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Ask the strong man
Men's Fitness, April, 2004 by Mark Philippi
Q: What's the key to your success?
Strongman events require quick recovery between lifts of very heavy weights. So the key to my success is to condition my muscles to need less rest between sets while training them to lift the heaviest weights possible.
I start my workout with a nontraditional warm-up, beginning with one set of five reps using 30% of the weight I can lift one time. Then I do four reps at 40%, three reps at 50%, two reps at 60%, and one rep at 70%, only resting long enough to change the weights. This increases the work I can do in a given amount of time.
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At 80%, fatigue starts to set in. So I increase my rest to 3-5 minutes. That allows me to completely recover between sets--the key to lifting maximum weights and gaining strength. From there, I do one rep per set and add 50% more weight each set until I work up to my max.
Try it yourself--it works with most lifts.
Mark Philippi, C.S.C.S., is a two-time finalist in the World's Strongest Man Competition.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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