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One-Set Strategy Q. We frequently hear that you do only one set per exercise. How did that come about, and how does it work in practice? A. I started doing one main set per exercise only after I won my first Olympia in 1992. Prior to that, I had done two sets per exercise. Here’s how my training work load and intensity evolved.
I started training in 1983 when the vogue was volume training - 20 sets per body part was not uncommon. My instincts told me that was not the way to go, and as I researched bodybuilding, I became attracted to Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty system, which advocated intensity instead of volume. I started training four days a week, but quickly felt I was over training and cut back to three times a week, working half the body at each session. After warm ups, I did three sets of three exercises for large body parts and three sets of two exercises for smaller ones. With some slight modifications, this was my approach until 1986. Feeling I’d got the most out of that format, I devised a three way split in which I trained two major body parts per session. In conjunction with that, I reduced my work load and increased the intensity by cutting my main sets to two per exercise. With each workout lasting about 45 minuets, I was able to hit a four-times-a-week training schedule in which each body part was worked three times over a 14 day period. I was incorporating forced reps and sometimes rest pause and negatives. I applied these principles only to the last sets of certain exercises. I stuck to this modus operandi right up to winning the 1992 Olympia, after which I was looking to increase the intensity even more. My theory was that I had advanced to a stage where, with my strength and abilities to mental focus, I could put 100% into one main set, going to failure and get the optimal muscular response. Even when I had been doing two sets per body part, I felt maybe during set one I was holding something back in reserve for set two. Now, by doing one set, I knew everything could go-had to go-into that one effort. In preparation for that one all-out effort, I would warm up thoroughly. For heavy compound movements, I would do three warm-up sets. The accompanying chart shows a typical schedule for incline barbell presses. So that’s how I developed my one-set strategy. It had taken nine years of hard training and application to build up to that level. Its tough physically and mentally, to consistently put everything you have into one main set, but I believed in it. And with six Sandow's, I have to believe it worked. Forced-rep training Q. I know you’re a proponent of forced reps, but Im wondering if I should do them during heavy set. Im currently training each body part with 10-16 sets. A. Its true that I am a proponent of forced reps and relied upon them heavily during my career. However, not only do I feel using them for 10 sets per body part would be unwise, it would be counterproductive and dangerous. Most people don’t understand what a forced rep truly is. To them its having someone assist with a rep when they begin to tire at the end of a conventional set. To me, a forced rep is one that’s performed when you are so completely fatigued that you cant possible complete another without assistance. It comes after the body fails, not merely when its tired. The definition of a forced rep helps to illustrate how difficult, if not impossible. It would be to incorporate them into the number of sets you perform. In fact, I find that using so many sets, with or without forced reps, is nearly impossible if you are training at full intensity. I’ve found I could maximise growth by limiting the number of working sets to only one set per exercise with three or four exercises per body part. These working sets would often include forced reps, but that means only three or four sets with forced reps for an entire body part. Here’s how it would work for chest. I liked to begin my chest routine with incline bench presses. First I’d perform three warm-up sets, decreasing from 12 reps to eight. Then, it would be time for my working set. I’d aim to complete eight reps on my own, which meant pushing until I physically could not budge the weight another inch. Next, my partner would take just enough weight off the bar so that I could complete another two or three reps. Often, after feeling like I couldn’t even lift a pencil, my partner would assist me with negatives, he’d lift the weight and then let me lower it. I might also perform a rest-pause rep. After that working set, my pecs would be screaming for mercy, and I knew that attempting another such set would be pointless and likely to cause injury. There’s only so much the body can withstand, and I had just pushed it to its limit. I definitely recommend including forced reps in your workout, but limit their usage and be sure to have a reliable training partner. Otherwise, you could end up forcing yourself into an appointment with a physiotherapist. Underhanded Behaviour Q. I know you regularly performed underhanded barbell rows until you tore your left bicep doing them. Would you still recommend them to others A. What happened to me was not due to deficiencies with the exercise or even with my technique. The underhand barbell row is an effective exercise that I’ve always performed while using the strictest of form. Fact is, my biceps had reached its limit and probably would have gone no matter what I did. It was “my time”, so to speak, Needless to say, I was forced to adjust my back routine after tearing my biceps, which meant switching from an underhand to an overhand grip. I prefer the underhand grip because it puts the biceps at a mechanical advantage, therefore allowing heavier lifting. To illustrate my point, try doing reverse curls with the same weight with which you can perform a standard barbell curl. Heavier weight coupled with strict form equals greater intensity, and anyone who knows me can tell you that’s the key to my workouts. Its important to use proper technique when performing rows (or any exercise) and to warm up properly. For rows, I suggest positioning your torso at about 70-degree angle in relation to the floor. At this angle, the lower back is more stable and the lats are placed in a mechanically stronger position than when the upper body is parallel to the floor. This means you can lift more intensely. When lifting the barbell, concentrate on using only your lats to move the weight. Don’t jerk the weight up or use momentum to get it moving - just pull it, forcefully but smoothly. Hold the weight at the top position for a second before lowering it at a pace slightly slower than the positive position of the movement. Remember, your stronger in both a static hold and in the negative portion of a rep than you are in the positive portion. If you cannot hold the weight or control its decent, you didn’t use only your lat muscles to get you there. For me, the barbell row has always been the bread-and-butter exercise for building back mass - its as good a foundation movement as they come. Whether you use an underhand or an overhand grip is up to you and should be based on how each one suits your particular needs. One thing is for sure: if you want a big back, your going to have to row!
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