Unconventional Training Methods - Help, Hinder or a Figment of Your Imagination

There's an old saying, "If you think it works, it probably will." In bodybuilding, that may be the most powerful training advice you'll ever get.

Most of us just go into the gym and lift. What's wrong with that? Well, nothing, really. But for those who are enamored by "alternative" or "quick fix" training methods, regular lifting with regular rules can be boring - and feel like it's not netting the results they may be after.

Nothing wrong with trying new routines, cycles, splits, rep and set schemes and frequency/ pace combinations. But not all unconventional routines suit all body types or goals.

The funny thing about unconventional training theories is that they are often so staunchly advocated, you'd swear devotees were actually on to something. Truth is, they may just be on to something for themselves or on to something that partly on target and partly off target.

Here are a few you may have tried or deliberately avoided:

-- HIT - Popularized in the 1970s by Arthur Jones of Nautilus, High-intensity training was advocated by many bodybuilders, and has gone in and out of fashion. High intensity training isn't for everyone though - it is a workout where lifting to failure is an every workout occurrence and where specific lifting speeds and strict form are the areas of focus. Negative reps and static holds are also supposed growth factors. It requires a high calorie diet for growth, and usually a workout partner.

-- HST - Lifting with superb form until form begins to deteriorate, it is actually NOT like HIT, because it doesn't recommend training to failure, merely training to a point where form begins to slip. It actually directs lifters to lift until they have between 1 and 2 reps left in the tank. This method also requires that the lifter eat a much higher caloric diet than normal.

-- Mechanical Load Principle - all fiber types participate when muscles are exposed to a heavy enough load. This is contrary to traditional methods that say you must work to momentary failure before all fiber types receive growth stimulus. It supposes that when we expose ourselves to mechanical stress, via heavy loads, that the stress will cause microtraumas which leads to and stimulates growth.

-- Frequency Principle - this method supposes that we should create an environment of "chronic loading" - repetition of movements and weight loads - rather than performing infrequent, or acute, loading of the muscle. This means training the full body several times a week.

-- Progression Principle - assumes that the mechanical loading of our muscles must increase or progress in a steady manner. That progression, as compared to homeostasis (status quo - sameness) leads to stimulation of muscles into an adaptive phase or response. Ever increasing weights, it supposes, is the way to grow.

-- Principle of Strategic Deconditioning - This principle says that we need to set up times of pre-planned non-training (no lifting whatsoever) to allow our muscles to recover fully to grow when we do resume training. Doing this, it supposes, will relieve bodybuilders of any plateaus.

Whether you advocate one of the above methods or principles, or not, here are four good things to remember when composing any routine using any of the above principle or just plain common sense:

1 Keep it short (between 45 to 65 minutes maximum. After 65 minutes, hormonal levels stimulated by weight training (such as testosterone) begin to drop. Training longer than 65 minutes will prevent you from gaining muscle and losing fat, because your body will go into survival/ shut down/ fat hoard mode. It will also prevent you from recovering fast.

2 Rest between sets should be short (90 seconds or less). Keep rest times in between sets and exercises down. It helps you perform enough work to grow, yet minimizes injury and fatigue. It also keeps your cardiovascular system in check and in shape, while optimally stimulating growth hormone output.

3 Sets should be 8 - 15 reps each. You get the best pump in this repetition range. Along with the blood come nutrients that nourish the muscle cells and help them recover and rebuild themselves faster and bigger. You may think low reps benefit your strength gains - and for short periods of time they do - but overall, this rep range helps you repair more rapidly and repair is the name of the game. More reps also means less chance of injury because you aren't going for the mother load every time. This rep range also promotes fat loss.

4 Training must be varied - Cycle your routines and exercises. Doing the same routine and exercises week in and week out assures zero muscle growth. Cycle periods (3-4 weeks) of high volume (8-15 reps/set) with periods of higher intensity (5-8 reps/set).

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