Uncommon Technique
It was a number of years ago when I first started to take pro-active measures towards my health and fitness. The years haven't necessarily been fruitful as I've went back and forth between routines trying to find my way but the efforts and knowledge gained has stayed with me.
When I was younger I was somewhat obsessed with putting on mass since I am not exactly the biggest in terms of height and weight. This led to some form of body dysmorphia when I was in my best shape to date. I believe the insecurities I had at the time moulded the perception I had of myself and always caused me to be looking for more.
At the current time I am less interested in adding mass to my frame for the purposes of looking good. My motivation these days is more centred around gaining strength and mobility so I can be in peak shape for my occupation.
I still need to bulk up my figure for the benefit of increased strength but I am following a specific routine which I discovered some years ago. The routine is to be followed until I am at my desired weight and it's somewhat uncommon in the world of fitness. It's called Occams Protocol.
I'd learned about Occams Protocol from a book called 4-hour Body by Tim Ferriss. The book shares a number of techniques and discoveries by Tim which he has learned from various athletes and influences, methods that are uncommon and yield interesting results in their respective time frames.
The basis of Occams Protocol is to increase resting time between workouts to allow our recovery systems to grow alongside the increased muscle gained.
You will exercise less frequently as you increase strength and size, as you can often increase muscle mass well over 100% before reaching a genetic ceiling, but your recovery abilities might only improve 20-30% through enzymatic and immune system upregulation (increased plasma glutamine production etc.) ~ Tim Ferriss from The 4 Hour-Body
The workouts themselves aren't what you would expect as they are consisting of only two or three compound exercises per workout for a total of two workouts (A and B). My A workout consists of a shoulder press, bench press and a bent-over row, and my B workout consists of squats and deadlifts.
Instead of your typical weightlifting repetitions, the movements for exercises follow a 5/5 cadence rule (five seconds up and five seconds down) for a single set with the aim being to lift for seven or more repetitions until you cannot physically go anymore. The exception being that lower body exercises in workout B are for ten repetitions or more.
Doing this stimulates local and systemic growth mechanisms in the body and creates a larger growth hormone response when a longer time under tension is carried out by the lower body.
The workouts begin with two days in between and then increase by a day after two of each workout are completed or if you reach your strength plateau, in which case another day should be added.
Of course there is one more factor that plays the most important part in the process. Eating. I have a somewhat structured diet while I am undergoing the routine but believe I am still lacking the necessary amount of food needed to see greater results.
I'm not too concerned about this though as I can add in another meal without any issues if I am not seeing the changes I want to see over time.
Consistency is the most important thing along with a few other factors which are shared in the book.
I'm looking forward to seeing what the next step will be after I reach my desired weight from Occams Protocol. I will be planning to start a routine for something that will focus more on big strength gains alongside improved flexibility and mobility.
I will most likely be re-reading Tim's chapter called: Effortless Superhuman.
Never heard about the occams protocol before and it seems like a good idea.
I do wish to have increased strength too so I can be at my peak performance.
My daily routine isn't that organized but I am much more focused on just push ups and squats too.
Hopefully I can add more later too
The book itself is fantastic, I've learned a lot from it.
I think the key with fitness is to just do what you can and keep the body moving. Multiple times I've stopped for long periods of time and it's always harder to get back into it when the feeling rises. Calisthenic training is always there too so no equipment is needed.
I see that.
Thanks for the encouragement. I’ll always keep the body moving.
I have a somewhat structured diet while I am undergoing the routine but believe I am still lacking the necessary amount of food needed to see greater results.
If you 'believe it', then its probably the case (emotions come before cognition). It's your body talking to you , matey.
I'm not too concerned about this though as I can add in another meal without any issues if I am not seeing the changes I want to see over time.
I don't know of occams philosophy, but without the building blocks being first in place (superb nutrition and rested body), the other parts cannot progress efficiently.
'You are what you eat' is not a glib one liner - it's a literal truth.
...I speak this from my current moral high ground of eating nothing that I/luce hasn't made ourselves - in over two years!
......I was also full of junk food for far too many years, so I NOW sit on my moral high ground with AN EXTREMELY smug look on my face! lolool
Keep up the good work, matey!
Very good point. I've been wondering if I'm missing out on potential gains because my eating schedule incorporates intermittent fasting on a daily basis. This is great for losing fat but I'm unsure if it's worth it when my plan is to initially gain muscle. I'll need to do some research and I'll share my findings at a later date.
Nice job with your own eating and food preparation, it's amazing how much of a difference it makes when junk food is eradicated from the diet. What kind of food do you guys typically enjoy?
....very high saturated fats, low carbs, lots of protein... (not good for your program, if muscle is the intent - but keto style diets are very good for all round health - shit for power though.
I used to be swimming - 3 x 2 miles per week.
When we went keto (it was strict, when we started off) and because of the metabolic difference in energy combustion - you have zero 'gas to the pedal' , with exercise!
lol.
You can liken it to 'old style diesel', and petrol, cars.
The performance difference is the same - the diesel will get you there, but the petrol has the acceleration...
(not good for your ideas at the moment. You'll have no 'power kick'! lol)
This makes a lot of sense. It's actually been reflected when I've performed my workouts using the 5/5 cadence method. Something which I was quite puzzled about since I have supplemented creatine into my system. My carbohydrate intake is very low but everything else is as it should be including nutrients and vitamins.
It seems like I'm going to need to incorporate further carbohydrates into my diet to give me that extra oomph. I'll bring in the addition of potato and pastas alongside my meals instead of the usual quinoa or legumes. This will more than likely squash any further concerns about not consuming enough on a daily basis.
I started eating a small bowl off pasta an hour before my swim - and it really did the trick!