Bodybuilding and Physique Enhancement Maximized with Zone Training™!

The results that I have experienced are nothing short of breathtaking... I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming! Consider that I am still on a calorie deficit diet and have somehow managed to add 3/4 of an inch to my cold upper arm measurement as a result! My upper arms, when I initially switched to the method, were exactly 18-inches cold and would go up to a 18 5/16ths when pumped after a set of biceps curls and one set of hammer curls. They are now 18 3/4 cold and balloon up to 19 1/4 inches after a set of biceps curls and a set of hammer curls. The only difference being that I perform them JReps™ fashion. - Gareth Coombes

Forget Creatine and 'Cell Volumizers', JReps™/Zone Training™ is the the best volumizer I've ever tried. For something that appears so simple on the surface, the results are astounding. I gradually fine tuned my JReps™ implementation over the last few weeks (after a lot of detailing) and I've hit the target! - Robert Morrison

I must say that my shoulders felt more pumped and destroyed than they ever have. - Josh Ryan

Your first JReps™ book is excellent. It takes HIT training to new heights. Thanks for the innovation. - Steve Turner

For all the pain JReps™ put me through... holy crap... my triceps are still pumped and I finished my workout an hour ago. I am very excited to work my back next workout but I am not looking forward to the pain of a leg workout... ;-) Thanks again for the great info, the JReps™ book was awesome. - Adrian Schilling

I'm now currently 249lbs, But I've dropped 6 lbs of body fat from 255lbs. I've now been dieting for 2.5 weeks and everyone is telling me I am looking a lot leaner and bigger. You have to keep your ego outside the gym when using j-reps and perfect technique/form. But I just wanted to mess around on incline bench for kicks to see how much stronger I've gotten. Well, I warmed up with 225lbs and did it for an EXTREMELY EASY 12 reps for warming up. Some guy couldn't believe I was warming up with 225lbs again this is just a warm up and I just wanted to see how this felt. I then proceeded to drop the weight back down to 185lbs and do the JReps™ Extreme Thirds.... I did the bottom zone for 10 contractions, and the middle zone for 9 contractions, and by the time I got to the top zone, my chest was so pumped and my triceps where so fatigued, that I was only able to achieve 5 reps in the top zone. And then I did my back with JReps™™, and my lats, traps, and biceps were exploding out of my XXL underarmor shirt. - Farris Baba

If we are to believe Arthur Jones' advice to look for ways to make exercise harder and briefer then this is definitely harder and brief. - Richard Chartrand

No doubt JReps™ is the best of the best since my career in training. Everyone is saying I am becoming a monster... day by day same comments from people at the gym, at home, at work, everywhere, and I see the results. I arrived finally at 18-inches arm with JReps™™ and everyone is asking if I'm on drugs, but I'm not. They don't believe. it I must thank you for letting me know about JReps™. Old traditional lifting is finished. - Shakeel

JReps™ has really increased my overall physique and has brought up a lot of weak points. - John D'Ambrosio

Since I have been using JReps™ for the past 5 weeks, I can honestly say that this style of lifting is like a breath of fresh air. I no longer dread working out like I did with Heavy Duty and HD Consolidation training. By using much less weight and focusing on the breathing and muscle contraction techniques, my joints are starting to feel better and the muscle pumps are awesome. I'm already noticing better shape starting to take place, most particularly in the outer pecs and biceps. I don't feel drained like I did trying to lift heavier and heavier weights to failure (HD style), and so I can say that everything you wrote about in your book is proving to be factual. Right now I'm enjoying the process of trying
the different JReps™ protocols with various exercises, along with experimenting on frequency and volume. Excellent work on all of the research you have done, and thank you for FINALLY convincing me that trying to lift heavier weights for a few exercises and employing long rest periods (HD Consolidation) does not provide the best stimulus for muscular growth and development for natural bodybuilding. - Jim Ellcessor

I am so excited about your new method I am buying one for my buddy for his birthday. I have gained 3-4 pounds and showed very visual differences on my body to a degree that my wife even made positive comments as to my physique. She is a physician and has a very keen eye, and I didn't tell her that I have been experimenting with a new method of training. She noticed the difference after one or two workouts! BTW, I experienced zero hypertrophy w/ SS, only 'strength' gains and joint pain. You have again renewed my excitement with physical development. I am definitely switching from super - slow to JReps™. - Rick Yeung

I still can't believe how efficient a single set of JReps™ can be, how much inroad and fatigue I feel after it - and how little I can sometimes handle. Also, the days after effects are still there..fuller and harder all the time. Simply put, great job. I look forward to experimenting further. - Adam Reid

I have one thing to say about JReps™: Unbelievable! As I fine tune my workouts and select exercises I favor, and set rep goals, the execution of these reps leaves my muscles destroyed, full and dense for several days after the session. During the set, the muscle fills with fluid as I perform very controlled contractions... and as fatigue sets in, I move to the next segment. Then about three reps into that zone I feel a warm rush spreading across the muscle, and more fluid screaming into my cells. This is a feeling I have never felt before with all my years of quality training. I am still fine tuning my sets, and finding myself more eager then ever to return for further experimentation. I predict that JReps™ will make traditional full-range training a thing of the past. Unbelievable. - Stephen Downes

JReps™ are amazing. I thought I had some intense workouts in the past - not until, but I did a full run of JReps™. The book was a very good read - and even better putting theory to practical application. - Chuck Rainey

I just finished my chest and triceps workout. WOW! I can't straighten my arms and it's all your fault! Thanks! I feel like this concept is a true breakthrough. Thanks again for this amazing concept! - Craig Huntington

All I did was 1 set of JReps™ squats and I am cursing
every time I climb the stairs. - Marlin Koch

I am really excited about being in the gym again and I know I am going to see great progress. Plus, I am using a much lighter weight than I was using for a full range full body workout, and so I know this is going to be much better on my 48 year old joints. - Peter D'Cruz

I deem it is one of the most exciting prospects I have come across in a long, long time. One that pans out in both theory and application! I believe as people experience and see the changes that will occur through the use of JReps™, most will move away from full ROM training. I know for myself breaking exercises into segments is much more exciting as I can then focus on a range without fear of having to stop just because of the sticking point. This is a literal gold mine for advanced trainees! There is so much scope to experiment with, to keep the theory alive and exciting!!! The incredible pumps help to support the psychological aspect... the
'rush and fix' of every hardcore bodybuilder out there. I want to commend you for thinking this thing out as thoroughly and efficiently as you have. This is unique, moving well beyond what us advanced trainees have done in the past, which mentally and physically is refreshing and exhilarating. - Kevin Dye

 

A Few JReps™ Details (An excerpt from the book The Johnston Rep Method - JReps™) By Brian D. Johnston Too much emphasis is placed on set and exercise schemes, and not enough emphasis on how the sets and exercises should be performed for optimum effect. I am no different from most people who exercise, in that I like strong muscles and being healthy, but my prime objective and motivator to exercise is to look good. I enjoy seeing my abdominals, the veins running through my arms, the separation in my quadriceps, and the feel of pumped, firm musculature. It is a mental rush. This obsession has inspired me to experiment with any and all types of training methods, to discover what works best to optimize development. And in that journey I have made some important observations, although they tend to be different from what other people have or will recommend, and likely, from my perspective, because they are looking for the wrong things, or they look at the bigger picture but in the wrong light. For example, most people think very linearly about exercise, in that they recommend a 'program' that often is quite static, such as 'x' number of sets for a muscle, or some type of combination, such as 5 sets of 5, or 10 sets of 10. Conversely, I believe that exercise demands need to change, in that there should be times whereby volume and even frequency increase. The time for such an increase would depend on the person, e.g., having the motivation and overall reduced stress levels to undertake a more challenging routine. However, because of recovery limitations, those higher demands need to return to a more tolerable measure eventually and before any signs of overtraining transpire. The book Apex deals with this aspect of long-term training implementation. Others have claimed that to optimize exercise, one needs to have machines with 'perfect' (or, at least, 'ideal') force curves. The fact that many well-muscled individuals exist without the use of such machines, whether on steroids or not, should make it apparent that a well-made tool may provide a more efficient, quality-driven workout, but that the more important facet is 'how' the tool is used. And this is why free weights or cable exercises can be as effective for developing muscle as what is possible with machines. And so, what have I determined to be of greatest value in optimizing muscle? Intensity of effort is a given, a factor that I will only address in passing. Fundamentally, even those who do not believe in training to muscular fatigue still are aware of the necessity to train 'hard enough,' in that sitting and staring at a weight will not produce muscular change, and neither will dozens of sets of easy, light-weight training. There has to be enough of a load on the muscles, and when the load increases progressively (which is the nature of strength training, in order to enhance strength levels), this ensures that intensity of effort will be high or maximum. And when intensity of effort is high, then the number of sets and frequency will not be very high ­ cannot be very high so that the stress levels remain within tolerable means and the trainee can recover between workouts. Hence, there does exist very basic attributes to any proper exercise program when the focus is to enhance muscle and strength. But with those trainees who do train hard, who do put forth every ounce of effort, they oftentimes hit a wall in progress, and will contemplate a change to a sub-fatigue higher volume approach. This works for a number of reasons, such as: 1) A change of pace can produce further progress simply because it is a change, and not because the sub-fatigue higher volume approach is superior (particularly over the long-term); 2) The increase in volume can have a positive effect on muscle pump, which phenomenon does have a positive effect on growth (to be discussed later); and 3) The increase in muscular contractions per workout could have a positive effect on growth (although hypothetical, I believe it to be true). From my experiences, I noticed that more contractions are better than fewer contractions, such as 10 contractions vs. 5 contractions in a set that would last 60 seconds, for example. The problem is, if your sets last 60 seconds, it is difficult to perform 'more' contractions without moving progressively faster, to the point whereby quality of movement decreases (less muscular control and tension, and more momentum and use of stored energy ), and the risk of injury increases (for the same reasons). Moreover, eventually any 'higher-volume' routine runs out of steam, since intensity of effort still is a primary, and as the trainee attempts to use more weight on the higher-volume routine, it is necessary to employ progressively greater effort. This is true since strength is finite, and the more weight you attempt to use in an exercise, to challenge the muscles in order to make them larger and stronger, the more likely it will be that you will train to fatigue. But how does one increase muscle pump, the number of contractions per workout (or per unit of time) without moving faster, without increasing the risk of injury, and without implementing a traditional 'high-volume' approach to exercise? The answer to this question came to me after I experimented with JReps', but suffice it to say, my 'accidental' discovery may not have been so accidental, in that I did observe a few related and quintessential factors in physical development and responses to exercise: 1. In the context of a workout, it is how you use the tool to train the muscle that is most important, i.e., the style of performance. 2. In the context of a routine, there needs to exist constant variety and unique challenges on the muscle, so that the muscle has less an opportunity to adapt to the exercise stimulus, in order to adapt by improving in function and size. 3. In the context of long-term application, exercise demands need to fluctuate, so as to force the muscles to a higher state of function. Points 2 and 3 share some commonalities, but they are different. Certainly altering exercise demands is a method of employing variety, but when addressing variety I mean changing the exercises, their order, and how they are performed. On the other hand, fluctuating exercise demands refers to the measure of sets, frequency and set variable integration, i.e., to create greater or lesser burdens on the muscles. Most of us are in the dark when it comes to altering exercise demands over the long-term, since it can be difficult to determine how much should be performed out of the ordinary. If you find 5 sets for a muscle ideal most of the time, should you try 8 sets and for how long? I can't answer this for you since it really depends on your ability to tolerate exercise strain, what you are used to, how hard you train, etc. As per the book Apex, I have found that an increase of volume by 100% and an increase of frequency of about 50-100% (above normal, tolerable levels) cannot be sustained more than two weeks before needing to return to a 'usual' routine ­ not without incurring negative consequences. With the issue of exercise variety, a regular change-up of exercises and their order often will suffice, together with the odd set variable such as forced repetitions. The style of performance, however, is the area in which I want to address for this book, since I believe the way in which a person exercises, to optimize each set, which then serves to optimize each workout of a routine, is of primary importance. After all, we need to focus on the small things (the rep) in order to have a proper and positive influence on the big things from sets, to workouts, to routines, and to the achievement of long-term goals. But do not misinterpret what I am about to share with you to be a promise of 18-inch arms, or that you will be 'huge.' As previously alluded to, hard work is a primary factor no matter how you lift a weight, and so that needs to be in place. Performing an appropriate number of sets, too, is of importance. When you put all those things together, and apply an appropriate lifting style, then you have a winning combination to help you achieve the most that your genetics will allow. Now, the issue of proper lifting style is in debate, and again people think too linearly. For the most part, recommendations are as follows: 'lift the weight up and then lower the weight back down.' Very straight forward. Fewer people will put more thought into the formula, and will recommend slow, controlled movement in order to maintain tension throughout the full range of an exercise. I believe in this latter aspect, in that control and quality of tension/muscular contraction is vital. But I have found further that altering the method of how a weight is lifted, beyond the issues of constant tension and safety tends to have a very positive influence on my muscles, whether to increase their size or to maintain fullness and hardness much better and for longer between workouts. An example would be the 21-method, whereby 7 repetitions are performed for the first half of the range, followed by 7 repetitions for the other half, and followed by 7 full range repetitions. Of course, this could be called the 15-method if you decide to perform 5-5-5 rather than 7-7-7, but the '21' method has a better 'blackjack' ring to it, and the reader likely realizes how emotionally fixated we can be when it comes to the mystique of numbers and the 'sound' of a name. Although altering the manner in which I performed an exercise proved favorable, about 10 years ago I noticed the best effect when I implemented bottom range partials, whereby the 'stretched' half of an exercise is performed, and which is one aspect of JReps'. I further noticed that some styles of lifting produced a greater pump, such as 1 1/2 reps and those, too, had an influence on the fullness and hardness of my muscles between workouts. And interestingly, I implemented JReps™ in early 2005 in order to optimize exercise performance/feel on the Bowflex machine. It was shortly thereafter that I decided to experiment with this method and then discovered that it works incredibly well with other equipment, from free weights to variable resistance machines, and even body-weight exercises. What you will experience when implementing JReps™ is high volume contractions within a low volume of sets. This is what makes the method so effective, in that a great amount of work, blood pumping and muscle fiber activation throughout an exercise's full range of motion occurs in very brief workouts. Moreover, JReps™ allow you to customize each set of any exercise, so that areas that once felt easy can feel very challenging, and that any zone within an exercise's ROM becomes an effective training zone for optimum growth potential. Because of this, JReps™ reflect the overload principle better than any other method, in that each zone is overloaded to its optimum capacity, which means stimulating more muscle fibers than traditional training. And the more muscle fibers you stimulate, the greater the resulting muscle pump. This effect becomes obvious to those who integrate JReps™ properly and with vigor, as it becomes easier to lift or move everyday items. You see, when you lift or move something heavy, the muscles move a little, but they try to maintain an isometric position as much as possible, since you are stronger isometrically than you are when moving concentrically. Therefore, the body will attempt to maintain an isometric contraction to provide you the best lifting advantage. No one picks up something heavy, such as a box filled with books, and moves the arms up and down while walking with the load. Rather, you hold it close to your center of gravity and maintain the position to the best of your ability, to make the task easier. JReps™ involve constant motion, but because the range is concentrated or limited, it better reflects an isometric environment than does full range exercise. And together with greater loading and inroading of specific muscle fibers within each zone of an exercise movement, the carry-over effect you will experience in everyday activities will be more significant. Hence, improved strength throughout the entire range of motion of a muscle makes JReps™ a vital training methodology for the average person, those progressing through injury rehabilitation, and for competitive athletes. (In regard to rehab, a superior pump has a positive effect on nutrient delivery and pain/inflammation reduction, and painful areas of exercise can be avoided or targeted specifically, as required.)

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