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T NATION
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The Russian Approach to Size and Strength
by John Paul Catanzaro
05/31/10
Strength coach JP Catanzaro goes behind the former Iron Curtain for a periodized approach to unprecedented levels of size and strength.
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dodo888
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What load is prescribed in Maximum Strength Method #1? and does 5-0-X-0 mean 5 second descent and then lift explosive?
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dijo
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coach erick wrote:
Excellent article!
x2
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View 1
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Join date: Jun 2006
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Great article, I really did not expect much from this and was very surprised by it.
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Vnation
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Excellent Article, the only question is how close should one come to failure on the sets
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PB Andy
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View 1 wrote:
Great article, I really did not expect much from this and was very surprised by it.
Same here. Something about that Russian beast squat picture makes me want to try this out.
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Garage Warrior
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Join date: Jan 2006
Location: Oregon, USA
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This looks really good. The article says to switch to the next program when your progress stalls, but what if only one or two of your lifts stall and the others are still progressing?
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thrasher_09
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Join date: Apr 2009
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dodo888 wrote:
What load is prescribed in Maximum Strength Method #1? and does 5-0-X-0 mean 5 second descent and then lift explosive?
I think the X is like a NA because it is eccentric training. You won't be lifting that part of the rep your partner/s would be assisting you to get it up then you lower it for 5 seconds. I was a bit confused by this as well.
Is the max str section 3 and 4 only eccentric training?
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PB Andy
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Location: Illinois, USA
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50X0 means 5 seconds down, explode up, repeat. X always means as fast as possible.
JP, what's the deal with Back Step-ups and Pulley Split-Squats in your first example? Is that leg workout really enough to stimulate the quads? I was thinking even MOAR squats would be in order.
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smokindavis
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thrasher_09 wrote:
dodo888 wrote:
What load is prescribed in Maximum Strength Method #1? and does 5-0-X-0 mean 5 second descent and then lift explosive?
I think the X is like a NA because it is eccentric training. You won't be lifting that part of the rep your partner/s would be assisting you to get it up then you lower it for 5 seconds. I was a bit confused by this as well.
Is the max str section 3 and 4 only eccentric training?
No. Read the whole article. The 'X" just means explosive.
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chrillionare
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Question: Do you do each program for a week or until you stall?
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John Paul Catanzaro
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Join date: Oct 2002
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PB Andy wrote:
JP, what's the deal with Back Step-ups and Pulley Split-Squats in your first example? Is that leg workout really enough to stimulate the quads? I was thinking even MOAR squats would be in order.
Do not discount the value of the step-up. Read the article Bulgarian Leg Training Secrets by Angel Spassov and Terry Todd found at http://www.overspeedtraining.c... and you may discover a new-found respect for this exercise.
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cmryan_21
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JP, first off thanks for the awesome article. It's loaded with great info and I'm very intrigued to put it to use. But I have a couple questions I need answered before I feel comfortable starting. Would the inclusion of farmer's walks, prowler/sled push/pull, etc be too much for this program's energy systems work? Also, what about ab work and work for stabilizer muscles like the rotator cuff? Can some work be done for these muscles at the end of each workout? Thanks again for the great article.
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John Paul Catanzaro
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cmryan_21 wrote:
JP, first off thanks for the awesome article. It's loaded with great info and I'm very intrigued to put it to use. But I have a couple questions I need answered before I feel comfortable starting. Would the inclusion of farmer's walks, prowler/sled push/pull, etc be too much for this program's energy systems work? Also, what about ab work and work for stabilizer muscles like the rotator cuff? Can some work be done for these muscles at the end of each workout? Thanks again for the great article.
Strongman implements are excellent for energy system work on this plan. The abdominals are trained as both stabilizers and prime movers throughout - any additional work is unnecessary. Feel free to add "some" work for the wrists, shoulders, and ankles at the end of your workouts if these areas require greater attention. However, many times in training, less is more! Don't overdo it.
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farm gorgon
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JP
Do you believe that all things being equal, larger muscle groups need more work than smaller ones?
If so, why are smaller muscle groups (say tricep) given x2 the volume as larger ones (say chest)? The smaller muscle groups are also likely to be worked more intensely, given that say you're doing a chest exercise, your triceps will fail first, then you're working them again directly in the next exercise.....This doesn't seem sensible.
Regards
FG
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John Paul Catanzaro
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farm gorgon wrote:
JP
Do you believe that all things being equal, larger muscle groups need more work than smaller ones?
If so, why are smaller muscle groups (say tricep) given x2 the volume as larger ones (say chest)? The smaller muscle groups are also likely to be worked more intensely, given that say you're doing a chest exercise, your triceps will fail first, then you're working them again directly in the next exercise.....This doesn't seem sensible.
Regards
FG
In strength training, a variable recovery system exists so that smaller body parts, such as arms and calves, recover more quickly and thus can be trained more often than larger body parts, such as thighs, back and chest.
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farm gorgon
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JP Catanzaro wrote:
farm gorgon wrote:
JP
Do you believe that all things being equal, larger muscle groups need more work than smaller ones?
If so, why are smaller muscle groups (say tricep) given x2 the volume as larger ones (say chest)? The smaller muscle groups are also likely to be worked more intensely, given that say you're doing a chest exercise, your triceps will fail first, then you're working them again directly in the next exercise.....This doesn't seem sensible.
Regards
FG
In strength training, a variable recovery system exists so that smaller body parts, such as arms and calves, recover more quickly and thus can be trained more often than larger body parts, such as thighs, back and chest.
Thanks for the reply. But isn't this primarily a hypertrophy not strength program? So the biggest factor is TUT, or microtrauma. And the smaller muscle groups are receiving approximately twice the training stress/ TUT of the larger groups......
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DeeseB
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chrillionare wrote:
Question: Do you do each program for a week or until you stall?
Not clear to me either. Nor is the load, but I can figure soemthing out there on my own.
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cmryan_21
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JP Catanzaro wrote:
Strongman implements are excellent for energy system work on this plan. The abdominals are trained as both stabilizers and prime movers throughout - any additional work is unnecessary. Feel free to add "some" work for the wrists, shoulders, and ankles at the end of your workouts if these areas require greater attention. However, many times in training, less is more! Don't overdo it.
That's great to hear that these kinds of exercises blend well with this plan. Now I just need to make sure I don't overdo it. Any preferences for when this work should be done? Off days, after workouts, does it matter? JP, I don't know how but I completely missed the trunk flexion movements performed on every Day 2. I must have read them as lower body exercises. Very sorry about that. As for the stabilizer muscles, the main thing I'm concerned about is my shoulder health since I screwed them up so bad in high school and my first two years of college(not proud of that period of ignorance). What I usually do is perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps on a single shoulder stability exercise on the days I do any upper body pressing. So I'm hoping this won't be too much additional work.
Thanks again for the great article. I'll be done with my current program by the end of this month so I'll likely start this plan after July 4th.
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PB Andy
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JP Catanzaro wrote:
PB Andy wrote:
JP, what's the deal with Back Step-ups and Pulley Split-Squats in your first example? Is that leg workout really enough to stimulate the quads? I was thinking even MOAR squats would be in order.
Do not discount the value of the step-up. Read the article Bulgarian Leg Training Secrets by Angel Spassov and Terry Todd found at http://www.overspeedtraining.c... and you may discover a new-found respect for this exercise.
Wow, really great article. Thanks for sharing that. Damn I love learning about old Soviet-era lifting literature (reading some Medvedyev currently, haha).
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akschnare
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Great article JP.
I'm wondering if there are any deload weeks or similar or do you just go balls out until you stop making progress and then switch the routine and go balls out again on the new routine?
Thanks.
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bigrock53
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In the Size and Strength Methods, no % load recommendations are made. It seems especially obscure to use the same load for all sets in methods #3 and #4. Same load throughout?
Thanks a bunch.
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PB Andy
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akschnare wrote:
Great article JP.
I'm wondering if there are any deload weeks or similar or do you just go balls out until you stop making progress and then switch the routine and go balls out again on the new routine?
Thanks.
Well, most people will be able to go through one cycle (i.e. the first 3-way Maximum Size program) for anywhere from 6-12 weeks depending on how on recovers. I wouldn't go any shorter or longer than that. But whenever it is you are done with the first program, I would recommend a week off (not completely off, just don't push the weights). Then from there, go to next program.
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MikeTheBear
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Location: Colorado, USA
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JP Catanzaro wrote:
PB Andy wrote:
JP, what's the deal with Back Step-ups and Pulley Split-Squats in your first example? Is that leg workout really enough to stimulate the quads? I was thinking even MOAR squats would be in order.
Do not discount the value of the step-up. Read the article Bulgarian Leg Training Secrets by Angel Spassov and Terry Todd found at http://www.overspeedtraining.c... and you may discover a new-found respect for this exercise.
I thought the article about the Bulgarians ditching squats in favor of the step up turned out to be an urban legend. Having said that, I agree that the step up is a good exercise.
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