20 reps VRT

[douglis]

A couple of months ago i came to the conclusion,with Shen's help, that 20 reps give better results at the VRT arm exercises but i found it too stenuous for the rest of the body to do more than 10 reps with maximum tension.
But i didn't give up and i continued to push all my sets from 10 reps the first week to 12 the next and then 14 etc...
Now i can do 20 reps with maximum tension at all my VRT exercises.The burning sensation is unbelievable and the "pump" better than ever.
I'm sure the results will be obvious the next months.

[VRT Man]

Douglis,

At maximum tension, for most muscle groups, I can't seem to do more than 15 reps without getting exhausted, or a better description of converting lactic acid to pyruvic acid through oxygen debt. There are exceptions, such as the imaginary rock squeezing for the forearms and the converse, opening of the hand under tension; those I can do thirty or more of each under extreme tension. Still a burn afterwards. Ouch!

Good work you can make it to 20.

I mentioned to Shen a year or so ago that I did about 100 bicep curls to get a good photo of my bicep on my website, until the burning pain was too intense and the pump was just a-bursting out of my skin, to achieve a really outstanding shot. In this circumstance, I had to detract from maximum tension just to attain that level of pump. By choice or free will, one can alter the level of tension from heavy to light, to heavy again.

--Greg Mangan

[Viking Dan]

I think a better term would be maximum momentary tension. After the first few all out reps, your ability to contract wanes. Then it turns into more of a DVR Drop Set.

[kenpopaul]

I've been doing 20 reps DVR Squats for the past few weeks at the start of my workout. It's a killer and I need a 3-5 min break afterwards before I can carry on with my workout - but I get there in the end. The last 5-6 reps are the worst!!

[douglis]

Exactly Viking Dan.
20 reps VRT is the same with drop sets in terms of muscle exhaustion and you get the same deep burning sensation too.

Kenpopaul,
20 reps VRT squats is the most brutal exercise i can imagine.You must be in perfect condition to do all the 20 reps and your cardiovascular system must be very strong too.

[Royce]

Douglis,

At maximum tension, for most muscle groups, I can't seem to do more than 15 reps without getting exhausted, or a better description of converting lactic acid to pyruvic acid through oxygen debt. There are exceptions, such as the imaginary rock squeezing for the forearms and the converse, opening of the hand under tension; those I can do thirty or more of each under extreme tension. Still a burn afterwards. Ouch!

Good work you can make it to 20.

I mentioned to Shen a year or so ago that I did about 100 bicep curls to get a good photo of my bicep on my website, until the burning pain was too intense and the pump was just a-bursting out of my skin, to achieve a really outstanding shot. In this circumstance, I had to detract from maximum tension just to attain that level of pump. By choice or free will, one can alter the level of tension from heavy to light, to heavy again.

--Greg Mangan

As anyone who reads my posts knows, I am a huge fan of HIT—high intensity training—for building maximum size and strength. But there’s no perfect solution for every problem.
Both Shen and Doug have been experimenting with VRT resistance at twenty reps per set. I think that is fine and I encourage them to continue to experiment. Personally,

I try to constantly improve on my regimen.
My hard style Qi Gong requires light to moderate VRT tension, and that is what I do on my “off days.” To some extent, I think that the Qi Gong somewhat lessens my peak strength, since it provides a moderate amount of endurance work. But that is all right, since I’m no longer concerned either with peak strength or size. At one time, that was all that I thought about.

Well…………times change.
These are difficult times. And all round conditioning should be a goal that we all need to pursue.
I view DVRs to be isokinetics sans apparatus. If the force of a person's DVRs were to be measured with a calibrated strain gauge, he would, likely, find that with each completed rep his force level would decrease-- which is to simply state that he would be putting forth far less force with the tenth rep than he did with the first.


I agree with the old time weight men who believed that it was the first five reps that are most important when it comes to building peak strength. Now when it comes to developing size, the muscle grows in two ways: by thickening its fibers and increasing its vascularity. If a person consistently trains with higher reps-read that to mean beyond ten reps-- the size of his muscles would increase, in large part, because of the impact on their vascularity.


Certainly, there's nothing wrong in trying to increase the vascularity of the muscles, since that contributes to size; I just don't think it's the best way to attain peak strength.

[kenpopaul]

Douglas: I started doing the 20 rep squats as I was changing around my workouts. I did try doing 3 days a week as a kind of bodybuilding type split but it just didn't 'feel' right. So I went back to 2 HIT Full Body workouts a week.

Whilst designing my workout I remembered the old fashioned 20 rep Squats routine, so based my workouts on that (But changing a few things around - Adding Atlas Pushups instead of Chest Press etc) and doing most of the rest on my TotalGym and DVR/VRT style.

Yeah the 20 rep squats are a killer - I do 20 rep DVR squats one workout and 20 rep DVR Deadlifts the next, followed by the rest of my workout.

I must admit the past few days I've felt quite tired!

Kenpopaul