Has anyone read Huge in a Hurry by Chad Waterbury? It's put out by Men's Health (the magazine for those who aren't familiar with it).
Waterbury's technique supposedly uses the latest knowledge of physiology to debunk the conventional methods for gaining muscle mass. If the science behind it is correct, it certainly makes sense to me that it should work. In the very least it's another method to try, especially for anyone who has plateaued or is bored with their routines.
The basic premise is this: lift heavy, lift fast. The rational is as follows:
A small motor unit consists of a bundle of small muscle fibers and a small neuron. A large motor unit consists of a large bundle of muscle fibers and a large neuron. The medium stuff is obvious, I hope. ;) Small motor units always get recruited first. If more are needed, the medium ones get recruited, and if even more are needed, the large join in. That is key. Small motor units are used for fine motor skills and use the least amount of energy, allowing for continuous use. The large motor units, on the other hand, fatigue in about 15 seconds.
Very generally speaking, conventional weightlifting says to do 3 sets at about 10 reps per set, using a moderate weight at a slow to moderate speed. The problem with this is that since the weight is only moderate, you first recruit the small and then medium motor units. The large ones don't come in until the end, if at all. But for the greatest gains it is obvious that you want to work the large ones as well.
Since force is equal to mass x acceleration (f=ma, for those who took physics), lifting a heavy mass as quickly as possible (as fast as possible while maintaining form and control), recruits all motor units. Remember the order of recruiting and it becomes clear that if you have recruited the large ones, you've recruited all of them.
Basically, instead of doing 3 sets of 8 (he goes into why a target of around 25 is for best mass and fat loss), you would do 8 sets of 3. You lift heavy and lift fast, carefully maintaining form, and as soon as you notice a rep that is slower than the previous one, you stop. Or, as soon as you can't maintain form you stop. These two signs mean that since you recruited the large motor units right from the first rep, your large motor units are now fatigued.
So by doing 8 sets of 3 (it's just an example; the number of reps or sets can vary), you are always recruiting all of your muscle fibers, enabling the greatest muscle gains and burning more calories.
Anyway, that's a very quick overview of the first three chapters; there is a lot more theory and background to it. It sure makes sense to me. There are a lot of pictures of different exercises and it looks like he goes into routines and different phases in which the target total reps change (strength, getting big/lean, getting bigger).
Waterbury's technique supposedly uses the latest knowledge of physiology to debunk the conventional methods for gaining muscle mass. If the science behind it is correct, it certainly makes sense to me that it should work. In the very least it's another method to try, especially for anyone who has plateaued or is bored with their routines.
The basic premise is this: lift heavy, lift fast. The rational is as follows:
A small motor unit consists of a bundle of small muscle fibers and a small neuron. A large motor unit consists of a large bundle of muscle fibers and a large neuron. The medium stuff is obvious, I hope. ;) Small motor units always get recruited first. If more are needed, the medium ones get recruited, and if even more are needed, the large join in. That is key. Small motor units are used for fine motor skills and use the least amount of energy, allowing for continuous use. The large motor units, on the other hand, fatigue in about 15 seconds.
Very generally speaking, conventional weightlifting says to do 3 sets at about 10 reps per set, using a moderate weight at a slow to moderate speed. The problem with this is that since the weight is only moderate, you first recruit the small and then medium motor units. The large ones don't come in until the end, if at all. But for the greatest gains it is obvious that you want to work the large ones as well.
Since force is equal to mass x acceleration (f=ma, for those who took physics), lifting a heavy mass as quickly as possible (as fast as possible while maintaining form and control), recruits all motor units. Remember the order of recruiting and it becomes clear that if you have recruited the large ones, you've recruited all of them.
Basically, instead of doing 3 sets of 8 (he goes into why a target of around 25 is for best mass and fat loss), you would do 8 sets of 3. You lift heavy and lift fast, carefully maintaining form, and as soon as you notice a rep that is slower than the previous one, you stop. Or, as soon as you can't maintain form you stop. These two signs mean that since you recruited the large motor units right from the first rep, your large motor units are now fatigued.
So by doing 8 sets of 3 (it's just an example; the number of reps or sets can vary), you are always recruiting all of your muscle fibers, enabling the greatest muscle gains and burning more calories.
Anyway, that's a very quick overview of the first three chapters; there is a lot more theory and background to it. It sure makes sense to me. There are a lot of pictures of different exercises and it looks like he goes into routines and different phases in which the target total reps change (strength, getting big/lean, getting bigger).
