| Detail July 1, 2005
|
Chantal Dicaire knows
the value of experimentation in her training routines. She is constantly looking for new
ways to ensure her body keeps responding and improving.
(photo April 2005 by D. Dave Paul) |
|
Sometimes Less is More
There’s a common misconception about weight training
– many people think, the more you do the better. Frankly, nothing could be
further from the truth or the professionals would be in the gym every waking hour of the
day.
The truth of the matter is, it doesn’t take all that
many sets and reps per muscle group to stimulate growth – in fact, far less than most
people think – and sometimes the way to induce more growth when a certain routine
stops working can be to do less, not more. So, while working more may earn you more
money and eating more may make you put on weight, more and more time in the gym often
doesn’t translate into better progress, at least as far as muscle development is
concerned. Less can be more – way more.
I love reading the writings of Vince Gironda – he was one of
the most knowledgeable trainers who ever lived. He got that way through experimentation,
eventually finding out what would work and what wouldn’t. It was Vince who first put
me onto the notion that doing less can yield better results.
One of his most telling examples of this was something he
wrote about a particular client he was training. He said that this person’s body
wouldn’t respond to any of his typical training programs. He would try this and that,
but found, in the end, the person just couldn’t make any gains with the routines that
worked for most people. However, Gironda, was not the kind of guy to give up; instead,
Gironda was the kind of guy who got innovative when he found a tough problem.
Being well aware of things like overtraining and the need
for recuperation, he surmised that the amount of work he was giving this person, even if
it was ideal for many others, was just too much. So, he cut the person’s workout to
just three sets of eight reps (3x8) per bodypart – for many, a beginner’s
workout – and lo and behold, the person responded. Yes, doing less resulted in more
– more progress, that is.
Intrigued by what Gironda wrote, I experimented recently
with two clients whom I train, one male and one female, both all-natural, of course, and
with many years of training experience. Where they had been using anywhere from six to ten
sets per bodypart on the previous program I had given them, and made gains that way, I
sliced them back to 3x8 for about six weeks, using a full-body workout routine. They did
this full-body workout three times per week, with at least one day of rest between each
training session. I made sure I was there for most of their workouts, that every one of
those three sets per bodypart really counted, and that we moved the weight upward
every time we could, but never at the expense of form or safety.
Although these two never had problems making gains on a
higher-volume program like Gironda’s client did, I was amazed at the progress both
made on this rather simple program that involved fewer sets than they had previously been
doing. In fact, after six weeks they were stronger and bigger, and in both cases, their
lagging bodyparts made noticeable development that improved their overall
bodypart-to-bodypart "balance." In a word – success.
So, next time you think about how to improve a bodypart, or
perhaps your whole body, or you’re not making progress on your current workout
routine, don’t necessarily think that you must do more. Sometimes in weight training less
is more and doing so may help you make gains you never thought possible.
...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com |
