Zone
Training - a.k.a. JReps
The problem with traditional bodybuilding methods is that
the directions are very static, in that people tend to
do the same things over and over. Yes, we can add variety
by changing up the exercises, but what is as important
is the style of performance. Explosive training, ballistic
training, and moving very slow are things of the past.
The other problem
is, people place too much emphasis on set and exercise
schemes, rather than how a set is performed. And for a
niche group that does emphasize performance methods, the
direction is to move very slow with exaggerated perfection...
which does very little to develop muscle.
JReps is
about performing high volume contractions in a low volume
of sets, while optimizing each zone (and muscle fiber
recruitment) of an exercise's range of motion.
This is not
like 21s, or 1 1/4 reps, or like anything else. In fact,
there are 8 different procedures that can be implemented
in the JRep method. And the manner in which it affects
muscles will do more to increase strength than traditional
training, something powerlifters and strength athletes
need to consider.
"This
far exceeds any chest discomfort I have even inflicted
or felt from any other method of training. So it stands
to reason, something this thorough significantly increases
the stimulation of size gains, and so one has to be cautious
with how many sets performed this style and the frequency.
Once weekly per bodypart is more than adequate! I won't
be deviating from JReps from now on. These are the most
superior means to tap into the growth process I have come
across, and so why change when you are using the best
means possible?!?! If this isn't the most potent means
available to stimulate gains then I don't know what is!"
Kevin Dye
This book explains
the intricacies and physiological reasonings as to why
The Johnston Rep Method will do the following:
-
Unique
and increased muscular stimulation that produces superior
inroading/fatigue never before experienced.
-
Any free-weight
or cable exercise can have a near-perfect force curve
with JReps.
-
Enhanced
muscle pump never before experienced after only a
handful of sets. And when taking it up a notch with
JReps Extreme, a national level bodybuilder claimed
that the pump felt as incredible as it did when he
used anabolic steroids!
-
More
thorough stimulation of every part of the ROM of any
exercise; you eliminate the sticking point by making
each aspect or zone of the ROM equally challenging
to invoke a greater degree of muscle fibers.
-
An increase
in mental focus that is required to undertake the
concentrated demands of JReps; you become more in
tune to your mechanics, quality of execution and the
training effect.
-
Determine
your optimum number of sets per muscle based on a
particular effect of JReps.
-
Directions
on how to optimize the most common exercises on both
machines and free weights.
The
Johnston Rep Method has done for the rep and the
set what Blitzing did for the workout and cycle.
A 20-minute leg session had me descending stairs
on my rump almost an hour later. The pump is wicked
and when you get good at it, the fatigue is deep
and incredibly thorough. There is far more here
than meets the eye at first look."
Andrew
Shortt, Fitness Clinician of the Year 2004
"I
deem JReps one of the most exciting prospects
I have come across in a long, long time; one that
pans out in both theory and application! I did
a single JRep set of Preacher Curls at the completion
of this mornings workout... what a mind-blowing
pump that delivered!!! Even my Father - who spots
for me - was amazed at how swollen my biceps were
afterwards. With something new, unique, and physiologically
sound such as this, being a super-advanced bodybuilder
I am in heaven. This is unlike other methods or
systems that sounded good on paper AND in theory
then failed miserably to live up to half of what
they claimed (ie. POF, PFT, to name two). The
overall beauty of this method, when you are done
is that there are absolutely no lingering doubts
you could have done more, something many HIT/HD
advocates suffer from."
Kevin
Dye
Since
his last national bodybuilding competition,
in August 2005, 260-pound Rick McCutcheon
has been training exclusively and drug-free
with JReps. "The pumps I receive from
this method are like no other; I'm hard and
feel like I'm going to explode from the very
first set. This method has enabled me to gain
five solid pounds in the past month alone,
which is tough when you are advanced. I also
train my own clients in this manner and their
gains are unbelievable." |
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Purchase
Zone Training - JReps now for only $29.99!!
This ebook
is a downloadable PDF file so you'll have instant
access!
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Zone
Training:
The Evolution of Bodybuilding
By Brian D. Johnston
Bigger muscular
pumps. Faster growth. Fuller and larger appearing muscles
between workouts. These are things we strive to achieve
in training, although most people who 'bodybuild' do not
train like bodybuilders
they train like weight lifters.
Weight lifting is a means to an end, and when you become
so fixated on how much you can lift for a certain number
of repetitions, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Bodybuilding is about an experience based on feel, and
with your mind being able to hone in on the feedback provided
by the muscles.
Training by
feel truly is a lost art. Decades ago, before the use
of anabolic steroids, bodybuilders had to be more creative
and sensitive to any biofeedback in order to produce gains.
For the most part they trained rhythmically within a limited
exercise zone, as they aimed for a big pump. The reason
for limited range training is that most exercises have
a 'sweet spot,' wherein some parts of an exercise range
feels dead or ineffective, or too hard, i.e., a sticking
point. For example, bench pressing feels more effective
if you avoid the top half or third of the movement, and
biceps curls feel best when you work the middle two-third
of the movement, both of which serve to maintain constant
tension on the targeted muscle. The thing is, old-time
bodybuilders knew how to target, but they did not take
the concept of training in zones to its final conclusion,
to make exercise even more productive, which is the basis
of training in zones throughout the full range of movement.
The issue of
targeting then is an important factor. Proper bodybuilding
requires that you relax any non-targeted muscles as much
as possible, and then squeezing and flexing the targeted
muscles to the maximum. Most people do not train like
this, as they contract and perform full body heaves in
an attempt to move a weight - a factor referred to as
adaptive coordination, i.e., the muscles adapt to lifting
heavier loads by coordinating their actions in lifting
the loads. What then happens is that you start with 30-kilogram
barbell curls, and as the weight increases, so too does
the participation of the shoulders, back, legs, etc. In
the end, your biceps are not lifting much more than the
original 30-kilograms as the slack and extra load is taken
up by other body parts. The thing is, you don't notice
this change, just like you don't notice how your gluteals
stick out more and you lean forward a bit more as you
continue to increase the load in barbell squats. It is
an adaptive skill that develops slowly over time, and
this is the reason why people get a lot stronger (more
proficient in lifting heavier weights) without a concomitant
increase in muscle mass.
In effect,
there is a difference between bodybuilding and weight
lifting (i.e., powerlifting or Olympic weight lifting).
When you are a weight lifter, the objective is to lift
progressively heavier weights. If you are a bodybuilder,
your objective is to train the muscles to the best of
your ability, regardless of the load. In other words,
it is not how much weight you use, but how you use it.
All this is
brought up for good reason, in that exercise efficiency
and productivity must be considered if you want to hypertrophy
the muscles as much as possible, as opposed to being good
at lifting heavy loads, whether with free weights or machines.
And this then introduces you to the concept of Zone Training.
This method of training is not like anything you have
experienced before, if done properly and if you alter
training loads to fit the method.
And do keep
that in mind, that Zone Training (JReps) is
a method and not a set variable
something you throw
it in your routine now and again. This method literally
will replace full range reps, and if you decide to return
to full range reps, for the sake of testing your strength
on the bench press or squat, you will be surprised as
to how much your ability has increased. Ironically, JReps
require that you reduce the load when training in zones,
but when translated to muscular function, full range training
ability increases. However, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Let's look at the basic concept of Zone Training.
Let's go back
to the two examples provided, that of the bench press
and the barbell curl, two common exercises. With the bench
press, the hardest part of the exercise would be the bottom
half, whereas the top half is easier, because of leverage
factors. When you perform a full rep, the bottom is very
tough, whereas the tension eases off considerably. However,
try performing the bottom half to fatigue or close to
fatigue, and THEN perform the top half. Suddenly the top
half is as challenging as the bottom half, and the top
zone becomes as productive in developing strength and
recruiting muscle fibers as the bottom zone. This exercise
can be broken down into more zones, such as the bottom
third, middle third, and then top third, working your
way up from the hardest to easiest zones. In fact, there
are eight basic ways in which to break down zones, and
then a dozen more ways in which to apply variables within
those zones. But, again, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Next, consider
the barbell curl, whereby the sticking point is in the
middle of the exercise. If you were to work in two-halves,
you would work the top half first, but when you lower
the bar you do not go to the sticking point, but a few
centimeters just above the sticking point. And then when
you work the bottom half, you lift from the point of stretch
and up toward the sticking point. In this example, you
are working the exercise in halves while avoiding the
sticking point
you work around the sticking point,
but not through it. And to provide a completely different
feel to the exercise, you can work it in thirds, starting
with the sticking point, then working the top third, followed
by the bottom third.
All this may
sound simple, but the complex patterns and directions
that Zone Training takes you are quite diverse and
as you learn to improvise while exercising. For now, however,
I want to elaborate on the basic technique when working
in zones. First, you must understand the nature of the
exercise, where the hard and easy zones exist. Whether
working in 'halves' or 'thirds,' work the hardest part
first, and then move into the easier parts (which will
feel as hard as you fatigue in the harder parts). If dividing
the exercise in halves, you will perform approximately
12 repetitions, which should take you about 30 seconds
to complete. Two halves then will equal about 60 seconds
of tension time per set. If dividing an exercise in thirds,
then aim for 8 repetitions per zone, which will take you
about 20 seconds each to complete and 60 seconds total
tension time. Don't be surprised if you need to rest 10-20
seconds between zones to achieve the desired rep count,
or if you need to reduce the weight slightly. The idea
is to get those rep counts, since I have found it less
effective if the rep count diminishes from one zone to
the next.
Second, when
training a muscle, focus on its function. For example,
with the chest press, the pectorals' function is to adduct
the arms, or to draw the arms across the body, as is done
with a pec deck or dumbbell flye exercise. Consequently,
whether performing those exercises or a chest press or
dip, focus on the pectorals squeezing together as the
arms pull in toward the body.
Don't even
think about lifting the weight or moving the weight from
point A to point B, but the contraction of the muscle.
Next, move
in a rhythmic, piston-like manner. Squeeze into a powerful
contraction (which will take about one second to complete,
and then one second to lower the weight), but pause for
a fraction of a second at either ends of the zone's range.
Squeeze and then release, and stop momentarily at both
ends of the range. It's as if you are flexing the muscle
while under the load, and then easing it back to the starting
position. You do not have to stop the weight for very
long - only long enough to sense a slight and brief pause
to avoid yanking, bouncing, or jerking at the weight.
Try to achieve
muscular fatigue in each zone, or close to it. In some
instances you may want to fall short of fatigue by 1-2
reps, and I noticed that chest presses, shoulder presses,
and dips are a good example of leaving a slight reserve.
If you train the bottom half of those exercises to the
limit, there is no way you will achieve a sufficient repetition
count in the next zone, unless you include a 10-20 second
break between, which suggests how hard the top part of
presses and dips can become, although those zones are
considered 'easy' when doing regular, full range reps.
Breathing then
coordinates with the movement pattern. As you lift the
weight, breathe out, and as you lower the weight, breathe
in. For those who have martial arts experience, you are
taught to exhale with great force as you throw a punch
or kick, and when performing katas (motion patterns of
martial arts moves) - you do so with precision and like
a well-honed machine. The same is true of this training
method.
Finally, I
recommend that you reduce your typical training loads
by at least 20%. As stated, people often train like weight
lifters, and they get their whole bodies involved in the
action. What you want to do is to relax, as much as possible,
any non-targeted muscles. Of course, this is almost impossible
with some exercises, like the barbell squat, but is possible
with most other exercises. The more you contract non-targeted
muscles, the more you take away from the muscles you are
trying to grow, and lifting heavier weights does not mean
you are training the targeted muscles harder.
Bear in mind
that this is a very simple overview, and the method is
far more effective than it may appear at first read, and
the potential patterns and ways in which to apply the
method far exceed what is explained in this simple overview.
In any case, consider what is happening throughout a set
of JRep 'halves,' such as the bench press performed
in the bottom half, followed by the top half:
1. You achieve
approximately 24 contractions in a set that is about 60-seconds
tension time. The more contractions performed per unit
of time, the more fatigue, inroad, and effect you will
notice in muscle hypertrophy. However, moving too rapidly
will make you sloppy and increase momentum and a reduction
of tension on the targeted muscles. For this reason, do
not exceed 12 repetitions per half (in 30 seconds) or
8 per third (in 20 seconds). The number of recommended
repetitions per zone was discovered through trial and
error, of how hard and rapidly a person can flex and squeeze
a muscle without reducing tension or effectiveness, and
without increasing momentum and calling into play outlying
muscles.
2. You achieve
muscular fatigue or near fatigue 2-3 times per set and
throughout the full range of movement, as opposed to only
once per set and often at the 'sticking point' when doing
traditional full range exercise.
3. The harder
you exercise, and the more contractions you perform, the
greater the muscular pump achieved. With this method,
you will notice a maximum pump within 3-4 exercises, if
trained hard enough and with proper form, as outlined
in this article. The pump is a vital aspect of bodybuilding,
in that it does not have an effect on the hypertrophy
of muscle fibers, but it does increase vascular proliferation,
mitochondria numbers, and an increase in sarcoplasm (the
interstitial fluid in and around muscle cells). This is
why bodybuilding, who train properly and pump up big,
look different than strength-based athletes - bodybuilders
have that thick, rounded, muscular appearance.
4. After a
month or so of training in zones, you will find full range
lifting ability will increase, although, for most exercises,
you may be using slightly lighter weights with JReps.
There is a reason for this. In the squat, for example,
the sticking point is when your thighs are parallel to
the floor or below. When doing full range reps, you touch
down in that area momentarily, and then rise up to the
standing position. In other words, you spend only a fraction
of a set in the hardest area and a majority of the set
in the easier top two-thirds. With Zone Training,
you work the bottom third constantly for 20-30 seconds,
which increases exercise demands and the overall effect
considerably. This translates to improved function and
ability within that area of an exercise. With this in
mind, Zone Training is as effective, and as pertinent,
for powerlifters and other strength athletes as it is
for bodybuilders.
This introduction
to Zone Training hopefully has piqued your curiosity,
as it did with thousands who now implement this method
with themselves, and with clients of fitness professionals.
After 25 years of exercise, and not being able to make
further progress at age 41, I increased my lean body mass,
drug-free, by 10 pounds within three months. At age 42,
I increased my lean mass by another 8 pounds, currently
weighing 205 pounds. Moreover, my muscles look fuller,
and I feel more solid and even slightly pumped every day
when not exercising. After trying just about everything
possible, I conclude that this is the final step in productive
bodybuilding.
Purchase
Zone Training now for only $29.99!!
This ebook
is a downloadable PDF file so you'll have instant
access!
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