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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