Chuck Rainey, CFP

My past success story was a couple of years and since then, I have expanded and experimented with various new techniques to push me past that stage of development. At the time, I was training with the consolidation routine on a very infrequent basis. I did gained noticeable strength and size from the routine, however, my progress eventually came to a halt. I noticed that I was starting to look somewhat flat and my energy levels were not up to where I believed they should be. I was feeling quite drained and deconditioned even after such a low volume of 2-3 sets. I rethought my whole approach and what I wanted from the effort I was putting into my training and diet.

I started slowly increasing my volume and frequency. With some experimentation, I found an appropriate volume and frequency suited for my body. It was an adjustment with the higher volume and frequency, but my body adapted and I quickly found I wasn't fatigued like I previously was, even after twice the amount of sets performed. I was slowly looking better with fuller and with harder muscles. I performed a fatigue test for all muscle groups using the IART testing methods. The results gave me more insight into my training and how I should apply my methods. It concluded that I was predominately fast-to-mixed twitch throughout my body. I am, however, planning another fatigue test in the future and comparing the results for better accuracy.

Throughout the months, I read some interesting books that spawned some deep thought about my training. After reading Brian Johnston's No Turning Back, I realized the positive effects of a somewhat higher volume / frequency, pumping workouts, and short blitz cycles. I started implementing one pumping workout per week and I have seen pleasing results from it. My muscles started looking fuller and harder for longer periods.

I have recently started implementing short blitz cycles (2 weeks in length) every 3-4 months and a form of Chaos training, where I constantly change up exercises or the application of certain exercises, but yet keep a structured routine. The short blitz cycles are phenomenal to say the least, as they can quickly jumpstart your lagging physique. Chaos training is also a very important element in my training, as it allows me to never fully adapt to any given exercise or application. These methods have resulted in me having a better overall physique. Read Brian Johnston's Apex, for it fully explains in detail the concepts of short Blitz cycles and Chaos training.

My present routine consists of splitting my training into 3 separate workouts (3-way split). I currently train two times per week, usually scheduled on a Monday and Thursday. My workouts are split into chest, delts, and triceps in Workout #1 (Mon); legs and calves in Workout #2 (Thurs); and back, biceps, and forearms in Workout #3 (Mon). My volume is 3-4 sets for larger muscle groups (e.g., chest, back, legs) and 1-2 sets for smaller muscle groups (e.g., arms, calves, etc.). All sets are performed to muscular failure and each workout lasts no longer than 30 minutes. I regularly perform strip sets, rest pause, forced reps, or negatives in my workouts.

My diet has pretty much remained the same throughout the last couple of years. The only difference is that I have adjusted my caloric intake accordingly, which resulted in me staying leaner in the off-season. I feel like my diet is a strong point of mine, which I can manipulate according to my goals.

I am very happy with my progress presently. I am gaining strength consistently and I thoroughly enjoy my workouts. I would like to thank Brian Johnston and IART for all their help and guidance. I am constantly learning from day-to-day, month-to-month, and year-to-year. Whether it's an aspect of my training, diet, or even precontest adjustments, I have learned that knowledge, time, and effort are the keys to improvement in anything in life.

To contact Mr. Rainey for live personal training or telephone consultations, e-mail raineychuck@hotmail.com or call the number above.

Do I.A.R.T. methods work? Chuck thinks so. Check out this photo comparison, taken one year apart (most recent photo taken 09/2001). Chuck also has experimented with I.A.R.T. Blitzing, with excellent results. The contest photo above was taken early November, 2001.