This is actually not as simple as you might think...especially as you get older.

The temptation is always there to hammer the set until you hit failure.

When I was younger, I would do that...the set didn't end until I couldn't budge the weight.

That's NOT the best way to do it, though, especially if you don't want to destroy your recovery.

Yesterday, I talked to you about a program called Easy Muscle, created by my friend and colleague, Geoff Neupert, that is designed for the older lifter.

I wanted to share with you some info on exactly HOW this program helps to keep you in the productive zone so that you don't compromise your results by training too hard.

The concept is called Autoregulation and it's the kind of stuff you need to know in order to build muscle over 40.

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Autoregulation

Autoregulation is when the output during a training session is governed by the athlete/trainee, based on a “loose” or predetermined set criteria or guidelines. Specifically in EASY MUSCLE, the trainee uses a predetermined number of reps per set and training session length, but he dictates the rest between sets, and therefore the total number of sets and the amount of work performed per session.

On “good” days, you can “push hard” and do a lot of work. On “bad” days, you can “coast” and do a bare minimum. Both contribute to training variability and therefore faster progress.

To do this, we use “guardrails” - criteria/guildlines to keep you from pushing too hard and burning yourself out.

 

Here are the criteria/guidelines you will use to know when to STOP and START each set:

[1] STOP A Set When:

- Your rep speed decreases

EASY MUSCLE relies on you training your biggest, strongest, most energy-hungry muscle fibers - your Fast Twitch (Type 2x) fibers. When you’re pushing a weight overhead and it suddenly feels heavy and your rep speed decreases, this is your sign that your Type 2x fibers have tired out and you’re no longer using them. Plus, you’re running out of energy.

- Your technique changes

Technique changes are usually indications of fatigue. Fatigue kills your ability to recruit (use) those Type 2x fibers. Plus, when your technique degrades, it’s the perfect “opportunity” to get injured.

 

[2] START Another Set When You Can Meet Any Of The Following:

You can breathe through your nose with your tongue on the roof of your mouth. This allows you to normalize your breathing, decrease your nervous system excitation, and speed up recovery so you can lift again and use those fast twitch type 2x fibers.

You can belly breathe into your sacrum (the part of your pelvis just below your beltline between the upper part of your glutes). This allows you to “charge” your core stability mechanism, so that you are ready to lift safely.

You can use the “Talk Test,” which means you can talk normally without gasping for air between words Usually you can recite a stanza of your favorite song.

 

[3] Use A Weekly Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).

R.P.E. stands for “Rate of Perceived Exertion” and is measured on a scale of 1-10.

An effort level of 1 = Sitting on the couch.
An effort level of 10 = Maximum all out effort, cannot do any more.

We’ll use RPEs of 7-9.

Here’s how you’ll structure your week:

Week 1: RPE = 7 → Medium
Week 2: RPE = 8 → Hard-ish
Week 3: RPE = 8.5 → Hard
Week 4: RPE = 9 → Really Hard

And that means you’ll have just ONE week out of 4 where you’ll go really, really hard.

Why?

Back in the latter half of the 20th Century, Soviet sports scientists discovered the human organism can only tolerate 2 hard weeks out of a month. Any more than that, and athletes' performances would tank.

 

Why are we only using one hard week instead of two?

Experience tells me this works the best for regular guys.

It allows you to ramp up the amount of work you do for 3 weeks of the month, each week getting harder and harder…

Then you can “stomp on the accelerator” during the last week of the month and still be able to recover without collapsing on the couch in a heap on the weekend.

These may seem like strange criteria, but I can tell you from experience, they work every time. Plus, they empower you to make continual progress from week-to-week, so you can see measurable results, without burning out.

Finally, it’s critically important to understand that the key to getting stronger, leaner, and more muscular is to mitigate fatigue, not seek it out. And that’s because fatigue decreases force production.

The more tired you become, the less force you can produce.

And the less force you produce, the less overall work you can do.

And that’s unfortunate, because the more work you can do in a given training session, the faster you’ll see results.

The PFT (Power Fiber Training) Method allows you to manage fatigue while producing the highest
available levels of force in your workout, so you can do the most amount of work each day.

Using the PFT Method enables you to see and measure progress each and every week, which keeps you motivated and moving forward toward your goals.

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As you can see, Geoff knows exactly what he's doing with this stuff.

And it jives with my own experience with programming now that I'm pushing 50. I have to be more judicious about intensity and workload.

If you're over 40 and looking to maximize your strength and muscle mass, EASY MUSCLE is a program I would HIGHLY recommend.

This is a powerful blueprint for building muscle and strength over 40.

Nick Nilsson
The Mad Scientist of Muscle

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