Hello, Once again I have something that is not only going to excite you, but could possibly change your entire life forever concerning bodybuilding and strength. "How is that possible" you may ask, "I've already gained 20 pounds of muscle on my current program." Or many others could be thinking "This is just another idea that won't work, my body just can't grow, it doesn't respond to any training and it's just so tough for me to gain muscle! Why is it that other guys can grow so easily yet I can't put 20 pounds on my bench?! I get so tired doing those 4-6 day routines!" Well, my down and out and intrigued friend, read on ...
"This follow article is written for those people who dare to go against the tide, and are willing to apply reason, logic and scientific method to discover truth. From Empedocles to Galileo to, perhaps, the person reading this article, these are the people who insist on evidence, eschew dogma, help discover new knowledge and thereby improve the lives of all."
This program is not only going to revolutionize the way you forever look at bodybuilding and training in general, it's going to take you light-years ahead from conventional training today and into another mindset of what true strength is.
Caution: This program involves a systematic progression of muscular overload that leads to the lifting of extremely heavy weights. As a result, a proper warm-up of muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints is mandatory at the beginning of every workout.
What this program has been created to do:
- Promote the highest possible gains in muscular size and strength
- To measure the quantity of muscular output required for each workout in order to induce those gains
- To determine and monitor each individual's innate adaptability to excercise, so that his progress will be consistent and he can avoid overtraining.
- For you major skeptics, here are some responses from people who have used this system to gain unprecedented muscle and strength over a period of 10 weeks.
Some exciting things about this program include:
1. Workouts usually last about 3 minutes.
2. After 2 weeks of training you train 1 time a week or less!
3. Each workout your strength will increase 20-30%
4. You WILL progress in strength every workout.
5. You will be able to avoid overtraining and make gains in muscular strength and size unprecedented by natural bodybuilders!
6. On average, during a test conducted by SCRS Peter Sisco and John Little, natural bodybuilders who had gained 20-plus pounds of muscle in the past 2 years along with having above average lifts (bench 300, squat 400), also being 32-34-years old, averaged A GAIN OF 25 pounds OF MUSCLE OVER A 10-WEEK PERIOD of training using the SCT(Static Contraction Training) method!
Gains like these never occur on conventional programs, and you want to know why? Conventional programs DO NOT put muscle on 95% of those using them, along with the fact that until now bodybuilding methods have not been based upon SCIENTIFIC FACT!
For those of you who really want to put effort into something that WILL revolutionize your life along with your body I strongly urge you to go purchase a book called STATIC CONTRACTION TRAINING by Peter Sisco and John Little.
NOW, onto the program!!
What is Static Contraction you ask?
Your muscles are statically contracted when they are holding a weight in a "locked" position but remaining motionless. For example, if a person stands at attention, his knees are locked so his weight is carried by his bones. He can stand like that all day with little muscular fatigue. However, if he bends his knees, his leg muscles take over the task of holding him motionless. His muscles are under severe load stress, but they are not moving up and down. This is a static contraction, and it is a demanding form of overload.(Sisco 67)
Range of Motion
In every exercise, there is a range through which you could choose to move the weight. For example, in the bench press you could hold the weight one inch off your chest, or one inch from lockout, or anywhere in between ( in other words, anywhere from your weakest range to your strongest range). In Static Contraction Training, all of the exercises should be performed in your strongest range -- but DO NOT fully lock out during the exercise time period. (Sisco 68)
Timekeeping and Reps
As you should know already, time is a critical element in measurement of strength and of exercise intensity. Fortunately, this static contraction routine will be the simplest routine that you have ever trained with in this regard. Since there are no reps, your entire set consists of holding the weight motionless for 10-25 seconds. This time period was chosen as a middle ground from the research conducted so far. Progress is made by using the same weight until you can hold it for 25 seconds. Once a 25 second static contraction has been achieved, increase the weight by 20-30% to find the weight you can statically hold for 10 seconds. Every "set" will consist of holding the weight for a during between 10 and 25 seconds.
For example, suppose you can bench press (in a static contraction) 100 pounds for 10 seconds. You would remain with 100 pounds in your next workout but try to hold it for 15 seconds, or whatever increase you can achieve. When you are able to hold the full 100 pounds for 25 seconds, it is time to increase the weight. The percentage of increase will vary among individuals, so you will have to experiment a bit to determine how much an increase you can handle. Suppose you can now hold 125 pounds for 10 seconds. You will continue to use 125 pounds until you can hold it for 25 seconds, then start all over with a higher weight for at least 10 seconds. Since you are holding all sets to failure, you will occasionally have a time that is slightly outside the workout parameters, such as 7 seconds or 29 seconds. That's OK as long as it only happens occasionally -- some variation is normal and expected (and it shows you are truly testing your limits).
Sets
You will be performing only one set per exercise. Go for an all out, maximum intensity set without having to think about saving energy for that second set.
Keep a Logbook!
You will make much better progress over the long term if you track your weights and times each workout. Its a very simple task and is a must.
Safety Note
It is very important you limit the range of motion of the weight you are using. If you do not have a strong partner who can spot you during you lifts, then you must use a power rack. Concerning injuries, Static Contraction Training is the safest form possible because it involves an extra margin of safety because you use no motion of the weight.
ONTO THE WORKOUTS! :)
WORKOUT A
Standing Barbell Press (Shoulder Press)
If performing this exercise with free weights, use a power-rack or Smith machine. Remember to lower the back 1-2 inches below lockout and hold it there as long as possible, or for at least 10 seconds but no more than 25, and if you can hold it longer than 25 then your next workout add 20-30% more weight.
Cable Row for lower back
Recline to approximately 45 degrees, and avoid using the muscles of your arms to pull the weight.
Weighted Crunch
Bench Press
Barbell Shrug
Hold the contraction once your raise your shoulders up.
REMEMBER: The 10-25 second rule applies to every exercise!
WORKOUT B
Lat Pulldown
Use an underhand grip. Note (when your weight exceeds the weight stack, this movement can be performed unilaterally by attaching a pulley handle to the lat bar attachment and pulling down with one arm for 10-25 seconds, then repeating with the opposite arm.
Close Grip Bench Press
Cable Curl
Position your feet shoulder width apart, and take an underhand grip on the bar. Position your body so that your arms are bent about 90 degrees when you start the movement. Pull back on the bar to raise the weight stack 2 inches.
Leg Press
(It's pretty cool, and you probably shouldn't attempt it in your gym or without 2 spotters, but 2,000-pound lifts are what many people are capable of when lifting using STATIC CONTRACTION TRAINING!
Toe Press
Key Points
1. Train with a partner, or use a power rack or Smith machine to limit the movement of the weight
2. Hold the weight between 10-25 seconds only
3. Use the weights that are heavy enough to cause total muscular fatigue within 10-25 seconds.
4. Perform each exercise only 1 time per workout
5. Space workouts far enough apart to ensure progress in every workout
6. Count only static time -- do not keep the clock running while the weight descends
Frequency of Training
Alternate the two workouts: For example, Monday A, Thursday B, Monday A, Thursday B and so on. If you are a total beginner to weight training, you can begin this program on a two day per week schedule, but you can only stay on it for two or three weeks. After three weeks, switch to a one day per week schedule. However, in every case, you should pay attention to your progress and be willing to adjust your training frequency. (This is the single most important factor in your long term success!)
To know how and when to adjust your individual workouts and your training frequency, just follow these two simple rules:
1. If, on any workout, you fail to make progress on three out of five exercises, it's time to add an extra three days off between all workouts from now on. Don't just add three days off "this time." Your body has grown to a new level of power, and your workouts will be so demanding that you will need more time off after every workout.
2. If, on any workout, you fail to make progress on one or two exercises, you need to skip those exercises next time you perform the same workout. Just do the three or four remaining exercises next time you do the same workout. When you add them back in, you will find your strength has increased during the extended rest for those muscle groups.
Follow these rules to the T, and you will experience growth like you never have before. The worst thing you can do is decide for yourself that these few seconds of total muscular overload will not be enough and start adding other routines and programs into your training. This system has already been tested on hundreds of athletes and bodybuilders, and it works in 100 percent of cases. This program is designed to deliver maximum intensity and minimum duration -- let it do just that.
There ya go, that's the program you will start and use for the next 10 weeks. You will see awesome gains like you never have seen or felt before. Let me state once again you should buy the book Static Contraction Training by Peter Sisco and John Little. You can also visit www.precisiontraining.com and pick up their other books or talk to the researchers yourself. The book will answer all your questions along with why full range of motion has never been proven better than no range, because they can't and its not. It will also clear up many of those false and outrageous claims made by today's conventional bodybuilders and why the methods today suck and are so ineffective and unrealistic being based on no scientific study or fact. Also, training in strongest range has shown a 60% increase to full range, but you don't use full range to do things in normal day life, so why does that matter? To show the usefulness and the amazing effects this program achieves, myself along with 5 other individuals are going to take the next 10 weeks and use this program. These people so far are SrFlexAlot, Derek Charlebois, and I need 3 other people to e-mail me who would like to participate in this study I'm conducting amongst us teen bodybuilders. I will keep you updated with out statistics every 3 weeks as you watch our amazing transformation concerning our size and strength. So for those of you who would like to be among the other 3, email me at Classicskills@hotmail.com and I'll add you and need your aim etc.
Our results are going to show thousands of you teens why this is the most revolutionary, along with the best way to train. Since many of you still will think this is merely "mumbo jumbo," and probably never attempt it, I'm conducting this small study to surprise and show you what your missing out on. Also any of you who do this on your own and want to send me your results and info, please feel free to. There is so much more I'd love to have included in this article, but for copyright reasons, and the fact I didn't create this program nor have the hours of time to write I definitely urge you to purchase the book, it is a must for all those looking to be a part of the future of bodybuilding.
All excerpts from Static Contraction Training are trademarks of Peter Sisco and John Little 1999
Good Luck
Jonathan Stehlik "Keep it real with the steel"