Haha! Cool Title Huh?! Anyway, Lately I have been pondering the concepts of Specialization setups, templates, and what not. I find myself lost on this subject, as to how to specialize a specific body part, which maintaining strengh and mass. For example, if I were to specialize Triceps, how would I go upon doing this? I’ve read a couple of articles regarding specialization, but am a little murky on Acculmation, Intensification, and stuff like that. How would you setup a weekly periodization to emphasize on Triceps? Would I start every workout attacking them? Anyway, suggestions, ideas, and concepts are welcomed and appreciated! Coaches! Help would be great from you guys! (CT,CS,CW,and any coach up for it!) Thanks!
I’m no coach but perhaps I can make a few suggestions. We tend to make more progress on those body parts or lifts that we do first in the week and first in the workout. That is the reason we never really see those guys with martini-glass shaped physiques doing squats on monday. They tend to leave them to friday, saturday, or sunday which generally makes it easier to skip altogether.
CW has been talking a lot recently about frequency being important. I suppose you could train the lagging body part more often and this would lead to greater gains than the typical once a week approach.
If you look at CT’s Shoulders Overhaul program, he has you training shoulders twice a week for the first month with a higher volume, and in the second month he switches it to a once a week more strength oriented program. From CT’s writings, I gather that he feels this heavy training will “solidify” or set in the gains. He advocated the principal of heavy training when dieting to preserve muscle as well.
And personally, I have found that if you are specializing a muscle group, it works well to vary the set/rep paramaters throughout the week. For example, 5x5, 4x6, 3x10, 10x3. Anyone, feel free to agree, disagree with, or add on to my advice.
-MAtt
good post. generally what you want to do, like CT advocates in Modern Tredns is done a few blocks of 4 weeks and have a focus on either your rep ranges, intensity or a muscle, group or a combo
Explain
Triceps Specialization
-you’d want to keep your pressing, especailly heavy presing at a minimum
train triceps 2 times per week
Monday-triceps/chest/shoulders
Tuesday-back/bi’s/legs
Wednesday-Off, GPP
Thursday-tri’s/chest/shoulders
friday-back/bi’s/legs
saturday/sunday-off or ab work and GPP
I like CT’s idea of doing Accumlation/Intensification but I also like the idea of one high rep day and one heavy day. if your going the Acc/Inten’s route then
Monday-CGBP 3x15
Dips-3x12
Pushdowns 3x15
Thursday
JM press 3x15
Extensions-3x15
One arm reverse pushdowns-3x15
do it for 4 weeks then change up the movements and go with something like 5x5 or 8x3 and after those 4 weeks you should have some pretty nice tri’s
[quote]Matgic wrote:
I’m no coach but perhaps I can make a few suggestions. We tend to make more progress on those body parts or lifts that we do first in the week and first in the workout. That is the reason we never really see those guys with martini-glass shaped physiques doing squats on monday. They tend to leave them to friday, saturday, or sunday which generally makes it easier to skip altogether.
CW has been talking a lot recently about frequency being important. I suppose you could train the lagging body part more often and this would lead to greater gains than the typical once a week approach.
If you look at CT’s Shoulders Overhaul program, he has you training shoulders twice a week for the first month with a higher volume, and in the second month he switches it to a once a week more strength oriented program. From CT’s writings, I gather that he feels this heavy training will “solidify” or set in the gains. He advocated the principal of heavy training when dieting to preserve muscle as well.
And personally, I have found that if you are specializing a muscle group, it works well to vary the set/rep paramaters throughout the week. For example, 5x5, 4x6, 3x10, 10x3. Anyone, feel free to agree, disagree with, or add on to my advice.
-MAtt[/quote]
Hey Guys! Thanks for replying. Would it be suitable to give arms its own day? Or at least start off 2 workouts, working on Triceps? I have also been overwhelmed on the different approaches to hitting them hard. Tri-sets, Supersets, Cluster Training, Titan Training, 10x3, Pre-Exhaust Superset, Iso or compound?
Which strategies would be optimial for tricep growth? Could anyone shed light on this subject? Coaches such as CW,CT,CS,IK, or CP, would you mind aiding me? Fellow T-Nationers posts would be greatly appreciated also! Thanks for those who have actually replied!
[quote]Xfactor88 wrote:
Hey Guys! Thanks for replying. Would it be suitable to give arms its own day? Or at least start off 2 workouts, working on Triceps? I have also been overwhelmed on the different approaches to hitting them hard. Tri-sets, Supersets, Cluster Training, Titan Training, 10x3, Pre-Exhaust Superset, Iso or compound?
[/quote]
You can give arms your own day twice a week but your biggest issue is trying to use EVERYTHING that comes through T-Nation, take it slow there will be time to use all those methods. I’d give the program I outlined for you in a previous post a chance, it’s a peridized approach
[quote]
Which strategies would be optimial for tricep growth? Could anyone shed light on this subject? Coaches such as CW,CT,CS,IK, or CP, would you mind aiding me? Fellow T-Nationers posts would be greatly appreciated also! Thanks for those who have actually replied![/quote]
I think your looking too hard for a secret to size, the basics are in place, just hit it hard and you’ll be fine