The best training plan for natural strength athletes

The best training plan for natural strength athletes

Advanced strategies for steroid-free strength athletes

By Christian Thibaudeau | 10/12/16

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/the-best-damn-Trainingseinheit-plan-for-natural-lifters

Here's what you need to know...

1. The biggest mistake steroid-free strength athletes make is to use too high a volume. You need to activate protein synthesis and then stop training.
2. Frequency is also super important. Training a muscle three times a week is the optimal frequency for natural strength athletes.
3. The key to muscle growth is to achieve a great imbalance between protein synthesis and protein breakdown. The more volume you use, the more protein you break down.
4. The best split for a steroid-free strength athlete is the push/pull split. This is both physically and psychologically beneficial.

Don't train like a steroid-assisted genetic freak

If you're a natural trainee, then you can't train like a steroid-enhanced bodybuilder or action movie star. And if you only have average genetics, then you can't train like a genetic freak. Sure, it's tempting to copy the training program of those we admire, but always chasing the next "star program" won't get you anywhere.

So how should natural exercisers train to get the best results? Basically this:

1. Use a push/pull (or a push + quadriceps/pull + leg curl) split 6 days per week.
2. With this frequency, you only need one exercise per muscle group and three sets per exercise: two sets of moderate intensity to prepare and then one hard set.
3. Use different methods and exercises for the three different training sessions per week.

The most common mistake made by natural exercisers

The mistake made by those who do not use performance enhancing drugs is to use too high a volume. The whole purpose of training to build muscle is to stimulate protein synthesis. Once this has been stimulated, training a muscle further will not provide any additional benefits - it will not grow any stronger even with more volume. Instead, it might even lose size!

The key to muscle growth is to make a big difference between protein synthesis (building muscle) and protein breakdown (mobilizing amino acids from muscles for energy). The more volume you use, the more protein breakdown you will achieve - and you don't want that.

Frequency is king

To maximize muscle growth, frequency is key. This refers not only to how often you train a muscle per week, but also the number of training sessions per week.

Frequency is crucial for a steroid-free strength athlete because the actual training session is the stimulus that activates protein synthesis. In other words, the training session itself is what puts you in an anabolic state, whereas chemically supported bodybuilders do not need the training session as a trigger for protein synthesis. The chemically assisted exerciser is in an anabolic mode for 24 hours a day.

So the more often you train, the more your body will remain in an anabolic state and the more muscle you will build. But don't forget that frequency and volume are inversely related. Remember, as a steroid-free exerciser, you can't do a high volume of work if you train at a high frequency.

Frequency works better than volume. Training a muscle three times a week is the optimal frequency for a steroid-free athlete (with a low volume to compensate for the increase in frequency). Train six days a week using short low-volume workouts, training half the body in each session. This is the only way to achieve optimal frequency without excessive cortisol release.

The training split

The best split from a physical and physiological point of view is the push/pull split:

Pulling muscles

• leg flexors
• back muscles
• Biceps

Pushing muscles

• Quadriceps
• Chest muscles
• Shoulder muscles
• Triceps

Each push or pull training session consists of 4 exercises - one for each muscle group (and two for the back, as it consists of many different muscles).

Training unit A: Pull training unit

• Exercise for the leg flexors
• Exercise for the latissimus/back width
• Exercise for the rhomboid muscles/rear shoulder muscles
• Exercise for the biceps

Training session B: Push training session

• Exercise for the quadriceps
• Exercise for the chest muscles
• Exercise for the shoulder muscles
• Exercise for the triceps

You will perform three pull workouts and three push workouts three times a week using different exercises per workout. Although you can use any exercise you like, I prefer to do 2 multi-joint exercises and one isolation exercise if possible.

For example, you could do Romanian deadlifts for your first leg curl workout of the week, while the second workout could consist of leg curls. The third leg curl training session of the week could consist of glute ham raises - an isolation exercise.

How many sets should I do and how should I do them?

You will perform two preparatory sets for each exercise. These are the sets where you get the feel for the weight and decide what weight you want to use for the working set (or sets). These sets also serve to get some blood flowing to the muscles to improve the mind-muscle connection.

These sets are not typical warm-up sets. They are performed with a weight closer to your work set weight - or you could even use the same weight as your work sets but perform fewer repetitions. Basically, the level of effort for these sets should be 7 out of 10.

Then perform your work set where you give it your all. Here you will use a special technique/method (see below) and perform the set to technical muscle failure (however, you will not go to the point where you have to bail out to be able to move the weight up). The specific techniques mentioned are only used on the third and final set of an exercise:

1 - Heavy double rest/pause

• Use a weight with which you can perform 4 to 6 repetitions.
• Perform 4 to 6 heavy repetitions, pause for 10 to 15 seconds, perform another 2 to 3 repetitions, pause for 10 to 15 seconds and then try to perform another 1 to 2 additional repetitions.
• Always use the same weight. Only perform one set with this particular method/technique.

2 - Maximum mTor activation

Here is the key to performing each repetition correctly. Emphasizing the eccentric (negative) phase of the movement and the stretch under load are the types of contractions that increase mTor activation the most. Perform your repetitions using this method as follows:

• Lower the weight for a period of 5 seconds while contracting the target muscle as hard as you can the entire time.
• Hold the fully extended position for 2 seconds per repetition.
• Perform 6 to 8 repetitions in this way and on the last repetition hold the stretched position for as long as you can tolerate. You only perform one set with this special technique/method.

3 - 6-8-10 descending sets

• Start the set with a weight with which you can perform 6 repetitions.
• After reaching muscle failure, immediately reduce the weight by 25 to 40% (depending on the exercise used) and perform a further 8 repetitions with the new weight.
• Reduce the weight again by 25 to 40% and perform 10 repetitions.
• Rest as briefly as possible between the parts of the descending set. Perform only one set using this specific technique/method.

The program

This program is unconventional, at least compared to most modern training plans, but has conventional worked well for you so far?

Monday - Workout A1

1. Romanian deadlift: 2 sets of 6 reps and a heavy double rest/pause set where you give it your all
2. Lat pull-ups or pull-ups with overhand grip: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a heavy double rest/pause set where you give it your all
3. Lateral raises bent over: 2 sets of 8 repetitions and a 6-8-10 descending set
4. Standing barbell curls: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a heavy double rest/pause set where you give it your all

Tuesday training session B1

1. Front squats: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a heavy double rest/pause set where you give it your all
2. Bench press: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a heavy double rest/pause set where you give it your all
3. Dumbbell side raises: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a 6-8-10 descending set
4. Dumbbell tricep press lying: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a maximum mTor activation set

Wednesday - Training session A2

1. Lying leg curls: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and one 6-8-10 descending set
2. Pulldown with extended arms or dumbbell pullovers: 2 sets of 6 reps and a maximum mTor activation set
3. Rowing with supported chest: 2 sets of 8 reps and a heavy double rest/pause set where you give it your all
4. Scott curls: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a maximum mTor activation set

Thursday - training session B2

1. Leg extensions: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a 6-8-10 descending set
2. Butterflys or crossover cable pulls: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a maximum mTor activation set
3. Barbell or dumbbell shoulder presses: 2 sets of 6 reps and a heavy double rest/pause set where you give it your all
4. Bench press with close grip or dips: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a heavy double rest/pause set where you give it your all

Friday training session A3

1. Glute ham raise or reverse hyperextensions: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a maximum mTor activation set
2. Lat pulldown with underhand grip: 2 sets of 6 reps and a 6-8-10 descending set
3. Seated cable rowing with neutral grip: 2 sets of 6 reps and one maximum mTor activation set
4. Dumbbell hammer curls: 2 sets of 6 reps and one 6-8-10 descending set

Saturday - Training session B3

1. Hackenschmidt squats or leg presses: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a maximum mTor activation set
2. Barbell or dumbbell incline bench press: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and one 6-8-10 descending set
3. Dumbbell front lift on an incline bench: 2 sets of 6 repetitions and a maximum mTor activation set
4. Tricep presses with a rope handle: 2 sets of 6 reps and a 6-8-10 descending set

Related blog posts:

>> The push-pull workout

>> The repetition bible