About 10 years ago, when I was new to strength training, I tried an arm-exercise program that was rumored to increase arm circumference by an inch in 24 hours a day. Because I was young, ambitious, and looking for every possible way to get bigger, my training partners and I decided to embark on this crazy nine-hour, 90-set training plan.
In short, our hourly training situation is that at every hour we need to complete 3 sets of super sets of triceps/(or biceps), and at half time we will do another two sets of super sets. From 9am to 6pm. Along with elaborate diet plans, severe muscle soreness, nausea, dizziness, and excessive restlessness, we train like crazy to gain an extra inch. Of course we did! In fact, two weeks later, we still maintained almost 3/4 of an inch of training gains.
About this plan, thousands of hours of study, research and training have gone into it. I think it's time to ask why we train the way we do, and more importantly, to explore whether we can replicate the same results in an experimental setting with a moderately reduced intensity training program. We are trying to reduce the training time by half, and we also hope that we can achieve the same effect by only doing 2/3 of the original training capacity. Four other partners and I, all 22-35 years old who trained together, started trying this terrifying plan, which was 5 hours of 60 sets of training. Below is our training record.
Let’s start crazy training
We use 20 minutes of training time as a short paragraph, and we arrange a certain number of groups and corresponding muscle training time for each hour of this plan. We only chose barbell and dumbbell training exercises; unless some extremely dedicated or crazy people are willing to spend 5 hours in the gym to perform similar training, our plan (also 5 hours), (only arranges dumbbell and barbell exercises) Also suitable as a home exercise. Of course, no matter where you train, you need a set of adjustable dumbbells, barbells and various weights with plates.
Each training (small plan) is a super set (see the "One Inch a Day Arm Training Chart" below for details). The rest time between each training movement in a superset should be as short as possible, usually no longer than the time between each training movement when you take off some weights and then put on other weights (that is, Practice immediately after adding weight); rest for about 90 seconds between each super set. It's crucial that you're able to complete the movements as quickly as possible, allowing you to gain more time to rest between each mini-planning interval. The first set of training exercises takes about 9 minutes, leaving only 11 minutes to prepare for the next set of small plan training; in the last period of training of the day, these 11 minutes of preparation time are just like 11 minutes. Just seconds!
Strictly control the speed of each movement as much as possible, and only use "cheating" training methods in the last 1-2 repetitions. Choosing training weight is a relatively complicated matter, but you can still choose according to some common empirical methods (no scientific basis yet): for each training action, choose those that you can normally complete the set number of times (or better than the set number). (1-2 reps more), but there is no need to complete the reps higher than this set value. At the beginning, you can choose a weight that is 70% of your 1-rep max. As we all know, what's going to happen is that you will probably have to gradually reduce the weight of your training throughout the day, but remember not to let the training weight become too light, otherwise the training will be boring and the effect will be reduced.
One-inch-a-day arm circumference plan
After the first hour of training, the circumference of our arms increased by about 3/4 inch in the relaxed (stretched) state and by 1/2 inch in the bent arm state. Every hour, we re-record our measurements. By the time we finished our last set, our average measurements were 3/4 of an inch in the bent position and a full 1 inch in the straight arm position. Of course, at the end of this training, any action that requires the arm to bend below 90 degrees, such as brushing teeth, backpacking, etc., feels like an impossible task. In fact, our arms can only hold a bend of about 120 degrees for the rest of the day.
After 24 hours, we measured again. Most of the measurements confirmed no change, we were still measuring 1/2-3/4 inch, including both curved and straight arms. That's obviously good news, though: after a day our arm's range of motion returned to a state where we could move freely. During the last few days of the week, we had no other training scheduled, and the arm circumference of our group remained at 1/4-1/2 inches.
Scientific circumstantial evidence
Other scientific research generally suggests that such an effective plan should not exist. And the only ones who scientifically verified this plan were those of us who were crazy enough, and we only made such an attempt in the laboratory with me on that day. At present, there are only a few possible explanations that can theoretically support such an increase.
Let’s look at the mechanics of muscle growth. We know that muscle growth is usually through the growth of myofilaments (components of myofibrils) or the growth of protein chains, which are substances in muscles that can freely expand and contract. We also know the number of myofibrils, the stretchy tissue made up of myofilaments, whose growth results from training. Some studies suggest that because myofibril growth may also cause moderate tearing of the muscle fibers themselves, resulting in an increase in the number of myofibrils, the new muscle fibers then increase in size. increase. (Note: Because common sense is that muscle fibers will not increase, they will only increase. In the absence of scientific basis, the same statement is still maintained.) As for the theory of myofibril muscle growth, there is no previous human literature. Well documented. Ultimately, the muscle (cross-sectional) honeycomb structure, all protein substances, cell walls, and other cellular substances, which have the function of supporting and fixing the telescopic "muscle tissue", will all increase in size and thickness through training. of increase.
So, we know that there is circumstantial evidence that fiber thickness can be increased, but can it be increased quickly during the implementation of a training program? Academically speaking, no.
Obtaining girth expansion
The most logical explanation for the exercise method discussed in this article is the mechanism by which our bodies deal with cellular damage. When a muscle is damaged, satellite cells surround the trauma site and help rebuild the muscle tissue. At the same time, girth expansion occurs at this time as the muscle fibers themselves increase water retention, leading to growth. Because you train so heavily, these water gains will last for days or longer. In fact, research from a training program dating back to 1998 shows that (even under normal circumstances) the expansion of muscle tissue after heavy training can be maintained for up to seven days! Of course, after a long enough period of time, the cells will definitely return to the Regular size.
Therefore, the repair and increase of cells seems to be the main cause, but the story is not over yet. Long-term effects, through this training, we can still hold part of the growth (1/4-1/2 inches at the time of writing). When writing this article, it has been several months since that training. Of course, long-term maintenance is also related to us. It has something to do with persisting in training. Since our time, it's been back to our usual training routine again, we still maintain such girth, which means that we retain all the gains in muscle tissue growth achieved during this training, because we start a new process of destruction before the muscle fibers completely return to normal. In the long term, this will also cause a problem, the growth brought about by growth repair may not bring about growth, if you do not correctly handle the balance between training and recovery. This is a further scientific explanation.
At the same time, we also recommend that when trying this plan, you should pay attention to the fact that the interval between each implementation of this plan should be at least 3 months. After training, if you still want to perform important strength exercises on your arms, it is best to take out 1 week. Time for adequate rest. Needless to say, if you still feel sore (uncomfortable during training) or weak, or if you have obvious bruises or muscle-building damage, then don't train.
An inch a day? It seems far-fetched, but it’s still possible. I tried, now it's your turn. M&F Magazine.
About the author David Sandler, MS (Master of Science), CSCS (Commonwealth Scientific Committee member), CCS (don’t know what the title is), is a professor of exercise physiology and strength and fitness at Florida International University. Instructs relevant classes on strength and fitness. Sandler is also a founding partner of Professional Strength and Conditioning, the Miami Strength and Fitness Network.
This plan allows you to repeat the same content within the remaining 4 hours
Rest for 90 seconds after each superset.
*Time refers to selecting training actions according to the established time schedule every hour. For example, "0" is probably the time you start training at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, "20" is 2:20 pm, and "40" That means it's 2:40.
**Use a low-back bench or a chair if you have one, or just sit on a flat bench, which is also possible.
***Crazy 6 Seconds refers to using 6 seconds of active lifting movements, and 6 seconds of lowering the weight. A complete training movement is performed 6 times (6*12 seconds = total time 72 seconds, and maintain muscle tension within this).
(Note: According to the above method, start a super set training every 20 minutes according to the method. After each training, there is a rest time of about 11 minutes or longer. The article does not mention the relevant methods, only the preparation work. , the question is, what about preparation work? You can stretch, do aerobics, low-intensity leg movements, these movements that use less arms can all be "preparation work", of course this is my opinion based on such a long time. For guessing at intervals, you can arrange your time reasonably and don’t waste it)
Nutritional support
Our diet plan obviously has to fit in with our crazy 5-hour, 60-set training plan, and the diet plan itself is also crazy. We didn't eat once an hour, and we had to eat 5 meals a day.
Meal 1: Banana, plus a mixture of 8 ounces of ground turkey, rice, garlic and tomato sauce, and any spices of your choice;
Second meal: Same as the first meal plan;
The third meal: 4 cooked egg whites + 1 banana;
Meal 4: 6 ounces of nonfat white cheese, mixed with your favorite fruits.
The fifth meal: 40 grams of whey protein + 6 pieces of skim Oreo cookies (this is a reward for your hard work!)
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