This begs a very pressing question: “But how to comprehend supercompensation? When does this period begin? How long does the rest phase last?
Here my friends universal advice no and cannot be. The supercompensation phase is possible only with sufficient rest and plenty of nutrition, as well as with sufficient quantity sleep. And genetics also plays an important role here.
And since all these factors are completely different for each person, it is impossible to say exactly how long the recovery period will last and when supercompensation will occur for each person. The numbers will be different for everyone.
Here you need to proceed by trial and error. Determined by how you feel.
- If you don’t have energy and can’t squeeze out more than you did in the last workout, you haven’t recovered.
- There is energy, you managed to squeeze out 1 or more repetitions than in the last workout - you guessed it with supercompensation. Congratulations.
Method for choosing super compensation in a practical way, we will similarly analyze when there will be a separate big topic about supercompensation. There you will find out what this phenomenon is in the smallest details, so that everyone can understand and incorporate supercompensation into their bulking training program. Then you will definitely learn to progress in bodybuilding and sooner or later achieve your goal.
In order not to miss this topic, as well as many others, which will now be published every 3 days, SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG UPDATES link and soon you will receive all the information on your Telegram. Telegram is much cooler than sending emails, so it will be used for our community.
Conclusion
Here’s an article today about supercompensation and progression of loads. Superficially, of course, we disassembled it, but in the future it will be worth doing full review these topics separately, because some beginners might have missed some important points, you don’t understand what we’re talking about and how to still achieve 100% muscle growth using these 2 tools.
But if you fully understand this material, my friend, and can put it into practice, then I guarantee a stable increase in muscle mass and strength. Using supercompensation and progression of loads, many famous athletes of past and present generations were able to achieve very impressive results, including the highest rank in bodybuilding - Mr. Olympia. And what has been proven by the practice of many people is guaranteed to work. Therefore, try it and see for yourself that the method works.
Aside from genetics, the main difference between two bodies is how often they worked or trained, and how resilient their muscles are.
If your workout consists of the same 3 sets of 12 repetitions, then the body will change over time just enough to ensure a complete workout until the end. A constant training program entails muscle addiction.
On at a certain stage their growth and development ends, since they can fully satisfy your need for movement. In addition, over time, the body, accustomed to constant loads, will adapt to the training and begin to expend less muscle mass and energy.
Many who are active in the gym only look at increasing weights in one direction: How much more weight will I lift this time? This way they measure their progress. But there are several different methods for this.
Method - 1: Progressions in repetitions
The method consists of adding an additional repetition to each of the approaches with the same weight that was used during previous classes. By increasing the amount of work done during each workout, you can count on an increase in muscle mass. For a workout based on a three-week program with five sets and five reps, the progression might look something like this:
- First week– 5 sets and 5 reps
- Second week– 5 sets and 6 reps
- Third week– 5 sets and 7 reps
Method 2: increasing the number of approaches
The technique consists of adding additional approaches to the exercises, the weight and number of repetitions does not change. The method is suitable for stimulating muscle growth. It looks something like this (start of the program – 5 sets, 5 repetitions, duration 3 weeks):
- First week– 5 sets and 5 reps
- Second week– 6 sets and 5 reps
- Third week– 7 sets and 5 reps
Method - 3: progression in rest
IN in this case The main goal is to reduce the rest time between approaches. The weights used during training remain the same. The main advantage of this method is reducing the duration of your training and increasing strength endurance, which is especially important for athletes and military personnel. The training schedule looks like this:
- First week – 5 sets and 5 reps, rest between sets 75 seconds.
- Second week – 5 sets and 5 reps, rest between sets 70 seconds.
- Third week – 5 sets and 5 repetitions, rest between sets 65 seconds.
Method - 4: increase speed
The point of speed progression is to increase the speed of a set from workout to workout. Thus, the duration of training is reduced and the athlete’s endurance increases. This method is suitable for athletes and athletes for whom it is important to be able to give their all for a few seconds (tennis, football, hockey).
- First week – 5 sets and 5 repetitions, set duration 8 seconds.
- Second week – 5 sets and 5 repetitions, set duration 7 seconds.
- Third week – 5 sets and 5 repetitions, set duration 6 seconds.
Combining methods
When working with athletes, all 4 methods are used with equal success. They are successfully combined with each other depending on the chosen goal. For example:
Increased muscle mass. Progressions of repetitions and sets are used, which replace each other. The method is labor-intensive, however, it gives excellent results if the main goal is to gain muscle mass.
Losing body fat and gaining muscle mass at the same time. For this case, a combination of progressions in rest and approaches is used. Gives quick good results.
Fat loss, strength gain. A combination of progression in speed and rest. Used by sprinters and athletes looking to lose weight while maintaining or improving speed and strength.
Increase in strength and muscle mass. A combination of progressions in approaches and speed. Applicable for strength athletes who strive to get into the highest weight category.
Method of increasing weights
Another method is to add weights. This is one of the most effective ways evaluate your progress and at the same time increase the load. By doing the same number of sets and reps, but using 10 pounds more load, you can be confident that you're making progress.
The method of adding weights is not the only one the right way measure progression, so don't just use it. Moreover, you simply cannot continuously increase the weight of shells. This is contrary to our human nature, which has limited opportunities, without it, all the medals in weightlifting would have gone to centenarians.
Considering the limits that our physiology has set for us, the method of increasing weights is far from the best way to increase physical activity. After all, even with an ideal program, constant weight gain will eventually “burn” you; with a bad program, this process will happen much faster.
Conclusion
The human nervous system, as well as the muscular system, is not able to cope with endlessly increasing stimulation, so over time, the recovery period passes with difficulties, resulting in a state of overtraining.
That is why I recommend alternately combining the method of increasing weights with other methods, for example, with progression in repetitions or approaches. It is also useful to develop other important athletic qualities in parallel, without focusing on constantly increasing weight.
The principle of load progression is one of the most important principles in bodybuilding, without which it is impossible to build up an impressive muscle mass without using anabolic steroids. However, most beginners do not fully understand this principle. What is load progression, why is it so important for us, what types and methods of load progression are there? Read here.
Progression of loads- this is a gradual increase in the work performed for the muscles, without which their further growth is not possible if you do not use anabolic steroids. That is why it is so important for us, because without progression of loads there will be no growth. In other words, if you train in the same style all year, performing exercises with the same working weight, number of repetitions and approaches, then you will never increase your muscle mass. You will constantly stagnate in one place, which is what 90% of visitors do gym.
Before you ask why your muscles aren't growing, take a look at your progress. How much have your working weights increased over the course of Last year or six months? If the weight on the shells remains the same, then why should they grow? After all, muscle growth is an adaptation to changed environmental conditions, that is, to your training. There is no progression of loads - no muscle growth, because there is nothing to adapt to when the load has not increased.
Now it’s clear why load progression in bodybuilding is so important for us. However, as I already said, most beginners do not quite correctly understand this principle, believing that the progression of loads is only an increase in working weights. Moreover, you need to increase these weights at every workout! This misconception can only lead to overtraining and injury.
Imagine that you are a beginner and your bench press weight is currently 50 kg. You train 3 times a week, working each muscle group once a week. That is, you must increase the weights every week. Now you are benching 50 kg, then 52.5 kg, 55 kg and so on. We have 52 weeks in a year. Thus, after a year your working weight on the bench press will be approximately 165 kg, and after 5 years it will be 822 kg! Of course, this is not real! It is not possible to constantly linearly increase working weights. At some point you will reach your physiological ceiling.
Increasing the working weights on the apparatus is only one way to progress the load. This The best way for beginners and naturals. However, there are other ways to progress loads, among which are:
- Increasing working weights on equipment
- Increasing the number of repetitions
- Increasing the number of approaches
- Reducing rest time between sets
- Increasing your training volume
I described these methods in more detail in the article “How to pump up muscles as quickly as possible.” If you are interested, you can read it.
You need to increase the load only at the peak of supercompensation, as your muscles adapt, when your muscles have fully recovered and become a little stronger and bigger. Which progression method to choose is up to you, of course. However, most beginner lifters are best served by increasing the load by increasing the weight and number of repetitions.
For example, let's say you do a bench press. You need to perform 3 sets of 6-10 repetitions. You did 3x10 with a weight of 50 kg. So in your next workout you increase the weight to do 3x6. In subsequent workouts, you gradually increase the number of repetitions with this weight until you do 3x10. Then increase the working weight again and so on. I hope it's clear. This is how you will progress the load.
Yoga or CrossFit, Zumba or javelin throwing, the main thing: .
We often see in all sorts of public pages seductive calls “Only 20 minutes a day for slim figure"or "50 squats/bends/jumps in the morning and you are irresistible." It’s a pity, but few people understand that even if you squat and jump in the morning, there will be no effect, just as you won’t get toned buttocks and thin waist.
This is the foundation of your training success.. Your Madame Siju will get used to your 50 (I wonder why everyone chose this number?) squats in a week and you will only be able to “swing” knee joints. By the way, if you are attracted to such posts, then know: this happens because they write what you want to see, not the truth. You want to think that 20 minutes a day and 5 sets of crunches is enough for a ripped body and that's what you get. " Ah, it’s not difficult to deceive me, I’m happy to be deceived myself". So always use your brain.
The insufficient intensity of such activities does not give any progress, and meanwhile, to achieve the desired effect, you need to subject your body to quite serious loads, especially since the human body quickly adapts to them. Therefore, it is very important to constantly increase working weights, or work faster with the same weights.
Muscles that constantly perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions in the same exercises will change exactly as much as necessary to carry out and complete such a workout - they simply have no reason to become stronger/bigger/endurer. If the training does not change, then the muscles do not change, i.e. remain the same. In fact, their condition may even worsen as the body eventually finds easier ways to complete and complete a workout using less muscle mass and therefore less energy expenditure. Especially for beginners, when it is not yet properly built.
It is necessary to constantly “surprise” the body and willpower. You should try to increase the working weights, or you should work with the same weights, but much faster. You can also change the order of the movements performed from time to time.
The human body is capable of very quickly Therefore, one of the reasons for failure in sports is the lack of variability. Often the same set of exercises is performed for months and, of course, there is no result from such “training”.
The body needs constant changes. For example, if a workout was carried out with sets of 5 repetitions, next time they need to be done in sets of 8. You need to add and remove various exercises (except for the base), try new ones. But don't go to extremes. Changes to your training plan don't have to happen every workout, it's enough to change something every couple of months, it matters more to your psychological comfort.
Only regular changes in the number of repetitions, approaches, and working weights will make the training truly effective, which means it will lead to the desired results.
Understand your body doesn't care whether you like it or not. If you take genetics out of the scoring system, then all the differences between two body types only reflect how the two bodies worked, trained and ate.
It is also critically important to recover well after training, otherwise you won’t even dream of any positive changes! Study the article and distribute the load so that the body has enough time and resources to recover.
Types of load increase:
By the way, this is a very interesting and new question for many. The vast majority think about increasing load in only one plane: how much weight to add to the bar. But this is not the only way to measure progress!
Method #1 - Progression in repetitions
The essence: Add a rep to each set with the same weight as the previous workout.
Target: Increase the amount of work you do in a workout, usually with the hope of building bigger muscles.
For example, you are working on a three-week program, starting with 5 sets of 5 reps each.
Workout 1 – Sets: 5; Reps: 5
Workout 2 – Sets: 5; Reps: 6
Workout 3 – Sets: 5; Reps: 7
Method number 2 - Progression in sets
The essence: Add a set of each exercise with the same weight as in the previous workout, the number of repetitions remains the same.
Target: Increase your training volume in a systematic way. Again, this regimen is used primarily for the opportunity to build muscle mass.
For example, you are working on a three-week program, starting with 3 sets of 8 reps each.
Your progression would look something like this:
Workout 1 – Sets: 3; Reps: 8
Workout 2 – Sets: 4; Reps: 8
Workout 3 – Sets: 5; Reps: 8
Method number 3 - Progression in rest
The essence: Decrease the rest period between sets, using the same weights from workout to workout.
Target: Make your workouts shorter, become more resilient.
Workout 1 – Sets: 5; Reps: 5; Rest between sets: 75 seconds
Workout 2 – Sets: 5; Reps: 5; Rest between sets: 70 seconds
Workout 3 – Sets: 5; Reps: 5; Rest between sets: 65 seconds
We have already written about rest between approaches in the article, do not be lazy and read, otherwise your workout may end in injury!
Method number 4 - Progression in speed
The essence: Finish each set faster than the previous workout.
Target: Another way to shorten your workout duration and increase your ability to maintain endurance under load.
Workout 1 – Sets: 5; Reps: 5; Rest between sets: 20 seconds
Workout 2 – Sets: 5; Reps: 5; Rest between sets: 10 seconds
Workout 3 – Sets: 5; Reps: 5; Rest between sets: 5 seconds
Method number 5 - Progression in scales
Our favorite and easiest way! It's last on the list not because it's the least important - we all know it's the most reliable way to measure progress and increase the load. If you were able to complete the same sets and reps with another 2.5/5/10/15 kg on top, then you are making progress. The main thing is for you to know: increasing working weights is not the only way, which, moreover, can be counterproductive if you get too hung up on it.
Even if your workout is well-structured and brilliantly planned, you will not be able to constantly and continuously increase the weight of the equipment. If this were possible, then there would be no limits to human nature, and 98-year-olds would set records twice as high as they are today and collect all the Olympic medals in weightlifting. In terms of physiological limitations, constantly increasing working weights is not best method increasing loads. Continuously adding weights will eventually “eat” you even with a good program (with a bad program it will “eat” you quickly and will not choke you). Our nervous and muscular systems cannot cope with their constantly increasing stimulation. Recovery after training becomes difficult and overtraining soon sets in.
Try to alternate methods of increasing weights with methods of increasing the number of approaches and repetitions, or developing some other quality, for example, endurance, speed, flexibility.
Don't make a deal with your own conscience! Remember, this is extremely important: after training, you should at least sweat a fair amount. If you only sweat a little after working out, do you think that's enough to achieve your goal? Are you completely sure that you did exactly what you needed to do?
Just accept that a beautiful, healthy, athletic body is hard, not even physically, but mentally: you need to constantly perform the same actions equally well (). Otherwise, everyone would go by Katya Usmanov.
Within the walls of the gym you must destroy your own “I can’t”. You must constantly expose your body various loads so that it can be effectively restored at home, forming new muscle mass. The human body is designed in such a way that it can quickly adapt to almost any load.
The problem of stagnation in muscle growth is relevant for athletes. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to overcome this condition. Learn a few secrets to get out of stagnation.
The content of the article:
Before we talk about how to progress in bodybuilding without changing the training program, you should understand the reason for the state of stagnation. Everyone knows very well that human body able to fully adapt to all kinds of external stimuli, pain and pathogens. The time required for this adaptation varies from person to person, but on average ranges from 2 to 4 months. After this, the body completely gets used to the stress.
Most athletes, when compiling their training program place the main emphasis on standard exercises: squats, presses, deadlifts, etc. This is certainly correct, since the basic exercises should not be ignored. However, the body gradually adapts and the effectiveness of the training decreases. When you start doing bench presses, your body already knows what awaits it and will do everything possible to make the work as minimally energy-intensive as possible. For this reason, it is necessary to put the muscles in a state of shock. And now the recommendations themselves.
Increase weight to progress
The easiest way is to increase the working weights and load the muscles more. It is this idea that comes first at a moment of stagnation. By adding load, you put the muscles in a state of shock, since they have never experienced such a load before.
Today, a lot of various pyramids have been created, thanks to which you can seriously load your muscles and make them increase in volume. You can also recommend the so-called competition method. It is as follows.
You come to training and start working in the same exercises, but with the maximum possible weight. In this case, you should try to do as many repetitions as possible in each exercise. As a result, your previous weight will no longer seem insufficient, and you will be able to increase the load. You can give the following example to make everything more clear.
Previously, you benched 90 kilograms, and during competition training you pressed 120. During the next session, the previous 90 kilograms will clearly not be enough, and you will simply add another ten, doing the same number of repetitions as with 90 kilograms.
Vary the speed of movements to progress
Changing the pace of the exercises also helps to increase the effectiveness of the entire training. Even greater results can be achieved if you combine an increase in working weight and speed of exercise. By increasing the weight, your speed will decrease, but the effort you apply will increase.
You can also reduce the weight but increase the pace. However, in this case, it should be remembered that the exercise should be performed as correctly as possible from a technical point of view. Sometimes athletes sacrifice technique for speed, but in this case it is necessary to work to failure until there is no strength left for the next repetition.
Changing the angle will help you progress
You don’t have to change the training program itself and do the same exercises. The main task in this case will be changing the angle of inclination. You perform the same bench press, but thanks to the raised or lowered bench, muscle training will take place differently and progress will not stop.
You can do the same with any exercise. For example, when squats go lower, it’s only better in this case to reduce everything, but add the number of repetitions.
I would especially like to say about deadlift. At first, the barbell can be raised to half the trajectory, and in the next approach, do not lower the sports equipment to the floor. But in the third approach, the movement follows efficiency with full amplitude. There are plenty of ways to change the angle of any exercise, and it takes a little creativity.
Replacement of sports equipment and progression
This is also very simple and accessible advice on how to progress in bodybuilding without changing your training program. You simply change the projectile. For example, if you previously bench pressed dumbbells, replace them with a barbell. This will load the muscles with an unknown irritant and progress will continue.
The effectiveness of the entire training depends on the frequency of changing sports equipment. The best option There will be a change of weights every month. Many bodybuilding stars, such as Frank Zane, did this on a weekly basis. There are no restrictions here. You just need to be able to listen to your body and make decisions accordingly.
Adjust exercise intensity to progress
And finally, in order to progress in bodybuilding without changing the training program, you can change its intensity. Even when you simply change the rest time between sets, the muscles will have to work in a new mode that is not familiar to them. Here you can use the following cyclicity:
- Reduce the recovery pause between approaches and only after you have managed to restore your strength do you begin performing the movement again.
- By increasing the time period for rest, you give the muscles the opportunity to work in a gentle manner.
After reading this article, you have at your disposal several powerful tools with which you can progress in bodybuilding without changing your training program. By and large, everything that was said today was addressed not to beginners, but to more experienced athletes.
If you are already at a certain level of building your body, and now want to move to the next one, then these recommendations will help you do this. The main advantage of the methods described above is that the training will become more varied and will surprise not only the muscles, but also you. Well, the result will come quite quickly.
ABOUT additional ways Find out how to progress in bodybuilding in this video: