Break Set Training- Unlocking New Muscle & Strength

My consultation client base is highly demanding as they want to lose fat, gain muscle and get stronger- YESTERDAY.  In order to keep up with demand I have been forced to develop training systems which go far outside the box of normal training.  The hard work has paid off in terms of huge body composition and strength improvements.

Out of the 15 clients who executed customized variations of this program for 2 months, 13 did fantastically well gaining an average of 8 pounds of lean body mass with a 1.75% drop in body fat.  Beyond training; these clients pay great attention to both nutrition and recovery factors to accelerate their progress.  Training can stimulate the beginning of new progress but what you do outside of the gym for the other 23 hours of the day is a vital factor in the success equation.

Strip sets are well known for their versatility as they allow for heavy loading and high volume packed into one.  Loading has been long forgotten by the bodybuilding community who in general favors high rep routines.  This is a huge mistake!  Go back to your early days of training- when you got stronger- You grew bigger correct?  A stronger muscle is a bigger muscle all things being equal.

Train the Brain for New Muscle

 Nervous system stimulation through the use of heavy loading is a key component to the growth equation.  Advanced trainees must use gradually heavier loads or the system becomes very bored making growth a low priority.  Many experienced trainees come my way to bust through plateaus and eight times out of ten a lack of intensity as it relates to loading is a missing link to success.  Fast twitch fibers stimulated by heavy training possess the greatest potential for growth.  Tap into these fibers and you will pack on muscle at least twice as fast.

Of course it is well known that the focused damaged inflicted on muscles by way of volume creates the opportunity for muscle to grow.  This becomes much easier to achieve when the fast twitch fibers are pre fatigued before hand.  Think of your muscles as layers of muscle fibers.  In order to get to the deepest layer you must first fatigue the top.  Anatomy experts may not like this explanation but it serves the purposes of this article.

 How do we achieve both the stimulation of fast twitch fibers while damaging the rest with high volume within the same set sequence?

 Growth sets of course- essentially a three phase strip set with no reduction in load

Consider this- pick the heaviest weight you can do on lets say a db flat press for 4 reps.  Muscles feel pretty taxed after that I am sure, but what if you were to do 3 sets of 4 within a small window of time?  Your pecs will be screaming which is what it takes at times to elicit new growth.

 Compare what you can use for a set of 4 reps to what can be done for a set of 12, unless you are of alien descent you will be able to do far less for the set of 12 in terms of weight.

A higher % of maximum used per rep dictates intensity which seems to be a long forgotten method for building new muscle.  Instead of coasting through a set of 12 you can use 3 sets of 4 very heavy reps with short rest in between segments

For example a Growth Super Set:

Db flat press 4 reps, rest 20 sec, 4 reps, rest 20 sec 4 more reps and then a longer rest period before using an antagonistic exercise such as a seated cable row in the same set/rep fashion.

I know what you are thinking- this guy is crazy there is no way I can bang out reps with a load that heavy.  The hidden ace is the nervous system which drastically improves strength as it adjusts to new stimulus on the say of training.  Give it a try and you will be amazed by how well you respond.

 Day 1

Exercise                                               sets                  reps                  tempo               rest

A1. DB Rotation Press                            4                      4+4+4              3-2-x                90

A2. Seated neutral grip cable row           4                      4+4+4              3-2-x                90

B1. Palm Front Fly                                 2-3                   (6-8)                4-2-1                 60

B2. Wide Grip Lat Pull down                   2-3                   (6-8)                4-2-1                  60

C1. Wide Grip Push ups                         1-2                   (8-10)                4-2-1                 45

C2. DB elbow row                                1-2                   (8-10)                4-2-1                 45

Day 2

A1. Squat                                                4-5                   4+4+4              3-2-x               120

 B1 Cable Pull Troughs                          2-3                   (6-8)                 4-2-1               60

B2. Unilateral machine hamstring curls   2-3                   (6-8)                4-2-1                60

C1. Seated Calf Raise                             1-2                   (8-10)              4-2-1                45

C2. Standing Calf Raise                          1-2                   (8-10)              4-2-1                 45

C3  Back extension                                 1-2                   (8-10)              4-2-1                45

 Day 3

A1. EZ bar Preacher Curl                         4                      4+4+4              3-2-x               90

A2. DB tri extension w/ rotation           4                      4+4+4              3-2-x               90

 B1. Seated DB lateral raise                   2-3                   (6-8)                 4-2-1                60

B2. Trap Row                                        2-3                   (6-8)                  4-3-1                60

C1. Wing Curl                                       1-2                    (8-10)               4-2-1                45

C2. Dips                                                 1-2                   (8-10)                4-2-1                45

 Notes: Only the A series will make use of the growth sets

The first session will require some experimentation to arrive at the most appropriate load.  Take a few warm up sets and work up to a challenging weight.  Feel free to increase the poundage from set to set if you deem necessary.  Aim to improve weights each week even if only by a small amount. 

If you feel completely whacked on a day you are supposed to train, take an extra day off and resume when the system is fully recovered.  Email scott@infinityfitness.com with recovery concerns and we can discuss trouble shooting.

Packing so much work into a confined space of time shocks the system into rapid

growth, but only if you capitalize on the opportunity.  You can trash your muscles during training, but you must put more effort into the other 23 hours of each day to promote rapid recovery so that you can maximize growth.  A smart trainee will always consider recovery capacity when building a program, otherwise an imbalance between work and recovery capability will cause overtraining which will block any progress. 

Warning!

Forget about using this program if you are not willing to load up on amino acids pre and post training, and we are not talking about the use of the standard cheap stuff.  Without these advanced recovery tools it is not practical to handle this level of volume and intensity.  Amino loading with  100% MR and Muscle Synthesis has worked fantastically well for my clients as they improve training performance and astronomically boost the rate of protein synthesis- aka muscle growth.  Why?  The specific ratio of aminos found within this revolutionary stack promote rapid absorption and utilization beyond the competition.

How?  Dr. Serrano well known for his hands on research has tested an endless number of compounds to determine the most effective amino acid combination. The 100% Mr and Muscle Synthesis represent years of his research and lay the foundation for new muscle by providing the essential raw materials needed for growth and repair.  Furthermore amino acids are proven to provide a powerful fuel source during training as they are easily accessed by working muscles.   Last but certainly not least this unmatched combination of amino acids has a tremendous impact on the hormonal environment which ultimately governs all progress. 

Contact Scott@infinityfitness.com for your customized training and nutrition path to rapid success.  All SST Purchases carry a Satisfaction Guarantee.*

 None of the statements within this article have been approved by the FDA

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