First of all, where can I find information on “Big Beyond Belief”? I’ve heard alot about it and I am extremely interested. Secondly, I have been competing in powerlifing for the past 4 years. I love lifting heavy and I have taken a break and want to start up again. Even though my goal is to get stronger, I want to put on more muscle. What supplements do YOU recomend I use, (in the past I’ve used creatine, glutamine,multi-mineral,whey protein, and HMB). Powerlifting makes me strong in the legs and lower body exercises. I need to develop my upper body, any tips. (In the past I’ve used a 3day workout). thanks for the help!!
Matt
Matt - if you like powerlifting forget about “Big Beyond Belief”, in fact forget it all together. Look into Westside Barbell, there you will get real powerlifting workouts. If that is too advanced - start with workouts from T Mag or Ian King’s books. I have “Big Beyond Belief” and let me tell you it is old news. It really only deals with periodization and for the most part pushes people into overtraining. Plus it doesn’t even mention time under tension! There is no perfect program that works for everybody and “Big Beyond Belief” probably works great for some, but if you are gonna spend money on a book you are far better off to order Ian King’s “Get Buffed” (which I also own!) Just my 2 cents _ Matt Slaymaker
Here is what Charles Polquin had to say about Big Beyond Belief in one of his columns:
Q: Back in 1994, I ordered a program put together by Tom Platz, Leo Costa, and Russ Horine titled “Big Beyond Belief.” I just happened to be looking through a box of books that I had put away some time ago and discovered it. The entire program is based on so-called “Bulgarian” training principles. In summary, those principles are basically stated as follows:
- Train in sessions of 45 minutes or less.
2) Train six days per week with less than 72 hours rest for each body part.
3) Train each body part three times per week.
4) Choose exercises that require the most neuro-muscular activation, i.e. squats.
5) Perform each repetition as quickly as possible while still maintaining proper form.
6) Follow a micro-periodization technique.
Some other notions that they denote in the program are that the biggest problem today (1994) is not overtraining, but undertraining, that the body recovers much faster than once believed, and that high-intensity training doesn't produce the greatest gains.
Are these, indeed, actual Bulgarian training philosophies? Or, is it just another program that works until your body adapts?
A: Go in the closet. Pull out the Hoover "Nordic Queen" model with 200 amps. Pull off the rotary carpet-cleaning head. Put on the dust devil attachment used for cleaning furniture and picking up bowling balls that were accidentally dropped in the sewer. Attach it to one of your testicles (whichever one hangs lower). Turn the vacuum cleaner on "hurricane" mode.
Now you have an idea of the worth of the Bulgarian Burst program. In short, it sucks.
I have come across plenty of people who gave it a fair try a few years ago, with basically zero results. The volume is far too great for most people to handle without using buckets of steroids.
basically poluqin thinks it isn’t worthwhile, so chances are it isn’t.
try a push/pull or chest/shoulder/tri and legs/back/biceps routine. rotate 4 days per week (m,t,th,f) and go Heavy, light, light, heavy alternating the workouts. Use variety. Remember that the light days are important to add some reps (6-12 range). Pay attention to your tempo!!!