It's been a long time since my last blog. Did you all miss me? I hope not, with the help of technology i see, not many have even read my blog.
I understand, why would you want to view and read this blog, its so very the same and with so less information than the rest of the blogs and internet.
To all that i know, i have been a failure. Last year, in May 2009, my bodyweight was 75Kgs, and my arm measurement was 13.5 flexed. Today almost a year later, it is 75 kgs with an arm measurement of 13.2. Well what went wrong? I still don't know, but its shattering and makes me angry at the state of of progress, if i can use that word....progress.
Today, if you ask me things like strength, stamina, endurance, sports specific training, diet, i can definetely talk and write pages together on each topic, but what is the use. There has to progress being made. If there is no progress on myself with all the Training Philosophy, then all that is learnt and read is an utter lie and waste, its not even knowledge...right?
Someone reading this would be saying....phew, what a loser..... but the right thing to ask is, WHAT WENT WRONG WITH YOU GIRISH? I train under a coach who has actually built bodybuilders from scratch, someone who has read and has the knowledge and experience built over 15 years. Whatever i follow is from a book, various books infact.
Let's try to analyse what went wrong, by stating one by one, the important factors in training:-
1. Hardwork.
2. Training recovery.
3. Diet.
4. Rest/sleep.
5. Training Programs.
6. Well thought out set-rep schemes.
7. Concentration and focus.
Hardwork:- I know this one so well, that if a person comes to the gym and sees me train, will never tell that there is anything short of hardwork. Man i really go all out. You have to take it from me on this one, i train quite hard. Anything short of it and i am not satisfied and i throw the routine out. Therefore you would never see me working on Body part split routines, they aren't hard, they are easy, you would never see me working on machines as well. They too are easy, you would never see me working on isolation exercises as well. I workout heavy, on compound movements. I ask my body, what else do you want?
2. Training Recovery:- I never train two days in a row for the same bodypart. In fact my trainings are spaced out so well, that it is the best way to do it. Something like Monday and thursday. I understand the meaning of recovery and fully give it the respect it needs.
3. Diet/Rest:- Well this can be something that is wrong, and not helping in my growth. Macro-nutrients- Carbs-proteins-fats. These are of utmost requirement. I eat well, and if i can develop a ponch, then i feel there is obviously a Positive calorie balance, right!
I also sleep well, atleast 8 hours a day, most of my work is sedentry so i am definetely not taxing myself to deter my mascular growth.
4. Training Programs:- Oh...this one, i have used a lot of them, most of the time, when i am not working, my day is spent designing training programs, balancing the right amount here and then compensating it with the right amount somewhere else. Man i always go for the right balance in the full body routines. Mike Mentzer heavy duty, Arthur Jones HIT, Stuart McRobert's Hardgainer, Ken Leistner's High rep work, low reps, training to failure, not training to failure, i have used it all. But there seems to be something wrong. What is it? I have used all the scientific research required to design the correct routine for me. But i can only say the world is round and i have gone all over and come to the same spot, Hyderabad, India with an Arm size of 13 inches. Phew! so much for this problem.
Let me sketch out the full bore routine that i used last:-
1. Shoulder Press - 2 sets with 40 kgs weight for 7 reps.
2a. Leg Press - 140kgX18.
2b. Leg Extension - 7 PlatesX12.
2c. Squat - 70KgX12.
3. Chinups - 8 reps.
4a. Flys - 18 kgsX12.
4b. Dips - 7 reps
5a. Curls - 17 kg DB
5b.Chins - 3 to 4 reps with negatives of 3 to 4.
And this again was a HIT routine used by Arthur Jones on Casey Viatar for his immaculate physique. But me, i am not even a bodybuilder. So guys you tell me, what's wrong.Yesterday, unsatisified with the lack of progress, i went to ready a book called Dinasaur Training, very good narration from Brook Kubik a National Powerlifter.He has good routines emphasizing strength, they go something like this. These are only examples and really good ones, with very scientific funda, as his Training Philosophy is Strength training is an Art and Scientific research should be kept away from all this. Today, tired of all the Training Research, i would want to do what Mr. Brook Kubik tells me, because its been a total failure. So coming back to the Routines:-
Monday:-
1. Squat 4X5, the 4th set is the actual Workset.
2. Bench Press 4X5, same as in squat.
3. Barbell Rows 4X5. same as in squat
4. With some accessory work like, Neck Work, Bicep Curls, Calf Raises or Pullovers.
Wednesday:-
1. Deadlift 4X52.
Shoulder Press 4X53.
Weighted Chinups 4X5.
With some accessory work like, Neck Work, Bicep Curls, Calf Raises or Pullovers.
Friday:-
Workout as on Monday
I would need to test this workout. Again, to include a bit of science that i would want to dispense here, because that is the only motivation that makes me want to workout again, a reason why this will and should work.
The muscle responds to two kinds of stimulus, Tension and Fatigue. I would like to differentiate between the two.
Tension:- The amount of load puts the tension on the muscle, the joints, the nerve endings and the golgi bodies, this is which tells the muscle and the body as a whole to grow. This is a practise used by powerlifters, and olympic lifters to increase strength.
Fatigue:- You do high rep, multiple sets to failure, and pump the muscle in such a way that it grows, with the adaptation as glycogen. I would say bodybuilders with a lot of juicing would this. The idea is to do a lot of work, per day.
I have tried to use the fatigue kind of training, but its saps me out of all the energy, with not much of energy and a diet which is totally strict. Over here, i have used Arthur Jones and many of the HIT promoters. But in my experience it has not worked.
Fatigue training is something that i was always into, i was always doing this pre-exhaust, the 20-rep, high rep sets. The idea is to deplete the glycogen reserves from your muscle and go beyond that, so that the body adapts by storing greater glycogen. This type of training usually gives the pump, and it feels the pump on the bodypart that's being worked. But growthwise, i don't see any growth. That's sad, and this has forced me into this radical change.
So the above routine is more related to growing with tension overload. A little more on Overload, isn't it. Overload means you load your body with something the body has never experienced before. Examples of 100kg for 5 reps is an overload if previously you were doing 90kg for 5-6 reps. The overload is a principle that tells the body to adapt to the new stress, the new tension.
More on the routine that i need to follow, monday onwards.
Monday
1. Squat - 100kg x 6
2. Dips - 10kg x 6, 12kg x 6.
3. BB Rows - 50 kg x 6.4. Nothing else, i don't want anything that will take away energy from my growth.
Wednesday
1. TrapBar Deadlift - 114kg x 6
2. Shoulder Press - 42kg x 6
3. Chinups - 7kg x 6.
All the best to me, i need to put a deadline for the 5 kg increase. I am going to give myself 8 weeks. I need to go to 80. If not then there is some serious changes again to be made.
yes Girish.... i missed you so much... but only on blogs...
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