The 1-6 Principle
By Charles Poliquin Years
ago, Charles Poliquin introduced German Volume Training to American
athletes. I won't recap the thing here, but suffice it to say that it
was a new, effective way to train and it got people excited. Finally,
there was an alternative to the who-knows-where-it-came-from idea of
doing three sets of ten over and over again until we were put in a
small closet with handles on it and buried underneath the turf.Well, it's time to change the way we train again. We're proud to introduce the 1-6 Principle to the bodybuilding world.
The
1-6 principle was first introduced to me at the National Strength and
Conditioning Association Convention in San Diego back in 1991 by coach
Dragomir Cioroslan, bronze medalist in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic
Games. This set/rep bracket had been used with great success by elite
Romanian and Hungarian weightlifters. This training system had been known by the ungainly name of the mixed neural drive/hypertrophy program. Of
course, knowing how things often work in this business, I half expect
Greg Merritt to rehash it in Flex within three months as the "Joe
Weider Neuro-potentiation Supermyofibrillartrophic program." Oh well.The system is based on the neurological post-tetanic facilitation phenomenon
as first discussed in strength training circles by German strength
physiologist Dietmar Schmidtbleicher from Freiburg University (in order
to be a successful strength coach, you must have an
exotic-sounding name). In a nutshell, if you do a 6RM (the maximum load
you can lift for 6 reps) load within 3-10 minutes of doing a max single, you can use a greater weight that you could have if you hadn't done the 1RM set.For
example, let's say you can normally do 220 pounds for six reps on the
incline press. However, if you do a max single four minutes prior to doing your 6 reps — which we'll say for the sake of argument is around 265 — you'll be able to do six reps at 225-230 pounds. That's a significant increase.In
fact, many trainees who use this method find that their single
poundages improve each wave. In fact, a typical wave for someone who
can do 6 reps with 220 pounds on the incline press may look like this:

Set 1) 1 rep with 265 pounds
Set 2) 6 reps with 220 pounds
Set 3) 1 rep with 270 pounds
Set 4) 6 reps with 225 pounds
Set 5) 1 rep with 272.5 pounds
Set 6) 6 reps with 230 pounds

This isn't just a parlor trick. The basic premise is to use maximal loads to potentiate?the
nervous system. Because of this newly increased, more efficient neural
drive, you can use a greater load for six reps which ends up building
bigger and stronger muscles.Finnish strength physiologist Keijo
H?kkinen has demonstrated in many of his experiments that long-term
strength gains are directly related to how much you increase intensity.
Therefore, expect to reach new heights in strength gains with this
routine since it makes full use of that intensity increase principle.This
method could also be used by wrestlers or practitioners of some of the
grappling sports like Jiu-Jitsu. These individuals are often interested
in moving up a weight class while keeping their speed up. Well, this
system will not only allow you to gain functional bodyweight, but your power
should also go up since the system taps into the higher threshold motor
units which are responsible for the production of explosive
strength/power.After I learned about this effective training
technique, I returned home and used it with great success with
bobsledders, lugers, skiers and speed-skaters who were preparing for
the 1992 Albertville Games. Other top athletes have used elements of
this type of training with great success, too. For instance, Olympic
Gold medalists Valery Borsov and Ben Johnson would squat a 3RM load ten
minutes before their record smashing performances in the sprint to make
use of this post-tetanic facilitation.I won't tease you any
longer, though. Here's the routine. You should do this five-day cycle a
total of six times. Therefore, 30 days are needed to complete this
routine.Editor's note: For those of you unfamiliar with Coach
Poliquin's workouts, many are divided into A1 and A2 schemes. For
instance, on the first routine below, you'd do one set of your 1RM max
on Scott EZ Bar mid-grip curls, rest two minutes, and then do a set of
1RM on close-grip bench presses. Then, after two more minutes of rest,
you'd go back the the A1 exercise, the Scott EZ Bar mid-grip curls. You
might also be puzzled by the "tempo" designation. Don't worry, it's
easy. For instance, on the first exercise below, Coach Poliquin has
indicated a tempo of 40X0. This simply means that you should take four
seconds to do the eccentric, or lowering portion of the curl. Then,
without resting (0 seconds), you should explosively lift the weight
(designated by an "X"), followed by no pause at the top of the
movement. Likewise, in other Poliquin-type routines, you might see a
3121 tempo. Again, that would mean taking three seconds to lower the
weight, followed by a one-second pause; two seconds to raise the
weight, followed by a one-second pause before lowering the weight.

Day 1 — ArmsA1) Scott EZ Bar mid-grip curls
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6,1,6
Tempo: 40X0
Rest interval: Two minutesA2) Close-grip bench presses
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6,1,6
Tempo: 40X0
Rest interval: Two minutesB1) Standing medium-grip barbell curls
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6
Tempo: 40X0
Rest interval: Two minutesB2) V-bar triceps dips
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6
Tempo: 40X0
Rest interval: Two minutesDay 2 — LegsA1) Back squats
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6,1,6
Tempo: 50X0
Rest interval: Two minutesA2) Lying leg curls, feet neutral
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6,1,6
Tempo: 50X0
Rest interval: Two minutesB1) Trap bar deadlifts
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6
Tempo: 50X0
Rest interval: Two minutesB2) Standing calf raises
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6
Tempo: 22X0
Rest interval: Two minutesDay 3 — OffDay 4 — Chest and BackA1) Close parallel-grip chin-ups (weighted)
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6,1,6
Tempo: 50X0
Rest interval: Two minutesA2) Mid-grip bench presses
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6,1,6
Tempo: 50X0
Rest interval: Two minutesB1) Seated cable rows
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6
Tempo: 50X0
Rest interval: Two minutesB2) Incline barbell presses
Rep pattern: 1,6,1,6
Tempo: 50X0
Rest interval: Two minutesDay 5 — Off

CommentsBefore
you bust my balls with hundreds of emails that all wonder why there's
no isolation delt work, rotator cuff work, or forearm work included in
this routine, remember that the goal of this routine is to promote
large increases in strength and cross-sectional area of the
high-threshold motor units. While we're on the subject, you might also
notice that there are no isolation exercises for the scalenes,
popliteus, fibular division of the tibialis posterior, or the pterygoid
externus lateralis (lower division of course!)!Therefore for the
purpose of "training time economy," as my German colleague
Schmidtbleicher would say, you should focus your attention on compound
exercises such as squats and presses. Sorry Richard Simmons fans,
there's no room for one-arm cable side laterals or and triceps
kickbacks on this one.Don't worry, though, your delts and
forearms won't atrophy in the thirty days you should devote to this
training system. If anything, they'll grow, because it'll be probably
the first time you've ever given them a break.Since you're going
to be doing a series of 1RM lifts, it's imperative that you warm up.
The warm up should always consist of doing reps with the first pair of
the exercises listed in the work out. If you've warmed up properly,
there's very little need to warm up for the second pair.For
illustration purposes, let say it's Day 2 (leg day) of the program and
you can max out at 300 pounds in the back squat and 180 pounds on the
Atlantis brand of lying leg curls. Your warm-up would then look like
this (take only enough time to move from one exercise to the other,
adjust the weight, and complete the warm-up set):

1) Back squats
Five reps with 135 pounds2) Atlantis lying leg curls, feet neutral
Five reps with 80 pounds3) Back squats
Three reps with 185 pounds4) Atlantis lying leg curls, feet neutral
Three reps with 100 pounds5) Back squats
Two reps with 225 pounds6) Atlantis lying leg curls, feet neutral
Two reps with 120 pounds7) Back squats
One rep with 265 pounds8) Atlantis lying leg curls, feet neutral
One rep with 140 pounds9) Back squats
One rep with 285 pounds10) Atlantis lying leg curls, feet neutral
Two reps with 160 poundsTake a two-minute rest, then start the workout.

Given
that you're going to be working with maximum poundages, you should
probably use a spotter for lifts like presses and squats. Of course, if
the thought of doing heavy singles scares you, and you can't find a
spotter, you could modify the routine by adopting a 2,5,2,5,2,5 sets
and reps pattern.
Small Steps
Maka a Big Difference One
of the drawbacks to any kind of program where you have to increase your
load by small increments is the lack of plates that are smaller than
2.5 pounds. Obviously, when you get to a certain point in your weight
lifting career, a jump of five pounds represents a huge leap.Luckily,
several companies make small plates that will make the jumps in weight
more manageable. For instance, Eleiko Olympic makes small discs of 0.5
kg and 0.25 kg. You can buy them from Dynamic Strength by calling
1-734-425-2862.If metric weights aren't your thing, Ivanko makes
_ pound plates. You can purchase them by calling 1-800-759-6399,
1-925-253-0323, and at www.ivanko.comOf
course, you can always use Olympic bar collars to make small jumps in
poundage. I strongly recommend the Olympic Okie Grip Collars. I've had
mine for over twelve years and they still hold tightly on the plates.
They're definitely a quality product. Each collar weighs two pounds, so
adding both of them to a bar gives you a micro-load of four pounds.I
also like the Olympic Quicklee Collars. They're quicker to get on and
off than the Okie grips and they weigh one pound a piece instead of the
two-pound Okies. Both of these products can be purchased from Power
Systems by calling 1-800-321-6975.
Regardless,
if it appears that you're going to fail on your single rep, don't let
your ego take over! It's better to underestimate your poundage on
singles than to use way too much weight and force your partner to do
most of the work for you.While going over the 1,6,1 workout, you
might have noticed that the concentric range of each movement is always
done explosively (designated by the "X"). This was done deliberately to
force you to access the higher threshold motor units. You may in fact
find that you're actually moving the load slowly because of its
magnitude, but as Canadian strength physiologist Behm (1995) said, "It
is not the intent so much as the actual velocity that dictates the
motor unit recruitment." Therefore, as long as you try to move
the weight quickly, you'll reap the benefits. The recent work of
Slovanian strength researcher Gasovic (1998) confirms the need for
explosive concentric contractions for strength and power increases.Another
imporant thing to remember is to keep an accurate record of all sets
and reps in order to establish short-term goals for every workout.
During the course of a proper strength training program, muscles adapt
to the stress of lifting by becoming stronger. To be effective, the
stress placed on muscles must represent an "overload," that is, a load
greater than the one used in previous activity. Remember though, that
the load increase doesn't need to be immense. For more information on
this, you might want to check out the chapter on the "Kaizen Principle"
in my book "The Poliquin Principles."Given that this workout is
so demanding on the nervous system, you might actually find yourself
having trouble falling asleep for the first few times you use this
program. Don't worry, this should pass in about six months or so. Nahh,
just kidding. You should be fine after two or three days. However, if
you want to beef up your nervous system, you may find that a supplement
like Biotest's Power Drive will help you maximize your work capacity by
affecting the level and release of such neurotransmitters as
acetylcholine and dopamine. It may also even increase testosterone
production and offer a host of neuroprotective properties. Take your
dosage 45 minutes before the start of your workout.After 30
days, you'll mercifully have completed this program. At that time, you
should be significantly stronger (and hopefully a few pounds heavier).
Regardless, after completing this cycle, I recommend taking five days
off from weight training of any kind. When you resume, start with a
program which emphasizes a greater number of reps, on average, per set,
i.e. two exercises per bodypart for five sets of eight reps on a 3210
tempo.This program might help you so much that you might even
want to give up bodybuilding, change your name to something Slavic
sounding, and join the Bulgarian Weight lifting team. The choice is
yours.
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