If you really want to know how to build muscle size and
strength as fast as humanly possible, study the old-timers.
Long before steroids and the BILLION dollar supplement
industry, there was a time when men trained with nothing
but heavy iron and a gruelling will to build size and
strength. One very distinguishing factor between strength
trainers and bodybuilders of yesterday and today was the
intensity of their training.
One training technique they used that is very rare to see
today is something called "Death Sets." By the name alone,
you can tell they definitely aren't a walk in the park. But
what they give you is results. Real results, and faster
then any supplement or home gym can promise. In fact,
applied properly with the right food to eat to build
muscles, they can very well be the fasted way to build
muscle and gain weight.
I had first read about death sets in a one of the greatest
books ever written on strength training, Dinosaur Training,
by a man named Brooks D. Kubik. If you are a hardgainer, or
someone really serious about training for strength and
size, then death sets can and will slap more pounds of
muscle and strength on your frame then practically any
other way of training. They are perhaps the most intense
type of training you may ever do, but like I said, the
results you get will be like nothing else. So if you
really, really want to learn how to build muscle size and
strength faster then ever before, and aren't afraid of some
hard work, these are for you.
So what exactly are death sets and how do you do them?
Death sets were properly named because they trigger what
Kubik calls the "Grow or Die" mechanism. Unlike
conventional training, they really work you closer to your
absolute limit like nothing else. Basically, death sets are
heavy, high rep training. Sounds like a paradox, doesn't
it? Normally, you either train with heavy weight and low
reps, or with lighter weight and high reps. So how in the
world do you train with heavy weight and still do a high
amount of reps? Two factors: certain compound exercises and
mental toughness. Death sets are not meant for your smaller
muscle groups like arms or neck, but rather for the big
muscle groups such as your legs and lower back.
Though you can apply death sets with most larger muscle
groups, performing squats or deadlifts with them are by far
the most gruelling, but effective. Since our legs can
withstand much more physical endurance then the rest of our
body, (given that we walk and stand on them all day long)
it is very hard to reach their limit. And your body will do
everything it can to get your mind to quit before your
body. But you have to train your mind to withstand pain and
accomplish your goal. Even though squats and deadlifts are
known as mainly leg exercises, you can no doubt expect your
whole body to grow. The intensity will include your whole
body to come into action, and as a result the rest of your
muscles will benefit, especially doing stiff-legged
deadlifts.
Some examples of death sets are 15, 20 and even up to 30
reps of squats or deadlifts, but with HEAVY weight. Heavy
enough to where you feel finished at the tenth rep. But
this is where your will power and focus come into play.
This is a good test of your mental strength, because as
soon as you even think about quitting or giving up, your
body will do it. This is why it is so important to mentally
prep yourself before the set, and to stay in that animal
instinct throughout the whole set.
The good news is that you only have to do one of these sets
per exercise, two at the maximum. But after you are
finished you will feel completely wiped out. You may throw
up or feel like passing out, but as long as you complete
the set and make sure to nourish your body after with
plenty of good food and rest, your body will grow. You
certainly won't grow overnight, this is at least a two
month process; but if you work hard enough and build up to
heavy enough weight, your body will literally transform.
Your mental toughness will also develop and you will
eventually become as tough as nails both physically and
mentally. Now that's a true strength trainer!
So if you got the guts, give these a try, but remember not
to do too many other exercises in your program along with
them. You can very easily over train with these, especially
if you are a hardgainer. Just a couple other major compound
exercises for your upper body should be plenty, and don't
neglect proper nutrition and plenty of rest or you will be
completely wasting your time and effort. This is perhaps
the best way on how to build muscle size and strength fast.
----------------------------------------------------
Derek Manuel is the author of the best-selling How to Gain
Weight and Build Muscle for Hardgainers. If you want to
learn how you too can gain 20 to 30 pounds of solid muscle
in as short as 8 weeks, or if you just want more quality
information on how to gain weight and build muscle, please
visit http://www.hardgainers-weight-tips.com
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