Times change, and as they do trends also change.
We see it every day in our modern living. Building are modeled differently as our architecture alters. Clothes differ from those worn many years ago and just look at the amazing change in the style of cars in the last decade.
These changes are also reflected in the medical profession where a few short years ago doctors warned against strenuous exercise, fearing strained hearts, and now the entire continent is advised to take daily exercise, under proper supervision, in order to strengthen their hearts and help prevent heart trouble.
So it is in these changing times that we have a change in the trend toward building bigger and better physiques.
Many years ago when I first began to use weights as a medium of building a physique, the trend was toward low sets and generally 10 reps were performed. By low sets I mean no more than 3 sets were ever performed of an exercise and sometimes only 2.
Between sets we sat and talked a good deal and a workout sometimes lasted two or three hours even when no than perhaps seven or eight exercises were included in the workout. This type of training went on for many, many years with little alteration at all.
I suppose there are some fellows somewhere who still do little more than 3 sets of 10 reps for their workouts, but I suspect they are very few because the trend today has taken a drastic change. Gone now is sitting around for anywhere up to five minutes between sets. Gone too is the 10-repetition "must" sort of thing.
Now I don't mean that no one uses 10 reps any more, doubtless there are many who prefer the 10 rep style, but I think in the main the reps have dropped to 5 or 6 with poundages that give a muscle group plenty of action on such low reps. But I believe that the biggest changes are twofold. First, the 3 sets have all been abolished and, secondly, and I think this most important . . .
The time between sets has been drastically cut down.
Recently I have been working on a short rest method and obtaining great results. By "short rest" I mean no more than about 15 seconds between sets and when you're using reasonably good poundages you will find this to be very short, but VERY result producing.
You must also use many sets. If you use one exercise per muscle group as I do then you must perform at least 15 sets. And here we have a note from Peary Rader: A word of warning: this is not a beginners program but a strenuous, advanced method of training.
If you like to use two or three exercises pre muscle group then you must work out the sets for each exercise so that their combined total is 15-20.
The main thing to remember is the TIMING.
Do not sit and gab with your training partners. Your workouts will be almost completely silent but this is good because then you can really concentrate on what you're doing and not what's going on in the gym or after the workout. Count up to 15 and get at your next set, and when the poundage starts to go a little easy it's time for another five pounds.
I think you will find the best number of reps for this method to be 5 or 6. At present I use 6 and when I start to tire, rather than reduce the weight I drop one rap and continue on making certain to do 15 or 20 sets.
You can accomplish a good deal of work in a much shorter time this way also. You will of course not be able to handle as much weight in your exercises, but this is rather irrelevant when you see the increase in muscle size that will occur over time. If you want to handle heavy weights then try power lifting and forget this method of training, but if it's muscle size you want then this is your cup of tea.
I have done a little checking around and I find that all the men in the bodybuilding field who are really outstanding are training more or less along these lines. They are handling medium weights and performing many sets with little rest between them; in other words they work fast and utilize strict methods of performance. After all, it's rather obvious isn't it. If you want a muscle to grow it must work and it cannot be worked thoroughly when the weights are being heaved through the muscles' range of movement, which is what happens when cheating is employed.
Now, you don't have to be an Einstein to figure out that this type of training makes severe demands upon the body, hence you must pay attention to your nutrition, rest, and stress levels.
So change with the times! Give it a try and I think you'll find it's the change you've been craving for a long time.
Danny Padilla
Enjoy Your Lifting!
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