The Problem with Super Programs
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
In yesterday's radio interview on SuperHuman
Radio I answered training questions from
readers and listeners. It was a pretty good
show. If you missed it, head over to the
SuperHuman radio (or my Facebook page -- or
Carl Lanore's Facebook page) and listen to
the download.
One of the questions was from a reader who
did a Bulgarian style program where he did
a max in the squat, deadlift and overhead
press TWICE every day for five or six days
a week.
He said he did well for about five weeks,
and then he crashed and burned.
And that's a story that I've seen and heard
so many times over the past 30 or 40 years
that if I had a penny for every time I heard
it I could pile them up one on top of the
other until they reached the moon -- or
possibly even Mars.
EVERYBODY has done it. EVERYBODY has tried
some variation of the latest and greatest
super program -- and it worked great for a
short period of time and then they burned
out.
It's even happened to guys who know better.
I know a man who wrote great training articles,
with real world, no-nonsense training advice.
Lots of basic exercises, squats, deadlifts,
presses, bench presses, rowing, etc. 3x per
week programs using divided workout schedules.
For the most part, multiple sets of low reps.
Good stuff. Much like Dino training. (No, it
wasn't me -- I've made plenty of mistakes over
the years, but this story is about someone
else.)
Anyhow, when he was younger, he corresponded
(by letter -- this was before the days of
email) -- with ANOTHER top writer and expert --
and this man suggested that he train five or
six days per week on a program that included
some form of heavy pressing every day.
My friend tried that program as a young lifter.
He did standing presses, presses from eye-level
in the rack, lockout presses in the rack, incline
presses, bench presses, behind the neck presses,
close grip bench presses, dumbbell presses,
dumbbell bench presses -- you name it, if it
was a heavy duty pressing movement, he did it.
And remember -- he trained 5 or 6 days per
week -- he hit a pressing movement every day --
and he worked really hard and really heavy.
It worked great for about five weeks.
And then he crashed and burned.
Big time crash and burn. he was so stale and
burnt out that it took months to work back up
to his top lifts.
He went back to a more sensible program -- with
rest days -- and he started to feel better, and
then he started to grow again, and he started to
get bigger and stronger -- and finally, after a
number of months, he was back to where he had
been BEFORE he started the super program.
A couple of years later, he hit a plateau in his
training and remembered the super program -- so
he tried it again.
Same result. Five weeks of good progress -- and
then the crash and burn -- and then massive
staleness -- and he lost everything he had
worked so hard to gain.
Believe it or not, this happened to him
several more times.
You see, that super program SOUNDED so perfect --
so compelling -- so "It's got to work!" -- that he
kept on trying it over and over again -- even
AFTER he had tried it and failed, tried it and
failed, tried it and failed.
And that's what happens with the super programs.
They SOUND great.
But they don't work. They don't deliver. They
just burn you out.
In all of my books and courses I emphasize HARD
WORK and PROGRESSIVE POUNDAGES. I advocate the
use of the BIG exercises. There's nothing EASY
about my training methods.
But I also do something else. I give you training
programs that allow plenty of time for recovery
and recuperation. They're not super programs --
they're real world, real life training programs
for real people.
And unlike the super programs, Dino programs really
work.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more about hard, heavy but SENSIBLE strength
training and muscle building, grab any of my books and
courses -- and subscribe to the Dinosaur Files
newsletter:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2 The new Dino Training muscle shirts have been
flying out the door. You can grab yours right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/muscle_shirts.html
