I was wondering what everyone’s experiences with full-body training have been?
They work, but it just depends on your goals, your time, diet, what type of full body, etc.
I think it’s a good approach for a beginning
trainer, allowing them to gain skill at
each exercise three times per week. It also can be very useful for in-season maintenance for an athlete, so that you don’t have inconsistency where sometimes these bodyparts are fatigued and these are rested, and sometimes the other way around, etc, and also more-frequent training results in less soreness. As a long
term mass gain approach I really don’t think it’s the way to go.
I’ve been using a program designed by Bryan Haycock called Hypertrophy-Specific Training. I’ve done three cycles of this sort of training and got some of the best strength and size gains of my life. I’m a believer that everyone’s different though so you’ll have to give it a go yourself to see if it’ll work for you.
Chris: Neat info. I have to tell you…intellectually, I’ve ALWAYS understood the need for “Progressive Resistance”. However, like probably most of us, my “Progressive Resistance” has been sort of haphazard. And I FIRMLY believe that that has limited my gains. Seems like Haycock has spelled it out pretty good. Please correct me with what I’ve read, and just a question or two:
1)Start at your 15 rep max. Decrease the reps every two weeks, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME increasing poundages by 5-10 pounds EACH WORKOUT? or each WEEK?
2) I’m a little unclear on the “negatives” week. Is it 5 concentric AND negatives, or negatives only?
3)One week rest after 8 weeks. Does Haycock ever mention anything about rep SPEED in his writings, and it’s effect on hypertrophy? I also use a four day split (bodyparts are worked twice a week,at least for now).Do you think that the same progression would work?
That’s about it. Anything else you could add about this program would be GREAT!
I work out full body and I think it is the way to go. Every exercise has some effect on the rest of your body, so there will be a general cost to a workout no matter what you train. You still have a world of options with full body training, you can mix up the order and do more/less for certain body parts. I think split training and long rests let you get deconditioned, while faster full body workouts let you stay in shape and get bigger/stronger.
I think it is one of the best ways to train. I have never tried WSB training, but compared to other training methods I found it to be more effective
I usually see better strength gains from full body routines.
Can somebody point me in the direction of some articles dealing with full body workouts. I did a search on full body workouts on T-Mag, but didn’t find very much.
Thanks.
1)Start at your 15 rep max. Decrease the reps every two weeks, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME increasing poundages by 5-10 pounds EACH WORKOUT? or each WEEK?
[Bryan Haycock] You don't start using your 15 rep max, but the weights you do use are based on your 15 rep max. You increase the weight each workout. For example, if your 15 rep max is 100 lbs, your workouts will go as follows 50 (Mon),60 (Wed),70(Fri),80(Mon),90(Wed),100(Fri). Keep in mind that this level of resistance will do little if you are currently adapted to much heavier poundages (use Strategic Deconditioning). Additionaly, the 15s are designed to prepare the joints for higher poundages later. Such preparation is useful for frequent loading used with HST.
2) I'm a little unclear on the "negatives" week. Is it 5 concentric AND negatives, or negatives only?
[Bryan Haycock] The 2 week block that incorporates negatives should be done as follows: use your 2 rep max for 1 good "normal" rep, then finish the set with 5-6 eccentric only (when possible) reps. Sometimes it isn't possible to do only the eccentric part. In these cases you have to get a little creative, for example, use a bench for eccentric chin-ups, or dips. Some exercises are bad for negatives (e.g squats). For the impossible exercises, simply continue with your 5 rep max.
3)One week rest after 8 weeks. Does Haycock ever mention anything about rep SPEED in his writings, and it's effect on hypertrophy?
[Bryan Haycock] Basically, during the 15's the reps should start out slow and then speed up as you feel the burn begin to kill your strength. After all, the whole point is to flush the muscle with lactic acid.
During the 10’s you should go slower when the weight is light. That way it will still be difficult to complete the set. As the weight gets heavier simply increase the tempo to ensure that you complete the set. BE careful not to get too sloppy though. It will do little good to use momentum to move the weight during the 10s.
The first week of 5’s should be slow on the way down but still pretty explosive on the way up. Then as the weight nears your 5 rep max you will have no real control over how fast you move the weight. It will generally go slow simply because it is so heavy.
During negatives you should lower the weight in about 2 - 2.5 seconds. This may seem too quick to most traditionalists. Research has shown that if you go too slow during negatives you don’t get the same growth stimulus. it begins to resemble the effect of isometrics if you go too slow. This is one reason why the old principle of “time under tension” isn’t so simple as just time. The action of the muscle while under load is very important when trying to produce a specific effect.
4)I also use a four day split (bodyparts are worked twice a week,at least for now).Do you think that the same progression would work?
[Bryan Haycock] It should. This is because "Progressive Loading" is a principle that applies to anybody's training, regardless of whether they are adhering to other principles of hypertrophy-specific training. You will find that if you stop using more weight, you will stop growing. But you can't just get stronger forever. This is why Strategic Deconditioning is critical for long term growth.
I plan on trying HST, because, Mr. Haycock…you seem like a pretty smart fellar =)
I’ve actually had a fair amount of success using full-body routines throughout my training, and have no reason to believe they’re not for ‘advanced’ trainees.
I have used HST with great results. Bryan has put together a very solid program. For my results, check the Thinkmuscle forum or the Meso-Rx Forum. HST works great for size, but also for strength. One big suprise was a 30lb increase in my deadlift , a 25lb increase in my SLDL, and a 20lb increase in shrugs. Steve