You can't prove it... ...but it's probably true

Practical experience often beats scientific research. There are a whole range of training and nutrition theories that have not yet been scientifically proven, but have been tried and tested in practice. Here are some of them:

People who only train two or three times a week don't need a regular scheduled de-loading week every few months if they prefer not to use them

Even if they train hard, they still rest for more than half the week. Even if they do intense recreational activities on the "non-training days", they still get enough recovery time. The only thing that can hinder their recovery is poor eating or sleeping habits - but even a regular off-load week probably wouldn't change much.

Figure class athletes and male bodybuilders respond well to high-volume strength-endurance complexes commonly used by endurance athletes

You can't target specific areas of the body with specific exercises to lose fat, but you can target specific areas to improve their visual appearance. And many competitive athletes say that the high-volume phase during which they used complexes for the legs made their legs look better than any other training protocol.

For male competitive bodybuilders, it was high-volume upper body complexes - primarily push-up complexes - that brought out their chest and shoulders better than any other training protocol.

We know that high-volume training works for hypertrophy. However, these complexes are unique in that they not only include high volume, but also include explosive exercises like plyometric push-ups or squat jumps.

How high is the volume? In the range of 70 to 80 repetitions per set for a few exercises for the same muscle group, performed one right after the other without rest.

However, you should keep the following in mind: Explosive training using momentum is not usually what is recommended for bodybuilders and figure athletes because it does not keep the working muscles under continuous mechanical tension.

Perhaps it is simply the challenge to the body and the fact that the repetitions are performed quickly as complexes use light weights that lead to a crazy pump.

All I know is that these types of complexes are most commonly used by male and female competitive athletes during the final 4 to 8 week training phase before competition.

Eat a little more on non-training days... or at least as much as on training days

An old nutrition dictum is "Eat for what you're going to do." Here's another one along those lines: "Eat less carbs on your non-training days because you won't be using as much energy and don't need extra carbs for your training."

Well, I don't think this is true for hard training athletes and bodybuilders. I started to suspect this when I listened more to my body and paid attention to the messages it was sending me.

The message my body sent me on the first non-training day after four training days in a row was "Hey, you could use a really big bowl of carb-rich oatmeal right now."

This goes against the rule we've always followed...but does it really?

Eat for what you're going to do? Well, if you're training hard consistently, then what you'll be doing on non-training days is growing and recovering. And for this, your body needs energy and nutrients - yes, even carbohydrates.

Although it hasn't been scientifically proven yet, I think the idea of eating less on non-training days will go the way of squats on a Swiss Ball.

Here are a few caveats:

• If you're in a fat loss phase, you're going to be a little hungry. But don't cut your calories even further on non-workout days just because you're not exercising.
• Don't use this as an excuse to stuff yourself with whatever you feel like. Eating more - or as much - on non-training days as you do on training days doesn't mean you should bathe in soft ice cream. It just means that you should listen to your body and give it what it needs.

For slightly advanced and more advanced exercisers, when it comes to getting stronger, it's better to change the weight from set to set, rather than doing all work sets with the same weight and number of reps

Here are three examples:

Waves

A wave usually consists of three sets and usually two waves are performed within a training session. The first wave is more conservative, in the 8 out of 10 range on the perceived exhaustion scale (meaning the set is completed one to two reps before reaching muscle failure), while the second wave is pushed to the limit (or close to it).

Weight and repetitions also change within a wave. The repetitions decrease from set to set and the weight increases. Here is an example.

Wave 1:

• Work set 1: 3 reps with 200 pounds
• Work set 2: 2 repetitions with 210 pounds
• Work set 3: 1 repetition with 220 pounds

Wave 2:

• Work set 4: 3 repetitions with 210 pounds
• Work set 5: 2 repetitions with 220 pounds
• Work set 6: 1 repetition with 230 pounds

My three favorite load patterns are 3/2/1 waves, 5/3/1 waves, and 6/4/2 waves.

Pyramid training with low reps

For strength, this is one of my favorite training techniques. You perform 4 to 6 work sets. With each set you reduce the reps and increase the weight.

Here is an example:

• Work set 1:5 reps with 200 pounds
• Work set 2:4 repetitions with 210 pounds
• Work set 3:3 repetitions with 220 pounds
• Work set 4:2 repetitions with 230 pounds
• Work set 5:1 repetitions with 240 pounds

Double pyramid

I like this approach better than waves when the goal is to build muscle mass and strength (while waves are superior when the goal is primarily strength).

This approach is very similar to training with waves in that you perform two sets of three sets, changing the weight and reps. The first group of sets is like a wave: the weight goes up and the reps go down. The second group of sets, however, does the opposite.

The whole thing looks like this:

• Work set 1:6 reps with 160 pounds
• Work set 2:4 repetitions with 180 pounds
• Work set 3:2 repetitions with 200 pounds
• Work set 4:2 repetitions with 210 pounds
• Work set 5:4 repetitions with 190 pounds
• Work set 6:6 reps with 170 pounds

Similar to waves, the second set of sets should be performed with slightly more weight.

My favorite variations of a double pyramid are the following:

• For maximum muscle mass: 10-8-6-6-8-10
• For strength and mass: 8-6-4-4-6-8 and 6-4-2-2-4-6
• For maximum strength: 5-3-1-1-3-5 and 3-2-1-1-2-3

Why does this work? I could now try to convince you to use the post-tetanic exponentiation argument: If you need to produce near-maximal (or maximum) force, then you excite your nervous system, which further increases your potential to produce force. Provided you don't produce too much fatigue, you will get stronger from set to set.

The problem is that this is not limited to the schemes mentioned above. And if I do 5 sets of 3 reps, I get pretty much the same potentiation as a wave, a pyramid or a double pyramid.

Sure, physiologically and neurologically there is probably no real difference between straight sets, waves, a pyramid or a double pyramid.

The biggest advantage of the uneven load schemes is that they are more stimulating to the nervous system and are also more motivating and satisfying. Using a different load from set to set and using different amounts of repetitions is less boring than always doing the same work for 3 to 6 sets in a row.

Certainly this is not for everyone. Some like things to be repetitive and easy. However, the majority of exercisers I've worked with have gotten better results with uneven load patterns.

Cyclical dieting can work better than continuous calorie restriction

If you look at scientific research on weight loss, the whole disaster of these efforts becomes apparent: the rate of failure is around 95%. And 66% get fatter.

For this reason, I began to pay more attention to cyclical dieting, where calorie intake is reduced for only a certain period of time, followed by a break from this calorie restriction. This usually works quite well. Not perfectly, but often much better than classic diet approaches. Over time, I have refined things a little further and have finally arrived at five different metabolic scenarios that can be observed:

1. Modifications to diet and exercise... eat less, exercise more: the dieter's model
2. Modifying diet and exercise in the opposite direction: the sedentary model
3. Using food alone to generate a calorie deficit... eat less, exercise less: the hunter-gatherer model
4. Using exercise alone to generate a calorie deficit... eat more, exercise more: the athlete model
5. An isocaloric state... eat some and exercise some

We now know that the metabolism is not a static, linear, predictable system that reacts to energy intake and energy consumption like a simple computer. It is much more an adaptive and reactive system that adjusts and reduces its energy expenditure based on the size of the calorie deficit.

For this reason, I believe that a cyclical approach will prove more effective than sustained calorie restriction.

Use a more relaxed "zen" approach when working with the foam roller

Spending the last 20 minutes of your training session working with a foam roller isn't exactly the best use of your time, but 5 quick minutes should be enough to get the job done. The usual n=10 study may not agree with this, but numerous trainers with thousands of hours of first-hand experience will.

If foam rolling is used at the beginning of the workout, it gives you a few minutes to plan and set your training goals. You will be in a much better frame of mind, which will lead to a more productive training session.

Used at the end of your training session, Foam Rolling can help you take that feeling of revved up 'training mode' home with you. Taking a few minutes to switch to a more parasympathetic state will help you approach the rest of the day in a better frame of mind. For those who are always on 180, something like this can work wonders.

We don't know much about foam rolling in terms of the science behind it. But we do know that any effects are probably related to the stimulation of certain receptors in the muscles and/or fascia. Because of the way these receptors work, some foam rolling shouldn't do any harm.

The "no pain, no gain" approach will most likely overstimulate the nervous system, making you more sensitive and tense. And there is a fine red line between a gentle approach and an assault with a foam roller.

We don't need rest days

We need recovery. Recovery is just as important as the training itself. We just don't need a whole day of it during which we do nothing physical. How fragile and incapable are we to need a whole day without any effort? Tell that to a farmer. Daily resistance training is safe and effective. You can work out every day if you get the 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night that you need. Not many people do this. You also need to meet your protein and calorie needs every day.

No, seven days a week is not for recreational athletes - it's for serious exercisers who want to get everything out of their training. We are constantly told that we should rest one day a week. But where does this statement actually come from? It is a dogma that is always passed on. If you can't cope with one physically demanding hour a day, then something is going wrong - and it takes time to get used to and adapt to this.

Of course, it would also be nonsense to say that everyone should train seven days a week. Most people don't have the time or the recovery strategies to do this.

But if you want to, you can make it happen. However, make sure you give your muscle groups and joints enough rest, rotate your training sessions, plan unloading phases and do light training days if you need them.

Training every day requires more time - time that many don't have. Many already struggle to train three or four days a week. We're talking about a specific group of dedicated exercisers who want to be in the gym every day. This can be beneficial for the prepared, the driven and the advanced.

If you enjoy working out every day, then you can do so while achieving excellent results. If you use the right recovery strategies, as serious exercisers should, then there is no increased risk of injury, fatigue or diminishing results.

This is not about maximizing training efficiency. It's about channeling all your resources into brutally hard training and recovery. Go weeks or months without missing a training day and make great progress.

Sometimes it's more about planning your training sessions each day with the knowledge that your social life and commitments may get in the way of some of your training sessions. If you schedule four workouts a week and always miss one of them, expect to make progress with three workouts. Plan seven and average six and you'll still be one step ahead of everyone else and see real progress.

You don't have to give yourself a day off if you feel like going to the gym and training hard.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/opinion/you-cant-prove-that