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Something Ferrarri basically said (application is more important than description), combined with Darrells passion for HD caused me to go back and search through all my training logs. I wanted to check my gains in the past based purely on frequency, especially with reguards to training volume and intensity. I found two things in there, one I never noticed before and another I had forgotten about.

*I′ve spoke of my arm experiments before, where I trained only arms comparing one set to 4 sets. There was a peice of data in there that I had always glossed over. I was mentally focussed on the volume issue and never saw something important. Both arms grew more in the 8 days AFTER I stopped the experiment than they did during the training. This could be a very important thing. I had never caught on to an important frequency clue as I was always focussed on the volume outcome.

*The info. I found that I had forgotten about was that I tried HD training way back in 97. I see I did things a bit different than I have lately when trying it. I gained size and strength. Lately I had gained strength and lost size. I see that what you guys might be saying could be correct. See, lately I had went from more volume to HD. Before, I went from single sets to HD. This would agree with the idea that I lost glycogen lately and it made it appear I lost muscle. I did lose size, the tape showed that, but now I"m thinking it would have come back if I would have stuck with it.

So, this leaves me at this point. I HAVE to try frequency manipulation with single sets again. I cannot resist satisfying my curiosity. I almost tried this a few weeks ago but chickened out. So, I′m toying with the idea of something like this…

Sunday- Bench, Laterals, Squats
Thursday- Underhand pulldowns, Shrugs, Calves

Then when progress stalls, going to
Sunday- Bench, Laterals
Thursday- Squats, Calves
Sunday- Underhand pulldowns, Shrugs
Thursday- repeat

I′ll make sure I have the exercise order right, this isn′t written in stone. I′ll let you guys know how this goes.

Thoughts?

Az

AZ.
The same thing happened to me with my arms. They shrunk 1/2 an inch after I stopped using creatine, but after I started up again, that came right back. But I don′t think the creatine necassarily made that much of a difference, as I have taken 10 grams for about 7 days, not enough to "load the muscles with creatine", so it may be the nutrient absorbtion that takes place in the days following the workout.

As far as frequency goes, I think it really is the only variable with HD training. I mean, Val and co. train every other day (but with more volume), so it leads me to believe that it is what you can recover from that makes it interesting.

I have been taking 2 days off between workouts, and I am finally starting to progress, so I think that it varies.

AZ,
I have noticed that their are some mind games in this. I got to the point where I was thinking that this (HD) doesn′t work, but neither does volume, for reasons in Mike′s book, and I had a generally woe is me attitude.

Then I got to thinking about it, analyzed my way of thinking when I went in, started looking over my journal, diet, etc.

And I came to the conclusion that if the set didn′t feel easier, I wasn′t getting stronger, regardless of reps if any.

Then I saw where the mind really comes into play, with calf raises. I put the pin in where I thought would be 10 extra pounds, but in the moment, I put it in where I was the last week. And I got to where I was the week before, a rep shy, and thinking that I worked hard enough, I stopped shy of failure, thinking I was 10 pounds ahead.

Just Analize your thinking, and you will see that you may, just like I was, be standing in your own way.

Az,

It′s interesting that you went back to look at the data.

I do that all the time. I have even gone tot he point of entering the data in a spread sheet to see how it looks like on a plot. Sometimes you see a pattern and other times you see the data in a different way. You can view it as part of a progression.

I am always looking back over workout cards from 2 or 6 months ago and seeing how my training is different.

I mentioned earlier that I was making rapid progress in direct sets and that I was able to do 5 sets once a week. I also expected the progress to slow down and it has. This was based on recognizing the patterns. I have now cut down to 4 sets once every 3 weeks. If progress slows it will be 3 sets once every 4 weeks.

The principles can be applied to direct sets as well as compound.

A point of note is that the NE sets haven′t slowed down yet whereas the regular have.

smanjh- Those are good points, our beleif in a system can have a huge impact on it′s success. I might have subconsciously sabotaged some of my training from not thinking it would work. Then when this happens, you think "See, it doesn′t work". I′ll make sure that doesn′t happen this time. I′ll go by the book and just let the chips fall where they may 🙂

Ferrarri- I do that a lot too, I go over and over my workouts. I also have 3 ring binders that I write in, hundreds of pages of my thoughts and ideas. Written though processes working my way through ideas.

This was cool though, as like you said, I have read that old data many times. The whole point of my self experiments was to analyze volume and hypertrophy. So every time I read that, I was focused on that, then today, for the first time, I noticed I grew in the time period AFTER the workout when I was not training at all. It was like I finally saw that I did indeed experience what others have spoken about!
It got me psyched up for this and established belief of the method in my mind 🙂

Az