© 2003 Dennis B. Weis Note: This e-book is licensed to be distributed through Lee Hayward’s Total Fitness Bodybuilding Website. This e-book is protected by International Copyright Laws. You are allowed to make copies of this for your own personal use. However, you Do NOT have the right to re-produce, re-sell, or distribute this e-book by any means. If you received a copy of this e-book from anyone else besides Lee Hayward, please contact. 2 “CRASH THE MASS MUSCLE BARRIER AND GAIN 25 POUNDS IN 21-DAYS!” There have been many training programs developed over the years for crashing the mass muscle barrier. Four of the most up to date and extensive programs that come to mind are: Big Beyond Belief & Titan Training Anabolic Training “A High Intensity Program for 20 SURGE . I have read them all but one of the most dynamic and unorthodox advanced training programs for crashing the mass muscle barrier was the one used by a New York City bodybuilder named Richard Simons back in the 1960’s.,and SIZE I was living in Miami, Florida in 1966 and I was introduced to Richard Simons (who was in town for a visit) through two of our mutual iron game friends Donne Hale, the owner of ‘Hales Fitness and Figure Gym’, and John Carl Mese. I told Richard that I recognized his name from his great training articles that were being published in Peary Rader’s “Iron Man” magazine. Pounds of Muscle in 4 Weeks” Donne Hale John Carl Mese Dennis B. Weis (age 20) It wasn’t long before Richard and I struck up a conversation about our favorite passion, bodybuilding. As we began to converse Richard told he had just recently completed a rather intensive 21-Day (Mass Up Cycle) and had gained 25 Pounds in the process. Now a lot of bodybuilders talk “smack” but I had a feeling this wasn’t the case with this prolific bodybuilding writer. He began to speak in more detail and said that previous to embarking upon the intensive 21-Day (Mass Up Cycle) he had been following a training program from the orient that many of the Nippon (Japanese) bodybuilders were using with great success. Basically it was a counter-split which consisted of SIX-DAYS-A- WEEK FULL-BODY BLAST WORKOUTS, for a period of 30 days. 3 Richard explained that the whole-body was bulked (power pumped) on Monday-Wednesday and Friday. Countering (hence the term “counter-split) those training days, the whole-body was shape trained on the intervening days (Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday). He said that this counter-split training system was an adaptation of the famous Joe Weider Split Routine system and that it was revolutionizing Japanese bodybuilding! Here’s an encapsulated and revealing look at the… JAPANESE COUNTER-SPLIT SYSTEM! Shigeru Sugita a Mr. Japan champion MUSCLE BULK & SIZE PROGRAM Monday-Wednesday-Friday Thighs: Heavy barbell back squats, Thigh biceps curl Chest: Heavy barbell bench press, Bent arm pullover, Incline barbell press Back: Wide grip pull-ups w/weight, Heavy one-arm dumbbell rowing, Barbell shrugs Shoulders: Heavy barbell press behind neck, Heavy dumbbell press; (prior chest work produces balance of shoulder program) Biceps: Cheat barbell curls, Alternate cheat dumbbell curls, (seated) Triceps: Heavy triceps press, (standing or seated); Narrow grip cheat bench press Calves: Donkey calf raise, Heel raises on vertical Leg press machine Abs: None 4 Two muscle bulk exercises for each major and minor muscle group of 6 sets each and low reps of (6) prevailed; using maximal weight on each set of an exercise. Rest between sets was around 2-5 minutes. MUSCLE SHAPE PROGRAM Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday Thighs: Sissy squats, Leg extensions Chest: Pulley-crosses w/cables, Incline dumbbell flyes Back: Lat machine pulldowns, One-dumbbell pullovers Shoulders: Dumbbell lateral or Rear raises, Lateral raise w/cables Biceps: Dumbbell seated concentration curl, Scott bench curl Triceps: Dumbbell triceps steroids for sale kickback, Lat bar Calves: pushdowns One-legged calf raise, Running up stairs Abs: on toes Twisting sit-ups, Leg raise (hang from Chin Bar), Barbell twists Two muscle shaping exercises for each major and minor muscle group of 4 sets each and high reps of (12) prevailed; using light to moderate weights on each set of an exercise. Rest between sets was 45 seconds to 1.5 minutes. Impeccable Exercise Form and Extreme Metaphysical Concentration Was a Priority Each and Every Workout! The Japanese Counter-Split System as noted employ’s the use of multiple exercises (muscle bulking and shaping) on each separate muscle group, and the sure-fire 6/12 Rep System for MASS & SHAPE. Additionally, the Japanese bodybuilders used, as did Richard Simons, what they called The “Kaizen” Method ( The Japanese word Kaizen m eans “constant and never-ending improvement.”) in the poundage’s used, for a particular rep scheme (6 or 12), at the beginning of each training week. They would add 1 ¼ -2 ½ pounds to each side of a barbell and as little as ¼ -½ pounds per dumbbell used. (Tip: Add 1 1/8th inside diameter cast iron flat washers and/or magnetic PlateMates on the barbell or dumbbells to accomplish the weight jump factors.) While the above increases may seem unremarkable it makes the weight of the barbell and/or dumbbell(s) physiologically and psychologically easier to use, each and every week, as opposed to say adding 10 pounds to a bar and almost instantly hitting a plateau and not being able to add poundage for weeks at a time. Note: Concluding this overview of the Japanese Counter-Split System hindsight suggests to me that training six days per week is a bit much for the full recovery of the muscles and nervous system. I would think a modified training approach where-in the MUSCLE BULK AND SIZE PROGRAM is performed on Monday and Friday only and the MUSCLE SHAPE PROGRAM on Tuesday and Saturday, to be more muscle friendly. 5 And if the above weekly training frequency still wasn’t accommodating recovery then the MUSCLE BULK AND SIZE PROGRAM should be reduced to Monday only and the MUSCLE SHAPE PROGRAM on Wednesday and Friday. Further modifications would be to reduce the number of sets per exercise by one-half. But hey, who knew what constituted correct volume, frequency and duration of exercise back in the ‘60s. Not me!! Richard said that for a while he was smashing through training barriers and making “phenomenal progress” with the amazing Japanese Counter-Split System. However as with any training program he said that he begin to experience low level time factored training results at about 30 days in where it seemed like his body was on “strike” (over-trained) so he decided to take a “7” day layoff from training. Completely refreshed mentally and physically after the “7” day layoff he decided to create a Stand Out Training Strategy (21st-century buzz wording), which would raise his limits of human accomplishments to a noteworthy degree of size & strength. To attain these desirable results he used a clear cut principle which he called the Juxtaposition Principle. “What the heck is the Juxta- position Principle?”, I asked. Richard answered by saying that this principle is basic to all bodybuilding training, because it underlies the basic concept of bodybuilding, which is bodily transformation. He continued by saying that the Juxtaposition Principle consists of a whole network or system of factors which influence the body’s ability to grow in immense size and strength. The following chart illustrates Richard’s idea of all the necessary elements that must be focused on to obtain a body transformation in size and strength beyond anything previously imagined. 6 Using all the necessary elements of the Juxtaposition Principle, and with a … clearly delineated goal in mind, Richard created the revolutionary 21-Day (Mass Up Cycle) Program Richard told me that he developed a dual 21-Day (Mass Up Cycle) Program which consisted of a 3 x 3 x 3 Exercise System and an aggressive stealth mega-calorie diet. I asked him to tell me more about the 3 x 3 x 3 Exercise System. He said that it consisted of 3 separate and distinct workouts, performed 3 times within in a 3 week period. The purpose of the 3 x 3 x 3 Exercise System is two-fold in that it builds strength and muscle by becoming proficient in the performance of specific exercise movements. I took notes while Richard was talking and I’m glad I did not leave it to memory alone (it’s been 40+ years since that conversation). As the saying goes; “The palest of ink is better than the best memory. Richard said he performed an average of only four exercises each workout on a rotational schedule, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He went on to say that the key to his method of training was to work the involved muscle by performing the greatest number of sets he could recuperate from prior to his next workout. Each set was done with maximum poundage’s that corresponded to a particular multiple-rep scheme. He went on to say that his workout tempo (rep speed) was of a MEDIUM or MODERATE SPEED, which was neither SLO-MO INTENSITY nor RAPID-FIRE (two opposite extremes in workout tempo). Richard would achieve a rhythm of performance in which there were no pauses at any point in the reps, nor between the reps (unless otherwise noted on certain exercises). It is this rhythm of performance that actually allows the muscles to re-engage themselves at every point in the rep. It might be said that the muscles coax themselves to work. Each rep was performed deliberately and ‘rhythmically’…never ‘haphazard’ or ‘jerky’ nor with the assistance of any other muscles of the body. With regard to rest periods between sets he said this would vary from five minutes, when using low reps and heavy weight, to a minimum of 45 to 75 seconds when using higher reps. His workout ethic was to maintain a maximum concentration of mind on his training effort. For instance when he would begin a Close-grip standing barbell wall curl he didn’t think of just getting the weight from the thighs to the shoulders. He would see a mental picture of each ascending muscle fiber in his 7 biceps engaging (or ‘meshing’ like gears in a race car) the next fiber, and so on until he visualized the entire biceps as one big muscular effort in operation. It is when all the muscle fibers work together, sharing the movement, the more perfectly the muscle will grow…and get stronger. To avoid frustrating his training efforts he allowed for proper physical and mental recovery by resting & relaxing on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. This kept his body and mind from becoming over-trained and allowed for exceptional Muscle Growth. He felt that his workouts were highly adaptable to experimentation. If, for example, he came into Monday’s workout in a negative frame of mind – perhaps through lack of rest or extreme muscle soreness from lactic acid accumulation – and felt that it would take away from his maximum concentration on a particular exercise (or the total workout as a whole) he would move the exercise or workout ahead to Tuesday. This he said is known as the 24-hour float method. If only one exercise was affected the Wednesday and Friday workouts remain the same. However, if the total workout on Monday would be moved up to Tuesday, and the Wednesday and Friday workouts moved to Thursday and Saturday respectively. After briefly explaining his workout concepts to me, Richard then handed me a copy of his 3 x 3 x 3 Exercise System. Here is that exact training schedule (exercises, sets, reps etc.) he used, plus an encapsulated commentary on the Exercise Mastery Techniques he used on most (not all) exercises. 8 3 x 3 x 3 Exercise System Monday 1. Supine (flat) barbell bench press – It is not necessary to fully describe the action of this universally popular and often illustrated pectoral and strength building exercise. Suffice it to say Richard realized that anatomical differences can influence the effect that this exercise or any exercise for that matter, will have on a person’s musculature. Experiences in the hard-core trenches of bodybuilding taught him personally that the best method of performing the Supine (flat) barbell bench press is to do it with a wide hand spacing (36-inches and out) and elbows back (towards the ears). He would lower the bar s-l-o-w-l-y to his neck, pause for two seconds at the neck and then quickly press the bar locking the elbows out hard at the top. (Sometimes he would only press the bar to 2/3’s lockout). In the Supine (flat) barbell bench press (sometimes he used dumbbells) he would do one set each of 15, 10, 8, 4 and 1 rep(s), then rests for 5 minutes. Next were 10 power sets of 5 to 6 reps each. When these were completed he would take another short rest and would finish up with one set each of 10, 15 and 20 post-fatigue reps. A change in training intensity was always necessary to create a new muscle response (and up his bench press power base). So, he would use what he called the shock/rebound technique (SRT) on the last couple of power sets. (SRT) This technique required the use of two or three one-inch thick high-density sponge rubber pads. The rubber pads were custom cut 19-inches long to (cover) his 51.5-inch chest from the collar bone (clavicle) to the sternum, and 12-inches wide in order to add protection to the extreme outer pectoral region. Richard would then get into his favorite stone cold flat fighting position on the bench. A training partner would then position the rubber pads on his chest. Lying there, with a bench press bar that had 300 reasons to make (render and splatter) him into a piece of road kill…it won’t say hello. 9 Richard introduces himself by lowering the bar a little more quickly than usual to the highest point on his chest and immediately gets a slight (note, only slight) rebound off the pads. This is not a travesty of the previously mentioned, bench press to the neck, and here is the reason why. The rebounding of the bar off the pads allows the pectoral muscles to momentarily reset themselves for another effort on the upward stroke and therefore bypass the sticking point (such an action leads to an improvement in power in the working pectoral muscles) he continues pressing the weight to a lockout position. This completes one rep. He would do this for 5 more reps (then) re-rack the bar (proclaiming it's fate as a lonely and stupid beaten piece of iron). This completed one power set using the shock/rebound technique. After a short rest-pause Richard did one more power set as just described. It is important to note that Richard’s buttocks remained in contact with the bench surface at all times during the set. The shock/rebound technique is excellent when a person has to lift alone. (This spectacular effective power leverage enhancement method) allows for a slight increase in poundage than would normally be used. The shock/rebound technique mimics the assistance a spotter (training partner) gives during a controlled forced reps protocol. Yet, another way to use rubber pads as a shock/rebound technique in the Supine (flat) bench press is to place two or three custom cut pads each on top of two stacks of 2” x 12” by 3’ long wooden planks. The (stack(s) are arranged, one on each side of the bench to accommodate for a particular range of measured movement in the bench press stroke). Now it’s just now a matter of lowering the bar down (in a controlled decent) so that the bottom edge of the barbell plate(s) touch the rubber surfaces in (causing a counter reverse velocity of energetic momentum) rebound effect just before the bar normally makes contact high on the chest. (You could also refer to this as... a power bump up...or force assistance 'positive blast’). The shock/rebound technique (SRT) has an unlimited potential for other exercises as well such as… ▼ ▼ 10