Tip of the week Tip: Measure your growth with this method

Are you focusing on the wrong things?

The only thing that guarantees you progress is progression. Quite obvious, isn't it? Why are you focusing on anything other than progression? Feeling the burn. Getting a massive pump. A killer muscle ache. Not being able to climb stairs after a leg day.

All of this sounds cool and could be considered a badge of honor, but none of it will guarantee that your training session was effective and led to improvements. And yet we prefer to focus on these elements rather than objective progression. Here's a training method that will help you focus on what really matters.

The double progression method

In the double progression model, your goal is to perform certain numbers of sets with a certain number of repetitions with the same weight - e.g. 5 x 8 with 100 kilos.

Use a repetition range where there are about three repetitions between the lower and upper end of the repetition range. Your goal is to perform all your work sets at the top end of the repetition range. If you choose a range of 5 to 8 repetitions, this would be 8 repetitions.

If you can do 8 reps on each set:

If you are able to complete all of your planned work sets with the same weight at the top end of your chosen repetition range, then you can increase the weight on your next training session.

If you can't complete 8 reps on each set:

If you don't manage to reach the top end of the repetition range on each of your sets and do, for example, 8, 8, 8, 7 and 6 reps on your 5 working sets, then that's perfectly fine, but it means that your training weight will be the same on your next training session. You should only increase the weight when you can complete all your work sets at the top end of the repetition range.

This is real progression. And that's what you need to build muscle and strength.

Tip: Use a balloon to increase your deadlift strength

It may sound strange - well, it is kind of strange - but this technique actually works.

By Alex Nurse

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-use-a-balloon-to-boost-your-deadlift

Deadlifts and the need for stiffness

During deadlifts, our torso - everything above the pelvis - is statically loaded. This means that the job of our torso is not to move. All of our movement comes from the hips and legs.

Therefore, one of the most common reasons for failing at higher intensities is a lack of stiffness generated by the torso and front core - the deep and superficial abdominals, lateral abdominals, latissimus, back extensors, etc. This stiffness is what allows us to maintain a neutral position of the lumbar spine and avoid energy leaks at our central joint system.

As an advanced exerciser, we automatically drop the bar when we realize that the neutral position of the lumbar spine is compromised. We don't even have to think about it. Reciprocal inhibition kicks in to protect us.

It should therefore stand to reason that methods that focus on continually increasing stiffness in the thoracic region during our repetitions will result in reduced reciprocal inhibition and heavier weights during deadlifts. This is where a new breathing technique comes into play to increase our strength performance.

Breathing for more strength

Basically, breathing is the key to moving heavy weights. Think of the diaphragm - our primary breathing muscle - as a parachute surrounded by the abdominal walls. When we inhale, our abdominal wall stretches to make room for the diaphragm to unfold. When we exhale, the exact opposite happens and our abdominal wall contracts to put pressure on the diaphragm and push the air out of the lungs.

How does this apply to training? As it turns out, you can use a balloon to learn how to breathe properly during deadlifts. The result? Heavier, safer deadlifts.

The balloon breathing exercise

1. Take a balloon and a short straw. Before the deadlift, lie on the floor and rest your feet against a wall.
2. Push the straw into the balloon and exhale for as long as you can (so hard that your eyes become bloodshot and your cheeks redden), trying to fill the balloon with air. Aim for about 7 to 12 seconds.
3. After you have exhaled every cubic centimeter of oxygen you have, squeeze the straw so that no air escapes from the balloon. Then breathe in through your nose into your diaphragm (try not to do chest breathing) and repeat.
4. When the balloon is full, let all the air out and do it again.

This exercise will only take a minute or two. When you do the exercise for the first time, you will feel so much tension in your abdominal muscles that you will feel like you are about to crack a rib. The straw ensures that the exhalation lasts a long time, which allows a deeper contraction of the abdominal area. The balloon ensures that your breathing is powerful. Try to get to the point where you can fill the balloon with a single breath.

The balloon and the straw work together to greatly increase your capacity to generate stiffness in the lumbar spine and front center of the body and, most importantly, to greatly increase the speed at which you can generate stiffness. When you've gotten good enough to fill the balloon quickly with a single exhale, you'll be able to quickly generate all the stiffness you need for good bar speed regardless of weight.

Transfer this new skill to the bar

Generate stiffness in the same way you did with the balloon and you will find that your nervous system is prepared for heavy pulling. Start exhaling right before you move the bar up and notice how stable you feel. Try to do this for a full repetition while exhaling.

Master this and you will be deadlifting without sacrificing chest pressure or oxygenation of your working tissues. As a result, you will produce less lactic acid and hydrogen ions and be physically prepared for the next repetition.

Tip: Eat these foods to fight cravings

If you have the wrong bacteria in your digestive tract, you will suffer from junk food cravings. Get the right bacteria with this tip.

By Erick Avila

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-eat-these-foods-to-squash-cravings

Gut bacteria and constant cravings

From the moment we are born, our bodies are colonized by thousands of bacteria. These microorganisms have a powerful impact on our health, including our metabolism.

Lean and obese people have different gut flora in terms of amounts and types of bacteria. Lean people usually have a greater diversity of microorganisms in their gut. Gut bacteria such as firmicutes (which are over-represented in obese people) are more efficient at extracting energy from food and storing dietary fat, meaning that these people will store more fat than leaner people on the same diet.

Junk food can lead to an increase in troublesome, obesity-promoting gut bacteria, which leads to cravings for more food to feed these bacteria. This creates an endless cycle of cravings for foods with low nutrient density and high calorie density, making it harder for these people to lose fat.

The power of prebiotics

One way to improve gut health is to include prebiotics in your diet. Prebiotics are foods that are rich in fiber, which promotes the growth of "good" bacteria. Some of these fibers include beta glucan, psyllium, pectin, fructo-oligosaccharides and other oligosaccharides, all of which are usually listed as dietary fibers on food labels.

Prebiotic rich foods include:

• Leeks
• garlic
• onions
• yam beans
• asparagus
• bananas
• Barley
• Oats
• Wheat bran
• Dried fruit (figs, dates and prunes)
• Chickpeas
• Red kidney beans

The benefits

Prebiotics influence our digestive tract in several ways:

• An improvement in gut flora: greater diversity in our gut flora affects our digestive system and the way we break down and store food.
• Stimulating appetite-regulating hormones: Our hormones can influence how often we are hungry and what we eat.
• Increased satiety after meals: Feeling fuller for longer keeps calorie intake under control.
• An influence on macro and micronutrients: Prebiotics improve the absorption of certain minerals we are usually deficient in, such as magnesium and calcium. They can also improve our insulin sensitivity.

Appetite science

The intestinal flora has a direct influence on appetite suppressing and stimulating hormones. In our hypothalamus, we have a receptor for digestive tract hormones that measures circulating levels of appetite-regulating hormones such as pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) (which inhibits appetite) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) (two appetite-stimulating hormones). Signals from our digestive tract influence the circulation of these hormones, leading to changes in our energy expenditure and eating behavior.

A seven-week study conducted with rats, in which a diet rich in saturated fat was combined with a prebiotic (glocomannan), showed an increase in adiponectin levels and a reduction in blood sugar. Adiponectin regulates energy balance and improves glucose metabolism and fatty acid oxidation. Higher levels of circulating adiponectin are associated with a leaner body.

Tip: Build strength and muscle mass during the same training session

If your workout makes you sacrifice strength just to look good, something is going wrong. Get the best of both worlds with this brutal method.

By Corey Young

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-build-size-strength-in-the-same-workout

You can train for gains in muscle mass. You can train for strength gains. But you can't do both at the same time, can you? Experienced exercisers know that if you optimize your training for muscle hypertrophy, you won't get as strong as you could.

Conversely, optimizing your training for strength gains will not result in maximum muscle gain. Why? Because these two goals require different training approaches.

Scientific research has shown that training for maximum muscle mass or maximum strength is dependent on a number of different factors such as repetition ranges, load, tempo, rest-pause and a million other variables. But what about those of us who aren't happy doing one or the other? Is it impossible to get the best of both worlds in one training cycle? Or maybe even during the same training session?

The truth is that you can maximize your gains in one of these aspects while getting much closer to the other goal than you are right now. This is where the 5-10-20 method comes into play. This method is based on triple sets and works as follows.

Triple sets for those who are greedy for growth

The triple sets you will use in the 5-10-20 method include a range of different repetition ranges and a varying degree of intensity from set to set. In triple sets, you perform three exercises for the same muscle group to recruit as many motor units as possible and exhaust as many muscle fibers as possible.

• The first exercise: Perform a basic multi-joint exercise. This is non-negotiable. Use your ability to move some real weight while your muscles are still fresh and rested. The heavier weight is not only optimal for increasing strength, but also produces an acute hormonal response resulting in increased levels of testosterone and growth hormone.
• The second exercise: At this point you perform another multi-joint exercise for the same muscle group, but using a different plane of movement. For example, if you used flat bench press as the first exercise, you can use incline bench press as the second exercise.
• The third exercise: This is an isolation exercise. Use a machine or cable pulley to prevent injury as fatigue sets in and you approach the point of muscle failure. For years it was thought that training with higher repetitions was not beneficial for muscle growth. However, recent research suggests that training with lighter weights (30% of 1RM weight) can be just as effective for muscle growth as training with heavier weights if you train in a repetition range of 25 to 35 repetitions.

The 5-10-20 method

The numbers 5, 10 and 20 represent the number of repetitions in the individual sets of the triple set. In the first exercise you perform 5 repetitions, in the second 10 and in the third 20.

1 - The first exercise

This is your first heavy multi-joint exercise. Perform it with a weight that corresponds to 75 to 80% of your maximum working weight for 5 repetitions. Resist the temptation to perform more than 5 reps and go to muscle failure. Leave 1 to 2 reps in the tank, which will allow you to train at a higher intensity for the rest of the set.

Note: Go to muscle failure on the last round of your triples. At this point, your muscles will be quite fatigued and forcing 1 to 2 more reps will not have as big an impact on the rest of the set as reaching muscle failure earlier.

2 - The second exercise

Now that your muscles and joints are up to speed, move on to a more traditional bodybuilding repetition range of 8 to 12 reps with 65% of your 1RM weight.

As your muscles will already be exhausted from the previous heavy set, a weight that would normally take you to the point of muscle failure after 12 reps is the perfect choice. Using a weight that is too heavy is counterproductive and would interfere with your training with heavier weights in the following rounds. Choosing a weight that is too light will also affect your performance and have an impact on the next phase of the set.

3 - The third exercise

Choose an isolation exercise and a weight that will allow you to perform around 20 repetitions. This will pump as much blood as possible into your muscles and drive muscle acid production. Use either machines or cable pulleys. Avoid using a weight that is too heavy or too light. Reaching the point of muscle failure after 12 to 15 repetitions is not good. The same applies to doing 20 repetitions with a weight that you could have done 50 repetitions with.

Example: chest training with the 5-10-20 method

Perform these three exercises one after the other and then pause for 90 seconds. This is your first round. Perform three rounds.

• Flat bench press x
• Dumbbell incline bench press x 10
• Crossover cable pulls x 20

https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-measure-your-gains-with-this-method

By Christian Thibaudeau