Strength Sensei 101: Exercise Selection
Part 1: Bodybuilding
More insights into the training methods of Charles R. Poliquin
The fourth step in Charles R. Poliquin’s approach to program design is to determine what exercises to perform. For this article, we’ll focus on how to determine what exercises are best for bodybuilding programs.
For workouts designed to add muscle and lose bodyfat, the Strength Sensei would divide exercises into the major bodyparts. In the early 90s, these are the basic bodyparts he would use to determine training splits:
- Abs
- Back
- Biceps
- Calves
- Chest
- Forearms
- Hamstrings
- Quads
- Shoulders
- Triceps
Let’s take the triceps, which can be broken down into the long head, medial head, and lateral head. For beginners who have limited recovery ability, he might focus on one exercise that works all three heads, such as the Decline EZ Triceps Extension or Parallel Bar Dips.
For more advanced trainees, he would prescribe exercises that target each head. A pioneering resource the Strength Sensei endorsed for determining what exercises work each section of the triceps was Muscle Meets Magnet by Per A. Tesch, Ph.D. which was later renamed Target Bodybuilding. For this book, Tesch used MRI technology to measure which muscles worked hardest in 50 popular exercises. Although there was some activation of all three heads in 18 of the 20 triceps exercises Tesch studied (as each head shares a single tendon), these are exercises that focus on a single head:
Long Head: Pullover with EZ Bar and Narrow Grip
Medial Head: Military Press with Straight Bar Behind Neck
Lateral Head: Overhead Triceps Extension with Rope
The Strength Sensei spent a considerable amount of time determining what muscles are targeted in each exercise, and as such, his exercise descriptions for upper body exercises would include hand position. For example, when performing triceps pushdowns with a straight bar, you could use a palms-up grip for two weeks to focus on the medial head followed by a palms-down grip for two weeks to target the lateral head.
Hand position can affect which muscles are targeted in an exercise. (Miloš Šarčev photo)
Many variables determine how many exercises should be performed in a workout, and these variables will be discussed in a future article in this series. As a general rule, however, the Strength Sensei liked to keep his workouts under one hour, to pack more punch in a workout he would often use supersets, tri-sets, and even giant sets. As an example, let’s look at a three-week fat loss workout he designed for a female client in 1997 that combined exercises into two giant sets. These are the original names he gave for the exercises and his notes on exercise performance.
Weeks 1-3: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
A1. Dumbbell Squat, Heels Elevated, 4 x 15-20, 2010, rest 30 seconds
— Keep back as erect as possible, heels on board
A2. Wide Pronated Grip Front Lat Pulldown, 4 x 10-12, 3010, rest 30 seconds
— The bar is brought to the upper chest
A3. Back Extension, 4 x 10-12, 4020, rest 30 seconds
— The pause is taken at the top
A4. Seated EZ Bar French Press, 4 x 10-12, 3020, rest 30 seconds
— Point elbows directly at the ceiling
B1. Low Pulley Abduction Standing, 3 x 10-12, 3010, rest 30 seconds
— Maximal range of motion, knee slightly bent
B2. Seated Rope Rowing to Neck, 3 x 10-12, 2110, rest 30 seconds
— Keep elbows high, in line with throat
B3. Standing Calf Raises Feet Narrow, 3 x 10-12, 3010, rest 30 seconds
— Heels 2-3 inches apart
B4. Seated Hammer Dumbbell Curl, 3 x 10-12, 3010, rest 30 seconds
— Semi-supinated grip
You may have noticed that the majority of these exercises are performed with machines and focused on the prime movers, but this is OK as this is a fat loss workout. The Strength Sensei says the problem is that machines direct the movement pattern, reducing the stress of the stabilizers and fixators essential to athletic performance. As a general guideline, he would limit the work with machines to 20 percent of the total training volume.
With this background, Part 2 of this section will examine how the Strength Sensei determined what exercises would be best to help them achieve optimal performance. (TSS)
