By Dr. Greg Shepard

I don’t mean to imply that other programs can’t make But what about bodybuilders? Don’t they do upper progress or even good progress. However, if you reach a body one day and lower body the next and train six days plateau in six weeks and athletes aren’t psyched up to per week? Good questions! Bodybuilders are different than workout, then to me that’s failure. If you only maintain during the season, to me that’s failure, especially with a Plyometrics, sprinting, agilities and technique-of-sport sports. high school program.

Even if you make good progress for training are all things not generally done by the serious 16 weeks in a row and then hit a plateau, you haven't bodybuilder but are vitally important to the athlete. Also, experienced success that is possible with the BFS Set-Rep exhausting multi-joint movements, like the Power Clean, System. Let’s use Hans Selye’s General Adaptation are usually not in the bodybuilders training regimen.

Syndrome theories to analyze various systems and you'll Finally, more weight with less reps that athletes do are see what I mean. more draining from a recovery standpoint.

CHANGE: What happens if athletes do a 3 x 10 system every workout, with every exercise and every very common mistake is to Squat, Bench and/or Clean 3x week? First, Shock will set in and the athlete will per week. Even if you change the set-rep system or go light one day and heavy the next, you can still create problems.

Countershock will be experienced and by the middle of It helps to prolong the Stage of Resistance and it’s a step in the 2nd week, the Stage of Resistance will have begun. the right direction but the human body cannot tolerate During this stage, progress will take place for about six to physically or mentally doing Squats or Cleans three times eight weeks. At this point, the body is crying out mentally per week. With the Bench Press, the shoulder area screams and physically and the Stage of Exhaustion emerges. The for relief but the “dedicated” athlete will keep right on workouts. athlete will experience a plateau and frustration raises its Benching three times per week.

Our studies indicate 75% ugly head. Some athletes will try to work harder which of those athletes who Bench this often suffer from “Bench accelerates the Stage of Exhaustion resulting in a reversal Press Shoulder.” (A moderate to severe pain in the of progress. Some athletes will get discouraged and quit.

It’s ironic but research studies that have been done It is almost impossible to keep the Stage of Resistance over the last 30 years are typically done in a university going more than 6-8 weeks training these lifts three times setting. The subjects are usually in a weight training class per week. The answer is variation, variation and more and are enrolled for a term. Because of this limitation, variation. Also, getting more intense but less often is smart these studies normally last only 8 to 12 weeks. Therefore, and you'll keep from entering into Selye’s Stage of the Stage of Exhaustion has never been a factor and the Exhaustion.

fallacies of one dimensional set-rep systems have not been widely known.

RECORD KEEPING - BREAKING RECORDS: Remember when Selye’ isolated his rats? Separation, not Therefore, any program which does the same thing all being part of the group, loneliness, lack of self worth, not the time is in deep trouble and is doomed to failure. seeing proof of progress are stress creators. They make the Examples of these one dimensional set-rep systems in Stage of Exhaustion appear just as quickly and surely as all common use today are as follows: 5 x 5, 2 x 25, and the other reasons. inane nautilus system of one set of 8-12 reps. My heart Teams of athletes who are on the same program feel a goes out to these athletes and coaches; their intentions are bond and a togetherness.

If you go through the motions noble, and the work ethic is great but that is simply not without a real purpose or objective, it is a guaranteed path enough to defeat the onslaught of the ever ominous Stage to failure. To tell an athlete, “Just do 10-8-6” is to tell him to of Exhaustion. REST: I was amused by an article in the newspaper fail. To post a workout on a bulletin board with the command to “Do it” is a command to fail. To not keep last September about a Division 1-AA football player who personal records and monitor progress is also fertile said, “I was lifting five times a week and was getting ground for failure. nowhere.

Now, I’ve changed to lifting three times per People who are in an environment of continued and week and stretching more in the off days.” This athlete rapid progress are happy people. They are more able to stumbled on to a better way by trial and error. It’s too bad tackle anything and overcome plateaus. Do you want to it took him so long to learn about a basic principle that has win? Obviously! Do the BFS Set-Rep System! It’s a miracle, been known by some for decades. a wonderful miracle for Coaches and Athletes.

THE MIRACLE OF BFS = PLaTEaus EVER!

I suppose it’s somewhat pretentious to call our BFS It’s a cushion built up 3-4 inches, so obviously you can Set-Rep System a miracle but I really feel that way. It’s lift more. It’s similar in function as the Box Squat. fantastic at every level: High School, College, Pro or They’re less strenuous and now you have these records Masters. I’d bet everything I own that our system is to break. better for athletes than any other system available today.

Power Cleans and the Trap Bar lifts are done once It’s fun and exciting to participate in and it’s fun to per week. Power Snatches are done on another day as an coach. auxiliary lift to compliment the Power Clean. We do two Athletes break at least 8 personal records week after week, month after month and even year after year. The core lifts per workout plus five auxiliaries. The total time is 45 to 60 minutes per workout. That’s enough!

Stage of Resistance never ends! That’s why it’s a miracle.

There are three things in this life you can be sure of; keep track of 24 Set Records (4 for each of the 6 Core Death, Taxes and the BFS Set-Rep System!

Lifts) and 42 Rep Records. That's 66 total records. Our CHANGE: To insure constant automatic change, the job is to break at least 8 of those per week.

BFS System makes Monday, totally different than For example, on week number one, We do 3 sets of 3 Wednesday with Friday’s workout again totally reps. We might do 200 lbs. on the first set, 210 on the different. There are four separate and different rotational second and 215 on the third set. We add them up fora weeks. An exact repeated workout only takes place 625 lb. total. That becomes our set record. Next month every fifth week. Three workouts per week are done when the athlete does that same workout, the coach with during the off-season, while two workouts are done a twinkle in his eye, merely asks, “Do you want to win?” during the in-season.

This constant change within a The athlete, of course, says “yes” to which the coach regular systematic routine helps make the Stage of responds, “Well then, beat 625 pounds!” It’s that simple!

Resistance reach ever upward.

We also keep track of much more than just a one rep REST: Only three weight workouts are done as max. I want to know how much you can do twice, three mentioned but that doesn’t mean the athlete sits on his times, etc. up to ten reps on the Squats and Benches. On fanny during the off days. Remember that vacations, the Trap Bar and Power Cleans we only record up to five even though strenuous, provide a positive stimulus. reps. The coach again asks the rhetorical question, “Do Well, the BFS System uses the same thesis. We take a you want to win?” So, if you’re doing the 3 x 3 workout vacation from the weight room on Tuesday, Thursday and your 3 rep max for example is 245 pounds.

You have and Saturday but engage in strenuous activity in a to do 3 or more reps at 250 pounds. You've got to get different environment. After warming up on the BFS Dot excited and intense. You've got to break that record.

Drill and stretching, we do speed work, plyometrics, “Don’t you want to win?” Now when the athlete breaks agilities and work on technique: Passing, shooting, the record, the coach pats him on the back, his throwing, hitting a baseball, spiking a volleyball, etc. high five and he yells, “Yeah!”

CHANGE-REST-OVERWORK COMBINATION:

This happens 8 times per week, at least! It’s We only have two Squat workouts per week not three. contagious. People know they’re going to win. They Parallel Squats are done once, while a Squat Variation is have positive feedback every workout. Their self esteem done on the other day. This is superior to doing one light rises to meteoric levels. You feel part of something big. and one heavy Parallel Squat workout. The Box Squat is You feel great every day! perhaps the best variation from Selye’s point of view.

COMMON SENSE: Selye’ found that poor diet, You see the hips and hip tendons are the prime forces in cold, heat and lack of sleep can cause the Stage of performing the Box Squat movement and therefore the Exhaustion to appear quickly. Common sense dictates body recovers almost instantly. Instead of dreading that serious athletes who want to keep their Stage of another Parallel Squat workout, you actually look Resistance always rising, should have a great diet. Never forward to it. skip breakfast. Make it a nutritious plus meal. [f it’s cold, We only have two Bench Press workouts. One of wear a coat. If it’s hot, drink plenty of water. Don’t these is a Bench Variation exercise.

It could be close watch TV until one o’clock every night. Folks, this part grips, wide grips, inclines, declines or dip exercises. The isn’t complicated but if you abuse these common sense one we like the most are Towel Benches which are Bench rules, you'll pay the price.

Presses done with a pad or rolled up towels on the chest.

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Every Athlete Needs Organizes Every Workout: Athletes have specific goals with every set, every rep, and every workout. , XContents: Each Log Book contains a section explaining the weekly lifting schedule. The second section explains the lifts—their proper execution, spotting techniques, r r fF : T > roi ) > 5 < ; ‘ and vie W rQ : d« y the> lift. The . > xt section explains Ta a Y c recording and your school logo and school colors .$2.70 each _ s (sisnsnum orderobioo) recording areas. The fourth section contains record charts for all core lifts and all repetitions.

The last section contains a running record chart, an explanation of the BFS nutritional rating system, an agility record chart, the BFS Dot Drill, and a goal record chart.

From BFS Magazine — Winter 1991. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).