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How To Increase Muscle Strength
By Oliver Wolter
HOW a single progress scheme could DOUBLE your GAINS
Did you ever hear about the double progress scheme? Chances are good, but probably you don't know the name.
Double progress means that you increase the weight for any exercise after you are able to perform a predefined number of reps.
For example you are increasing your weight on bench presses after you are able to do more than 10 reps.
This is called double progress, because you progress your reps before you progress your weight.
This is well known and almost anybody is using it.
But is it the best way to go?
Probably not for you!
By using a double progress scheme, you are trying to progress two different systems of your body at the same time.
1. with increasing your reps you are trying to enhance the energy systems of your muscles
2. with increasing the weight you are trying to enhance the performance of your muscle fibers
These two systems don't mix up to well. In fact it's like trying to walk at two sides of a street at the same time.
While working out with different training clients I found out that all clients hit sometimes a plateau because they were not able to perform one more rep for weeks.
But at the same time, it is no problem for them to add 5 pounds and keep the same rep number.
For example one of my clients was able to bench press 260 pounds for 8 reps. But he wasn't able to make one more repetition for 6 weeks before he consulted me.
So I told him, that he could increase his weight by 2.5 pounds without decreasing his reps.
He didn't believe me, but he tried to do this. And of course it worked. It didn't only work one time - it worked 5 times in a row. So he was able to increase his bench press weight by 12.5 pounds in 5 training units without doing less than 8 repetitions.
After this he reached his second plateau. He wasn't able to increase the weight and keeping up the 8 reps. So I told him to decrease his reps and keep increasing the weight.
After this he was able to increase his weight at 7 repetitions another 3 times in a row - summing up to 20 pounds more bench press power in a few weeks.
After an additional 3 week special endurance cycle where his energy systems where targeted he was able to bench press 280 pounds for 10 reps.
Could you think how happy he was? He planned to bench press 270 pounds in this time with his double progress scheme before he hit the plateau.
But with seperating the two progress schemes, he didn't not only work around the plateau - instead he doubled his progress rate.
Believe me or not - this happens over and over again. And because of this I suggest that you try out to go for single progress scheme instead of a double progress scheme.
In my X-Size Bodybuilding Software I always separate the cycles for muscle fibers and the cycles for the energy systems. It has an built in artificial intelligence that beneath other adaptations is switching the different cycles depending on your feedback to fit your bodies needs.
And this is what you also should do if you are not using it. If you hit your next plateau - don't get frustrated. It's not anytime over training - sometimes it could be that you did try to walk on both sides of the street at the same time.
Oliver Wolter is a world renowed fitness and bodybuilding expert. He is the creator of X-Size Bodybuilding Software.