A Radical New Training Program
by Joel Marion

In the Western world, periodization has been oversimplified. It's been stripped down to performing periods of high reps with a light to moderate weight, and then switching to a complete opposite protocol of low reps with a relatively heavy weight.

Utilizing such a method is rarely effective. The strength gains obtained during the low-rep phase quickly diminish when the high-rep phase recommences. Likewise, many trainees will begin to atrophy during the low-rep phase as they fail to keep total volume high when they up their training intensity.

Friends don't let friends atrophy.

That being said, there are a couple of ways to avoid the aforementioned declines in strength and size. The first would be to keep the exercises the same when switching from low reps to high reps. By challenging your nervous system with the same movement patterns but with a different overall stimulus, you'll at least be able to maintain your strength while adding new size. This is one of the principles that my Training for Maximal Size program revolves around.

The second way would be to keep the overall volume high when switching from a high-rep protocol to a low-rep scheme to further promote hypertrophy. For example, instead of only performing 6 x 4 or 5 x 5, perform 12 x 4 or 10 x 5 to maintain a high volume output.

A Better Way

There's yet another way to periodize your training for increased size and strength. We can strategically utilize multiple set/rep schemes during a single training phase. This is known as sequential development. In this article, I've outlined a 14-week sequential development program geared to rapidly bring out the beast in you.

The program is based on the utilization of four different set/rep schemes. During the first four weeks, you'll perform workouts using wave loading and a more traditional hypertrophy rep scheme. In weeks five through eight, you'll utilize reps ranging from the strength to endurance zones. Phase 2 will be six weeks in duration, and you'll be conducting all four schemes in a rotating fashion. Every fourth week, you'll "unload" by halving the volume of each workout.

For a shorter time commitment, the program may be completed in seven weeks with no unloading weeks by cutting the duration of each phase in half (i.e. 2-3-2 instead of 4-6-4).

Use the following four-way split for the duration of the program:

Day 1: Chest and biceps

A1) 30-degree incline dumbbell bench press

A2) Incline biceps curls

Day 2: Quad-dominant legs and calves

A1) Narrow-stance squat

A2) Calf press in a leg press machine

Day 3: Back and triceps

A1) Pull-ups

A2) Dips

Day 4: Hip-dominant legs and shoulders

A1) Deadlift

A2) Standing dumbbell military press

Day 5: Off

Repeat the five-day cycle back to back for the duration of each training phase. If you're supremely motivated, skip day five. Also, perform abdominal training outside of the gym once or twice a week whenever you have some spare time to "de-stress." The point is to stimulate the muscles often, while staying fresh by keeping the length of each session short.

Hit it hard and often.

The Four Schemes

All set/rep schemes are high-volume in nature, as the goal here is to increase both size and strength.

Set/rep scheme 1: 4 waves of 3, 2, 1 for a total of 12 sets

Set/rep scheme 2: 10 x 5

Set/rep scheme 3: 5 x 8-12 supersetted with an isolation movement for the body part in question on the last three sets. For example, after your third set of dips, move immediately to a set of unilateral overhead triceps extensions. Repeat for sets four and five.

Set/rep scheme 4: 4 x 25

Note: Separate all work sets with one to two minutes of rest.

The Three Phases

Phase 1: Alternate back and forth between set/rep schemes one and three. Change the starting scheme each time your repeat the four-way split to ensure that you're training all muscle groups with both schemes. For example, your first run-through will look like this:

Day 1: Chest and biceps via set/rep scheme one

Day 2: Quad-dominant legs and calves via set/rep scheme three

Day 3: Back and triceps via set/rep scheme one

Day 4: Hip-dominant legs and shoulders via set/rep scheme three

Now, when you repeat the four-day rotation, start with set/rep scheme three. Doing so will allow you to train each muscle group via the other scheme during the second rotation.

To make things easy, I've included a table of what it looks like. The column headings are the muscles to be worked, while the row headings are the various rotations within each phase. The numbers in the remaining cells are the set/rep scheme to be performed on that day.

Phase 2: Rotate all four set/rep schemes. Every time you repeat the four-day rotation, start one scheme ahead of where you started during the previous rotation so that all muscle groups are being trained by each of the different parameters.

For example, the first time you perform the rotation, start with set/rep scheme one; the second time you perform the rotation, start with set/rep scheme two; the third time you perform the rotation, start with set/rep scheme three, and so on. After the fourth rotation, you start back at the beginning again.

It'll take you approximately three weeks to train every muscle group via the four set/rep schemes.

Here is a table outlining this phase:

Phase 3: Same as Phase 1, but with set/rep schemes two and four. Here's the table:

Remember, every fourth week is an unloading week in which you slice the volume of each workout in half. Again, to make things clear cut, here are the unloading week parameters:

Set/rep scheme 1: 2 waves of 3, 2, 1

Set/rep scheme 2: 5 x 5

Set/rep scheme 3: 4 x 8-12 (no supersets)

Set/rep scheme 4: 2 x 25

A Few Things to Remember

• Use a serving of Surge both immediately pre-workout (or sip during) and again within 15 minutes of finishing your workout.

• Don't train to absolute failure. In other words, never attempt to perform a rep you won't complete in near perfect form.

• Additional cardiovascular activity isn't recommended. With the high volume of training you'll be doing, incorporating even more exercise can become neurologically draining and may lead to overtraining.

Parting Thoughts

By utilizing multiple rep ranges, it's possible to develop many strength qualities simultaneously. With this particular program, we leave no stone unturned.

You'll be inducing both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy for optimal size gains. Growth of the myofibrils will also result in the ability of each muscle to contract harder and produce more force, leading to increased strength and myogenic muscle tone.

The use of heavy loads throughout the program will also increase neurogenic muscle tone and promote strength gains through neurological factors.

In short, this program will leave you bigger, stronger, and striated — ultimately everything you need in your journey to looking great naked. With all of the variety and absence of long, overly-taxing sessions, you're sure to have fun. Not to mention, a little extra free time for other pursuits.

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