By Hany Rambod
I’ve been following bodybuilding since the days of Frank Zane and Mike Mentzer, and I’ve noticed an odd trend in recent years. Back then, you never saw various body parts on one side atrophied like what happened with Ronnie and Jay. First, do you have any idea why this may be? And second, how did Jay fix that asymmetry problem that he had? My own left lat and quad lag just a touch behind the right side, so I would love to know.
This is a very interesting question, because it brings up a very interesting phenomenon. Bodybuilders in the ’70s carried a decent amount of size, but today’s pros are significantly larger. It’s safe to say that bodybuilders in recent years have been pushing the absolute threshold of just how much muscle mass a human being can carry on their frame.
Consider that Arnold’s heaviest stage weight was 240 pounds at 6’2″ at the 1974 Mr. Olympia. Thirty years later, Ronnie was dominating the sport at 5’11” and just under 300 pounds. The weights used today are also much heavier on average. Back in the “Pumping Iron” days, you might see top stars like Arnold or Ed Corney using three plates a side for squats, maybe going up to four for a few reps.
Today, there are guys using four plates for front squats, and handling 5 or 6 45s each side for squats. One more factor to consider is that today’s pros tend to train and compete for much longer spans of time. Let’s do a little math before I get to my point.
Say a man handles 500 pounds for 4 sets of 10 in the squat (20,000 pounds total) and another 500 pounds for the same sets and reps on hacks, every week (40,000 pounds total). If he trains for 50 weeks out of the year for 15 years, that’s 40,000 x 50 x 15 = 30,000,000 or 30 million pounds, compressing his spine over that duration. When disks become herniated, they often impinge nerves. Sometimes back pain is the result, but you may also see things like numbness in a localized area, such as a triceps or one side of the lats.
With compromised nerve communication to the muscle, it will atrophy over time. Many feel that this was the root of Ronnie Coleman’s problem in his final two attempts to regain his Olympia title from Jay.
Another factor that can contribute to asymmetry is what I refer to as ‘false muscle fascia.’ Every time a bodybuilder trains, he causes micro-tears to the muscle, which are repaired during the recovery process. Occasionally these tears are more significant, to the point where scar tissue forms around the tear as it heals. Should this happen repeatedly, enough scar tissue forms so that it actually binds the nerves and also impedes blood flow.
Again, atrophy of the muscle will result, as it is no longer receiving the proper signals, or stimulus, from the central nervous system and therefore not being properly stimulated during training. In Jay’s case, we originally thought that disk compression in his spine was causing the atrophy in his right arm and leg.
As time went on, we discovered that the nerve impingement was actually the result of excessive scar tissue accumulation in those areas. Oddly, in his leg, it turned out to be his hamstring that was to blame. Once the scar tissue had been broken up, we saw improvements in his hamstring separation and fullness, but the real surprise was when the right quadriceps began to grow again, regaining the former size it had displayed several years ago. The scar tissue was broken up by deep-tissue work, but of a type far more aggressive and invasive than what your neighborhood massage therapist would be capable of.
Essentially, the hamstring almost had to be torn again to free up the bound muscle and nerves. Twice a week on average, a therapist would work on the area with elbows as well as a tool resembling a blunt spoon, digging down deep and stripping the muscle from the scar tissue and adhesions. Jay reports that the pain was excruciating, and in photos he sent me he typically had bruises all over his body that made it look like he’d been beaten with baseball bats like the scene in “Casino.”
These sessions would last well over an hour and usually closer to two. With the scar tissue dissipated, Jay was able to get the most out of FST-7 Training and improve his fullness in the affected areas dramatically. So if you have the time, money, and pain tolerance, a similar protocol could restore your symmetry. Or maybe after hearing all that, you might just decide you can live with having one quad and a side of your lats being smaller!
I’ve been taking in a protein shake, usually two every single day for 16 years. I recently read how you have your athletes rely mainly on solid food, and instead of shakes post-workout, you have them take in amino acids so it gets to the muscles faster. Your reasoning behind this makes sense so I’m gonna back off on the shakes and just take aminos post-workout. How much would a 225-pound endomorph need daily and after a workout?
Someone your size should be taking about 15 grams of high-grade branched-chain amino acid powder. Don’t go for the cheapest stuff you can find, because especially with aminos, you get what you pay for. I would also take in 10 grams of L-Glutamine, and 50 grams of dextrose wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. That would give you an insulin spike and speed up the absorption process. To make sure that process is fully complete, wait at least 30 minutes until you eat your post-workout meal.
I train FST-7 style and I’m unsure about how much rest to take between the main sets, what you call base sets. One minute? 90 seconds? How much rest should I take between the 7 sets at the end? 30 seconds? I seem to take about 60-90 seconds to recover after base sets for all body parts except legs. On those I take about two minutes. Would you say that is about average? Of course my ass is out of shape cardio-wise. Just running up two flights of stairs and my chubby ass is huffing and puffing for a while!
Normally you should be ready to go again about a minute after each base set, though that will vary as you go heavier. It’s reasonable to need up to two minutes to recover after your heaviest sets of back and leg movements, since they involve so much sheer muscle mass.
As for your 7s, that too is situational. You shouldn’t require any more than 30-45 seconds to recover between sets of EZ-bar curls, but something like the leg press or hack squat could very well take 45-60 seconds.
As for your poor cardiovascular condition, that’s an issue you should address, as it’s adversely affecting your training, whether you know it or not. A moderate amount of cardio in your program would allow you to recover faster between sets, as well as be able to train harder. For someone in poor cardiovascular shape, often a set of an exercise like squats or deadlifts has to be terminated before the muscle gives.
I love H.I.T. training, and I have gotten very strong with it. But everyone else seems to be volume training or doing FST-7 these days. How can I get the best of both worlds?
There is no reason you should fix something that is not broken. If you’re getting great gains from your current system, use it until you plateau. Then you can incorporate another program or hybrid training style. Some have used a front-loaded FST-7 exercise, then finished with 3-4 exercises done in HIT fashion, depending on the size of the body part.
source:www.musculardevelopment.com
