When doing dips,chins and pull ups utilise a weight belt to increase intensity The 7 Max OT Principles The Seven Principles.These are the rules behind the Max OT training methodology. I like how they are very straightforward because it makes it easier to create a customized routine that doesn’t deviate from the intended workout structure. Below are all seven rules, at a glance: 1. Limit each workout session to 30-40 minutes. 2. Work 1-2 muscle groups per session. 3. Perform 6-9 total heavy sets per muscle group. 4. Perform 4-6 reps (to concentric failure) per set for (almost) every exercise. 5. Take 2-3 minutes to rest after each set. 6. Allow 5-7 days of rest before working the same muscle group. 7. Take 1 full week off after every 8-10 weeks of training. 1. Limit each workout session to 30-40 minutes The idea is to get in the gym, focus on lifting hard, and get out. You will be lifting at relatively high “load intensity” (percent of 1 rep max), but you need to go all out in terms of “effort intensity” (going balls to the wall). Although you should never be pussy-footing around during any workout routine, it is especially important to stay on task with the Max OT workout. Note: The 30-40 minutes should really just be a guideline. Even some of the official sample routines created by AST are impossible to do in such a short period. However, it’s a good range to aim for, but don’t freak out if you go 10 minutes over for some workouts. 2. Work 1-2 muscle groups per session The reason behind this rule is that, as stated in the first rule, you want each workout to (ideally) be 30-40 minutes. Also, by limiting the number of muscle groups worked each session, you: Avoid becoming mentally drained. Avoid having performance drop-off towards the end of your routine. Avoid overworking certain muscle groups because of “exercise overlap” (i.e., using exercises for one muscle group, which indirectly hit another muscle group that you already hit directly). The above points apply to Max OT (as opposed to other programs) because the workouts involve using high load intensity, combined with training to failure on every set. It’s important to note that you can break rule number 2 in certain situations. That is, it’s okay to work 3 muscle groups in one workout if 1 or more of the muscle groups worked are “minor” muscle groups (e.g., calves, forearms, traps, abs). For example, a workout session including calves/forearms/traps or biceps/triceps/abs, etc. are okay. 3. Perform 6-9 total heavy sets per muscle group As the name suggests, Max OT is all about maximum overload of muscles. That’s a fancy way of saying that the goal of each workout is to induce strength and size gains by demolishing the given muscle group in a single session per week. Don’t be worried if you’re used to higher volume and/or higher frequency routines. Max OT works because it sacrifices training with high volume and/or high frequency for training to failure with high intensity (heavy) loads. Hypothetically, the highest number of sets you could perform per workout would be 18 (9 sets for 2 muscle groups). But practically speaking, that puts you way over the 30-40 minute ideal time limit since you must account for warm-up sets and proper rest between sets (see rule 5). Perform no more than 15 work sets per workout to finish in an acceptable time frame, which may still end up being a little more than 40 minutes. 4. Perform 4-6 reps (to positive failure) per set for (almost) every exercise The 4-6 rep range is a staple of the Max OT protocol. It is important that you perform each set to “positive failure.” Positive Failure. Your goal is to be able to barely complete the final rep without requiring help/forced reps or breaking form. In other words, do not attempt another rep if you know you will be unable to perform it properly. Going to failure using the 4-6 rep range ensures that your intensity remains high. It also makes it easy for you to know when to adjust the weight you should use for a given exercise, as explained below: Increase weight if… you can do more than 6 repetitions without failing. Decrease weight if… you fail before you can complete 4 repetitions. Keep weight the same if… you fail between the 4th and 6th repetition. Also note that this rule applies to most exercises. For example, the Max OT program recommends using higher rep ranges for different exercises/muscle groups, including: Abs and Obliques. Rep ranges of 8-10, 10-12, and 12-15 for different abs exercises such as weight crunches or leg lifts. Although the program doesn’t call for any direct oblique work, I feel it could be helpful for more advanced trainees. So, if you decide to do it, I would recommend a 10-15+ rep range. Calves. Rep ranges of 6-8 for calf raise exercises. However, the program also recommends the 4-6 rep range. Either one is beneficial for calf training, so try out both. Forearms. Rep ranges of 6-8 for exercises such as forearm curls. The above isn’t set in stone, so don’t worry about choosing between 8-10 or 10-12 reps for an abs exercise; it simply doesn’t make any noticeable differences. The point is that these muscle groups tend to respond differently to higher rep ranges. Typically, this is because they have more of one muscle fiber type than most other muscles. If you truly are an intermediate or advanced trainee, you probably already know or have experienced much of what I’m talking about. So, feel free to play around with all of the different rep ranges for the minor muscle groups. However, keep the 4-6 range for all other muscle groups. 5. Take 2-3 minutes to rest after each set You’re lifting heavy weights and going to failure on every set, so you need to have enough rest between sets. If you work your muscles when they are still fatigued from the previous set, you won’t be able to lift the same weight for the proper number of reps. A 2-3 minute rest period should give you ample time to recover from the previous set. But even after enough rest, you may not be able to perform the same amount of reps as the previous set (i.e., set 1 = 6 reps, set 2 = 5 reps). This occurs because 2-3 minutes is enough for a nearly complete recovery. However, you need days for that extra little bit to completely recover. Note:For exercises that are very taxing (e.g., squats and deadlifts), you may need a little bit more than 2-3 minutes, especially if you’re moving some really heavy weight. I needed 4 minutes (sometimes a little more) when doing these exercises if there was going to be any chance for me to use the same weight again.So, the 2-3 minute rule is really just a guideline that works for most exercises. The basic principle behind the rule still stands – rest until you’re recovered, but no longer. 6. Allow 5-7 days of rest before working the same muscle group You will need plenty of time to recover from constantly subjecting your body to lifting high intensity loads to failure. Your muscle tissue needs to recover, as well as the central nervous system (CNS). The nerves/neurons involved in performing the exercises are highly stressed when going to failure, and typically require more time to heal than the muscle tissue. A shorter amount of rest is typically needed for certain muscle groups like abs, calves, and forearms. So, if you do know what you’re doing, and especially if you have great recovery genetics, then you may want to try working these more frequently. But unless you know from experience that 5 or 6 days is a sufficient amount of rest for a given muscle group (under similar training circumstances), then 7 days is your best bet. 7. Take 1 full week off after every 8-10 weeks of training You not only need, but also deserve a break after pounding on your body with heavy-ass weights for weeks on end. It is important to take periodic breaks on any routine, especially high intensity routines like Max OT. Not only have your muscles and CNS been stressed, but your mental drive is stale (whether you believe it or not) as well. When you come back, you’ll be physically healed and mentally refreshed. As you may have already experienced, it’s not uncommon to see jumps in your performance and muscle gains. If you’re a complete gym addict, you might have the urge to cut the break short and get back in the gym – don’t do it! Take a complete weeklong break. That means no weights and no cardio. I do, however, recommend stretching and doing foam roller exercises.