3-6-9 Methodby Chad Waterbury

Over the course of my career as a trainer and coach I’ve used every imaginablecombination of sets, reps, and load. Some worked out well; others were quicklyincinerated. But one method has quickly risen to the top of my elite list of parameters.It’s a precise combination of reps, sets, load, rest, and exercise selection that’s yieldedboth size and strength gains at an alarming rate. Interested? I bet you are! Read on.

It’s been said that most people who seek size and strength, at the same time, should rarelydo more than 10 reps per set. Generally speaking, I think that’s pretty good advice forintermediate to advanced-level people. Why? Because you’ll be able to lift a large loadif you keep your reps below the double- digit mark. From a motor unit recruitmentstandpoint, that’s very important.

You see, the goal of any muscle and strength building training session should be torecruit as many motor units as possible. When you lift large loads, such as those thatdon’t allow for more than 10 reps per set, you recruit most of your available motor unitpool. Since most of your motor units get recruited with a large load, you’ll build size andstrength fast because you aren’t leaving any motor units to passively hang around.

A motor unit is defined as the motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates. Eachmotor unit can innervate anywhere from tens to thousands of muscle fibers. The motorunits that innervate muscles that control fine motor patterns (e.g., fingers) have very fewmuscle fibers; whereas the motor units that innervate your big, massive muscle groups(e.g., hamstrings) have thousands of muscle fibers. If you want to build size and strengthfast, this is precisely the reason why people should focus their efforts on a deadliftsinstead of wrist curls.

Therefore, the first step in building a bigger, stronger physique is to choose exercises thatrecruit the most motor units. A deadlift or squat recruits hundreds of muscles, bicepscurls don’t. So even if you mustered up maximum effort during a set of biceps curls, andrecruit all of your biceps muscles, it still wouldn’t significantly increase your overallmuscle mass because the number of motor units in your biceps is very low relative to themajor movers involved in the deadlift or squat.

What I’m trying to say is that exercise selection is paramount if you want to get big andstrong. But even the best exercises performed with the highest intensities will leave youburnt-out if you don’t constantly manipulate one important training variable. What’s thisvariable that I’m referring to? Reps, my friend.

If I had to list my top reasons why most people don’t succeed on training programs, oneof the reasons is because they don’t change their reps often enough. It’s important tounderstand that your nervous system will adapt to a constant rep pattern quickest. Yep,you read that right: your body will adapt to a rep scheme before it adapts to sets, rest

periods, or exercises. Indeed, it makes perfect sense to devise a training plan that takesinto account this shortcoming.

Before I delve into this topic much further, let me explain why it’s imperative that youconstantly alter your rep ranges.

Rate of Motor Unit Recruitment

Anytime you lift a barbell, dumbbell, or your inebriated mother-in-law off the floor afterNew Year’s Eve, your nervous system initiates a pattern of motor unit recruitment.Research has demonstrated that this pattern is basically set, regardless of the load youuse. The first motor units you recruit are those that innervate the smallest, endurancemuscles: these are known as slow (S) motor units. The second motor units thrown intothe task are known as fatigue-resistant (FR) motor units. The last motor units – thebiggest and strongest motor units – are knows as fast-fatigable (FF) motor units.

The reason why your smallest (weakest) muscles are recruited first is because your bodyalways attempts to do any movement with the least amount of energy possible. (It makessense, after all, because you don’t want to recruit all your available motor units if youonly need to pick up a pencil.) The last motor units that can be recruited are your biggest,strongest motor units. This motor unit recruitment phenomenon that starts with thesmallest and merges toward the biggest is known in Neuroscience circles as the SizePrinciple.

It takes a heavy load or a very fast tempo to tap into those large (FF) motor units.Nevertheless, it’s important to understand that the time it takes to recruit those biggest,strongest motor units can vary. When you perform a 1-3 repetition maximum (RM) therate of total motor unit recruitment is very fast. Indeed, the large load forces you torecruit all of your available motor unit pool within a few seconds or else the barbell willsend you crashing to the floor. On the other hand, a relatively small load such as a 30RM doesn’t require you to recruit all of your motor units until you reach the last few reps(even then it’s still debatable whether all the motor units were recruited with such a smallload, as I’ll get to shortly). Regardless, a 3RM forces you to recruit all of your availablemotor unit pool much faster than a 30RM. The time it takes to reach your biggest,strongest motor units can be referred to as the rate of motor unit recruitment.

Even though there’s no relevant strength training research to support this topic, I believethat our nervous system quickly adapts to constant rep ranges because of the rate ofmotor unit recruitment. Generally speaking, if you do nothing but three reps per set yourrate of motor unit recruitment doesn’t vary. As such, the nervous system probably makesthis neural pattern very efficient. Now, don’t be fooled when I mention the word“efficient.” What I mean is that the nervous system has no reason to recruit more motorunits when the rate of motor unit recruitment doesn’t vary.

Remember what I said earlier about your body always looking for ways to do things theeasiest way possible? In terms of building bigger, stronger muscles, that’s not

necessarily a good thing. You see, a motor pattern becomes efficient because the nervoussystem finds ways to devote fewer and fewer motor units to the task. What we want todo, however, is recruit more and more motor units over time. And the way to recruitmore motor units is to constantly keep the nervous system guessing. How do we do that?By constantly manipulating the reps with each workout.

Loading and Motor Unit Recruitment

Before I talk about loading, let me explain what that word means. Those of us who wereforced to sit through endless Physics courses were taught that a weight is actually a load.So when I speak in terms of load, what I’m really referring to is the amount of weightthat’s on the barbell. Confusing? Probably. But it keeps me from receiving nasty emailsfrom my past professors who threaten to alter my transcript if I don’t acquiesce.

Second, I’ve been talking in terms of motor units. Now, don’t forget that a motor unit isa collection of muscle fibers and the associated motor neuron. So while there’s only onemotor neuron per motor unit, there can be thousands of muscle fibers innervated by thatmotor neuron. Importantly, all of the muscle fibers in any given motor unit are basicallythe same muscle fiber type – there’s not a mix of muscle fibers in each motor unit.Here’s a table of what I’ve discussed up to this point:

Motor Unit Motor Neuron Force ProductionS Small Low

FR Medium MediumFF Large High

Now, let’s get to the good stuff.

It’s no surprise that the 3-6-9 Method has yielded such outstanding results with myclients. After all, those numbers refer to the amount of reps you’ll be doing over thecourse of three workouts each week. No set of any exercise in this program will ever hitthe double-digit mark, and no two subsequent workouts will consist of the same numberof reps per set. Why’s that important?

If you’ve been training for more than two years, and if you can bench your bodyweightand deadlift twice your bodyweight, that’s a good starting point. One thing that hashappened over the course of your tenure in the gym is that your nervous system hasenhanced its ability to recruit more motor units, and recruit them more quickly.(Yippee!) So what once took you 12 reps to recruit your available motor unit pool hasbeen truncated down to around 6-8 reps. In other words, you’re now able to recruit youravailable motor units in less time, thus you can train with larger loads and recruit most ofyour motor units.

With that said, there are certainly times when, say, 30 reps per set is beneficial, regardlessof how long you’ve been lifting. But from a pure strength and size standpoint, youshould strive to recruit as many motor units as possible in each workout. The problem

with using a load, such as a 30RM, is that it’s possible to finish the set without recruitingall of your available motor units. How’s that possible, even if you reach failure?

The answer lies in the deep, dark, and relatively complex realm of muscle fiberproperties. You see, there are three primary muscle fiber types known as type I, type IIA,and type IIB/X. Type I are the smallest, weakest muscle fibers that are recruited first.Type IIB/X are the biggest, strongest muscle fibers that are recruited last. Type IIA fallsomewhere in between – they’re recruited after type I and before type IIB/X. Also, itmust be mentioned that type I fibers have the greatest endurance capabilities while typeIIB/X have the least. And the type IIA fibers have moderately high endurance qualities.

Here’s how it all breaks down:

Motor Unit Motor Neuron Muscle Fiber Force Production EnduranceS Small Type I Low High

FR Medium Type IIA Medium Medium-HighFF Large Type IIB/X High Low

The goal of training for bigger and stronger muscles should be to tap into those typeIIB/X muscle fibers. Importantly, when you reach the type IIB/X muscle fibers, the othertwo primary fiber types (types I and IIA) are also recruited. It doesn’t work the otherway around, though. So if you only tap into the type I and type IIA muscle fibers, thetype IIB/X fibers aren’t recruited. Remember, we want maximum motor unitrecruitment. The only way to recruit all your motor units is to tap into those type IIB/Xmuscle fibers because the type I and type IIA fibers must also be recruited because of theSize Principle.

You’re probably wondering what all this has to do with a 30RM load? Well, a 30RMprimarily targets type I and type IIA muscle fibers. Type I muscle fibers don’t haveenough strength to lift any reputable load - even if all of your type I fibers are recruited -so I’ll pick on the type IIA fibers. As mentioned, type IIA muscle fibers have moderateamounts of endurance capabilities. Basically, they can sustain muscle contractionbecause they rely on an energy system that recovers quicker than type IIB/X fibers. Whatthis means is the type IIA muscle fibers can probably fatigue and recover during thecourse of a 30RM set. In other words, their recovery ability overcomes the need to tapinto the biggest, strongest muscle fibers that have the most potential for growth.

Okay, enough with the recondite talk. Let’s move on from science to the weight room!

3-6-9 Method

So that’s why I’m here. I’ve found a highly effective way to get the best of all worlds.With this training program you’ll use exercises that recruit the most motor units, andyou’ll use training loads that recruit the most motor units, too. Finally, you’ll constantly

manipulate the reps just enough to escalate your size and strength without burning outany rep range.

And this, my friends, is a 6-week plan that revolves around the soon-to-be-revered 3-6-9Method!

PHASE I (Weeks 1-3)

DAY 1

Sets: 6Reps: 3Load: 5RM or 85% of your 1RMRest: 30s between each exercise (A1, rest 30s, A2, rest 30s, A3, rest 30s, A4, rest 30s,A1, etc.)

A1 Front squatA2 Chin-upA3 Dumbbell Romanian deadliftA4 Push press

After all 6 cycles of A1-A4 perform 15 minutes of total-body stretching.

DAY 2

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): perform 12 minutes of HIIT on a treadmill, or byrunning outside. Go easy for 50s, then sprint for 10s. Continue with this sequence for 12minutes.

DAY 3

Sets: 4Reps: 6Load: 8RM or 78% of your 1RMRest: 45s between each exercise pairing (A1, rest 45s, A2, rest 45s, A1, rest 45s, A2, etc.)

A1 Reverse lunge (alternate legs with each rep for a total of 12 reps)A2 One arm dumbbell row (don’t rest between arms)

B1 Ab wheelB2 Dumbbell bench press on a flat bench

C1 Dumbbell external rotation (don’t rest between arms)C2 Dumbbell triceps extension on a decline bench

After all exercise pairings are completed perform 15 minutes of total-body stretching.

DAY 4

Off

DAY 5

Sets: 3Reps: 9Load: 10RM or 76% of your 1RMRest: 45s between each exercise pairing

A1 Good morningA2 Standing hammer curl

B1 Push-up plus on a swiss ballB2 Reverse wrist curl with EZ curl bar (aka, wrist extension)

C1 Hip abduction (use a cable, machine, or plate)C2 Hip adduction (use a cable, machine, or plate)

D1 Reverse crunch on a slant board (use ankle weights, if needed)D2 Dip

After all exercise pairings are completed perform 15 minutes of total-body stretching.

DAY 6

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): perform 12 minutes of HIIT on an exercise bike.Go easy for 50s, then sprint for 10s. Continue with this sequence for 12 minutes.

DAY 7

Off

DAY 8

Repeat cycle for 2 more weeks.

PROGRESSION FOR PHASE I (do the following each week)

DAY 1: Add one set to each workout; keep the load constant.DAY 2: Add one minute to the running sprints.DAY 3: Increase the load 2% or 5 pounds, whichever is less.DAY 5: Decrease each rest period by 5s, keep the load constant.DAY 6: Add one minute to the bike sprints.

PHASE II (Weeks 4-6)

DAY 1

Sets: 6Reps: 3Load: 5RM or 85% of your 1RMRest: 30s between each exercise (A1, rest 30s, A2, rest 30s, A3, rest 30s, A4, rest 30s,A1, etc.)

A1 Snatch grip deadliftA2 One arm dumbbell row (don’t rest between arms)A3 Overhead squatA4 Dip

After all 6 cycles of A1-A4 perform 15 minutes of total-body stretching.

DAY 2

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): perform 12 minutes of HIIT on a treadmill, or byrunning outside. Go easy for 45s, then sprint for 15s. Continue with this sequence for 12minutes.

DAY 3

Sets: 4Reps: 6Load: 8RM or 78% of your 1RMRest: 45s between each exercise pairing (A1, rest 45s, A2, rest 45s, A1, rest 45s, A2, etc.)

A1 Dumbbell push pressA2 Wide grip pull-up

B1 Front squatB2 Push-up plus on a swiss ball (use a weighted vest, if needed)

C1 Hip abductionC2 Hip adduction

After all exercise pairings are completed perform 15 minutes of total-body stretching.

DAY 4

Off

DAY 5

Sets: 3Reps: 9Load: 10RM or 76% of your 1RMRest: 45s between each exercise pairing

A1 Dumbbell Romanian deadliftA2 Standing cable bench press

B1 Wood chop (don’t rest between sides)B2 Reverse wrist curl with EZ curl bar (aka, wrist extension)

C1 Side lunge (alternate legs with each rep for a total of 18)C2 Ab wheel

D1 Chin-upD2 Seated calf raise

After all exercise pairings are completed perform 15 minutes of total-body stretching.

DAY 6

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): perform 12 minutes of HIIT on an exercise bike.Go easy for 45s, then sprint for 15s. Continue with this sequence for 12 minutes.

DAY 7

Off

DAY 8

Repeat cycle for 2 more weeks.

PROGRESSION FOR PHASE II (do the following each week)

DAY 1: Increase the load 2% or 5 pounds, whichever is less.DAY 2: Add one minute to the running sprints.DAY 3: Decrease each rest period by 5s, keep the load constant.DAY 5: Add one rep to sets 1 and 2, keep the load constant.DAY 6: Add one minute to the bike sprints.

Chad Waterbury is one of the world’s leading experts on developing muscle for the goalof enhancing human performance. His novel training methods are used by athletes,

bodybuilders, figure models, corporate executives, and fitness enthusiasts of all ages andfrom all walks of life. He has an M.S. in physiology from the University of Arizona, andhe specializes in the neurophysiology of movement and performance. He currently trains,consults, and lectures around the country, and also contributes to numerous newsstandand online publications. His book, Muscle Revolution, can be purchased at www.t-nation.comwww.chadwaterbury.com