As mentioned in the last e-zine, the T/NT routine has been producing some great results, so we’ve decided to stick with it for another month or so with a few minor changes to keep the progress coming. This schedule has worked so well , in fact, that the changes we’ve made are pretty minor. All we’ve really done is to change traumatic calf training to Friday and nontraumatic to Wednesday. We decided this would be more logical since it would allow more time for recovery after the traumatic workout. We also felt that, although our arms were getting plenty of indirect work on the Monday and Friday workouts, they weren’t getting hit quite hard enough. To solve this problem, we simply changed the arm workout to a full Positions-of-Flexion routine.
Some readers have had trouble understanding the difference between traumatic and nontraumatic workouts since neither is really meant to be ‘easy.’ The traumatic workouts are not only heavy but also include stretch-position movements to further traumatize the muscle group being worked. Most of these exercises are also performed with free-weights so that they’re a bit more taxing than cable or machine work.
Cables and machines are usually less traumatic because of the friction from the weight stack. This factor can really bring down the resistance of the negative movement, and the negative movement is what causes the most fiber damage. A weight stack lessens the severity of the movement. This, of course, isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it works perfectly for this style of training.
The training split is still as follows:
Mon.: Quads, hamstrings, chest, back, delts
Wed.: Deadlifts, traps, calves, triceps, biceps, forearms, abs
Fri.: Quads, hamstrings, calves, chest, back, delts
As you look at the full routine (shown in the Dec. 2000 IRONMAN), you’ll notice that the work sets are usually limited to two to three per exercise. This means that every set counts (even more than usual) so you really need to go into the gym with the right attitude. Drive and intensity are two of the biggest factors in a routine like this’not to mention diet and recovery.
Below is a sample of our revised calf routine.
Nontraumatic Calves (Wed)
Seated calf raises 2 x 12-18
Standing machine
calf raises 1 x 15-20
Traumatic Calves (Fri)
Donkey calf raises 2 x 12-18
One-leg dumbbell
calf raises 2 x 12-18
As mentioned in ‘Train, Eat Grow’ in the December 2000 issue of IRONMAN, there are some tips to remember.
1) Warmups should be taken seriously and done in a very controlled manner to be sure you’re in tune with the muscle group you’re about to work.
2) Most of your stretching will take place during the stretch-position exercises but you may do some very minor stretching in between warmup sets for compound exercises’just to get used to the full-range of motion.
3) To achieve the best results, make sure each set lasts 30 to 60 seconds. While the amount of reps will vary from one exercise to the next, it’s important to keep the appropriate time under tension for each, regardless of how many reps.
4)Don’t rest between reps. Try to stop just shy of locking out and then begin the next rep. Stopping, even breifly, between reps takes away from the tension on the muscle.
5) Since this is a mass-building program, you don’t have to rush to your next set. It’s okay to rest up to a minute and a half between exercises if necessary.
That’s it for this month’s e-zine. We’re already planning the new routine (and new growth) we’ll be starting next month in the ITRC so train hard and be prepared.
This special report was submitted by Jonathan Lawson
From the IRONMAN Training & Research Team
www.ironmanmagazine.com
The ITRC Training Newsletter is not intended as training advice for everyone. You must consult your physician before beginning any diet or training program. You may forward this email to as many friends as you want, but do not photocopy or reprint this report in any format without the written permission of the copyright holder.
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