Accelerated training methods in bodybuilding make a sticking point inevitable and also make them more difficult to correct when they do arrive. All the super systems - the pumping approaches, the growth forcing principles, the bombs and blitzes - are used by individuals who have never built a solid foundation for their later years of great gains. Most bodybuilders try to break a sticking point by adding more sets and reps to their present routines and increasing the frequency of their training schedules. But they don't change their basic concepts or approaches to training. Sometimes they are lucky enough to stumble back on the right path. More often than not, they fail to break out of the sticking point, try something else, finally panic and take a layoff from bodybuilding that could become permanent.

Back to the Bodybuilding Basics

One of the simplest ways to break a sticking point is to return to the old fashioned, basic bodybuilding programs. Working out on a simplified bodybuilding training schedule two or three times a week, getting plenty of rest and recuperation and good solid nutrition will often be all that is necessary to bust out of a slump. After six weeks of training on a basic bodybuilding program of a few exercises, the bodybuilder at the dreaded sticking point can usually resume his or her advanced bodybuilding training schedule with the assurance of continued progress for a long time to come.

For the basic bodybuilding training schedule follow the proven basic exercises: high bar, Olympic style full squat, one legged calf raise, supine bench press, semi-stiff legged deadlift, barbell bent over row, standing press behind neck, standing barbell curl, vertical dip on parallel bars, and barbell wrist curl (palms up).

The exercise should be performed in the order listed above. This way the muscles are worked from the largest to the smallest. Naturally, leg training is important due to its role in blood circulation through the body as well as its dramatic indirect effect on other muscle groups, so it's included as the first exercise in this particular bodybuilding training schedule. It's an established fact that leg training can help increase the size of the upper arms.

The above bodybuilding exercises are also sequenced so that a muscle that functions as a synergist or a stabilizer in one exercise is forced to function as a prime mover later on. A couple of examples of this are: The spinal erectors of the lower back serve as a synergist muscle in the high bar, Olympic style full squat, but later these same spinal erectors are the prime mover muscles in the semi-stiff legged deadlift. The triceps on the back of the upper arms serve as a synergist muscle and the last as a stabilizer in the supine bench press, but later on in the workout the triceps are the prime mover muscles in the vertical dips on the parallel bars, and the lats become the prime movers in the barbell bent over row.

Do a general warm-up before tackling this bodybuilding workout. Running in place or rope skipping are just a couple of ways to warm-up. You'll notice that the exercises in this basic, non-glamorous bodybuilding training schedule, although brief, cover every major muscle in the body, and there is no need to add anything else to round it out. Remember, this workout is not intended to prepare you for a bodybuilding contest, but rather to give you the solid and brutal work your body may need to push past that sticking point in bodybuilding.

It is recommended to do 4 - 6 sets of 6 - 8 reps for the thighs (high bar, Olympic style full squats); back (semi-stiff legged deadlifts/spinal erectors, barbell bent-over rows/lats; chest (supine bench presses; and 3 - 4 sets, 6 - 8 reps for the deltoids (standing presses behind the neck); biceps (standing barbell curls); triceps (vertical dips on the parallel bars); and forearms (barbell wrist curls/palms up). For one legged calf raises, do 15 - 20 reps.

Heavy Weights

Use as heavy weights as possible. By that I don't mean cheating. Perform each repetition completely and strongly, without exaggeration. Use as much weight as you possibly can and constantly push for more. Work slowly, pausing for a breath or two between each rep (Rest/Pause Principle).

You must also consider what the optimum duration of rest should be between each and every set. It is possible at the completion of your first set (reps done to momentary failure) that you may experience a starting strength loss of 20 - 40%.

The body has an amazing recovery rate. In the first 10 seconds of the rest/pause, 56% of the decreased starting strength is recouped; at the 35 second mark, 84% of the lost strength is regenerated. From here it takes another 35 seconds to regain an additional 12% of the starting strength. So at the 70 second rest/pause, 96% of the decreased starting strength is recouped. It then takes another two minutes and fifty seconds to gain the final 4%. Rest 3 - 4 minutes between each and every set, but don't take a siesta or a gab session. Keep moving steadily through your bodybuilding program and do plenty of deep breathing.

You must plan your bodybuilding training in a positive way, and this means doing the prescribed number of sets and reps. Only work the semi-stiff legged deadlifts once per week and at most twice per week. Add poundages as often as possible without sacrificing technique and you will continue to improve and break that sticking point.

If you exercise properly and continue to handle those heavy poundages, this bodybuilding program can be tough. You won't have that pumped up feeling you may be used to, but you'll notice other beneficial effects. You'll steadily become stronger, have more energy and feel better. You will probably notice an improvement in your appetite (better do some concentrated abdominal work on your non-training days. Your body will take on a harder, more rugged, capable look that will please you.

When you return to your usual bodybuilding training program after six weeks or so on this basic training schedule, you'll be pleasantly surprised at your renewed enthusiasm for training. Returning to the basics in bodybuilding may seem a waste of time. But a six week trial should enlighten you and blast you out of that sticking point.