I haven’t, but I’m interested. How does his method differ from Mentzer?
Trudels rest pause is 1 big set with 3 mini sets. Each set is done to technical failure and has a specified rep-range for progression (usually 20-30).
Best bang for my buck has been 50% sets , break downs and cluster sets.
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The best banger for me is just powerlifting trainings in which I gain power and muscules. The best way for me is not a long but powerful training (till one hour) 3 days per week
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20-Rep Squat Routine. 6 weeks stretched to 7. At age 32 or so. Still the best gains I ever made.
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The fastest I ever grew was 37 years ago when I had access to a Nautilus Compound Leg and a Pullover/Pulldown combo. Nothing else has come close.
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My fastest HIT gains (but a non sustainable routine) was an adapted version of the old Cybergenics program. It was back in the late 80’s. I bought a cybergenics kit (hokey supplements and their routine) but knew there was no way to do the routine as writtien , so I just did one cycle per muscle. But it still was a LOT . It was push pull, 4 days a week , so Mon Push, tues pull, thurs push, Friday pull.
Each muscle group got this type of workout, here is chest for example.
Flies to failure, drop load go to failure again, then immediately go to bench to failure, drop weight, go to failure again, then immediately back to flies to failure, drop weight go to failure again. Each muscle group got that 6 failure points in a row. I gained size like crazy, but after a month I burned out so hard, I took time off even after that.
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I’ve heard of this. Might be fun to try
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Wow, someone here remembers Cybernetics ! I bought it too and as I remember there was a waiting list and it took awhile to get. Bunch of sups and the routine , as Jones would say would
" … kill an adult male gorilla ".
Like you, I knew there was no way I could do all of that so modified it too. That was the quickest visual changes to my physique ( esp. arms and traps ) and my first experience with break downs which I think was the main reason for the great gains … which still is a favorite way for me to train.
Yeah, there was a lot of hype in it but but it had you do things in ways you hadn’t done them before and the way he explained things was unlike other things I was reading at he time. I remember one thing was not to underestimate the strength of your traps and don’t be afraid to go heavy as they can handle it … little things like that made you think about things differently. No doubt that this program took me to a different training level than I had been before.
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I also did Cybergenics, I think I lasted two weeks on the routine as written and it was a ridiculous amount of work. A friend also did it at the same time, we both modified the workouts and kept with the diet. Both of us lost weight and then gained about 14lbs once it ended. I’d forgotten all about it and the drop sets.
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Drop sets definitely need to be used sparingly.
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oh yeah cool story, those cybergenic kits were sure hyped up, it made a lot of us eventually just ‘have to try it’, the supplements were ineffective, but the routine and their ideas were very interesting. I kinda think it showed (if we go back to that other thread on here about inroad) , that inroad is a factor (how deep you fatigue a muscle) with growth stimulation.
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To a certain extent…There is a fine line between adaptation and overtraining it seems. After that there is - Periodization? Deload?
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Did Mentzers’s muscles in minutes and then a bastardised Heavy Duty vs Dorian yates 4day template with pre-exhaust. Put on a watery 45lbs in 6 months.
Was not untrained newb either/had been running myself into the ground with 5-6day bro splits, 90s Muscle and fitness mag type workouts
Then hit an almighty plateau/became an HIT jedi for a couple years. Read everything by Mentzer read and tried Darden’s New HIT etc Tweaks and injuries started racking up also
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So what DID work?!
Yates routine worked/works in limited blasts once a year for me and most people.
A seasonal run of DOggcrapp or some of the stuff Paul Carters stuff (before he went off the deep end) would be my best recommendation these days. & thats also what gets the best feedback on the main TNation forums over the years.
For short blasts Thib’s “best damn” series seems to work very well as well especially the strength version
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That’s how Dorian suggests it be done…I recommend going to failure plus 1 or 2 forced reps where practical. I use super intense methods such as negatives or rest-pause sparingly usually on lagging body-parts. Training in this style should be cycled, after 5-6 weeks of high intensity work cut back and train below failure for 2-3 weeks to avoid overtraining. Taking a week of complete rest occasionally is also a good idea.
Good luck Dorian