Compensatory Acceleration (CAT)

O.P.H

So I was bored outa my tree today and started clickin around the youtube where I ended up stumbling across this old 80's video on called Training for Mass (woulda be funny if it was a religious thing). The video was entertaining as hell and had loads of your basic basic stuff, but one thing it had that I knew nothing of was this thing about CAT. It was suggesting that using a controlled slow lowering of the weight followed by a fast acceleration when lifting the weight where by you never lift to failure and stop lifting when you cant accelerate the weight, this will cause greater gains in your white muscle fibres giving much better gains than normal lifting.

Looked up some stuff about it and seems to be an established concept so just lookin for some feedback on it and do any of ye lift like this etc, cheers.

Hanley

Look up the dynamic effort method. It's a fairly well established and legit method.

"Gains", however, are hard to quantify. It all depends on the person. Speed/CAT/DE training can definitely be used to increase gains, but I wouldn't use it as the entire basis of my training program either.

deadlybuzzman

As it happens I was reading about how this guy trains only last night.

I have tried many different set,rep, and % of 1 rep max combinations over the years and I can't say that I have found the best one yet, but I enjoy training and experimenting. Currently I am doing 10x3 with 80+% 1rm with 1 min rest intervals. I like the explosive 3 reps with a fast pace using heavy weight. When I get 10x3 with a weight, I add 5 lbs the next workout. If I can't get 3 reps, then I do only 2 reps, but increase the sets to get a total of 30. I don't train to failure, which I ALWAYS did in the past with every exercise and set, the set now stops when I can't explode the weight up.

http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/bwhitwell_how_do_you_train_and_eat?id=4294541&pageNo=0

Hanley

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

As it happens I was reading about how this guy trains only last night.

I have tried many different set,rep, and % of 1 rep max combinations over the years and I can't say that I have found the best one yet, but I enjoy training and experimenting. Currently I am doing 10x3 with 80+% 1rm with 1 min rest intervals. I like the explosive 3 reps with a fast pace using heavy weight. When I get 10x3 with a weight, I add 5 lbs the next workout. If I can't get 3 reps, then I do only 2 reps, but increase the sets to get a total of 30. I don't train to failure, which I ALWAYS did in the past with every exercise and set, the set now stops when I can't explode the weight up.

http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/bwhitwell_how_do_you_train_and_eat?id=4294541&pageNo=0

Surely that's not CAT tho?! Like if you\re using a weight you fail on with triples then there's no way you can also move that bar fast?

....not that it's not a good way to train, jsut different to what OPH is talking about? Maybe I should read the article... Cliffs?

deadlybuzzman

Hanley wrote: »

Surely that's not CAT tho?! Like if you\re using a weight you fail on with triples then there's no way you can also move that bar fast?

....not that it's not a good way to train, jsut different to what OPH is talking about? Maybe I should read the article... Cliffs?

Well its a big long thread with odd nugget of interesting info mixed with all the fluff but he said once he feels his speed drop on a lift he stops so Im guessing thats what he calls failure

Brian?

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Well its a big long thread with odd nugget of interesting info mixed with all the fluff but he said once he feels his speed drop on a lift he stops so Im guessing thats what he calls failure

His moustache gets 10/10 from me.

deadlybuzzman

briankeating wrote: »

His moustache gets 10/10 from me.

And the hair-dont forget the hair!

Hanley

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Well its a big long thread with odd nugget of interesting info mixed with all the fluff but he said once he feels his speed drop on a lift he stops so Im guessing thats what he calls failure

I completely misread your post tbh. Whoops!! Sorry

Hanley

...and I thought T-Nation died after I stopped posting there.

Brian?

Hanley wrote: »

...and I thought T-Nation died after I stopped posting there.

It took them a while to recover, but if gave them a chance to sell a Post Hanley recovery supplement that unleashes your genetic potential for growth after loss.

O.P.H

Cheers for feedback but now a little confused about set & rep ranges, and when or when not to apply the accelerated CAT approaches.

So I cycle sessions of heavy compound weights with lower reps like 5x5 or 3x8 (4 weeks) with sessions of lighter isolation weights with higher reps and lower weights (2 weeeks).

If my main aim was muscle growth should I start throwing in some 8x3 sessions using the CAT principle. I would imagine the more changes and variation I add to my heavy sessions the better? Any other set & rep range suggestions or apprpaches like CAT?