CNS intensive training is hot topic these days. Everybody always wants to talk about the CNS and the role it plays in your training. I have done so myself on several occasions but today I want to talk about the role that overthinking about CNS intensive training may be playing in your long term results.
For those that don’t know, it is widely recommended that you do not do two CNS intensive workouts on back to back days. For example, you do not perform two max effort workouts on consecutive days or if you are training for speed, you do not do all out sprints on consecutive days. If you sprint hard on Monday, then you should back off and do lower intensity tempo runs on Tuesday. This is great advice and I will continue to stand by it as I always have.
But…
What about all the days of old when we didn’t know about CNS intensive training and concepts like this? What about when we were kids and ran hard everyday only to get faster? What about the 100 daily attempts you used to take at touching the rim for the first time only to get higher… …continue reading.
“Dude, you just got that chicks number?!”
“Yeah. Why are you saying it like that?”
“Cuz she’s not even 21 you moron!”
“WHAT?! How do you figure? She looks at least 25. You checked her ID and determined that it was fake?”
“No wristband, Einstein!”
“Aaaaooooo…That can’t be good. Well, why are their underage girls in here? Isn’t this a bar?”
“Dude, what time did you start drinking? It’s The Stone Pony, it’s a concert venue, first and foremost, you know that. They let anyone in.”
“Well I don’t think Bruce should be letting underage girls in here. Doesn’t he own this place now? I mean talk about Badlands, that’s nothing but trouble right there. She was just Dancing In The Dark so it was kinda hard to tell. Then she whispered that she wanted to take me to her Secret Garden and show me her Tunnel of Love. She invited me back to her place and-”
“Yeah, I know, she lives on Thunder Road and you were gonna show her The Rising, right? Cuz, what, you’re On Fire? I’m from Jersey too, you retard, I know all of Bruce’s songs too. And… …continue reading.
I have gotten several questions lately about doing cardio while trying to get bigger and stronger. Should it be done at all? What kind? How much? How often? What are the negatives? And what are the positives?
Hopefully I can answer everyone’s questions at once with this post. Here’s the real deal on doing cardio while trying to gain size and strength…
If you are a beginner who also happens to be a ripped ectomorph who has to fight for every ounce he gains (e.g. a classic hardgainer), I suggest that you lay off cardio almost entirely for at least 8-12 weeks. Get your training and diet down and pack on some size. In that time you should be able to gain at least 15lbs of muscle if not 20+. After you have done that you can add in some cardio. I would start with three weekly sessions of twenty minutes of moderate intensity cardio; no intervals. Use a bike to limit the amount of eccentric stress or pounding on the joints. And remember there are actually things known as real bikes that go outside, not just stationary bikes that people park themselves on to watch Oprah. Although, if… …continue reading.
The purpose of doing cardio when trying to get bigger and stronger is to keep you lean, improve your insulin sensitivity and allow you to eat more calories. What kind of cardio will have the least negative effect on your size and strength gains? That’s a no brainer; walking. The great thing about walking is it will not impede your progress in the least, the bad thing is that you have to walk for a bare minimum of 45 minutes to really burn a decent amount of calories and you will not elevate your metabolism much after walking. That is the great thing about interval training; it elevates your metabolism dramatically for long after you have finished your workout.
With that being said, I would still choose a good fast paced hour long walk on the beach over sitting on a stationary bike inside while pounding away on some brutal intervals. I despise intervals on a bike with a passion. My ass goes numb, my balls go numb and I get a splitting headache. Not to mention that I am bored to tears within three minutes. Plus, I think we all do more than enough sitting and the last thing… …continue reading.
Intervals
The good- intervals allow you to burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time and keep your metabolism elevated long after you finish doing them.
The bad- if you are training legs two or even three times per week, you can not do intervals more than once a week without overtraining. Let me rephrase that; you can but eventually it will lead to overtraining or at the very least slow down your strength gains. You can negate this slightly by keeping your leg training volume extremely low and doing your intervals on the same day as your weight training. You can’t do five to eight sets of legs two or three days a week and 30 minutes of intervals on top of it. That’s a dead end road.
You also have to remember to do your intervals on your training days and not on off days like you might do with other forms of cardio because that will lead to overtraining much quicker.
The ugly- if you choose sprinting as your form of interval training you could get hurt; it’s an ugly truth that has to be faced. The thing that will lead… …continue reading.
Originally written for Elite Fitness Systems in 2004
Last month, at my mom’s annual Christmas party, a friend of hers approached me and said he needed my advice. He was in his mid fifties, overweight and out of shape. He told me that he started to work out and needed to know how to use some of the machines.
“I have no idea,” I told him.
Thinking I was joking, he continued, “You know the one that you sit on with your chest against the pad and your hands out to the side, with your knees bent forty five degrees and…”
“Mike, I wasn’t kidding,” I interrupted, “I don’t use or know how to use any of those machines. I haven’t been near one in years.”
“But you own your own gym don’t you?”
“Yes, but I train athletes and we don’t use any machines other than a cable stack and a reverse hyper.”
“What’s a reverse hyper?”
“It’s for your posterior ch-, I mean your lower back.”
“Oh I can’t do that my lower back is bad.”
“What’s wrong with it?
“It just hurts all the time.”
“Did you injure it or something?”
“No it just hurts, I’m… …continue reading.
Before I get into the question of the day I have to ask a question of my own. Whatever happened to your hearing getting worse with age? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to go; you lose your hearing as you get older? Apparently this is no longer the case, though. As evidence I point out car rides with my mom. On occasion, when we are going to a family function or out to eat together I will find my mom in the passenger seat of my car. And no matter what music is playing on my stereo, she will somehow find it deafening. It doesn’t have to be Slayer or Run DMC either, I can specifically put on the Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan just for her and yet when I can barely make out the lyrics her eardrums are nearly exploding.
“Jason! Turn the music down, I can hardly hear myself think!”
“How’s that possible? I can barely hear what Bob’s even saying. Is that Tangled Up In Blue or The Hurricane?”
I thought that maybe my mom just had dog ears but apparently this phenomenon is not limited to her. I have had the same experience with several… …continue reading.
Originally written for Dave Tate & Elite Fitness Systems in 2004
They say you can tell a lot about a person by the company he keeps. If you associate with positive, motivated, driven people it can only rub off on you and make you more successful in anything you do. If your running buddies are nothing but a bunch of degenerates, that pretty much says that you are a degenerate, or will end up one. Like the legendary old school rap group, EPMD once said, “Hang with nine broke brotha’s and you’ll soon be the tenth.” Sometimes in life we outgrow our friends as we age and mature. Yes it’s sad, but it is also a fact of life. In high school and college everyone wants to have fun and live carefree.
Eventually, most of us realize that there comes a time to grow up and get serious. Unfortunately, not everyone finds that same sense of responsibility and that drive to succeed in life. When you have friends that fall into that category, it’s best to cut them loose. While this may seem harsh advice at first, in the long run it will prove to be your best… …continue reading.
Question: Hi Jason!
I read with great interest the MF Arm Workout Article you wrote -
great stuff!!
I wanted to ask what a person should follow after the 2 month workout
is completed. I’m trying it and really enjoying
it, now on my 3rd week.
Best regards,
Frank Marini (Canada)
Answer: Frank, glad you liked the article and the workout. After the arm specialization program is finished I would switch back to a regular upper/lower or half and half split and back off on the arm training volume for a while. Probably just two or three sets each for bi’s and tri’s for at least the next month.
Jason
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Question: I know you say to “control the eccentric and explode up” but after I complete my first hang clean and press…and the weight is back above my knees — is a quick pause ok or should i simply explode into the next hang clean and press as soon as i’m at the end of my previous press. A long way to ask a simple question.
Also, I just lost 20lbs using Craig B’s Turbulence Training and now am trying to put on some mass in… …continue reading.
Question: Coach,
I’m anxious to start your ‘Home Gym Warrior’ program that you have outlined in your Muscle Gaining Secrets package (which is awesome btw). Anyway, since I prefer the home-gym programs due to my schedule, as you might have guessed, I was looking for the most cost-effective solution to having a set of dumbbells on hand.
Currently I have some light dumbbells for warm ups and such (sets of 10s and 15s) and some heavier ones(sets of 30s through 40′s) based on where I’m at in my progression. But, I want to also have some heaver weights as I further progress. But it’s starting to get expensive.
So, I was wondering if I should keep equipping my home-gym this way. Or, get one of those all-in-one adjustable dumbbells. The all-in-one sets seem expensive but I haven’t done the math on whether they are more cost-effective than having a set. Also, are there any drawbacks or inconveniences to using them?
Anyway, any help is greatly appreciated. Your site is awesome and keep keeping it real.
Thanks,
Joe S.
Answer: Joe, first of all, always try to buy dumbbells somewhere locally. The shipping costs will kill you. If you search… …continue reading.
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