Cont: THE EXERCISE AND QUALITY REPPETITION

The Exercise

Usually I do 4 sets of each exercise, which is exactly enough to fully wear down the muscle and to maximize growth stimulation. I train to failure in every set of each exercise. I never save energy for my next set or my next exercise. I would rather advice to do a set or an exercise less than to dose your efforts.

In order to maximize the intensity of an exercise I always try to keep my rest between consecutive sets below 1 minute; just enough to more or less normalize my breathing, without losing my muscle pump. For very heavy exercises that are huge energy drainers (e.g. upper back and quadriceps), I might sometimes take up to 90 seconds of rest between consecutive sets.

As I go all out in every set, I usually use the heaviest weights in the first set of my first exercise, and gradually go lighter set after set, as my muscle gets more and more exhausted. If everything went well, by the time of the last rep of the last set my muscle should be fully pumped up and almost paralyzed from exhaustion. For example, after my quadriceps workout, I can hardly walk, and after my shoulder workout I cannot comb my hair anymore.

The Quality Repetition

Lifting a weight sounds very simple, but it is in fact quite complex, if you want to do it in such a way that it will maximally stimulate muscle growth. A repetition (rep) should basically result in two growth-stimulating effects, if executed correctly: depletion of the energy supplies in the muscle (especially glycogen), and damage to the protein structures inside the muscle fibers.

Let's take a closer look at the repetition (rep) and define its 4 different parts:

• Bottom: A rep starts at the bottom where the weight is in the lowest position and the muscle is fully extended and stretched.
• Up-phase: During the up-phase the muscle contracts and lifts the weight up.
• Top: At the top of the repetition the muscle is fully contracted and the weight is at its highest position.
• Down-phase: During the down-phase the muscle extends and lets the weight go down.

Now let's define the "Quality Rep" as being a repetition that is executed in such a way as to maximize muscle growth stimulation. A quality rep, in my opinion, should be executed as follows: Lift the weight in an explosive way from the bottom to the top. The up-phase should be a fast and powerful movement that takes maximum 1 second. At the top of the movement, the muscle should be fully contracted (as short as possible), and flexed for a fraction of a second as hard as possible (peak contraction) as if you are posing for a photo. Then slowly lower the weight in a controlled fashion to the bottom of the movement. The down-phase should be controlled and take longer than the up-phase, let's say between 1 and 2 seconds. At the bottom of the movement the muscle should be fully extended (as long as possible) without losing the tension on the muscle. There must be no pause at the bottom of the movement; without any rest the weight is lifted up again. A quality rep should take in total between 2 and 3 seconds for most exercises. During the complete rep your mind should stay focused on the muscle, its contraction and extension, rather than the weight you are lifting.

I want to focus your attention on 2 extremely important principles applied in the quality rep, which have been recognized and followed by most top bodybuilders for many decades: continuous tension and full range of motion.