Thread: Just wanna be lean that's it...

im by no means an expert, but here is my 2 cents

go on a builking diet until you gain all the muscle that u want

then go on a slight cut till u trim off the fat u want to lose

then simply maintain

Getting lean is about diet, if you don't care about putting on any muscle then I suggest you check out the diet and nutrition sections of the board.

Moderate reps are good (8-12). But really In my opinion it doesn't matter if you are doing lower reps with heavier weight( 4-6reps). It is good to mix it up. Just becuase you don't want to be huge doesn't mean you don't want to increase your strenght, right? It is about your diet. If you don't eat big you aren't going to be big. So if you want to maintain a lean muscular physique you need to eat a healthy diet moderate in cals. Too many cals=weight gain.

Originally posted by Akash
I just want to be lean. I don't have any plans to be big, I just want to be lean like Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. So what should my training regime be since I'm not planning on getting huge. More sets, reps, lighter weight? Thanks.

Getting huge isn't easy, it involves a whole lot of training and added calories.
You should always mix up your training regiment. Low rep/high reps ETC. That keeps the muscles in shock and always helps results. Becoming lean means more dieting and more cardio.

Don't compare yourself to anyone, just train hard and get your own type of body. Set small goals to keep yourself motivated, saying you want to be like someone, Arnold for instance, is a hard goal to achieve, then if you don't see those results it will bring you down and make you want to give up.
Train as yourself and then one day Brad and Tom may say I want a body like Akash.

Originally posted by PB&J
Getting huge isn't easy, it involves a whole lot of training and added calories.
You should always mix up your training regiment. Low rep/high reps ETC. That keeps the muscles in shock and always helps results. Becoming lean means more dieting and more cardio.

and proper nutrition.

I disagree about the high reps though.

I disagree about the high reps though.

Why?

Do you disagree with high reps all the time? Or do you disagree with cycling your rep ranges btw. low and high?

I have always cycled rep ranges and gotten great results.

I just do not think that high reps cause muscle adaption, they cause fatigue, but not overload and thus no growth. Of course this has nothing to do with the original topic here.

But higher reps are not useless.

Originally posted by P-funk
But higher reps are not useless.

for gaining size and strength they are.

Right, I am not diagreeing with you. I offered them as a suggestion because of this persons particular goals. He is not interested in gaining size.

now that I re-read this thread, you were not the one I quoted about high reps it was PB&J:

Originally posted by PB&J
Getting huge isn't easy, it involves a whole lot of training and added calories.
You should always mix up your training regiment. Low rep/high reps ETC. That keeps the muscles in shock and always helps results. Becoming lean means more dieting and more cardio.

What do you guys consider "high reps" ?

Originally posted by Prince
now that I re-read this thread, you were not the one I quoted about high reps it was PB&J:

Umm, that's ok your allowed to disagree, I don't hate you.

I Like to change up the routine. I think high reps help with the muscles endurance. I have a book "Big Beyond Belief" where they recommend sometimes adding in sets up to 25 reps. I think Tom Platz has input in that book too. Just IMO everyone's different and reponds differently. I also like to do HIT workouts too.

Originally posted by PB&J
I think high reps help with the muscles endurance.

exactly, but not size/strength.

Originally posted by Prince
exactly, but not size/strength.

Maybe not directly but using high reps WILL help to increase the amount of weight you can do for say 4-6 reps.

I kinda skimmed most of the responses, but here's my two cents. High reps is anything over 12 in a working set,(warmups are usually higher), no matter what you're trying to accomplish, anything over 12 is wasteful. Getting lean involves the same things as getting big but with different diet, more cardio, and different supplements if any.

Pushing the same heavy weights that you've been pushing while at a maintanance calorie or above level you will spare muscle while dieting. There is absolutely no reason to do higher reps (its a myth that high reps will 'tone' a muscle, all a muscle can do is grow [through hyperplasia or hypertrophy]).

That being said, when cutting you should still be pushing heavy weights except with a calorie deficit.

Originally posted by marshal959
anything over 12 is wasteful.

That's a generalization and I disagree.

I also disagree w/ the concept of "higher reps = cutting".

There is a place for high reps occasionally i.e. shock training..total fatique at the end of a set or W/O. However, as stated, you need to be pushing the same amt of w8 you do during maintenance otherwise you're sacrificing LBM.

Originally posted by w8lifter
That's a generalization and I disagree.

I also disagree w/ the concept of "higher reps = cutting".

There is a place for high reps occasionally i.e. shock training..total fatique at the end of a set or W/O. However, as stated, you need to be pushing the same amt of w8 you do during maintenance otherwise you're sacrificing LBM.

What she said.....or even "more" w8!

See Golgi Tendon Organs ..a controversial issue, some believe best trained at higher reps....as are other neural/vascular pathways

Variation and Intensity are crucial!



DP

shouldnt abs and calves be given more than 12 reps?

Hey thanks for the help. Here's my training schedule

Mon-
chest- usually 3 to4 exercises, 3-4 sets, 10 to 15 reps.
shoulders- 3 exercises, 3 sets, 8 to 15 reps (depends on amount of weight and exercise, usually overhead shoulder press less rep)
triceps- 3 exercises, 3-4 sets, 8-15 reps
abs
30 mins cardio

tues-
upper back- usually 3 exercises- 3-4 sets, 10-15 reps
bi's- 3 ex- 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps
abs
45 mins cardio

wed-
legs- quads, hams, calves, glutes- usually 8 exercises, 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps
30-45 mins cardio

thurs- same as mon

fri- same as tues.


Also i was reading that huge Arnold Schwegger(sp?) book about bodybuilding. He says do calves, wrist, and ab exercises everyday. Is this true? I mean he is Arnold but I want everybody's opinion.