Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

HARD WORK—THE BIGGEST TEST OF TRAINING CHARACTER
9.60 In the context of intensity cycling there is the initial relatively easy stage for a
few weeks, and then comes the hard stage. So long as you keep the poundage
progression very slow, gradual and within your abilities to build strength,
you can sustain hard training for a long time and may never need to go much
into the two higher levels of effort. You could reserve the two highest categories
for the final stretch of a few weeks at the end of a cycle. Alternatively,
mix up your exercises, performing some at one level of intensity one week,
and others at another level.
9.61 You can and probably should do multiple work sets of hard training—up to
three sets—rather than the usual single work set of the very hard or brutally
hard training. is is because, to a point, intensity can be traded for volume.
But if you can do more than three work sets for a given exercise, you are loafing
and need to apply more effort so that you do not want to do more than
three sets.
9.62 Training more intensively does not necessarily produce its benefits only
because of the increased effort. A contributing factor is that harder training
enforces a reduced volume of training an thus a lesser likelihood of
overtraining. Too many sets, even on an abbreviated program, will overtrain
you.
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Training more intensively does not necessarily produce its benefits
only because of the increased effort. A contributing factor is that
harder training enforces a reduced volume of training and thus a
lesser likelihood of overtraining. Too many sets, even on an abbreviated
program, will overtrain you.
Cumulative-fatigue training
9.63 Additional to the hard, very hard and brutally hard training categories
already described in this chapter, there is a type of training that can combine
all three modalities in a single format. is can provide an excellent variation
that may prevent your training getting in a rut. Abuse it, though, and you
will get nowhere but into a mire of overtraining.
9.64 Cumulative-fatigue work is modified “volume” training—six sets of a fixed
number of reps for an exercise, using a fixed weight for all six sets, and a rigid
one minute rest period between sets. e short rest periods produce a fast
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