Railroads!
The Most Intense Set You Can Do!
by Troy C. Pearsall

Bodybuilders thrive to make their workout harder than the previous one; they try to add weight, or reps, cut down on the rest time between sets, or even increase the total number of sets.

In an effort to increase the intensity of their workout bodybuilders have employed methods like 21’s, continuous tension, pre-exhaust sets, superset, giant sets and the one I dread the most the forced reps!

I have read articles by a number of athletes about a method of increasing intensity call the Drop Sets. One bodybuilder said that this method would develop the best muscle gains. Brave words and I would argue with him except I think he may be correct. However I have a twist to conventional drops that if done correctly YOU Will Get Huge! No drugs needed!

Now before I go into this method of increasing the intensity I want to address why I never do forced reps. I am one of the few bodybuilders that can work out without a partner, because I never need a spot. You see when the weight gets so heavy that I “Think” I can’t do another rep, I put it down.

No, that does not make me a wimp it make me injury free, there is a big difference. This is why I never do forced reps, or any other method to complete failure. I don’t have anything against systems like HIT or any of the other system that take you past failure. I just don’t use them.  Remember Dorian Yates did wonderful with High Intensity Training, but he was always injured and I don’t know this as fact but that may have been the reason for his abbreviated career. Because I won’t do forced reps, or high intensity training, this method works so well at developing huge muscles without injury.

Now Lets talk about how this thing works. When we put a muscle under stress from say doing a bicep curl, we employ a number of muscle fibers. As these muscle fibers become exhausted we reach a point of momentary failure. By decreasing the weight, you can go pass that point of failure employing new muscle fibers that would not have been contracted at the original weight. Now this process continues until your muscles are fully engorged with blood.

Wait a second Troy, that just simple drops set I know what they are, were the secret? Well the secret is, this will work with only one type of muscle fiber fast twitch.  But everyone that I know has muscles are made up of two type of muscle fibers, which is way I do this both directions. Hence the Railroad!

You see going from a heavy weigh to a light will cause faster twitch muscle to fire, but going from light to heavy will cause both, so both hypertrophy and Hyperplasia are the end results.

Here is how to cause deep muscle fiber contraction

Rather than doing 2 drops (using 3 different weights) do 3 or use 4 different weights. The heaviest weight you rep range should be 6-8 the next heaviest 8-12 the next 12-15 and the lightest weight 25 reps or more. I sometimes do as many as 40 reps with the lighter weight at the start of the workout

Here is what one set should look like

you get the lightest weight say a 40lb dumbbell and you do 25 reps or more with that weight ad move to the 50lb dumbbell doing 12 to 15 reps, adding weight to 60lb doing 8-12 reps and finally going to 70lb and doing 6 to 8 reps.

You a little past half way no; Return to the 60’s and remember your goal is 8 to 12 reps, the 50’s and with a goal of 12 to 15 reps and the 40 with a goal of 25 reps or more. 

Now because you start of with such a light weight you no longer have to do a warm up the 25 to 40 reps should be warm up enough.

How much weigh should I use?

Simple start with the weight that you normally use for 8 -12 reps with some difficulty on the first set, that will be your heaviest weight, and select weight down from there three drops.

Finally some rules to doing Railroads.

• Keep rest intervals to a minimum less than 10 seconds

• Set up equipment in advance so that some skinny dude in the gym doesn’t take your 40’s for himself. 

•  Use Railroads sparingly as a high intensity method.

  You can use railroad for any body part but the larger movements like bench you need two lifting partners. Don’t railroad on bench press squats or any heavy compound movement without two lifting partners

Now there you have a simple but serious way to up your intensity for amazing growth. Try it Grow

God Bless
Troy "awwsum" Pearsall