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February
2000
If you do what you've always done, I cannot remember the source of this cliché, but it is one of my favorites because it explains two of the most fundamental laws of the universe, identity and causality. In case the reader is not familiar with these two terms, the law of identity basically states that an entity has a nature. A is A, and not B, or, red is red, and not green. The principle of causality is the axiom of identity in action. Causality means that an entity must act in accordance with its nature, a rock cannot fly, and a high intensity stimulus is required to cause a muscular adaptation. Unfortunately, though many bodybuilders understand the concept of cause and effect, many do not apply this principle to their training. Evidence of this is demonstrated in the gym by the scores of resistance trainers who do not even record their progress, or understand what variable is responsible for causing muscular adaptations. The purpose of this essay is to inform the reader about the importance of knowledge, logic, and the laws of cause and effect. Hopefully the reader will walk away with a different attitude on how to properly apply these concepts in the gym. Everyone reading this article is obviously interested in learning more about their passion, bodybuilding. The reason is simple, the more knowledge one has acquired, the more likely one will succeed with their goals (goals being a representation of values). The difficult part is distinguishing the truth from the false. After all, not everything is true, and not every idea can be since so many ideas contradict. This is precisely why anyone interested in success must devote themselves to developing their mind. If an idea contradicts another idea, both cannot be true! Bodybuilding is smothered is contradictory statements like, "whatever works", or probably the most common, "what works for you may not work for me." These statements have damaged any further scientific investigation since people believe that no laws exist within bodybuilding. Of course we are all like individuals, after all, the law of causality states that an entity can only act within its nature. If everyone was different, then science couldn't exist. In one person aerobic exercise produced larger muscles than anaerobic exercise, and another did not require exercise at all. To put this myth to rest, if someone believes that everyone is different, then I would suggest they visit a psychic healer next time they have a heart attack, rather than a normal medical doctor. Hopefully, if the person did not die, they will have a better understanding that science applies to everyone and everything in the universe. The sources of these contradictory myths that prevail bodybuilding stem from the magazines, where the publisher is not interested in producing results. The publishers do not want the readers to succeed, since the supplement companies ads line their pockets. Instead, they depend on your failures, so that you try out their supplements. If there are many myths, and if most of the information published is false, how can one determine what is true or false? The answer is reason. Knowledge is of reality, and reality cannot contradict itself since there is only one reality. Therefore, logic must be used in order to determine the "facts of reality", as Mentzer would say. Reason is mans only tool for survival, since we are not born with any knowledge on how to survive (instincts). The only way to understand anything, is to think. How else is someone suppose to understand anything without thought? Valid concepts cannot contradict other knowledge, since there are no contradictions in reality. For example, if you add one plus one, it will always equal two, whether you're on the earth, or up in space. NASA depends on this to succeed with their missions, as a bodybuilder depends on non-contradictory concepts to succeed also. Anyone still uncertain if any laws do exist in bodybuilding science, should not only try to understand exactly what science is, but they should also ask themselves why they bother to workout. If there is no such thing as cause and effect, why not sit a home and just wish or pray for larger muscles? Obviously this is not the case, and this is why there must be specific laws governing resistance training. One fundamental factor in bodybuilding that cannot be refuted is the concept of intensity. Before I discuss intensity, a definition is required. There are many definitions of intensity, such as 80% of your one rep max, however these are not proper definitions, they are equations. 80% of your max tells you nothing about the concept of intensity. Intensity, properly defined by Arthur Jones, is the percentage of possible momentary muscular effort exerted. Intensity is required to stimulate growth. I don't care if you have found the perfect rep range, superior supplement, or the best machine, if you do not train with a high enough intensity to stimulate an adaptation, you will not adapt. It's not a gray area reader, it's a black and white issue. If, during my last workout, I deadlifted 405lbs for 8 reps, and the next workout I were to only use 225 for 1 rep, I would not adapt since the effort exerted (intensity) was low. Although many bodybuilders reject HIT/Heavy Duty training because the general orthodoxy of bodybuilder train with a higher volume, it is a fact that a high intensity of exercise is required to disrupt homeostasis, and cause an adaptation. Anyone attempting to argue with this point would have to prove that aerobic exercise, or low intensity exercise, is equal to, or better than, anaerobic exercise for strength/size gains. Clearly, anyone interested in success, must train with a high intensity. If the intensity of the stress is high, the stress must also be short in duration. One cannot sprint hard and for great distances, or one cannot workout hard and for long periods of time. Because the axiom of identity states that A is A, and not B, if one is to train anaerobically, one must remain in an anaerobic environment. This seems obvious, but yet there are many bodybuilders who perform anaerobic exercise (weight lifting) for one hour or more, but yet only perform ten or twenty minutes of aerobic exercise! If the characteristics of anaerobic exercise are high in intensity, therefore short in duration, why perform aerobic exercise (low in intensity, therefore long duration) for shorter periods? Besides, biology doesn't allow one to train hard and long, since faster twitch fibers quickly fatigue. If one performs these high volume workouts, one is actually training the slower twitch fibers since the faster twitch fibers have given up. FT fibers cannot handle stress for long periods of time, therefore, the slower twitch fibers would characteristically handle the stress from higher volume workouts. In addition to fiber types, one important variable that many bodybuilders fail to grasp is that there is an optimal rep range for each muscle group. Because every muscle has a different fiber makeup, that is, every muscle is composed of a different ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch ratio, you must discover your optimal rep range, to produce optimal results. Quite a long time ago, I use to have problems developing my shoulders. I have a high ratio of faster twitch fibers in most of my muscle groups, since I have always responded best, or, developed more strength, to heavier weights and lower rep ranges. In school I was always the faster sprinter, and even competed in several competitions. So I automatically trained my shoulders with low reps. After a while, I noticed that they were starting to lag behind the rest of my bodyparts. After several months, I decided to experiment with higher reps, and within weeks I could notice improvements in my development. Basically the two most accurate tests that can be performed require a machine isolation movement. You cannot perform a fiber test with a compound movement without interference from other muscle groups. Also, the machine will eliminate wasted energy from coordination, etc. For example, to test your quads, use a leg extension machine. To test your back, use a machine pullover. Your rep cadence should be exact during every rep, so that your results will be as accurate as possible. I would recommend taking 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down, total rep taking 10 seconds. Any faster and momentum would confuse your results. Therefore, you should bring a stopwatch and perhaps a partner to count out the seconds for you. Test One Test Two Note: Good Luck!! Copyright 2000 Jason Meuller and Anabolic Extreme. This material may not be copied, reproduced, or transmitted without the express written permission of the copyright owners. |
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