Specialization - How To Effectively Shock A Large Muscle Group Into Newfound Growth

When a muscle that once responded well simply refuses to grow, a change needs to be made because what is being done obviously isn’t working. Therefore, the only real options are to:

Do less – or to simply stop training the muscle because it may be overtrained as is, and needs time to actually grow.

Do more – crank up the volume and hit it with a speicalization cycle. Basically you want to overtrain, and then give sufficient time to recover.

Since cessation requires no strategic planning or effort, the focus moving forward will be based on effectively developing a specialization cycle.

Rest-Pause Technique For Strength - How To Maximize Load And Time Under Tension For Better Results

Six time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates popularized a training technique during his reign in the 90’s to which he credits his incredible development, coined ‘rest-pause’ training. This style of training is rather highly intensive by nature, and therefore calls for just 1-2 sets to be performed per exercise, using a load that allows for roughly 6 reps to be performed before resting for roughly 10-15 seconds to allow for another rep or two to be completed, before resting again and aiming to complete another rep or two to round out the set (finishing with 8-10 total reps using a weight that only allowed for 6 to be performed under normal conditions).

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner's Knee) - The Q Angle And How It Affects The VMO

If you were to draw a straight line from the ground up, starting at the floor and passing directly through the middle of your kneecap, you’d probably notice that as you follow that line upwards, by the time you got to your hip, the angle in which your femur (upper leg bone) travels in is not of a direct north and south nature. The angle of the top of your femur in relation where it attaches to your kneecap is known as the Q angle (quadriceps angle). This angle has direct implications on muscle recruitment, and development, and is the culprit as to why most women (and men, although it is less common) who have patellofemoral pain syndrome, developed it in the first place.