The cycle sheet is the ultimate core lift workout for two reasons: it customizes your workout to your own strength, and it changes the workout daily to keep your muscles guessing.
By customizing a different set a workouts for each max, the cycle sheet makes sure that each workout is tailored perfectly to your strength. The cycle sheet eliminates the guesswork that goes into choosing your weight. Never again will you say, "I should have used more weight; that was too easy," or, "I'm dropping down next set because there is no way I can finish." Every workout should push you to your max, while giving you a good shot of accomplishing your goal.
The are many different opinions as to the ideal number of reps per set. Some prefer high reps so they can feel the burn in their muscles, while other insist that low reps are the only way to gain strength. The cycle sheet gives you the best of both worlds, focusing on high reps on some workouts, and on low reps on others. The variation helps you develop strength, power, and endurance, instead of just one or another. Variation also has the benefit of keeping your muscles guessing, as it is easy to plateau if you lift the same weights day in and day out. Finally, by changing the workout every time you lift, it makes the workout much more intersting for you. It is easy to get bored, or even discouraged, if you lift three sets of ten reps of 185 pounds every time you bench. The challenge of a new workout every time you go to the gym keeps the cycle sheet fresh and exciting.
Critics of the cycle sheet (who have not yet tried it) often look at workout one, two, or three, and claim that all the weights are low, and that it would not be a challenge to finish. They also declare that it is a waste of time to lift lower weights, when they could be lifting more. However, after using the cycle sheet, these criticisms are quickly dismissed. Even on day one, the lower weights wear your muscles out enough to make the last set difficult to finish. The advantage of using lower weights on the first few sets is that they are good warm-ups, and they get blood flowing in your muscles. The purpose of the first four or five sets is always the same: to make the final set extremely difficult and productive. By not completely wearing your muscles out until the last set, it keeps them close to their full strength, and makes the final set that much more effective. |
