Using science in training for fast muscle gains!
Discussion
Beating DOMS, targetting protein strands for specific gains.
I've been doing a lot of reading up on DOMS for current and latest theories on what this is, what is means, how it works etc. and doing some self-experimentation.
Usually with or without rep failure (as long as I pushed fairly hard!) I would ALWAYS get noticeable DOMS setting in in about 24 hours, and of course more if I was going to total failure. I have never been to the gym 2 days in succession, targetting the same muscles, ever, let alone 5 days on the trot as I did here.
The biology:
In short there are many ideas surrounding muscle hypertrophy and DOMS but the part that seems to convince me the most (read: has the best reason/interpretation for the known mechanics) is that DOMS is Z-disc damage to muscle fibres.
The Z-disc is part of a muscle sarcomere which the active units of muscle contraction - myosin and actin - are attached to. When myosin and actin are connected during a power stroke, they will put pressure on the z-disc and use it as an anchor to pull on it. Imagine velcro, actin are the fluffy loops, myosin are the hooks, z-disc are the actual fabric the hooks and loops are held in place by.
Google "sliding filament theory" for more info. There will be plenty of resources to aid picturing this.
During an eccentric contraction (the slow lengthening of a muscle) the maximum number of myosin are fully engaged. The muscle is at it's maximum strength. Just like velcro, if you were to pull longditudinally across the hooks and loops hard enough, the only bit that is going to break is the supporting material itself, or at least, this is how it COULD work with muscles - the jury is still out - but you can still expect some of the hooks and loops to go with it. This supporting material is the z-disc.
During concentric contractions (shortening of the muscle) not enough myosin/actin filaments are engaged to damage the z-disc. As the myosin are in motion, it is the myosin that are the weakest point and tend to break first.
Some believe this z-disc damage is the actual cause of DOMS. i.e. that DOMS only occurs from eccentric exercise, not from concentric work.
Both myosin damage and z-disc damage cause muscle repair, overcompensation and therefore, gains in strength and size. Whether one causes more repair than the other is unknown - I say unlikely. Work to damage the z-disc with total failure training and the z-disc will be repaired. Work to damage the myosin with momentary failure training and the myosin will be repaired.
There is however, a 3rd way to gain muscle size, and that is to not work to muscle failure of any kind with less strenuous BUT much more frequent exercise. In order for muscle contractions to work, positively charged Calcium ions need to be released into the muscle - these are key proteins that activate actin gates and allow myosin to bind to them, an essential of muscle contraction. The more calcium you release into a muscle, the more contractions you can make, the faster the contractions can be initiallised, the more myosin binding points of actin are opened etc. etc.
Calcium is stored in a Sarcoplasmic Reticulum that surrounds all muscle fibres, fast twitch to slow twitch. The more you use Calcium, the more you need to store in the SR. The more you need to store, and the more surrounding fluids for it, the bigger the SR physically gets... and so does muscle volume.
In fact muscle volume may get even bigger with a larger SR than with more myosin or z-disc protein synthesis, but certainly for best size, strength and power effects, you want to lay down as much of each as possible...
So, given I've done plenty of myosin and z-disc damage before, I've instead been testing Sarcoplasmic Reticulum growth theories on myself.
Given that the main medium for delivering Calcium ions from the SR and through the muscle is water-based (muscle blood, glycogen), I have increased my water intake until my urine is clear. And increasing my Milk drinking, for Calcium! Milk also has a nice balance of water, protein, carbs and fat of course. All required for such activity at good efficiency.
These are extra's to my normal high protein diet of around 1.6 - 1.8g p/Kg of body weight, in 4-5 meals, per day...
To induce SR hypertrophy through repeated regular exercise, I have been going to the gym 5 days on the trot and exercising the same muscle groups, increasing in intensity each time. I chose compound sets so I didn't have to spend hours at the gym hitting everything (to make sure I was hitting a good range of muscles and the same muscles everyday, yet not having to spend hours and hours in the gym).
Results:
The results in repeatable strength were noticeable - my Calcium stores seem to be on the increase. No noticeable results in physical size yet, but it's far too early to tell (muscle growth as any non-roid-munching gym user knows, is slow and small. It will take at least a couple of months to measure any size differences with a tape measure)
Given the intended frequency, I decided to start at an intensity well within myself:-
Day 1
2xsets DB Bench Press 22.5Kg x 12reps
2xsets Lat Pulldown 61Kg x 12reps
2xsets Decline Abs crunch 15Kg x 14reps
2xsets Upright Row 25Kg x 12reps
Day 2
2xsets DB Bench Press 25Kg x 12reps
2xsets Lat Pulldown 68Kg x 12reps
2xsets Decline Abs Crunch 15Kg x 16reps
2xsets Upright Row 30Kg x 12reps
Day 3
2xsets DB Bench Press 30Kg x 12reps
2xsets Lat Pulldown 75Kg x 12reps
2xsets Decline Abs Crunch 15Kg x 18reps
2xsets Upright Row 35Kg x 12reps
Day 4
2xsets DB Bench Press 32.5Kg x 12reps - pb
2xsets Lat Pulldown 82Kg x 12reps - pb
2xsets Decline Abs Crunch 15Kg x 20reps
2xsets Upright Row 40Kg x 12reps
Day 5
2xsets DB Bench Press 35Kg x 12reps - pb f
2xsets Lat Pulldown 89Kg x 12reps - pb f
2xsets Decline Abs Crunch 15Kg x 22reps - pb
2xsets Upright Row 45Kg x 12reps - pb f
f = momentarily failed a rep somewhere. Rest-pause to finish the rep target.
pb = personal best
NB: I was also working a few other synergist muscle groups while I was at it but always after these main sets. You might as well! I was doing the same type and even some Supraspinatus raises went from 5Kg to 7.5Kg @ 16 reps.
Thoughts:
However, doing the above - using compound exercise sets - I didn't and still don't have, any DOMS at all. I got noticeably stronger and my muscles, while always pretty firm, are like pieces of iron at the moment.
To see any sizeable affect, apart from strength/confidence, I'm thinking I'll need to do this for a couple of months but with my working life this will be all but impossible. (So I post here for info should others be interested in trying this!).
Personally I was amazed with the 35Kg DB Benching. I've always topped out at 30Kg before because I never had the Tricep strength to get into the starting position, but I almost did this without thinking on Day 3. And even day 5 I thought "there's no way I'm going to lift this" but I could. Always a psychological issue attached, but undoubtably new strength here too!
So anyway, I think I'm going to start designing periodisations not based around power, strength, hypertrophy, endurance, but around z-disc, sarcoplasmic reticulum and myosin training as each should see nice targetted results.
Also, this is further proof to the cause that the Overload Principle (going up weight for every session) is the single most important training technique... but never skimp on diet!
I've been doing a lot of reading up on DOMS for current and latest theories on what this is, what is means, how it works etc. and doing some self-experimentation.
Usually with or without rep failure (as long as I pushed fairly hard!) I would ALWAYS get noticeable DOMS setting in in about 24 hours, and of course more if I was going to total failure. I have never been to the gym 2 days in succession, targetting the same muscles, ever, let alone 5 days on the trot as I did here.
The biology:
In short there are many ideas surrounding muscle hypertrophy and DOMS but the part that seems to convince me the most (read: has the best reason/interpretation for the known mechanics) is that DOMS is Z-disc damage to muscle fibres.
The Z-disc is part of a muscle sarcomere which the active units of muscle contraction - myosin and actin - are attached to. When myosin and actin are connected during a power stroke, they will put pressure on the z-disc and use it as an anchor to pull on it. Imagine velcro, actin are the fluffy loops, myosin are the hooks, z-disc are the actual fabric the hooks and loops are held in place by.
Google "sliding filament theory" for more info. There will be plenty of resources to aid picturing this.
During an eccentric contraction (the slow lengthening of a muscle) the maximum number of myosin are fully engaged. The muscle is at it's maximum strength. Just like velcro, if you were to pull longditudinally across the hooks and loops hard enough, the only bit that is going to break is the supporting material itself, or at least, this is how it COULD work with muscles - the jury is still out - but you can still expect some of the hooks and loops to go with it. This supporting material is the z-disc.
During concentric contractions (shortening of the muscle) not enough myosin/actin filaments are engaged to damage the z-disc. As the myosin are in motion, it is the myosin that are the weakest point and tend to break first.
Some believe this z-disc damage is the actual cause of DOMS. i.e. that DOMS only occurs from eccentric exercise, not from concentric work.
Both myosin damage and z-disc damage cause muscle repair, overcompensation and therefore, gains in strength and size. Whether one causes more repair than the other is unknown - I say unlikely. Work to damage the z-disc with total failure training and the z-disc will be repaired. Work to damage the myosin with momentary failure training and the myosin will be repaired.
There is however, a 3rd way to gain muscle size, and that is to not work to muscle failure of any kind with less strenuous BUT much more frequent exercise. In order for muscle contractions to work, positively charged Calcium ions need to be released into the muscle - these are key proteins that activate actin gates and allow myosin to bind to them, an essential of muscle contraction. The more calcium you release into a muscle, the more contractions you can make, the faster the contractions can be initiallised, the more myosin binding points of actin are opened etc. etc.
Calcium is stored in a Sarcoplasmic Reticulum that surrounds all muscle fibres, fast twitch to slow twitch. The more you use Calcium, the more you need to store in the SR. The more you need to store, and the more surrounding fluids for it, the bigger the SR physically gets... and so does muscle volume.
In fact muscle volume may get even bigger with a larger SR than with more myosin or z-disc protein synthesis, but certainly for best size, strength and power effects, you want to lay down as much of each as possible...
So, given I've done plenty of myosin and z-disc damage before, I've instead been testing Sarcoplasmic Reticulum growth theories on myself.
Given that the main medium for delivering Calcium ions from the SR and through the muscle is water-based (muscle blood, glycogen), I have increased my water intake until my urine is clear. And increasing my Milk drinking, for Calcium! Milk also has a nice balance of water, protein, carbs and fat of course. All required for such activity at good efficiency.
These are extra's to my normal high protein diet of around 1.6 - 1.8g p/Kg of body weight, in 4-5 meals, per day...
To induce SR hypertrophy through repeated regular exercise, I have been going to the gym 5 days on the trot and exercising the same muscle groups, increasing in intensity each time. I chose compound sets so I didn't have to spend hours at the gym hitting everything (to make sure I was hitting a good range of muscles and the same muscles everyday, yet not having to spend hours and hours in the gym).
Results:
The results in repeatable strength were noticeable - my Calcium stores seem to be on the increase. No noticeable results in physical size yet, but it's far too early to tell (muscle growth as any non-roid-munching gym user knows, is slow and small. It will take at least a couple of months to measure any size differences with a tape measure)
Given the intended frequency, I decided to start at an intensity well within myself:-
Day 1
2xsets DB Bench Press 22.5Kg x 12reps
2xsets Lat Pulldown 61Kg x 12reps
2xsets Decline Abs crunch 15Kg x 14reps
2xsets Upright Row 25Kg x 12reps
Day 2
2xsets DB Bench Press 25Kg x 12reps
2xsets Lat Pulldown 68Kg x 12reps
2xsets Decline Abs Crunch 15Kg x 16reps
2xsets Upright Row 30Kg x 12reps
Day 3
2xsets DB Bench Press 30Kg x 12reps
2xsets Lat Pulldown 75Kg x 12reps
2xsets Decline Abs Crunch 15Kg x 18reps
2xsets Upright Row 35Kg x 12reps
Day 4
2xsets DB Bench Press 32.5Kg x 12reps - pb
2xsets Lat Pulldown 82Kg x 12reps - pb
2xsets Decline Abs Crunch 15Kg x 20reps
2xsets Upright Row 40Kg x 12reps
Day 5
2xsets DB Bench Press 35Kg x 12reps - pb f
2xsets Lat Pulldown 89Kg x 12reps - pb f
2xsets Decline Abs Crunch 15Kg x 22reps - pb
2xsets Upright Row 45Kg x 12reps - pb f
f = momentarily failed a rep somewhere. Rest-pause to finish the rep target.
pb = personal best
NB: I was also working a few other synergist muscle groups while I was at it but always after these main sets. You might as well! I was doing the same type and even some Supraspinatus raises went from 5Kg to 7.5Kg @ 16 reps.
Thoughts:
However, doing the above - using compound exercise sets - I didn't and still don't have, any DOMS at all. I got noticeably stronger and my muscles, while always pretty firm, are like pieces of iron at the moment.
To see any sizeable affect, apart from strength/confidence, I'm thinking I'll need to do this for a couple of months but with my working life this will be all but impossible. (So I post here for info should others be interested in trying this!).
Personally I was amazed with the 35Kg DB Benching. I've always topped out at 30Kg before because I never had the Tricep strength to get into the starting position, but I almost did this without thinking on Day 3. And even day 5 I thought "there's no way I'm going to lift this" but I could. Always a psychological issue attached, but undoubtably new strength here too!
So anyway, I think I'm going to start designing periodisations not based around power, strength, hypertrophy, endurance, but around z-disc, sarcoplasmic reticulum and myosin training as each should see nice targetted results.
Also, this is further proof to the cause that the Overload Principle (going up weight for every session) is the single most important training technique... but never skimp on diet!
Edited by mattikake on Wednesday 25th May 07:46
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