Thread: Any benefit in high rep / short RI / light weight day?

What is a 'muscle advantage'? Circuit training (what you're describing) will have the same effects as low intensity interval training/steady state cardio. You'll burn lots of calories and improve your work capacity and conditioning, but you won't directly get bigger from it.

Sorry, by advantage I was thinking a few things.

- Endurance
- Muscle and joint health
- Effect on recovery time
- Effect on strength
- Effect on size

I thought it would be more a form of cardio, but wanted to make sure it wouldn't negatively effect my strength and size training, and hopefully benefit it somehow.

Originally Posted by Witchblade

What is a 'muscle advantage'? Circuit training (what you're describing) will have the same effects as low intensity interval training/steady state cardio. You'll burn lots of calories and improve your work capacity and conditioning, but you won't directly get bigger from it.

Is tabata or a crossfit type of workout likely to provide the same kind of benefits as HIIT?

What is the purpose of this workout? Is it to improve conditioning? If you're hoping to do something in terms of adding size, then this is going to be a waste of time basically. Active recovery can't hurt, but don't think it will actually spark any kind of adaptation in the form of muscle growth.

i cant see any point to it. If you want to increase endurance do cardio, if you want to increase size and strength lift heavy weight and to increase recovery get enough rest and eat good food. Best to keep everything simple I think.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

What is the purpose of this workout? Is it to improve conditioning? If you're hoping to do something in terms of adding size, then this is going to be a waste of time basically. Active recovery can't hurt, but don't think it will actually spark any kind of adaptation in the form of muscle growth.

I never thought it would add size. It was more for conditioning and cardio. Would I be better off doing this or having a rest day.

Example 1

Day 1 - Push
Day 2 - Off
Day 3 - Legs
Day 4 - Pull
Day 5 - Off
Day 6 - Light day
Day 7 - Off

Example 2

Day 1 - Push
Day 2 - Off
Day 3 - Legs
Day 4 - Off
Day 5 - Pull
Day 6 - Off
Day 7 - Off or repeat cycle.

Example 2 for sure

I see nothing wrong with using light resistance and low rest as a form of conditioning work. I've used it in the past, and it works quite well. Much more entertaining than traditional cardio. Complexes are also fun, but completely brutal. Be prepared to puke if you've never tried them before.

light workouts are also good for working on technical issues.

I like callisthenics a lot. I use body weight stuff and med. ball stuff with some athletes on "light days." Typically we will exercise for time instead of going to reps like we do on heavier days. This is more cardiovascular work or depending on the intensity it might be more of a recovery type training day.

For example, we might do:

3min. circuit- as many rounds as you can do in 3min- 6 reps of each movement:
1) MB countermovement squat
2) stability ball push up w/knee in
3) blas strap body weight row


Other things we might do are abdominal circuits or we might do some body weight circuits with some cardiovascular intervals. Sled dragging sometimes too. Just depends on what we are trying to accomplish. All of that stuff can be good for enhancing work capacity.

It is also important to know when you should take the day off though too.

Originally Posted by lojasmo

Is tabata or a crossfit type of workout likely to provide the same kind of benefits as HIIT?

I'm not really a fan of crossfit so I can't help you with that, but tabata protocols are a form of HIIT, a very brutal one at that. Since the intensity is high, you'll definitely see strength and size gains, especially if your work capacity is high (so you can keep the high intensity up).