Free Bodybuilding Mass & Size Report

[Sean Madigan]

Hi All,

Pete Sisco sent me an eight page "Mass & Size Report" to pass along. It is completely free to download.

Here is the url for the free report: http://www.combativesolutions.com/massreport.pdf

Peter Sisco is co-author of Power Factor Training, Static Contraction Training and other books. He is also the editor of the five-book "Ironman's Ultimate Bodybuilding" series.

I hope you find it useful.

All the best,

BIG Sean Madigan

http://www.combativesolutions.com

[IronFist]

He says, Because the overload must be progressive. This is one of the most overlooked elements of strength training. I know people who have done basically the same workout month after month. I don’t mean the same exercises each time…I mean the same amount of overload for each muscle group. In fact, I know people who still believe you have to ‘cycle’ your intensity…so they go back to the gym and do less intense exercises…that’s regressive overload!

That's wrong. If you keep trying to do more each workout you will eventually plateau. Otherwise, you could start at 100lbs and just add 2lbs to your bench press every week and in 4 years you would be benching over 500lbs. Guess what. It doesn't work that way.

This was my other favorite part:
I work with some advanced clients who train once every six weeks. In fact, they perform workout “A” then wait six weeks and do workout “B”…so it’s 12 weeks between the same exercises for the same muscle groups…and they make progress EVERY workout.

Unless these people are absolute genetic freaks, that is complete bull****. Here is why: if he is training these people for mass, the body will lose any noticible gains over a 6 WEEK period (the body only keeps stuff it uses, if you don't use your extra mass your body eats it. High protein intake can delay this effect, but not to the extent of 6 weeks, or especially 12 weeks until you do the same workout again). If they are training for strength, the CNS will lose it's adaption over 6 weeks.

IronFist

[Arhat of Fury]

Sorry Iron, I have to agree with the author on the 3 principles on a general level. I believe the rest is interpretation.

If you are looking for loopholes, you will always find them, because not one workout will work for everyone.

But if we take these principals in general and apply them to our specific workouts, we will reep the benefits. Remeber he said lean muscle mass.


AOF

[rogue]

I clicked on the link and ended up here (http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/recipes/snacks/cheesebasand.html) and here (http://www.techangel.co.uk/articles/bacon/index.shtml)

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by Arhat of Fury
Sorry Iron, I have to agree with the author on the 3 principles on a general level. I believe the rest is interpretation.

If you are looking for loopholes, you will always find them, because not one workout will work for everyone.

But if we take these principals in general and apply them to our specific workouts, we will reep the benefits. Remeber he said lean muscle mass.


AOF

I don't think he's looking for loopholes. Let's say that I am a trainer and I told you to take such an excessive recovery time between workouts. You would be highly upset when you saw no results from your training and yet you are paying me for results. Or, let's say you are new to weight training, and you take this article verbatim. you will not see any results and possibly lose interest and quit working out.

[IronFist]

Well, I believe he said that weight must be increased every workout, which is wrong. Obviously you must increase it over time, as you will never deadlift 800lbs if you don't do 700lbs first, but trying to increase the weight every workout will not work. If you don't believe me just go try it :)

That story about Milo (I think?) lifting the calf every day until it grew into a cow and he could still lift it is BS :)

IronFist

[Serpent]

Originally posted by rogue
I clicked on the link and ended up here (http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/recipes/snacks/cheesebasand.html) and here (http://www.techangel.co.uk/articles/bacon/index.shtml)

Nice try Rogue, but I don't think they're going to let you ge taway with it!

(However, I might just borrow one of those links...)

[Arhat of Fury]

Iron and seven,

Again, I thinks its perspective. I do agree that yes it may steer a beginner wrong.

Lets look at it from another perspective. From a more experienced perspective.

If we have a more expericned weight trainer that is hitting a plateau and always feeling sore (maybe an older gent) from his workouts. Not verbatim but he could get an idea from this article that taking a longer break will give his muscles time to rebuild, therefore he will now experience greater benefits and progresses from his work outs.

Or take example B, we have another experienced lifter that is not experiencing gains because he pyramids every workout with the same weight. If he raised the bar every week to to weeks, whether its 2.5LBS more or 20LBS more. It may show him that raising this bar is just as important as actually puttin in the work.
I do agree that a total beginner would be screwed taking this article at face value.
Just playing Devils Advocate!


AOF

To be the best, one must practice at full effort all the time. One cannot train at idle speeds and expect to himself to be able to open up to full throttle whenever he wants.

[ElPietro]

I didn't read the article but agree that progressive overload is the main factor in gaining results. What you quoted doesn't say you must increase the weight each week. It says increase the overload. This can come in many forms, such as, increasing the weight, increasing the reps, increasing the sets, increasing the speed at which the weight is moved, increasing the time under tension of the reps. As you can see there are many methods to increase overload. Over time you must be highly intent on this, however from one workout to the next it is important, but not as important. If you cannot do more work than a month ago, then how can you say your workouts are effective? Your muscles can either get better, stay the same, or degrade. That is a simplistic statement, but nonetheless true. Rest is important to insure that the CNS doesn't impede progress...but the CNS only becomes an inhibitor when using progressive overload at a great percentage of your maximal weight. So again, you could do a week of speed work to increase your progressive overload, despite lifting less weight, and never have a plateau.

Just my thoughts on this, as progressive overload is often misinterpreted to mean increasing the amount of weight on the bar alone.