I had to put off the gym for a few weeks after slipping on the stairs and straining my patellar tendon. The time away from the gym was kind of nice for a recharge and allowed me to hit the gym with a vengeance upon my return. I've really noticed increased upper body mass the last couple of weeks, though I have not measured. I can move furniture more easily, which pleases Mrs. Medic8r as we redecorate Medic8r Manor.
My bench press has increased from 200 to 220, doing a power set of 6 reps today. Have not tried to determine absolute max (one rep). Ha, it may be 225, but still, I was never even able to crack the "200 club" in high school. Most other sets are using about 10-20% more weight than when I last checked in, at 10-15 reps each.
The "light bulb" moments in terms of body awareness are part of what keeps me going. My favorite moment was on a bike ride in the neighborhood last week. There's one hill on the last half of the ride that has always seemed impossibly tough - even in a low gear, I'd have to walk it some times. On the last ride, however, I charged up it easily in a medium gear. The feeling of my quadriceps powering me up the hill was really something else.
Hey doc you’ve discovered on your own what research has been showing . . . that taking periodic time off actually enhances muscle growth and does not hamper but often improves strength. Unfortunately old paradigms die hard especially when people have invested a lot of time and belief in them.
I’ve been following a protocol called Hypertrophic Specific Training (HST) incorporates 4 basic principles one of which you just dicoverd:
http://thinkmuscle.com/forum/showthread.php?12726-Strategic-Deconditioning
Granted, any form of exercise will alter patterns of protein synthesis and degradation. But a muscle cell can only grow significantly if some degree of tissue microtrauma occurs. This is brought about when the load is sufficient to strain the cell membrane and its integral structural and contractile protein structures. This signals cellular messengers of various kinds including calcineurin and MAPKs and their associated nuclear counterparts.
Now, if you are training without the aid of exogenous hormones, you will eventually come to the limit of your voluntary strength if you have used the principle of progressive overload. Obviously, at this limit you will be training at 100% effort. And essence, your progress has also reached its pinnacle. The muscle is absolutely tuff as shoe leather (so to speak) and you can no longer add more weight to get it to grow further. What do you do? Well, you can do what thousands of people do and simply beat your brains out using the same weight workout after workout for months or even years on end. As long as your level of conditioning (resistance to microtrauma) stays the same, and the level of weight you use stays the same, your muscles will stay the same. Big or small, they will stay the same.
SD is simply a method that allows (not “tricks”) your muscles to continue to grow, using weights that your muscles have seen before. The method is simple, the science is complicated, the results are significant.
P.S. If you are afraid of using baby weights, check your ego at the door, or use the heaviest weights you can lift from day one an be satisfied with your results, in other words, stop looking for anything better.
I have never claimed that a period of Strategic Deconditioning lasting 7-12 days would completely revert your muscles to an "untrained" state. I have spoken frequently of the rapid training effect or repeated bout effect. Some protection seems to last for a very long time. Still, 7-12 days of complete rest does appear to cause some reversal of the adaptations to training. And from the application, it appears it is sufficient to allow one to start growing again, once gains have stopped with a given weight. Hopefully through the forum and other articles and interviews people have come to learn that SD is more than just a break from training.
A summary of all the principles:
http://thinkmuscle.com/forum/showthread.php?14333-Summary-of-HST-principles
4) Strategic Deconditioning
Before each cycle, in order to make the muscles responsive to the light weights in the beginning, a period of 9-14 days is taken off from all training. This reverses some of the effects of the RBE. It allows HST-users to experience rapid and sustainable progress.
This is one of the reasons why newbies experience such great initial gains. They have had such long deconditioning periods. Trained individuals also notice this; when coming off of a planned or unplanned layoff they often experience a renewal of gains.
Not trying to sound like a fan-boy but this system works. In 8 months at 50 years old I’ve exceeded the gains I made at 35 years old when I was a firefighter and powerlifting for 3 years. I just had to retire my medium T-shirts and switch to large because I’ve put on so much muscle the mediums don’t fit anymore. All of my powerlifts are better in 8 months training than they were in 3 years previously, and I’m not even specializing in power training but muscle building instead.
I highly recommend anyone who wants to put on muscle or break through a training plateau consider applying the principles behind HST. Note that following the exact program is not necessary, as I have not followed it since my 1st cycle. But I do apply all 4 principles.
