The "Good Behavior" program is recommended for use by "any athlete to achieve solid strength gains — no matter how advanced they are." This program (and veterano) involve performing each exercise only once per week for 2-3 sets.
Now, I can see this being functional for the advanced stages of the exercises. Low volume, high-intensity work has been shown to produce results. However, my concerns are for the early stages of the program, where the exercises are not intense, and focused more on endurance.
Take step 2 of pullup training, for instance — horizontal pulls. Beginner standard is 1 set of 10, and advanced is 3 sets of 30. These don’t require outstanding strength, but to do 3 sets of 30 is a serious test of muscular endurance that I doubt most can even come close to on their first try.
So say on your first try, you manage to crank out 2 sets of 10 (20 reps). The next day, you aren’t sore, because these aren’t particularly intense. However, you wait a week before trying your next set. A week later, are you now able to do 2 sets of 15? The next week, 2 set of 20? Assuming you are able to add 10 reps per week, it would take 8 weeks to reach the progression standard. But will you be able to add 10 reps each week by training only 2 sets on a single day?
The way I’ve always been taught to build up endurance exercises is to train it frequently. If you want to do 100 pushups, train your pushups at least 3 days a week. Can you really gain endurance by training once a week?
Even "solitary confinement" is only twice a week per body part — including abdominals, which I’ve always been taught could be trained almost every day because they recover quickly.
I’m not saying the system is wrong, as it sounds pretty solid once you get to the upper-level exercises which are really high-intensity. But I’m questioning that training each body part once per week is the fastest way to progress in the early stages, when the exercises are testing endurance more than anything else. None of these exercises leave me feeling sore or tired at all the next day, so I don’t see the harm in training them every day until I progress to more demanding variations.
I’m all for taking it slow — but I would feel like I’m short changing myself doing 2 sets of wall pushups and knee-tucks, then calling it a day and taking Tuesday off.
Thoughts?
