Training 101

[samuri_sting]

Hi, I have a question about the importance of resting time and consistent improvement of exercises. I am trying to gain lean muscle (no shit, right), and my strategy right now is to rest two full days between exercising each muscle group. Unfortunately, I am having trouble bumbing up the next level. I have been told that if you don't lift more weight or more reps at each workout than the last one, you are wasting your time. For example, if I did 4sets of 10 reps with a shoulder press, then I would need to do at least 4 sets of 11 reps the next time. So basically, I am kind of stuck with most of my exercises. Any suggestions?

 

[P-funk]

Hi, I have a question about the importance of resting time and consistent improvement of exercises. I am trying to gain lean muscle (no shit, right), and my strategy right now is to rest two full days between exercising each muscle group. Unfortunately, I am having trouble bumbing up the next level. I have been told that if you don't lift more weight or more reps at each workout than the last one, you are wasting your time. For example, if I did 4sets of 10 reps with a shoulder press, then I would need to do at least 4 sets of 11 reps the next time. So basically, I am kind of stuck with most of my exercises. Any suggestions?

you want to try and make some sort of improvement. Not neccessarily adding a rep. Improvement could be made in a varitey of ways.

say you shoulder press 100lbs of 4 sets of 10 reps this week.

next week you could:

a) raise the weight to say 105lbs and try and get 3 sets of 8 and work from there.

b) you could try and decrease your rest intveral. Say you were doing 90sec rest between sets. Next week try 60sec rest.

c) you could try and add a few reps. so try and do 100 for 3 sets of 12 reps.

etc..

lots of ways to progress.

start a new thread and post your complete training routine and we can try and help you out.

 

[samuri_sting]

Hi, I have a question about the importance of resting time and consistent improvement of exercises. I am trying to gain lean muscle (no shit, right), and my strategy right now is to rest two full days between exercising each muscle group. Unfortunately, I am having trouble bumbing up the next level. I have been told that if you don't lift more weight or more reps at each workout than the last one, you are wasting your time. For example, if I did 4sets of 10 reps with a shoulder press, then I would need to do at least 4 sets of 11 reps the next time. So basically, I am kind of stuck with most of my exercises. Any suggestions?

 

[P-funk]

Hi, I have a question about the importance of resting time and consistent improvement of exercises. I am trying to gain lean muscle (no shit, right), and my strategy right now is to rest two full days between exercising each muscle group. Unfortunately, I am having trouble bumbing up the next level. I have been told that if you don't lift more weight or more reps at each workout than the last one, you are wasting your time. For example, if I did 4sets of 10 reps with a shoulder press, then I would need to do at least 4 sets of 11 reps the next time. So basically, I am kind of stuck with most of my exercises. Any suggestions?

you already asked that question. i answered it above.

 

[P-funk]

another great link to exercise descriptions and video clips brought to you buy ForemanRules.

click me

 

[topolo]

That is a good site.

 

[jasonwilks]

Thanks for the cool links!

 

[mike456]

p-funk, I noticed you have step-ups under hip-dominant, isn't that a quad-dominant?

 

[P-funk]

p-funk, I noticed you have step-ups under hip-dominant, isn't that a quad-dominant?

depends on how high the step is on how much hip activity you will get. A short step is pretty much just knee extension because you are locking out. A higher step is going to really require lots of glute to push you up.

In general, any of the squatting type movements are going to have a lot of both and there are lots of things to take into consideration when evealuating the movement...hip position, ROM at the knee, trunk angle, etc....

I have since given it more thought and I now try and break the lifts down into:

lower body pulling:
deadlifts (and all the varations.....sumo, RDL, conventional, SLDL, one leg, trap bar, leg curls, glute ham, hypers (depending on where you set the pad).

and

Lower body pushing (or squatting movements):
squats, front squats, bulgarian squats, lunge variations, split squats, step ups, leg ext (don't use those that much ever though), etc..


Hope that helps.

 

[CowPimp]

The other thing you have to consider with stepups and exercises like reverse or walking lunges, is that you are not only pushing yourself up, but you're pulling yourself forward. This means more hip action, even though the bulk of resistance you are going up against is in the downward direction, there is still inertria on the horizontal plane.

However, when I design programs for clients and myself, I usually do it the way P mentions. If there is a significant amount of knee extension, then I think of it as a quad-dominant movements since most people need the extra work on their posterior chain anywya.

 

[STARBERRY]

I was told that you should never lift more than your weight, is this true?

 

[P-funk]

I was told that you should never lift more than your weight, is this true?

huh?


Like, if you weight 150lbs you should never lift more then that? No...that is completly false.

Who told you that? I want their name. Give it to me now.

 

[PWGriffin]

The other thing you have to consider with stepups and exercises like reverse or walking lunges, is that you are not only pushing yourself up, but you're pulling yourself forward. This means more hip action, even though the bulk of resistance you are going up against is in the downward direction, there is still inertria on the horizontal plane.

However, when I design programs for clients and myself, I usually do it the way P mentions. If there is a significant amount of knee extension, then I think of it as a quad-dominant movements since most people need the extra work on their posterior chain anywya.

I was also under the impression that if you were closer to the platform you were stepping onto that it was more quad dominant, and if you stepped further out onto the platform it became more hip dominant..any truth to this??

 

[P-funk]

teh further away from the step you are the harder it is going to be to get your body mass over your center of gravity (the foot on the bench) and the more you are going to push with that back leg. get close enough to not use that back leg at all.

 

[motopsyko32]

i read the sticky

 

[P-funk]

i read the sticky

 

[crisg555]

I read the sticky too.

 

[P-funk]

damn, this shit is contagious.

 

[StanUk]

P-Funk: Very good sticky, very informative and some great info in there, good job!

 

[Alpha]

Yah this is very good stuff, very informative and definitely a great help to newbies.

Thanks for the excellent post P-funk!

 

[Bernie2]

Thanks for the information. I agree with your philosophy of working uppers one day and then lower the next. Too easy to overtrain otherwise. Thanks for the info on not slowing down muscle shortening phase. That is a mistake I have been making.

 

[digitalfreedom]

nice post...im glad i read it bf posting my crap on here hahaha

 

[Makaveli1]

I don't get it, why not just work out the whole body at one time?
i work out triceps, biceps, chest, legs(only squats since i don't go to a gym and have no equipment),abs, and cardio in one day...i guess I'm not doing this shit right then

 

[P-funk]

I don't get it, why not just work out the whole body at one time?
i work out triceps, biceps, chest, legs(only squats since i don't go to a gym and have no equipment),abs, and cardio in one day...i guess I'm not doing this shit right then

I am a big advocate of total body training (as are most here). I don't understand your question at all.

 

[Makaveli1]

"In general there are a few splits I like:

- Total body 3 days per week with 1 day of rest between each workout.

- day 1- upper, day 2- lower, day 3- off, day 4- upper, day 5- lower, day 6 and 7- off

- day 1- upper push (chest, shoulder, tri), day 2- legs, day 3- upper pull (back and bi). With a day of rest inbetween workouts.

- day 1- upper, day 2- lower, day 3- total body. With a day of rest inebween workouts."

 

[BoneCrusher]

"In general there are a few splits I like:

- Total body 3 days per week with 1 day of rest between each workout.

- day 1- upper, day 2- lower, day 3- off, day 4- upper, day 5- lower, day 6 and 7- off

- day 1- upper push (chest, shoulder, tri), day 2- legs, day 3- upper pull (back and bi). With a day of rest inbetween workouts.

- day 1- upper, day 2- lower, day 3- total body. With a day of rest inebtween workouts."

Is that one day really enough recovery time to make serious gains? Thought we were supposed to switch it up so that we had more recovery time ...

 

[P-funk]

"In general there are a few splits I like:

- Total body 3 days per week with 1 day of rest between each workout.

- day 1- upper, day 2- lower, day 3- off, day 4- upper, day 5- lower, day 6 and 7- off

- day 1- upper push (chest, shoulder, tri), day 2- legs, day 3- upper pull (back and bi). With a day of rest inbetween workouts.

- day 1- upper, day 2- lower, day 3- total body. With a day of rest inebween workouts."

the first one on the list is total body workouts......what are you asking?

 

[P-funk]

Is that one day really enough recovery time to make serious gains? Thought we were supposed to switch it up so that we had more recovery time ...

huh?

 

[BoneCrusher]

I don't get it, why not just work out the whole body at one time?
i work out triceps, biceps, chest, legs(only squats since i don't go to a gym and have no equipment),abs, and cardio in one day...i guess I'm not doing this shit right then

"In general there are a few splits I like:

- Total body 3 days per week with 1 day of rest between each workout.

- day 1- upper, day 2- lower, day 3- off, day 4- upper, day 5- lower, day 6 and 7- off

- day 1- upper push (chest, shoulder, tri), day 2- legs, day 3- upper pull (back and bi). With a day of rest inbetween workouts.

- day 1- upper, day 2- lower, day 3- total body. With a day of rest inebween workouts."

At first he seamed to be suggesting total body work outs each day with cardio, but then he added that post and clarified that he is just wanting to hit each group in rotation while working the entire body on a weekly schedule ... I think.

I was asking in case he is suggesting that he work out all groups everytime he works out that he needs to follow the splits he posted. Recovery time is a must.

Had me baffled for a sec is all ... seemed to post one thing one minute and something to opposite the next

 

[P-funk]

At first he seamed to be suggesting total body work outs each day with cardio, but then he added that post and clarified that he is just wanting to hit each group in rotation while working the entire body on a weekly schedule ... I think.

I was asking in case he is suggesting that he work out all groups everytime he works out that he needs to follow the splits he posted. Recovery time is a must.

Had me baffled for a sec is all ... seemed to post one thing one minute and something to opposite the next

Oh. I didn't know who you were referring too. I thought your statement was for me, which is why it didn't seem like it made sense.