|
Daily
Specialization 2.0...
How to Use Progressive Resistance For MONSTER Gains
By Nick Nilsson
The idea
for this new version of Daily Specialization Training
came to me as I was re-reading the famous story of
Milos of Crotona in ancient Greece, who lifted a calf
(a baby cow...not the calf muscle!) every day until
that calf grew into a bull. I'm sure you've heard this
one!
This is an
elegant example of the power of long-term, progressive
resistance.
What IS
Daily Specialization?
Daily
Specialization is a very simple training
technique...basically, you take one exercise and do ONE
set of that exercise TWICE a day, EVERY day.
And then
you KEEP doing it...
So, for
example, if you chose push-ups for your Specialization
exercise, first thing every single morning you would do
one set of as many push-ups as you could. Then, every
single evening, you would do another single set of as many
push-ups as you could.
And you do
this EVERY day. Because you're doing just one set of one
exercise, your body is fully capable of recovering from
this training and getting stronger from it.
Many people
worry that they have to wait two days before they train a
bodypart again. This is a total myth.
If you train
an exercise with high volume (i.e. lots of sets) you
SHOULD wait before training it again. But because this
program only hits you with one set at a time, you can
train a lot more frequently and see some incredible
long-term strength gains.
The example
I like to use is myself...the first time I used this Daily
Specialization program, I used handstand push-ups. I went
from being unable to do 1 full rep to being able to do 40
full reps in a matter of only a few months.
THAT is
the power of Daily Specialization.
In the first
version of the Daily Specialization routine, I recommended
using a bodyweight exercise and adding more reps as you
get stronger (which is the most practical way to do it
with bodyweight exercises). This is an extremely effective
technique and I and many others have used it with great
results.
With THIS
new version, you will use an exercise that allows you to
increase the resistance by small amounts on a regular
basis.
And, of
course, I thought to myself, "lifting a growing calf every
day is certainly not practical. But why not mimic the
exact same principle with weights instead?"
You will
still do an exercise to failure for one set twice a day,
but rather than using the same resistance every time (as
with bodyweight exercises), we will force even greater
adaptation by increasing the resistance slowly but
steadily.
Ideally,
you'll want to have a way to increase the resistance
easily, such as using a barbell or dumbells. If you don't
have barbells or dumbells at home, you still have options
for increasing resistance while using bodyweight
exercises, such as:
- You can change body
positions in ways that make the exercise harder. For
example, if you're using Bench Dips and you start with
your knees bent 90 degrees and your feet flat on the
floor, you will move your feet further away from the
bench, then set them up on a chair/bench, then place
them on something that is higher than what your hands
are setting on.
- The other way to
easily add resistance to a bodyweight exercise is to get
yourself a sturdy backpack and gradually load it with
heavy objects such as books or water bottles filled with
sand. The more heavy things you put in the pack, the
more resistance you'll get.
For the
first 4 days, start with a resistance that allows you to
get around 10 to 15 reps for your one set. Your body will
rapidly start adapting to this new stress. You may
experience some initial soreness from working your muscles
far more frequently than they're used to. Four days should
be enough time to allow your body to effectively start
adapting.
Now we're
going to start letting Milos' calf grow, realizing the
full power of progressive resistance. Increase the
resistance by the smallest amount you can and keep the
twice-daily schedule going.
Add 2 1/2 lb
plates to your barbells/dumbells. Shift your body position
a small amount if using a bodyweight exercise. Add one
heavy book to your backpack, etc.
Use this
resistance for at least 2 days to allow your body time to
adapt to the slightly higher workload. After 2 days on
this resistance level, note how many reps you're able to
do with that weight. If your reps are 5 or less on this
resistance, stay at that weight for one more day. This
will be your rule of thumb for increasing resistance
levels.
From this
point on, your goal is to increase the resistance you are
using very slightly every 2 days. Follow the 5 rep rule of
thumb where if your reps are 5 or less, use that
resistance for one more day. As well, continue to stay at
that resistance for as long as your reps stay below 5 or
less. Don't reduce the weight, just add days on until you
can do more than 5 reps with it.
Over the
course of weeks and months, you are going to force some
serious adaptation in your target muscle group.
This small
but continuous increase in resistance, which allows your
body a chance to adapt and focus on it, can result in
extremely large strength increases and add plenty of
muscle mass to your target muscle group.
The best
exercises to use with this type of training are the basics
- the exercises that use the most muscle for your target
body part. This could be barbell curls, weighted dips,
bench presses, deadlifts, rows, shoulder presses, etc.
Good bodyweight exercises include pull-ups, dips, bench
dips, push-ups, etc.
I'm a big
fan of having some basic training equipment at home, even
if it's just a set of adjustable dumbells, and I highly
recommend investing in those if you'd like to try this
program. Sporting goods stores or garage sales are your
best bets for free weights (don't order online as you will
be hit with HUGE shipping charges). Weights at home are
not absolutely necessary but they definitely help!
If and when
you do try this program, be sure to keep track of your
resistance levels and body part measurements so you can
gauge exactly how effective the program is for you.
And
definitely be sure to let me know how you make out with
this program! There's nothing I enjoy more than hearing
how well one of programs has worked for you. That is,
after all, the main reason I'm in this business - to make
sure you have the information you need to get the best
results possible for the time and effort you put into your
training.
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President
of BetterU, Inc., an internet- based personal training
company. He has been training for more than 14 years and
has been a personal trainer for more than 8 years. He is
the author of the training eBooks "The Best Exercises
You've Never Heard Of", "Gluteus to the Maximus" and
"Specialization Training". Go to his
Web site
for more information on these books.
|
