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Bodyweight Slow Twitch Fiber Pushup Protocol Thread

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D-Rock

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I have been curious for a long time about the pushup plan given in the slow twitch article series. I also could not find any stories of people who had tried it. So I decided to give it a go and get some information on here too. I chose the one arm pushup version, as that was also a goal,

How to Build Your Slow Fibers, Part II

Before: Back down at 21 strict pushups and nowhere near a true 1 arm pushup. Max was at about a waist high elevation.

After: A 1 arm pushup with good form with both arms and 37 pushups! I also gained about 3/4 inch on my arms.
I was happy with these results, especially considering it built so much strength and improved rep max at the same time! I was especially impressed I got my 1 arm pushup back. It had been years since I focused on them and now am 30 pounds bigger than when I first learned it about 9 years ago.

I kept the rest of my routine pretty basic. GTG pistols, 100 swings S&S style and hiking, walking, and light running when I felt like it. I timed a set at least once on every low volume day tomake sure I was staying between 30-60 second, although I tried to keep it toward the 60 second end. In the beginning I was doing floor elevtation pushups at 45 seconds, and in the last week I was doing 60 seconds with my feet about 1 -1/2 feet!

This program was very very fun! It is designed so well, The only week I felt overtrained was week 6, but I think that is perfectly acceptable as a part of overreaching before maxing.
 
What is your goal, D-Rock? A one-armed pushup or something else?

-S-
 
@Steve Freides my goals were increasing maximum pushup repetitions and regaining my one arm pushup.
Currently I am deciding what goals are next and what to do.
 
@D-Rock, IMHO, there is no need to regain one's regular pushup numbers as a step to regaining a one-arm pushup. I've been working on my 1APU and just started at an elevation I could manage - was 26" off the floor, if memory serves - and worked up to around 10 reps in a session as singles, doubles, and up to fives, before lowering the elevation and starting the process again. It's a built-in step cycle, or triple progression, or whatever you want to call it, just mastering one level of difficulty, adding volume to that level, then dropping the volume and increasing the difficulty and working on building up more volume.

-S-
 
My main goal was to try the program and satisfy my curiosity of how much the protocol would boost my max reps in regular pushups. The one-arm was almost an "afterthought" goal because I had to choose between the kettlebell press and 1AP versions. I needed to spruce it up anyway, so I thought why not choose the 1APU version.

@Steve Freides how did you work up to the 10 reps and how did you plan your days of singles, doubles, and triples. Now that I have the 1APU down, I may go for a more challenging version...maybe I could use this step cycle!!
 
Hello,

@D-Rock
Working slowly permits to really focus on the body-mind link (Pavel talks about it in PttP for instance, but we also have this notion in B. Kubik's books, E. Sandow, etc...).

When, you (you mean everybody) work slowly, you can have two options:
> slow contraction of the muscle (the most obvious) : simple but not easy. Going to a full tension technique on mentally focusing on every muscle involved in the move.
> using the "ki" (as we do in Karate for instance)

In both cases, you get a slow move, but with different feelings and different approach. In all cases, a very few reps will be enough to make you tired, if you want to keep good form.

Regarding 1APU, there are plenty of strategies. You can go for a specific training, as @Steve Freides do, but you can also progressively increase number of reps / sets for a version, and when you reach a threshold, go for an harder version.

Mechanically, if you choose the specific training, you will increase your number of reps. There is no doubt about that. Increasing the number of reps will increase muscle endurance. It can also be interesting but it depends on the goal you have.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Could someone post a link to @Rif 's blog on Triple Progression, please?

The idea as I did it was just as I described it, but here goes in a bit more detail.

I started with a version that I could do 3 singles in a single session on. I gradually reduced the rest between the singles, went for a double went I felt like it, and kept aiming to both get one set up to 5 reps and the session volume up to 10 reps. No hard-and-fast plan, just see what the first rep feels like and take it from there.

Once I could do that, lower the elevation and start the process over.

E.g., today I did a single at 18", a single at 12", a triple at 18", a double at 12", and called it a day. Today was my first time trying 12" of elevation but it felt good. I sometimes make a hard transition to a tougher version but today I felt like mixing some of the old and some of the new.

For me, all by feel but all while working on improved form on every rep, and all with an eye to being able to train the movement at least 4-5 days a week.

-S-
 
That's pretty crazy that you got your OAPU back through some regular push ups. Sometimes we think of low reps strength training as the holy grail but fail to realize that higher repetition work and fatigue can lead to excellent strength improvements as well.

Rock on OP!
 
@Steve Freides I think I misunderstood your first mention of the triple progression system, thank you for your explanation! I believe I got it now!

> slow contraction of the muscle (the most obvious) : simple but not easy. Going to a full tension technique on mentally focusing on every muscle involved in the move.
I love how in control I feel when practicing this way. I remember talking to a VERY strong guy back in my university gym about how he progressed in weight. I was very surprised to hear that he did not add weight to a particular movement for several weeks. "But I am gaining more and more control over the weight, if that makes sense" he said. It has stuck with me ever since.

@305pelusa Thank you! And I do agree that higher reps can be very beneficial at times. However, the protocol does include 4 days/week of 1APU GTG, so I can't take credit for anything too crazy :rolleyes:
 
I read a study which found strength and size increases from 30 reps sets, as long it was a max effort. The strength increases weren't as big as a lower rep group but it might explain the regaining of a one arm pushup.
 
@the hansenator I have seen that study (or a similar one) too. It is hard to say, but I know times when I could do many many more pushups easily (sets of 60) I was nowhere near a one arm. And last fall I when I could do 37, I was nowhere close.

While I am sure the slow twitch pushups helped, I am thinking because the program had me specifically GTG 1 arm progressions 4 times a week for 6 weeks was a big factor.
 
Hello,

There is a strong correlation between the number of reps you can do and the hardest variation you get.

I used to do 5 sets of max rep (technical failure - 1) with low rest (25s) between sets. It increased a lot my endurance and strength.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Hello,

There is a strong correlation between the number of reps you can do and the hardest variation you get.

I used to do 5 sets of max rep (technical failure - 1) with low rest (25s) between sets. It increased a lot my endurance and strength.

Kind regards,

Pet'

Interesting. Maybe I need to consider this more, especially in light of this

I read a study which found strength and size increases from 30 reps sets, as long it was a max effort. The strength increases weren't as big as a lower rep group but it might explain the regaining of a one arm pushup.

Even when I was into "high reps" and "bodybuilding" I never ventured much over 10 reps. 20-30 is a far cry from that lol, a whole different ball game.
 
Hello,

Interesting. Maybe I need to consider this more, especially in light of this
This works pretty well if one uses it 2 or 3 times a week. Indeed, it can be taxing if you go for more sessions a week.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
I may play with this too. Forgot all about it. Have been doing hollow position dips and archer push ups and that is working well.
 
Hello,

archer push ups and that is working well.
+1

Another good pull up variation to focus on arm one is to use a rope for one of your arm. Then, it makes you reducing a little your ROM for the "rope" arm so you have to do additional effort for the full ROM arm.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
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