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Date d'inscription : 28/05/2005
 | | Hardcore Training | |
Hardcore Training - Video Demo
By Ross Enamait - Published in 2006An Experiment In Mass-building
And Athletic Performance
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Video Overview
The Hardcore video was filmed at
the conclusion of an experimental mass-building program. During this
time, I set out to gain mass, without sacrificing other athletic
attributes such as speed, agility, mobility, endurance, and power. This
video clip demonstrates the results of the experiment, shows some of
the movements that I used, and offers readers ideas to spice up their
own routines.
Background Information
For most of my life, I have participated in sports (ex. boxing) that
required me to compete at specific weight classes. Gaining mass was
never an option. On the contrary, I’ve spent a good part of my life
trying to cut weight for competitions. Aside from heavyweight fighters,
all combat athletes can relate to the difficult and unpleasant task of
losing weight for a weigh-in.
As I transitioned from athlete to trainer, I still found myself
subconsciously trying to maintain my fighting weight. I didn’t want to
creep too high, as I felt the need to stay in fighting shape. My
philosophy as a trainer is that one must walk the walk. I always test
the routines that I create. I want to see and feel what each routine
produces. Far too many trainers in today’s polluted strength and
conditioning industry design programs that have never been tested or
utilized in the real world.
Living with the mentality that one must walk the walk, I never had a need to gain mass. I rarely recommend bulking up when working with fighters. Added mass does not guarantee improved performance.
Why Perform The Experiment?
Many athletes have come to me and expressed a need to gain mass without
sacrificing athletic ability. Consider professional boxing as a classic
example. Many fighters must move up in weight to find more lucrative
paydays. Bernard Hopkins recently moved up 15 pounds from middleweight
to light heavyweight when facing Antonio Tarver. After gaining 15
pounds of muscle, Bernard was stronger, perhaps faster, and certainly a
busier fighter than he had been in recent bouts. The added size did not
impede his performance. Bernard’s complete dominance over Antonio
Tarver offers proof that a fighter can gain mass without hindering
performance.
Unfortunately, not all fighters have shared the success of
Bernard Hopkins when moving up in weight. It is actually more common to
fail when jumping from one weight class to the next.
Why does this happen?
Many strength coaches are uneducated regarding the physical
requirements of a fighter. These trainers prescribe bodybuilder-type
workouts that build mass, with no consideration for athletic qualities
such as speed-strength and agility. You cannot train with the sole goal
of hypertrophy and expect performance to improve.
With that said, there is nothing wrong with setting a goal
(one of many) to gain useful mass. I make this statement particularly
for non-combat athletes.
If you are not fighting within a specific weight class, there is a good
chance that you will welcome some added muscle mass. For example, added
mass may help to improve your self-confidence.
Do It Right, Or Don't Do It
If you wish to gain mass, you owe it to yourself to do it the right
way. After all, why change your physique if it will sacrifice your
ability to use it?
- Don’t Rush The Process – Patience
is a virtue. If you rush the mass gaining initiative, you are bound to
gain excess body fat and sacrifice conditioning. You will also be at a
greater risk for injury, as adaptation of connective tissue occurs much
slower than muscle.
- Focus On The Total Package – In the Infinite Intensity and Never Gymless
manuals, I discuss several forms of strength. Examples include
speed-strength, explosive-strength, maximal-strength, and
strength-endurance. The development of each strength quality requires a
unique approach. If you focus solely on hypertrophy training, you will
certainly hinder the development of these other strength qualities.
- You Don’t Need Bodybuilding To Gain Size
– Many bodybuilding workouts involve lifting moderate loads (ex. 60 to
85 percent of your maximum) for 8 to 12 repetitions. You do not need to
train in this manner to gain size. In fact, Mel Siff made the following
statement regarding hypertrophy training, “It’s regular use may be seriously detrimental to the strength and strength-speed performance of elite athletes.”
Throughout my experiment, I never used the traditional
bodybuilding rep range. I focused either on multiple sets (low reps) of
more strenuous loads or faster (more explosive) movements where my
focus was speed-strength and explosive-strength. I was able to gain
size without the traditional bodybuilder workout.
- Forget Isolation – You do not
need to isolate specific body parts (ex. back and biceps) to gain size.
Throughout my experiment, I trained the body as one unit. Full body
movements formed the backbone of my routine. I used bodyweight
exercise, weighted vests, free weights, and odd objects (ex. sandbags,
kegs, and barrels). I never once performed a biceps curl!
- Eat Big To Get Big – The only
way that you will gain mass is by eating. For most of my life, I’ve
restricted my food intake as I struggled to stay within a specific
weight class. Throughout my mass gaining experiment, I did the exact
opposite. I consumed much more food throughout the day. I didn’t use
any fancy diets or nutritional calculations. I simply ate a balanced
meal every 3 hours. I consumed plenty of protein in the form of lean
meats, eggs, nuts, and raw milk. My actual training plan did not vary
much from normal. I simply increased my food intake, and never drank a
protein shake!
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