"The Truth" w/ Eric Broser (Q&A and Training Articles)

[bodyfx2]

thanks for the reply i read over at bodybuilding.com forum that u recommand 8-10 sets for large muscles and 5-7 for small muscles.

in this situation would 6-8 for large muscles and 4-6 for smaller muscles be more suitable? or even lower?

thanks alot looking forward to my prrs routine

Yeah, that would be about right.

[Toddbz]

Yesterday I began my first week of Power. Monday just so happens to be back for me. In my opinion there couldn't be a better muscle group to start a routine like this with. Just fyi I did not do any dead lifts because my legs were still just to damn sore from last Fridays Shock. As a matter of fact today is the first day I can flex them after that workout.
What is interesting to point out is now having done all 3 styles of P/RR/S I can say that they differ so much from one another that it is very difficult to compare one style to another. Each one of them stresses the muscle in such a different manner. I am finding it curious to feel the differences between the soreness I am getting. With Shock it's a dull sore way down to the bone. Rep range makes the muscle feel scattered. Like you broke down part of the structure. And good ol' Shock is like the end of days for any muscle group it touches. I mean 4 days of soreness for my legs. This is coming from a person who until I started doing P/RR/S was working out legs twice a week.
Let's talk about Power back. Now I'm not the biggest or strongest guy out there, but I love to train. I mean I love it. It's one of the things I look most forward to in the day. When I started P/RR/S I got a wild hair to start doing chins in place of pull downs. The reason? Well, with pull downs there is always a certain amount of cheating that I feel that I do. With chins the only way you can cheat is to kick your feet. Since the only kicking of my feet I do is on the dance floor, chins seem to be a good direction to go. I'm looking to build muscle not ego. To toot my own horn this was the first time I have ever done weighted chins and with a wheel to boot. I seriously doubt I could do pull downs with super tight form and do 6 clean reps with 230lb. So I was stoked on that to start. The hardest thing to adapt to was the resting between sets. After doing Shock and running like your hair is no fire, this slow methodical pace takes patience.
Next up was T-bar rows. I have not done these in quite some time. I had been doing close grip pull downs, but T-bar seems like more of a power movement to me. I was able to to full reps to my chest with 70lb more than I had ever done. Of course this is just getting me more and more fired up to put the hurt down on those pesky weights.
Next up was low cable rows with a wide grip V handle. Now If I had done dead lifts both row movements would probably have been replaced with bent over rows. Since I had already torn the muscles away from my spine on top, the lower needed some time in the hurt locker. 2 warm up sets of only 120lb to get some blood flowing and it was off to work. I would do 3 working sets of cable rows. Yet none of them I felt was a maximum effort. I worked up to 260lb for 6 reps. Keeping my back in position and not lurching. I felt I could have done more. Now weather this was adrenaline talking or for real, I'll have to wait for next time. Now my cable row machine only goes to 300lb and If I pull the stack you may be able to feel the tremors from my excitement.
Next was shrugs. Now if I had done dead lifts I would have still done shrugs. It's just one of those muscles on me that I think needs help. Now I have typically done these with dumbbells, but reading one of Eric's articles I decided to try behind the back barbell ones. Now really having never done this I can tell you that it a interesting movement to say the least. As you tend to goose yourself every time you pull up. As long as you're comfortable with that (kind of made me feel like I was on a cheap date) then get to it. Now until this point I felt like I still had tons of power left. 1 plate on each side for a warm up. Hey that feels cool. It contracts the muscle very hard, but without rolling your shoulders at all. So placing rotator cuffs a a very comfortable angle and safe throughout the whole movement. You also tend to get one hell of a stretch doing shrugs in this position. 2 plates. Way to easy. 3 plates. Now we're getting somewhere. 4 plates...yes per side. Now I'm feeling like a bad ass. This is big weight to me and I'm ready to get down. Like I said before I didn't really feel challenged up to this point. Being my first time doing Power I had no true expectations. So I have my trusty wrist straps. Just the old cotton style. They work good for me. I sit on the bar to get my hands in position and wrap the straps tightly around the bar (finally I can tell a story). As I stand up I can feel the straps start to bite into my wrists. Good cause there's no way I can hold onto this. As I stand up I can feel the weight trying to pull me down. That just isn't going to happen. Stand up tall! Move the weight! Each rep takes absolute maximum effort. So pull the weight up to peak contraction is making my head shake like I just got plugged into a light socket. The sweat is really starting to come down my face now and I can feel my energy waining...but not yet. I still have 2 more to go. 1 with a sharp grunt. The next with an even longer guttural sound and down the weight comes hard on the stops. Holy Molly that one was tough.
I finished the routine by doing 4 sets of seated calf raises. In reading Eric's last article posted here. I am giving doing calves everyday for 2 weeks a chance. one day will be seated, the next will be standing to be able to move maximum weight and develop power in my calves.
What I also find interesting about Power is that you achieve virtually no pump. Now after doing the other styles where your veins feels like they're going to explode this is a nice break and also lets you know that you did power only. I am looking forward to more personal records and achievements in my first week of Power.

[Ninja Loco]

Damn. I knew it. I've been doing this AAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL wrong!

DAMMIT!!..............

[bodyfx2]

What I also find interesting about Power is that you achieve virtually no pump. Now after doing the other styles where your veins feels like they're going to explode this is a nice break and also lets you know that you did power only. I am looking forward to more personal records and achievements in my first week of Power.

And the goal of POWER week is not a pump but activation of high threshhold muscle fibers and a strong connection with the CNS. Every week of PRRS approaches growth from a unique physiological angle.

Todd...your posts continue to amaze and inspire me.

[tank316]

And the goal of POWER week is not a pump but activation of high threshhold muscle fibers and a strong connection with the CNS. Every week of PRRS approaches growth from a unique physiological angle.

Todd...your posts continue to amaze and inspire me.

No kidding, i love reading his posts!!!
I cant wait for Todd to write one on shock wk!!!!

[Toddbz]

No kidding, i love reading his posts!!!
I cant wait for Todd to write one on shock wk!!!!

Look back a page or 2. I've written a few on Shock. My legs still feel the Shock...and that was last Friday.
Thanks everyone for enjoying my stories. I'm having fun writting them. It seems fairly easy to do since the workouts are just vicious. My lats are very sore today.
Question for Eric. I know you're a fan of CEE. What is your protocol for this? I just got some, but I'm unsure exactly how to use it correctly. Been used to mono for some time. Do you need to mix it in at the moment of drinking it or is having it in a drink sitting for an hour o.k.?

[Toddbz]

Damn. I knew it. I've been doing this AAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL wrong!

DAMMIT!!..............

How so?

[tank316]

Look back a page or 2. I've written a few on Shock. My legs still feel the Shock...and that was last Friday.
Thanks everyone for enjoying my stories. I'm having fun writting them. It seems fairly easy to do since the workouts are just vicious. My lats are very sore today.
Question for Eric. I know you're a fan of CEE. What is your protocol for this? I just got some, but I'm unsure exactly how to use it correctly. Been used to mono for some time. Do you need to mix it in at the moment of drinking it or is having it in a drink sitting for an hour o.k.?

Yes, sh wk is brutal.

[Toddbz]

Yes, sh wk is brutal.

Oh yeah! I'm just a newb at it, but I can tell already that I like the system. Varying your routine each week for a 2 week rotation is just so different for me that I just have to grow
*waving hands at legs* Grow...grow...grow

[Ninja Loco]

How so?

The pause and rep tempo. I've been doing zero negative with an explosive positive. No pause.

[Toddbz]

The pause and rep tempo. I've been doing zero negative with an explosive positive. No pause.

With the Power technique?

[Ninja Loco]

With the Power technique?

Ya.

[bodyfx2]

Look back a page or 2. I've written a few on Shock. My legs still feel the Shock...and that was last Friday.
Thanks everyone for enjoying my stories. I'm having fun writting them. It seems fairly easy to do since the workouts are just vicious. My lats are very sore today.
Question for Eric. I know you're a fan of CEE. What is your protocol for this? I just got some, but I'm unsure exactly how to use it correctly. Been used to mono for some time. Do you need to mix it in at the moment of drinking it or is having it in a drink sitting for an hour o.k.?

Let me make it clear that I am a fan of CEE for some people. What I mean by this is that if you respond well to CM you probably won't respond any better to CEE. I have found CEE to be effective in many cases where a person gets nothing out of CM. Additionally, for some users of CEE who DO repsond well to CM, but get stomach upset from it, CEE often alleviates this to a degree.

I use CEE because it is easier on my stomach than CM. I take three to four 2 gram doses throughout the day...15-30 min before meal 1, preworkout meal, postworkout meal and final meal. I believe you should drink it down as soon as you mix it.

[Toddbz]

Let me make it clear that I am a fan of CEE for some people. What I mean by this is that if you respond well to CM you probably won't respond any better to CEE. I have found CEE to be effective in many cases where a person gets nothing out of CM. Additionally, for some users of CEE who DO repsond well to CM, but get stomach upset from it, CEE often alleviates this to a degree.

I use CEE because it is easier on my stomach than CM. I take three to four 2 gram doses throughout the day...15-30 min before meal 1, preworkout meal, postworkout meal and final meal. I believe you should drink it down as soon as you mix it.

I believe I am one of those people who get very little if anything from CM. All the 'fullness' effects and what not simply do not happen for me. Now last night when I took CEE (mixed it right before I drank it) within just a few minutes I felt a kind of flush feeling and recovered quite fast from my workout. I have changed nothing else in my diet.

[Toddbz]

Ya.

Now correct me if I'm wrong here (mind like a steel trap...sometimes it closes just a bit early). I read to believe it was a slow negative (count of 4), no pause at the bottom (cause it already took you a count of 4 to get there), and explode up.
Reminds me of watching real power lifting where they have to control the weight really tight to make the lift count in a comp.