Hello Dr. D,
Thank you for the response. I’ve tried the 30-10-30 protocol several times and it’s indeed very intense and hard to get through. I didn’t do it with the “rush” factor and I did it to failure. Meaning most were 30-10-20… Possibly that was too much effort since I went to full negative failure. I will most likely purchase your new book and see if I get different results.
Thank you,
Ron
Yeah, he was always extreme. How to measure to-failure vs sub-failure?
Pretty easy. Try both for a month or two and look at body weight, BF % (calipers suffice), and tape measure…and photos if needed.
Pick a weight you can stop 2 reps before you fail on the 10 reps part of 30 10 30. I know it’s hard to stop from going to failure after thinking that was the only way for years but just give it a try. It works!
Scott
Before dismissing cardiovascular conditioning for unproven metabolic conditioning protocols, think on this. Dr. Izumi Tabata researched anaerobic and aerobic metabolism concurrently years ago.
These results show that both aerobic and anaerobic processes contribute significantly during intense exercise lasting from 30 s to 3 min. The actual Tabata training protocol includes about 70 minutes of steady state cardiovascular conditioning per week non-including the actual grueling Tabata intervals.
Dr. Darden,
You mentioned in this thread to change the loading method periodically…do you think changing exercises periodically is important also…i guess my question is, how important is exercise variety?
Thanks, dan
If you examine the workouts in my 30-10-30 eBook, you’ll see that I change the exercises almost every training day.
Yes, I did read that…however, one of your hidden principles “Planned Variety”, indicates switching loading methods is the best variety component and exercises can remain the same…hence the reason for my question.
Thanks
For now, I’d suggest changing the exercises first. Save the method modifications for later.
Hey Bra: I guess you never heard of Kevin Levrone. Looked like a fitness model in the off season, but blew-up in 3-4 months thanks to pump sets and all the right drugs!
Alternating planes from workout to workout — Great Minds! 
Hey Bra:
I guess you’ve been operating under the assumption that Kevin Levrone looked the way he did because of pump sets:
Google “Kevin Levrone Training” and click on the “Kevin Levrone’s Training Philosophies” article (can’t link it here). Some notable quotes:
“Those lower reps always worked for me. I know other people aim for 10, but I grow by going heavy,” Levrone says. His emphasis on reaching failure at six to eight mirrored the dogma of Dorian Yates, whom he chased at the Olympia six times (1992–97) and was heir apparent to twice (1992, 1995). The difference was that HIT-man Yates then pushed those sets beyond failure with forced reps, rest-pause, and dropsets, while Levrone usually cranked out straight sets. And, as we’ll see, the Maryland Muscle Machine plowed through many more of those sets.
“I was a heavy lifter from the start,” Levrone remembers…You can watch a YouTube video of him incline pressing 455 for four strict reps (after doing 495-pound benches) only 12 days before the 1998 Mr. Olympia.
He switched things up a bit more after a pec tear, but that’s long after his foundation was built. Dude deadlifted, benched, did most of his shit heavy, and worked in a relatively low rep range, with a lot of sets.
Thats cool and all, but I stopped reading once I noticed you weren’t mentioning Casey Viator or Mike Mentzer.
Hahah, and once again - the other guy gets the +drugs caveat.
It is odd to me that drugs are even brought into the conversation. It should be obvious to everyone that the top level guys are using and have superior genetics. To show a blind spot towards any Bodybuilder just based on preference is just ignorant.
Genetics don’t just refer to natural muscle building ability, it also refers to drug response. There are a lot of tiny guys that use PEDs too
Really? 100 grand a year on T, HGH, insulin and everything else and they stay tiny? Why? So that their balls will be tinier?
Who knew that people shrink drastically after stopping lifting and insane steroid cycles? You’re a pioneer, dude.
As the other guy said, genetics can refer to being a super-responder to steroids too.
We all know they’re on drugs. I’m just tired of having people use their favorite two bodybuilders as proof of the efficacy of certain training methodologies and bringing up steroids for all the other guys.
Here’s Gronk, offseason, less than a year from winning another SB.
The transformation of this Mustafa guy is just insane.I’ve got to look him up.
Scott
Gee , I wonder who those two or three are?? Ha ha!
Scott
