Ever 
since I was young lifting has been a passion for me. I’ve always had a competitive attitude and love finding different ways to challenge myself. In the weight room I was obviously seeking ways to test my body to see what I could do. My body has always responded best to high volume workouts. Performing drop sets and super sets were regularly incorporated into my workouts. I found that this style not only kept me very lean to where I didn’t have to watch my diet as much, but I also kept getting stronger and stronger at the same time! This was a point in my life where I wasn’t concentrating on bodybuilding. I was just a regular gym rat who wanted to look good for the ladies and show off my strength in the weight room. So this style of training was perfect for me.
Once I stepped foot on stage for my first competition, I realized it didn’t matter how strong you were. Everything was based on aesthetics and muscle mass. After this realization I decided to try a different technique to help me grow which was foreign to me. This style was really heavy weight, and low reps to try and shock my body into growth. I figured the training my body was used to was counterproductive if I was going to be a great bodybuilder. So I figured if I really taxed the muscle with heavy weight and longer rest periods I wouldn’t burn as many calories during my workout and my nutrition would fuel muscle growth instead of shredding like my old workouts.
When you are an MP guy it’s not solely about mass, or getting completely shredded to the bone for that matter. Having a winning physique is being able to combine quality mass with the right amount of leanness to present the perfect blend. This is why I consider myself an athlete as opposed to a “bodybuilder”. We have to use multiple techniques to acquire the best body we can.
I picked up on a training style recently that I fell in love with and use every time I’m in the gym. It is Tabata training. The Tabata method was invented by Dr. Izumi Tabata. He was searching for a way to increase your aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. This was found to be hugely effective in stripping fat from the body. I’ve found that if you give your body a break from the heavy lifting and throw this into your workout you are going to get 10x more of a workout with 1/10th the weight you’re used to. You have to check your ego at the door for this type of workout because you will not be able to use the weight you think you can.
I’ve gotten creative with this technique and have started using it to prep for my first pro show. I have taken the principles of the style and morphed it into my own training style, which I call “Arch Angel Training”. I can attest that this style is no joke and causes a muscle pump that is debilitating and unparalleled to any other training style I’ve come across thus far. I use a variety of techniques but I will typically use this method to warm up whatever muscle group I am working on that particular day. After I get a massive pump in my warm up exercise I will move to a heavy compound movement and go for regular sets and reps. I typically like to perform 1-2 power movements per larger muscle group followed by 2 detailing movements and add in 3 Tabata intervals in one workout. Since I am in contest prep mode I am hitting more than one muscle group so using this format allows me to annihilate multiple body parts in a short amount of time. Try out this design and tell me how you feel afterwards:
Training Style Exercise Example (Push)
1. Tabata timer Push ups
2. Compound movement superset with (#3) Incline barbell chest press 4x10
3. Detail movement Incline chest fly 4x20
4. Tabata timer Machine lateral raise
5. Compound movement superset with (#6) Dumbbell shoulder press 4x10
6. Detail movement Windmill lateral raises 4x20
7. Tabata timer Dips
I hope you find this useful and get some gains from it. Always stay hungry and remember it’s not just about training hard, it’s about training smart!
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