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UllrsIshtar -> RE: Workout (7/17/2013 11:54:31 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ARIES83
(You might actually want to try and get ishtar's attention as well, if memory serves, she favours a different type of progressive set...
I think it was Ishtar...)
I'm not lifting weights much at the moment (more focussed on endurance and no time to get to the gym), but I think this is the post you're thinking off:
quote:
http://www.collarchat.com/fb.asp?m=4221283
I do a 12 rep warm-up set at about 50% max weight every time I touch a muscle group I haven't touched that day.
From there I go to a 12 rep set at 75%.
6-10 rep set of 90%.
2-4 rep set of 95%.
And finally, 1 rep at 100%.
Between sets I rest about 30sec to a minute. Basically, long enough to catch my breath. I also circulate which muscle group I work on at any given day, so that every muscle I though has at least a 3 day rest period before I touch it again. I try to go at least 4 days a week, and no more than 5.
I've been on this schedule for about 8 weeks now, tough I've had some lapses due to life getting in the way, and I haven't lost a single pound (which pleases me immensely because it means my protein intake is high enough to keep up) but lost or gained up to a inch, in all the right places.
(I haven't been following the thread, I just saw my name scroll by from Aries mentioning it, so if some or most of the following has already been hit, and it's repetitive and redundant, my apologies)
The most important thing to determine how you want to build up your set is figure out which type of muscle building you want to target.
Sets with high weight, and low reps (less than 6 reps) tend to build muscle strength, sets with lower weight and higher reps (10 to 20 reps) tends to build muscle size. Set with low weight and very high reps (more than 20 reps) tend to build muscle endurance) This is why a lot of the guys with the biggest arms can't necessarily lift the most weight, and you sometimes see a lean guy who looks like he's got next to no muscles on him actually able to lift impressive amounts.
Another thing to consider is that it's very hard to -if not impossible- to both bulk up your muscle's size (and to a certain extend it's strength), while at the same time loosing weight. You can loose weight while building endurance and some strength, but the diet you need to be on to build bulk, and the diet you need to be on to loose weight aren't compatible with each other, because your body simple does not increase muscle size when you're low enough on calories to loose fat.
As far as determining what weight to use for your reps, you do this by figuring out what your 100% rep looks like.
You warm up first, and then try to figure out what the maximum weight is you can lift in perfect form for 1 single rep. From there you calculate what your 50% rep and so on looks like.
The goal with whatever rep sequence you pick is to be able to still to all reps in perfect form, but really struggle at doing so by the time you hit your last one. So if you want to go for building strength, you should go for a gradual build up of weight (AFTER warming up the muscle group) and a decrease in reps as your weight goes up. You should be able to complete each set in good form, but really feel the strain at the end of it. If you can't complete the number of reps in good form, you make note of that and build up the weight increase slower next time, if it's too easy, you add weight.
The same applies for building mass, only your weight will be much lower, and you don't ever want to push yourself to doing a single 100% rep.
Another thing you'll need to take into account is that your 100% rep will be different if you try to do it after only a warm up, or if you try to do it after you've already done several increasing weight set. That's ok, still calculate your 75% weight for your first sets off from your 100% rep after warm up, but once you get to the single 100% rep, you may want to throw on a little less weight than you could lift going off nothing but a warm up -especially in the beginning when you're not sure of what you can lift in good form yet- to prevent injury. Finding your perfect set takes a little time, and takes paying close attention to how well your body responds to being pushed.
Lastly, remember that our bodies don't build muscle mass or strength while we're working out. They build this while you're in rest and recovering from the 'damage' you did while you are working out. Because of this it's very important that you take enough time off to allow your body to recover. Working out every single day, especially if you're targeting the same muscle group ever single day, isn't going to get your results, it's going to get your injured. After pushing a muscle group hard (to the point of obvious soreness) you need to let at least 3 days laps before you hit it again, to get optimal results.
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