I am a MANIAC. I train with the single mindedness of a demon who has only one purpose…..to destroy anything God has touched. In my single purpose world however, I work to be better with each thing I do. In fact, I have worked so hard that just before my last contest on 21 June 2014, I tore my right biceps 4 times doing wide grip chins and then successfully tore my left biceps once just for good measure. The number of sets and reps and exercises I was doing during my workouts was way beyond “Herculean.” It was probably closer to being described as “stupid.” I have never trained any other way. I train to absolute exhaustion by dramatically overdoing the volume of work.
As a result of my “work ethic” I was inhibiting my muscles from growing because I not only overworked them, I did not give them sufficient fuel or time to recover between focused training sessions. I was in good shape, but the size of my muscles had maxed. My Coach, Justin Dees, used the analogy of mowing your lawn everyday. Soon, you will have a very short lawn but it will be brown, ugly, and not very prone to becoming lush and green. Yup! That was me! The happy lawn boy who believed that more is always better.
Justin Dees has taken my lawn mower away. He pushes me with each workout to absolute failure and then asks that I only workout once per day and to move on to another body part the next day while the exhausted body part rests. Sounds logical but I have never been known for supreme demonstrations of logic, so forget that notion. I am better known for hard-nosed effort and letting the chips fall where they may. As a result of Justin’s demand for compliance to his strategy and ages old principles that cause muscular hypertrophy, my body is enlarging at an astronomical rate. I am still very lean looking with tons of vascularity and new size “everywhere.”
For example, I competed as a Middle Weight 21 June 2014 and weighed 173.2 lbs. Since then, my weight has been going up very slowly and has hovered around 177 lbs. Since starting with Justin my weight went to 178.4 to 179.6 to 180.4 to 181.4 yesterday to 184.6 lbs this morning. I gained 3.5 lbs overnight! All because I eat as I am instructed and train as hard as I can. AND THEN I REST! What a marvelous concept! If I eat alot, train hard, and REST, my muscles will enlarge. Why didn’t I (the lawn mower boy) think of that?!
So, the last two workouts for my legs (quads) and my chest have been very hard and brief capped my moments of absolute pain and fatigue. Then, when the training is done I retreat to the other parts of the equation, eating and REST.
Moral of this story is this. Just because work is prescribed does not mean that it is the only item to be done. You have to have an effort that addresses all requirements in their proper amounts to reach your goal. In my case, fewer exercises, fewer sets, fewer reps done with maximum effort is superior to massive volume over a longer period of time.
Such is life. Too much work away from the other vital requirements for personal growth always leads to a retardation of growth and maturity.
Key to success is to work harder but shorter and then allow ourselves to take on fuel and REST…..GO HOME and enjoy your family!
Less really is more!
Douglas E. Graham
Six Pack and Senior 