First, A Spooky Story

Once upon a time, when people wanted to learn how to lose fat or get bigger muscles, they had to buy these really scary things called bodybuilding magazines. These mags focused mainly on a very select group of people who made a living from their bodies, kinda like hookers. They were called professional bodybuilders. (No, really.)

At any one time, there were only a handful of them who appeared again and again in the pages of these frightening magazines. (Note: They were also known as bloated fetish objects, but the name never really stuck.) Anyway, if you could get past the ads, you'd occasionally find articles that attempted to teach you how to get big, get lean, lift more, etc. The only problem was that most of these articles used these "pro-bodybuilders" to formulate the guidelines.

What's wrong with that? Well, what worked for these guys usually didn't work for everyone else. After all, the pros were injecting so many different kinds of drugs and popping so many pills that how they trained made very little difference in their physiques. Take that much gear and you get big lifting any ol' way, even when using really dumb training programs.

Some mags even let these pros write articles. Of course, it was usually a ghostwriter actually writing the programs, not the pro himself, and many of these ghosts had quite an imagination. What came out in print was more fiction than training advice. (I may be wrong, but I think one of these magazines was even called Muscle & Fiction.)

Then things really got bad. The pros started using even more bodybuilding drugs. Some even started getting fake implants and artificially inflating their muscles with dangerous oils. As the "sport" of bodybuilding was committing slow suicide, the smart bodybuilding magazine reader gave up on these publications and turned to other sources—sources that contained information for real people and was backed by science, not by what some talking hemorrhoid in a posing suit suggested.

One of those sources was Testosterone. For five years so far, T-mag has been publishing training programs for real people. The programs are tough, effective, and represent a whole new class of lifting, one backed by both science and real world results… and they're free. That's so cool… it's scary.

The Big Fat Program Guide

With close to 300 issues in the archives, someone new to T-mag could be overwhelmed by all the choices. That's why we decided to put together this little guide. Of course, if we tried to include every training program, this article would be roughly the size of the Houston phone book.

So what we've done is focus on the major, full body programs presented in T-mag over the last five years or so. There are hundreds more free articles in our previous issues section focusing on certain body parts or athletic goals, but we'll just concentrate here on the "big" programs.

Ready? Okay, deep breath, and… here we go!

Training With Maximal Weights by Charles Poliquin

This is the very first training program published by T-mag. Basically, it's a 12-week program where you cycle through four different variations of heavy lifting. Why heavy weights? Well, most bodybuilders focus too much on the higher rep ranges, making them too weak for their cross-sectional muscle area and thus hindering gains.

Training with maximal weights targets the nervous system by improving the link between it and the muscular system. By using this method, you'll learn to access a greater percentage of motor units in a given cross-section of muscle tissue. The program does this by using 5 x 5, 6 x 4, failure training, and the 5/4/3/2/1 method.

Throughout the program, Poliquin uses the arms for sample workouts, but the methods can be applied to any body part. The only thing to watch for with this program is too much nervous system stimulation which could lead to overtraining. While Poliquin changed the way most of us trained with weights, generally speaking, many of his programs were a little too much for us mere mortals.

Remember, Poliquin works mostly with elite athletes who need size or increased static strength, some of whom may even dabble in pharmacology (gasp!). This may be the reason why some people find his programs lead to overtraining. Just remember to use appropriate recovery techniques, a good post-workout drink, and a diet that supports your goals. That goes for every program we'll review today.

Overall, Training with Maximal Weights is a great program, just what the doctor ordered if you've been doing sets of 10 to 12 reps for too long. Wanna give it a shot? You can find the program way the heck back in issue one of T-mag.

The Oscillating Wave Program by TC

Generally speaking, there are three basic kinds of weight training: 1) strength training, where you try to increase the maximal amount of weight you can lift for a single rep. 2) hypertrophy training, where your main goal is to make your muscles larger, and 3) muscular endurance, where you increase the muscles' ability to do aerobic work.

Most of you know that a periodization program where you incorporate all of these methods at different times of the year can be very effective. The Oscillating Wave Program takes that one step further by using all thee methods at the same time.

TC uses three varying rep schemes, three varying tempos, and three varying rest periods, all in the same five-day split. So, on one week you'll train your biceps with traditional strength building protocols; the next week they'll get hit with bodybuilding-style rep and set schemes; and the third week you'll focus on endurance training. All the other muscle groups are rotated in the same fashion. You never use the same rep range for the same body part twice in a row and you never do two workouts of any kind in succession using the same rep ranges. Pretty cool.

For those that have been stuck doing three sets of ten on every exercise, this is the perfect program to break you out of the rut. Here are the links:

Part 1

Part 2

The Beginner's Blast Off Program by Chris Shugart

While T-mag usually attracts a more advanced audience, sometimes a newbie wonders onto the site and is quickly overwhelmed by all the program choices. This stuff can be downright scary for a newbie that's only just learned the difference between a set and a rep! That's why we wrote the Beginner's Blast-Off Program.

It's a simple program using basic equipment but it fixes most newbie mistakes, like overusing machines, skipping entire muscle groups, and undertraining or overtraining. If you're new to weight training (real weight training, not that BowFlex crap), then the Blast Off program is a great place to start. While you're doing it, you can be reading about the more advanced programs at T-mag so you'll be ready to take the next step when it's time.

You can find the Beginner's Blast Off Program here.

The 1-6 Principle by Charles Poliquin

This type of training originated with elite Romanian and Hungarian weightlifters who called it mixed neural drive/hypertrophy program. The system is based on what's called neurological post-tetanic facilitation phenomenon.

Basically, you perform a maximal rep of an exercise, rest, drop the weight, then perform six maximal reps. By a cool trick of the nervous system, you'll be able to lift a greater weight in the six-rep set than you could have if you hadn't performed the 1RM set. Some even notice their poundages improving each "wave." For example, a typical wave for someone who can do six reps with 220 pounds on the bench press would look like this:

Set 1) 1 rep with 265 pounds
Set 2) 6 reps with 220 pounds
Set 3) 1 rep with 270 pounds
Set 4) 6 reps with 225 pounds
Set 5) 1 rep with 272.5 pounds
Set 6) 6 reps with 230 pounds

The basic premise is to use maximal loads to potentiate the nervous system. Because of this newly increased, more efficient neural drive, you can use a greater load for six reps which ends up building bigger and stronger muscles.

The program seems to be very effective based on the feedback we’ve seen, but keep in mind that some strength coaches, such as Ian King, have also had success with a 6-1 setup instead of a 1-6. King and Poliquin learned of this technique from the same person but have interpreted it differently in their programs. But, all in all, this is another good choice for those that have only used higher reps previously. You can find the program here.

German Body Comp, a.ka. The Bowlful of Jelly Program by TC

This is TC's simplified version of Poliquin's German Body Comp program. This entire fat loss program can be summarized in one sentence: alternate upper body and lower body exercises while keeping your rep ranges high and your rest intervals short. Supersets are used to achieve this goal.

How does it work? Many believe there's a direct relationship between lactate and growth hormones. If you elevate your lactate levels by doing lots of work in a short amount of time, you'll cause your pituitary gland to pump out GH. This GH will, in turn, cause an overall decrease in fat mass.

Maybe all that's true, or maybe this program is effective for fat loss simply because you burn a buttload of calories doing it. Whichever, it's an effective workout if your primary goal is to lose the blubber. Check it out here.

Twelve Weeks to Super Strength and the "Limping" Series by Ian King

We didn't want to write about body-part specific programs here, but these two programs by Ian King can be used together as one killer routine. Both of these programs serve as an introduction to King's methods, which may be totally different than anything you've tried before— and that may be just what you need!

Prepare for the unexpected with these workouts. For example, although this program will greatly increase your bench press strength, Ian has you benching at the end of the workout. But there's a method to his madness. Also, get ready to perform some odd exercises using what may seem like strange techniques, like dumbbell rows performed lying on your belly on a bench. You'll also be performing some very painful leg exercises that require no weights.

Some let the quirkiness of these programs throw them off. Don't. Most report great results and everyone learns a lot along the way. We sure did. Don't be a mental wussy. Try something new!

The first phase of the Super Strength program can be found here and part one of the lower body program can be found here.

X-Comp Training by Doug Santillo

This program uses a type of CAT or compensatory acceleration training. Basically, that means you lower the weight slowly, but really explode up the concentric or lifting portion of the exercise. Typically, you use a weight that's 70% of your one-rep maximum and focus on powering through the lift at max concentric speed. The idea here is to condition your nervous system and tap into those elusive Type II-B fibers.

One nice thing about this program is that it only takes three days a week, where most T-mag programs are four or more. After four weeks on this program, most experience better strength and hypertrophy increases because of the neural adaptation taking place. Cool program. You can read more about it here.

Tsunami Training by TC

TC is sort of like a mad scientist. He likes to take a couple of effective weight training tricks and combine them into a muscle-building monster. Then he straps the new training program down to a table, opens the roof and lets lightening strike it a couple of times, just for good measure. Sometimes his training programs get loose and terrorize small towns, then there are mobs and torches and, well, it just gets ugly after that.

With Tsunami Training, TC combines two types of "wave loading" which involves using maximal loads to potentiate, or activate, the nervous system. He uses elements of Poliquin's 1-6 training and Ian King's version of 4,3,2 wave-loading.

TC's program revolves around four major exercises: the bench press, squat, pull-up, and deadlift. Essentially, you do a set of 5RM or 6RM (the most weight you can lift for five or six reps) within a few minutes of doing a 1RM. This allows you to be able to lift more weight than if you hadn't done the 1RM set.

If you then repeat this 6RM/1RM combo, you'll be able to use even more weight than the first time you did the combo. This, in essence, constitutes a wave. If you follow the program, you'll be surfing these waves all the way to new strength and size gains.

If you don't mind changing the weights a lot, this can be a very effective program. For all the details, click here.

Convergent Phase Training by Charles Staley

In weight training, it's almost always a good idea to use a wide variety of exercises. "Almost" because insufficient continuity in your training can also negatively impact strength gains. So what do you do? Well, you could try this program by Charles Staley which incorporates the best of both worlds!

In this program, each workout consists of a core exercise and a circuit. You'll use three core exercises and two circuits. The way Staley designed the program, you'll train two weeks at a time without ever repeating the same workout. This allows you to reap the benefits of a diverse training strategy without accumulating its drawbacks, like making poor strength gains.

Another interesting aspect of CPT is the unique rhythm that takes place. Muscles used in the three core lifts are trained one time one week, and then three times the next week. For example, in week one the pecs are trained on Wednesday and in week two the pecs are trained on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. All other muscles are trained twice one week, and once the next week. This represents shock followed by recovery, which always leads to great gains!

Overall, this is a very smart program. If you want to give it a shot, you can find a sample program here.

German Volume Training 2000 by TC

Can you believe GVT or German Volume Training is around eight years old? This style of training is actually much older than that, but most of us learned about it in Muscle Media 2000, back when TC was the editor-in-chief of that mag.

In Poliquin's original version of the program, you simply performed ten sets of ten reps of certain exercises. It was pretty damn brutal and as long as you were genetically gifted and on buckets of 'roids, it was very effective. Okay, that's harsh. It was a pretty good program overall but it did have some drawbacks. The volume really was too much for most normal people and it was easy to overstress certain joint angles.

TC's GVT 2000 set out to fix all those problems. You still perform ten sets of ten, but you use a variety of exercises to get those ten sets. A chest workout might look like this:

Incline Bench Press: 3 sets of 10
Decline Bench Press: 3 sets of 10
Bench Press: 3 sets of 10
Dumbbell Flies: 1 set of 10

For bodybuilding purposes, this has proven to be more effective in the long run, plus it ain't so darned boring like the original program tended to be!

You can find the whole shebang right here if you want to try it.

Bring the Pain by Ian King

Much like his earlier series of articles, this series is a very different, yet very effective approach to program design. Bring the Pain is designed for advanced lifters, not just because the workouts are tough, but because the trainee will be required to make a lot of decisions regarding the set up of the program. King calls this individualization.

While most of the program is laid out for you, you have many options when it comes to

body part prioritization, loading parameters, periodization models, rate of change, bilateral muscle balance and recovery models. This is not only a good program, but it'll also teach you how to design your own smartly laid out plan. You can find part one here.

Combat Training, Death by Bodyweight, and The MacGyver Workout

This trio of training programs by Mike Mahler, Ian King and Christian Thibaudeau respectively, all have one thing in common: only bodyweight is used in the exercises. That makes them great programs to use when you're stuck somewhere without a gym or snowed in this winter. All three will kick your ass with no barbells required. Here are the links to these bad boys:

Combat Training

Death by Bodyweight

The MacGyver Workout

Renegade Training by Coach John Davies

Coach D has written a ton of articles for T-mag, but this is the first one that really gets into his training style. While geared more towards athletic conditioning, his training programs are good for anyone who wants to look good and function even better. This first Renegade Training article will give you a solid overview of his ideas and teach you some exercises you've probably never even heard of before.

If you're a high level athlete or a weekend warrior and want to turn into an ass whupin' machine on the field or court, start here then checkout all of T-mag's Renegade articles.

The Next "Big Three" Program by Chad Waterbury

Twenty-seven years ago, Bill Starr wrote a groundbreaking book called The Strongest Shall Survive. This book, mostly geared towards football players, introduced the "Big Three" program. This total body program consisted of three barbell exercises: bench press, full squat, and power clean, along with a few supplementary movements.

Now, Chad Waterbury has come along to improve upon this classic program. Instead of the squat, bench and clean, his program uses deadlift walks, sternum chin-ups, and overhead press squats. The workouts are brief, painful and infrequent, making them perfect for in-season athletes or busy people that can't go to the gym five days a week.

Even if you don't use the whole program, you ought to try CW's new "big three" exercises. They make a brutal addition to any program. Check'em out here.

Wrap-Up

Oh man, I've just scratched the surface here. This is like being at a Playboy Mansion party: there are almost too many great choices! It's hard to pick only one to use! In the next installment, I'll attempt to sum up the rest of T-mag's major training programs in under 10,000 words.