Jeff Pitts a propos des routines breves

[Chris Burel]

Bon puisque j`ai pas arrete de poster des conneries de la journee je me suis enfin decide a poster qqch d`utiles (gardez vos commentaire svp). Voici un article de Jeff Pitts (ancien membre du Weightrainer, squat a 270 kg).

Does Abbreviated Training Really Work? - Jeff Pitts

Lately I've noticed some bad press towards abbreviated training, mostly on the internet. Let me give some thoughts on the issue if I may.

When I first joined the RT some 2+ years ago, I was 204 lbs. I was training with fairly abbreviated routines. Then I became somewhat overly informed on more and different training and fell a little away from abbreviated training. That changed some 15 months ago. During that brief foray away from proper (for me) training, I gained about 6lbs while trying desperately to put weight.

At 210lbs, give or take a couple pounds, I decided enough was enough, I surely didn't want to weigh anymore. I wanted to continue increasing my strength while holding my bodyweight right at 210. Abbreviated, and even ultra-abbreviated training came back into my life. The squat was emphasized the most of course, since it is my best movement. but I added the BLDL which for me was something I had never seriously worked. Dumbbell benches, which were traded off and on with close grip benches were the mainstay of my upper body pressing. Chins came back into my life also.

Now, some 15 months later I am into my second cycle of very abbreviated work. After my first cycle of 33 weeks while doing everything in my power not to gain weight, I found my bodyweight climbing up to 218. My pant size stayed the same which is how I keep track of how good I feel about any weight gain. I'm not much of a measurement guy. Give me pure strength and that makes me happy, not adding 1/2" to my upper arm, or even 1 or 2" to my chest and thighs. And even better is weight gain that doesn't make my pants strain!

28 weeks into my current cycle and I'm now alarmed. I have a problem that many on the RT would love to have. More bodyweight gain. My routine consists of chins for 3 sets on Monday, along with a couple easy sets of shrugs and a VERY heavy decline sit up. Thursday is a thick bar rack close grip for a few top sets, along with some L-flyes. Saturdays is squat day, with a BLDL thrown in every 14 days. I squat heavy one week for a top single, then the next week I squat moderately heavy followed by a moderately heavy BLDL. I am trying to take this one slow as to get better at it by the time it gets really heavy. My bodyweight as of this morning was 230lbs. I'm 5-11. Pants are loose and I have to hitch them up or wear a belt. My stomach is flat enough to suit me though I certainly don't have all cans of a six-pack showing!

I read constantly about all the different routines that trainee's are performing in the attempt of not only getting stronger, but to get bigger also. They usually consist of 5 movements per day 3 days per week, or even more. And when there is a trainee lifting just twice per week, they seem to somehow be able to get in 6-8 movements per workout. Weight gain is for the most part, slow. If these trainee's were to put more effort into getting stronger at just a few movements, I think many of them would find not only would they become SUBSTANTIALLY stronger overall, but they would also be putting on the weight they seek.

So give it some thought. Perhaps after you go through your lifting notes over the last year and find that overall the strength you were looking for, or the weight gain you were looking for didn't really come about, it may be time to give true abbreviated training a try!

Oh, and strength gain over the past 15 months? I'm happy with it. Here are my increases.

Squat--525x1 to 590x2

BLDL--405x1 to 440x5

DB bench--120x7 to 140x3

Close grip--275x5 to 325x1

Chins--3 reps to 37 1/2lbs for 2 sets of 4

Decline sit ups--65lbsx40 to 210x5
- Jeff

[Fabrice SP]

Mouais...

Des trainings comme ça, ça me semble aussi fou que les trainng de Leo Costa mais ds l'autre sens...

[Gabriel Z.]

Ca ressemble un peu a ce que je fais lors de mes cycles de force. En deux semaines je suis passe de 1 x 152,5 a 3 x 157,5 au squat. Derriere j'ai balance deux semaines de puissance, puis deux semaines d'hypertrophie et me voila a 185 kg. Cependant, il semblerait qu'en terme de recuperation je suis au dessus de la moyenne, donc a prendre avec des pincettes...