the 6, 12, 24 protocol
There are a couple of ways we can do this protocol. One being a superet working from heavy to light of a muscle group or motor pattern. The other is a reverse pyramid. Both are brutally hard, but for this block we are working 6, 12, 24 as a reverse pyramid and here's why.
We have four primary qualities we are training year-round:
Relative strength which is strength relative to one's body weight. Relative strength is heavier weight (>85%) for less TUT (<20 sec). This is mostly neural changes such as firing faster from CNS or recruiting more higher threshold motor units/muscle fibers.
Functional hypertrophy, which focuses more on increasing density of the muscle fiber. This also uses heavier weight (75-85%) with moderate TUT (20-40sec). The primary focus of functional hypertrophy is increasing the density of the muscle fiber where the next quality we train is hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy increases size of the cell through other mechanisms such as muscular damage or cellular swelling. Hypertrophy uses a lighter intensity (70-80%) with longer TUT (40-70sec).
Muscular endurance (the focus of this block). Muscular endurance is the lightest (40-70%) and longest TUT (>70sec).
Our sweet spot is primarily between functional hypertrophy and hypertrophy.
We stay within that 20-70sec window because that facilitates most of the results we are looking for. Increasing the size and muscle fiber while stimulating fat burning. We sprinkled in relative strength to raise the ceiling of intensity we can use to transfer back into functional hypertrophy and hypertrophy.
We are sprinkling in muscular endurance to increase our capacity to recover from both training sessions and training weeks.
Relative Strength Blocks - 2/year
Functional Hypertrophy Blocks - 4/year
Hypertrophy Blocks - 4/year
Muscular Endurance Blocks - 2/year
So what does all this mean for block 13?
It means when we are looking at 6, 12, 24, we are looking at 24 being the most important set. We are setting up our nervous system and muscular system to be as successful as possible with our set of 24. We want to use as heavy a weight as possible for all 24 reps.
Make no bones about that: the set of 24 should be one of the hardest individual sets you have all year.
What do we gain from doing sets of 24? Capacity. On one end of the spectrum, we improve our ability to create and use energy. We are essentially becoming more fit and efficient. The other end of the spectrum we are increasing our tolerance to stress.
There is a concept termed ‘Central Governor’ with endurance athletes. The theory is that we have a built-in cut-off from a CNS to stop us from doing too much. The best way to think about this would be that a car's engine prevents from overheating and has built-in governors to regulate heat by controlling speed.
Central Governor is a theory, but it should feel intuitive.
We are constantly increasing our tolerance to stress through training. Think back to your first session at Allegiate and compare that to where you are now. Your ability to do more is a dual part of being more physically capable combined with being mentally more capable.
When you get to challenging things (threshold reps/sets) you have a greater potential to push through compared to when you first started. A set of 24, is a Governor buster.
It blasts through whatever is considered your ceiling. Knowing you have to do a set of 24, coming in to workout, going through your sets of 6 and 12, knowing you are about to get destroyed from that one set takes courage. You train that quality as much as you train your nervous system and muscular system.
Epictetus, the great stoic philosopher said, “Circumstances don't make the man, they only reveal him to himself.”
Not quoted, but what you’ll hear a lot this block is, “wait how many reps? 24?”
P.S. if you google 6, 12, 24 protocol you won't find it. What may pop up is 6, 12, 25 protocol. That rep scheme makes no sense. The numbers do not double each set like 6, 12, 24. They are not a Fibonacci sequence (6, 12, 18). So why 25? I have no idea, which is why I use 6, 12, 24.
You may not have needed that information. But in this information age, filling your head with more useless random knowledge is important. Hopefully this postscript takes the place of something else like fixing something or grammer. You English majors will say that it is spelt ‘grammar’ in which case I have to keep rambling about useless tidbits of information that do not make you better in any way.