My training style

[WalkingBeast]

I know for a fact that routine would quickly lead to overtraining for me. I know because I used to do that many sets and train that many days per week back in high school. Did not work for me at all.

But, if you're someone that has never done that much then you might as well try it because your body may like that kind of volume.

Just recently I have found that I can handle a greater training frequency and volume then I previously thought I could once I stopped training to failure ala Bill Pearl style sorta.

I think that a person should do as much volume of work as they can up to and before they wear themselves out. Know your limits.

I never thought I was a hardgainer back in highschool and previous training years because I always had a solid bone and muscle structure and made rapid progress when I would actually train for a few months until I'd hit a serious overtraining wall.

As of late, I have found that it was training to intense momentary failure on all or most of my sets that was depleting me. Some people like me do not respond well to being thrashed every workout. Yet, if I moderate my efforts a certain amount I make constant, consistent rapid progress.

Experiment and do what works best for YOU. But, if you've never done that kind of volume before then you might as well try it. KILL THAT SHIT!

Looks like you found what works for you!! Thats all that matters in the end. One reason I put my routine out there is because I believe there is ALOT of lifters out there who call themselves "hardgainers" and make infinite excuses, but when it comes down to it they dont put in the work. If they are not making gains on thier low volume/high intensity routines, or whatever they are doing, Id reccomend they increase the workload and FUCKING KILL THAT SHIT! I did this from the beginning, and I was as boney as is possible. My gains were not quick, but painfully slow. It fucking adds up, but it takes determination,persistence, hard work, and a strong fucking drive to KILL THAT SHIT! When I see the term hardgainer it just sounds like bullshit to me.
I couldve easily used that as an excuse but instead I kept KILLING THAT SHIT each and everyday regardless of circumstances. Not to boast, but it can be done. I can see you KILL THAT SHIT!! Not directed towards you in anyway. Just a rant. When it comes down to it, trying a routine for a few months aint shit! Give it a fucking year and then tell me youve made no gains! If someone is a so called hardgainer they should not be bitching about making NO gains. Someone who makes NO gains is probabally dead. Its fucking hard, but deal with that shit! It ALL adds up! A 1/4 inch on the arms every year fucking adds up! Persistence,patience,HARD TRAINING! TRAIN OR FUCKIN DIE!!

 

[WalkingBeast]

Beast I love your quote, I am new to the board also and I was looking at your bench routine. Do you start with a heavy first press ( reference 395x1) and then work down from there? If so why?

get back at me,
howbig

Welcome to the boards brother!! ThanX for the kind words! No!! haha I dont start like that. Thats just a listing of my best lifts, in no particular order. If I started with 395 Id tear my chest most likely. Depending on the focus of my training the routine can vary. It can sound a little complicated but its not too hard to understand. Ill try to explain. I go through cycles in my flat bench training for example. Sometimes with the inclines too, but Ill use flat bench as the example. I train chest twice a week. Thursday is flat benches and extras, and Sunday is inclines with extras. Here is how the cycles work. There are Rep PR cycles and One Rep Max cycles. Lets say Im in the Rep cycle, and my focus is reps. (these cycles can last anywhere from weeks to months) On the rep day, I will start out the routine as a free-for-all, going for whatever rep PR's I feel I can get. Once Ive exhausted all possibilities for a rep PR, Ill move onto the one rep max for a few sets, then usually Ill go back down and rep out with the lighter weights. Heres one of my Rep Cycle routines:

Flat Bench: (Just the flat bench portion)

135x20
225x12
275x8 (first three sets are warm-ups)
315x9.5 (2 rep PR)
335x5 (1.25 rep PR)
385 (1/2 way up only)
385 (fail)
385 (1/2 way up only)
350x2.5 (Small PR of some type)
300x6
225x25 (1 rep PR)
225x24.75 (Just short of lockout)

You can see the reps took priority in this routine first, then I threw in some one rep maxing. I almost always like to do both one rep maxing and rep work on each day. The cycling just determines which one Ill focus on and exhaust first. The One Rep Max cycle follows the same outline, but I do the reps at the end of the routine. All my sets aside from my warm-ups are to failure on chest day,excluding speed bench. Heres an example of a One Rep Max routine:

Flat Bench: (flat bench portion only)

135x20
225x12
275x5
315x1
335x2
375x1 (All Warm-ups)
395x1 (5Lb PR, Closing in on 405!)
400 (fail)
405 (fail)
400 (fail)
365x1 (Was going for 2,but fatigued quickly today)
315x6.5
225x23.75

You can see the warm-ups are extended, and after 275 they are all one and two rep warm-ups. Sometimes Ill do more repetition sets at the end, but not always. Im currently focusing on One Rep Max for a while. KEEP KILLING THAT SHIT!

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

I agree with you about the hardgainer mentality. I FUCKING hate that word. Just because you start out skinny doesn't make you a hardgainer. Just because progress seems slow doesn't make a person a hardgainer. I despise that word. Stewart McRobert or whatever his name is that created the hardgainer website is an assclown imo. No wonder he never got yoked, not enough food and too much complaining and training to failure with minimal sets. Did he ever even try not training to failure and use more volume?

Anyone that uses the word Hardgainer to describe themselves has already limited their potential, BIG TIME.

I pump myself up constantly. I tell myself I'm a natural born Hercules. That I'm a real life Superman and other shit every day multiple times. The more I say it to myself the more I believe it and the less I limit myself.

It's really too bad that many people limit themselves right from the get go and set limits on what they can achieve. Michael Jordan, Arnold, Bruce Lee and many others people who have achieved great things would never have become what they became and did what they did if they thought negative thoughts all the time.

KILL THAT SHIT BRO'S!