Thread: Addition to routine

Bodyweight exercises and cardio aren't going to help you add muscle mass (Well, some tougher bodyweight exercises will, but I digress...), but if you are just looking to keep things interesting then give my journal a look see. If you flip through you will find examples of the circuit training that I do for my cardio. I don't necessarily suggest doing the explosive work as you are still fairly new to resistance training if I remember correctly, but it should help you come up with something nonetheless.

Ive been training for about 2 1/2 years, so fairly new. Only recently has it just started to get really interesting.

Circuit training sounds pretty good though, ill go check out your diary and see what its all about.

As for BWE, im not just interested in size, i heard bw stuff helped with strength aswell? If you dont think its necessary ill leave it, who am i to question? You seem to know pretty much everything :P

Cheers again man!

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Ive been training for about 2 1/2 years, so fairly new. Only recently has it just started to get really interesting.

Circuit training sounds pretty good though, ill go check out your diary and see what its all about.

As for BWE, im not just interested in size, i heard bw stuff helped with strength aswell? If you dont think its necessary ill leave it, who am i to question? You seem to know pretty much everything :P

Cheers again man!

If you have been training about 2 and a half years, then I kind of doubt any bodyweight exercises are going to help you much in terms of strength. A lot of the really tough bodyweight exercises stress you core and intermuscular coordination by creating a situation where you have to maintain your balance in an unbalanced position, and impose less stress on the primve movers of the lift. This can certainly be beneficial, but not the most effective way to increase strength or size. This is why weight machines still present certain advantages to bodybuilders.

In terms of utilizing power exercises, I would probably do some strength training, as opposed to hypertrophy training, before I added in any power/explosive movements. Maybe some low level stuff that is way up the velocity continuum like medicine ball chest passes, but nothing advanced like lateral barrier hopping.

Lateral barrier hopping sounds fun though :P. What is that? Because it sounds like "Jumping over things to the side".

I think i understand the strength thing. Since machines stabilize it for you, they allow muscles to be stressed in a way otherwise impossible, or at least very difficult?

This circuit training stuff is odd also, looks interesting though. I can definitly see myself passing out at least once.

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Lateral barrier hopping sounds fun though :P. What is that? Because it sounds like "Jumping over things to the side".

Yeah, pretty much. I do these a lot in my conditioning workout.

I think i understand the strength thing. Since machines stabilize it for you, they allow muscles to be stressed in a way otherwise impossible, or at least very difficult?

When you perform the big compound exercises some of the force from your prime movers is dissipated to your stabilizer muscles in the lift. This means less overload on the target musculature, but it also helps insure that you are activating muscles necessary to stabilize your joints throughout the movement, which is important for the integrity of these structures in the long run.

This circuit training stuff is odd also, looks interesting though. I can definitly see myself passing out at least once.

I almost puked the first couple times I went through it. Instead of ramping up like I would suggest to someone else, I pretty much just jumped right into it (Though I did use slightly longer rest intervals) and forced my body to adapt against its will, heh.

Did it work? Not that im thrilled about throwing up after working out, but if it works, why not!

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Did it work? Not that im thrilled about throwing up after working out, but if it works, why not!

Yeah, it worked. I can do an assload of work in a really short period of time now. My work to rest ratio is much better than it used to be. However, I would definitely recommend acclimating yourself to the rigors of such a program. Start with longer rest intervals and work your way down.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Yeah, it worked. I can do an assload of work in a really short period of time now. My work to rest ratio is much better than it used to be. However, I would definitely recommend acclimating yourself to the rigors of such a program. Start with longer rest intervals and work your way down.

Haha, sure thing. I have no problems with that :P.

Would i do this 3 times a week? more? less?

It seems like a very odd way of training. Unlike anything ive tried before.

Epic!

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Haha, sure thing. I have no problems with that :P.

Would i do this 3 times a week? more? less?

It seems like a very odd way of training. Unlike anything ive tried before.

Epic!

I currently do it twice a week. Seeing as how I resistance train another 4 times a week, any more and I would never give my body a chance to rest. That's already pushing it, and I've raised my work capacity up over the past few years.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

I currently do it twice a week. Seeing as how I resistance train another 4 times a week, any more and I would never give my body a chance to rest. That's already pushing it, and I've raised my work capacity up over the past few years.

Damn...youd have to work up to that kind of frequency. Impressive, sir! Hows the PT gig going for you anyway?

I expect ill do Circuits twice a week with some swimming thrown in there for good measure. I havent been swimming in ages. Would be nice to take a break.

Have been looking at a few of your circuit routines, and am currently looking up what these exercises are. Odd names :P.

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Damn...youd have to work up to that kind of frequency. Impressive, sir! Hows the PT gig going for you anyway?

Yeah, but I unload every 6 weeks. I used to take off every 3 months or so, but I do so more frequently now and really pound the crap out of myself and a wide variety of biomotor abilities throughout those 6 weeks.

The PT gig is good. I could always go for some more clients, but considering the company does all the leg work for me, I'm pretty satisfied. If I was really pressed for more, then I could get off my ass and get my name out there. I really enjoy training all of my clients except one though, heh. Thanks for asking.

I expect ill do Circuits twice a week with some swimming thrown in there for good measure. I havent been swimming in ages. Would be nice to take a break.

Good stuff. Swimming is awesome exercise. I need to get myself to do it more this summer.

Have been looking at a few of your circuit routines, and am currently looking up what these exercises are. Odd names :P.

Anything you need to know, just ask. You don't have to organize things exactly how I have it either, of course.

Im guessing when you unload you just take it down a notch? Its probably a good idea with all the crazy crap you note down in your journal. I just looked at that "tick tock" exercise...weird stuff.

Glad the PT is going alright though! And i expect there'll always be that annoying one. At least its just the one :P.

I used to go swimming quite a bit, regular contests with a friend of mine to see how many lengths we could do in an hour. I think 64 was my best, thought somehow he beat me by about 10. Wily bugger.

Ive found most of the exercises, some pointers or tips on how to "construct" a session would be awesome though, just a few guidelines or something.

Cheers very much dude!

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Im guessing when you unload you just take it down a notch? Its probably a good idea with all the crazy crap you note down in your journal. I just looked at that "tick tock" exercise...weird stuff.

Glad the PT is going alright though! And i expect there'll always be that annoying one. At least its just the one :P.

I used to go swimming quite a bit, regular contests with a friend of mine to see how many lengths we could do in an hour. I think 64 was my best, thought somehow he beat me by about 10. Wily bugger.

Ive found most of the exercises, some pointers or tips on how to "construct" a session would be awesome though, just a few guidelines or something.

Cheers very much dude!

Well, I sort of just pick a few exercises and time it so that each segment is about 2 minutes long, though you may want to start shorter than that. That can be another variable you make more challenging as you progress. Sometimes I will alternate between power exercises and anaerobic cardio exercises, such as the case with when I do burpee pushups to pullups and follow it up with jump rope. Sometimes I will do endurance stuff and do a leg exercise, a press, and a pull, and throw in some cardio thing at the end like mountain climbers, or maybe something explosive like jumping lunges. Just mix it up and have fun.

Hmm, i see. So the idea is to work as many different (i hate to say, "protocols" ?)...styles? (push, pull, leg, cardio, endurance blah blah) as you can in the whole session, but break them up?

Can you use very light weights or is BW stuff better for this, at least at the start? I expect it would be actually...

Gonna have to get working on this. Only got 2 weeks till im supposed to be doing it :P.

Is it better to be explosive and fast in this rather than controlled like in normal training?

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Hmm, i see. So the idea is to work as many different (i hate to say, "protocols" ?)...styles? (push, pull, leg, cardio, endurance blah blah) as you can in the whole session, but break them up?

Can you use very light weights or is BW stuff better for this, at least at the start? I expect it would be actually...

Gonna have to get working on this. Only got 2 weeks till im supposed to be doing it :P.

Is it better to be explosive and fast in this rather than controlled like in normal training?

You could use regular resistance training exercises with really light weights, but I just prefer a lot of bodyweight exercises. You can see that I do use some dumbbells/barbells/kettlebells throughout the workout though. You also don't have to mix all the different forms of training into one, but I like it.