So yesterday, I talked about a free 21-Day Pause and Prime workout from Vince Del Monte and Ben Pakulski.

I had also mentioned that I have a similar concept that I use in my own programs (specifically my Mad Scientist Muscle program). In that program, I call it Structural Training.

I had a lot prople ask me if I could give them more info on it and why it works...so here you go!

 

Structural Training

Structural Training is going to build your muscle "base"...the plumbing, the electric system and the structure that's going help you make the best use of the actual "building" training you'll be doing during the other phases of the program.

This week of training is not about building muscle directly...it's about SETTING THE STAGE for improved rate of muscle building in the rest of the program. It's important not to skip this week or slack off on it! This is the training that's going to prepare your body for maximum growth!

DAY 1

The first training day is going to entail moderate weight with fairly high reps (20+ reps per set). You'll be doing these with FAST speed, which will help fire up the nervous system along with helping you to squeeze more reps out.

This will also force a LOT of blood into the muscles, helping increase microcirculation to the muscles as well as overall vascularity (which will help you have more veins popping out!).

Ideally, you'll want to use a weight you would normally use for about 12 to 15 reps (depending on the exercise and get at least 20+. You're just going to do one set of that, so they'll be no reason to hold back.

The idea is to hammer out as many reps as you possibly can.

Then you'll rest 15 to 20 seconds, to flush out some of the lactic acid so that the burn doesn't hold you back on the NEXT part...stretch-focused sets.

You'll be immediately doing a set of 4 to 6 reps on a stretch-focused exercise for that muscle group, e.g. flyes for chest. Hold that bottom stretch position for at least 5 seconds on every rep. You'll want to use a fairly light weight on these as the goal is massive STRETCH not ego.

This stretch is an extremely powerful stimulus for muscle growth...I'm not a proponent of fascial stretching (the idea that you can fill a muscle with blood, then stretch it to stretch the fascia).

Fascia is WAY too strong to be affected by a short-term stretch...however, the growth you can stimulate with the stretch holds (I believe, at least), puts a LONG-term stretch on the fascia from the INSIDE. That is what leads to permanent expansion of the fascia, not the acute stretching.

You'll be doing this for every single bodypart...basically 1 "superset" of these two exercises and that's it for that muscle. Take 2-3 minutes rest between muscle groups.

Take a day of rest...then...

DAY 2

On Day 2 of the training, you'll be doing almost the same thing. The only difference is that the first exercise is going to be 100 reps per set. You'll use very light weight and try and get 100 reps straight through in one set.

Perform just ONE set for each muscle group, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets.

This very high rep training is ideal for building type 1 muscle fibers (slow-twitch endurance fibers) but that isn't the major goal...the major goal is increasing mircocirculation to the muscles.

The tiny blood vessels in your body where nutrient and oxygen exchange take place are known as capillaries. Our goal with 100 rep training is to increase the capillary density in your muscles so more nutrients and oxygen can reach the muscle fibers.

One of the major things that holds back muscle development is lack of nutrients reaching the muscles. Think about the muscle groups you have the hardest time developing. They're the ones that are the hardest to get a pump in, right?

So you'll aim for 100 straight-through reps here. If you can't get to 100 all at once, get as many as you can then stop, set down the weight and take 10 seconds rest. Now pick up the weight and get as many more reps as you can.

Keep going until you reach 100 total reps. The short breaks will allow you clear a bit of lactic acid while regenerating a bit of ATP to help keep going.

It's important to keep track of how much weight you're using and how many reps you got because the next time you do the 100 rep sets, you'll have two choices.

1. If you got 100 reps straight-through on that exercise, increase the weight by the smallest amount possible and use that this time.

2. If you didn't get 100 reps straight-through, repeat with the same weight. When you are able to get 100 reps, THEN you can increase the weight. You have to earn it.

You're also going to be doing the stretch-focused sets immediately after the 100 rep sets (15 to 20 seconds rest between the two), in order to achieve more fascial stretching.

On a side note, this type of training can make you VERY sore. I'd recommend taking 500 mg of Vitamin C a little before training. It can actually really help decrease soreness...that'll be a good thing because you're going to be doing heavy partials very soon!

Take a day of rest here..then...

Day 3 - Heavy Partial Training

Partial training is going to target the structure of your body as well as the nervous system. We'll be using supra-maximal weights in order to load the bones and connective tissue to prepare your body for heavier training.

The much higher loads you'll be using will also help train the nervous system to fire more efficiently. It's a great combination that really helps increase the loads you're able to lift in full-range movements.

If you don't have access to a power rack, you can also use lighter loads but for higher reps and still get a good portion of the same benefits. For example, if you're doing partial bench press and you don't have a rack, I would NEVER recommend using a weight that's heavier than your max.

You're basically going to be doing very short range of motion in just the very strongest ranges of motion of various exercise. For example, the top few inches of the squat, bench press and deadlift will allow you to use large amounts of weight...a good amount higher than you can use for full range reps.

This increased loading is going to really thicken up your tendons and ligaments to be able to handle heavier loads without any problem.

Tip: hold the lockout positions at the top of each for a 5 count. Holding that heavy weight really maximally load the bones, muscles and connective tissue.

Perform 4 sets for each of the "big" movements...bench press, deadlifts and squats. You can also perform 2-3 of sets of a few select "smaller" exercises, like overhead press, curls, and rows. Take 2 minute rest between sets.

Alternatives to Heavy Partial Training

There are a variety of reasons why a person may not be able to do heavy partial training ranging from past injuries to equipment (lack of a power rack, for example).

In cases like this, I recommend still doing partial training but with VERY high reps instead. You'll use sub-maximal weights (relatively close to your 1 rep max) but for a LOT of reps.

For example, with bench press, instead of doing lockouts with 500 lbs for 5 or 6 reps, you would do 275 lbs for a set of 50+ reps. Use a fairly fast movement, since the weight is much lighter..no bouncing, though. The range of motion is the same.

This will help take the load off your body will still providing good work for the connective tissue and the structure of your body, because you're still using a heavy load for a lot longer than you could with full-range reps.

In terms of safety, this means if you don't have a rack, you'll be able to do partial training without a problem. Just use the same set-up as you would for full-range reps.

 

SAFETY

IMPORTANT! Whenever you do bench press, you should have a spotter, unless you're doing them in the power rack.

This is especially important with partial training (and heavy lockouts in particular) because of the loads involved. DO NOT do heavy lockouts outside of a power rack. It's an accident waiting to happen.

When doing partials, always make sure and work your way up in loads gradually. Don't suddenly pile on a ton of weight when your body is not accustomed to it. By gradually building up, you'll make better strength gains and prevent injury.

Safety is also very important with stretch-focused sets. Since you'll be holding the stretch position under load, you want to be sure you don't overstretch your joints. Don't try and go directly into the full stretch position all in 1 second.

Get close, then let your muscles sink into it, letting the resistance do the work.

Above all, know your limits and don't push yourself to the point of injury! No set you do in the gym is worth an injury that keeps you out of the gym. This is especially important with training techniques you might not be familiar with like the techniques found in this book.

They're all perfectly safe when done properly and with proper equipment.

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So that's my method of Structural Training to prepare your body to support muscle growth.

I definitely recommend you check out Vince and Ben's 21-Day "Primer" program as well...it's a different approach to a similar conecpt in terms of preparing your body for growth.

Enjoy!