasts and cruises are essentially periodized programs. Once you reach the end of a blast, you deload and allow for your joints to recover, injuries to mend, nervous system to recharge and re-focus your objectives. Some people like to cruise, then do some high volume work for a few eeeks then return to DC, others like to cruise and then get right back to it. Both are acceptable forms of periodization that allow for your to continue to make progress towards your ultimate goal.

 

[turbobusa]

Actually you guys are both right elvia and Tri.. The intensity tricks elvia mentions is another route to progression I. E. You are doing legs -
Right now you do two pre ex sets of leg exts 60 reps 100 lbs then you go to your preloaded leg press and do two sets rest /pause drops at 500lbs .
6 mos from now the leg exts are at 120 and the presses at 575. The rest period between during pauses may have shortened by 5 seconds.
That is progression and for some guys with structural problems a way to get the adaptive responce via a different means. TT I would tend to like the heavier
wt for more reps simplicity. It works I know this personelly. The "other" way that Elvia talks about works too. This I know well . I've had my fair share of injuries in and out of the gym over the years. The lighter variations through intensity and other variables have allowed gains when structually I could not
go heavy+ rep progression. Both adaptive response gains training methods.
This is part of what makes things fun and interesting. Finding a way..
Thanks, T..........

 

[Ironbuilt]

Agree with both sides of the issue ..poundages upped by progression with periodizataion can be done by differnt means as to suit the age and body type a person has..I go balls out heavy as much as I can which suits me well.Great article Tri.

 

[tri-terror]

Excellent points by everyone, thanks for chiming in! I just want to clarify something too. I don't want anyone to think that big weights are the only way to get big. There is a number of reasons why a person can't or shouldn't.

It's still very important to get STRONGER. If you have bad joints or whatever and are working in the 12-20 rep range, THATS GREAT. But get stronger in that rep range. Same thing with the super sets and intensity techniques. They are great training tools but I feel like the soreness that they can cause misleads people into thinking they are having a better workout than they really are.

A logbook is really a must for everyone. Keep track of what you are doing so you can gauge your progress later on down the road.
I got thinking about this stuff by that guy that thought maybe he was a non responder. Not much talk about training other that super sets and I go hard and that kind of thing. When I asked about progression it was ignored.

The bottom line is that as you advance as a bodybuilder the shit get's harder and harder and you have to find new ways to push yourself past your current envelope.

Oh also... There are some people(and they are KIND OF right) that will say training doesn't matter, just take more drugs, or start drugs etc. Yeah this will work, but... It's kinda the lazy way out isn't it? At the upper echelon of bodybuilding it's certainly chemical warfare but as far as I can tell there are very few people on this site that are even remotely close to a pro card.

If you utilize proper training techniques(and DIET) you can get more out of less and therefore continue to grow, and not feel like shit as some people do on mega doses.

 

[Elvia1023]

Actually you guys are both right elvia and Tri.. The intensity tricks elvia mentions is another route to progression I. E. You are doing legs -
Right now you do two pre ex sets of leg exts 60 reps 100 lbs then you go to your preloaded leg press and do two sets rest /pause drops at 500lbs .
6 mos from now the leg exts are at 120 and the presses at 575. The rest period between during pauses may have shortened by 5 seconds.
That is progression and for some guys with structural problems a way to get the adaptive responce via a different means. TT I would tend to like the heavier
wt for more reps simplicity. It works I know this personelly. The "other" way that Elvia talks about works too. This I know well . I've had my fair share of injuries in and out of the gym over the years. The lighter variations through intensity and other variables have allowed gains when structually I could not
go heavy+ rep progression. Both adaptive response gains training methods.
This is part of what makes things fun and interesting. Finding a way..
Thanks, T..........

Excellent points by everyone, thanks for chiming in! I just want to clarify something too. I don't want anyone to think that big weights are the only way to get big. There is a number of reasons why a person can't or shouldn't.

It's still very important to get STRONGER. If you have bad joints or whatever and are working in the 12-20 rep range, THATS GREAT. But get stronger in that rep range. Same thing with the super sets and intensity techniques. They are great training tools but I feel like the soreness that they can cause misleads people into thinking they are having a better workout than they really are.

A logbook is really a must for everyone. Keep track of what you are doing so you can gauge your progress later on down the road.
I got thinking about this stuff by that guy that thought maybe he was a non responder. Not much talk about training other that super sets and I go hard and that kind of thing. When I asked about progression it was ignored.

The bottom line is that as you advance as a bodybuilder the shit get's harder and harder and you have to find new ways to push yourself past your current envelope.

Oh also... There are some people(and they are KIND OF right) that will say training doesn't matter, just take more drugs, or start drugs etc. Yeah this will work, but... It's kinda the lazy way out isn't it? At the upper echelon of bodybuilding it's certainly chemical warfare but as far as I can tell there are very few people on this site that are even remotely close to a pro card.

If you utilize proper training techniques(and DIET) you can get more out of less and therefore continue to grow, and not feel like shit as some people do on mega doses.

Both great posts.

I wasn't disagreeing with TT at all cos he is 100% spot on. It was just the comment in his original post about volume and gains stopping very quickly I was referring to. As you say TT the key is to get stronger in all rep ranges and utilizing various techniques. I like to swop things around. But sure you want to be lifting as much as you can and progressing in strength around the 10 rep mark for optimal muscle gains imo. Some days I will be be struggling to get 6 reps on bench and others I am doing 50 rep leg press I have to add though I have modified my training as I am very limited now as I can't deadlift or squat. Although it was a bit of a blessing in disguise as I am progressing well with my new style of training.

 

[Enigmatic707]

The one thing every post has said here-

"Get stronger through rep ranges" this is where it's at ultimately, how you do it may vary but this is the key and catalyst for continued growth.