...Chances Are, You Have Not Discovered Your Potential.

By Bill Phillips

There are a multitude of roadblocks which stand between bodybuilders and their goal--muscular hypertrophy. Among them are a lack of proper nutrition, insufficient recovery, and poor training intensity. The latter of which is usually the last area an athlete considers to be his or her shortcoming; however, poor intensity is a major reason why weight-training athletes experience little or no progress. It is not welcome news to the average lifter, but it is simply the truth; 9 out of 10 people who take up weightlifting don't have what it takes to push their bodies to the point where it will respond and adapt with muscle growth.

Most athletes who are attempting to build a massive, muscular physique claim they are hard-core bodybuilders. Numerous other weightlifters call themselves hard core either because they workout five days a week or because they perform the "advanced" workouts featured in the popular muscle mags. The truth is, hard core has nothing to do with how often you work out, how many sets you do, or if you can do Lee Haney's back workout three days a week. Hard core is all about intensity, and intensity is an elusive quality.

A BASIC OVERVIEW

WHY IS INTENSITY SO IMPORTANT? To understand this principle, let's examine the theory behind muscular hypertrophy. Training with weights is meant to put a great enough demand upon muscle that they have no choice but to become larger and stronger in order to survive. Effective weight training involves overloading and progressive resistance. Overload indicates that unless the muscle is forced to do more than it is used to, it will not receive a stimulus to grow. Progressive resistance involves handling a greater level of intensity each workout. This is often accomplished by adding weight to an exercise or additional repetitions. These are the two aspects that make up training intensity.

When an athlete trains with the same weight and rep scheme over and over again, this does not subject the muscles to any stress that they are not accustomed to. Even though the exercises might result in a great pump and soreness the next day, these workouts are not the type that induce growth and should be regarded as maintenance training at best.

Consider the body's homeostatic nature. It wants very much to stay the same. The body maintains a consistent temperature, metabolic rate, and pH level. Virtually all hormone and enzymatic activities are regulated so that they stay the same. The body also attempts to maintain this homeostatic environment by limiting the level of skeletal muscle in the body. This homeostatic nature is not easily overcome; thus convincing the body that it needs more muscle is not as easy as most "experts" would have you believe. The fact is, giving the body the signal it needs to increase anabolism or muscle growth is not pleasant. This type of weight training is brutal and painful, but there is no doubt that it is rewarding.

A LITTLE PHYSIOLOGY

For weight training to create muscle hypertrophy, it must be fierce and earnest. The intensity of the weight-training session must be so great that the skeletal muscle tissue is damaged to the point where actual microscopic tears result. Skeletal muscle tissue is made of microscopic elongated cylindrical cells called muscle fibers or myofibers. These fibers lie parallel to each other. In each myofiber, there are a number of structures that control the function of that cell. Some of the more important structures are called myofibrils which play a key role in contracting the cell. Myofibrils are made up of two kinds of even smaller structures called myofilaments. There are thin myofilaments (actin) and thick myofilaments (myosin). It is the interaction of actin and myosin that allow a muscle to contract. These two contractile proteins slide together as the muscle contracts, and they separate when a muscle relaxes. When a muscle increases in size, it is actually caused by an increase in the diameter of actin and myosin owing to the production of more myofibrils and nutrients (glycogen and triglycerides) and energy supplying molecules (ATP and Creatine Phosphate). The larger the actin and myosin fibers, the more forceful the contractions. There has been some discussion that an increase in muscle size is due to longitudinal splitting of muscle fibers, followed by hypertrophy. However, it is generally felt that the number of muscle fibers does not increase after birth. Muscular hypertrophy in children is influenced by Human Growth Hormone and testosterone.

A mature person must apply a stimulus for muscular hypertrophy to occur, unlike naturally growing children. By mature, I mean past the age of 18 when the body usually reaches its natural growth potential.

There are different types of muscle fibers that react differently to exercise. Knowing which ones do what can aid in effective weight training. Skeletal muscle fibers contract with different velocities depending upon their availability of ATP. Faster contracting fibers have greater ability to split ATP. These fibers are commonly known as Type II-B. These muscle fibers are the "big boys." The Type II-B fibers are fast twitch and have a low concentration of myoglobin which makes them white. They contain large amounts of glycogen and are geared to produce ATP by anaerobic (without air) metabolism. They fatigue quickly but provide very fast and forceful contractions when they are called upon. These fibers are only given a signal to fire if a maximum muscle contraction is required. Type II-B fibers react to stress (weight training) by developing larger actin and myosin myofilaments. If you want bigger muscles, you are going to have to stimulate these fibers to their fullest.

A second kind of muscle is Type I. These fibers, slow twitch, contain large amounts of myoglobin, a reddish pigment similar to hemoglobin in blood. Thus Type I fibers are a reddish color. These fibers are very resistant to fatigue but contract slowly. They work aerobically (with oxygen) and perform when a weak contraction is needed. Generally, Type I fibers are for endurance exercise, and they respond to exercise by becoming more metabolically efficient, not larger.

There is a third class of muscle fibers known at Type II-A which are often called intermediate fibers. Type II-A are fast twitch but contain high amounts of myoglobin, so they are red. They do not produce strong contractions and have minimal capacity for hypertrophy. They are found in small amounts in the body and adapt by becoming more metabolically efficient.

"It is important to have at least some grasp of muscle physiology to comprehend the intense weight-training theory."

By examining the information above, we can already see why weight training that is performed with moderate to low intensity does not result in muscular hypertrophy. The main reason for this is that the muscle fibers which are capable of becoming larger are not even being worked in some lifters' programs.

Usually, skeletal muscle is made up of about half slow twitch and half fast twitch. Occasionally, someone will have an abundance of one type. World-class marathon runners can have up to 70% slow twitch; a world-class sprinter, i.e. Ben Johnson, could have up to 80% fast-twitch fiber. (Consider the strength potential of fast-twitch fiber as Ben Johnson was known to do full squats with 600 pounds for reps and bench over 400 pounds for reps.) The amount of these fibers a person has is determined genetically and can be revealed in a muscle biopsy. Although the two fast-twitch fibers can transform between A and B, slow twitch cannot become fast twitch and vice versa.

When the brain sends a signal for a muscle to contract, it enacts just enough fibers to get the job done. When a muscle fiber is fired up, it contracts 100%. This is known as the all-or-none principle. There is no contraction less than 100%. There is a variance in the number of muscle fibers that get called upon to work. If you are just curling a five pound weight, your brain will only signal enough fibers to complete the job. If you are curling a 20 pound weight, all available muscle fibers will be called upon to lift the weight. Type II-B are the last ones to be called in; thus, it takes a maximum weight to bring them into action. If the weight being lifted is moderately heavy, Type II-B fibers will be stimulated, but they will take turns contracting. This is due to an action called asynchronous motor unit summation (AMS). If a maximum weight is being lifted, all the muscle fibers will fire simultaneously. In this instance, muscle fatigue sets in quickly, usually in less than five reps. In AMS, the muscle usually gives out in less than ten reps.

By using these basic facts of physiology, we can understand more about the intense weight-training theory. Since the purpose of the hard-core bodybuilder is to gain power and mass, attacking the Type II-B fibers in indicated. We know that these fibers are used when heavy weights are lifted in a fast manner. The heavier the weight, the more fibers get involved. Now think for a moment what the key aspect of intensity called overload truly means...overload means that you must lift a weight that is heavy enough to first stimulate Type II-B fibers. If you are not lifting a maximum weight or are using a lot of machine type exercise, there is a chance that Type II-B fibers are not even being significantly activated. Not only must the weight be heavy enough to stimulate these Type II-B fibers, but the weight must be heavy enough to activate all of them. Remember AMS as discussed above--if the weight is fairly heavy but not a maximum, these Type II-B fibers will take turns contracting. This is not overload. This is simply physiology in action as the muscles are performing their designated tasks and are not being overloaded. A true muscle overload will not occur while AMS is taking place. There is a type of muscle fiber overload that can occur toward the last few reps if AMS is occurring and the lifter trains until failure. Yet this type of overload only effects a small number of muscle fibers. True overload is seen when the muscle is hit with heavy, fast, intense weight-resistant exercise.

"Lifters who train in a haphazard, unenthusiastic style are very likely not even stimulating the type of muscle fibers which have a potential to grow."

These lifters are, at best, slightly stimulating the Type II-B fibers but are not coming close to overloading them or forcing them to grow. There is no magical number of repetitions that maximally stimulates Type II-B fibers. Generally, ten repetitions or less is best, but there are extenuating circumstances which may see an intense set go up to 12 and even 15 repetitions. The legs can be worked with an occasional heavy set of 20 repetitions because they are so muscular. More often than not, the Type II-B fibers will either suffer fatigue by the eighth repetition and on occasion, only three repetitions will do it. The key is not so much the number of repetitions or sets but rather in the fierceness and enthusiasm with which the repetitions are performed.

Overload occurs when all Type II-B fibers are stimulated simultaneously over and over again with each repetition, until they are all ready to quit. Then, somehow, someway, the lifter pushes those fibers beyond muscle fatigue to the point at which these muscle have never been before. It is imperative to comprehend this. Overload does not occur simultaneous to muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue is the failure of the muscle to perform because it runs out of its fuel, ATP.

Most lifters pick up a weight, count to eight or ten repetitions, and set the weight down. This is not effective weight training. Counting reps and following a certain set pattern can be a bad habit and leads to stagnant training. Perhaps on occasion you have trained past the certain eight or ten reps and pushed your muscles to the point at which you could not lift the weight another time. That is training to failure and is not synonymous with intensity. Overload usually occurs after you have perceived muscle failure. The lifter who can go beyond that point and push that muscle to a point where it has not been before is the one who will stimulate growth. The body will have no choice but to adapt to survive. As indicated earlier, the body does not want to do this. The body wants to stay the same. The mind has got to push the body past what it is capable of, and this creates weight-training intensity. What the popular muscle mags and training courses don't want you to know is that your chances of ever achieving this level are not good. The top muscle mags like to portray bodybuilding as a sport for everyone. That is pretty much propaganda--the truth is that most lifter don't have the discipline, drive, nor the skill to train intensely. Thus most athletes find themselves making no gains in size or strength, and they continually search for that elusive aspect that is holding up their program. When you think about it, it is much easier to search for some magic pill, powder, or injection than it is to accept that you haven't been training intensely enough to stimulate muscle growth.

Forget everything you thought you knew about intensity and get ready to learn what it really means. Intense weight training is not something you just walk into the gym and automatically know how to do. It is a skill and thus requires practice, discipline, and enthusiasm. There are a number of methods which you can use to develop this skill to train intensely. By practicing these skills, you will immediately notice an increase in intensity but to truly reach your potential and develop your skills to the fullest, you must continue to practice these methods for months and months.

The first thing you need to do is accept the fact that your lack of weight-training intensity has limited your progress and will continue to do so unless you can master this skill. Second, you must be ready to experience pain. Intense weight training involves pain; it's that simple. Although some athletes claim you get used to the pain, physiologically that just isn't possible. The body does adapt to many senses, that is, if you are listening to especially loud music, your sense of hearing will adapt and over a period of minutes, the music does not seem as loud. Your vision adapts; when you walk out into a bright sunlight, it seems especially blinding, but in a matter of seconds, the light does not seem to be as bright. Quite literally, all sensations go through some level of adaptation with the exclusion of one, pain. Nerve receptors do not downgrade their perception of pain. I believe this dispels the theory that these workouts are only painful for a little while. The fact is, they hurt the first time you do them; they hurt the 100th time you do them--they are supposed to. After getting in the proper mind set for intense weight training, it is time to go practice some skills.

"Squatting is by far the best overall body exercise you could possibly perform; it is also difficult and excruciating."

The premier exercise for developing the skills to train intensely is the squat. Squatting is by far the best overall body exercise you could possibly perform; it is also difficult and excruciating. Your first assignment for increasing your overall training intensity is to take your perceived 10 rep maximum in the squat and do it 20 times. That's right, 20 times. For example, if during your normal workout you were accustomed to completing a tough set of squats with 275 pounds for 10 reps, your assignment is to do 275 pounds for 20 repetitions. Believe me, if you've completed 10 reps at this weight before, you have the ability to complete 20. Whether you can realize that ability or not, really determines if you can train with the type of intensity it takes to grow.

To perform this intense set of squats, you should first thoroughly warm up by doing such exercises as the stationary bike, stretching and at least two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions with a light weight. Once your heart rate is over 110 beats per minute and you are breathing heavily, your muscles are warm and your tendons are loosened up, it is time to step under the weight. Load the bar with your perceived 10 rep maximum and get ready to inflict some pain. Nothing complicated about it, just take the bar off the rack, squat to a position where the top of your thighs are parallel to the floor and drive it back up. Take it one rep at a time, thoroughly breathing in and out between repetitions as if each were a one rep maximum. Once you get to the 10th rep, you will naturally want to give up because that is what you have conditioned yourself to do in all your other workouts. Once you start your 11th repetition, you can have confidence that you are leaving most all weightlifters behind you. You are taking a step in a direction you have wanted since you began your weightlifting efforts. You are conditioning yourself to train intensely and develop your skills so that you can be a real bodybuilder. Perform the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th rep one at a time and breath out at least five times at the top of each rep. If you make it to the 16th repetition, you can be sure that you are on your way to a new level of weightlifting. By this point, your breathing is uncontrollably heavy; you will likely have tunnel vision and may not even be able to hear if your training partner is encouraging you to continue. By the time you go down and drive out that 17th repetition, you realize that the first 16 reps were merely a prelude for overload. The 17th, 18th, and 19th repetitions may take up to 10 seconds each as you clear your lungs completely 5 to 10 times before you can prepare yourself to bend down again and drive up that weight. By the time you are ready to do the 20th repetition, you will likely be relying solely on the power of your mind as every muscle in your body has reached fatigue several reps ago. How strong is your mind? Get tough, get mean, and discover intensity as you bend down for that 20th rep and drive it back up with a scream. As you struggle to put the squat bar back on the rack, your sense of victory may be overshadowed by fatigue and mental exhaustion.

At this point, it is prudent to lie down on a bench and engage in deep breathing for at least 3 or 4 minutes. It is not uncommon to pass out, vomit, be unable to walk, and/or have ringing in your ears. This will all subside in a matter of minutes at which point you are likely to notice many of the others in the gym staring at you like you're crazy. That is what you want them to think; you are crazy enough to push yourself to the point where your muscle will grow.

"Get tough, get mean, and discover intensity as you bend down for that 20th rep and drive it back up with a scream."

This one intense set of squats is your only set on that exercise for this stage of your skill development. It would be impossible to execute another set that was at anywhere near that level of intensity and since you are attempting to break the habit and conditioning of performing sets of less than 100% overload, do not do anymore sets of the squat at this point. By doing this intense 20 repetitions of the squat, you will have a very clear idea of what we mean by overload and intensity.

Of the few athletes who do train in this manner, the majority of them take advantage of stimulants like Dymetadrine 25, Pep-Back (a caffeine supplement), Inosine, and a lactic acid buffer like Phos Fuel. Another common practice is to use a high-carbohydrate pre-workout drink and a recovery drink like Cytomax before, during, and after this type of intense workout as they are especially debilitating to the glucose and glycogen levels. Your body will be overwhelmed by the demand on its glucose and glycogen reserves once you take your training to this level.

For the next six weeks, your intensity assignment is to perform just one set of this 20 rep squat exercise two times a week in place of your usual squat sets. Each time you perform the exercise, add additional weight. This fulfills the progressive requirement of intensity. Even if it is only five pounds, it still increases the intensity level by a small percentage. If you do not have what it takes to perform this intensely, accept the fact that you are destined to be a recreational weight lifter. The recreational weight lifter still incurs many advantages that bodybuilding offers; however, massive muscle development is not one of them.