Natural Muscle November 2016 Celebrating 21 Years This Month! | Page 24

BASIC P/RR/S PROTOCOL
WEEK 1: POWER

The goal during POWER week is to coordinate a direct attack on
the Type II A and II B muscle fibers, with an emphasis on the II
B’s. These are the higher threshold fibers and the way we get to
them is with heavy weights, low reps, and maximal contractions.
The mission for this week is to utilize poundage that allows for
between 4-6 reps to concentric (positive) failure. The way in which
you perform your reps is of great importance during POWER week.
I have found that an eccentric (negative) contraction of about 3-4
seconds (depending on the exercise) followed immediately by an
explosive concentric contraction works best at smashing those
fast-twitch fibers. Remember - even though you will be attempting
to “explode” with the weight during the positive portion of the rep,
it will actually not move very quickly due to the heavy load you are
lifting. Rest between sets is also very important. Since you want to
be able to push as much weight as possible during POWER week,
you will be resting about 3-4 minutes between sets in order to
fully regenerate ATP and creatine phosphate stores in the muscle
cells. As far as the exercises go, you want to choose mostly
those that are basic or multi-joint/compound in nature (although
you can still incorporate some traditional “isolation” exerices into
POWER workouts). These include movements like bench presses,
squats, deadlifts, military presses and bent rows, which also have
been shown to encourage your system to release more natural
testosterone. POWER week workouts will not impart a tremendous
pump, but rather will make your muscles feel as if they’ve been
crushed with a wrecking ball. D eep muscular soreness from this
type of training is to be expected due to the micro-tears that slow,
heavy, eccentric contractions can cause to muscle fibers. So in
summary here are the parameters of POWER week:
Rep Goal: 4-6
Rest Between Sets: 3-4 minutes
Lifting Tempo: 3-4/0/X (3-4 second eccentric/0 second pause at
midpoint/explosive concentric)
Exercise Choice: Mostly free weight multi-joint/compound with
some isolation exercises allowed as well
Sample POWER Workout for Triceps
-CG Bench Press…3 x 4-6
-Skull Crusher…3 x 4-6
-Seated Two Arms Overhead DB Extension…3 x 4-6

WEEK 2: REP RANGE

As I mentioned earlier there are several fiber types that lie along
the continuum between Type I and Type IIB muscle fibers. The
goal of REP RANGE week is to show these “intermediary” fibers
no mercy whatsoever by meticuculously assaulting each and every
one of them! You will accomplish this by using four distinct rep
ranges (hence the name of this week) for 4 separate exercises
for each body part (although for some smaller body parts only
2-3 exercises will be used to cover all three rep ranges). The first
exercise will be to failure in the range of 7-9 reps. The second will

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be to failure in the range of 10-12 reps. The third exercise will be
to failure in the range of 13-15 reps. And the final exercise will be
to failure in the range of 16-20. In order to make the stimulus this
week even more unique from POWER week, there will also be
a change in your rep tempo. Both the eccentric and concentric
portion of each rep should take 2 seconds to complete, while the
mid-point of the movement (stretch position) should be held for one
full second. Additionally, if you happen to be using a movement
that contains a strong “peak contraction effect,” such as leg
extensions, you are also encouraged to hold this portion of the rep
for one full second as well before you begin the eccentric portion of
the rep. The exercises used this week should be both compound
and isolation in nature, with free weights, machines and cables
all being fair game. Of course, as you become more experienced
with P/RR/S, you are encouraged to experiment with the specific
exercises you utilize during REP RANG E week. This will help you
to get an idea of what proves most effective to you. Rest between
sets during REP RANG E week will be around 2 minutes. You
can expect a tremendous pump and a massive flush of blood to
the targeted body parts from these workouts, and possibly some
muscle soreness in the days that follow...but we love that kind of
pain, don’t we?
Rep Goal: 7-9; 10-12; 13-15 ; 16-20
Rest Between Sets: 2 minutes
Lifting Tempo: 2/1/2/1* (2 second eccentric/1 second pause/2
second concentric/*1 second pause at peak contraction for
movements with this element)
Exercise Choice: Compound; isolation; machine/cable
Sample REP RANGE Workout for Lats
-Underhand Grip BB Bent Row…3 x 7-9
-CG Seated Cable Row…3 x 10-12
-WG Pulldown…2 x 13-15
-Stiff Arm Pulldown…2 x 16-20

WEEK 3: SHOCK

In my opinion (and most of my clients agree), SHOCK week is
the most intense and excruciating portion of this program. It will
without a doubt test your ability to withstand pain, fend off nausea,
and fight back the tears! SHOCK week separates the men from
the boys, the pros from the peons! The goal during this week is
complete and utter annihilation of every fiber, from slow-twitch,
right on up to the fast-twitch Type II A’s; to induce the release of
greater levels of natural GH (and in turn more IGF-1) like water
from a collapsed damn; and to literally “force” your muscles to
hypertrophy in a “do or die” like fashion! Each grueling session
during shock week contains 2 different types of supersets and
a punishing dropset for each major body part. The first superset
will be performed in what is known as “pre-exhaust” fashion. This
means that an isolation movement will be performed first, with a
compound movement immediately following. The second superset
will be what as known as “post activation,” made famous by
European fitness/bodybuilding researcher Michael Gundill. In post

November 2016

Celebrating 21 Years!

activation supersets, it is the compound movement that precedes
the isolation movement. Each of these supersets provides a
unique stimulus for both your muscles and central nervous system.
Once you have completed your supersets it is time for a dropset,
which will complete the torture that you will impart on your muscles
during SHOCK week. Reps for each exercise will be in the range
of 7-9 or 10-12, and the tempo will be more “rhythmic” in nature.
An eccentric contraction of just one second will be followed
immediately by a concentric contraction of the same speed. There
will be no resting (as long as you can handle it) at the top or
bottom, as each rep should be performed in a “piston-like” fashion.
Rest between sets should only be long enough to allow you to fully
catch your breath (cardiovascular recovery), as well as to prepare
your mind for the next onslaught (mental recovery). Your individual
level of cardiovascular conditioning, as well as your constitution,
will determine the length of your rest (as will the exercises being
used). Free weights, cables, and machines are all on the docket
during SHOCK week. My warning to you is that you better be
prepared when you enter the gym on SHOCK week, because
every workout will leave you breathing with the intensity of a steam
engine and a burn that will reach your very core! Fun!
Rep Goal: For Superset … 7-9 for each exercise; For Dropset: …
10-12, followed immediately by 20-30% reduction in weight used,
and 4-8 more reps
Rest Between Sets: Cardiovascular and mental recovery
Lifting Tempo: 1/0/1 (1 second eccentric/0 second pause/1
second concentric)
Exercise Choice: Compound; isolation; machine/cable
Sample SHOCK Workout for Chest
-Superset: Incline DB Flye/Flat DB Press…2 x 7-9 each
-Superset: BB Incline Press/Cable Crossover…2 x 7-9 each
-Dropset: Weighted Dips…1 x 10-12, drop, 4-8 more
Once you complete a 3-week “mini cycle” of P/RR/S, simply
return to the beginning and repeat. Keep the exercises the same,
but strive to train more intensely during the next cycle. Your goal
should be to either increase the amount of weight you lift while
maintaining the same reps, or to complete more reps while using
the same weights. After 9 full week “meso-cycle” (three 3-week
P/RR/S cycles) it is best to take a full week off from the gym, or
to at least engage in one week of very light training to allow you
to “recharge your mental and physical batteries.” After this off (or
light) week, it is time to return to P/RR/S, but this time with a new
arsenal of exercises to challenge your mind, muscles, and nervous
system with. Changes do not necessarily have to be dramatic.
Something as simple as switching from barbell bench press to
dumbbell bench press is often enough to stimulate new growth
and strength gains. Trust me when I tell you that the combination
of the weekly changes in training protocols and the switching up
of exercises every 9 weeks is going to send your gains into the
stratosphere if you put 100% effort into this program, while at the
same time keeping your diet, rest and supplementation regimens
on point! G ood luck my friends.