Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

BEYOND BRAWN
13.52 Do not lock yourself into traditional rep ranges for specific body parts. For
example, calf and abdominal work are traditionally done with reps of about
20, or more. Experiment here with lower reps—10 or perhaps even as few
as 5 or 6—using heavier weights, and you may find that you make better
progress. But make a careful transition between the high reps and low reps.
Do not, for example, add 100 pounds to your usual calf machine 20-rep
poundage and immediately start performing full-bore 6-rep sets. Instead,
move to 6-rep sets but increase your poundage by 10 pounds maximum a
week, and later on increase by no more than 5 pounds weekly, and then later
on by smaller increments.
13.53 Knowledge of your personal rep preferences will influence the type of program
you choose. It may also lead to modifications of any training program
you consider appropriate for you.
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Find what you can do well and with substantial effort (within the
context of intensity cycling), actually recover from, really enjoy
doing, and then you will obtain what you are supposed to from
weight training—bigger and stronger muscles. Never blindly follow
a given program. Tailor it to fit you, always.
Twenty-rep work
13.54 ough not popular today, in the pre-steroids era the 20-rep squat was very
influential. It was hugely productive back then, when used as the cornerstone
of an abbreviated training program, and it can be hugely productive
today. Anyone who thinks that high reps do not build muscle and strength is
totally out of touch with Iron Game history. is special 20-rep rest-pause
work does not have to be limited to the squat. It is very well suited to the
bent-legged deadlift, especially when using a Trap Bar. In fact, for deadlifting,
the Trap Bar is far superior to the straight bar.
13.55 ere is nothing magical, however, about the number 20. If 21, or 18 had
been chosen and initially championed, the muscle-building results would
have been the same. But 20 is a round number, and what was initially championed.
13.56 Twenty-rep rest-pause squatting and deadlifting are extremely demanding,
which is why they can be extremely productive, but only when combined
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