[b said:
Quote[/b] (navigator @ Aug. 23 2005,5:47)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (thehamma @ Aug. 22 2005,8:43)]Did the training subjects in the Linear Progression group utilize progressive load or did they simply use the same RM 6 times in a row? If they did not, this would not be much like HST correct?
My understanding is that this study is about strength increases; not so much, if at all, about hypertrophy. It's not a comparison of HST with Undulating Periodization.
HST is NOT the 15, 10 and 5's that is the sample program
HST is the four principals set in the articles
The sample program of HST and most applications are set out in a linear approach, such as provided in the article referenced above. The undulating program achieves the same goal, but just uses daily changes in loadand rep scheme.
Within the research they measured stregth AND bodycomposition, and as I mentioned above, no significant difference between the two in terms of body composition, but an increased rate of gain in strength in the undulating crew
The point about undulating potentially increasing strength at a quicker rate is an important on in the sense of longer term gains. As a quick glance at Bryans four principals set out that one of the primary stimulii of muscular gains is the tension provided by teh weight on the bar. Increasing this tension over time is important. If a method of training provides everything else, and increases gains in strength, untimately that will result in improved gains.
Another principal is acute vs chronic. The programs mentioned above are both three x weekly programs, so the loading is frequent.
Progressive load is the final practice. And while a number of people here have a huge focus for RBE and its ability to lower the hypertrophic stimulis, and that loading has to be linear to out pace this. Where is the evidence?
Both programs will result in a chronic overloading of the tissue, one achieves this by linearly increasing over the period of training (12weeks in the above example), the other does it by a more zig zag approach. Which if you have been around this forum for any length of time, is a well established modality of manipulating load to achieve the end result.
Over the 12 weeks the increase in progressive load (in terms of end loads - starting load) was greater in the undulating, compared with the linear, so ultimately if the RBE is the final factor, the undulating keeps ahead of the curve better than linear.
So whats the final factor... SD and thats independent of any program setup.