Partials, Cardio, Barbell Curls and Deadlifts
Q: "I’m Gary, a university student who weighs about 145-150lbs and about 5"10 tall. I’ve been working out on and off for two years with out much results and decided to dedicate myself fully to the gym this time. I read your ectomorph pyramid training guide on Bodybuilding.com and wonder if it would hurt to add in some upper back training exercises, deadlifts and military presses in the 3 day routine? ‘Cause I want to get a wider back and larger shoulders.”
Thanks,
Gary
My Answer: Substituting the military press for lateral raises and deadlift for the back squat would be fine. Adding these exercises to the workout would not be good, because the length of the workout would be increased. The more volume you have, the more likely you are to overtrain.
Substitute the deadlift for the back squat just once a week. So that means two workouts with the back squat, one workout with the deadlift in between. The reason is the deadlift is quite traumatizing to the nervous system, so once a week with that exercise is best.
You’ll need to lower the pyramid of repetions on the deadlift as well. I don’t recommend doing high reps on the deadlift, because your form starts to break down as the reps go up. You don’t want your form to break down on the deadlift, because then you risk injury to your lower back. So rather than follow the 10-8-6-15 pyramid for the deadlift, follow this pyramid of reps: 6-5-4-8.
Q: “Why aren’t the traditional barbell curls listed in your sample biceps routine? At least I don’t recall that I saw them there. Barbell curls are considered to be the king of biceps exercises.”
-CS
My Answer: King of biceps exercises? On what basis? I like the barbell curl, but Strength and Physique Volume One explains why the biceps like dumbbells better. When it comes to upper body exercises and hypertrophy, the dumbbell version always beats the barbell version, hands down. This is for all upper body dumbbell exercises, not just curls. Your nervous system has to exercise far more control on a pair of heavy dumbbells than it does on a barbell.
The dumbbells are easier on the joints, because they don’t lock you in like the barbell. Your hands can twist and turn the dumbbells as you move the weight. Plus the range of motion is greater with dumbbells. Do a barbell curl, and the range of motion starts and stops at mid-thigh, because the bar is impeding the full range of curling. Dumbbell curls allow you to go through a full range of motion, which is better for biceps development.
Q: “Hey, my name is Jessica. I just came across your website and saw your email on it. I hope I’m not bothering. I just had a few questions I hope you don’t mind answering for me.
“Well, basically I’m 18, and I’m still in high school, almost done. My plan after high school is to go to college and become a police officer. I’m 5′5″, and I weigh about 220. I know, that’s very bad!
“I recently started a diet, because I know in order to become a police officer you must be fit in order to pass the fitness test. I live in NYC, and I was wondering if the fitness test is different in different places, and if it would be possible to find a personal trainer to help me train for that fitness test?”
My Answer: The PT tests will vary somewhat from state to state. I don’t know what NYC’s PT test involves, but if I were you, I’d find that out. You can find a personal trainer to help you prepare for the PT, but of course you should first concentrate on slimming down. After you make weight, then focus on your performance on the PT test. If you do hire a personal trainer, then make sure the trainer knows what the hell s/he is doing. I hate to tell you this, but most personal trainers don’t know jack.
Q: “I know you are a fan of interval sprints for cardio. I use sprints in my training but for the sake of variety what’s your take on rope skipping and sled pulling?”
Thanks
- MB
My Answer: I actually recommend jump roping for my clients for variety, so yes it would be perfectly fine as a cardio substitute. Sled pulling is better for active recovery, meaning you should use it to get the blood flowing and aid in recovery, not so much for fat loss. Interval training can be done a very apparatuses, such as rowing machines, stationary bikes and elliptical machines. So substitute any of these for variety. Kickboxing is a cardio workout that resembles interval training, because your expending energy in short pulses with the combinations of punches and kicks.
So as you can see, you have a lot cardio options to choose from.
Q: “I have just read your article on bodybuilding.com regarding the pyramid training. I’ve been lifting for about 6 months now. I still consider myself a newbie and am strongly considering using your workout plan. I have a few questions: If I am trying to put on size (bulk) would this be a good regimen to follow? If so, Should I stop doing deadlifts? I am 6′3, and deadlifts are VERY hard for me to do. I usually do 3/4 deadlifts. I really appreciate any input you have towards my quest in bulking this winter. It’s been hard to figure what to do. It gets really frustrating not seeing the gains that I had hoped for. Thanks again.”
-Jason
My Answer: The 10-8-6-15 program would be a good bulking program if you eat a lot protein and calories. But at 6′3″, you have special issues as a newbie. Us shorter guys have shorter limbs, so when we pack on muscle, it looks impressive. For taller, longer-limbed lifters such as yourself, that same amount of muscle mass gets spread out over a larger skeletal frame. You have to gain much more weight than the shorter guy just to look buff.
Plus, as you alluded to, people with long-limbs have poor leverages and don’t do so well on exercises such as deadlifts. For taller lifters, I usually recommend a program combination of full range and partial movements. The 10-8-6-15 program calls for squats instead of deadlifts, as squats are superior to deadlifts in regards to thigh hypertrophy. You will still have problems doing full squats, because of your height, but that’s OK. Just do full range squatting at the 10 rep mark and the 15 rep mark. For the 8 rep mark and the 6 rep mark, squat down as far as you can go in good form. This way you get a combination of full range and partial movements.
