There are no shortcuts. Accept this fact now while it's still early. There's no such thing as getting ripped quick in 3 weeks. You won't get a ripped chest or massive arms in six weeks, even with steroids. Anyone who claims that there are shortcuts or secrets to achieving a dream physique is most likely trying to sell you something. You've probably come across websites where you enter in your email to receive a free training handbook that doesn't give too much away, then at the end of the book there's a link to a website which advertises another book that you have to buy, which contains what the writer claims to be the revolutionary method of training, with a whole bunch of testimonials to back it up. You might think what's the point, well the point is that there will be some people out there who will fall for it. Alot of the times, the writer may have simply written what worked for him, but that doesn't always mean the same thing will work for you. Only you can figure out what works for you and what doesn't and this will take years of consistent training.
I've seen another example where the article talks about a different style of training that is apparently more effective, then near the end of the article it talks about how you won't get amazing results without using a certain supplement too. Everyone's gotta bring home the bread I guess. Click on the last page of these articles to see what I'm talking about:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/i_bodybuilder_radical_strategy_for_radical_hypertrophy&cr=
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/look_like_a_bodybuilder_perform_like_an_athlete&cr=
To prevent getting sued...
*DISCLAIMER* I am not actually saying these products do not work, they actually might. The results the writers claim to be possible may actually be real.
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Society has gotten lazier. People want shortcuts, they want the results without putting in the hard work. That's why you'll see most ads using phrases like 'get ripped quick' or '2 weeks to a 6 pack' or something like that. Hard work, optimal recovery and consistency is what will bring you results.
Supplements may or may not help you get better results, but they are not a substitute for hard work. I honestly don't think they're as good as how they're hyped up to be. I take whey protein because I want some extra protein without the carbs, since my diet is pretty high in carbs at the moment (a must if you're trying to get bigger). I don't take whey protein because I'm under the impression that it'll make me massive in 3 weeks. See the difference? If you're going to use certain supplements you better know exactly why you want to take it and what it does. Don't think that supplements will magically transform your body or make you ridiculously strong in a short amount of time or that you don't have to train hard and consistently.
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Honestly, I don't think there's a perfect routine, just what works for you for the time being. What you're doing now may be slightly different to 6 months or 12 months down the track, based on your needs. What you're doing now may be very different to 2 years down the track.
Arnold and Franco trained differently. Don't bother following these guy's routines, you're not at their level. Those routines were based on what their needs and goals were.
I fell for the trap of jumping to another program for the wrong reason once my current one stopped working. What I failed to do was analyse why it had stopped working.
My bench press and press had stalled (at around 75kg and 47.5kg respectively) when I was on SL5x5, but what I failed to do was record form videos of myself. So I didn't know that it was actually my technique that was holding me back. But anyway, I thought that since I wasn't able to recover in time, it was time to move onto a new program (called Madcow5x5 or Bill Starr5x5) with less volume (the sets are ramped, kinda like a pyramid so you work up to one heavy set of 5 reps), where I increased the weight each week instead of every session. While this gave me some results, it eventually stopped working (my bench got up to about 80kgx5, and my press got up to 50kgx5, not much of an improvement). Even after deloading and working my way back up I got stuck at a slightly higher weight, barely any improvement. After making some improvements to my technique, my bench increased slightly to 85kgx5 and 90kg for a single.
I then switched to the Texas Method, which involved training for volume (5x5) on Monday, and intensity on Friday (1x5). My bench press got up to 88.5kgx5 then stalled, my press increased to 60kgx3 (but could still make progress). I asked myself why the hell was my bench press stalling so easily? I decided that based on the weights I was handling, I simply was not benching heavy often enough. I was not stressing my body enough to even drive an adaptation. (It was either that or 'overtraining', which was very unlikely).
I decided to go back to linear progression (increasing the weight every session), however instead of 5x5 I did 3x5 for the bench press and 5x3 for the press. Did it work? Yes. My bench press improved to 91kg 3x5 (still continuing to improve) and my press improved to 66kg 5x3 (still continuing to improve). I'm on my way to achieving a bodyweight overhead press just from doing linear progression, nothing fancy. The numbers may not seem much higher but bare in mind I'm doing more sets. Will this work forever? No, but it's working for me now and that's the point. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not bashing the routines I mentioned above but they simply did not work well for me. I'm actually doing Texas Method for squats at the moment which is working wonderfully (my 5RM increased from 152.5kg to 170kg). You should also note that even though I did a bunch of routines that didn't work too well, I stuck to them for a few months so that I knew for sure whether they worked or not. Don't expect to know if something is working for you after just 2 weeks.
I don't expect many of you to understand much of what I talked about, but an important thing I learnt was that volume is important. Once you stall (as in cannot progress even after deloading), the solution isn't to do the lift less, but to do the lift more. The same thing happened to my squat and deadlift. They eventually stalled (literally no improvement even after deloading twice), but once I upped the volume the ball got rolling again. Don't think that switching to a totally new program is going to solve all your problems.
I got a bit sidetracked, there's one more thing. Even if you were on a fantastic routine which was tailored toward your goals, if you didn't put in the hard work and ensure optimal recovery (eating plenty, getting enough sleep) don't expect to achieve the results you were expecting. Busting your ass in the gym is important, but recovering from it is more important, because that's how your body gets stronger.
Conclusion:
- If you're stalling too easily, or when you stall and deload but see no improvement, what you are doing is not working well anymore. Time to make a change.
- If you make a change, give it time (a few months) so you'll know for sure if its working or not.
- You need more volume the more advanced you get.
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