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January 21, 2007

Gold's Gym, Ann Arbor: First 1RMs of 2007

Bud Gibson's 1RM attempts on the Hammer Decline Chest Press and the Hammer Leg Press.

Gold's Gym, Ann Arbor | Periodization | Workout Diary

In this podcast (Quicktime ipod comapatible, 27MB; Google streaming flash video), I (Nancy Arnold) filmed Bud as he performed two single rep maximums (1RM).

Bud's first 1RM attempt was on the Hammer Decline Chest Press. We have found that this press does not affect Bud's shoulder issue and he has had great success with it. This attempt is for 342 pounds. His previous 1RM was 312 pounds.

The photo's at the left show the progression of the attempt. The first photo shows his initial push off. The second and third photo's show the mid portion of the range of motion. The final photo shows Bud reaching complete range of motion and therefore a successful 1RM attempt!

Bud's second 1RM attempt is on the Hammer Iso-Lateral Leg Press. As you can see on the video he makes 2 attempts at this one. The first attempt for 570 pounds and the second at 590 pounds. After he was successful at the 570 pound try we decided to take it up 20 pounds total (10 pounds per leg). In the video you see Bud preparing for the attempt, assistance from me on the initial push off, and then his attempt for the 1RM. Bud's right leg had no problem in moving the weight. As the video shows he had trouble getting his left leg past the sticking point and did not make the 590 pound try.

After the attempt Bud and I discuss the importance of mental preparation when attempting a 1RM. As we note in the podcast the chest RM was planned and he had time to prepare mentally. He actually had a few days to think about it. We, however, were not planning to do the leg press 1RM. We both believe that the extra mental prep that this requires can make a difference in performance.

Additional Links

Check out some of our previous 1RM attempts!
Some quick tips for improving mental focus (these were printed for runners but may be applied to any activity).
What is mental focus (centering)? Here is one author's advice.

Posted by Bud on January 21, 2007 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 22, 2006

Bodybuilding Max Strength Training Diary

We review our last week of max strength training with a montage of moments taken from the workouts themselves and also review our first foray into eccentric training (lowering more than your single rep max).

Bud Gibson In this podcast (Quicktime ipod compatible, 24MB; Google streaming flash video), Nancy Arnold and I (Bud) complete our max strength training diary series. From here, we will be going into three months of hypertrophy. Hypertrophy essentially boils down to doing workouts where you push 60–85% 1RM for 6 to 15 reps per set with 1 minute rest between sets.

Hypertrophy will take us to January. At that stage, we'll switch over to muscle definition workouts. These workouts are typically accomplished at 30–50% 1RM for 30 to 50 reps. We also superset from two to eight exercises before taking the 60 second rest.

By contrast, in max strength, we have been doing 1 to 8 reps at 80–120% 1RM with 3 mnutes rest between sets and no supersets. The 120% 1RM requires some explanation. It occurred the last day of our max strength training and was the weight we did in an eccentric training day. Eccentric (pronounced e-centric) training consists of lowering more weight than you can lift and then lifting with the help of spotters. It's tremendously demanding psychologically. It also leaves you sore the first time you do it.

One thing eccentric training does that traditional max strength training does not is move you closer to your absolute strength potential. Absolute strength is the most you could lift if every muscle fiber was firing optimally. You can get an idea of your absolute strength potential by testing the maximum amount of weight you can let down through the negative of any weight training exercise. Obviously, if you choose to measure absolute strength potential, you should have more than one spotter at the ready to assist you. Nancy and I used two the day we did it.

Additional Links

This article provides an interesting formula for measuring absolute strength potential given measured muscle mass. Highly trained lifters can achieve 90% of their potential.

Posted by Bud on October 22, 2006 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

October 10, 2006

Inaugurating the Workout Diary Series

we inaugurate the workout diary series in which we will follow what training for a bodybuilding competition is like.

This video podcast (Quicktime ipod campatible, 31MB; Google streaming flash video) inaugurates Nancy Arnold's and my (Bud) workout diary series. We'll keep the series going as Nancy prepares for her next competition. This entry starts with a workout at Gold's Gym, Ann Arbor, at 8:00 AM, Sunday October 1 and ends with a second workout at Gold's, Friday October 6 at 1:30 PM. Nancy seems to thrive at the early time. Personally, I prefer the afternoon.

We show clips across two max strength workouts. In these workouts, we are pushing 80–90% 1RM. In coming weeks, we will come up to over 1RM for eccentric weight training. One thing we are finding is that getting the body habituated to holding the loads and moving with them is key. It's also important to psych yourself up so you believe you can do the exercise.

The two workouts were five days apart, and we clearly made progress. I had to spot Nancy at 80% on the first workout, but in the second workout she needed less spotting at 90%. The iso-lateral leg press was a bit different story as she needed help pushing off with that one. I did not need help pushing off in the leg press, but it required complete mental focus and a primal scream.

A little interview with Nancy finishes the clip. We agree that she has been making progress toward her muscle development goals. A major challenge will be thinning down during the muscle definition phase without losing too much muscle.

Additional Links

Posted by Bud on October 10, 2006 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Muscle Ventures Podcasts

Short interviews on weight training, bodybuilding, and related topics

Workout Diary Podcasts

January 21, 2007

Gold's Gym, Ann Arbor: First 1RMs of 2007

Additional Links

October 22, 2006

Bodybuilding Max Strength Training Diary

Additional Links

October 10, 2006

Inaugurating the Workout Diary Series

Additional Links

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