My name is Greg Karr and I’m the newest member of the Static Contraction team. I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and say I’m looking forward to 2011 and helping make all your fitness goals come true. Before I begin, I’d first like to thank Pete Sisco for giving me this opportunity to join him on this blog as we cut through marketing hype and spread the truth about strength training.
I figured the best way to start my first post would be to tell you all a bit about myself. I find that knowing someone’s background helps understand where they are coming from and how they got to where they currently are. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I wasn’t an athletic child at all. I wasn’t involved with any sports growing up. The only thing I was pretty good at was eating. As a kid, I had a grandmother who thought that feeding her grandkids with more and more food equated to more and more love. Consequentially, I was not a very skinny kid. My mom lovingly called me “husky.” At the time I thought that being husky was fine as long as I wasn’t being called fat. Little did I realize that being called husky was my mom’s way of nicely calling me fat!
When I hit high school, the realization of being slightly overweight finally hit me. I began working out and studying everything I could about fitness training. My bodyfat was consistently in the 15-16% range; not particularly fat but also definitely not as lean as I’d like it to be. I joined the high school football team where I was exposed to strength training for the first time. This began my journey in fitness.
After high school I went to UCLA where I studied biochemistry. During my undergraduate career, I continued with my weight training and added martial arts to my fitness routine. I spent hours and hours every week in the gym, doing endless hours of cardio and religiously hitting the weight room 4-5 days a week. I figured that I need to do the time to get the benefits, right? I also spent thousands of dollars on supplements because that’s what all the magazines say will help you get the results you want! Let’s just call this period in my life the learning period.
Upon graduation from UCLA, I took a job as a sports nutritionist. After a year working, I went back to UCLA to get my Master’s degree in physiology. During this time, I kept my workout program going strong, with 4-5 days spent in the gym averaging 7-10 hours a week. I actually wore that as a badge of honor. The more time I spent in the gym, the more impressed I was with myself. I would think “See how dedicated I am, I can spend that much time working out taking care of my body! “ You must be asking yourself now with all this time I spent working out and watching my diet what kind of results did I achieve? Well, I wasn’t 15% bodyfat anymore! When I was getting all my hours of training in and following one of those strict “bodybuilder” diets I was now a super lean, super shredded 10% bodyfat. Yes, that’s it! 10%!
That is by no means super shredded or super lean! No matter what strict diet I followed or how many supplements I took or how much I worked out, I couldn’t get myself below that mark. I figured well, maybe genetically my body is meant to stay at 10%. At this time I was about to give up on my goal of less than 5% bodyfat because I figured to get to that point, I’d have to eat even stricter, take even more supplements, and workout even longer. Boy was I naïve……
After graduating, I got certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Personal Trainer and then as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. I had a successful training business with lots of happy clients. But I still couldn’t manage to break that 10% barrier. That last 10 pounds of bodyfat keeping me from looking like some Greek statue was just too stubborn to go away.
So what happened next? Well, for the last eight years I’ve been training with Static Contraction and that’s what I’m here to share with you on this blog. I got smart! I stopped listening to the marketing hype. I started incorporating scientific principles into my training and guess what . . . science really works! What kind of results are we talking about? I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I have more endurance than I’ve ever had. I can run faster than I did while in high school. I’m leaner than I’ve ever been. That stubborn 10% bodyfat level is now a consistent 5% bodyfat!!! And all this is done with less than 2 hours of week of training for all aspects of fitness!
My job will be to help you understand how you can get similar results by ignoring all the marketing hype out there and focusing on real science. By training smart, you will achieve all your fitness goals and will never fall victim again to the latest fitness craze. Here’s to a successful beginning of our journey together.
HI Greg I am Training for the Master T & F men 60 meters and 200 meters which systen is better for speed training SCT or Power factor? Thanks Mike
For explosive speed I’d go with SCT.
Hey Greg,
Thanks heaps for your advice. You mentioned interval training. I was doing a spin class a few times a week at some point but ceased as I thought it MIGHT be hacking into my SCT.
What about just doing 20 minutes on the bike 5 days a week using bike sprints every couple of minutes (30 seconds each). Is this sufficient for interval training?
Any chance that you could share a little more information regarding interval training?
P.s. I dislike running
Pete, any reason you dislike running? If you don’t have any injuries preventing you from running then I suggest you start running. Trust me. Do that for a month and see what happens. I had a client who used to run at a really good pace for 5 days a week at 60 minutes a day. She had stopped getting results so she wanted to know what to do. I told her to take a week off then get back on the cardio. Except this time I had her doing the stairs. She HATED the stairs which is exactly why I wanted her to do it. Well, she started to get results again. She was using the same muscles that she did when she was running but this was a new motor pattern and it made her body adapt. I guess you can just call it muscle confusion. LOL!!!
Hi Greg,
I just read your story at the beginning of this post. Truely inspirational!
I personally only started training with the Static contraction program a month ago and I already have noticed some body fat coming off. I am also starting to see some increase in muscle size. I should mention that I have always been slim but not necessarily lean. I can see the outline of my obliques but rectus abdominus are hidden, if thats any indication. I weigh in at 170pounds and am 5′ 11″. I am not sure what my current body fat is but plan on buying a scale that measures weight and body fat this weekend. Hopefully the scales are accurate.
I have always struggled to gain muscle mass but I now hope that I will be able to reach my goal of 185pounds and around 5% body fat. I just hope I am realistic given that i am 41 years old. I also hope it doesnt take me many years to achieve this. In your experience is there any indication of how long I should expect to reach my goal while following the SCT and doing 20-30 mins stationary cycling 5-6 days/wk?
I appreciate any feedback on the above. and once again, thanks for sharing your inspiring story.
Thanks
Pete, I’m guessing you’re in the 10-12% bodyfat range, which isn’t bad. But you can do much better. Keep the SCT training up but don’t bother with stationary cycling. Basic cardio will not do what you want it to. As a matter of fact, I’ll go so far as to say that standard cardio is a waste of your time. It’s better to do interval training than regular cardio.
I just got back from training a client of mine in Hawaii. He’s a world class swimmer and wanted some extra boost for the world championships next year. He’d been doing what I’d call “standard cardio” and while he was doing well, there was much more room for improvement. After a couple workouts with me, he realized that he’d never done REAL cardio training. In two weeks time, he’s already shed 5 pounds and is on his way to become the world champion in his class. It’s a bit early still, but my money is on him to kick some serious butt at the worlds. He may do the Pan American championships in Brazil in November so I’ll get a good idea of how he is compared to his competition but the fact is that he’ll be leaner, stronger and have more cardio strength than before. And this guy’s 62!! Simply incredible.
My advice: Stay with the SCT, drop the standard cardio.
Hi Greg, can you please elaborate a bit more on what we should be doing? I’m gaining fat unfortunately because I’m eating more (I get girth, skin-folds and electronic fat measurements every 7 weeks), but I don’t want to risk “not eating enough” for muscle growth. Can you briefly run through a SCT program for us to try?
Matt, if you’re gaining fat, it’s pretty simple. You’re eating too many calories. All you need daily are about 500 additional calories to gain muscle. I’m not into those super high calorie protein shakes or meals that bodybuilders say you have to do. That’s why they “bulk up” which is a nice way of saying they put on some muscle and lots of fat. Eat about 500 calories more a day and you should put on muscle at a slow consistent pace which is the way its done. Afterall, when you cut your hair, your hair grows back at a slow consistent rate, doesn’t it? That’s how the body works. Smooth and steady always wins the race!
Hello Greg,
I have been following the SCT program for over one year but my main problem is that after each work out (every 8 days), the nape of my neck and my trapezius muscles stay very stiff for a few days which is very uncomfortable. I find it related to the shrug and the dead lift exercises. What would you recommend ? More warm up and stretching ?
Also, being an instructor of Systema (russian martial art), I need to maintain fluidity in my movement and no muscle contraction during practice, using actively my central nervous system and different breathing patterns linked to all moves. Considering your knowledge in martial arts, do you have any advices ?
Thank you for your help.
Jerome, are you performing the exercises properly? I find that those two exercises especially can cause people to hurt themselves if not done properly. The only feeling I get after I do them is a dull soreness which is the muscle responding to the intense workout. Nothing that is painful at all. I DEFINITELY recommend warming up and stretching before ANY exercise, especially these high intensity ones. Start with lower weight and slowly work up to the max weight.
As far as martial arts goes, my only advice is to stick with this type of training if you’re trying to gain speed and strength in your moves. I’ve found that the speed of punches along with the strength behind it increases greatly with the upper body workouts. As far as how it can work with systema, it will only make you a stronger martial artist. I’m not very familiar with the style to unfortunately I can’t give you exact tips but I’m sure you will see an increase in your performance.
Hi Jerome I just came across your post and issue with neck and trap soreness. Greg’s answer was terrific in terms of warm-up and stretching. I also teach Pilates which is very “form” oriented. I notice a lot of guys/gals arching their neck back when they deadlift. That is recipe for sore necks, or worse a disc injury. You may not be doing that, however, keep tabs on how you look. In Pilates, we called it axial length. That means keeping a long line from the top of our heads to our tail bone. Your head must stay in line with your spine when you perform these heavy lifts. In other words, the back of your neck should not wrinkle when you lift. Hope that helps. Good luck!
Hello again Pete and Greg. I have a few questions in the next couple of weeks, for the first one, how should I start my SCT over again after my 3 week rest period is over, the one that was suggested I take April 14th? Start on the 30day quick start, begin were I left off, do the hybrid workout, ect. I’ll need some guidance, thanks, Robert.
In your situation I would want a minimalist workout since you’re dealing with overtraining. As I already said, it your first 3 exercises are not improved don’t even finish the workout. Take more time off and get recovered so you can start growing again.
Pete, do I start with the weight that I last lifted or try lifting at the next level? Also when you say minimalist I am taking it as doing A and B, 5 second 5 exercises each, the standard SCT, correct. Thanks Robert.
Correct on the 5-exercise, 5-seconds each. The “start” weight doesn’t matter much because you will feel how heavy or light it is and immediately adjust it. You have to hoist the absolute heaviest weight you can hold for 5 seconds. If you held it 8 seconds it was too light; add more and try again right away.
Hello again Pete, Ok I gave myself a month off from any lifting and as I expected I did lose some size on all my measurements, a half inch in couple of them, to bad my waist didn’t. Any how I am ready to start from the beginning and building muscle, so how do you want me to begin, thanks Robert.
I’m not sure what you’re specifically asking me, Robert. You should train the way everyone does on SCT. Do workout A, then B, then A, etc. Always engineering the exercises so you increase the weight of your static holds. When they don’t improve you add more time off. Piece of cake. Don’t make the #1 mistake of using too light weight. If you can hold the weight 6 seconds or more it’s too light. Put it down right away and use more weight.
I was wondering should I start with the standard SCT or the new Hybrid workout. Also after A workout, do I do B workout the next day, thanks Robert
Hi Robert! The hybrid routine is for people who want to work extra on their arms and abs. If you don’t really need that you can just go with Train Smart, which is the regular, full-body workout.
I was on FaceBook a few minutes ago and saw an AD with a picture of a buff, cut male torso offering to help me gain 27 lbs of muscle in 30 days by doing this one weird trick (or whatever). I laughed and didn’t click on the link but it did raise a question in my mind. Without using steroids, how much muscle can one gain per month? I did a quick search and found this link: http://stronglifts.com/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain-in-1-month-naturally/ saying “two lbs average” per month depending on body type, genetics, workout, nutrition, etc. Obviously there are a lot of variables but the point being that the AD claim was ridiculous as I had thought. The article says “studies have shown” but doesn’t say what those studies were so this could be nothing but more “conventional wisdom” too, for all I know. SOooo… I thought I’d ask some of the experts here. Given that there are many variables so it is difficult to impossible to predict with certainty, what might be a realistic expectation of monthly muscle weight gain for the ‘average’ guy using SCT? Is this just a ‘dumb’ question?
Hello again Greg and Pete, I had not heard from either one of you after I answered your questions on April 6th and 7th. I was hoping one of you would be able to help me with my situation, let me know what you recommend, because I really want SCT to work for me as well, thanks, Robert.
Robert, I’m sorry about that. I think your question might have just slipped through. I’ll go back and give you an answer.
It still looks like you were overtraining going in. Perhaps you needed 3 or 4 weeks off before you started in order to fully recover. People who train 3 days a week for several months dig a pretty big whole to get out of.
The thing about SCT is you see red flags on day one of a problem. As soon as your numbers don’t go up you know you need to make a correction. You never have to bang your head against the wall for weeks. Just make an adjustment – 90+% of the time it means more time off, less often it means take in more calories so your muscle can grow.
Ok Pete, after Greg responds to my question I’ll take three weeks off from any training, of course my numbers and size will drop, I hope I can get on the right track to reach my goal. I hope I don’t lose to much though. Also I am fixing to order the mega bundle, with this and your help I should make the goal, thanks Robert.
OK, but 3 weeks is just an educated guess at this point. If your first three exercises don’t show improvement from last time, don’t even finish the workout. Take two more weeks off instead. You can’t grow more muscle until you are able to stimulate it with record lifts.
Pete, please forgive me, I know you have put in a lot more time researching this type of workout but I have an input. I have done SCT and PWF on and off over the years and whether because of body type, metabolism, degree of dedication or whatever, I have always made significantly better gains on a PFW type of training. I’ve been following Robert’s dilemma and I’m wondering if that could be his situation. It may simply be a matter of giving something different a try. I realize, scientifically, SCT should work for everyone because of the physiology of the muscle, but we are all unique to some degree.
I’m just sayin’
Aloha
I hear you rich. I’m working on this issue. When I did the recent articles on size gains it was an eye-opener as to how hard some people struggle. I think I know the answer but I need to work through the nuts and bolts of it. I’m hoping to have something to address this in less than a month from now.
Robert, I looked back thru the comments but could not find what your question was. Can you please let me know what you wanted to ask us again? Thanks.
Pete,
Anyone that has read your training manuals knows how much you stress rest between workouts and that not everyone is the same. There are certain exercises that I get stuck on as far as weight increases go then all of a sudden I’m shoulder pressing 385!! Now that my shoulders are stronger, guess what? My arms are stronger and I am now holding 155 lbs in the standing and sitting curl. Anyways, I don’t get discouraged. In fact I get excited because I know that strength and weight increases in one area can lead to strength and weight increases in another area.
Someone recently posted going in to business using SCT or something like that and I can’t remember what thread it was on. Do you remember? I had a nascent idea about starting a small business with one SCT machine. Any ideas?
I’d like to see more people promoting SCT. The real boom will come when there is a world-class machine and software. We are working on that.
What about a machine that uses air pressure to produce progressive resistance along with an electrical muscular stimulator attachment? It seems a little weird, but why not? It would be a little noisy, but in this semi-free economy, semi-clean air is still semi-inexpensive. I’m sure that this idea has already been thought of a million times and been patented at least once. Anyway, I’m still enjoying the benefits a static training having dropped from 292 to 253 pounds in body weight in 175 days (training every 14 days, with the occasional 21 day break) while keeping my strength levels up. Ah, the calorie deficit works! I still would like to get my body composition checked in one of those “Bod Pods”. Has anyone ever used one of them? Satisfied in Texas. Keep up the good work (see, no more certification questions -wink, wink).
how do i get the book?
Hi Kristine! If you mean the Train Smart e-book, it’s on this page: http://www.precisiontraining.com/products/train-smart/
Thanks.
Hi Greg
I appreciate the need for blogs but sometimes the discussions get too long and some of us get lost so I need to direct this to you. Simply, I want a body that looks big and strong. Started SCT and also cut out dairy, wheat and red meat. My body weight the same, am fitter and stronger but all my clothes are loose and my face looks sickly. What should i do?
How do continue to “look big”?
Easy. To look “big” just eat as much as you want. You’ll then put fat on top of the new muscles you’ve built and you’ll look big. From what you tell me, your weight is still the same but your clothes are looser. That tells me you’ve put on muscle and lost fat. Fat is less dense than muscle and hence takes up more space. Have you measured your bodyfat level to see how much muscle and fat you have?
Personally, I think guys who walk around with “big” undefined muscles in the gym aren’t very impressive. Its easy to do. Build some muscle, add some fat on top, and voila, you’re “big”. What is more impressive is having size and being lean so you can see the definition. It sounds like you’re on that track. You just need to monitor your weight and bodyfat levels.
That sickly look is just you leaning out in the face. It might look weird at the beginning but you’ll get used to it. If you were starving yourself and losing weight, I’d say it might not be a good thing. But if you’re the same weight then you’re just dropping fat and gaining muscle. It can’t be anything else.
Ok, first Rich, I am good with your comment. That’s what this blog is for to help each other, you might be right that I don’t quite understand or I am doing something incorrect. To answer you Pete, I had been doing full rep workouts for many months before trying SCT again, but you had told me one time a couple of years ago to quit lifting for a couple of weeks before I started SCT, which I also did this time, I taken off two weeks from any lifting. Each exercise that I have been doing has been one 5 second hold. Thanks, Robert
Hello Pete, starting SCT on 1-24-11, my starting weight on bench was 425# and on 3-24-11 my max lift 510#. 3-30-11, I was unable to lift 515#. As for legs I started at 990# on 1-25-11 and finished on 3-31-11 at 1250#. Bench, shrugs (with the hooks) and triceps are the exercises that have stalled and the fact that I’m losing size in the wrong places. I have faith that you and Greg can get me on the gaining track, thanks Robert.
Here’s what jumps off the page for me. Those are meager weight increases over a 2-month period. I’m guessing you did each exercise 6-8 times in that period so the increases would have been tiny each time. That makes me think you might have been doing other training right before you started SCT. Is that true, or had you been doing no weightlifting at all in the weeks before you started SCT?
Pete,
What first jumps out at me is the amount of weight looks more like PFW training.
from 990 to 1250 on the leg press in two months seems really low.
I went from 900 on the leg press to having to do it with only one leg in about 2 months because of maxing out on the plates.
I switched gyms and just the other day I did 1250 for 20 reps in a PFW style
And I’m an old man of 55.
Couple that with attempting the bench in just six days after two months of training would seem Robert is perhaps not quite understanding the SCT method.
I apologize ahead of time if this is offensive, it is not meant to be.
Aloha,
Rich
Robert, you might just have to skip an exercise if your strength hasn’t improved and come back to it the following workout. There is no reason for you to lose strength. The biggest fear every new trainee has when they start SCT is that they’re losing muscle. I thought the same thing also when I started. However, since not all muscle grows exactly the same, sometimes you may have one or two muscle groups lagging in recovery from the others. Just skip them and come back to them the next time. Muscle degradation doesn’t happen for 6 weeks so don’t worry about losing muscle.
Greg, my weight went from 195 to 192 and my waist and the caliper reading stayed the same. The tape measure showed I lost 3/8in in chest, 1/4in legs and calves, 1/4in in the arms, from where I was 2mo ago .My calorie intake is 2700, 200 grams of protein mainly in fish and powder egg whites. I started out at every 3 days and got up to resting for 6 days before I lifted again. I skipped those three exercises that I spoke about in my last blog like you had told me to, (I said 14 days but I meant 12 days). So my question is what do you or Pete recommend I do to get on track to gaining mass and to reach my lofty goal? I don’t mind working hard to reach my goal, and I have tried SCT off and on years ago but quit when I wasn’t making any progress. This time with this blog I am hoping for success, thanks again, Robert. P.S. I can give you what ever info you need
to get me on the right path.
I’m curious what you numbers did. What were your start/finish bench press and leg press in that time?
Greg, I have a problem, I have been doing SCT for two months, I been able to increase 5# on most workouts except bench, traps, and tricep. I have the lifting hooks so thats not limiting me on traps. I gave myself more time like you suggested on my bench and adopted it to the traps and triceps I’m at 14 days rest on these 3 exercisess but no gains, worst is the fact I am losing muscle mass. Doing HIT training I wasn’t gaining no more but did not lose any size neither. What might I be doing wrong. Thanks
Robert, is your weight going down? Have you lost body fat as well or just muscle mass? If you’ve only been doing SCT for 2 months, I wouldn’t be resting for too long. Normally, when people start out, we go with 3 days rest in between workouts. Then move it to 4, and 5 days as strength increases. My guess is that you’ll need to go to 5 days rest in between. If you’re stimulating your muscles every 5 days, there is no way you can lose muscle. It takes 6 weeks for muscle to start to degrade. If you’re gaining in your other exercises then I’d say just skip the muscles that aren’t gaining for 1 workout and come back to them after that.
Normally, once people train with SCT for 6-8 months do they move up to training once every week or two, not in 2 months. I know sometimes it can be frustrating but if the other lifts are gaining strength, then its just a matter of time for these lifts to do the same. One time it took me 6 weeks to add weight to my leg press but once I did, it was a BIG jump.
I would really like to talk to you about static contraction training Mr. Karr. Like on mail, skype etc.
Where can i contact you and ask questions ?
Karl, my email is greg_karr@precisiontraining.com. You can email me at any time.
Karl, if you ask on the blog everyone gets the benefit of the information.
I want to be a trainer and was wondering if this course taught at Collin College in Texas would be something to get me started (previously you recommended NSCA which I am looking into as well). Over the past 15 years I’ve read HIT materials from Jones, Darden, Mentzer, Johnston, Sisco, Little, McGuff and feel as if I have a good grasp of the relationship of intensity, volume, frequency, progressive overload, so on and so forth. The course is 30 hours in length and cost about $700. I don’t have a formal kinesiology background so any recommendations will be appreciated. Thanks, keep up the good work.
Collin College – Continuing Education
Course Syllabus
Course Title: Personal Fitness Trainer Certification
Course Description: Learn the skills needed to enter the exciting field of personal fitness. Lecture and hands-on training include biomechanics, exercise physiology, nutrition, musculoskeletal injuries as well as fitness testing, equipment usage and health assessments. Certification requires successful completion of both written and practical exams, current CPR/AED certification and completion of a 30-hour internship at a local fitness center.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Course Objectives:
1.
Assess an individuals’ level of fitness using recommended guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine
2.
Design and customize exercise programs for individuals based on their current fitness level, future needs and fitness goals
3.
Demonstrate proper execution of weightlifting, stretching and isometric exercises
4.
Practice personal fitness training professionally
Textbook(s): Fitness Professional’s Handbook 5th Edition
Lesson Plan
Session 1: Exercise physiology, anatomy.
Anatomy, kinesiology.
Session 2: Nutrition, health screening, testing, cardiorespiratory fitness.
Flexibility, strength and endurance, special populations.
Session 3: Adherence, motivation, musculoskeletal injuries, legal guidelines.
Medical history and screening.
Session 4: Interview techniques and goal setting.
Fitness testing protocols.
Session 5: Exercise prescription, equipment use.
Resistance training techniques, program design.
Session 6: Written and Practical Exams
Brian, this looks like a good introductory course. It will let you become a “certified” personal trainer. But remember, all certifications are not created equal. This should help you get started but I would look into either a NASM or NSCA certification soon thereafter. Those are respected certifying agencies that are highly regarded in the industry.
What is your opinion of the material presented by the International Association of Resistance Trainers (IART) and Brian D. Johnston? They have a great deal of material about HIT at http://www.exercisecertification.com. (I heard about this organization back in 1998 on Mike Mentzer’s website). I really have not heard much about it lately (is this telling me something?). I understand that this site is for SCT and its quantifiable progressive methodology so I promise, this is the last time I will ask you about getting certified. I appreciate your help and keep up the good work.
Are you asking me to digest all their information then tell you my opinion of it?
I understand that it is entirely too much information to absorb. However, because it seems to be HIT focused I was wondering if you have you ever heard anything positive or negative about the IART in your career in this industry? Would a HIT certification hold any weight compared to the other agencies that are volume oriented? For instance here in Dallas, Texas the Cooper Clinic seems to be the end all be certification that commercial gyms want you to posses in order to train people. I want to be a personal trainer and hopefully a school teacher/coach and am very interested in the subject of HIT. Thanks for your time and I have been enjoying the results from the SCT workouts. I won’t ask about certification again.
After thinking about it, I realized I got carried away with the certification questions. The whole point of this site is SCT specific, so I’ll leave this other stuff alone. Thanks.
Greg, I am letting you know that I was able to go up 5# more on my workout before last on triceps with the longer rest time. Today I tried another 5# on the tricep lift and had another day of rest added, but could not do the hold. I am at 6 days of rest between each workout now. How much more time should I add for rest, even though I’m gaining a little on each of the other holds. Also, could it be from my working night shift this week? Thanks.
Robert, skip the triceps workout completely on the next workout and come back to it on the subsequent workout A. Don’t add rest time yet between workouts.
Hi Mr Greg
You stated I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I have more endurance than I’ve ever had. I can run faster than I did while in high school.I am a sprinter and football player.I am currently using the old 1-3 rep max lifting can static training help me get better results
Mike, without more information from you its hard to give you advice. But let me ask you the same question I asked myself when I started with static contraction: Are you getting the results you want with your current workout program? Are you seeing any gains in strength? I was at the point where I was stagnating in my workouts. I had tried EVERYTHING; from drop sets, multiple sets, negatives, etc. You name it, I tried it. When SCT came around I figured I had tried everything else and I wasn’t getting the results I wanted with my current training, so why not try this?
So if you’re getting the results you want, don’t try static contraction. If not, then go for it and see what happens. We loved to hear your success story!
Hello,
Can the Train Smart program be done by yourself, or is a workout partner/spotter needed (since heavy weights will be lifted)?
Also, can the workouts be done at home with dumbbells, or is machines, safety racks, barbells, etc. at a gym facility required?
Thanks!
Greg, I always worked out by myself. I used the safety racks with the gym with the safety bars positioned near the end of my range of motion. This way, when I contract, the bar lifts up the last few inches of motion. This is a very safe position and will not require a spotter the way doing a static hold on a traditional bench press would. With the safety racks, you can do most of the SCT exercises except for 4 of them (abs, legs, calves and back).
Hello Greg,
I play soccer and wish to have tremendous stamina to last 90 minutes without huffing and puffing. Can you recommend a cardio program for that? Thanks in advance.
Rama, while we’re trying to stick solely to discussing SCT training right now, I’ll be happy to give you some quick advice. If I were you, I’d go run sprints for 30 minutes. Run for 1 minutes, jog for 2 minutes. Rinse, repeat…. Keep it up for 30 minutes. Stamina will build consistently if you push yourself. I’d say when you’re done with the workout, if you could have done it for another 3 or 4 minutes, you weren’t going hard enough. This is a great starting point for a cardio program but as you advance we’ll have to keep modifying. Good luck!
Greg,
How many days a week can this be done? And how do you modify it as you advance?
Plus do you advise doing it on days where you’ve also done football training?
Regards,
Brian
Brian, I would not train on football training days. Your body needs a rest and pushing your body with too much exercise for one day is counterproductive. I would start off with 2 days a week. As you advance and increase your cardio ability, I would add a 3rd day in but that should take you a few months, not a few weeks.
How you modify it as you advance is a subject that needs more space than this post. I say start with what you’ve got and we’ll work with you as you improve.
I’m not back in soccer training yet. I’m doing 2-3 workouts similar to what you outlined. One of those is sct mixed with cardio. I jog, do sct, jog again and so on for 40 minutes or so.
On other days I do some walking or steady state cardio. I take the odd day off completely as well.
How does that sound?
Brian, my quick comment to you is that your workout is not intense enough. I would do SCT on its own and not have any cardio in there. You should do the cardio separately and more intensely than a jog. As I tell my clients, when you’re done with the 30 minutes, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being not even breaking a sweat and 10 being almost close to passing out, your workout should be a 7 or 8. If you could have trained for an additional 5 minutes, you weren’t going hard enough. Try that instead for 30 minutes and let me know how you’re doing after 1 month. On off days its good to either completely rest or do some light cardio. That should be 2-3 days a week.
Okay, I get you.
Just two more questions:
When you say 2-3 times a week do you mean that is for the intense interval type training or that is the rest or light cardio days per week?
And what do you mean by light cardio, jogging or walking or either?
On light cardio days I might either play golf which is a six mile walk or go for a jog/swim for 30-60 minutes.
Is that okay?
I’ll have to modify my training when back playing soccer because the training is twice a week and then a match on Saturday. So maybe two intense workouts mon, wed, training is tue, thurs, match on sat.
With your schedule I’d start with 2 days a week of intense interval type training. For light cardio you can do whatever mode you enjoy.
Thanks Greg.
I will do two intense cardio days per week and the rest of the days light cardio like jogging/swimming/walking. And sct when I am ready to weight train again on top of that.
Hi Greg to answer your question a stone is 14 lbs
You also mention that you will spill the details on the food thing at a later date.
Why wait we are chomping at the bit to find out what the details are?
Best wishes Tony
Tony, thanks for the info. I’ll remember from now what a stone is. As far as the diet goes, we’ve decided to hold off on discussing it for now and just focus on talking about SCT. We will add more things when the time is appropriate. I’ll tell you this though…….most of the diets out there are ridiculous. Find something that you can stay with day in and day out and that will be the best diet for you.
Mr. Karr,
With 2 hours of training a week you must have a special kind of diet. Do you carb cycle for fat loss? Do you do interval and low intensity cardio??
-Elliot
Elliot, actually I have a pretty normal diet. I eat a BALANCED diet with protein, carbs and fat. I’m about to have some ice cream for dessert. Its all about managing your portions. No carb cycling. I’ve never been good with that anyway. Its easier to just focus on eating a well balanced diet with the proper calorie intake and add in some high intensity interval cardio. That does the trick. I will spill the secrets in the future on this site so stay tuned!
Sounds good, but can you expand a bit more on your “no carb cycling” point? I know A LOT of big bodybuilders and people focused on normal fitness that believe in carb cycling.
What about catabolic/anabolic?
Thanks!
-Elliot
Elliot, we are not a bodybuilding site. I know A LOT of bodybuilders who, once they walk off stage, balloon up to some ridiculous site. If that’s what you’re looking to do, then there are a ton of sights out there that will show you have to cycle your carbs, cut your water, and pump up your muscles for a show. I like to stay strong, fit and lean year round so no carb cycling for me. Your body uses carbs as an energy source and without carbs, its difficult to get the body to burn fat. I need my carbs for normal daily functioning so I don’t bother with cycling them.
I don’t understand what you are saying there Greg. Surely less of the carbs (or any calorie) and your body has to use fat for fuel when in a calories deficit.
Does it? Does your body always go for fat for fuel? Its not that simple. If it was, just cut every single carb you eat and you’ll lose all the fat right? Doesn’t work that way.
I’m looking forward to your ebook on this Greg.
I was under the impression that in a deficit from eating less of everything (or any one thing) or burning a lot from exercise would eventually just lead to the body burning off fat eventually after it has depleted the other glycogen stores.
Because if there is a calorie deficit the body has to get the energy from somewhere and uses the fat stores to keep going. That was my impression of it.
OR the body can reduce its energy consuming sources, like lean muscle tissue. You don’t want that obviously. That’s why this isn’t as simple as people think. 1+1 does not equal 2 when discussing cutting calories, exercising and burning fat. The body has evolutionary mechanisms designed to prevent too much body fat loss. It really doesn’t want you to be 4% bodyfat because evolutionarily speaking, if there ever was a famine, you’d be dead if you were 4%. So we have to work with the body to want to get it to that level, not force it there.
Yea, but don’t the studies show that if you are still weight training and pushing that, it will know it needs muscle so will go after the fat and not the muscle?
There is also the thing that a lot of people think they are losing muscle when losing weight when it is just the water and glycogen in the muscle and that will bounce straight back up again in two days when eating regularly or to maintenance.
I’m just trying to get my head around this. Looking forward to your ebook where you explain this in depth.
Greg how exactly do we make the body want to get it to that level
?
Eat stop eat by Brad Pilon is a fascinating read. I’ve lost body fat by continuing my weight training and being in a calorie deficit.
Now I am also doing quite a bit of a similar cardio to what Greg recommends as well.
I know a lot of people say you can lose muscle by cutting calories, but I actually think the science and experiments are saying something different. That metabolism does not slow down it just shifts to burning stores and HGH increases to do this and preserve or even grow muscle mass at its current level of need like it always does (in other words how much you tell your body you need the muscle by activity).
You get doctors saying patient’s muscle waste away in bed when they are hardly eating, but isn’t that to do with activity? They aren’t doing anything. Like you can have a normal calorie diet and break an arm and when you take of the cast the arm has shrunk, simply due to less activity.
When the fat stores are zero percent your body will then definitely go after muscle as it has no choice but before that it makes far more sense and I believe the science is saying that muscle will stay in relation to activity you stimulate it with.
Are you writing an ebook about it?
I guess you’ll have to wait and see….
The USDA food Pyramid works great! Also of the calories I eat I go for 60% Carbs, 20% Protein and 20% Fat. Carbs for energy, Protein for building muscle and Fat for interior cushioning. Everything that we eat gets transformed into sugar and of that anything that we don’t burn gets transformed into fat.
Hey Greg, two hours of training a week seems very appealing for the great results you have seen. My best guess is going to say that you follow a fairly strict diet in order to achieve those results. My question to you is what do you think about methods such as
-carb cycling for advanced fat loss, or
-high intensity cardiovascular training once in a while for fat loss.
thank you.
Jared, the most important thing that I’ve found is that the diet has to be relatively “normal” meaning it has to be well balanced. None of this crazy low carb, low fat, high fat, all protein, shakes only or whatever people do nowadays. Those kind of diets are temporary and you can’t live the rest of your life that way. I eat all kinds of food. I also definitely added more veggies to the diet. But I also splurge with ice cream, muffins and other snacks. It’s about managing the calories. I will give more details later so stay tuned on the website.
You got it right on with the cardio training though except I have a slightly different approach. I too will discuss this more in the future.
Hi Greg,
I have a question for you which I hope you don`t mind answering. It`s about putting on muscle and losing weight at the same time. I was just ready a blog on this site regarding a gentleman who had been doing S.C.T for about 4 years and in that time had lost weight as well. His problem was that because of the weight loss he was no longer able to lift the weight he use to lift. His bench press use to be 500lbs and now it`s down to 430lbs.
Pete`s reply was that it sounds like he`s lost some muscle as well as the fat. If he wanted to gain muscle he need to eat enough calories. Pete also mentioned that plenty of rest was the other important factor.
The “increase your calorie intake to gain muscle” comments has been around for many years, but I`m wondering if it is one of those workout myths that has no scientific evidence to back it.
The way I see it is energy is energy. Whether you get your calorific energy from fat, protein or carbs.
If I`m on a low calorie diet becuase I`m carrying to much fat. Surely my body is intelligent enough to use the stored energy fat to build the new muscle I`m trying to develop.
Look forward to hearing from you, and Pete if he has something to add.
Bryan
Bryan, part of our philosophy is to measure our progress. That includes measuring weight and bodyfat. Without knowing both, we’re really just taking a shot in the dark as to how much muscle and fat we really have. Now the gentleman you’re talking about could have lost muscle but without an accurate measurement, its hard to tell.
I agree with the “increase your calorie intake to gain muscle” comments BUT…….let me ask you this, how many extra calories a day do you think you need to eat to feed new muscle growth? 1000 calories? 2000 calories? 5000 calories like the big bodybuilders tell you to do with their mass building protein shakes? Try 500 calories!! Yes, only 500! Why? Because your body can only build so much muscle. Its like when you cut your hair. If you eat more, your hair won’t grow faster. It has a maximum rate of growth. Same with muscle. When its stimulated, it can only grow so fast. You can’t make it grow faster (unless you use steroids which help with recovery time). The key ingredients to muscle growth are stimulus+nutrients+rest=growth. Remember that equation!!! Without a stimulus, your body has no reason to add muscle. That’s why all those supplements that tout their ability to cause muscle to grow are COMPLETE bogus! Without nutrients (ie amino acids which make up proteins) your body won’t have the building blocks it needs to grow. Without rest, your body won’t have the time to do the work and build the muscle. Simple as that!
Hi Greg,
Thanks for getting back to me. You didn`t quite answer my question so I`ll try and put it another way.
If I eat more calories than my body needs or can use up. My body will begin to convert the excess calories from the fats, carbs and protein and store it as body fat in different area of my body.
My origional question was to cast doubt on the belief that you need to eat more calories to gain muscle. And when someone is on trying to lose weight by restricting there calorific requirements, they will find it difficult to gain muscle
You mentioned that you only need to consume an extra 500 calories to building muscle.
My question was “surely my body is inteligent enough to use the excess calories I`m carrying around my waist, to help build the muscle I`m working on.
While on a calorie controlled diet, providing my diet contains the little amount of protein it needs to building muscle. My body should be intelligent enough to resort to using the excess body fat to make up for the lack of calories in my food intake.
If my body started to take the 500 calories you mentioned, from my stored body fat to help build muscle. Wouldn`t that also reduce the level of body fat a lot quicker as well.
I am aware that a possible response could be that you can not use fat, excess body fat to building muscle. And yet the excess body fat was origionally converted into body fat from Protein, carbs and fat. Surely it can do the reverse. Convert the excess body fat back into protein and carbs.
If this is the case then we should be able to build muscle and lose weight at the same time.
Bryan
Hello Greg,
Been doing SC for quite some time now, in the main Im pleased with the results.
Could you give me a rough idea as to what you eat on an average day?
I recently stopped eating bread and sweet stuff and have gone from 14 and a half stone to 13 stone Im 6ft tall,I was happy with the weigh loss but my personal best on SC excersise has also reduced a bit so I must have lost a bit of muscle.
A few suggestions in relation to the food with some examples would be fantastic please
Tony, my first question to you is……how much is a stone? I’m familiar with kg and lbs but not stones.
Hey Tony,
I am losing body fat while doing sct. I know it’s not easy. But so long as you are still progressing workout to workout (even if it went back temporarily when you started cutting calories) then you really aren’t losing muscle, you are only losing water and glycogen from your muscles, and this is transient or temporary. In other words two days of eating a maintanence level of calories and you will be just as strong again. In fact when you start eating normally again you will probably be much stronger than before because you have continued doing sct to progress and grow your muscle fibers (which is the actual structure made of protein/amino acids and not the water and carbs).
This is all assuming you are giving yourself enough rest in between workouts as well.
I’m actually still lifting more than ever while losing fat, but I think it is a lot slower than it would be. I am 30 which may make a difference but I also think I have a plan that helps. Basically I only cut calories in a big way in the days before my workouts. Then on the day of my workout and subsequent days if I feel it would help to eat a fair amount then I do. I always feel a need to eat plenty on the days I workout because it is intense and rebuilding nutrients help you move forward faster. Plus it is a lot easier. I’m not sure it is totally necessary either though for the same reasons as above, but it probably speeds up the muscle repair process resulting in bigger progress in the next workout (maybe unless you rest longer).
So if you are in a calorie deficit then you can somewhat work around it imo if you only do your big cutting on the days leading up to your workout and then when you feel able go back to cutting calories after your workout day. And keep cycling it like that until the fat is gone.
Then from there you can eat to maintenance of your current fat levels and your workouts should really take off from there.
This water and glycogen in muscle isn’t talked about a great deal but it is very real. It is the transient part of the muscle that can be burned off temporarily by cutting calories or by exercise. When you cut calories some of the water and glycogen does go from the muscle temporarily and it can affect your strength temporarily. I’ve seen this time and again when people do it with conventional training and as soon as they go back to eating normal their strength goes back up, actually stronger if they are doing a good program and sct certainly is that.
Make sure you are still getting plenty of protein as well, a whey shake taken daily is a good low cal way to do that. Try to get 70g or more of protein per day from shakes and/or food, but the body still has a remarkable ability to progress even half starved of protein and general calories. These are only guidelines.
So bear this in mind, maybe try it and see how it goes for you. I’m sure Greg can give you some help with this too and he is far more experienced than I am, particularly with sct.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Brian
Ps. If you have a cardio routine or other exercise you do you might want to outline what that is as well as you may not be getting sufficient rest and you may need more time between your sct workouts.
Hi Greg a stone is 14 lbs, thanks to Brian for his post to answer those questions Im 42 years old I play soccer for 3 times 1 hour sessions a week and that is my cardio, the football[soccer to anyone from the usa] involves quite allot of sprinting.
Thanks Tony
Hello,
My question is regarding back pain and leg presses.
After performing SCT leg-press I experience mild to moderate pain in the lower to midback area the next day. The pain usually lasts few days then gradually subsides. I am well aware of the importance of keeping your back flat against the seat to prevent injury, but I still experience pain none the less. Is there any advice to preventing this? What advice would you give for proper technique in performing this exercise?
Thanks
Joe, the leg press is a very intense workout and when you get really strong, it can cause problems if the form is not correct. My suggestion is to: 1) make sure the seating position in the machine is appropriate. Some machines have a little bit of adjustability in them so make sure you’re in the most ideal position for the intesity of the workout. 2) Make sure your body is upright throughout the workout. Sometimes people tend to shift their body in an effort to lift more than they should. This is where injury can come in to play. 3) If both of those suggestions don’t help totally, you may want to have a little extra support in for your lower back. That could come in the form of a weight belt or some extra padding in the curve of your lower back. This will help keep your lower back in the optimum position to avoid injury.
In the beginning I used to get the odd twinge with sct. A great tool I find is to create your own natural weight belt and static foundation by tensing your stomach muscles and glutes (pretend you are pinching a coin) and pretty much all of your body’s muscles before doing any lifts.
Also if you are gripping grip the bar HARD or tense your feet hard against the floor/press before the lift. This is what the old masters did and they say they never had to wear belts as a result, so this may help you too, it has certainly helped me a great deal to prevent twinges and strains.
It also has the advantage of helping you lift more weight and also creating a strong natural belt and core.
The hooks and padded grips will help you a LOT to do this as well.
Over time I think your technique and stability during the exercises improves naturally as well. I experience no issues now unless an accident happens like I slip out of stable position holding a heavy weight (very rare for me now) and even then I usually don’t suffer any after effect.
Is Digital Strength Coach your web site?
Yes, it is Joe. It automates the scheduling and goal progression of Static Contraction workouts.
Just a comment about full range of motion. What the unenlightened don’t realise is that a Squat performed under powerlifting guidelines is not done as a full range exercise. In fact a full range squat can not performed with as heavier weight and secondly the stress placed on your kness, tendons and ligaments can only lead to damaging them. So without realising it Squats (correctly performed and considered to be the king for muscle growth) are in fact supporting SCT principles. Now if they can only realise that a static hold with even a heavier weight (preferably done on the leg press machine) is far more advantageous!
HI GREG,
I WAS WONDERING, HOW WOULD YOU USE SCT FOR POWERLIFTING, AS FULL RANGE, AT LEAST FOR COMP, IS A NECESSITY…?
BEST REGARDS,
JOE
If you needed full range, you could still do it with SCT. To do a full range bench press, for example, you could set up the rack for three different heights. You could do a 5-second lift with the highest weight possible at each height. This will cover your full range. I want to caution about this technique though because you put SIGNIFICANTLY more stress on the muscles, tendons and joints when the weight is lifted closer to the bottom of the range rather than the top. I would not recommend this for anyone generally but if you want to train for a full range power lift, this would be a way to do it.
Hi Greg,
It’s been my experience, that most injuries occur from overtraining, and or poor form, as apposed to the weakest range utilized. That being said, i understand that the strongest range will have the fewest injuries, regardless…
Joe, a guy at the gym doing a bench press till it bounces off his chest is not overtraining but you can say he is using poor form. The poor form is him bringing it to his weakest range. This range is where the muscle, tendon and ligaments are subjected to the highest strain due to the angle of the joint and the load it puts on the soft tissue. Ever seen a guy try to do a full squat and have his patellar tendon rupture? I have…..ouch!
Thank you, Greg, for the personal introduction. I just turned 66 and also just became a certified personal fitness trainer. I live and work in a senior adult community and find that most of them have been warned by someone against lifting heavy weights. They’ve been sold the “light weights-many reps” mentality. So I’m gently and slowly trying to educate those I work with on how to build the muscle tissue we need more efficiently. I just started my wife – who’s never lifted weights before – on the “Golfer’s 2 minute workout” mainly for her benefit but also to be able to refer to her progress for the benefit of other seniors.
My son (41) and I have used the SC approach since the middle of last year and the main problem we run into now is that with bench presses running 395 – 475 and one-leg presses running +450 we have maxed out the equipment at the gym we’re using. So the immediate solution is to do some one-arm or one-leg exercises and we’ve also started doing a 5 sec. hold beta routine.
I’m also really looking forward to your info on weight management and fat loss.
Don Moore
Don, unfortunately what you’re talking about the same type of misinformation that is out there. Its unfortunate. Someone who thinks they know something about weight training because they read it somewhere goes around and tells seniors to not lift heavy because they can hurt themselves. The sad thing is that they lift this very light weight many times thinking that they’re building muscle or something. I’d like to ask the person who gave that advice as to what kind of results they see for that “light weight many reps” training? Probably none. I think its just a mental satisfaction thing that they lifted some weights and now the muscle is going to grow. Its a sad thing and hopefully its something that we can start eradicating. To me, there is nothing worse than someone who spends time lifting weights and gets no results. Its the ULTIMATE waste of time. And time is so precious for every one of us I don’t know why anyone would ever waste time lifting weights. There are better and more fun ways to waste time.
Unfortunately the problem you are having with not having enough weights is also a common one with people who don’t have access to a full gym. The gym I went to had a power rack and leg press machine with a full load of weights which made it easy to do all the exercises the proper way. I say stick with whatever works for you right now following the principles of SCT. Of course having a machine to help you do the workout would be the best thing……….we’re working on that right now too
I have been doing SCT for 10 times for both A & B; and had only begun weight training about 2 1/2 years ago. I had found that I had gained strength in the beginning with the standard type of training but had leveled off. I then had great results with SCT but did find my arms holding me back and have more recently started Super Reps for Arms. I also am going to begin using the CNS Workout this coming Monday.
I just turned 70 and had been doing some cardio off and on through my life and had found that I my right knee gave me pain when I attempted to run; leg exercises built muscle allowing me to begin running again!
Until recently I had been doing Cardio 3 days a week also, and have just cut back to 2 days, one day on treadmill for an hour and another on eliptical for an hour. The standard calculation for maximum heartrate for my age is 220-70 = 150. I told my Doctor that I was getting my heartrate up to 165 and still not breathing hard; he told me that the max heart rate normally is calculated by doing a stress test which is something that I am doing at the gym. He told me to continue doing what I am doing!
My one day on the treadmill starts with me running at 6 miles per hour until my heart rate hits 160, walk until it drops to 140, run at 7 miles per hour until my heart rate hits 160, walk until it drops to 140, run at 8 miles per hour until heart rate hits 160, walk until 140, run at 9 miles per hour until 160; then repeat until the hour is up! So far each session I am able to run further at each speed and the hour!
Everyone at the gym is suprised at seeing me running at those speeds; and further to see me doing a leg press of 810 lbs. I am 6 ft tall, 175 lbs and a vegan. I look forward with anticipation to each trip to the gym – even as those trips get further apart.
I’m sort of thinking that the heart is a muscle which as other muscles gains strength with rest; after you have given it instruction on what you want it to do with the exercise.
I did my first day of the CNS workout this morning, with 1 addition; the incline bench press, both closed grip and wide grip (I believe that the upper part of my pecs need more work then the lower). As I went about my day I felt the muscles that I had used without being sore; almost as though I felt them growing!
Friday I will be doing the Super Arms Reps for the second time but will add a dumbell curl with my left amr to the routine; with help of my right arm raising the weight to my strongest range of motion. After many years of not doing weight training my left arm had lost more muscle then my right; even after 2 1/2 years of weight training it is still smaller.
Tom, sounds like you had a great workout. I will discuss soreness in more depth as a post so you understand what that is. Basically soreness is lactic acid buildup in the muscle. When the muscle can’t clear the lactic acid, it hangs around and gives you that sore feeling until it can get cleared out. But many people who don’t understand what lactic acid is confuse lactic acid buildup with muscle growth. NOT the same thing! I repeat, NOT the same thing. A muscle that is actually growing has this dull sore feeling as it is repairing itself, not that sharp lactic acid soreness. From what you describe, it sounds like you’ve got a growing muscle on you there buddy!!
Thanks for your reply Greg,
I am familar with lactic acid which builds up with anarobic activity; and normally burn it off with arobic activity such as walking after a workout.
I love the feel of growing muscle!
Tom, you got it! Usually when clients I work with tell me they’re sore, I tell them to go jog it off. After they’re done giving me those weird looks and actually try moving, they realize that aerobic activity is a great way to get rid of that soreness. Now if that was really muscle growth, it wouldn’t go away that easy.
Over time my soreness after working out has reduced enormously to near zero. I’m not sure if getting used to the sct workouts is a factor, but one thing that has definitely helped me is adding in high intensity cardio and high rep bodyweight exercise to my routine.
It’s as if a better vascularity washes the toxins out faster or something or just gets the blood flowing into the muscles so they repair faster.
In the beginning I used to be shattered after sct, like really drained. And I’d be as stiff as a board, barely able to do things like swing a golf club for 24 hours. Now these things just don’t happen.
I just did my own experimenting to find out how to help myself. I initially started using amino acids, shakes etc. and that did help me substantially, but only 40% and it was still a problem until I improved the blood flow to my muscles in general with the above exercises added to my routine.
I might try without the supplements at all and see if I still get the same results now.
Brian, your body adapts to training by making new enzymes to help remove the metabolic waste easier. While at first you feel the soreness because their is metabolic waste built up in the muscle, overtime your body adapts and becomes better and breaking that byproduct down. Hence, eventually you will not feel that soreness because your body has the enzymes and cellular mechanisms to get rid of the waste quickly. Usually when I have new clients who haven’t trained before experience this soreness, I have them burn it off using some method of cardio. It goes away and becomes less and less with each workout. Don’t need the supplements to do that.
That’s very interesting.
And what of the huge drained feeling for a day or two as well, that’s no longer a problem for me either. Is that the same thing you are referring to as well? Is soreness and the drained feeling all caused by the same thing?
To be honest in the beginning walking wasn’t much of a help to me either, it had to be more intense cardio. And then suddenly my body was able to handle sct without any problems. Maybe it just had to adapt, but I thought the intense cardio and supplements helped that. Maybe not or maybe just the cardio and adapting.
It’s interesting you say new to training because I had been doing free hand isometrics and full range weights at various stretches (I used to cycle intensity with the weights) for years, but sct was a whole new kettle of fish for me recovery wise.
Brian, your body is doing what it’s supposed to do. You give it a stimulus and it adapts to that stimulus. The whole point of SCT is progressive increase in the intesity of the exercise. At the beginning it is something new for the body and its going to feel draining. But as you continue and your body gets stronger, it doesn’t feel as drained. It still takes time to recover from the workout though but you won’t feel as drained.
Tom and Greg,
I see it has been almost a month since your posts regarding lactic acid build up. I am 55 and fit sct into part of my overall routine. Particularly the leg press. After doing 900 lbs easily I switched to one leg with the 900. It is a true SCT hold since I can just break the lock out and hardly hold it for 5 seconds. I’ll usually repeat 7 times per leg and by the last few I need to rest about a minute or more between each rep.
My point? I never have lactic acid buildup pain from this or any other routine. My secret is two fold: first I take a supplement called DMG b-15 that lowers lactic acid build up and second; I breath heavily and deeply during the rest periods. I read somewhere, many years ago that it releases the acid build up, I don’t recall the science behind it. I gotta say that it works.
Just throwing in my 2 cents.
Aloha,
Rich
Rich, I haven’t had any lactic acid build up for years, including when I was training conventionally. Its not a good indicator of muscle growth.
Note:
It is not lactic acid that causes soreness! In fact lactic acid does not even exist in the body!! lactic acid has pKa of 3.1 and the pH of the body is around 7. the H+ production mainly comes from the hydrolysis of ATP and the breakdown of Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. Two of these H+ ions are shuttled out the same time as lactate is produced. Lactate is produced from the buildup of pyruvate when pyruvate undergoes 2H reduction reaction. In short lactate production retards the acidotic state of the muscles!
Nor does it cause the burning, before the pH can drop the low to cause any burning phosphofructokinase ceases to work because of the acid. The burning sensation is probably dealing with the co2 formation in the skin and hypoxic condition.
The sourness is probably just micro-muscular tears in muscles from working out. Just FYI
Hi Greg,
I would like your take on “dynamic” warm-ups. The old school is 5-20 minutes light cardio, then do 1-2 warm up sets, perhaps, and then your final all out set. Now, it seems that these dynamic warm-ups (jump jacks, bodyweight squats, push-ups,high kicks etc) are becoming popular, replacing the machine cardio warm up.
Brian, my approach to answer a question like this is first ask myself what am I actually trying to do with a warm up? The idea behind the warm up is to get the heart up to speed to pump blood efficiently and to get muscles and joints warmed up and ready for the exercises they’re going to perform. When I warm up for a run, I start by walking fast then walking a bit faster then jogging. What I’m doing is allowing my muscles and joints to slowly warm up so I don’t pull anything andI let my heart slowly warm up to pump more and more blood. That’s the idea behind light cardio. Now if I was going to do a bench press or military press, jogging isn’t going to do much to help my shoulder joint get prepared for the workout. What I like to do when I do my warmups is peform an activity that will bring my heart rate up and mimic the workout that is ahead. Then I’ll specifically do some light movements of the joints I’m going to work. For my shoulders I’d rotate my arm in small circles slowly until I’m making big circles with them. I’d do push ups too to help get the pecs prepared for the workout. I hope this makes sense.
As far as the other exercises you mentioned go, ask yourself, are those exercises warming up the heart and the muscles and getting the joints ready for what you want to do? Basically, is the exercise helping to bring your body up to “operating temparature?” If so, then go for it.
I hope there will be a follow up to Brian T’s question about how to combine SCT with Dr. Sears’ PACE training, whether it would be sabotaging recovery time. I’ve been wondering about the exact same thing.
Thanks for this very informative site!
Annette.
Annette, I don’t know much about Dr. Sears PACE training so I can’t really comment about whether combining it with SCT will sabotage recovery times. What I will do is post more blogs on what I think proper cardio training should be like and if that goes along with the PACE program, then so be it.
Hi Annette,
I am combining P.A.C.E. with SCT at this time. The way I like to do it is to wait a couple of days after I do my Static workout (at least till any soreness subsides) before I do any intense cardio with PACE. I do like to do light walking or stretching every day, especially working on my flexibility, mainly to keep my muscles moving so they heal more quickly. I keep my intense PACE workouts a few days after or a few days before I do a Static workout. If you do too much intense excersise during your rest days between Static sessions you will simply have to rest longer.
For example, if your Static days are 7 days apart you may want to do 1 day of PACE right in the middle of that week. (That would fit with Dr. Sears recommendation of three days per week of intensity work.)
Also, on the same day that I do my Static routine I include some PACE work as well. So my Static day would be to do 1)a very light warm-up, then 2)my first PACE set, 3)My Static routine, 4) three or four more PACE sets. Of course you want to be writing down all your weights and heart rates.
After you continue to progress with Static you will have more rest days. When you get up to a 12 day rest period with Static workouts, for example, you can fit in two PACE workouts in between. You can also alternate the type of exercises you use in your pace workout so that you do not the same muscle groups back to back. Just give yourself at least three days rest in between any intensity work, and focus on flexibility work on the other days if you feel inclined to do daily workouts.
I hope that’s enough to get you going with both methods.
All the best,
Jamin
Thanks for this comment, Jamin B. I’ve been wondering how to balance SCT with more intense cardio. I’m looking forward to what Greg has to say about this as well.
I remember you saying that you had a way to test when you were ready to do cardio training again with resting heart rate. Can you tell me how you do that?
Also do you do bodyweight training with PACE or something else?
Regards,
Brian
Greg
It’s good to have an added resource to SCT. Maybe this is the year I take the leap. I have been reading the emails and the blogs and the arguments and the explanations especially about the need for full range exercise are compelling. I have been training for over 30 years ever since high school and have trained in every protocol from Nautilus, high volume body building, Superslow and High Intensity Training (HIT). I utilize a hybrid protocol of HIT incorporating 2-3 sets of exercise per bodypart because I’ve been brainwashed into thinking that you need a certain amount of volume to attain and maintain mass. I am 6’5″ 230lbs and need to have some mass or I look like a skinny fat stringbean. I try to stay up to date with the latest training methods and subscribe to a number of blogs, newsletters and I am more confused than ever. It casuses much more anxiety and confusion than it should. Each time I read some compelling information about more brief exercise, I go to the gym with the intention of incorporating that knowledge and end up resorting back to my same old ‘safe’ protocol. I want to believe in SCT; the science makes rational sense but I can’t take that leap to even go down to one set every 4-5 days much less SCT every two weeks! I am looking forward to your knowledge and experience and hope you can help me finally see the light.
Jim, I can already tell that I like you. You’re definitely a hard worker in the gym who means business. I also appreciate your feelings about making the switch to SCT. Just so you know, there is no pressure for you to try SCT. When you’re ready, go for it. I know it took me a while to make the switch also. What made me finally decide to do it is when I looked in the mirror at the gym one day and said to myself “what am I working out so hard for?” I spent 2-3 hours a week lifting weights until failure, doing drop sets, negatives, super slow, adding extra sets and reps etc…..you name it, I’ve read about it and tried it. But what was I getting from it? Increased muscle mass? Increased strength? Doing more reps? Nope. NOthing. I was just treading water. Not getting better, not getting worse and too scared to step out on a limb to try something that was so different. If you’re getting the results you want at the gym from the workouts you’re doing, by all means, please don’t stop. But if you feel that you’re treading water and not getting results, then try SCT. Whatever you choose, we’ll be here to support you.
SCT works I’ve been using it for over 5 years now. No one in the gym I go to is doing SCT. People just wonder what and why I do what I do…. I’ve seen guys who are big but sometimes I wonder. i do know they workout the trsditional way. i past thsat stage sometime ago.
I love your site and the great comments. Keep it up.
Hi Greg, welcome and thanks for your expertise and experience! I am a “regular” blogger and recently began using the SCT method. Unfortunately, I was in a bad car accident on 12/16. No broken bones, but a lot of soft tissue injuries, strains etc. In no way was I going to let this stop my training, but I did have to modify. I found SCT about the same time. The short range/static hold was perfect. And, I actually lifted even more than I usually do prior to being injured. Now, as I continue to recover my weights are skyrocketing as well as adding muscle fast. All while working out (strength training) so much less than ever before. I can’t be more grateful to find this awesome technique!
Brian, I’m sorry to hear about the accident but I’m very happy that you started SCT. What you may not realize is that we use static contraction training in physical therapy clinics all around the world to help people rehabilitate from a myriad of injuries. What I predict, if Pete and I have our way, is that within this next decade, you will see static contraction being used in clinics and strength training facilities everywhere to rehabilitate from injury and increase strength in all types of populations. I already get feedback all the time from chiropractors and physical therapists about how wonderful the training is and how miraculous the results have been. That is one of the big benefits of doing this job!! Keep at your workouts and I’m sure you will be emailing me soon telling me how well your body has recovered and how much stronger you are now than you have ever been in your life. Trust me, it will happen
Wow, thanks Greg for that positive reinforcement! I’ll certainly keep everyone posted.
Absolute agreement from this Physical Therapist practicing in Friday Harbor, WA. I would love to see SCT used more in physical rehab clinics. I am always surprised at how entrenched the old gym logic of full range repetition is with my colleagues. Especially because 99.99% of injury occurs either because of full range vulnerable positions of the joint, or because of excess repetition. Of course, without full knowledge of the situation or injury it would be foolish for me to just throw out a Universal fix. But it would be hard to go wrong with SCT. Despite the respectable weight being used, all of the joints involved are in their least vulnerable positions.
Eli, I have spoken to numerous therapists and chiropractors around who are singing the praises of SCT just like you are. They understand the rational behind it. I’ve even used it to help rehab some friends and I can tell you the results were phenomenal. I knew someone who was a skeptic about the training methodology but happened to be having knee surgery. The doctor told him no gym for 6 weeks. This guy was a total gym rat so he wanted something to do. I asked him to try out SCT just to see how it would help him rehab his knee. Afterall, I’ve seen it help many others so I thought he should try it. Long story short this guy got rid of his gym membership and was a convert. When he went back to his doctor for his follow up visit, the doctor told him that he didn’t know what the therapy he was doing was, but that whatever it was, keep doing it because he’d never seen a knee heal so quickly. We even have a therapist we work with that claims he heals a certain kind of low back pain with the technique. I will definitely be writing more about this in the future so stay tuned.
Greg,
I am another 50 year who wishes he knew about SCT while playing ball in college and high school. When I think of the hours wasted in those places, ugh. I have been training via SCT for a few years. My strength has more than doubled for some muscle groups and I am now at once a month SCT workouts. Biggest advice I have for guys is to really warm up correctly. Take warm up as seriously as you do the actual workout.
I would like to help some of the ball players in my area, but I have to admit, there is a lot of resistance, even after they see the old man (me) lift such heavy weight. Anyway, I just keep pointing them to the site, and now with the blog, and another expert such as yourself, I think these kids will have more assurance.
Quick question is, I have two boys 10 and 7, very young I know, but my 10 year old is ready. I think Pete has commented that there is no data out there where it is too soon for kids to train using SCT, and so I just started him on a program. SCT is so simple to teach a kid, It teaches him the proper mechanics of lifting, to measure his progress, to lift in the safest manner, and his overall confidence boost is great to watch too. He really looks forward to his supervised workouts, but I just want to be sure that I am not hurting him in any way.
Rob,
You’re ABSOLUTELY correct on the warm up advice. Warm is up crucial!!!! Just like for any physical activity, the muscle must be properly warmed up and ready to lift weights. I love driving race cars and an analogy I like to use is that on the first lap out on track we warm up our cars. I would never go all out on the track without first warming up my brakes, the engine and getting the tires up to temp. If I did, I risk blowing my engine or sliding right off the track with cold tires. Same goes for weight training. You need to get warm to get the muscles, tendons and your brain ready for the workout ahead.
As far as convincing other ball players about SCT, sometimes its best to not try and force the issue and just let them fall into it on their own. I have this same problem with MY OWN FRIENDS!!! Can you believe that? I mean they know my background and they see the results but they’re so confused with the latest fitness fads out there and the misinformation that they’re fed that they pass me up too. I don’t worry about it because I know eventually, when they’re not getting the results they want, they will come looking for me. Everyone gets older. Most people I know have better things to do than spend hours a week in the gym. Yet they still want to look good and be strong. Enter SCT…..
Now for your last question…..kids. I’ve got two nephews around the same age as your boys. It is a great age to get kids into fitness and working out. My only caution is that when they are that young, they still have maturing bodies and their muscles, joints, tendons and bones are not fully developed like adults are so we can’t just have them do exactly the things we do. Keep that in mind as you assist them in their workouts.
Here’s a great article on strength training for kids: http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-52478720101027
Also, here are links to other articles on young people training:
http://www.precisiontraining.com/how-young-can-you-train/
Hi there,
been working out since the eighties,5-6 times a week,got smart last year,sigh…..
Been reading about Mike Mentzer,his books woke me up,now I use also Static holds,every session I get stronger,now I work out 4-8 times a month for 10-15 minutes,go figure…
Hope to learn here as well!!
Kind regards
Henk
the Netherlands
Henk,
Welcome to the light! Trust me, you’re not the only one who wishes they tried static contraction sooner. Its amazing what can be accomplished with a little knowledge and some faith. I train once every couple weeks now and its amazing that the body continues to grow on such little time spent with weights. I used to think that if I didn’t train for a week (like when I got sick) then I’m definitely losing muscle mass. I know a lot of guys have that same mentality. Well, our goal here is to help educate anyone who is willing to listen build muscle in a more efficient way.
Hi Greg
Welcome – I have become an exponent of SCT, but what I can’t get my head around (I suppose due to a lack of knowledge is how to incorporate my cardio fitness program that will not effect my recovery time. I know that Pete recommends walking everyday and it is great (especially if you walk with your wife and get in some time together). I do feel that I would like to be fitter and increase my fat burning rate. I would appreciate your comments on this.
Mark,
Walking is a great way to start a cardio routine but to push your body further and get your body to lose the fat you need to do more. This is a pretty big topic and I have A LOT to say on this. This is from years of doing ALL kinds of cardio trying to figure out what will get my body to lose the fat. There is a very important principle here that, once I learned, it transformed my body and let me reach bodyfat levels I’d never reached before. Instead of forcing my body to lose fat, now my body wants to get rid of the fat. What that can do is truly transforming. Trust me, I will be talking about this soon. I might even have enough information to prepare an e-book for you guys so you too can know how to forever drop fat like it was going out of style.
I can’t believe there are no comments.. This looks like a great site, I look forward to reading your blog. I have tried the program on and off for a couple of years, I’m just getting going again, it really works but i get lazy if i take to much time off and get out of the training rut. Looking forward to the support group. 5%? really?
Dennis,
It really is amazing what can be done when the right questions are asked. Trust me, if you had told me that that’s what I’d achieve, I wouldn’t have believed you myself. I was never under 10% in my life, much less 5% so it definitely wasn’t something that was super easy for me.
Currently 50 years of age. Performed static contraction program for 2 1/2 years with great success. Perform conditioning & cardio on machines & with a lighter weight program performed a couple of times perweek. Training in martial arts…Jeet Kune Do both open hand & weapons. What advice do you have for someone such as myself? Kung Fu training in all forms pretty much speaks for my total health & fitness going forward. Currently no known health problems…have been very blessed!
Phillip,
Are you still using static contraction as part of your workout program? If not, get on it!! Strength training is absolutely crucial for every martial artist. That’s the secret behind those explosive kicks and punches. My training advice to you will depend on what your goals are going to be. What is your ultimate goal with your training?
Yes, I am still using SCT for maximum strength. Perform once every 8-10 weeks. Still having tremendous gains. I have also thrown in lighter weight training along with aerobic machines for added fitness & cardio. Fitness & cardio weight training is performed a couple of times perweek. Is this light stuff even necessary…is there something better? My goal as a martial artist is to perfect the art, but will probably not compete in open hand. Could compete in free-style weapons though. Currently in my first year of martial training. Still want to be the best I can possibly become for self defense, if ever needed, & overall health & well-being.
Phillip, can I ask why are you doing the light stuff? What are you getting from that weight training? My guess is you’re doing it because you still have entrenched in your brain somewhere that more training with weights is better than less. If so, we need to eradicate that thinking once and for all! If you want to be a better martial artist you need to spend that extra time that you do light weights practicing technique!! That is THE MOST important thing, especially for a new trainee. You need to train, train, train in technique until you reach a more advanced level. The great thing about SCT is that it will allow you to gain the strength you’ll need when you get to those advanced levels to deliver punches and kicks that your opponents did not expect were coming. Ask me how I know….
I never came back to ask you the answer to your question…”Ask me how I know”…! How do you know?
One day I’m in my martial arts class and we have to partner up for kicking and punching drills. My partner is a fit guy who’s taller than me and weighs about 40 lbs more. I start kicking and punching him around the room. I really had him moving because of the power of the kicks and punches. I actually was amazed myself becuase I felt the increased force I was generating in my knuckles. And now when I go to fight class, I always get compliments from my training partners (who usually weigh more than me) about how strong my punches and kicks are. That’s how I know….
Hey Gregg,
welcome to the community. I’m still a fledgling myself, working out the weights that do the right job on the bar and all that, but in any case, peace and I look forward to reading your future posts.
David,
Thank you for the welcome. We ALL start out as fledglings. The goal here is to grow together as a community; to share our collective knowledge and improve as a whole. I’m excited to be sharing my knowledge with all in the community and am definitely looking forward to the feedback.
Hey Greg,
Good to have another expert on board other than Pete! More good minds to pick!
My question is can I do bodyweight exercise, as outlined in Dr. Al Sears PACE program, on a daily basis and still recover perfectly for my strength workouts?
Essentially it is progressively more intense, but shorter cardiovascular exercise followed by periods of getting your heart rate back to its rest or walking beats per minute and then going again (and the total workout is 10-20 min and no more than that).
I’m just experimenting with this now.
I’d be grateful for your input.
Regards,
Brian
Brian, I have a quick question. It’s always difficult to provide answers about somebody else’s training program so I want to understand something. When you say these bodyweight exercises are progressive – do you mean in volume or intensity? Do you do push-ups with a weight on your back and keep increasing the weight? Same with chins, crunches, etc? Are you always adding more weight in order to increase intensity? Or is it like all other bodyweight workout exercises where you have to add more and more volume (number of reps) to each workout?
They get shorter in the spurts, but more intense in either speed or resistance.
That is the progression. And you still rest after the spurts until the heart rate goes way down again before doing another spurt.
Total session time for this is 12-20 min (including the rest periods).
Wow! That sounds great! I’m impressed, less than two hours a week???
My mindset is still stuck in the weights 3-4 times a week. cardio 3-4 times a week. Eat strict 7days 90% of the time to get these sorts of results….that’s what I did last time to get under 10% BF…just got tired, got a more demanding job, and studying at night, and now i’m over 22% BF…
I look forward to your insights. Especially on diet.
George,
I was RIGHT there with you. If I did less than 7 hours at the gym during the week, I was disappointed in myself. Super strict diet….you know, the egg whites, chicken breast, brown rice, brocolli, etc diet that gets disgusting after a week. And 10% was my best!!! I laugh at that now. But that’s why I’m excited to be here on this site to share my hard earned knowledge over 20 years so you don’t have to spend all that time trying to figure out the secrets.
Inspiring, I’ve started act about 6-8 months ago, and im convinced that it is the correct path for me and anyone who will just try it for a few months. Im not where I want to be strengthwise yet, but this process just makes sense. Pete has done the research and shared the results. Like you said, you can’t argue with science. Great article. Ill share it on my fb wall. Look forward to growing together with this great system!
Erik,
The reason I started SCT training 8 years ago was because I finally got honest with myself. My workouts were the same workouts week in and week out. I’d go to the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays and do the normal chest/triceps/shoulders, back/biceps, legs/abs routine and not really be getting anywhere with it. And when I workout, I never stop before failure. NEVER! I would modify my exercises, modify the tempo of the workout but I would never be pushing any more significant weight than I did in the session prior. At that point I figured I had nothing to lose so why not try this SCT workout? It wouldn’t hurt, right? Well, once I did,and started seeing how efficient it was and the results I was getting, there was NO WAY I was going back to traditional training. I can see why so many in the gym resort to steroids. They spend so much time pushing weights and when they don’t get results it can get very frustrating. Well, this is the 21st century and just like everything else around us, there is a better way….
61 yr old. Active aerobic exercise (basketball, etc). Used SCT training for 5+ years… Have experienced regular strength gains over that time – but had limited to no apparent muscle mass increase. Upper leg – quads, etc- of particular concern. Stopped training about a year ago – for variety of reasons. As I restart, any recommendations/thoughts on the upper thigh development dilemma? Also, do I reset to weekly frequency? When I stopped I was training every 21 days.
Joe,
For muscle to grow, you need a stimulus, time and nutrients. You have to increase your daily caloric intake over your base rate in order to have the extra calories to help build the muscle. As far as upper thigh development goes, I don’t know of any exercise that specifically hits the upper thigh, just the whole thigh. The leg press is one of the best exercises for the whole lower body so start with that and we can maybe modify things a bit. I’d also start back on a weekly frequency and let your body naturally dictate how often you train. I know when I’ve taken some time off, I always went back to training once a week and then spaced it out further depending on how quickly my strength increased. You’ll probably be suprised at how quickly you’ll gain your strength back though…..
Hi Greg,, love the idea of you sharing more about working with SCT..
I want to lean up to around 7% and just having the hardest time.
One thing I would like to ask you is. I work out alone at all diff times so I have no partner to spot. I use the Smith Machine as much as pos,, but still find it hard to get lift off with these big big weights?? Some times have to switch back to Power Factor and then do the SCT at the end at say 3sets.
How would you deal with the heavy weights buy yourself?
Thank You Stjohn..
Stjohn,
I ALWAYS work out by myself. When I’m in the gym, I get into a zone and never like having to break up the tempo of the workout by waiting for a partner to get his set done. You could pretty much find me on the power rack doing the SCT workouts. The smith machine is ok, but a power rack, with rails to rest a weight on or stop a fallign weight is much better. Remember, one of the principles of SCT is doing the workout in the last portion of your range of motion. This is the strongest portion of the range and hence you should be able to lift the weight off the rack. Its not about just holding it, its about lifting it that last couple inches and holding it. You can do your chest, triceps, biceps, traps and lower back all using the power rack.
Hmmm….
I guess it may be the gym equipment in each gym that may give preference to the smith machine or the power rack. I tried both but found it much quicker to go from one setting to the other with the smith machine; it also has a safety stop to keep the bar from crushing you!
On the deadlift and shrug I face out from the machine rather than into the machine; I find that the bar would curl towards me which would move the hooks away from the pins. When I face outward the curl of the bar rotates the hooks toward the pins.
Tom, I do the same thing on the smith machine. These are some small hints that help. I’m hoping to put together an updated video series describing each exercise in detail and giving you small hints like these that will help make the workout that much more effective.
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