Do you guys believe in 'shocking' the muscle

[ChinkNasty]

absolutely....keep changing it up so those little fuckers dont ever get a break or get complacent

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Depends on what you mean by shocking, and for what purpose.

For bodybuilding, it is, I guess, a shock, to take a planned layoff (i.e., HST). However, switching up sets and reps and exercises will not produce further gains in size. It's just not how the body works. It knows the muscle is being stressed. Not that you're using a dumbbell or barbell. You'll recruit different motor units, yes, but switching the method won't influence a huge change of growth.

However, come strength training time, switching things up becomes necessary. I've learned this after reading about Westside. The CNS becomes weaker after doing the same thing for too long, and you no longer excel on the exercises you may have once before. So, in order to keep progress moving, you do board presses, floor presses, decline or incline presses, JM and closegrip bench presses - all to just increase one move. The bench press. And the added tricep/shoulder strength will carry over and make you stronger in other lifts. As in, going from a 200 to 315 lb. bench, you'll be military pressing more too, even if you never directly did it.

 

[Debaser]

then whats the point of taking 9-14 days off before starting HST?

if your muscles are deconditioned and then u go into a routine, they will be shocked, and grow.

That isn't "shocking" in the traditional bodybuilding term. Whenever you hear or read about "shocking" the muscles, or a "shock" routine, when does it ever mentioned a planned deconditioning? They're talking about switching exercises and/or sets and reps in order to catch the muscle "off guard" and "shock growth" into it. Notice the heavy use of quotations, because this "theory" is essentially BS.

 

[TheOak84]

That isn't "shocking" in the traditional bodybuilding term. Whenever you hear or read about "shocking" the muscles, or a "shock" routine, when does it ever mentioned a planned deconditioning? They're talking about switching exercises and/or sets and reps in order to catch the muscle "off guard" and "shock growth" into it. Notice the heavy use of quotations, because this "theory" is essentially BS.

either way, ur muscle is shocked. then to 'shock' the muscle i would just take a week off, thats what ive been doin. im on my sencond cycle of HST and its goin pretty good

 

[InTraining]

I always thought "shocking" the muscles meant doing some insanely high volume or a completely different routine than done before in an attempt to induce some growth...

With some of the "definitions" being thrown around...shocking could mean simply working out a muscle...as that is causing damage and making it repair itself, and if everything else is in check, grow

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Yes, according to Oak's definition, shocking could be doing anything different to the muscle, like maybe increasing the weight. Debaser is right in saying that, by shocking, the original bodybuilding definition is flawed.

 

[WalkingBeast]

I believe in it to some extent. There may be better terms to use to describe it, but I believe in the idea of changing things up in different ways to illicit a response from the muscle. I go by soreness, which has been an effective gauge for me, and I know when I do different exercises or routines I get more soreness then usual. I dont believe in constantly changing a routine however. I think when you change things up too much, too often it doesnt allow the muscle to adapt well to any single movement. For compound exercises I dont really see the point of "shocking" the muscle. Forcing it to adapt, yes. I dont believe that the muscle has its own mind, or anything like that. It just develops a certain way depending on how you train. Id use this technique from time to time on other exercises besides deadlifts,squats and bench. Those exercises should be the core of a mass building routine IMO.

 

[vinylgroover]

In making the thread, i intended the term 'shocking' the muscle in the context of changing exercises and set/rep schemes, not in taking a layoff or break or deconditioning.

I too have always thought it was BS, but i can't be sure.

To my mind, the muscle doesn't know whether your lifting a bag of rocks or a dumbell, only the stress applied to it.

If that's the case, assuming compound exercises are the most stressful to complete, doesn't it stand to reason that those exercises will achieve most growth. So then why replace them for the sake of replacing them with less 'stressful' exercises, for lack of a better term, simply to 'shock' the muscle.

The only doubt i have in my mind is the effect that a shock exercise can have on muscle soreness the next day. Why is it that muscle often becomes more sore when a new exercises is introduced into a routine?

 

[InTraining]

In making the thread, i intended the term 'shocking' the muscle in the context of changing exercises and set/rep schemes, not in taking a layoff or break or deconditioning.

I too have always thought it was BS, but i can't be sure.

To my mind, the muscle doesn't know whether your lifting a bag of rocks or a dumbell, only the stress applied to it.

If that's the case, assuming compound exercises are the most stressful to complete, doesn't it stand to reason that those exercises will achieve most growth. So then why replace them for the sake of replacing them with less 'stressful' exercises, for lack of a better term, simply to 'shock' the muscle.

The only doubt i have in my mind is the effect that a shock exercise can have on muscle soreness the next day. Why is it that muscle often becomes more sore when a new exercises is introduced into a routine?

To answer the question in your last paragraph...I think "hitting the muscle from a new angle"(hate that term for some reason) will have an effect on soreness especially if it is a new exercise or one not done in the routine too often....also the exercise will stress the muscle in a different way ie military press with BB vs with DB...

As for compounds and rep ranges....I believe these should be changed up after a plateau occurs...for instance I have been doing incline BB for the past few weeks using a 3 setsx6 reps scheme..and I am almost stuck....in the near future I will probably move that up to 8 or 10 reps and hope to make gains in that way...but then again I am after size and a little strength but from a pure strength aspect this might not be optimal...

 

[Lililston]

I am always hearing from armchair experts that one muct 'shock' the muscle into growth by periodically changing up the exercises. What do you replace squats or deadlifts or bench with that are just as productive?


Interested in hearing from you guys.

there are a lot of varieties for squats: zerchers, front squats, hack squats, and overheads.