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Training Nutrition Supplements Rehab Interviews Motivation FanonFacebook FollowonTwitter SignuptoNewsletter RSSFeed MostPopularArticles:TheBestAssistanceExercisesfortheSquat,BenchPressandDeadlift| Deadlift5PlatesLikeaChampion|HCT-12BodybuildingRoutine BandsforBodybuilding|BeingReal-interviewwithf=ma,InvainandBehemoth|UpYourBench Press30lbsin30days!|TheSecretsofIntermittentFasting Youarehere:HomeHypertrophyClusterTraining-HCT-12HypertrophyClusterTraining(HCT-12)- KeyPrinciplestoGrowth

Hypertrophy Cluster Training (HCT-12) - Key Principles to Growth

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TheresareasonwhythebookEatLessandExerciseMorenevermadeittothetopofthebestsellerlists, yetLiftProgressivelyHeavierWeightsandEatConsistentlyisthemantraofeverysuccessfullifter. Peopledonotlikethesimplerealityaboutwhatittakestoimprovetheirbodies. ThedepressingtruthisthatthemajorityofgymgoersandInternetpostershavejustnotachievedthe overnightgrowththeyexpected.

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Theyagonizeoverthemostintricatedetailsoftimeundertension,insulinregulation,muscleprotein synthesis,carbohydratesource,proteinsource,nutrienttiming,testosteroneandgrowthhormonespikes, cortisolmanipulation,beinganabolic,repranges,exerciseselectionandsoon. Allthatthisvacillationaccomplishesistopreventthemfromacknowledgingthattheirownlackof commitmentandconsistencyisthereasontheydontevenlookliketheylift.IblametheInternetaswellas ourinnatedesireforashortcut,therestoomuchinformationatourfingertips.Combineignorancewith wantingtobelieveandyouvegotarecipeforzeroresultsand90%ofallthepostsonbodybuildingwebsites (the10%beingWannabebig ). Sohereweare,withwhatwebelieveisthebestmusclebuildingprogramoutthere,butwecantin goodconsciencejustpileonmoreinfo.Ratherthanramitdownyourthroatswithpromisesofhugegains, weregoingtogiveyouthesciencebehindwhyitworks,soyourenotonlyarmedwithaprogramforgetting asbigasyoupossiblycan,butyourealsoabletocriticallyevaluatewhateveryoneelseoutthereistryingto sellyou. I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity (OliverWendellHolmes),whichisacoolwayofsayingthemoreIlearn,the moreIrealizethatonlyafewthingstrulymatter. WerenotgoingtostopyoujumpingstraighttotheHCT-12TrainingProgram.Afterall,ifyouwanttobethe biggestyouveeverbeen,youregoingtohavetoputitintopractice,butlikeOliverWendellHolmessaid,if youbearwithus,andpushthroughtotheotherside,everythinginthebodybuildingworldwillbecomealot simpler,andyourphysiquewillneverbethesameagain.

DownloadtheHCT-12BodybuildingProgram(3.29MB) WHYDOWEGETBIGGER? Thehumanbody,yourbodyandmine,aretheresultofmillionsofyearsofevolution.Inthe100,000yearsor sothatwevebeenaround,ourenvironmentshavechanged,buttheinternalmechanismsresponsiblefor growthandthestimulitowhichtheyreacthavenot. Themechanismsthatallowedustoadapttooursurroundings,tothetasksthatkeptusaliveandnourished, havenotchanged,andwillnotchangeinyourlifetime.Sobarringexternalagentsthatcanmanipulateour DNAand/orhormonalstatus(i.e.drugs),whatworksforgettingpeoplebiggeristhesamenowasitwasand alwayswillbe. Musclegrowth(hypertrophyifyouwill,butletskeepitsimple)isanadaptiveprocessthatisstimulatedbya veryspecificsetofdemands,theyapplytoyou,meandeveryablebodiedpersonontheplanet.Yourejust notthatspecial! Wellgettothemechanismsofgrowthshortly,butjustsowereclear,theprocessofadaptationisan evolutionarysurvivaltrait.Wereacttostressorsbothacute(shortterm)andchronic(longterm),withacute andchronicprocesses.Whencold,wegetgoosebumps,ourhairsstandonendtrappingairforinsulation,

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andthenweshivertogenerateheatifthisisnthelping.Whenhotwesweat,tocoolourskinthrough evaporation. Whenregularlyfacedwithaheavyenoughobjectthatmakesusstruggletomoveit,wedevelopbigger, strongermusclestomakesurewecanmoveitwithlesseffortnexttime.Andthatisit,SpecificAdaptationto ImposedDemand,asitappliestogrowth.

Musclegrowthisanadaptiveprocessthatisstimulatedbyaveryspecificsetofdemands UNDERTHEMICROSCOPE-WHATMAKESMUSCLESGROW? YourmusclesarecomprisedofMotorUnits(MU)thecollectivetermforthemotorneuron(anerve)andall themusclefibersitinnervates/controls. Themotorneuronisconnectedtothespinalcordwhichinturnconnectstothebrain;collectively,theCentral NervousSystem(CNS).IncludemuscleinthereandwegettheNeuromuscularSystem,inthiscontextwell simplyrefertothisastheNervousSystem. WhentheNervousSystem(inresponsetoaload)sendsasignaltothemuscletocontract,themotor neuronsinstructtheattachedmusclefiberstoshortenandtighten,creatingtension.Thegreatertheload,the greaterthenumberofmotorunitsneeded,thegreaterthecontraction,andthegreaterthetension(itisthis tensiontowhichthetermTimeUnderTensionrefers). Whenmusclefiberscontracttheydepletecellularenergy,andiftheycontracthardenoughandlongenough cellularenergydepletescompletely(AKAfatigue).Wernbometalshowthatcellularenergyexpenditure affectsgrowth,possiblybecausethereductionincellularenergyrendersthemusclefiberstiffer(lesselastic) increasingthepotentialfordamage. Whatthatmeanstousisthatnotonlydoestheloadneedtobeheavyenoughtocreatetherequisite tension,butthattheloadneedstobeliftedrepeatedlyenough(i.e.fatigued)tofullystimulategrowth. Whenenoughtensionisappliedtothemusclefibersforenoughtime,chemicalmessagesaresenttothe nucleusofthecells(whereyourgenesare)withinthemuscle,andinstructions(heldinyourgenes)aresent backdetailinghowtocreatethatparticularmuscleproteinfromtheaminoacidsintheblood,thisiscalled muscle protein synthesis.Aminoacidsfromthebloodstreamareintegratedintothemusclefibersto increasetheircross-sectionalarea,increasingtheirstrengthpotential,sothatthestressofthenexttraining sessionwontbeasdisruptive. Thesizeofthemuscleisdeterminedbythetotalsize(orcross-sectionalarea)ofallthemusclefiberswithin itandthecrosssectionalareaofamusclefiberisdirectlyproportionaltoitsstrengthcapacity.Abigger muscleisastrongermuscle.Growthistheresultofaddingnewproteinstothemuscleandkeepingthem there. MuscleProteinSynthesisincreasesoverafewhoursafterlifting,peakingat24hoursandreturningto normaloverthenext48hours,so72hoursafterliftingpromotedMuscleProteinSynthesis,itrevertsbackto normal.

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Thebodyisinaconstantstateofflux,andinthemusclethispitsMuscleProteinSynthesis(anabolism) againstMuscleProteinBreakdown(catabolism).Formostnon-lifterstheeffectsofthiscompetitionare evenedoutovertimewithneitherovercomingtheother.Inotherwords,theyneitherbuildnorlosemuscle (homeostasis). GrowthdependsonMuscleProteinSynthesisoutpacingMuscleProteinBreakdown,orifyoulike,therateof anabolismhastobegreaterthantherateofcatabolism(TiptonandFerrando2008).Thissmalllead accumulatesovertheweeks,monthsandyearstomakeyourmusclesvisiblybigger. LiftingincreasesMuscleProteinSynthesis,sodoeseatingprotein(aminoacids).Liftingwithaminoacidsin yourbloodstream(aftereatingprotein)increasesitfurther;theeffectissynergisticandtheydothisthrough thesamepathway.ThispathwayorsignalchainiscalledAkt-mTOR(GoldspinkandYang,2001,Goldspink 2002,2003,Ratkevicius,2008). Ofthetwo,tensionhasthelargesteffectonMuscleProteinSynthesis.Thismayseemobviousbutthen somepeopledobelievethatjusteatingproteinwillgivethembigmuscles.Itwont.Theyneedareasonto grow. Ifthestressimposedbyliftingisprogressivelyincreasedthemusclewillfurtheradapt(bygettingbiggerand thereforestronger),butifthatstressisntrepeated,thennewmuscleisntrequired,soitwillbelosttoMuscle ProteinBreakdown. Similarlyifthestressisrepeatedbutdoesnotprogressivelyincreasethenthemusclewillgothrougha processofaccommodation,andwillbecomemoreefficient.Forthebody,efficientmeans less energy consuming andthemusclewillremaincapableofperformingthetaskbutbecomesmaller. HOWHEAVYSHOULDTHEWEIGHTBE? Idetailedabovethatthehighertheload,thegreaterthetension,thegreaterthenumberandsizeofthe MotorUnitsrecruitedtolifttheloadandthegreaterthepotentialgrowth. Inthegym,thatloadworksouttobebetween70%and90%of1RM(Rheaetal.2003,Petersonetal. 2004,2005andWernbometal.2007),whichtranslatestoareprangeofroughlybetween15RMand5RM. Sogetting stronger anywhere between 70% and 90% 1RM (15RM and 5RM) is going to effectively stimulate growth. Wecanhowevernarrowitdownfurtherbylookingintothetwofactorsresponsibleforstrengthproduction: 1)MuscleFiberRecruitment-WecoveredthisaboveinMotorUnitRecruitment. 2)RateCoding-Inpartthiswascoveredabove.MessagessentbytheNervousSystemcontrolmuscle contraction.RateCodingreferstohowfastthosemessagesaresent.Thefastertheyresent,thestronger thecontraction. Uptoabout80-85%1RM,youllberelyingonMotorUnitRecruitment.Abovethat,RateCodingKicksin(i.e. nofurtherMotorUnitswillberecruited),thefiberswilljustbemadetocontractharder.Soataround80-85% 1RMyoullrecruiteveryMotorUnityouhave,whichforallintentsandpurposesmeansallthemusclefibers. Below80-85%1RM,thelargestMotorUnitsareactivatedonlyasthemusclefatigues(towardtheendofthe set).GiventhelargestMUshavethegreatestpotentialforgrowth;itmakessensetorecruitthemfromthe firstrep.So that narrows our rep range even further to between 5RM-8RM. Wevedefinedtheminimumtension(weight/load)requiredforgrowth,butwealsoknowthatthisweight needstobeliftedacertainnumberoftimes.Basedondecadesoftrainingandscientificdatatocorroborate whatwealreadyknew,wegetaslidingscaleofabout60totalrepsperbodypartatthelighterloadof15RM allthewaydownto15totalrepsinthe5RMrange. Insummary,theeffectivereprangesarebetweenapproximately4RMand15RMforbetweenfifteenand sixtytotalrepsrespectivelyperbodypart. Becausethegoalistomaximallystimulateeveryfiber,ourprogramutilizesthereprangewhereallmuscle fibersareusedrightfromthefirstrep,whichis5RMto8RM(anythingheaviertendsnottointroducefatigue inthewayitisrequired).Beingmorespecificourprogramfocuseson6RM. Weknowthatgettingstrongeranywherebetween1RMand15RMwillmakeyoubigger,andspendingtime inthelowerandhigherreprangeswillprovidemajorbenefits.Forexample,afocusonstrengthin1RMto 4RMrangewillcarry-overtothehigherrepranges,afocusonthehigherreprangeswillimproveenergy supplyandwasteremovalforthemuscles.Thismeansthateveryprogramisacompromise.Youcantfocus onallthereprangesallthetimeandexpecttoprogress,butourprogramdoesfocusonthereprangethat producesthemostgrowth,mostofthetime. Oneinterestingandnotableexceptiontotherulesaboveisifyouareparticularlystrong.Idonthavea definitionforstrong,maybeitsabsolute,maybeitsrelative,buttheresabigdifferencebetweenreppingout

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20repswithsomethingsmallandpinkandacouplehundredpoundsormore(dependingontheexercise)a laKrocrows. Thisdoesntviolatetheprinciplesabovehowever,perhapstheminimumintensitythresholdismetwithany reasonablereprangeifyouareasstrongornearlyasstrongasyoucanhumanlyget(i.e.yourstrength deficitissmall),butyouhavetohavespentyearsofeffortandgotthatstrongfirst.Eitherway,ifwhen attemptinghighreprangeslikethis,peopledontgaspinaweattheweightyoureusing,safetosay,you shouldstickwithintherecommendedrepcontinuum. Growthisstimulatedbyadequateloadandwork.Muscularfailuredoesntreallycomeintoit.Theloads wevediscussedhavebeenbetween5RMand15RM,whichbydefinitionisthemaximumamountofweight thatcouldbeliftedforeither5repetitionsor15repetitions.Atrue5RM(or15RMforthatmatter)doesnot reachfailure;yousucceedinliftingtheweightbutcoulddonomore.Failureattemptstogobeyondthisand haveyoureallystruggleforthatsixthrepbutnotsucceed.Someadvocatespushyouevenfurtherthanthat, withforcedreps,etc.

HCT-12utilizesthereprangewhereallmusclefibresareusedrightfromthefirstrep,whichis5-8 TRAINTOFAILUREORNOT? Youfailfordifferentreasons.Attheheavyendofthescale(1-3RM),youfailbecauseyoucannotsustainthe neuraldrive(themessagesyournervoussystemsendstothemotorneuronintheMotorUnit),notbecause themuscleisfatigued,thereisntenoughtimeforthat.Uptowardsthelighterend(15RMormore),metabolic effects(cellularenergydepletionandwasteproductbuild-up)causeyoutoterminatetheset.Inbetween thesetwopointsyougetaslidingscaleofboth. Isthereanypointtofailure?Accordingtotheresearch,theresnotmuchdifferencebetweengettingclose andactuallyfailing(Drinkwateretal.2007,)butfailuredoesnegativelyaffecthormonalandneuralstatus, makinginroadsintoyourrecovery.Dependingontheprogramyouchoose,itsyourcall. However,Idothinkthatitiscriticaltohaveexperiencedtrainingtofailureaspartofyoureducationasa lifter,attheveryleastasawayofunderstandingyourbodyandrecognizingthedifferencebetweenwhen youaregivingupandwhenyourbodyhasgivenup. Someprogramsadvocatefailure.Itisthegoal.Somepushbeyonditwithrest-pause,forcedreps,etc.Some programsavoidfailureandsomeliein-between.

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Werecommendstoppingwhenyouknowanothercompleterep(ormaybetwo)isntinthecards.Because theloadisheavyenoughtomaximallystimulatethemusclefromthefirstrepandthenumberofrepshigh enoughtoprovidetheappropriatefatigue,thereisnoneedtoeatintoyourrecoverybygoingtofailure. HOWOFTENSHOULDITRAINAMUSCLE(FREQUENCY)? BasedontheresearchintoMuscleProteinSynthesisandAdaptiveRemodellingweknowthatafter72hours prettymucheverythinghasreturnedtonormal,whichgivesusaguideastowhenamuscleisreadytobe trainedagain.Keepinmind,itisaguideandisnotabsolute. Betweenonceevery5daysandtwiceaweekisaboutright(Wernbom,Rheaetal)ifyouretrainingwithin theappropriateparameters.Somecantoleratemore,sometolerateless,butmostofussitsquarelyinthe middle.Asyougetverystrong,thenumberoftimesyoucantrainabodypartweeklyislikelytodecrease. Wegiveyouthreevariantsoftheprogram;twowhereeachbodypartistrainedonaverageevery1.5days andanotherwhereyoutraineachbodyparttwiceaweek.Bothwillgetyoubiggerthanyouhaveeverbeen before,butwhichyouchooseisdependentonyourtimeconstraintsandabilitytorecover.Onthefaceofit, themorefrequentvariationisbetter(becausethemusclesarebeingstimulated25%moreoften)butifyou cantrecoverfromit,itisntbetteratall. Spendanytimelookingintotherepranges,numberofsetsandfrequencyofmostpopularprograms(whichI have)anditllbeprettyobviousthatwhiletherearelotsofsuccessfulandverydifferentlookingprograms, digalittledeeperandyoullfindtheyallsharethesameprinciples. GETTINGSTRONGERMEANSGETTINGBIGGER Gettingreallystrong(Ihavenodefinition,justthinkrecordbreakingstrong)isnotacaseofsimplyhavingbig muscles;itsaboutthick,strongconnectivetissueandjoints,favorablemuscleinsertionpointsandleverage, nervoussystemefficiencyandsoon.Sonoteveryonehasthecapacitytobreakworldrecordsbigdeal. Arguingthatgettingstrongerdoesnotmeangettingbiggerisforgettingthephysiologicalbasisforincreasing thecross-sectionalareaofthemuscle(growth)andthatisincreasedstrengthproduction.Beyondenhanced nervoussystemefficiency,strengthcomesdowntostructuralchanges.Youaregoingtoneedtogetbigger togetsignificantlystronger. Solimit strengthisntnecessarilythegoalwhentryingtogetbigger,butgettingstrongeris.Ifyoudontget stronger,youwontgetbigger,butopponentsofthisfact,seemtoforgetthatthe1RMisnttheonlymeasure ofstrength.Increasingyourrepsfromsixtosevenwith200-poundsisgettingstronger.Increasingtheweight from200-poundsto210-poundsforsixrepsisgettingstronger. Ifyouworktogetsignificantlystrongeryouwillgetsignificantlybigger;itstheonlywaythebodyknowshow, butthatdoesntmeanstrength training.Bottomlinesizeisaresultoflong-termstrengthgains.We understandthat,whichiswhyourprogramemphasizesit.

Getsignificantlystrongerandyouwillgetsignificantlybigger;itstheonlywaythebodyknowshow PROGRESSION Progressionisnecessaryifyouwanttoexceedyourcurrentdevelopment.Gettingbiggermeansgetting strongerand,asweshowedearlier,thatdoesnthavetomeanfocussingonincreasingyourone-repmax.

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Whenyoustartlifting,strengthincreasescomequickly(oratleasttheyshould)andbyandlarge,these increaseswilloccurlinearly(i.e.everysessionyoullgetstronger). Clearlythisisntsustainable,five-poundincreasesonyoursquateveryweekwouldresultina250-pound increaseinayearandwithinanotherthreeyearsyouwouldbesquattingover1000-pounds.Sostrength gainsbecomenon-linear,yougetpeaksandtroughs,butovertimeanupwardtrendiswhatyourelooking for.Someprogramsadvocatecaution,focusingonverysmallincreasesonsub-maximalloadsallowingfor slowermoresustainableprogress.Bearinmindalsothatmusculargrowth,isgenerallynon-lineartoo.You dontoftenseeyourlegsproportionatelyincreasinginsizewitheveryadditionoftenpoundsonthebar. Therearevariouswaystoprogress,single,doubleandtripleprogression,increasingonlythereps,onlythe weight,onlyrestbetweensetsandsoforth,butIpreferalessformalapproachAutoregulation. Thistermmayormaynotbenewtoyou.Itsmeaningisinfactasoldasweighttrainingitself.InMelSiffs SupertraininghediscussesAPRE(AutoregulatingProgressiveResistanceExercise)amethodwherebyyour nextsessionsloadisdeterminedbyanadjustmenttablebasedonyourcurrentsessionsperformance. CharlesStaleysEDTisanexampleofautoregulation,asisMikeTuscherersReactive Training Manual,but Ithinkex-Mr.OlympiaFrankZane(inhis1977BodybuildingSeminar)explaineditbestoverthirtyyearsago, whensomeoneaskedhim,Doyouhaveacertainpoundageyouwillalwaystrytouseeachworkout?His response:

No. Its all by how I feel. Lets say I am doing dumbbell presses. Now the first set Ill start with sixty-pounds for twelve reps, then seventy-pounds for eleven. Maybe to eighty. Now depending on how the eighties feel, Ill either stay with the eighties and do a couple of sets, or move up to eighty-five or ninety-pounds. ITS ALL IN HOW I FEEL AT THE TIME. If I am ready for a new weight, then it just happens.

Therearelotsofwaystoautoregulate,(seetheprogramsreferencedabove)butforourpurposeswere goingtokeepitverysimpleandrelyentirelyonthecuesourbodiesgiveuseachtimewetrain.Youcan eithermapoutprogression(i.e.plantoincreasetheloadatapredeterminedtime),thatcouldbeevery session,oreveryfifthweek,oryoucanallowittohappenwhenyourbodyisreadyforitautoregulation. Anassumptioninthepredeterminedapproachisthatyoucanforceprogression;youcant.Justbecauseyou plantoincreaseyourbenchbyfive-poundsnextsessiondoesntmeanyourbodywillplayalong.Youll progresswhenyourbodyisreadyto.Allyoucandoisprovidetheinitialstimulus,eataccordinglyandhope yourbodyhasadaptedintimeforthenextsession. Plannedprogressionalsoimpliesthatperformanceisconsistentlyhigh,butweallhavegood,okayandbad daysandourperformancegenerallyfollowssuit.Withourversionofautoregulationwetraintothebestof ourabilitiesontheday,likeFrankZaneexplainedabove,whichcansometimesmeanperformingfarworse thanthelastsessionbut,justasimportantly,sometimesmeansperformingfarbetterthanexpected. Rememberitisatrendupwardswerelookingfor.Youllgetthefullautoregulationprotocol,whenyougetto theHCT-12TrainingProgram.

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Ex-Mr.OlympiaFrankZane-IfIamreadyforanewweight,thenitjusthappens. PERIODIZATION/DELOADS Followingonfromprogressionisthesubjectofperiodization.Periodizationisplanning,planningtotrain differentathleticorstrengthqualities(strengthversusstrengthenduranceversusspeed-strength,etc.)at differenttimeswithoutlosing(orminimizingthelossof)thetrainingeffectsofthepreviouslytrainedquality. Why?Becausethebodyhasafinitecapacityforrecovery,noteveryaspectofyoursportcanbetrainedwith equalfocussimultaneously,soyouhavetoplan.LouieSimmonspopularizedperiodizationforpowerlifters withhisWestsideConjugateSystem. Forourpurposes,wedontneedtoworryabouthowourweightsworkaffectsour400-metersprinttime,nor howtoplantaperingdowntoafight,meetetc.Gettingbiggerislifting,whichmakesthingsalittlesimpler. Wedontneedtoconcernourselvestoomuchwithoverlycomplicatedperiodization. Ourprogramfocuseson6RMforeachexercise.Thisistherangewherethemuscleismostexposedtothe requiredstimulusandfatigue.IfIhadtochooseonereprangefortherestofmylife,itwouldbearound 6RM.Fortunatelywerenotsoconstrained,andcantrainaboveandbelowthis,sowecanintroducean elementofperiodizationintotheprogram. Focusingonthe1-5RMrangewillgetyoustronger,makingyouneurallymoreefficientandcarryingoverto thehigherrepranges.Asgettingprogressivelystrongeristhefoundationforgrowth;thisisagoodthing.You will,ofcourse,getbiggerinthatreprangetoo,sofocusingonitforawhileisnobadthingdependingonyour program.However,wefeelthattraininginthe6RMrangethatweveprogrammedfocusesenoughon strengthwithoutneedingtooverlapbygoingintothelowerrepranges. Higherrepshowever,doprovideagrowthstimulusandimproveenergysupplytothemusclealsoagood thing.Theyalsoallowforabreakfromtheheavierweightsthat6RMdemands,givingtheconnectivetissue (andyouingeneral)achancetofullyadaptbeforehittingithardagain. Iprefertorefertothissortofsimpleperiodizationintermsofdeloadsatleastinregardtoourprogram.Some programsincorporatedeloadsbutdontstipulatewhenyoushoulddeload,norwhatyoushoulddointhat period,leavingituptotheindividual.Thepitfallsofthisapproach,arethattheverydedicatedliftermaybypassthedeloadcompletely,runninghimorherselfintotheground,orthatthelazywilllookforanyexcuseto deload.Ourprogramisalittlemorerigid,enforcingachangeinpace. THINGSTOCONSIDERBUTNOTOBSESSABOUT

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Howlongshouldatrainingsessionlast? Wellifyouvefollowedtheguidelinesthenthelengthofyoursessionisreallydictatedbythenumberofsets andrepsyoudo.Basingitonanythingelse(i.e.acuteandtransienthormonalfluctuations)isirrelevant.If yourenotgrouptraining,liftingequipped,havingtowarm-upandloadover600-poundsonthebench/squat/ deadliftlikeapowerlifter,andifyourfocusisonsizethenanywherebetweenfortytoninetyminutesisabout right.Ourprogramcanbedoneinunderanhour. FullBodyversusSplit Thepointistotrainthewholebodyoveragivenperiodoftime,typicallyaweek.Dontwell-designedFull Bodyprogramsdothat,anddoesntawellconceivedsplit? Bothfactionsofsupportersciteimbalances(focusonchestandbicepsforsplits,andasmallarmsonFull Bodysplits),lackofresults(mostidiotsclutteringupthegymareonasplit,noreallybigguysorprosusea FB)butultimatelyandasIstateintheintro,thisisdowntousererror(lackofconsistencyandeffort).Most peopleinthegymdontlookliketheyliftandarebyandlargegoingthroughthemotions,irrespectiveofwhat approachtheySAYtheyuse. Ifyourgoalissizeandyouarefollowaproperprogram,thenasplitisthewaytogo.Itallowsforthe appropriatefrequencyandspreadstheworkloadacrossmoredays,allowingbetterfocusandrecovery.Our programisasplit. ExerciseSelection Firstofftherearethousandsofexercisestochoosefrom,sothereisnowayyoucanusethemall,andyou couldspendeverysingledayforthenextfewyearsjusttryingthemout. Secondly,itshouldbeobvious,thatasprogressioniskey,youshouldbefavoring(notcompletelyexcluding) exercisesthatallowyoutoprogress(i.e.shoulderpressversussomethingthatforonereasonoranother youresimplynotgoingtogetahellofalotstrongerwith,suchasthelateralraise). Traditionally,theseexercisesarebarbellordumbbellbased,butthefactisyoucoulddoaswellwith progressivelyheavierrocks,buttheyreapaintoholdanddontcomeinsmallweightincrements;so impracticalandnotversatile.Barsanddumbbellsareversatileandadjustable. Letsnotforgetmachineseither,theyallowprogressioninsmallincrementsandthegoodonesallowalotof weightandfeelreallygood.AndasIsaidabove,tensiononthemuscleistension;barbell,rock,tire, machine.Ifitprogressesovertime,youllgrow. Ifyoureparticularlystrongandnotconcernedanymorewithloading400-poundsonthebenchpressandjust aftersizethenyouhavepaidyourdues,amachinemightbebetter.Yes,youareaspeciallittleflowerafter all.Thisisoneofthoseareasinliftingwhereyougettosay,Imdifferent,IpreferHammerStrength shoulderpresstomilitarypress,andIfeelitmoreinmyshoulders. ThereisnoONEperfectexerciseforeveryonethatwillproportionallydevelopthetargetmuscles,andwhile anyvariationofapress(barbell,dumbbell,machine,rock,neighbor),willplacetensiononthepressing muscles,your specialindividualbodytypewilldeterminewhatpressingmusclesareundermosttensionand whichthereforewillgrowthemost. Soaftersomeexperience,(andbyexperienceImeanseensignificantgrowthusingoneapproach,notbrief passingattemptsatlotsofapproaches),feelfreetoseewhichvariationofaliftgivesyouthebesteffect.Our programisbasedoncompoundbarbellanddumbbellmovements,butyouhavetheoptionofchoosing preferredmachinevariants. IsolationExercisesversusCompoundExercises Again,Imnotfussy.Liberallyapplycommonsenseandmostofyourexercisechoiceswillbecompound movements,withsomestrategicallyplacedisolationexercises.Itcouldnotactuallybeanyotherway.Idoubt youcouldeffectivelytrainthewholebodywithoutresortingtocompoundexercises.IfImwrong,someone pleasetellmehow? Shouldisolationwork(orfocuswork,asyoucanttrulyisolateamuscle)beexcluded?Maybe;ifyourea bewilderednovicefacedwiththousandsofexercises,thenkeepingitvery,verysimpleisbest,whichiswhy FullBodyapproachesaresooftenadvisedforbeginners. Thisleadsmeontotheasinineargumentoffunctionalvsnon-functionalmuscle/strength/exercises.Loosely speaking,thecontractilecomponents(myofibrils)makeupapproximately80%ofthemusclefibre,theother 20%issarcoplasm;awaterysubstancecomprisedofthesamesortofstuffrequiredbyeverycelltofunction.

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Youmayhavecomeacrossdiscussionsonmyofibrillarversussarcoplasmichypertrophyandhow bodybuilderstendtobeweakandpuffy(theyarenot)andpowerliftersdense(sometimestheyare, sometimestheyarenot).Wellthesetwotermsaretrottedoutasareasonforthat. Giventhatapproximately80%ofthemusclefibreiscontractileprotein,anyone(bodybuilderorpowerlifter) whosemuscleshavegrownwillhavehypertrophiedthesametissue.Theother20%isspeculative.Aside fromoneRussianratmodeltranslation,sarcoplasmichypertrophydoesnotexist.Imnotsayingthereisnta mechanismforthegrowthofnon-contractiletissue,possiblytokeepupwiththeenergydemandsof contractiletissue,butasitmakesuplessthanafifthofmusclefiberandthereforeafifthofyourgrowth potential,IknowwhereIdfocusmytime. Ifyoucanpointmetoalargebodybuilderwhoisweakrelativetohissize,thenIcanpointtothesame bodybuilderandguaranteeheissignificantlystrongerthanwhenhestartedhejustdidnthaveagreat capacityformaximumstrengthdevelopment. Asstatedabove,itwouldbethedevilsownjobtofullytrainthebodythroughisolationworkonly,sobeyond thatextreme,anyonewhoiswelldevelopedfromtoptotoe,isntgoingtohavearrivedthatwaythrough machineflyesonlyandisgoingtobeverymuchstrongerthanaverage,verymuchstrongerthanwhenhe startedandabletoexpressthatstrengthinmeaningful/functionalwayssuchasliftingsofas,shopping,insert spuriousbodybuilderscantdothisactivityhere,etc. Ifbeingabletoruntenmiles,jumpingthroughflaminghoopswhilebenchpressingontheoffchanceyouwill onedayneedtopullkidsfromaburningbuildingisyourgoal,oryoureaftermorenon-specificfeatsof strengththenmaybeyoushouldbefocusingyourtrainingonalleventualities.Goodluckwiththat. Inourprogramwellusewhatevercomestohand,focusingoncompoundmovements,butnotneglecting bodypartsthatrespondoptimallytoacombinationofcompoundandisolation(armsforinstance).Inthe program,wegiveyouclearguidelinesaboutwhatexercisestouse.

HCT-12focusesoncompoundmovements,whilstnotneglectingisolationmovements CONCLUSION Youmadeitthrough! Thelessonyoushouldhavelearnedisthatmusclegrowthboilsdowntoafewsimpleprinciplesthat everyprogrammustobey.Ifyoudigdeeperandthefoundationofaprogramisnotconstructedfromthese principles,youllknowwithcertaintythatitwillnotwork. Theinternalprocessesofmusclegrowthareseriouslycomplicated,peopledevotetheirlivestoit,butthe externalprocessesthatkickitoff,thethingsinyourcontrolcanbedistilleddowntoafewprinciples:Get strongerintherightrepranges,eatappropriately,committotheprogramandconsistentlyworkhardatit. Thisisadviceoftenthrownattheinexperiencedorconfusedbut,withoutcontextalthoughwellmeaning,is worthless. Wevekeptyoubacklongenough.Wethinkyouarenowreadyforourprogram.Ifyouthinkyouare,then comeonthroughtoHypertrophyClusterTraining-TrainingProgram!

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Hypertrophy Cluster Training (HCT-12) - Key Principles to Growth | Wannabebig

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Discuss,commentoraskaquestion Ifyouhaveacomment,questionaboutthisarticleorwouldliketodiscussoraskanythingaboutHypertrophy ClusterTraining(HCT-12),headonovertotheHypertrophyClusterTraining(HCT-12)Forum. YoumayalsowanttoreadHypertrophyClusterTraining(HCT-12)-FAQ Didyouenjoythisarticle? Email

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