In bodybuilding, it is normal to experience phases of stagnation. After several months or several years of training, all practitioners experience a period where they no longer progress. The implementation of a force cycle can help you unblock the situation and improve your performance.
What is a strength cycle?
To promote thehypertrophyFitness and weight training enthusiasts are used to training with 8 to 12 sets per muscle group, with 8 to 12 repetitions per set.
This type of training is ideal for developing your muscle massBut it does not allow you to increase your strength in the long term. This is where the strength cycle comes into play.
Strength cycles consist of reducing the number of exercises in the weight training program, as well as the number of repetitions, while using heavy loads. The rest times between each series are increased.
Be careful, this type of training may slow down your volume gain muscle.
A cycle of strength gives pride of place to basic exercises (or polyarticular exercises) such as bench pressThe most common exercises are the squat, deadlift, pull-ups and the military bench press.
In fact, lifting weights that are too heavy during isolation exercises (these are movements that target only one muscle at a time) is not recommended. You could end up hurt and slow down your progress.
To set up a strength workout, you will need to focus on 4-5 sets of 3-6 reps per movement. Between sets, the recovery times are between 3 and 4 minutes.
During a strength increase phase, your nervous system is particularly stressed. This is why a strength cycle should not last longer than 8 weeks.
The 5 x 5 training method
The 5 x 5 program is the most used for a gain in muscle strength.
It consists of 5 sets of 5 repetitions per exercise. The weight used must be heavy enough, in the order of 85 to 90 % of the maximum load (1RM). If your best performance in the bench press, over 1 repetition, is 100 kilos, then you should do 5 repetitions at 85 or 90 kilos.
Each week, increase your loads by 2.5 % on core strength exercises.
Here is an example of a 5 x 5 workout for the upper body:
- bench press: 5 sets of 5 repetitions (3 minutes rest)
- Weighted pull-ups: 5 sets of 5 repetitions (3 minutes rest)
- military bench press: 5 sets of 5 repetitions (3 minutes rest)
Regardless of the method used, force cycles are essential for athletes practicing sports such as weightlifting or powerlifting. Their goal is simple: to gain strength to perform in competitions.
But is it really useful for amateur weight trainers?
What is the purpose of force cycles?
As you can see, a strength cycle aims to develop the muscle strength. On the other hand, it slows down mass gain considerably.
If you are looking for win in a big wayHowever, it can be interesting to go through a strength cycle. Indeed, at the end of your cycle, you will be able to work with heavier loads than before, which will help your muscles to grow.
In short, you won't gain muscle during the 6-8 weeks of strength training, but you will be able to gain volume more easily afterwards.
But that's just theory. As you now know, other factors such as the nutrition or sleep are to be taken into account in a muscle growth objective. To build muscle and get results quickly, join my Classic Beast program starting today!
In the period of dryerIn the case of a power cycle, setting up a power cycle is more complicated. For lose weightYou will need to create a caloric deficit. In other words, the goal is to burn more calories than you consume. Depending on how much weight you lose, your performance may decrease slightly.
In any case, the force cycles are of no use for the beginners in strength training. If you want to build muscle, use my quiz to find the workout program that's right for you.
But then, can you progress in bodybuilding without doing a strength cycle?
Of course you can! This is the purpose of the progressive overload. You can improve your performance by playing on several factors:
- the weights used
- the range of motion
- the number of sets and repetitions
- or the resting time
To learn more about this subject and stop stagnating, I invite you to consult this article on progressive overload.
Conclusion
A strength cycle like the 5×5 program is a good way to progress in bodybuilding. It is a method very much used in the physical preparation of powerlifters or weightlifters. The strength cycles can also be used to lift heavier weights and promote long-term muscle hypertrophy.
