profile

M&F

BEST BODYBUILDING COMEBACK IN HISTORY

Francis Benfatto, one of bodybuildings greatest all-time sculptors, unveils the training programme behind his classic physique.

By Francis Benfatto, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder

Photos By Gary Phillips
A.R.T. SYSTEM is short for Auto Regulation Training Auto = having power yourself through knowledge and experience Regulation = the ability to control and analyse, then to modify and change when necessary Training = a training programme, which should be perfected and improved in order to constantly progress
C HRIS LUND

2006

1992
126
MUSCLE & FITNESS

MUSCLE & FITNESS

127

TRAINING ELEMENTS If your goal is to develop each individual muscle in size, proportion and harmony with each other and reach the upper limits of your genetics, the correct approach to training is essential. I believe the A.R.T. system provides this. The system comprises several elements that require mental and physical application. These elements are: training specification, intense and heavy training cycles, training volume, training frequency, active training recovery and training preparation. Lets look at each one. TRAINING SPECIFICATION This refers to the exercises, training methods and techniques you use in order to stimulate muscles to their maximum. Training methods and techniques are like tools which, when combined properly together, stimulate the muscle more. The more tools you have, the more you can improve your workout intensity level, and the greater your workout intensity level the greater your chances of progressing. Therefore knowing how and when to use the various training tools is crucial to your progress. The tools include: isolation exercises, pre-exhaust exercises, compound exercises, supersets, barbell exercises, dumbbell exercises, machine exercises, pulley exercises, etc. TRAINING TOOLS D efinitions Isolation exercise an exercise that stimulates only the muscle targeted, for instance dumbbell side laterals for the shoulders medial part and leg extensions for the quadriceps. Compound exercise an exercise that involves more than one muscle group, for instance squat and lat pulldowns. Supersets a combination of two exercises performed with no rest in between. For example, a quadriceps superset could consist of a set of leg extensions followed by a set of squats with no rest in between. Barbell a single bar utilised mostly for compound exercises. Dumbbells two small bars mostly used for isolation exercises. One advantage

of dumbbells is that you can train one arm, or shoulder, at a time. Machines provide guided resistance. They are best used for specific training techniques, for instance double contraction, and peak contraction. Pulleys and cables are best for isolation and pre-exhaust exercises. Pre-exhaust exercise the first exercise in a superset. It is an isolation type of exercise that makes a superset 100 per cent efficient and productive. TRAINING TECHNIQUES D efinitions There are various techniques you can incorporate in your programmes. They include: constant tension, peak contraction, double contraction, rest-pause, forced reps, explosive reps, heavy reps, light heavy reps, and partial reps. Constant tension slowly moving from a complete extension to a complete contraction creates constant tension. Isolation exercises are best for achieving this. During constant tension you should feel the muscle sensation through your entire set of repetitions. Peak contraction when a muscle is in a fully contracted position. There are specific exercises that best achieve peak contraction, for instance leg extensions, pec deck machine and dumbbell side laterals. Peak contraction also occurs near the end of a set when more and more muscle fibres come into play due to resistance + reps + correct lead to muscle failure. Double contraction a combination of one third of a full rep executed right after each full rep. The idea behind the double contraction technique is to amplify the muscle-contraction effect. The most important point in the range of motion is the peak contraction position. There are actually several ways of performing the double contraction training technique. One option is to do the first five reps of your set in double contraction and the remaining reps of your set in normal fashion until you reach muscle failure. Another option is to try the entire set of reps in double contraction, lets say eight to ten double contraction reps until muscle failure is reached.

A.R.T. TRAINING SPLIT

DAY BODYPART

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday & Sunday

Abdominals, quads, hamstrings & calves Chest & biceps Rest Back, triceps & abdominals Shoulders, quads, hamstrings & calves Rest

BARBELL SHRUG

SEATED BARBELL PRESS

MUSCLE & FITNESS

128

MUSCLE & FITNESS

129

Rest-pause sets refers to pausing between repetitions. This is especially handy when, during a set of five or six reps, you get stuck and are unable to perform any more reps. Resting for five or even ten seconds will enable you to add two or three more reps to your set. The rest-pause training technique will help you firstly to recover, and secondly to increase the intensity level of your set with a few more reps, just by resting a few extra seconds. Forced reps can be used after you have reached a maximum of five or six reps. Instead of resting like you would normally do with the rest-pause technique, your training partner helps you to complete two or three more reps, in order to increase the level of intensity and difficulty of your set. Explosive reps choose a very heavy weight for your set thats too heavy for regular form so that you have to move the weight with maximum speed from the beginning of each rep. Make sure you lower the weight slowly from the top of the movement back down to the starting position, and then again raise the weight with maximum speed. Dont do your entire set using exclusively the explosive-reps technique; do only the first 4 to 5 reps and then drop the weight to a lighter weight that allows you to perform a few more reps in a slow and controlled manner. Heavy set a set of six to eight reps using maximum resistance and correct form to achieve a full range of motion. Light-heavy set a set of ten to twelve reps using maximum resistance and correct form to achieve a full range of motion. Partial reps reps in which you use only half the range of movement, usually from the mid-range in the exercise to full contraction. This technique allows you to use heavier weight than in a full range of motion.

can feel the muscle working, which in turn will guide you towards the amount of weight and number of reps that you should use. Finally, your range of motion should be as great as possible so that the muscle works from full extension to full contraction.

performing maximum work in a short period of time. Note the distinction between maximum effort and maximum work. Anything that you do to make your workout harder, not longer, is a good step in the right direction. Raising the intensity of your workouts can be done in many ways but lets examine HEAVY AND INTENSE for now only these two A.R.T. system TRAINING CYCLES training principles: maximum effort in A heavy cycle refers to when you per- a heavy cycle and maximum work in form maximum effort over a short an intense cycle. period of time. An intense cycle means Maximum effort can be achieved in

a short time with any particular exercise. The goal is to reach muscle failure during a working set that is so intense that it will be impossible to reproduce. So the set includes heavy resistance + reps + form + muscle failure. Muscle failure means continuing a set to a point where you cant do another single rep despite your best effort. If you do this, possibly with a superset, you will achieve maximum effort in a short period of time. These two training principles, maximum effort in a short period of

FRANCIS BENFATTOS FIRST A.R.T. TRAINING PROGRAMME

BENFATTOS INITIAL TRAINING PROGRAMME LASTED SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS, ALWAYS WITH A FLEXIBLE APPROACH. THE PRIMARY GOALS WERE TO MANAGE HIS ENERGY LEVEL, PRIORITISE MUSCLES THAT NEEDED ATTENTION AND IDENTIFY STRONG POINTS. BODYPART MONDAY Abs* EXERCISE Cable crunches - superset with Seated knee-ups Barbell squats Leg presses - superset with Leg extensions (3 drop sets) Stiff-leg deadlifts Walking lunges Seated calf raises - superset with Standing calf raises Incline bench presses Incline dumbbell yes - superset with Incline dumbbell presses (drop sets) Dumbbell pullovers Standing barbell curls - superset with EZ-bar preacher curls Standing dumbbell curls - superset with Incline dumbbell curls Behind-the-neck pulldowns (double contractions) - superset with Barbell rows SETS 4 to 6 4 to 6 5 3 to 4 3 to 4 3 4 5 to 6 5 to 6 6 2 to 3 2 to 3 2 to 3 2 to 4 2 to 4 2 to 4 2 to 4 2 to 4 REPS 12 12 10 to 20 12 12 12 12 12 12 6 to 10 10 10 8 to 10 8 to 10 8 to 10 8 to 10 8 to 10 6 to 8 BODYPART EXERCISE THURSDAY (cont.) Back One-arm dumbbell rows - superset with One-arm straight-arm pulldowns Triceps** Cable pushdowns (two-second peak contractions) - triset with Close-grip bench presses and Rope pushdowns (rest-pause) Abs Cable crunches - giant set with Hanging leg raises, Lying leg raises (holding dumbbell between feet) and Reverse crunches FRIDAY Shoulders Seated dumbbell presses Standing dumbbell lateral raises (drop set) Seated dumbbell presses Quads/ Leg extensions or Hamstrings barbell squats - superset with Lying leg curls or Stiff-leg deadlifts Calves Seated calf raises - superset with Standing calf raises SETS 2 to 4 2 to 4 3 to 4 REPS 8 to 10 8 to 10 10

Quads

Hamstrings Quads Calves

3 to 4 3 to 4 3 to 4 3 to 4 3 to 4

5 5 10 to 12 20 to 25 10 to 12

TUESDAY Chest

Bodybuilding is my lifestyle and that has allowed me to stay in great shape all year round.
Biceps

3 to 4 2 1 3 to 4 4 to 5

20 to 25 6 to 10 18 6 to 10 8 to 12

THURSDAY Back

4 to 5 4 to 5 4 to 5

8 to 12 12 to 15 12 to 15

TRAINING EXECUTION Training methods and techniques are only useful if their execution is good. You have to utilise the appropriate angles and ensure your body is in perfect alignment while exercising. Your speed of execution should be controlled so you

2 to 4

6 to 8

* Performance details receive particular attention, such as accentuation of range of motion, angle of work, speed and control of reps. These are isotension sets, which are done in a very slow and controlled fashion, making sure to keep continuous tension on the muscle at all points of the rep. Benfattos back was always one of his best bodyparts and tested well in the evaluation for strength, so his residual concern was to progress in size, using his strength as a tool. His arms were also strong, so, to minimise their dominance in the movement, he chose isolation exercises, emphasising good form and variety. ** Although his muscular control over his triceps was good, Benfatto found that he always built a quick pump in them, which revealed a lack of endurance of strength. His solution: a triset.

130

MUSCLE & FITNESS

MUSCLE & FITNESS

131

time and maximum work in a short period of time are two different ways in which you can reach a high level of intensity. Remember, only a high level of intensity can stimulate your muscles to the point of growth. TRAINING VOLUME The time you spend training depends on several factors such as how long you need to warm up. But how many working sets should you perform? The answer is: if you perform a set to the maximum of your ability, making the maximum effort, using good form, the right angle of work, the appropriate speed, with a full extension and a full contraction on each rep until you reach muscle failure when no more reps are possible despite your greatest effort, then you only need to do the necessary amount of sets. The necessary amount of sets should be a minimum of one if you are very accurate in finding your appropriate working set or a maximum of two if you need more time. In fact, all the previous warm-up sets that you have to do before your working set are necessary to prepare you mentally and physically for your performance set. A working set is a performance set that is why it is almost impossible to duplicate a performance set for the same exercise. Keep in mind that when you train a specific muscle you have to do two to three exercises in order to stimulate each different part of the muscle you are exercising and you have to be prepared for each different exercise before performing at your highest level. This process takes time and energy. Of course, you dont want to exhaust yourself in finding your working set; therefore do not push each warm-up set to muscle failure; especially after the first exercise. The first exercise in your programme will be the one where you will spend the most time in warming-up; the second and third exercises need little preparation time. How do you know what to do for your working set? You will have to increase the weight on each successive set until you find the perfect weight and rep

DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE

Even at 50 I believe I still have room for improvement.

combination to go to muscle failure. Keep in mind that more training is not better; less training is not better either; the precise amount required is best. The harder a person trains, the less time he or she will be able to spend in such training. You can either train hard or train long. Working to this point of muscle failure leads to a dramatic reduction in the amount of time you spend training. You must constantly strive to adjust your training time to the point of doing only what you should do in order to become efficient and productive. Doing more than what is necessary will take you in the wrong direction towards overtraining. The duration of a training session depends also on your mental and physical ability to endure hard and intense training and of course on your physical energy level. TRAINING FREQUENCY We all know that if we really want to progress we have to train hard and intensely. After each tough session its not just your muscles that need time to recover. So does your entire physical system, which is why training hard every day is always a mistake. Immediately after a real workout you dont feel the same as you did before. You feel fatigued, even exhausted, especially if you have trained really hard and intensely. Therefore, the first thing your body must do is recover in order to overcome the deficit in energy you have created. It is during this process of recovery that the body regains its energy and also produces muscle growth. To regain the energy lost during the workout and to make the process of muscle growth occur you have to leave your body alone, undisturbed by further hard training. Only hard training will lead you to obtain positive results and to progress or at least to maintain your current level that you have worked hard to reach, but you can train hard and intensely only if you are in top condition, full of energy, and if you have fully and completely recovered from your last hard and intense workout. Furthermore, the
MUSCLE & FITNESS

132

MUSCLE & FITNESS

133

SEATED MACHINE PRESS

process of recovery takes more than a few hours to complete especially after having trained at 100 per cent of your mental and physical ability. In fact the completion of the recovery process may take up to several days. ACTIVE TRAINING RECOVERY Because the completion of the recovery process may take up to several days, it is worthwhile accelerating the recovery process in order to reduce the time of recovery to the strict minimum. How can we do this? By performing A.R.T. sessions at low intensity levels in between your real training workouts. These will help to accelerate the recovery process and provide an accurate gauge of your current level of energy so you will know precisely when your next training session should take place because you will be in tune with your body and its readiness to perform at its highest levels. Meanwhile, these A.R.T. sessions will create blood ow that will relieve your muscles from all by-products (lactic acid, toxins etc). Whats more, training at low intensity will create a good feeling of relaxation and

more connection to your body whilst the process will clear your mind of thoughts. These A.R.T sessions should last around 30 to 45 minutes maximum and consist of supersets involving antagonist muscles, for example supersetting back with chest, triceps with biceps and shoulders and chest. After performing each superset, stretching and contracting the muscles you have trained will help to rapidly drop your heart rate, connect your mind to the muscles concerned and emphasise your concentration and focus. All of these positive effects caused by stretching/ contracting the muscles are intended to reduce your resting time. It is beneficial to use this method for your real workouts too. Drinking plenty of cold water will help to clean your entire system of all acidity generated by your hard and intense workout. TRAINING PREPARATION I have already mentioned the importance of complete recovery from a real workout, which is a workout performed to the highest possible level. I have also stated how active recovery training sessions can accelerate the recovery process. But even if you are ready to perform, you have to be prepared mentally and physically to succeed with a real workout. How should you do this? Most of the time spent during a real workout should be assigned to warming up and determining your working sets. When we enter the gym to train, our mind must be totally focussed on the task. The very first thing to do before anything else is to reconnect the mind/ focus to the body. Here are some exercises that can do the trick:

Neck warm-up

Legs and calves warm-up

Stand with your feet wide apart in front of the mirror with your hands on your hips. Turn your face alternately to the right and to the left side five times, and then tilt your head to each shoulder five times. Tilt your head forwards and backwards five times and finally do five full circles with your head, in both directions.
Shoulders warm-up

Stand up straight again, place your legs hip-width apart with your feet pointed slightly outwards and squat slowly for 10 reps, then jump on your feet for ten seconds. This warm-up is crucial to reconnect your mind to your entire body in order to start focusing. The second part of your warm-up with light weights will help you to reconnect your mind to some specific muscles, like shoulders and arms. These two muscles are involved in most exercises. Grasp a set of light dumbbells and do one set of ten reps of side laterals for your shoulders, alternated with one set of 10 reps of alternate curls for your biceps. Then continue with one set of triceps pressdowns. These three exercises will warm-up your shoulders and elbows and will increase your muscle awareness; they will make you feel your muscles. Feeling your muscles work while weight training is very important because it helps you get used to the right angles, speed and body position for your real workouts, as well as finding the proper combination of resistance, reps and correct form. Now you are ready to start the progressive resistance process for your first exercise. Again, dont rush. Take the necessary time to progressively increase the resistance or weight on each successive set. It is far better to take more time than to go too fast and miss the point in finding the appropriate weight for your working set, not to mention that when you go too fast you dont enjoy the warm-up process and that can be disturbing. Like all athletes whose goal is to perform their warm-up properly, stretch and contract the muscle concerned the muscle you have to train hard and intensely in order to succeed with your real workout, the workout that will count towards your progression. M&F Benfatto Nutrition Powered by Experience. Visit: www.benfattonutrition.com or www.francisbenfatto.co.za or contact him by email at: fbenfatto2003@yahoo.com
MUSCLE & FITNESS

With your arms positioned straight in front of you and parallel to the oor, cross each hand one over the other ten times, then move your arms (still straight) to your sides and execute 10 small circles to the rear and to the front. Keeping your arms slightly bent, make large full circles forwards and backwards.
Waist and lower back warm-up

2006 Australian Grand Prix: 3rd Vince Taylor, 5th Branch Warren, 6th Francis Benfatto

With your arms on your torso, lean to your right and left side alternately five times, then open your legs wide and lean towards each leg for two seconds, maintaining your back in a straight position. Do this twice. With your feet together, lean forwards and try to touch the ground or your feet with your hands for five seconds (one time only).

The man I am today at 50 is denitely better both mentally and physically. I always liked progression and I like it even more today!

BEHINDTHE-NECK PULLDOWN

134

MUSCLE & FITNESS

135