Low Reps for Hamstrings, High Reps for Calves

Q: I'm currently following your Hypertrophy Training for the Ectomorph (HTE) programme, which is simply brilliant. It's a joy to follow, I never get bored and my body never gets fatigued because of the fourth week changing of rep ranges.

I also bought and read your superb book High Tension Exercises for Muscular Growth which contains astonishing scientific information about the body and muscles. It's on another level compared to all the publications, websites and magazines I've ever read. It really is a fascinating book and has given me a far greater understanding of muscle growth and the best associated exercises and rep ranges.

Thus, I have some questions.

(a) You mention the benefit of the guillotine bench press, and I've been doing it. Where should my arms be when doing this? If I try to keep my arms at 90 degrees, forearms directly vertical, I can only lower the bar to approximately 18cm / 7inches off my chest. If I butterfly my arms, I can get the bar lower to my clavicle, however my forearms are now leaning backwards and are not perpendicular to the ground, whilst my elbows are are more in line with the top of my abdominals.

(b) You also mention that when training the biceps femoris part of the hamstrings, a low rep range of 3-6 and 'six sets and beyond' is best because they're primarily fast twitch. Ectomorphs often have very poor hamstring development. As an ectomorph, could I break out of the HTE programme to hit my hamstrings every three or four weeks with these high volume sets or would it be detrimental to my body type?

(c) Conversely, for the calves, you recommend high reps, 10 and above because of their slow twitch/intermediate fast twitch composition. Once again, as an ectomorph following your HTE programme, should I stick to HTE rep ranges or could I hit them monthly with your higher rep recommendation to give them an extra jolt?


Best regards and thanks,

Kalwant

Leeds, England



My Answer: Thanks for purchasing my book!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  With regards to the guillotine press, it is perfectly fine to "butterfly" your arms in order to lower the bar to your clavicle.  Lowering to the clavicle stretches the upper pec fibers, regardless of your forearm angle.

As far as training your hamstrings and calves, stick to the HTE rep ranges when you are going through the HTE periodization program for several weeks.  Once you are done with the HTE program, perform either the hamstring or calves specialization program.  Then switch between the two specialization programs.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Targeting the Deltoids, Minimizing the Traps

Image
Q:  I've read your article about shoulder workouts as well as many others, and I have a question. I really appreciate if you can spare some time to answer it. I heard from almost everywhere that you can get wider shoulders by working out. I have a very slim body (56 kg, 172 cm tall, 24 year old male) and very narrow shoulders. The width of my shoulders is only two times of the width of my head (1/2). I checked this ratio by measuring photos of a man with broad shoulders, and this ratio is usually 1/3. I know it has a lot to do with genetics, but how much exactly can you add to your shoulder size by workout? Someone told me that you can add 2 centimeters to each side at a total of 4 cm maximum. Even if that's true, by working out my deltoids I will also work my trapezius muscles as well, even if I don't want to. And the growth of the trapezius makes your shoulders look narrow, because it gives your shoulders an angle to the ground rather than being nearly parallel to
Keep reading

Bench Press to Increase Pushups

Image
Q: I must say I enjoy reading what you write and find you somewhat an inspiration. I have wanted to be a police officer my entire life, but considering a juvenile criminal record (JUST expunged) I can't join the Marines as an MP. I can't join period either, because I got my GED and so I'm volunteering at the YMCA, and answering phones at the fire department until I start college for a degree in Education. I do have one area of concern. I used to box. I'm 17, but started boxing when I was 16. I weighed 115 and was benching 180. Around New Year’s I cut myself on the wrist and severed several tendons, which put me to all running and biking for a good many months. Just this past month I've gotten back to work out, but I've found myself hesitating from the bench press due to a concern that it might affect my push up reps. My goal I've set is 100 push ups by New Year's, as well as squatting 200 pounds 20 times, running 5k, and 20+ chin ups. It
Keep reading

Leg Presses and 5x5

Image
Q: What's your opinion on the 5x5 training programs? They are very well liked by many.  Also, because of tight hamstrings, I like leg presses better than squats. Are leg presses effective? Squats are very useful and build overall strength. Can the same be said about leg presses? -CS My Answer: The 5x5 is a solid program and has been around for a long, long time. Of all the programs floating around in the gym, it is second to the 10-8-6-15 program as far as popularity. But while the 5x5 is a solid program by itself, it works even better as a decompression program, which I go over in Strength and Physique: The Articles . As far as leg presses, it really depends on what your goal is. If you're an athlete looking to gain real world strength and size, then the leg press won't do anything for you unless you're a speed skater. If you're just concerned about size and nothing else, then the leg press is good choice, even better than the squat. Q:
Keep reading