Better muscles.

[jackiech]

I training with low weights and I don't want big muscles because I want to be fast!!!
So do I have to eat still lot of protein even if I don't want big muscles.

[Ford Prefect]

Training Olympic lifts with HEAVY weights, low volume, and high frequency is the best way to stay small but get extremely powerful and fast.

[Ford Prefect]

Oh, I'd say you'd still want a balanced diet as far as carbs/protein/fat goes.

[Scarletmantis]

Ford, I've seen you post quite a few times concerning "Olympic Lifts". Where can we learn more about it?

[qeySuS]

I'm about to order Pavel T. (i'm not even gonna try to spell his last name so T will have to do) book/video (havent decided which yet). It seems his workout system or whatever you call it aims at exactly what your talking about. If your interested you can approach his books at:

www.dragondoor.com

Free thinkers are dangerous.

[SevenStar]

Ford - Heavy sets? low reps? That stimulates fast twitch muscle fibers dude....that makes you bigger. If you can prove otherwise though, I'm interested in hearing it :)

As for you jackiech, you don't really have to worry about consuming excess protein. you only need enough to maintain your current size - if your current size is where you wish to stay. you need to watch total caloric intake and fat intake. You don't sound like you want to get bigger, and you definitely don't want to get fatter. What is your current training regimen? you said that you are currently training with low poundages, so you are on the right track. (FORD - low poundages + high reps stimulate slow twitch fibers - that's what you want to do if you don't want to get big.) Also, what is you cardio program like?

"A wise man speaks because he has something to say; A fool speaks because he has to say something."

[Ford Prefect]

Sevenstar,

I'm not trying to rail against you, so don't take it that way. (tone is hard to convey over the boards...) But the FACT that lifting heavy weights combined with low volume, long rest periods between sets, and NOT training to failure will give you strength gains without adding bulk is commonly accepted by any and all strength trainers. I'm talking about the kind of trainer that actually studies medical research, trains olympic and professional athletes, etc & not the buff dude that helps chicks lift weights in the local gym.

The results of such an approach can be seen in powerlifters who compete in restricted weight classes. Do you think that the 132 pound lifters that bench 400+ lbs, deadlift 700+ lbs, and squat 600+ pounds got that way because they use high rep/low weight routines? Nope. They lift as heavy as possible as often as possible and yet they don't gain weight. The secret? Like I said before, low volume and lots of rest.

Let's first get into what makes a person "bulk up". They are most likely undergoing a process called "sarcoplastic hypertrophy". You'll premote this by lifting like a bodybuilder (or to failure in general) This is because you deplete the muscles stores of ATP which is used for protein synthesis (ie work). This will in a sense "tear down" the muscle and send it into catabolic shock in which lean mass is decreased. Your body will combat this by going into an anabolic state and building more muscle and sarcoplasm (the jelly like filler subtance that aids in providing energy) than was originally there. Voila! You bulk up!

When you lift heavy, keep the volume low (2 sets of 5 reps per exercise is what Pavel T, whom QeySuS referred to recommends), take long rest periods between sets (3-5 minutes to restore ATP), and never train to failure (ie minimize fatigue) your muscles under-go "myofabrillar" hypertrophy. Since your ATP isn't being depleted but your muscles are still being taxed, your muscle fibers themselves will become stronger and grow additional myofabrils which are what actually contracts the muscle. Basically you strengthen your existing muscle rather than building up new muscle. On top of that, your nervous system will contract the muscle more efficiently. Now you will most likely put on a few pounds (literally a few pounds) initially. However on an extended program like this, weight gain is at a minimum. Since Jan 1st, I've added about 80 lbs to my deadlift, 25 lbs to my bench and weighted pull-ups, and I haven't gained a pound for my effort. All this at a lean 6' 165 lbs.

Another bonus to myfabrillar hypertrophy over sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is that since you muscles actually become denser, they are less likely to be deformed by your skin/fascia, so you will appear to have more definition. Basically, you become rock hard. You may feel rock hard after those high rep low weight workouts, but that's because your muscles are so depleted of ATP that they stiffen up! Pavel even referrs to this in his book and calls the people the walking dead because the results are similar to rigormortis.

Qeysus,

I'd definately recommend the book. For those of us that don't speak Russian or German, it is some of the best material around.

Scarlet Mantis,

Olympic lifts are whole body lifts that build incredible amounts of coordinated strength, balance, power, and speed. Some examples are:

The Snatch (my favorite)
http://www.biofitness.com/demo28.html

& The Clean and Jerk
http://www.biofitness.com/demo32.html

[IronFist]

I am so staying out of this discussion!

As a side note, I recently received Power to the People by Pavel Tsatsouline, and I can assure all of you that this book kicks some ass. This summer I've decided to concentrate on his strength training methods (ie. so I'm not going to gain any size) so far they're working quite nicely, but it's been only 3 days... hehehe... if anyone's interested, I'll periodically post results and let you know how it's going.

But yeah, I'm staying out of this argument. Sorry guys =D

Iron

[jacob360]

Pretty soon Pavel isn't going to be able to answer questions anymore on his forum. He's getting very popular, very fast. But it's a good thing. The info is great and these american ballooned up bodybuilders need to get popped.

PEACE

[IronFist]

Pavel has a message board? Where?

You could say I'm a clueless stupid ballooned up American bodybuilder =D hehe, j/k... sorta

Iron

[Ford Prefect]

http://www.dragondoor.com/cgi-bin/tpost.pl

He used to answer your questions in a day or so, but since his star has been on the rise, it may take up to a week.

[SevenStar]

That makes sense. you didn't say not training to failure in that post though, and when I see heavy weight and low reps, I automatically think of training to failure.

"A wise man speaks because he has something to say; A fool speaks because he has to say something."

[UberShaman]

I just got an email from Dragondoor.com they are going to start charging 40.00 per year to use the forum. they have been swamped with people seeking pavels advice.. Yikes

FORD PERFECT
From your above post, I understand that 2 sets of 5 with about a 3 minute rest is Pavels strength training workout. Some questions I have on this is;

Does your body become sore like bodybuilding training (i.e. walking funny from squats and not being able to wash your back cos chest is so sore)

What does this do to your figure. Will the muscular physique stay with a person?

Also, what will this do to ligaments and tendons?

Shaolin36

[ElPietro]

Sorry but I just read most of this and thought I'd respond. Power training will cause the least DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) of the types of training you can do. As far as your figure, if you are out of shape it will help you get into a better shape but will not cause very much muscle hypertrophy, if any. The volume isn't high enough. As for ligaments and tendons this is the best form of exercise for all connective tissues. Cardiovascular training has almost no effect if you are already in decent shape, you need heavier weight to trigger increases in connective tissue strength. This is also the best method of increasing bone density and skeletal strength.