Yet again from StrongFirst.com, Pavel Tsatsouline has written an in-depth examination of slow fiber hypertrophy training. His previous article on building slow fibers covered the basic understanding of the purpose and methods for building slow fibers. Earlier today, he one-upped his previous publication by giving a training program for you to follow:
Today I will present you with a plan that will increase your pressing strength and endurance by building up slow muscle fibers in your triceps. The plan may be used in conjunction with any type of press—the kettlebell military press, the one-arm pushup, the barbell bench press, etc.
- Carry on your regular press training—low reps and multiple sets aimed at neural adaptations and fast fiber hypertrophy.
- The exercise is a diamond pushup done in a particular manner: thumbs and index fingers of both hands touching, hands under the sternum, slow constant tension movement in the middle 1/3 of the range of motion.
- All sets must be done to failure, which must occur in 30-60sec—no more, no less. Raise your hands or feet if necessary to adjust the resistance accordingly.
- Do not hold your breath; “breathe behind the shield”.
- The first minute after each set shake the muscles you just worked—swing your arms, shadow box, massage your triceps, etc. to reduce the congestion as quickly as possible! It is essential for the program’s success.
- A minimal rest between sets is 5min. This number is not negotiable and a longer rest of 10min is preferable. You may do other exercises during that time. Or you may choose the GTG tactic and spread your sets throughout the day. One can do pushups anywhere.
- Do your slow pushups to failure twice a week, a high volume day and a low volume day. Perform the following number of sets:
The article and program can be found in its entirety on strongfirst.com, here.
Header image via strongminds.com