| Archives October 1, 2009

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Denis Pedneault is one
of Canada's greatest bodybuilders ever he's won three national-level titles
and is ranked top 10 in the world and has achieved this naturally. Denis is a
lifetime, drug-free competitor. Denis is also one of the country's best personal trainers
who has unique ideas about weight training that are suitable for men and women alike.
(Photo by Yves Desbiens) |
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Denis Pedneaults 3x9 A
Simple Yet Effective Routine for Gaining Muscle Quickly
Some people think that women shouldnt train with
weights the way men do that there should be girl training or some such
thing. Dont tell that to Denis Pedneault, whos not only one of Canadas
best all-natural bodybuilders ever (hes a three-time Canadian champion and is ranked
among the top ten in the world), but one of the countrys best trainers as well. The
routines he prescribes for women are the same ones he uses on men and himself!
Denis is not your average personal trainer. His educational
background is in kinesiology, and, in addition to offering personal-training services, he
works as a rehabilitation therapist and teaches exercise prescription at his local
university. If thats not enough, hes an expert on posture too. If you look at
the way he stands, youll see he holds himself picture perfect. Denis is a guy who is
educated and experienced, and he practices everything he preaches. He also thinks far
outside the box and has developed exercises as well as workout routines for men and women
that are vastly superior to those taught by most trainers today.
Its for all these reasons that we recruited Denis to
be a part of our team and help with training Natalie Waples, the well-known figure star
whom we sponsor and I personally coach. We brought in Denis to offer new ideas to improve
her physique so that when she competes again, shell be in her best shape ever. Denis
met with Natalie, assessed her condition thoroughly, and then mapped out a complete
exercise program that he felt would do the trick.
The program Denis created detailed the exercises he wanted
her to perform along with specific set and rep schemes. In fact, its almost
identical to the program he uses himself to compete on the national and international
stage. According to Denis, theres little to differentiate the type of training that
he or Natalie should do. The goals are similar, as are the methods employed to get there.

Denis is very particular about how each exercise must
should be performed. Here he instructs Natalie Waples before the beginning of her first
set of lying dumbbell rows.
A key component of the first part of her program centered
around Deniss 3x9 routine a simple, efficient set-and-rep scheme that Denis
uses as the foundation for his own training when he wants to build muscle. The 3 refers to
the number of working sets done (we always started with a warm-up beforehand), the
9 refers to the number of reps per set. With this method, he only recommends one exercise
per body part for optimal results.
To some, 3 sets wont seem like much or enough.
Open any print magazine and youll see routines with numerous exercises and 10, 20,
even 30 sets per body part. The problem with those lengthy routines is that they usually
lead to overtraining. Some people might be able to do them and progress, but most people
will end up taxing their systems too hard and regress. Denis would rather have the person
do fewer sets, but have them perform them very well. These 3 sets, done properly, are
enough to induce muscle growth with no risk of overtraining.
The 3x9 is similar to Vince Girondas 3x8 routine that
Ive written about before but with Deniss own twist. (Gironda was a legendary
trainer from the 50s through to the 90s who invented many of the training
principles that people today take for granted.) Whereas Girondas routine had the
person increase the weight with each set (50% of an 8-rep maximum of the first set, 75%
for the second, 100% for the third), Denis starts out with a 9-rep maximum weight (after
warm-up) and maintains the same weight throughout each set afterwards. Therefore, as the
sets increase, so, too, does the effort.
The rest between sets is about 1-2 minutes enough to
feel fully recovered so youre not out of breath before you start the next set. The
idea is to get the most out of each of the three sets with perfect form without the use of
forced reps.
If the trainer has picked out the proper weight to use
(important!), each set should be done with this kind of effort (remember: after warm-up!):
- Set 1: The 9 reps should be difficult to do, with the 9th
rep being the last one possible without assistance or cheating to perform the next one.
- Set 2: The 9 reps should be extremely difficult to do; in
fact, the person might be unable to finish them. If that happens, the person can stop
midway and "rack" the weight, rest for a few seconds, and then carry on until 9
reps are completed.
- Set 3: The 9 reps should be impossible to do; instead, on
this set, you strive for as many reps as possible and work toward the goal of reaching 9
reps with each successive workout. At first, you might only get 6 or 7 reps.
Obviously, its important to put full effort into all
three sets. The first set will be difficult but manageable, but the next two should be
extremely hard, since you likely wont be able to finish in one shot. But thats
not enough its important to use progressive resistance with this kind
of routine. In other words, every so often you have to increase the weights youre
lifting, but without sacrificing form. If you dont increase the weights, youre
not likely to improve.

Denis ensures that the exercise is performed precisely
so that the targeted muscles are worked effectively. Denis always emphasizes exercise
quality of quantity, which allows him to keep workouts brief.
The way to gauge whether you move ahead with the weight is
to assess the performance on the second and third sets. If you can do 9 reps on the second
set without stopping, and youre reaching 8 or 9 reps on the last set, then its
time to increase the weight for the next training session. A training journal is a good
way to keep track.
What I like about Denis is that hes not afraid to go
against the norm, just like Vince Gironda did decades ago. Both guys think far outside the
box and arent afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. Their proof is in the result.
This 3x9 routine might seem so simple to some that
theyll assume that it cant work. From our experience, it does. After one month
on this routine, Natalie was stronger, her muscles were fuller, and she was fully
recovered and ready to move to the next step of training Denis had planned. Well be
publishing many more articles about Denis Pedneault and the unique training routines and
exercises hes developed in the coming months.
. . . Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com
Denis Pedneault is located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
You can contact Denis by e-mail to denis@seriousaboutfitness.com.
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