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Blog Section => Performance Training Blog => Topic started by: adarqui on December 29, 2010, 05:21:00 pm

Title: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: adarqui on December 29, 2010, 05:21:00 pm
Ok I'm going to try and keep this very short.

I'm tired of looking like a human and performing like one. For some reason, 20+ rep squatting makes me feel like an alien. My legs grow very fast, my legs feel amazing the day after (as if i'm floating), and I just get strong as hell/powerful very quickly. Some people might be saying to themselves "But 20 reps is endurance and that is slow twitch". What? No. Performing 20 reps on squat completely taps out the fast twitch motor pool. The time under tension is great enough to cause considerable hypertrophy in the quads, glutes, hamstrings and core. With hypertrophy comes strength, and with that time under tension with a heavy bar on your back comes the ability to man handle heavier barbells much easier. There's nothing "slow twitch" about it, sure there's an element of endurance, but when you perform 20 reps with say, your 12RM, due to recovery breathes after 12 reps, it becomes more like a cluster of max effort (due to fatigue) singles while retaining the bar on your back. That is so far from slow twitch i'm laughing while typing this.


NOTE: Getting *VERY* strong and being able to move *HEAVY* weight *VERY FAST* is one of our main missions as athletes. For example, the faster you can move 2x your bodyweight in squat, the better. So it's not only about 2x, it's how fast you can move it. MEBM is a tool for rapidly accrued strength/mass gains.


Anyway, what is MEBM? It's a mindset i've gotten into lately which has helped me to achieve some serious strength gains. It's also a play on words using MSEM (Maximal Strength Effort Method) by Verkhoshansky. Has it hurt my vert? No. Has it made me feel slow? No. MEBM is to be used *in addition or in it's own session* to ratio (msem, & various strength training protocols).


How does it work? Very simple. To use it in addition to whatever training ideology/method you are on, just add heavy 20 rep squats as a finisher after squatting. Sessions may then look like:

example session: ... squat 5 x 5, MEBM squat 1 x 20 ...
example session: ... MSEM squat 2 x 4, MEBM squat 1 x 20 ...
example session: ... ramped up squat 1 x 5, squat 3 x 10, MEBM squat 1 x 20 ...
example session: ... squat 4 x 3, MEBM squat 1 x 20 ...


It can also be used in sessions by itself, in a few different ways:

example session: ... MEBM squat 3 x 20 ...
example session: ... MEBM squat 1 x 20 (max effort 20 very heavy with 10RM or less) ...


Ok so that's it really. The idea is to get in a MEBM finisher after pretty much whatever you're doing, really pushing yourself until (or close to) your legs feel like they are going to collapse. We want to exhaust nearly every fiber and send a message to the body: GROW NOW OR DIE A SAD AND PATHETIC DEATH



How do I choose the load to use for MEBM squats? Just start off really light initially unless you have alot of experience with long heavy time under tension, because the soreness can get pretty extreme if you rush it. So, for noobs & the like, start off with 50% of 1RM for example. Humble yourself a bit, that'll probably cause some significant soreness for most anyone not used to squatting 20 reps. After the initial break-in phase of 1-2 weeks, you can then keep track of your PR 20 rep and try to beat that when you feel very good. True 20 rep PR's should happen with somewhere around 70+% of your 1RM. Other than that, depending on how you feel after the prior work (MSEM, 5x5, 3x10, etc), just go based off feel and push yourself to the limit.


Do I have to stop at 20 reps? Nope, if you thought 20 reps at X weight would be completely exhausting, and it isn't, hit a few more (5 or so, to total 25). I wouldn't exceed 30 reps total as that will bring you more into that strength-endurance realm with much lighter weights.


What kind of squat style can I use with MEBM? Deep or half, doesn't matter. Either one is going to murder your legs. I personally squat using a half stance (slightly above parallel) and my quads, glutes, and hamstrings grow fine. My glutes probably have packed on the most mass given my high rep half squatting, believe it or not, but overall leg size has improved also. Regardless, glutes, quads, and hamstrings will grow with DEEP *OR* HALF squat MEBM. If you squat deep always, and want to give yourself an excuse to try half squatting, well here it is.


Won't I get slow doing MEBM squats? No.


Why won't I get slow doing MEBM squats? Do sprinters get slow running 100's, 200's or 400? An MEBM squat is like an all out sprint of 100, 200, or 400m, depending on the load on the bar. Each one of those races has a speed endurance component and considerable lactic acid buildup, more-so for the 200 & especially 400. Fatiguing the fast twitch motor pool and then trying to continue on for a short duration is what you get in those sprints, and it's also what you get with an MEBM squat.



What should I focus on while doing MEBM squats?

Well, if you feel crappy, just focus on achieving the 20 reps. If you feel good however, focus on bar speed. The more you focus on bar speed, the better. Even after you are starting to get tired around 10-12 reps, each rep after that might require a breathe (or 2-3 breathes), after you're done breathing, focus on bar speed.



What strategy do you use while doing MEBM squats?

Well, if i'm trying to hit 20 with my TRUE 10RM, I'm going to want to hit around 8 reps straight, 3 or so deep breathes, then hit 3-4 reps, then keep repeating that breathing + rep process until I have 20. Astonishingly, once you get to 15 reps, you know you have 20, it's just a matter of grit & guts. If you can hit 15, you can hit 20, bottom line.

If I'm hitting 20 with less than my true 10RM, i'll usually hit 10-12 reps in a row fast, 3 or so deep breathes, then max out my next batch of reps (3-4), etc, continuing until I get 20.

If i'm capable of hitting 20 straight with high bar speed, then I'll go for it right off the bat. Those are actually very tough since lactic acid removal is diminished by lack of recovery breathing, so once you get to 20 reps you're pretty much tapped out.



How do you feel after MEBM squatting? I personally feel great directly after. My legs feel warm from increased blood flow, and I feel spent. The next day, when I wake up, my legs feel extremely light and warm, with no soreness since i'm adapted to high volume. So I just feel great overall, better than with any other set/rep scheme for sure, I can promise you that. You however, may feel pretty crappy the first 2 weeks until you get accustomed, but so do people who run 100's, 200's, or 400's max effort for the first time. Same thing. Once you're adapted, you'll feel amazing.



WHAT IS THE JELLO SET????????? The jello set is repping out half squat to failure (20 or so reps) then immediately changing stance to much closer (less than shoulder width, feet straight ahead) and transitioning directly into CONTROLLED quarter squats repped out until failure. Glutes and hamstrings die on the half squat, then quads die on the quarters.

Why would I do that? It's pretty fun & every muscle gets toasted completely.



Can I let my form go to sh*t to complete the reps? No. Form must be kept good for safety reasons, if you can't perform a rep with good form after recovery breaths, it's time to stop the set.



Can MEBM be applied to other lifts? It's pretty hard to apply MEBM to upper body lifts unless you use pins, the lower body just has much larger muscle groups all contributing to one movement, it also recovers faster while breathing in between reps. If anything, It could be applied to heavy barbell lunges/BSS. If you were to try and apply some of this high rep heavy lifting to upper, you would need a rack and to lift off pins, for example, max effort pin bench trying to hit 20 reps, pausing on pins very briefly to recover past 10 reps until you hit 20. The same could be done for pin rows, single arm db rows resting on ground, etc.




I didn't read all of the above, so what's the take home message? I don't feel like reading all of that.

KEEP IMPROVING YOUR 20 REP SQUAT BY USING IT AS A FINISHER, THE GROWTH & POTENTIAL IS LIMITLESS




For anyone who gets into high rep squatting, if you take video, post it whenver you take one ;d

peace



GO. GET. IT.
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: adarqui on December 29, 2010, 05:22:30 pm
second day in a row of high volume squatting, did basically this same thing the day before but with 225.

jello set is set 3:

Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: LoopieMclooperson on December 29, 2010, 09:01:16 pm
Damn son, that is beast!

+ the rusted squat rack in the backyard= beast

I feel like a pussy for lifting in a gym and not busting out another 20 reps after my workout. Thanks :headbang:
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: LanceSTS on December 30, 2010, 01:15:38 am
 Great post!@!, Awesome idea with the "jello set" too, love it! 

nice workout btw, youre squat progress is sick in the time span youve been pushing it.

MEBM FTW  :ibsquatting:
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: Raptor on December 30, 2010, 06:58:44 am
Weak, I can do that in my sleep.

But only in my sleep.

I'd pass out from 20 rep squats. I did 110x8 2 days ago and felt really really dizzy and exhausted... I always feel like that after squatting, probably bad breathing (I kind of hold my breath so that I can flex my abs really good) patterns or something.
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: zgin on December 30, 2010, 08:17:19 am
can i do MEBM with lunges? would it be 20 each leg?
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: Raptor on December 30, 2010, 08:24:58 am
What about pushups with a weight on the back?
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: ghettoracer on January 01, 2011, 11:48:35 pm
this remind me of FST-7 where there's always a finishing set of 7x12 (or so) in light(er) weights to really pump the muscles up and for the burn.
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: LBSS on January 02, 2011, 02:14:21 am
FWIW, this sounds a lot like Blade's myo-reps. 10-12RM, do a set of 10-12, rest a little bit, do 3 more, then rest a bit, then do 3 more, etc. until you can't do 3 more again. So your work sets would be like 10+3+3+2 and you're done. I'm glossing over it and it's much more nuanced than that, I'm sure, but on surface it seems very similar.
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: PointerRyan on January 09, 2011, 10:36:46 am
I do something a little like tis for back extensions. example, i can do 11-12 quality reps for last set. after that, my bac kcant go back up straight. so i'll do till 13-14times. put the bar down, rest abotu 15seconds, grab teh bar and do one explosive rep.
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: AlexV on February 11, 2011, 01:32:54 am
jumanji/silverback (forgot his real name) used to do 20 rep breathing squats as a finisher after each leg day with his athletes.  Old school classic stuff
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: adarqui on February 11, 2011, 01:39:26 am
jumanji/silverback (forgot his real name) used to do 20 rep breathing squats as a finisher after each leg day with his athletes.  Old school classic stuff

sick
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: Flander on February 15, 2011, 04:42:42 am
Sick idea. I like it.

My PL friend with the 200kg raw bench @ 107kg BW used to do max reps in bench after his working sets, ei. 5x5 @ 170, max x 130.
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: Raptor on July 03, 2011, 06:45:25 pm
Do you recommend a different nutritional approach is one is to use this method vs. if he isn't?

For example, if a guy is doing 3x5 now and eats say 200g of protein per day, if he's going with 3x5 +1x20, would you change that protein intake quite a bit or just a little more protein intake?
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: seifullaah73 on October 11, 2012, 06:36:25 am
Nice. I can use it as a finisher as you mentioned in the article.
after moderate and high intensity squats not low because in low i have to squat 50% rm

Really like the idea
can't wait to get started on that  :highfive:
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: KYisaBeast on February 19, 2013, 05:26:35 pm
I decided I would start implementing this into my squat routine starting yesterday and I have to say I feel way better than I thought I actually would...Definitely appreciate the info bro
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: Ryno2892 on February 19, 2013, 10:51:18 pm
Looks fucking mint, gonna start throwing em in at the end of squat dayy
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: AGC on July 08, 2015, 12:05:03 am
MEBM gets a nice mention in this recent Joel Smith article on 20-rep squats:

http://www.just-fly-sports.com/20-rep-squats-for-athletes/
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: LBSS on July 08, 2015, 10:48:26 am
lol why are we all upvoting acole (i did it too)? go find an adarq post to upvote.
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: AGC on July 12, 2015, 10:57:57 pm
Lol, that's the least amount of effort I've ever made for a +3 post. Just wanted to spread the word.

MEBM is awesome though. I will definitely dust off some of these old adarq performance blog methods when I do my own training again.
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: vag on July 13, 2015, 05:12:51 am
Yup, i already re-started doing it.
Also, acole, your post was more than a bump, MEBM became more legit and credible now, it is not an adarqui inspiration only but many coaches preferred tool.
But of course it will never be 20-rep-squats for us, it will always be adarq.org™ MEBM ©  :wowthatwasnutswtf:
Title: Re: Max Effort Beast Mode (MEBM)
Post by: adarqui on July 24, 2015, 04:47:25 am
MEBM gets a nice mention in this recent Joel Smith article on 20-rep squats:

http://www.just-fly-sports.com/20-rep-squats-for-athletes/

just saw it, dope!

joel smith has linked a few articles/posts from this forum.. really cool. I need to thank him for his support of our forum.

man I miss MEBM. I felt like a feral animal when I was doing MEBM so frequently.


Lol, that's the least amount of effort I've ever made for a +3 post. Just wanted to spread the word.

MEBM is awesome though. I will definitely dust off some of these old adarq performance blog methods when I do my own training again.

nice! how's the MEBM gone so far?



lol why are we all upvoting acole (i did it too)? go find an adarq post to upvote.

hah


Yup, i already re-started doing it.
Also, acole, your post was more than a bump, MEBM became more legit and credible now, it is not an adarqui inspiration only but many coaches preferred tool.
But of course it will never be 20-rep-squats for us, it will always be adarq.org™ MEBM ©  :wowthatwasnutswtf:

maybe one day the s&c world will adopt our terminology.. :D






in honor of the MEBM:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEMYJdxtdGs


forget the depth, slight bouncing off pins, etc.. all that matters is how i walked away from that bar after 45 ~half squats reps with 225:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSmq5IopKuo

I was basically MEBM'n daily for months.. just made my legs bionic.

#@R)#FK@#)FK@#)FK

that was definitely the best period in my jump history.

pC!!