10-week training cycles for bodybuilders

With the traditional approach, where athletes compete only once a year or even less often, the “mass” phases drag on pointlessly long and become monotonous. They end up serving more as an excuse for low-intensity training and an unhealthy diet, above all to avoid a plateau in progress.

Lifters know that training for a long time with heavy weights and low reps is the surest way to hit a plateau. That is why cycles of 2-3 months are usually used, during which the weight gradually increases and the volume (i.e. the number of sets and the rep count) decreases.

Bodybuilders’ training cycles should also last 2-3 months, each with its own specific focus. Within a cycle, the training load can fluctuate both between individual workouts and between weeks. A wide variety of training methods and techniques can also be used, but everything must help achieve the goal of the cycle. It is important to keep in mind that you can’t squeeze different goals into one cycle! Don’t try to lose 10 kilos of fat, add 5 kilos of muscle and set personal records in a 10-week cycle! Below I present 5 different cycles, which don’t necessarily have to follow one another; you can choose the ones that best match your goals.

Cycle 1: increasing body weight

Half-jokingly, you could say that half the work is eating. The goal can be to gain 2.5-5 kilos in 10 weeks. More than that is unrealistic and would mainly mean adding fat. For training, use low reps, heavy weights and basic exercises. Reduce the overall training volume and the so-called isolation exercises.

Cycle 2: decreasing body weight

As in the previous cycle, the key issue here is proper nutrition. In this cycle, don’t count on preserving 100% of your muscle mass. Some loss is unavoidable. We don’t recommend losing body weight faster than 4-5 kilos over 10 weeks, as that would mean too great a loss of muscle mass. Aerobic training load is very important: on at least four days a week, 20-60 min each. There is no point in making big changes to your weight training: increase the working volume (reps) and add more isolation exercises.

Cycle 3: increasing quality muscle mass

This process is naturally slower than simply increasing or decreasing body weight. Adding about 1 kg in 10 weeks is a good achievement, and the change in appearance is noticeable. This cycle is well suited to intensified work on weak muscle groups.

Author: Greg Merritt (Flex Dec. 2001)

Editor: ArtGym

Source: WHO – physical activity.