SETT 2 WIN

Today, I squatted 500 lbs for a set of 8 reps, and last week I maxed at 585.  I am now hitting 345 lb shoulder presses for 3 reps, and have made many other gains in all areas.  Workouts are going great, and I am putting on a lot of size for the Universe.

I also just watched my friend Tim compete in the NPC Natural Michigan last weekend.  He won the teen class!  I took care of his diet and precontest training help, with the help of Jesse.  He looked awesome and has an awesome future (look for his photo on the site soon).

Finally, I plan on doing at least one powerlifting meet this offseason...I don't know which one yet.  I will be updating my column more often now, so be sure to check back.  Train hard and eat lots of MEAT.

About Me

Meat…Meat is muscle.  I was given this nickname by Jen Dale after we had first met, and it has stuck ever since.  I am pretty sure there are still members at Bally Total Fitness that do not know my actual name is Mike.  I wear the name proudly…if the shoe fits, right?

I am 21 years old and have competed in 6 contests.  In future posts I will go over my contest history and future plans.  I started bodybuilding when I was lifting for hockey in high school.  About half-way through my Junior year I caught the bug, and bodybuilding took over.  I would train quads on game days!

I graduated from High School in 2005 as a valedictorian.  I worked for Bally Total Fitness while attending a community college for two years, and I am now at Central Michigan University pursuing a degree in secondary education, double-majoring in both Physical Education and in English.

Meat's take on the webmasters-Jesse and Jen Dale:
I have known Jesse and Jen for about three years now.  I was introduced to Jesse from a co-worker of mine at Bally Total Fitness...I had a great interest in competing, but I did not know where to start.  Training for size and training to be shredded for a show are two completely different things, and I had never done the latter.  Needless to say, Jesse was the perfect person for me to meet.  Without any questions, and, much like he providing to you, a fellow bodybuilder, through this website, he gave me diet consultation and a wealth of knowledge--free of charge.  Jesse is a bodybuilder's bodybuilder; he represents what our subculture is all about.  It started as a brotherhood (and sisterhood) of iron, and through competitors like Jesse it remains that way.

Jesse and I have trained together on many occasions, and we finally stepped onstage together at the 2007 OCB Motown Muscle Classic (Pro Qualifier) in Flint.  I walked away with a second place finish, and the overall winner was none other than Jesse Dale.  To be honest, though I did not walk away the victor that night, watching Jesse win took much of the sting away.  In the gym, on the job, and on a diet, Jesse is a methodical workhouse.  He moves extreme poundages and always comes ready on show-day.  He is, however, very humble and homely.  Start a conversation about bodybuilding with him, and you are accepted as family.  Jesse is a true ambassador of the sport, and his passion shows out not only in his physique, but in his willingness to help others realize their own potential and their dreams.  As those who know him personally will attest, Jesse’s heart is the biggest, strongest muscle on his body, and that’s damn impressive.  I can personally say that although we are not brothers by blood, I feel that Jesse is still my brother with the iron, steel, and protein that runs through our veins.

Jen is also a very good friend of mine.  Jen is a Personal Trainer and Personal Training director at Bally Total Fitness.  Just like her other half, she knows her way around the bodybuilding realm.  She trains and prepares many competitors for shows, and is very knowledgeable about presentation and physique judging onstage (I know because she has helped me with my posing).  Jen also takes pride in training just as hard as the big boys when we are in the gym together.  It is quite obvious that the Dale’s eat, sleep, breathe, and DREAM bodybuilding.  Their site is dedicated to the dream of growing the Natural Bodybuilding Circuit.

Okay, It’s time to get down to business.  My main focus in these articles is going to be off-season training, the crucial time where all the work is put in to make improvements that you can show onstage when you’re lean. 

First, one should be sure to check out “Training” under “Programs” on this site.  It will give you a breakdown of what a split routine should look like (training separate bodyparts on different days).

This article covers a couple of basics that will be explored much deeper in the next article…HIGH VOLUME VS. HIGH INTENSITY (LOW VOLUME).

Frequency refers to how often you train a muscle group.  In our example at sett2win.com, we provide a schedule that works each muscle group one day per week.  One can, however, choose to train a muscle twice or even three times per week.  Personally, I would not recommend this.  If a bodybuilder is training very intensely, he or she will need the whole week to recover between workouts.  The only muscle groups that one may be able to train multiple times per week are calves, abs, and forearms because these muscle tend to heal quite quickly. 

My next article will delve into this dilemma much deeper.  However, I feel I should at least shed some light onto the topic now.  How much is enough?  Too much?  Too little?  As bodybuilders, we tend to be extremists in everything we do.  If this much is good, then more is better, right?  No.  Simply put, sometimes less is more.  I am a bodybuilder/powerlifter…notice bodybuilder comes first.  You will never see me do a workout of just benches, squats, and deads; but, my workouts are very brief…and very HEAVY.  When I train alone, my workouts take no longer than 45 minutes.   However, a bodybuilder has to find what works for him or her and use that knowledge to his or her full advantage.

I’ve been using pyramiding with some measureable success, but I'd like to see what HIT can do for my development.  My goals are to increase my strength and muscle mass so that I can eventually be prepared to compete if I want, and I want to be as freakishly muscular as possible - naturally, of course.  What’s a split that I can develop and how do I train using HIT? 
Many thanks,
Anthony 

Anthony recently sent me this question via email and in the forum.  I was going to send him an email back with his answer, but this question actually ties in with the subject I wanted to write about: High Intensity Training (HIT) Principles.

The athletes that are the most well-known for using these principles are Mike Mentzner, Dorian Yates, Mark Dugdale, and Skip Lacour.  I have been using these methods for over a year now, and I will never use another.

High-Volume Training vs. High Intensity Training

High-volume training is composed of many sets, usually using moderate to moderate-heavy weights.  I have used this method before.  I used to train back and legs, for instance, with over 30 sets.  I would do 14 sets of shrugs alone!  Eventually, I tried doing less.  I noticed the less sets I did, the heavier I could go.  Also, my strength gains went through the roof.  What comes with strength?  MASS.

I have to confess, I do not get quite as good of a pump training with HIT principles, but it does not matter.  You see, when gaining mass, it is important to break down the muscle, and then let it repair.  With HIT, one will expend less time and calories in the gym, and, therefore, have more time and calories to HEAL out of the gym.  THE GROWTH OCCURS OUT OF THE GYM. 

That being said, HIT principles are done within about half or even a quarter of the time as a high or moderate volume workout.  This, however, does not make it easier.  The 25-45 minutes of your workout will be hell on Earth.  Each set will be taken to failure…and beyond.  Your mental capacity for training will be trained just as hard as your muscle, since you only get ONE SET per exercise.

I think the best way to describe this type of training is to describe this week’s workout in detail.

Monday (Quads and Heavy Abs)

Squats

*135x5, 225x5, 315x12, 405x8-11

525x1-3

Leg Press

*450x5, 720x7-9, 900x5-7

1170x7 +3 forced reps

Leg Extension

*90x15, 135x15

270x10-12 + 3 forced reps

Barbell Hack Squat

*135x`3, 225x13

315x5-7

Leg-Raises

1 set, 35 lbs added, drop to no weight when failure is reached, continue to failure again

Roman-Chair Sit Ups

1 set to failure + 3 forced reps

Tuesday (Chest, Back, and Heavy Calves and Tibia)

Dumbbell Bench Press
*40s x 8, 75s x 6, 100s x 4

160s x 2-5 (rest-pause)

Ultra-Wide-Grip Pull-Ups

*Warm up with half stack for about 8 reps on pull-down machine, then use bodyweight for 3 reps on pull-up bar.

100 lbs added on belt x 5 reps + 3 forced reps

Incline Barbell Press

*135x8, 225x14

315x5-7 + 1 forced rep  (*note* I do not do many forced reps with my pecs due to previous injuries, feel free to do the traditional 3 forced reps)

Single-Arm Standing Barbell Rows (you can use a dumbbell if they are heavy enough at your gym)

*135x15, 225x12

275x5-7

Wide-Grip Pull-Downs

*Half-Stack x 8, Full Stack x 3

Stack+90 lbs x 14 + 3 forced reps

Pull-overs

*Quarter-Stack x 5

2/5 Stack x 15 + 3 forced reps

Pull-down with Rope, Lean back to get a “High-Row” Type Movement (About 1-2 second squeezes to hit rhomboids)

*Half Stack x 5

Majority of Stack x 14 + 3 forced reps

Incline Dumbbell Press

*75s x 5

125s x 7

Donkey-Raise Machine

*135 x 8

270 x 15-20 + 3 forced reps (2 working sets done here)

Seated Calf-Raise

180 x 5-8 + 3 forced reps (squeeze reps)

Wednesday

OFF

Thursday (Shoulders, Hamstrings, Traps, Lighter Abs)

Upright Rows (Cable)

*¼ stack x 8, ½ stack x 5

Full stack x 15-18 + 3 forced reps

Seated Dumbbell Side Laterals (With Squeeze at top)

*15s x 15

35s x 8-12 + 3 forced reps

Seated Rear Laterals (Squeeze at top)

*15s x 15

30s x 15-20 + 3 forced reps

Smith Machine Shoulder Presses (Bench on 45 degree angle)

*135 x 8, 225 x 8-12

335 x 3-4 + 3 forced reps (*note* Weights are not accurate…Smith Machines do not represent actual weights due to the pulley systems)

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts

*135 x 15, 225 x 14, 315 x 12, 405 x 5-7

495 x 6

Standing Leg Curl (done on Leg Extension Machine)

*45 x 14
80 x 6-8 + 3 forced reps

Lying Leg Curl

Squeeze reps with moderate weight to failure, add 3 forced reps

Ab Machine

2 sets with moderate weight to failure

Friday (Biceps, Triceps, Forearms, Calves, and Lighter Calves and Tibia)

Donkey Raise Machine

*135 x 8

225 x 25 (2 sets)

Seated Calf-Raise

135 x 8-12 (Squeeze reps)

Standing Barbell Cheat Curls

*45 x 8, 135 x 8-12

225 x 4-5 + 3 forced reps

Single-Arm Cable Tricep Extension

*¼ stack x 5, ½ stack x 3

About ¾ stack x 8 + 3 forced reps

Dumbbell Hammer Curls (Cheating, Alternating)

*40s x 5, 75s x 3

125s x 4-5 + 3 forced reps

Close-Grip Smith-Machine Overhead Presses (90 degree bench)

*135 x 8

225 x 6 + 3 forced reps

Skull-Crushers

Moderate Weight , 15-20 reps to failure + 3 forced reps

Cable Preacher Curls

Moderate Weight, 15-20 reps to failure + 3 forced reps

Reverse Curls

125 x 5 + 3 forced reps

Behind Back Barbell Wrist Curls

135 x 30

Hanging

Hang as long as possible from Pull-Up bar to train grip. 

As you can see, I am also an advocate of cheating, but that is another issue for another article.  The split you use should focus on your weak points.  My symmetry is strong, so I don’t really have to worry about prioritizing anything but my chest and calves.  We will also discuss targeting weak points in a later article.

HIT training can be very productive if done with balls-to-the-wall intensity.  It’s major advantage is RECOVERY.  However, it may not be for everyone.  All I can recommend is that you give it a try and see if it works for you.  If you have any further questions, email me at askmeat@sett2win.com.

My maximum squat went up yesterday…about 3 weeks ago I squatted 515 for a single, and last week I squatted 500 for a triple.  Yesterday (2-19-08), I hit a 525 lb maximum on my squat.  There’s nothing like the feeling of coming out of the hole with more than a quarter-ton on your back, eh?