Ergo HIT Variable Training Log...

**ergo** · 06-09-2015, 11:11 PM

An example of the MedX Avenger Chest Press performing rest pauses on this particular set.

**ergo** · 06-10-2015, 07:12 PM

Calves, Back and Biceps were trained today at Gold's Gym North Dallas as I will be Texas for 8 days. I'm going to discuss some advance training and some training misconceptions that you have been led to believe.

First calves: If you have great calves any thing you do will enhance them but that does not necessarily mean you are training them correctly. If you are having and have always been having difficulty adding size and definition to your calves due to some genetic limitation it is because you have not been training them correctly and have been following routines that have been parroted down forever in every article you read. I'm sure you have tried every magazine routine possible and have had very little success and have come to the conclusion that you just cannot have stellar calves and will just continue to wear sweatpants to the gym. This is wrong. 100% wrong. 1st you have been lead to believe that you must train the soleus and the gastrocnemius separately. You cannot separate out the individual muscles of the calves as both of these muscles will fire. Training the calves in a bent knee position (seated) greatly reduces the amount of resistance that can be used and is extremely detrimental in what you are trying to accomplish, which is hypertrophy based upon the first law of moving max resistance for your desired number of repetitions. 2nd you have been lead to believe that the calves require a complete full range of motion (ROM) on the negative stretch. This is completely false and once again detrimental to your goal of using as much resistance as possible. You need only go parallel. Any further limits power! 3rd you have been lead to believe that calves require higher reps (remember a rep is just a unit of time) again higher repetitions is detrimental to your goal of using maximum resistance. Calves are best trained in the 4-8 rep range using a Standing or Donkey calve machine. You can push as high up on the positive as possible for the first 4 reps and then continue on for mini partials as calves are one of the only muscles that will fire using mini partials. Correct these three fallacies and you will use 100's of pounds more resistance immediately. Now for the point that is crucial for your calve development. Always use bands in conjunction with the machine as a form of added resistance from the start at warm ups through your heaviest set. Bands will incrementally increase up to 100's of pounds of added resistance when needed most at the point of peak contraction where you are at your strongest while providing a constant increase in TUT during the positive and a strong damaging gravitational assist on the negative. One rep with bands assisting will create more complete tension for growth then multiple reps without bands. What this means is that the low repetitions that you are doing with tremendously heavier resistance, always creating an increase in TUT from the added band tension, equates to the theory of using higher reps except your poundages will be astronomical compared to trying to grind out 20 lesser tensioned repetitions. I gave up all hope until I was able to extrapolate out this training method. I never thought it would be possible to make any improvements in my genetically high inserted calves. They are not gigantic and never will be, but they are stellar and I receive compliments on them, which blows me away every time, as I was lacking in self esteem due to their previous lack of development.

**ergo** · 06-10-2015, 07:28 PM

Heavy Banded Donkey Calf while training last week in San Francisco at Worlds Gym... Icarian standing with band configuration well over 1000b's resistance. You will become unbelievably strong on calve raises with bands...

**carranoj25** · 06-10-2015, 09:13 PM

Ergo what kind of bands are you using exactly? Like exact measurements or resistance? This all looks very fun to try id like to buy them

**ergo** · 06-10-2015, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by carranoj25

Ergo what kind of bands are you using exactly? Like exact measurements or resistance? This all looks very fun to try id like to buy them

elitefts.com provides professional bands in two sizes 12" mini's and 41" standards. They rate their bands according to pull strength, which means little as you your self basically control the resistance tension by how far you stretch the bands when you attache them. If you notice the gray bands are attached to the bottom frame of the Flex standing calf machine. I could have attached the bands to the foot platform itself, it would have been easier as I would not have had to bend over as far lol, but I wanted the added stretch tension. The stack plus the added plates and the bands were just right for this Flex unit to fall into my preferred rep range of 4-8 with mini partials to failure. Many ways to attache bands...

**ergo** · 06-10-2015, 11:34 PM

The muscles of the back when properly stimulated to produce hypertrophy will grow three dimensionally. There is no such principle that pulldowns produce width and rows provide thickness. The back when appropriately trained grows wide and thick proportionally. Heavy rowing must be on the forefront of your back training for both width and thickness. Your back does not know what row you are performing whether it is with a barbell, dumbbell, cable or a selectorized or plate loaded machine. Nor does your back know whether it is a low row a mid row or a high row. The growth of your back is and always will be dependent upon the amount of resistance that can be pulled or rowed appropriately into peak contraction. It is truly that last 20% of the row pulled into contraction that matters. No amount of free weight barbell or one arm dumbbell rowing can duplicate the minimizing of the cheat involved nor be able to deliver a greater resistance for growth then a chest supported machine. Once again your back does not know what exercise you are performing it only will respond to its maximum potential by following the first law of hypertrophy and that is using the maximum resistance possible for your desired rep range for that given set while trying to stay true to applying as much of the resistance tension into the back. Two major reasons why machines are better. Machines allow for the use of greater resistance and also minimize the cheat involved with free weights thus creating an environment for the delivery of greater growth inducing tension into the contraction then barbells or dumbbells. May be a hard pill to swallow, but it is really that simple. At some point you will not be able to increase the resistance by strictly adding plates as your strength will not allow the initiation or the start of the movement even though you have the power,, once momentum is started, to pull the added resistance into the last vital 20% necessary for new growth. This is what leads to bicep tears as one tries again and again to lift heavier. I will show you one technique on how to avoid this problem and continue to move heavier resistance into peak contraction short of having a spotter assisting you on lift off. What you see in the following pictures is what I call Reverse Band Technique (RBT) using a Precor Spyder Row. I have chosen a weight that I could never initiate on my own without risking a bicep tear and could not perform a set of 4-8 reps which I prefer for back. You can see how I placed the gray band around the chest pad and attached each end of the band to the left and right handles. This was done prior to placing the weight on and was quite easy to do as you can lift the T-Bar up to place the band on and center it. The empty bar with the band attached floated until I placed one 45lb plate on then it settled into it's holder. The band on every rep provided a lift off allowing for me to gain momentum, which took 100% of my power effort with the band in place. The last 20% of the each rep the band went slack and I now was in control with more resistance then I could have normally pulled into contraction then without the RBA. More weight pulled into contraction equates to more hypertrophy. If wanted I could add another band for a total of two bands and go up to 9 plates. Insane weight to pull for new growth. The great thing is the band supplies the perfect spot every time with minimal risk of injury...

**carranoj25** · 06-11-2015, 07:32 AM

I'm seeing a pro average resistance band that's grey and There's a couple options for mini's. Sorry for the confusion I'm not well researched in bands at all. If you can be a little more specific that'd be fantastic

**carranoj25** · 06-11-2015, 07:36 AM

There is a grey pro average band is that the standard one you mention? Also there's a few options for mini'a can you be a tad more specific? Thanks sorry for the confusion but your help is greatly appreciated.

**carranoj25** · 06-11-2015, 08:04 AM

Ooops ergo sorry my app was telling me my posts were not working which is why I have multiple posts of same idea. Sorry about that

**ergo** · 06-11-2015, 08:16 AM

Yes the gray and orange are very good for 41 inch. The green and red and orange are great for minis. If only can afford 2 orange 41 and green mini. I would get all if you can afford. They last forever and will do more for your development then $10,000 worth of protein lol...

**ergo** · 06-11-2015, 10:18 AM

This Low Row HammerNoStrength machine can only accommodate 5 plates per side. I'm using bands not for added tension into peak contraction but for added resistance that I require to fall into my chosen rep range 4-8. I have now shown you two ways to use bands for accelerating back width and thickness. One as an assist "RBA" using a Precor Spyder Row allowing for an assist on the initiation of the pull for maximizing the amount of resistance that can be moved into the contraction and this method that allows for you to increase the resistance when maxed out on a machine... On the Hammer Low Row I have one 41" band attached and one 12" mini band attached...

**ergo** · 06-11-2015, 10:26 AM

After 2 sets using the HammerStrength Low Row. I performed 1 set on this Star Trac (Flex) selectorized low row using the stack and a 45 pound plate pinned on for 8 reps. I travel with two extra long small diameter pins that will fit any stack for this purpose as I can usually stack every machine. It was after the use of this machine that I moved on to the Precor Spyder row for 2 sets of Reverse Band assist (RBA).

**ergo** · 06-11-2015, 10:32 AM

My back workout concluded with one heavy set of 4-8 reps Cybex cable pulldowns using a medium palms facing bar... 7 set total for back was performed.

**ergo** · 06-11-2015, 10:58 AM

4 sets of cable curls were performed for biceps. Cable curls and all variations of the cable curl is the number one exercise for pushing my biceps to the 20"mark. Cable curls provide a continuous tension that is absolutely necessary for a rapid response for growth... I cannot over emphasize the importance of this exercise in pushing your biceps into new explosive growth.