These athletes have two training sessions per day (on the days they train). The morning session is a high load workout, while the early evening (or afternoon) session is an "intensive" workout.

Don't confuse "intensive" with intensity strength training jargon. Intensity normally refers to the weight used (e.g. an intensity of 90% of your 1RM). Intensive means the use of advanced intensity techniques such as supersets, drop sets, forced reps, etc.

The heavy session is performed first when the CNS is fresh and ready to go. That's a very important point. At least 4-6 hours separate both workouts to allow the athlete enough time to use restorative measures and ingest two or three meals.

In the morning session, train for strength. East European countries have a large background of Olympic lifting and this is reflected in the training of their bodybuilders. The bodybuilding coaches (they do have a national coach and a whole organized coaching system for their top athletes) were often old Olympic lifters. The same could be said about some of their athletes.

While they don't perform the Olympic lifts in their first session, they do employ an Olympic lifting mentality of using few movements (two or three) performed for a lot of sets of few reps, normally above 85% of the athlete's maximum. This training session serves several purposes:

• It greatly increases muscle density and hardness (myogenic tone or "tonus").
• It can enhance neural efficiency, especially the capacity to recruit high threshold motor units. This means that subsequent bodybuilding-type training will be more effective since the body now has the capacity to recruit more muscle fibers.
• It can increase muscle size in its own right.

East European bodybuilders use what they call the "basic exercise" for each body part and will rarely change it. The basic movements are:

• Quadriceps – Front Squat
• Hamstrings – Romanian Deadlift
• Pectorals – Bench Press
• Shoulders – Push Press, Upright Rowing
• Back – Barbell Rowing
• Biceps – Barbell Curl (even slightly cheated)
• Triceps – Close-Grip Bench Press

So a week of morning workouts might look like this:

Day 1

• A. Front Squat
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets
• B. Romanian Deadlift
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets

Romanian deadlift performed with dumbbells

Day 2

• A. Bench Press
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets
• B. Close-Grip Bench Press
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets

Day 3

• A. Barbell Rowing
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets
• B. Barbell Curl
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets

Day 4

• A. Push press
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets
• B. Upright rowing (shoulder width grip)
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets

In the early evening session, train for "the pump." Well, the objective isn't the pump per se; it simply means that in the second workout of the day, the methods used are high-volume and high-density (a lot of work performed per unit of time).

Rest intervals are kept as short as possible and density training techniques such as supersets, pre-fatigue, post-fatigue and drop sets are used, as well as intensity techniques such as slow eccentrics, isometrics combined with regular reps and forced reps. (If you're unfamiliar with those techniques, checkout my Violent Variations series.)

If the AM workout rarely changes as far as exercises, volume and methods go, it's quite the opposite for the PM session. Basically, in the first session of the day you train to get as strong as possible, while in the second workout you try to trash the muscles. So, exercise selection and training methods can vary widely. However, the key is to keep a fast training pace and use intensity or density techniques.

A sample week of PM training could look like this:

Day 1

• A. Back Squat
• 3 x 12-15
• Use the double contraction (11/2) technique: go down to a full squat, get halfway up, go back down then stand up. That's one rep.
• 2 minutes of rest between sets
• B1. Leg Extension
• 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 1 x 12, 1 x 10
• Hold a 2 second peak contraction on each rep
• No rest
• B2. Leg Curl
• 1 x 10 – 5 – 5 *
• 1 x 8 – 4 – 4
• 1 x 6 – 3 – 3
• 2 minutes of rest

* These are rest-pause sets. Perform the first number of reps, take 10 seconds of rest, perform the second number of reps, take 10 seconds of rest, then perform the third number of reps. You use the same weight for all three mini-sets within the same rest-pause set.

Day 2

• A1. Incline Bench Press
• 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6, 1 x 20
• Post-fatigue method
• No rest
• A2. Incline Cable Flies
• 4 x 12-15
• Hold a 3 second peak contraction on each rep
• 2 minutes of rest
• B1. Lying Barbell Triceps Extension
• 1 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6, 1 x 20
• Post-fatigue method
• No rest
• B2. Standing Cable Triceps Extension
• 4 x 12-15
• Hold a 3 second peak contraction on each rep
• 2 minutes of rest

Day 3

• A1. Lat Pulldown
• 4 x 8-10
• Hold a 3 second peak contraction on each rep
• No rest
• A2. Seated Rowing
• 4 x 12-15
• Hold a 3 second peak contraction on each rep
• 2 minutes of rest
• B1. Preacher Straight-Bar Curl
• 4 x 12-15
• Use the double contraction (11/2) technique: go down until the arms are fully extended, get halfway up, go back down, then curl the bar completely. That's one rep.
• No rest
• B2. Reverse Grip Barbell Curl
• 4 x 8-10 + max iso
• Perform 8 to 10 reps then hold the bar in the mid-range portion of the movement for as long as possible.
• 2 minutes of rest

Day 4

• A. Seated Dumbbell Press
• 4 x 12-15
• Use the double contraction (1 1/2) technique: go halfway up, go back down, then lift the dumbbells completely. That's one rep.
• 2 minutes of rest
• B1. Lateral Raise
• 3 x 21s: 7 full reps, 7 top range reps, 7 low range reps
• No rest
• B2. Bent Over Lateral Raise
• 4 x 12-15
• Hold a 3 second peak contraction on each rep
• 2 minutes of rest
• C. Power Shrug
• 4 x 8-10
• 1 minute of rest

A week of training would look like this:

• Monday: Day 1 exercises
• Tuesday: OFF/Restorative measures (See my article 7 Secrets to Rapid Recovery to learn about the best restorative measures.)
• Wednesday: Day 2 exercises
• Thursday: Abdominals/Restorative measures
• Friday: Day 3 exercises
• Saturday: Day 4 exercises
• Sunday: OFF/Restorative measures

Training twice per day might seem like a lot, but the actual training volume is very similar to a regular bodybuilding workout, except that this volume is divided into two daily sessions. This makes it even harder to overtrain. Plus, there are three days per week without strength training.

Restorative measures are included three times per week also. So, if you follow this plan exactly, the potential for overtraining is actually relatively low. Where there can be a problem is when people try to do more volume at each session (e.g. performing four exercises in the morning and adding a few more in the evening). In this particular case, more isn't better.

Not everyone has the luxury of training twice a day. If you work forty hours per week, or are a full-time student it could be hard. Fortunately, there's a way to adapt the principles of this training program to suit your own schedule.

Obviously, if you don't have any time restrictions, following the original plan would work very well for you. But just in case, here are some other options:

Option #1: The Grouped Workout

This is the simplest option: you group the morning and evening sessions into a single workout.

The heavy sets are obviously performed first. Once this segment of the training program is completed, you take a 15 minute break and ingest a serving of Surge® Workout Fuel. Why? Because performing both workouts within the same training session will run you longer than 60 minutes and we want to avoid a catabolic-dominant situation.

By taking in nutrients and resting a short moment you can prevent cortisol from ramping up too high, which will allow for a much more effective workout.

For example, Day 1 would look like this:

Day 1

• A. Front Squat
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets
• B. Romanian Deadlift
• Week 1: 7 x 4
• Week 2: 5/4/3/5/4/3
• Week 3: 3/2/1/3/2/1
• 3 minutes of rest between sets
• Take a 15 minute break and a serving of Surge.
• C. Back Squat
• 3 x 12-15
• Use the double contraction (1 1/2) technique: go down to a full squat, get halfway up, go back down, then stand up. That's one rep.
• 2 minutes of rest between sets
• D1. Leg Extension
• 1 x 20, 1 x 15, 1 x 12, 1 x 10
• Hold a 2 second peak contraction on each rep
• No rest
• D2. Leg curl
• 1 x 10 – 5 – 5
• 1 x 8 – 4 – 4
• 1 x 6 – 3 – 3

This first option is the easiest to plan, but I'll be honest with you: it can be brutal. The lower body day is especially gruelling. So it isn't the most effective way to train if you have either a low work capacity or are extremely fast-twitch dominant. However, workhorses and slow-twitch dominant individuals can normally use this approach.

Option #2: The Crossed Workout

This is similar to the first approach in that you perform both types of workouts at the same training session. The difference is that you don't train the same muscle groups during the two different segments of the training session. For example:

• Day 1: Intensification lower body/Accumulation shoulders
• Day 2: Intensification chest/Accumulation arms
• Day 3: Intensification arms/Accumulation back
• Day 4: Intensification shoulders/Accumulation lower body
• Day 5: Intensification back/Accumulation chest

Ideally you'd switch to an eight-day cycle to keep the same training days/rest days ratio. So a training cycle becomes:

• Monday: Day 1
• Tuesday: OFF/Restorative measures
• Wednesday: Day 2
• Thursday: Abdominals/Restorative measures
• Friday: Day 3
• Saturday: OFF/Restorative measures
• Sunday: Day 4
• Monday: OFF/Restorative measures
• Tuesday: Day 1
• Wednesday: OFF/Restorative measures
• Thursday: Day 2
• Friday: OFF/Restorative measures
• Saturday: Day 3
• Sunday: OFF/Restorative measures
• Monday: Day 4
• Etc.

Option #3: The Pendulum Organization

Those of you who are familiar with my pendulum approach know that it alternates the nature of the training program every week. It can be used with this bodybuilding approach:

• Week 1: Perform the intensification workouts
• Week 2: Perform the accumulation workouts
• Week 3: Perform the intensification workouts
• Week 4: Perform the accumulation workouts
• Week 5: Perform the intensification workouts
• Week 6: Perform the accumulation workouts

You keep the same training schedule as in the original plan:

• Monday: Day 1 (lower body)
• Tuesday: OFF/Restorative measures
• Wednesday: Day 2 (chest and triceps)
• Thursday: Abdominals/Restorative measures
• Friday: Day 3 (back and biceps)
• Saturday: Day 4 (shoulders)
• Sunday: OFF/Restorative measures

This type of training has obviously built several rock-hard physiques. (You have to see these guys to get the full impact!) If properly applied it'll do the same for you. Not to mention, this type of training will build as much strength as it will muscle size! Try it!