Focusing on Developing Certain Muscles

[Hank_Z]

Greg,

Either in your program or on this forum, you mentioned that someone who uses VRT can do the whole-body routine..and also give a lot of extra attention to developing certain muscles.

Two questions:

1. Is this how you developed your biceps so well?

2. I'd like to especially develop my biceps and triceps. I'm thinking that performing numerous VRT sets each day at different rep speeds and tensions might be a good way to do this.

I'm thinking of doing about 10 sets (each) of biceps and triceps VRTs each day. Since each of us is different, I realize you can't give me an exact answer as to number of daily sets.

In general, do you think that 10 sets of biceps and 10 sets of triceps each day would be enough to produce visible progress within the next month or so? What about doing even more sets? (I realize I can start with a certain number of reps/sets and see how my body feels.)

I'll appreciate your thoughts based on your experience with using and teaching VRT.

Thanks.

Hank

[VRT Man]

Hank, here's my take on this. One thing that I have noticed in my own physiology, and in some others, particularly from Royce's outlook on HIT and his idea of not performing HIT too often, is overtraining. That may not seem of very great importance to you or others, but I don't want one to go through a 4 month cold, as I did, and intermittent insomnia, as I also did, and I personally determined it to be overtraining.

That cautionary disclaimer mentioned, I would go at the arms, 10 sets of reps for both bis and tris as you say, but as a total workout for a given day. On other days, pursue all other VRT exercises with gusto, but skip the upper arms. That will give them time to grow on their "days off."

-Greg Mangan

[drb01]

I agree Hank, it would indeed be awesome to have arms like Greg's. However your proposed program neglects the forearms. I also agree with Greg that the whole body needs to be developed as this does provide a better look. Most of the upper body vrt's also have a secondary effect on the arms.

Lately I have been experimenting with various different types of pushups and have seen some evidence that pushups with the hands together with the fingers of both hands forming an enclosed diamond develops the tricpts quickly.

[Hank_Z]

Thanks to both Greg and drb01.

Greg, I never would have thought of what you recommend. It's so counter-intuitive (to me), and it makes so much sense.

Based on what drb01 said, I'll include the forearms. I absolutely love doing forearm VRTs/DVRs...in one direction at a time, as well as in both directions at other times.

Hank

[Andy62]

It is easy to under estimate just how effective VRT really is and as a result to over train. We all need rest days.

[gruntbrain]

It's also easy to under train - ie not contracting intense enough .

[Hank_Z]

It's also easy to under train - ie not contracting intense enough .

I find it far easier to know how intensely I'm contracting when I contract in one direction only. As the VRT DVD shows, and in contrast to the M7s.

[Hank_Z]

Hank, here's my take on this. One thing that I have noticed in my own physiology, and in some others, particularly from Royce's outlook on HIT and his idea of not performing HIT too often, is overtraining. That may not seem of very great importance to you or others, but I don't want one to go through a 4 month cold, as I did, and intermittent insomnia, as I also did, and I personally determined it to be overtraining.

That cautionary disclaimer mentioned, I would go at the arms, 10 sets of reps for both bis and tris as you say, but as a total workout for a given day. On other days, pursue all other VRT exercises with gusto, but skip the upper arms. That will give them time to grow on their "days off."

-Greg Mangan

1. Would you recommend doing the 10 sets of bis and tris (a) in one workout with a minute or so rest between each set or (b) scatter them throughout the day so there's at least a 30 minute or so rest between each set?

2. Also you recommended "On other days, pursue all other VRT exercises with gusto, but skip the upper arms. That will give them time to grow on their "days off." Does this mean excluding all push-ups, because they work the upper arms pretty hard?

-Hank

[Hank_Z]

One question answered; one left.

As to my question about whether I should spread out through the day my 10 sets of bis and 10 sets of tris, I think I found the answer.

Wow...I started doing these today. There's no way I could do all 20 sets (10 for bis and 10 for tris) in one workout! So I'm putting 30 to 60 minutes of rest between each of the 10 sets.

I'd still like to know if you recommend that I not do push-ups or any other exercises that work the upper arms on days when I'm not doing solely bis and tris.

-Hank

[Hank_Z]

This is for anyone who's interested in especially developing specfic muscles.

Saturday I did 10 sets of 10 repetitions of both bicep curls and tricep kickbacks with VRT. Only tension in one direction. I did them at a relatively high intensity. I also did DVRs and DSRs for my forearms.

As Greg had recommended, that was my entire workout for the day other than walking and running a bit. (Three weeks ago I would not have been able to run for more than about 10 seconds. I'm just in better condition after doing Transformetrics for a few weeks. I had not been running at all.)

Yesterday (Sunday) was a complete rest day. No Transformtetrics. Only walking. I was surprised that I didn't feel any effects in my biceps or triceps from Saturday's workout.

Today...is a whole different story. When I awoke, I could feel a type of "burn" in my upper arms. Not unpleasant. It feels like what I would expect the day after a hard workout of thos muscles. It's interesting to me that it took two days to feel this. I don't know the science of it, but I can sure tell that I had a good workout!

As Greg also recommended, I'll be doing no biceps or triceps VRTs until I devote another day to only VRT bis and tris. I think I'll do that this Saturday and take another rest day on Sunday.

In the meantime, I'll be doing daily VRTs/DVRs. Some of those exercises will have a secondary effect on the bis and tris. I'll be doing push-ups all five days each week.