Extremely many have been created in recent decades. sports programs and training schemes. Of course, everyone a beginner athlete wants to see the result from his works in the form of muscle hypertrophy, but, unfortunately, due to excess it’s difficult to choose the right complex and method of implementation exercises. The situation is complicated by the fact that if you want become stronger, build muscle or recharge your batteries – you cannot do without a plan. In this article we will talk about linear periodization of loads to stimulate muscle growth.
- What is muscle hypertrophy and what does it depend on
- What is linear periodization?
- Before you begin: Track your progress
- The basics of linear periodization
- Why linear periodization works
- Weekly progress
- Transition to advanced level
- Find your base
What is muscle hypertrophy and what does it depend on
If you want to build muscle, then you need stick to a clear plan. To facilitate this task you you should set for yourself a specific daily routine, including training, nutrition, rest and sleep. Unfortunately, select a few exercises and diets and continue to adhere to them is not enough. Many people start doing the same exercises on the same muscle groups while adhering to the same diet – but this does not help them achieve their goal, as they misunderstood the importance of a systems approach in bodybuilding. And adhered to one and the same training system for months or years without creating necessary stress level for muscles or vice versa very often change the scheme, which also does not give a result.
If you go into the gym, you’re looking for familiar gym equipment and start to do strength training all the same plan, then even after six months of training you may not have progress.
To achieve muscle hypertrophy, you need to consider long-term lesson plan that will regularly create the required level loads to stimulate muscle growth. It’s important to gradually change your plan, introduce periodization with a smooth transition to new exercises and volumes of loads. One of the best ways is considered linear cycling (periodization) of loads in bodybuilding.
What is linear periodization?
Linear load periodization is an organization system training process, which involves a gradual and unilateral progress of the parameter developed by the bodybuilder, volumes and training intensity.
Periodization is any periodic change in plan. training sessions. Periodization is used in bodybuilding, powerlifting and weightlifting. A signal to enable periodization in the training process can serve as a stagnation in the balance, which, early or later, it occurs in all athletes who continuously train in “renouncement”.
In fact, linear periodization is constant transitions from high volume exercises but low intensity exercises exercises with low volume, but more intense. Fortunately, words like high volume or high intensity only sound scary, but in fact the plan is quite simple, and some it may seem pretty monotonous. But he possesses necessary sequence and diverse enough to stimulate muscle growth.
Before you begin: Track your progress
This is an essential part of your workout: you need to know how much weight you you can raise the training system to work the most effectively. The tried and tested method of gradually increasing the load can seem boring to some, but the most important thing is that he works.
Important: Not only beginners and people with average level in bodybuilding. A person with any level of training can start practicing linear periodization so that maximize hypertrophy of your muscles, regardless of their experience in the gym.
Many athletes, such as Ed Con, Lamar Gant and Fred Hatfield also used linear periodization for muscle building and their weight training programs were similar in the sequence of exercises and, more importantly, in the gradual increase in load.
These athletes trained for 12-16 weeks, every week adding some weight to the barbell until you reach your personal working maximum. Tracking your progress in power indicators, measuring muscle size and regulating nutrition, they were able to achieve their goal.
The basics of linear periodization
There are many muscle hypertrophy programs in which linear periodization is used. Usually, they all have in common that the basis of the program is the same. It often happens that the only thing these programs are different about is the range repetitions.
The linear cycle in bodybuilding is usually divided into four phases:
- In the first phase, loads are used that are 15-25% less than peak load of the previous cycle, gradually increasing to 90-95% of level of the previous cycle. Usually this phase lasts 2-4 weeks. More often all this is a large amount of training of low intensity (highly repetitive training with low weight). It’s important not to exceed the programmed loads, even if opportunities bodybuilders are not fully involved – in this case the gradual increase in load will disappear, which will entail violation of the principles of periodization.
- The second phase also usually lasts 2-4 weeks. In this period overall load continues to grow amid declining volumes training is usually an increase in weights and a decrease in the number approaches.
- The third phase lasts 2-3 weeks and implies achievement maximum of the previous cycle. Usually during this period, the volume decreases training due to the number of approaches and the number of repetitions, and significantly increased lifting weights. This and next period is very important rest between sets and in free workout time. Only fully restored, you can work in full strength, any fatigue dramatically reduces performance and quality of training.
- The last phase is peak, in which the athlete surpasses his maximum and sets a new bar that will become a point reference for the next cycle. Moreover, the longer this phase, the better – you should not work until the first training session failure and immediately reach a maximum, this will not give due result.
After reaching the maximum possible load goes small recovery cycle before the next cycle.
Changing the volume of training is achieved in three ways: progression in repetitions (adding the number of repetitions in each approach), progression in approaches (increase in total the number of approaches in this exercise), progression in frequency training sessions (increase in the number of training sessions in one weekly microcycle).
A change in the intensity of training is achieved, as a rule, progression in weight weights (weight increase of shells in each training), but in addition to this, progression is sometimes applied in rest (reduction of time intervals between sets) and progression in speed (decrease in execution time of the approach).
More or less: you must change the range of repetitions when reaching a certain percentage of your maximum weight. Then, try to repeat this exercise as many times as possible.
For example:
If you started the exercise by lifting about 60% of your weight, then you should do the following approaches by lowering the lifting weight by 10%. Try to do reps at least as many times as before.
In the next approach – the third – the rules are the same. Following the previous For examples, try to do as many repetitions as before. If you can repeat this more times – it will be even better.
Why linear periodization works
Such a program is usually called a program. drop sets as she focuses on dropping weights for each repetition of a set of exercises.
Drop sets (from the English drop – reset, sets – sets) – these are sets with weight loss. You start a set with a certain weight weights – whether it’s free weight or weights in the simulator, bring the set to the point where to execute the movement with compliance with strict technology is no longer possible reduce the weight of the weights by an average of 25% and again, make a set to failure. The classic version of the drop set implies a minimum the gap between mini-sets, ideally – pauses are minimal, weight changes in 2-3 seconds. However, in practice, the time spent on weight reduction may take longer, and this is not significant problems – options where the gap comes to 15-20 sec., Also quite acceptable and effective. This is the “classic” drop set.
Allocate:
- Triple drop sets
- Four drop sets
- Progressive Drop Sets
- Reverse Drop Sets
- Drop Supersets
In fact, many beginners begin to practice according to the scheme opposite drop sets.
Instead of reducing the lifted weight and increasing the number of repetitions, on the contrary, they increase the weight of each approach and reduce the number of repetitions.
This type of exercise for beginners, in which each time more and more weight is added, called the pyramid method. The “foundation” of the pyramid is the approaches with low weight and large the number of repetitions, and the “peak” – approaches with a large weight and small number of repetitions.
Linear periodization is often called the inverse method. the pyramids. This is the opposite of the conventional pyramid technique, and here the first stage of training includes a lot of weight and a small number of repetitions.
At the end of the workout, you will do more reps with a little weight on the bar. So far, the main goal of linear periodization is to focusing on the same range of repetitions, sometimes there are exercises that end in a kind “super series” – the last exercise, which is lifting as much weight as possible as many times as possible complete muscle failure.
So why is linear periodization so much more efficient pyramid systems? Actually, the answer is quite simple. Via linear periodization you can lift more weight much faster than with a pyramid.
If you lift a lot of weight for five repetitions, and then lose weight for the following approaches, then you can give it all to the maximum.
With this program, your total weight will be much higher than if you were doing the pyramid technique.
Weekly progress
At the beginner level, this type of strategy will lead you to – a minimum of 15 to 40 repetitions of each exercise every week. This amount will not only increase your muscles, but also make them stronger, which is why linear periodization is considered one of the most successful programs.
The next important stage of this program is a linear progression. Linear progression is a mandatory weight gain on the barbell. every week.
For example, try adding in the second week of classes additional 2 kilograms for each approach, for exercises on small muscle groups such as biceps, triceps, or shoulders. If do you want to train large muscle groups, such as the chest, back or legs, then add 5 kilograms.
You may not be able to do as easily over time. exercises as many times as at the beginning of your workouts, as your weight will increase. Still try to maintain the same number of repetitions.
This will definitely make it a lot harder, but that’s exactly what will lead you to the result. Strive for your cultivation. If you still can’t “catch up” with your level of repetition, think about slowing down your workout program. For example, reduce extra kilograms from 5 to 2.
Transition to advanced level
Like most programs, linear periodization is finite account will lead you to a certain plateau. This is completely normal because after some time you should choose a new strategy, to surprise your muscles differently and stimulate their growth.
Once your body gets used to these types of exercises, you can return to basic exercises to your muscles stretched themselves, increased strength and size.
Advanced exercises may sound intimidating, but actually it’s not like that at all. These are just slightly different options for the former. exercises.
Here are a few examples:
- Instead of a bench press with a regular or wide grip, try to do his tight grip.
- Instead of doing classic squats, try make frontal.
You will be very surprised when you see the effect small changes in exercise. Remember: Purpose Advanced exercises – do not let the muscles get used to one complex training sessions.
Your muscles like to maintain balance and stability, therefore, to increase them will require a lot of hard work and sweat. Once you let them get used to the type of exercise, it ceases to act on them.
Therefore, you should not even give them a chance. You should use different types of workouts, tighten the load and just “make” muscles become stronger and bigger.
Find your base
If you are new to such a training system, you may be It’s quite difficult to immediately find your ideal range of repetitions. Moreover, it may be difficult for you to figure out what weight to start with.
I advise you to spend one before starting your training program day to find out your maximum possibilities. This will really difficult, but it helps you create the right foundation for further studies.
Do not think of it as some kind of serious test, because in training time you will raise only 75-85% of the maximum weight. The standard linear periodization plan looks like this:
- For the first approach, lift 80% of your maximum weight 8 times.
- For the second approach, lift 70% of the maximum weight 8 time.
- For the third approach, lift 60% of the maximum weight 8 time.
This three-step plan is used by most athletes, but you you can well divide the workout into 5 approaches, if your level close to intermediate or advanced level. In fact, one of the best programs to date – 5 × 5 program – also based on this training option.
Although this program focuses more on maintaining same weight, you can still use the method pyramid scheme to convert this program to program linear periodization .. That’s what periodization might look like 5 × 5 programs:
- For the first approach, lift 80% of your maximum weight 5 time.
- For the second approach, lift 70% of the maximum weight 5 time.
- For the third approach, lift 60% of the maximum weight 5 time.
- For the fourth approach, lift 50% of the maximum weight 5 time.
- For the fifth approach, lift 40% of the maximum weight 5 times.
As already mentioned, you can transfer your workout to a new one level if apply the drop set method.
Whatever type of linear periodization you use, try adding exercises with lots of reps and light weight. For example, here is a possible exercise option for three-step plan.
- For the fourth approach, lift 30% of your maximum weight 8 times.
- For the fifth approach, lift 20% of the maximum weight 10 time.
- For the sixth approach, lift 10% of the maximum weight 12 time.
One of the best features of linear periodization is its incredible flexibility. By trying different options, you can program for themselves, “and still achieve the desired result. Just choose the best options, increase the load and stay tuned for progress, and the result will not keep you waiting.