It Looked Good on Paper
by Eric Cressey
Recently, in the introduction to an article on EliteFTS.com, powerlifter Marc Bartley wrote: "Today, because of the internet (and pure laziness), many ideas on training are based on perception, NOT reality." Marc
went on to write an outstanding article, and it really got me thinking
about how perception — and taking what we read for granted as truth —
interferes with conveyance of the actual truth in the world of
performance and physique enhancement. To that end, I'm going to explore
a few written words and ideas that I believe to be a load of, well, you
know.

My Beef with Wave-Loading Anyone
who has read my stuff knows that I'm a huge advocate of singles over
90% for strength gains in advanced lifters. Lift heavy stuff with a
focus on quality rather than quantity, and you'll get stronger. I also love the stage system (e.g., 2x3, then 2x5). Post-activation potentiation has been proven in multiple studies. I
think cluster training is fantastic as well. All else held equal, do
more work at a higher percentage in the same amount of time, and you'll
progress faster. And, we know that straight sets have gotten beginner and intermediate lifters strong for generations. I'm
going to be blunt, though: I think wave-loading is the biggest load of
foolishness you'll encounter in terms of loading parameters in the
strength-training world. For those of you who aren't familiar
with wave-loading, an example would be sets of 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2,
1 (three "waves" of 3,2,1). Your heavier singles make the
subsequent triples feel easier (allowing you to get in more work at a
higher percentage of your 1-rep max). This is the part I buy (and why I
endorse the stage system); it's just post-activation potentiation. However,
it's also been "postulated" that on each successive wave, your singles
will improve by some magical number (2.5% is one that I've heard) due
to a "neurological phenomenon." I can't explain it, but perhaps the
purple unicorn you train with could. Let me ask you this... If
the secret to magically increasing your best lift is simply doing sets
of 3 and then 2 before attempting a single, why haven't powerlifters
started racing to the warm-up area to take sets of 3 and 2 between
their singles on the platform? Can you imagine Andy Bolton
deadlifting 1,000 pounds — and then running to the back room to hit a
triple with 900 and a double with 930 before heading back on stage to
pull an "easy" 1,025? Or, the 1,051 on his third attempt? Sometimes the
non-discoveries are as profound as the discoveries... And, for the folks out there who have benefited from wave-loading, I have two potential reasons for you:
1. You read it and believed it (everyone loves the placebo effect), and confidence and motivation made you stronger.
2.
You're just so new to training that you simply needed extra practice
between sets. If you magically took your bench from 100 to 105, it's
hard to extrapolate results to guys who are actually moving appreciable
amounts of weight. So, with all that said, you're probably
asking, "How do I get strong with the above templates?" Rather than
just criticize, here are your solutions. Try these protocols
for your main movements, rotating exercises weekly if you're an
experienced lifter, bi-monthly if you're an intermediate, and monthly
if you're just getting into strength work (beginner +). Keep in mind
that your assistance exercises will follow a different template
altogether.

Protocol: Singles over 90%
Categories: Experienced and intermediate
Subcategory: Too weak for one's cross sectional
Week 1: 8 singles over 90%
Week 2: 6 singles over 90%
Week 3: 10 singles over 90%
Week 4: 2 singles over 90%, or 2x3 easy (5RM load)

Protocol: Singles over 90%
Categories: Experienced and intermediate
Subcategory: Size and Strength are roughly on-par
Week 1: 8 singles over 90%
Week 2: 6 singles over 90%
Week 3: 6x3
Week 4: 2 singles over 90%, or 2x3 easy (5RM load)

Protocol: Stage System
Categories: Experienced, intermediate, and Beginner +
Subcategory: Strong, but wants to get bigger
Week 1: 3x3, 3x5
Week 2: 2x3, 3x5
Week 3: 3x3, 3x5
Week 4: 3x5

Protocol: Stage System
Categories: Experienced and intermediate
Subcategory: Wants to get stronger, but is worried about maintaining muscle mass
Week 1: 3x1 (>90%), 3x4
Week 2: 3x1 (>90%), 3x3
Week 3: 5x1(>90%), 3x4
Week 4: 2x1 (>90%), 2x3

Protocol: Cluster Training
Categories: Experienced and intermediate
Subcategory: Strong, but wants to get bigger
Week 1: (*3x2) x 5 — 10s
Week 2: (3x2) x 4 — 10s
Week 3: (4x2) x 5 — 10s
Week 4: (3x2) x 2 — 10s
(*Do 2 reps, rest 10 seconds; do 2 reps; rest 10 seconds, do 2 reps, rest 10 seconds—that's one set.)

Protocol: Cluster Training
Categories: Experienced and intermediate
Subcategory: Wants to get stronger, but is worried about maintaining muscle mass
Week 1: (4x1) x 5 — 15s
Week 2: (4x1) x 4 — 15s
Week 3: (4x2) x 5 — 15s
Week 4: (3x1) x 2 — 15s

Protocol: Straight Sets
Categories: Intermediate and Beginner +
Subcategory: Wants to get stronger, but is pretty fast twitch and grows relatively easily
Week 1: 8x3
Week 2: 6x3
Week 3: 10x3
Week 4: 4x3 (intensity is maintained or increased)

Protocol: Straight Sets
Categories: Intermediate and Beginner +
Subcategory: Decent strength, but looking for a blend of strength and size
Week 1: 5x5
Week 2: 4x5
Week 3: 6x5
Week 4: 3x5 or 5x3 (intensity is maintained or increased)

Important Notes 1.
For the singles over 90%, how you get those numbers will depend on your
personal record (PR) for the day. Here's what it might look like on a
bench for you on a day when you want to get six singles over 90%:
45x10
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x1
300x1 (PR for the day — all you've got in you) 90% of 300 is 270, so only the 275x1 and 300x1 would count toward your total (you've got two over 90% by this point) So, to get four more singles, you'd take between 270 and 300 for your remaining sets. If you MISS a rep, count it as two singles over 90%. 2. For
the Cluster format, here's how you interpret it: For (3x2) x 5 - 10s,
for example: this would be five total clusters. Each cluster consists
of 3 sets of 2 reps with 10 seconds rest between sets. After the
cluster, rest at least two minutes and go at it again. 3.
If you want to get strong, don't be afraid to rest. Racing from one set
to the next is one of the biggest mistakes I see in guys who just
aren't getting stronger. 4.
With each of these protocols, think quality and not quantity. I've had
several training partners who made much better progress when they
realized that being the last one to finish at each training session was
only rewarded by being the weakest guy in the gym. Building strength
isn't like shooting free throws after practice; extra work won't make
you better, in most cases.

The Problems with Super Mass XXXL Turbo-Size Weight Gainer It's
the same stuff, but marketed under 857 different stupid names. When it
really comes down to it, you're drinking "swept off the floor" quality
protein, a bunch of fat, and enough sugar to cause an insulin-induced
coma. Take
a glance at one of these products' labels and you'll find that three
scoops equates to 2,200 calories, 16.25g fat, 441g carbs (131 from
sugar), and 74g protein. You get a whopping 5g of fiber from this
serving size. If you're lucky, you might have solid stool once a month;
the rest will be nasty wind and pissing out your arse. Many include glycocamine, which — as David Barr pointed out — increases homocysteine levels and potentially the risk of heart disease. Most
young athletes don't know what is healthy, PERIOD. They don't even know
what contains protein, carbs, and fats — let alone how much to eat to
succeed. This is like looking over someone else's shoulder on an
algebra test instead of just learning the material; you're screwed when
you get to calculus three years later. Need further proof? Last
month, a 17-year-old who wants to play Division-1 college baseball
brought this two-day diet record in for me:
Monday
7:00AM - Cheerios Crunch, Skim Milk
7:30AM - Energy Drink
11:00AM - 3 Double Chocolate Cookies, Skim Milk, Pasta w/White Sauce and Chicken
4:00PM - Sub w/ Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Mozzarella Cheese, and Red Sauce, Coke, Cookies
6:00PM - Sprite
8:00PM - Orange Soda
9:00PM - Buffalo chicken and ham calzone with blue cheese
10:30PM - Gatorade
Tuesday
7:00AM - Cheerios Crunch, Skim Milk
7:30AM - Energy Drink
11:00AM - 3 Double Chocolate Cookies, Crispy Fried Chicken
12:00PM - Gatorade
3:45PM - Medium Iced Coffee, 2 Doughnuts
7:00PM - Popcorn, Candy, Soda
8:00PM - Grilled Chicken, Gatorade
10:30PM - Gatorade The
scariest part is that neither of these were training days. When he
submitted it, I handed him a pen with an assignment: circle everything
you would classify as "shit." He circled everything but the chicken and
milk. Sometimes we need to make kids smarter before we start to try to
simplify things. To that end, I don't like the fact that weight
gainers encourage ectomorphs to rely heavily on concentrated forms of
calories, as this "phase" is going to wear off eventually when they hit
their 20s and get sedentary jobs and beer guts. I'd rather foster
positive habits early on and then refine them quantity-wise down the
road rather than try to "undo" a sugar and saturated fat addiction.