Thread: Gopro's cyclical programs

Hey gopro,

While browsing through the posts I have noticed several of yours concerning a cyclical routine that you appear to highly recommend. I would certainly love to try this out myself, but I still do not quite understand the shock week. Describing it as a shock week leads me to assume that perhaps it is supposed to be a lot of work at once? But I can't really tell.

Could you please explain the shock week? thanks.

Well, I really call it shock week because its a break from normal lifting patterns and will provide a shock to your muscles and nervous system. It is very intense, but also brief. These 3 week cycles are meant for those that have been lifting for a few years and want almost continual progress in hypertrophy. It will hit all muscle fiber types and will address growth from a number of "angles."

The shock week is one in particular that you must judge on your own how much you can take. Ask yourself...how well do I recover? how much sleep can I get tonight? how was my nutrition today? am I on supplements that foster recovery? how experienced am I? ETC...

Here is a typical shock week for me...

-superset...flyes/incline smith press...2 x 8-10 each
-superset...cable crossover/weighted dips...2 x 8-10 each
-dropset...machine bench press...1 x 6-8, drop, 6-8, drop, 6-8

This will be too much for most trainees. I recommend that most start with just 2 supersets rather than 4. I also recommend a single drop rather than a double like I do. Add to the program gradually while watching progress and recovery.

Give this a try and I promise you will grow!