HeavyDutyGuy
10-06-2010, 05:44 PM
History and Context
Genetics and Individual Potential
Goals and Motivation
Theory
Practice High Intensity Training- the Next Generation
Advanced Methods
Nutrition
Supplementation
Anabolic Therapy
Contest Preparation
History and Context
High Intensity Training is one of the oldest, widely practiced, yet misunderstood methods of resistance training in existence. Although sometimes regarded as an obscure, radical or even cultish pursuit, its roots lie in the very foundations of progressive resistance training. The principles which underlie High Intensity training are the same that underlie all systematic progressive resistance training! Although this may seem a bold statement to some, even a cursory examinations of the underlying principles will show the truth to this statement.
The foundations of high intensity training go as far back as the 19th century. To elaborate, let us first look at the roots of progressive resistance training as a whole. Some 2000 years ago, yes that far back, Milo of Crotona undertook and interesting resistance training experiment to increase his strength. He began lifting a small calf overhead on a daily basis. As the calf grew at a small incremental rate, his strength increased to accommodate the increased load on his muscles Since growth, even for cattle, is relatively minor on a daily basis, it was probably not enough noticeable for Milo. Eventually, the animal grew into an adult bull which he was able to lift! Quite an accomplishment! Whether the story is true, or apocryphal, the principle behind it is valid. Lift progressively heavy weights and your strength will increase to adapt to the increased load.
Genetics and Individual Potential
The study of human genetics has been one of the fastest explosions of human knowledge over the last 100 years. Thanks to recent advances, the Human Genome has been mapped and a wealth of knowledge obtained. It will be many years before this has been fully mined and understood. However, the basics of genetics have been understood for quite some time. For our purposes, it is necessary to know that human characteristics are spread over a continuum. Many of these characteristics follow a distribution pattern known as the Bell curve. This is literally an upside down bell shaped curve with the bulge in the exact middle and tapering down on both ends. Phenomena such as human intelligence are expressed along such a curve with geniuses at the far right end, and the unfortunately severely mentally challenged on the left. The bulk of individuals- the average person would fall in the middle of the bulge- at the highest point. As is probably obvious, there are far more average people than there individuals at the extremes. Intelligence is far from the only characteristic that is found to follow such a distribution. Height, with giants and NBA centers at one end and midgets at the other end also follows this pattern. Individual muscular potential also follows this pattern, though not quite as obviously as height as there are several factors, each of which makes up an individual’s genetic potential.
What are these factors which make up our unique genetically determined potential for muscular development? The most obvious is bone structure. This is fairly easy to see even in the average untrained individual. We have all seen the big boned natural, who looks like a Brahma bull even if he never touched a weight! Of course if this person’s goal is to be a high fashion model, such a genetic structure is not an advantage! On the other end of the spectrum, there is the small boned individual who struggles to put on any meaningful muscular mass at all. The American psychologist William Sheldon in the 1940's categorized these body types into three basic types- ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs.
Ectomorphs tend to be tall and lean, with long limbs and string muscles, a shallow rib cage and smaller bones. Mesomorphs are more naturally muscular with broad shoulders and deep chest. Endomorphs are more roundish with higher amounts of body fat.
Or as Sheldon categorized them, Ectomorphy focused on the nervous system and the brain (ectoderm) - the tendency towards slightness, corresponds to Cerebrotonia temperament artistic, sensitive, apprehensive, introvert. Mesophorphy- focused on musculature and the circulatory system (mesoderm), has the tendency towards muscularity, corresponds to the Somatotonia temperament courageous, energetic, active, dynamic, assertive, aggressive, risk taker. Endomorphy - focused on the digestive system, particularly the stomach (endoderm); has the tendency toward plumpness, corresponds to Viscerotonia temperament tolerant, love of comfort and luxury, extravert. http://www.kheper.net/topics/typology/somatotypes.html (http://www.kheper.net/topics/typology/somatotypes.html).
One can easily see which type would have a natural advantage, a head start, in muscular development. Obviously, the mesomorph has natural characteristics which would lend themselves to success in muscular development. Famous bodybuilders such as John Grimek, Sergio Olive, Casey Viator and Mike Mentzer were highly mesomorphic. If you don’t possess the natural attributes of an Oliva or a Viator, don’t despair! Most bodybuilders, including many of the champions had mixed somatotypes. Even the great Arnold Schwarzenegger, started out with what appeared to be an ectomorphic physique type. Ultimate potential and success can only be accurately assessed in retrospect.
The truth is there is an array of factors which come into play in determining how successful any individual will be in building muscle. Along with bone structure, and somatotype, a key factor is muscle length. This refers to the actual length of a muscle from origin to insertion, not to the bone to which the muscle is attached. These muscle lengths vary widely among individuals and even within an individual! An example would be the Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno. Ferrigno possesses very long biceps muscles which allowed him to achieve great mass in that muscle. His gastocnemius, one of the two major muscles in the calf, were higher on his lower leg, limiting his mass potential there. The first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott, had very long biceps muscles, running the full length of the front of his arm, and attaching seemingly below the elbow! He also possessed long muscles in his triceps and forearms, lending itself to what was then ground breaking arm development. Unlike Ferrigno, Scott also possessed long muscles in his calves. Even among the greats genetic gifts vary. The aforementioned great Sergio Oliva probably possessed the most potential of any bodybuilder, with full muscle bellies in all his muscle groups. His biceps actually exceeded the length of his upper arm, attaching seeming in his forearm! Someday, an individual may come along who will display even more potential than Oliva, but such an individual will be a rare one indeed!
How rare? It is difficult to say, but consider that mesomorphs are about one third of the population, with extreme mesomorphs making up a much smaller group. Of these, maybe 10% will take up serious weight training. Of those, possibly 10% will be highly motivated and stay with it long enough to achieve highly significant results. Of that group, maybe 10% will have the intelligence to determine the most effective training method and apply it in a productive manner.
There are a few more factors that influence an individual’s success or lack of it in achieving results. Muscle fiber density- the actual number of fibers within a muscle can vary greatly, both intra species and intra individual. Mike Mentzer, who inherited a highly mesomorphic build and long muscle bellies in most of his major muscle groups, appeared, by his own admission, to lack sufficient muscle fiber density in his pectorals to allow for their development to the degree of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s massive pectoral development.
Neurological efficiency also can influence an individual’s rate and degree of muscle development. This refers to ones ability to contract a muscle- to achieve a high degree of muscular contraction. The higher ones neurological efficiency, the more muscle fibers one can involve in a high intensity contraction. Individuals with a high degree of neurological efficiency are typically much stronger than average. They may possess normal size muscles but they are able to generate a stronger contraction, thus lifting more than another individual of comparable size. Individuals with low neurological efficiency are able to contract a much lower percentage of fibers, preventing them from generating as much power. There are heavily muscled individuals who possess a plethora of other genetic advantages, but who do not possess particularly high neurological efficiency, making them seem not particularly strong for their size. This is a major reason why comparing strength levels between individuals are fairly meaningless.
It should be clear by now that genetic potential is a fairly, but not infinitely complex, array of traits, all of which factor into determining how much, and how fast an individual will respond to resistance training,
Motivation
Motivation can be a make- or break – factor among those individuals pursuing serious weight training. A highly motivated individual can often achieve far more than his more gifted, but less motivated peers. Dorian Yates, who admittedly possessed an abundance of favorable genetic traits which allowed him to go far in bodybuilding, achieved more than most of his peers, not because they also were not genetically gifted, but because he possessed a higher degree of motivation which caused him to train harder, be more exact and careful with his nutrition, to approach all aspects of his training with a lot of thought to the point where he even studied and learned all he could about bodybuilding for weeks before even starting to train!
Dorian, for all his success, was not an alien deposited on Earth with attributes the rest of us humans lack although we can’t all have Mr. Olympia genetics, we can all cultivate and develop the same kind of motivation that Dorian displayed in making it to the professional ranks and then eventually winning multiple Olympia titles.
How then does one develop motivation? The word motivation has the same root as the words motor and emotion. Note that they all have to do with some impetus to movement, whether it is psychological, physical or emotional. Motivation presupposes some goal, something that an individual wants to achieve. The concept of value comes into play here. A value is something that one wants to achieve or keep. The greater the value of the goal to the individual, the greater the degree of motivation to achieve the goal is. An important point to note is that this is a volitional phenomenon. Volition presupposes consciousness. It is a conscious act. Looking at it another way, it is consciousness in action. Logically, then, in order to achieve ones goal, to display a high degree of motivation, one must hold it consciously, that is, in conscious awareness.
To achieve ultimate success in bodybuilding is not easy. It requires an extremely high degree of motivation. Only those individuals who have developed such high levels of motivation can hope to ascend to the highest levels of the sport or even the pinnacle itself- the Mr. Olympia. For those who goals, or potential are more modest, the study and development of motivation is also important if they are going to succeed. Fortunately, anyone can do it if they are willing to expend the required effort.
Genetics and Individual Potential
Goals and Motivation
Theory
Practice High Intensity Training- the Next Generation
Advanced Methods
Nutrition
Supplementation
Anabolic Therapy
Contest Preparation
History and Context
High Intensity Training is one of the oldest, widely practiced, yet misunderstood methods of resistance training in existence. Although sometimes regarded as an obscure, radical or even cultish pursuit, its roots lie in the very foundations of progressive resistance training. The principles which underlie High Intensity training are the same that underlie all systematic progressive resistance training! Although this may seem a bold statement to some, even a cursory examinations of the underlying principles will show the truth to this statement.
The foundations of high intensity training go as far back as the 19th century. To elaborate, let us first look at the roots of progressive resistance training as a whole. Some 2000 years ago, yes that far back, Milo of Crotona undertook and interesting resistance training experiment to increase his strength. He began lifting a small calf overhead on a daily basis. As the calf grew at a small incremental rate, his strength increased to accommodate the increased load on his muscles Since growth, even for cattle, is relatively minor on a daily basis, it was probably not enough noticeable for Milo. Eventually, the animal grew into an adult bull which he was able to lift! Quite an accomplishment! Whether the story is true, or apocryphal, the principle behind it is valid. Lift progressively heavy weights and your strength will increase to adapt to the increased load.
Genetics and Individual Potential
The study of human genetics has been one of the fastest explosions of human knowledge over the last 100 years. Thanks to recent advances, the Human Genome has been mapped and a wealth of knowledge obtained. It will be many years before this has been fully mined and understood. However, the basics of genetics have been understood for quite some time. For our purposes, it is necessary to know that human characteristics are spread over a continuum. Many of these characteristics follow a distribution pattern known as the Bell curve. This is literally an upside down bell shaped curve with the bulge in the exact middle and tapering down on both ends. Phenomena such as human intelligence are expressed along such a curve with geniuses at the far right end, and the unfortunately severely mentally challenged on the left. The bulk of individuals- the average person would fall in the middle of the bulge- at the highest point. As is probably obvious, there are far more average people than there individuals at the extremes. Intelligence is far from the only characteristic that is found to follow such a distribution. Height, with giants and NBA centers at one end and midgets at the other end also follows this pattern. Individual muscular potential also follows this pattern, though not quite as obviously as height as there are several factors, each of which makes up an individual’s genetic potential.
What are these factors which make up our unique genetically determined potential for muscular development? The most obvious is bone structure. This is fairly easy to see even in the average untrained individual. We have all seen the big boned natural, who looks like a Brahma bull even if he never touched a weight! Of course if this person’s goal is to be a high fashion model, such a genetic structure is not an advantage! On the other end of the spectrum, there is the small boned individual who struggles to put on any meaningful muscular mass at all. The American psychologist William Sheldon in the 1940's categorized these body types into three basic types- ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs.
Ectomorphs tend to be tall and lean, with long limbs and string muscles, a shallow rib cage and smaller bones. Mesomorphs are more naturally muscular with broad shoulders and deep chest. Endomorphs are more roundish with higher amounts of body fat.
Or as Sheldon categorized them, Ectomorphy focused on the nervous system and the brain (ectoderm) - the tendency towards slightness, corresponds to Cerebrotonia temperament artistic, sensitive, apprehensive, introvert. Mesophorphy- focused on musculature and the circulatory system (mesoderm), has the tendency towards muscularity, corresponds to the Somatotonia temperament courageous, energetic, active, dynamic, assertive, aggressive, risk taker. Endomorphy - focused on the digestive system, particularly the stomach (endoderm); has the tendency toward plumpness, corresponds to Viscerotonia temperament tolerant, love of comfort and luxury, extravert. http://www.kheper.net/topics/typology/somatotypes.html (http://www.kheper.net/topics/typology/somatotypes.html).
One can easily see which type would have a natural advantage, a head start, in muscular development. Obviously, the mesomorph has natural characteristics which would lend themselves to success in muscular development. Famous bodybuilders such as John Grimek, Sergio Olive, Casey Viator and Mike Mentzer were highly mesomorphic. If you don’t possess the natural attributes of an Oliva or a Viator, don’t despair! Most bodybuilders, including many of the champions had mixed somatotypes. Even the great Arnold Schwarzenegger, started out with what appeared to be an ectomorphic physique type. Ultimate potential and success can only be accurately assessed in retrospect.
The truth is there is an array of factors which come into play in determining how successful any individual will be in building muscle. Along with bone structure, and somatotype, a key factor is muscle length. This refers to the actual length of a muscle from origin to insertion, not to the bone to which the muscle is attached. These muscle lengths vary widely among individuals and even within an individual! An example would be the Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno. Ferrigno possesses very long biceps muscles which allowed him to achieve great mass in that muscle. His gastocnemius, one of the two major muscles in the calf, were higher on his lower leg, limiting his mass potential there. The first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott, had very long biceps muscles, running the full length of the front of his arm, and attaching seemingly below the elbow! He also possessed long muscles in his triceps and forearms, lending itself to what was then ground breaking arm development. Unlike Ferrigno, Scott also possessed long muscles in his calves. Even among the greats genetic gifts vary. The aforementioned great Sergio Oliva probably possessed the most potential of any bodybuilder, with full muscle bellies in all his muscle groups. His biceps actually exceeded the length of his upper arm, attaching seeming in his forearm! Someday, an individual may come along who will display even more potential than Oliva, but such an individual will be a rare one indeed!
How rare? It is difficult to say, but consider that mesomorphs are about one third of the population, with extreme mesomorphs making up a much smaller group. Of these, maybe 10% will take up serious weight training. Of those, possibly 10% will be highly motivated and stay with it long enough to achieve highly significant results. Of that group, maybe 10% will have the intelligence to determine the most effective training method and apply it in a productive manner.
There are a few more factors that influence an individual’s success or lack of it in achieving results. Muscle fiber density- the actual number of fibers within a muscle can vary greatly, both intra species and intra individual. Mike Mentzer, who inherited a highly mesomorphic build and long muscle bellies in most of his major muscle groups, appeared, by his own admission, to lack sufficient muscle fiber density in his pectorals to allow for their development to the degree of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s massive pectoral development.
Neurological efficiency also can influence an individual’s rate and degree of muscle development. This refers to ones ability to contract a muscle- to achieve a high degree of muscular contraction. The higher ones neurological efficiency, the more muscle fibers one can involve in a high intensity contraction. Individuals with a high degree of neurological efficiency are typically much stronger than average. They may possess normal size muscles but they are able to generate a stronger contraction, thus lifting more than another individual of comparable size. Individuals with low neurological efficiency are able to contract a much lower percentage of fibers, preventing them from generating as much power. There are heavily muscled individuals who possess a plethora of other genetic advantages, but who do not possess particularly high neurological efficiency, making them seem not particularly strong for their size. This is a major reason why comparing strength levels between individuals are fairly meaningless.
It should be clear by now that genetic potential is a fairly, but not infinitely complex, array of traits, all of which factor into determining how much, and how fast an individual will respond to resistance training,
Motivation
Motivation can be a make- or break – factor among those individuals pursuing serious weight training. A highly motivated individual can often achieve far more than his more gifted, but less motivated peers. Dorian Yates, who admittedly possessed an abundance of favorable genetic traits which allowed him to go far in bodybuilding, achieved more than most of his peers, not because they also were not genetically gifted, but because he possessed a higher degree of motivation which caused him to train harder, be more exact and careful with his nutrition, to approach all aspects of his training with a lot of thought to the point where he even studied and learned all he could about bodybuilding for weeks before even starting to train!
Dorian, for all his success, was not an alien deposited on Earth with attributes the rest of us humans lack although we can’t all have Mr. Olympia genetics, we can all cultivate and develop the same kind of motivation that Dorian displayed in making it to the professional ranks and then eventually winning multiple Olympia titles.
How then does one develop motivation? The word motivation has the same root as the words motor and emotion. Note that they all have to do with some impetus to movement, whether it is psychological, physical or emotional. Motivation presupposes some goal, something that an individual wants to achieve. The concept of value comes into play here. A value is something that one wants to achieve or keep. The greater the value of the goal to the individual, the greater the degree of motivation to achieve the goal is. An important point to note is that this is a volitional phenomenon. Volition presupposes consciousness. It is a conscious act. Looking at it another way, it is consciousness in action. Logically, then, in order to achieve ones goal, to display a high degree of motivation, one must hold it consciously, that is, in conscious awareness.
To achieve ultimate success in bodybuilding is not easy. It requires an extremely high degree of motivation. Only those individuals who have developed such high levels of motivation can hope to ascend to the highest levels of the sport or even the pinnacle itself- the Mr. Olympia. For those who goals, or potential are more modest, the study and development of motivation is also important if they are going to succeed. Fortunately, anyone can do it if they are willing to expend the required effort.