I've never known of two successful
bodybuilders-easy or hard gainers-
who employed the identical training
routine. Even when two fellows were
training partners, and literally followed a
scheduled workout together, they needed to
make at least a few adjustments in order to
accommodate their somewhat different
physical peculiarities. Perhaps one needed a
set or two more (or perhaps fewer) on a given
exercise.
Possible one had a need to alter one
or two of the scheduled exercises, since the
particular exercise, say for the shoulders, that
one of the partners employed, simply didn't
work for the other. And so on.
Nor am I aware of any two lifters
following identical training routines. Each
top strength star must find the right
combination of exercises, sets, reps,
"heavy" vs. "moderate" or "light" workouts
per month that he personally ought to do in
order to prompt the greatest gains, etc.
Also, when I observe experienced
athletes or simple fitness enthusiasts who
employ weights as their primary medium of
physical training, I always notice that no two
individuals employ the identical routine.
So what am I saying here? Am I saying
that the answer to the question posed by the
title of this article is a flat "No!" Actually,
no, I'm not saying that. However, in what
many will at first believe is simple selfcontradiction,
I want to emphatically state
that in a manner of speaking, yes, Iam
saying that there is an ideal training
program.
Here's what I mean, in detail:
On the one hand there can never be a
single "perfect" training routine that, when
followed in some precise, unalterable
manner, will somehow work flawlessly for
everyone who follows it. Every individual is
different, unique and special. However, on
the other hand, virtually every individual
must adhere to a somewhat similar training
approach, or his body can't possibly become
as strong, fit and well-built as its inherent
potential will allow.
This is because we all -
easy gainers down to the world's hardest
gainers- possess human bodies that have
muscles, bones and a general structure that
respond in general to demands upon it that
are, and that must remain, very similar.
Just as the principle of overloading the
muscles by ever-increasing resistance is a
"must-employ" rule for a Mr. Universe, so
it is for a cardiac patient who's rebuilding
his health; and so are all of the other
principles that result in physical
improvement and excellence.
Basic exercises are the ones that have
built every single outstanding body! They
have triggered the gains that have
permitted underpar, terribly hard gainers to
appear, literally, as transformed beings, just
as they have permitted genetically wellendowed
"naturals" to acquire world-class
levels of development.
Rest and good nutrition are required by,
and will inevitably assist in the
development of anyone.
Measuring one's training carefully so as
to avoid doing too much, while ensuring that
enough is always done, is necessary for
anyone who aspires to optimal development.
Quality performance of the basic
exercises is an essential rule for everyone.
It figures in the routines of title winners
and it figures in the routines of the less
genetically favored individual who is
seeking his personal best. So, in a manner
of speaking, yes there is an ideal training
program; ideal in the sense that one must
adhere to the same proven body-building
and strength-developing rules that
everyone must adhere to, or one will never
actualize one's ultimate potential, however
great or modest it may be.
Customize
Yet, on the other hand, every single
individual needs a custom approach to
working out. In general terms he must do
what every successful trainee has always
done in order to build up. But,
specifically, he will need to do these
things in a manner most suited to his
unique personal requirements.
I remember very well what I read back
around 1960, when I first became interested
in building up my body (primarily, to bolster
my self-defense training, and to compensate
for my inherent weakness and poor
genetics). People who, to this day, I regard
as great authorities on the matter of physical
training, wrote about the following:
- Using low reps for power and high reps
for endurance.
- Using a wide variety of exercises.
- Training 4-5 days per week.
- Employing "shaping" exercises along
with the key basics, in order to build
"shapely" muscles.
- And a few other "rules" that, according
to these people (who I'm absolutely
convinced meant only to convey that
which they believed was the best
possible information about building up)
needed to be followed scrupulously, if
"true" success was desired.
The Reality
I found out, after many years of my own
devotion to personal training, that these
"accepted truths" just weren't, well, really true for everybody. There was truth to them
for some people, to be sure. But they were
by no means truths.
For some it was possible to drastically
improve both endurance and muscle size via
low-rep training, in certain cases, providing
the proper exercises and training pace were
employed. I also found that some people did
quite well by employing fairly high reps in
order to get much stronger.
In my case and practically everyone else, a wide variety of
exercises were not needed. In fact, I found that
a very few exercises are required in order to
build a great physique and great strength,
although, which few exercise variations
ought to be selected for each individual
trainee do tend to vary greatly.
I found that everyone could gain very
well on three (and sometimes two) hard
weekly workouts, and that training four,
five or six times per week was often
absorbed by easy gainers, but was never
really needed by anyone. For the majority
of people who use weights in order to
supplement an athletic activity, two weekly
workouts are normally quite enough.
So-called "shaping" exercises were just about 100% pointless
and that the degree of "shapeliness" one
ultimately enjoyed after building up on
good, hard, basic exercises was dependent
simply upon heredity and, to a lesser degree,
diet more often than not.
I found that fewer sets generally
produced the greatest benefits-i.e.,
normally two or three per exercise, or
possibly four when reps dropped to between
four and six per set-despite the fact that so
many physique stars seemed hell-bent in
working their bodies for many more sets per
exercise than that.
I found that "split" routines, though very
popular, were not nearly as effective and
beneficial as all-round total-body routines.
I found that much of what many people
seemed to swear by, as far as diet was
concerned, was largely nonsense. I came to see that "basically good nutrition" was
the key; and that precisely what this is
depends to a large extent on the
individual's specific physiology and very
personal unique preferences. Enormous
eating and feeding sessions will not turn a
slender-boned hard gainer into a huge,
well-muscled physique star. It will just
pile a lot of fat on a skinny frame. Good
food in amounts that the individual
requires for growth and development,
coupled with hard training, rest and a
positive attitude, is what builds up anyone
to his maximum.
Only very few people can become
physique or strength stars. Most of us can, in
fact, never achieve a level of development
that even comes close to "star" status.
However, if the right principles and rules of
sound training are followed-the rules that
have always been responsible for building
the finest physiques and greatest strength
athletes in history-then an ideal routine
will have been discovered, and by using it
one will attain one's own personal "ideal"
level of development.
Personalized Training
I can't tell you exactly which specific
exercises to follow, and which specific
exercises will work for you. But I can sure
tell you which types of exercises to derive
your variations from, and if you'll pay
attention you'll make great progress!
If you're relatively new to bodybuilding,
you'll need to alter your training schedules
over time and try out the possible variations
of the exercise movements until you
discover what fits you, personally, the best.
Here's what you'll need in order to build
your "ideal" routine:
- Pressing movement that's general and
basic. This means the standard military
type barbell press (seated or standing), or
heavy alternate or simultaneous dumbbell
press, or one-hand military press with a
dumbbell (seated or standing).
- Curling movement. Regular barbell curls
or the simultaneous or alternate heavy
dumbbell curling movements (may be
done seated, if desired).
- Bench pressing. Regular barbell bench
press, flat or incline, or two dumbbells
heavy bench press (assuming you've got
dumbbells that are heavy enough) on a
flat or incline bench.
- Rowing. Basic bent-over barbell or
heavy single-arm dumbbell version.
- Squatting. The King! There's no way
around this baby! You may do these in
parallel or full-squat versions, and even
partials are good. But you've got to squat!
- Deadlifting, standard or stiff-legged.
A basic routine built around a selection
of exercises from that very excellent
assortment will do the job. Most people like
to add some abdominal and calf work, and,
sometimes, it's interesting to use basic and
heavy exercise variations like dips and chins
as substitutes for bench work and rowing. These are very fine exercises and will
provide great results when worked hard
enough.
I've emphasized only basic barbell-dumbbell
work, per se, because I assume
that most readers train at home and haven't
access to dipping bars or a chinning bar that
permits weighted work.
A perfectly
excellent and totally comprehensive
schedule is easily set up using only the listed
barbell-dumbbell exercises.
The trick is to pay attention to yourself
and to note how you, personally, respond
not only to a particular exercise variation,
but also to a specific scheme of sets and
reps with the exercises you do. Be your
own trainer! You are unique, and without
violating the basic rules and principles of
sound physical training, your workouts
must reflect your acknowledgement and
understanding of your uniqueness.
Follow through in this manner, patiently
and persistently over the weeks, months and
years, and you will most assuredly discover
the ideal training program for you!
Visit us at Hardgainer Online!
Copyright 2000 by CS Publishing
Thanks,
cspubltd@spidernet.com.cy
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