Tim N. Ziegenfuss, Ph.D., CSCS, FISSN

Fixing a Lagging Body Part

A Novel Training Approach to Transform Weak Body Parts into Strengths

By Tim N. Ziegenfuss, Ph.D., CSCS, FISSN

Virtually everyone I know is unhappy with one body part or another. Whether it's "pipe-cleaner arms," "chicken legs," or a "trench chest," most of us have a body part that lags behind the rest. Weaker. Smaller. Not as defined.

Yes, genetics do play a role in determining what our physiques look like—if your dad had skinny calves and you have his legs... it can seem like you'll never overcome this obstacle. But don't give up hope! Tweaking certain aspects of training, diet, and supplementation can help transform your most stubborn body part into one of your best.

Now, I want you to pick your worst body parts. Write them down. And get ready to transform these weaknesses into physical strengths...

TRAINING STRATEGY

Let's start with the most obvious factor: training. Our goals here are threefold: first, to recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers (both "slow twitch" as well as "fast twitch"); second, to cause varying degrees of substrate (fuel) depletion in those fibers; and third, to cause microscopic damage to muscle fibers and the connective tissue harness (which results in mild to moderate delayed-onset muscle soreness that most of us have come to love). To accomplish these goals, we need to do the following:

• Frequency of training—Once you decide which body parts to focus on (you only get to pick two at a time), be prepared to blast them into submission twice a week. For most of us, the best way to guarantee results is to use a three workouts per week program where you train your priority body part at the beginning and end of the week (e.g., Monday and Friday). This will ensure at least one or two full days of growth-promoting rest following each target workout. Because the body only has limited growth resources, all other body parts need to be put on a maintenance program. This means training them only once a week (Wednesday in the above example) using a low volume, heavy weight (> 90% of 1-rep max) routine. If you cheat here and adopt a "four workouts per week" program, you're already heading down the dark alley of failure. Trust me on this one. Don't do it.
  
  
• Sets and reps—The key here is to do enough work to stimulate growth but not too much to impede recovery. As a general rule, figure on completing 12 to 16 work sets for each target body part (biceps and triceps, for example) and only three work sets for every other body part (legs, back, chest, shoulders). Relative to repetitions, if you are choosing your weight loads properly; that is, hoisting 60 to 80% of your 1-rep max and exercising to the point where your technique erodes (notice I didn't say "failure," otherwise the number of sets would be drastically reduced), the reps will take care of themselves. That being said, depending on your training experience and the muscle group being targeted, the "optimal" rep range for muscle hypertrophy (growth) is somewhere in the six to 15 range. After completing all of your work sets, finish off each target body part with one high-rep (10 to 20) "back off" set.
  
  
  
• Rest periods—Most of us know that longer rest periods (three to five minutes between sets) promote better strength gains, while shorter rest periods (one to two minutes between sets) induce more substantial size gains. While there are exceptions, the vast majority of trainees will find that rest periods of one or two minutes will work best for pumping up their target body parts. But don't write off the longer rest periods completely—use them for your "other" body parts...the ones that are performing maintenance work.
  
  
• Tempo of execution—The notion that different tempos of execution result in different training adaptations has enjoyed widespread popularity over the past few years. Basically, each repetition is divided into three phases: eccentric (lengthening the muscle), pause, and concentric (shortening the muscle). Most of us were taught to lower the weight to a four-second count, pause for one second, and then raise the weight in another two seconds. This tempo of execution would be designated as a "4-1-2." For muscle growth training, some of the more popular tempos of execution are 8-0-4, 6-1-3, 4-2-2, and 3-2-3.
  
  
• Order of exercises—This one is easy: always train your lagging body parts first in the workout and first in the week! If you target arms, they are always first to the plate. If it's chest, they get hit before anything else. By training your lagging body part first, you get the benefit of directing your full energy and attention to the task at hand.
  
  
• Number of exercises—The idea here is to stress the muscle from as many different joint angles as possible. This is also a great way to get out of the "three sets for every exercise" rut that pervades most weight rooms. Pick a movement, perform one to two work sets, and move on to the next exercise.
  
  
• Alternative training methods—Although there are dozens of techniques that strength and conditioning coaches use to improve the muscle-building response, I will share two that I believe are particularly effective. The first is called the 1 1/2 technique. Simply put, using the 1 1/2 method means you perform a full range repetition, pause for one second, lower the weight through half of its range, pause for one second, and return the weight to its starting position. This is considered one rep. The second method of enhancing the growth response involves getting rid of the stretch shortening cycle (and subsequent use of elastic energy) by pausing each repetition at the end of the eccentric contraction. Using the bench press as an example, you might lower the weight to a four-second count, pause for four seconds, and then raise the weight in two seconds. If you remember from a previous point, this corresponds to a 4-4-2 tempo of execution.

DIETARY STRATEGY

On to the battle of the knife and fork. Any nutritionist or exercise physiologist will tell you that weight gain requires eating more calories than you expend. Although weight gain is not our goal per se, we do have at least three concerns that need to be addressed with diet: limiting the process of protein breakdown induced by training and fasting, increasing the process of protein synthesis, and replenishing muscle energy stores. To accomplish this, the following dietary manipulations are warranted:

• Pre-workout meal—New research suggests that eating a small meal/snack 15 to 30 minutes prior to training leads to greater increases in muscle protein synthesis following the workout. Six to ten grams of essential amino acids along with 35 to 50 grams of sucrose is ideal. For those of you who want that in "shake equivalents," it turns out to be approximately two scoops of protein powder mixed into two cups of chocolate milk.
  
  
• Post-workout shake—Now this is one you've probably heard before. Make sure you get 50 to 80 grams of high glycemic index (GI) carbs and 25 to 40 grams of rapidly absorbed whey protein isolate as soon as possible following your workout. In a perfect world, you will already have your shake premixed and waiting for you in your gym bag.
  
  
  
  Eat-Smart Strawberry Cheesecake Flavor with added strawberries makes an ideal "post-workout" shake!
• Follow-up meal—Exercise scientists have demonstrated that the post-exercise "window" for regenerating muscle glycogen stores lasts for several hours following a workout. They've also recently shown that adding protein to the mix increases protein synthesis greater than carbs alone. To take advantage of this anabolic (muscle-building) opportunity, be sure to eat again one to two hours after training. Use the same ratio of carbs to protein (2:1) but pull back on the glycemic index a bit (go with moderate GI carbs) and use slowly absorbed casein (milk) as your primary protein source. Collectively, this will make sure you get a steady stream of carbs and protein over the next several hours. (If you are lactose intolerant, go with egg protein here.)
  
  
• Other meals—Although it's been said a hundred times before, here it is again: to gain muscle size, you need to eat small meals every few hours. Buy a watch that has a countdown alarm and set it to go off every three hours. Although opinions vary substantially on what the "optimal" anabolic diet is, many nutrition gurus recommend various iterations of the 40-30-30 approach. That is, 40% of total calories from carbs, 30% from fat, and 30% from protein. Personally, I find that higher carb diets (50 to 60%) tend to be easier to follow and just as anabolic. Whichever macronutrient ratio you choose, the regular availability of insulin and amino acids will help minimize protein breakdown and enhance protein synthesis—just what Dr. Muscle ordered. And remember, if you wait until you're hungry to eat, your chances of making substantial gains with this program are about as good as Spongebob getting an Oscar.
  
  
• Alcohol—Got your attention with that one, didn't I? Good, now that I have it, listen up: alcohol is one of the single biggest enemies to hypertrophy I can think of. It decreases testosterone and muscle protein synthesis sharply and increases estrogen—exactly the opposite of what we want. So if you drink, go real easy on the sauce, especially the day after your target workouts.

SUPPLEMENT STRATEGY

Back in the day, we used to knock back handfuls of supplements that tasted like the mosh pit floor at a Beastie Boys concert. And the real kick in the teeth was that none of them worked. Luckily, times have changed. Most athletes have discovered that judicious use of a select few supplements (creatine, branched-chain amino acids, and some type of thermogenic, for example) can lead to enhanced gains in strength and size and improved body composition. But before the government Supplement Police take a battering ram to my front door, let me say this for the record: I consider supplements the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. In other words, no supplement program can make up for a crappy diet or a poorly designed training program. Got it? The goal of our supplementation program is to increase workout intensity, improve workout quality (the number of reps performed at a given weight), and provide micronutrient dietary support—but only on our "target" workout days (Monday and Friday in our example)! Here's the rundown:

• Pre-workout supplements—Toss three to five grams of (creatine and five grams of branched-chain amino acids into your pre-workout drink. Follow that up with a quality thermogenic supplement (my favorite contains caffeine, green tea, and synephrine).
  
  
• Post-workout supplements—Fix up another creatine/BCAA cocktail and knock it back with your post-workout shake.
  
  
• Supplements for non-workout days—A standard multivitamin/antioxidant blend is all you need on rest days, but this assumes your diet is tuned in accordingly (i.e., every three hours you eat meals containing quality carbs, protein, and heart-healthy fats).
  
  
• Ancillary supplements—For the lucky ones with a few more dollars to spend on supplements, essential fatty acids, testosterone boosters (e.g., Isa-Test), and joint support formulas (with chondroitin and glucosamine for example) are possibilities here.

WHAT WILL YOUR FUTURE HOLD?

I don't own a crystal ball or read tarot cards, but I can tell you this with absolute certainty: continue with the same training, diet, and supplement plan you always have, and your lagging body parts will continue their downward spiral relative to the rest of your body. Then again, if you've had enough of people ripping on a certain body part of yours, it might just be time to adopt the strategies outlined in this article. Just make sure you take some girth measurements before you start...that way you can brag about the numbers even if no one ever challenges you to a pose down.

• Next Article: "Lower Glycemic Index"
• Back to Issue 42 Table of Contents

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