The 15-15-15 then 8-12 reps Set Structure For Resistance Training
This is the single most effective way for building muscle and getting results for people over 38 years old I have ever seen. I have been helping people lose weight for over 20 years, at one point
had over 30 locations inside gyms across the country. I have also owned or helped manage several personal training companies and have weight trained myself for over 30 years. I have been exposed
to lots of different training methods and processes. This stands out among everything I have seen to get regular people results in the fastest period of time with the least amount of risk. The average
person can learn how to do this and be getting great results in a short period of time.
This training method is the work of Dr. Ellington Darden, Exercise Physiologist, author, and fitness industry pioneer. This set structure is going to get you maximum results in the minimum amount of time. It takes all the guesswork out of resistance training. It allows someone with no experience to get
a high level workout and results within 8 to 12 weeks. This set structure is based on the latest science and Dr. Darden’s four decades of experience studying resistance training. It can be challenging to do and leave you nowhere to hide while doing it, but it works really well. This specific type of stimulus to the muscle really helps burn body fat. It also stimulates the right hormones for being lean and suppresses the wrong hormones.
You start losing 0.5% of your muscle mass per year once you turn 30 if you are not actively trying to build and maintain it. The average person loses over 20lbs of muscle by the time they turn 60. Think that is going to affect how you look and feel? Think that is going to hurt your metabolism? This set structure has been proven to help women 85 years old build muscle and burn fat. It will work for you if you do it.
Understanding the different phases or parts of a single repetition so the set structure makes sense:
There are 4 parts to a single repetition.
- The bottom of the repetition
- The contracting of your muscle or positive phase
- The top of the repetition
- The relaxing of your muscle or negative phase
If you were doing a push up.
- The bottom of the rep would be when you are touching the floor
- The contracting or positive phase would be when you are lifting your body off the floor
- The top of the repetition would be when you extend your elbows and can not move up anymore
- The relaxing or negative phase would be when you are moving back towards the ground.
If you were doing a biceps curl.
- The bottom of the rep would be with your arm relaxed and the weight next to your thigh
- The contracting or positive phase would be when you are lifting the weight towards your shoulder
- The top of the repetition would be the weight near your shoulder and you can not move up anymore
- The relaxing or negative phase would be when you are moving the weight back towards the ground and your thigh
Do not worry if that sounds confusing it takes everyone a minute to understand it, once you see it in motion once or twice the light bulb will go off and it will make sense. Here are some work outs of me using the 15-15-15 then 8 to 12 set structure. It might be easier to do it then to read about it.
Steidinger Method Workout Number 17 Upper Body https://youtu.be/2AG9pYoLiGs
Steidinger Method Workout Number 19 Shoulders https://youtu.be/fNBqrB2WlQs
The set structure is going to be the same regardless of the exercise and is going to start out with 1.5 slow reps followed by 8 to 12 faster reps. We are going to be careful not to rest at the bottom or top of each rep. We want to keep the muscle working the entire 80 to 105 seconds, very important to getting great results.
We are going to start out doing a 15 second negative
Then with no rest at the bottom transition to a 15 second positive
Then with no rest at the top transition to a 15 second negative
Then we are going to do 8 to 12 reps of a 2 second positive followed by a 3 second negative with no
rest at the top or bottom of the rep.
The 15-15-15 then 8 to 12 rep set structure can be applied to any exercise and will challenge you physically and mentally if you implement it properly. It is going to challenge your muscles with intensity and leave you a little sore.
One of the big keys to its success is when you can complete the full set of 15-15-15 and 12 reps of a 2 second positive and a 3 second negative, you then increase the weight by at least 5%. That is called progressive overload, you consistently make the muscles work harder so they have to keep adapting to keep pace with the stimulus. Your body’s process of adapting to this specific stimulus has been proven scientifically to help burn fat and build muscle at the same time.
The holy grail of exercise.
Video of me talking about The 15-15-15 set structure https://youtu.be/x9KqWoGm5Q8
Remember the first 4 rules of resistance training:
- Don’t hurt yourself.
- Always follow the advice of your primary care / cardiologist / orthopedist / physical therapist / oncologist if you are under
the care of one, to make sure you do not hurt yourself. - Listen to your body, go slow, and don’t hurt yourself.
- You must have patience. Resistance training is the long game. Take your time. Build yourself up slowly and consistently over a long period of time. 46 weeks a year of a C level workout are life changing and way better than a few weeks of some A level workouts that leave you injured.
Implementation strategies – Great for beginners and whenever you increase the weight of a particular exercise – Progress through the different levels as your body is ready and this will vary by exercise.
- Just a 10-10-10 structure. 10 second negative-10 second positive-10 second negative with no additional reps. Get
used to the level of resistance and going through the range of motion. Remember to not rest at the top or bottom of the
rep. We want to keep the tension on the muscles we are working. - 10-10-10 with a 30 second rest before you do 8 additional reps. 10 second negative-10 second positive-10 second negative then rest 30 seconds before you do 8 additional reps of a 2 second positive and a 3 second negative.
- 10-10-10 then 8 reps of a 1 second positive and a 2 second negative. By speeding up the normal reps we make it easier on your muscles and easier is okay, we are not in a rush. We want great lasting results with a minimal risk of injury.Here are some workouts using this strategy
Steidinger Method Workout 12 Upper Body https://youtu.be/6bAZbOfuTwM
Steidinger Method Workout 15 Shoulders
https://youtu.be/J4P-8DTBKfs - 10-10-10 then immediately to 8 to 12 reps of a 2 second positive and a 3 second negative. After this you are physicallyready for the 15-15-15 and 8 to 12 reps of a 2 second positive and 3 second negative. But if you want to start with just a 15-15-15 then progress to adding the additional reps slowly that is fine as again we are not in a rush. Progress at yourpace and listen to your body.
Tips to improve results:
- Great form and posture always. Your results after 6 weeks will equal your form. Anytime you are learning a new exercise you must perfect the form first then worry about the resistance. You want to have great posture and biomechanics when lifting. At the point where you are too fatigued or the weight is too heavy to maintain proper form, stop immediately. Improper form leads to poor results and injury. Be patient and curious, the effort to learn this is well worth it. At some point after 8 weeks you see a real difference in your body if you stick with it.
- A great mind-muscle connection. You want to feel the muscles you are using. You want to concentrate on them contracting and feel them working. Sounds simple but it can be quite hard to develop sometimes. I really struggled to develop it with my lats and posterior delts and you may have some muscles that are harder for you to feel contracting. Don’t worry if you struggle with this at first, just take your time and try to improve it slowly. Having good form, feeling the muscle contract, will prevent injuries and improve the results you get dramatically over time. It takes a while to master so be patient on your weight training journey.
- Drink 90 to 120 ounces of water throughout the day. Hydration is great for your skin and muscles. Drinking plenty of water does help mobilize fat and helps with the leaning out process. You can drink too much water so be careful. Also you might want to stop drinking water 4 hours or more before bed to avoid having to get up to urinate during the night.
- Get lots of rest and sleep. Train hard and then recover. The process of recovery is where the fat loss results are. It is not about calories in calories out. It is the signal you are sending your body. We want to send the right signal. If your schedule allows, get more than 8.5 hours of sleep a night and take a 30 minute nap in the afternoon. Sleep is really good for humans. Sleep is essential for your brain and you metabolize fat when you sleep.