Post by John A. Casler on Jul 28, 2007 17:18:30 GMT -8
Some Basics and Foundation of Rogue HIT
In the act of training the body we learn that applying a stimulus, if great enough, will cause an "adaptive response".
That response is in (corresponding/direct) proportion to the degree and amount of the stimulus, and the availability of the response mechanism.
There are significant variations in the response, and if the stimulus it too small, the response may be a negative one (de-conditioning) or if it is too great it can cause injury or eventually lead to over training.
Due to this fact one has a "stimulus window" . That window begins at the "trigger point", which is the smallest stimulus that will cause a positive response, and ends at "over stimulus" which is the level or amount of stimulus that will eventually lead to over training or injury.
A stimulus in the case of weight training is usually an external load/force created by the act of moving a weight.
The force "seen" by the body is based on the combination of active elements that make up the act of moving or lifting the weight/load.
The muscles act on the skeleton and create forces to either lift, move, accelerate, or decelerate the load.
The amount of force experienced then, is the is the sum of the elements of the load itself, and the acts of acceleration or deceleration through the ROM of the action.
This then creates a "load" that the muscle(s) apply force to, and interact with, in a cyclic active (moving) and passive (braking) force to force relationship.
This force relationship causes and creates peak and average muscle tensions, when it is applied through the ROM's of an exercise action.
Another component to stimulus, is the amount of time, it takes for the application of muscular force applied to the external load. There are three time components:
1) The amount of time it takes to accelerate or decelerate the load/force per repetition creating rep speed
2) The total amount of time it takes to complete several repetitions or the duration of the set.
3) The number of exposures to these load forces
All of these are significant to the stimulus and all can be viewed as important to the stimulus.
#1 can affect the muscular tension levels during acceleration or deceleration, which also dictates what fiber recruitment patterns are to be called upon.
#2 can affect the level of fatigue, the fiber recruitment and retirement patterns, and the metabolic systems that may be called upon to complete the set.
#3 is a key stimulus since increasing the exposures is a simple means of creating overload
And the last component to stimulus is that of the Motor Impulse. This is the electrical signal that tells the muscle how to respond and act in producing active force or passive braking, against an external load.
So in effect, the most important elements creating muscular force against an external load are:
1) Muscular Tensions and actions, both in specific peak and significant average values and repetitive number
2) Stimulating Metabolic Pathways, and Support Systems utilized.
3) Fiber Recruitment
4) Motor Impulses
As simple as this sounds, it is a highly complex and interactive concert of external force against musculoskeletal force, to create a stimulus that will give us the response and adaptation we are looking for.
What are we looking for?
The amount of stimulus required to cause a response is not a "fixed" number or formula.
It is a dynamic condition, that adjusts according to many personal factors.
In general those factors may be:
1) Current Conditioning Level and Previous Levels
2) Age and Hormonal Profile
3) Diet, Dietary habits, and Digestive efficiency
4) Genetic Potential
5) Rest, Sleep and Recovery habits
6) Other
In General a stimulus that is progressively increased will eventually reach the level of the "trigger point", and a positive adaptation will result.
Since the body has an adaptive mechanism, that responds to stimulus, the body will respond with the appropriate adaptive response. This adaptation is in "direct" response to the stimulus, but can be amplified by various conditions.
For example if you work with large hand tools, you may develop calluses in response to the protection needs of the skin of the hands. If you move to a higher altitude, you body will adjust the to the lower oxygen availability and increase the red blood cell count to keep the needed oxygen levels.
The same is true of weight training stimuli.
When we first begin training many body systems are taxed, and they all contribute to the adaptation to the stimulus.
Each and everyone of us have many factors as listed above that will affect the response we receive. Most find some of their "inital" results to be the greatest, and the fastest occurring. This is generally because in addition to the stimulus/response mechanism taking place, we are also in a growth cycle (12-25 years of age) where we would have grown to a large degree in both strength and size without training at all.
Adding the training stimulus during this normal growth spurt causes a larger increase within the limits of our genetic potential, an has been interpreted as an over or "super" compensation or adaptation to the training.
Additionally, inital strength gains are seen as a result of a learning process of the CNS. This creates an ability to activate and recruit more MU's (Motor Units). This increased activation allows for larger loads to be used. These larger loads stress the fibers with greater tensions and we have the adaptive compensation process.
But, there seems to be a "law of diminishing returns" at work here, where there is an "inverse" relationship to an advanced conditioning leading to "slower and lower" gains.
Now, as mentioned earlier, the result or adaptation is linked to the stimulus, and the stimulus must be at least to or beyond the trigger point, and not beyond to injury or overtraining for long term results.
This takes us to the question of Single Set To Failure as a Stimulus.
I have many times said and repeat now, that I am a strong believer in Intensity as a key training element.
High Intensity Training is (as defined by the terms) necessary for the most effective result.
There are some who feel that a SSTF can produce the maximum stimulus necessary to not only produce the maximum development of Strength, but also the maximum in Hypertrophy too. For this to be true, we need to look at what limitations that single set to failure might have.
Most SSTF advocates perform 10 - 12 reps per set and upon reaching 12 reps, advance the load and attempt to perform 10-12 again with the higher load. Since there is no "preparation" or "warm-up" set this in itself has significant limitations, since at very advanced levels it is not wise, nor safe, nor even performance efficient to perform a set when the body is not prepared to create its best and most intense effort.
This then, becomes an "imposed" limitation to the SSTF training scheme.
There are also other limitations, when training at a rather advanced level. That limit is one of a "single stimulus".
It is very evident that in any training system using a single set as the primary stimulus, that set has to be applied with significant intensity. If not the stimulus is not sufficient to "trigger" a response. Some weight training programs that use multiple set applications of sets that consist of NTF (Not To Failure) program, are created to rely on an "accumulated stimulus" over the use of those multiple sets.
This brings up an interesting observation. It seems that the difference between the results between a SSTF system, and a Multiple Set NTF system are not significantly far apart, under general training conditions.
This might show us that the First Set, can create a higher proportion of the stimulus if it is performed with a high degree of intensity, and that 2nd and 3rd sets are slightly less effective "proportionality", and only "add" additional stimulus through, and accumulation of the elements that make up the stimulus for that training session.
This then begins to show us that, once we reach certain levels of strength, it is difficult to continue on with a SSTF simply because it has imposed restrictions that are difficult, and limit progress.
Most find that this creates a plateau, and some sort of additional stimulation is needed, for even small amounts of progress.
It is at this plateau, or level that I suggest many can continue on, by using an extension of the HIT mindset, and tool of intensity, to create a training engine, that adds and implements elements that can provide substantial and surprising results. In many cases, far beyond any expectations.
In a "pure" SSTF for any specific body part, it has the limitation of only being able to create the needed stimulus in that single set. This becomes increasingly difficult since as we approach the finer levels of CNS activation and recruitment, the stimulus runs into the confined limits of that single set. It becomes very clear that to create sufficient overload, one must use a Multiple Set stimulus, which allows additional stimulus to be added without the limits imposed by a single set.
Corresponding Compensation Training - Rogue HIT Version
In a nutshell, Corresponding Compensation Training means that the body will react to training stimulus in a corresponding proportion to the "total" stimulus presented. It does not "Super or Over Compensate" to a limited stimulus.
This is in line with the principles of SAID (Specific Adaptation of Imposed Demands) and GAS (General Adaptation Syndrome)
In general a classic HIT type training program will include one exercise per major body area, and a single set performed for that area TF (to failure) covering the whole body 3 x a week. Many have also made the leap to multiple sets per body area recognizing the limits of a SSTF for a single bodypart.
In this type of application, I suggest that we may encounter the "imposed limitations" of this type of system as we approach the late intermediate and advanced levels of training, due to the restrictions of attempting to include a warm up, and Rep Maximum (TF) effort, all in one set.
It is certainly evident, that the muscle(s) and body parts are capable of greater loads, duration, and volume than a single set provided as evidenced by the proliferation of thousands of programs and trainees, who train this way to improved results, including higher strength levels, and greater hypertrophy.
This is not an indictment of the SSTF system, in fact it recognizes that the single set, has the highest percentage result of any program for the beginning and intermediate trainee, and is likely perfectly sufficient for most training purposes.
Recognizing that to acheive greater adaptation you need apply a greater stimulus, but one that will not injure or create long term over training, this system is constructed on a double progressive schedule of reps and weight load forces that are methodically and regularly increased to stimulate the adaptive response.
It also recognizes and utilizes several principles that are already used separately to good effect in other training schematics. This combination is a General System to address the goals of Increasing basic Strength and Muscular Hypertrophy.
There are other ways to adjust or recombine any, and or, all of these elements and principles for slightly different resulting adaptations.
Those Principles are listed below:
*Split Routine: General Split = Arms/Shoulders, Legs/Torso, Chest/Back in 3 day schedule
*One Primary Exercise per Body Area
*Antagonist Push/Pull pairings of Primary Exercises
*2-4 Sets of the Primary Exercise Actions (Warm up, as, or IF needed)
*Double Progression Schedule of reps and weight loads
*Wide Spectrum Repetition Schedules (Typical = 20RM/10RM/5RM but can be adjusted to trainee)
*Rep Maximum Sets and Personal Record Goals in "ALL" Primary Sets
* Full Recovery Between Exercises to allow Highest Volitional Efforts in each set
* Rest-Pause, Partner Assisted Eccentrics, and other Set Extensions can be used when, or if needed
*Ultra High Intensity Medium to Low Volume per body area.
*Complete Recovery between sets to insure Maximum Volitional Effort Primary Sets
*Free Form Rep Speed to allow Force Control via Compensatory Accelerations
*Force Application and Rep Speed in each rep to accommodate the production of the Rep Maximum or Personal Record Goal of the Set (Less Intentional Slowing or Purposely Reduced Effort)
* Minimum of 7 days recovery between "like" training exercises to allow sufficient recovery (can be increased as needed)
* Can be implemented as a Dual Factor Program with Periodized Scheduling with Active Restoration or Alternate Routines.
* Force Adjustment Devices like Bands and Chains can be used to Advantage in some applications
