Fight club workout

s4ch117

s4ch117

s4ch117

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I was just wondering what people thought of the workout routine that Brad Pitt used for fight club. Seems to have worked really well for him but would you recommend someone to go on it? I'm asking as I've recently hit a plateau so thought that I would do something different with my workout.

Details of the work out are:

All exercises had 3 set of 25,15,8

Monday - Chest
3 - 75 push ups
3 - bench press
3 - nautilus press
3 - incline press
3 - pec deck machine

Tuesday - Back
3 - 25 pull ups
3 - seated rows
3 - lat pull downs
3 - t bar rows

Wednesday - Shoulders
3 - arnold press
3 - laterals
3 - front raises

Thursday - Biceps & Triceps
3 - preacher curl machine
3 - ez curls cable
3 - hammer curls
3 - push downs

Friday
Treadmill 60 minutes 80-90% MHR

Saturday
Treadmill 60 minutes 80-90% MHR

Sunday
Rest Day
 
60 mins at 80%+?? he must have been superfit.


his routine is nothing special or out of the ordinary.

what are your goals and what is your current routine?
 
I'd rather go for a walk or do 20 mins of HIIT (skipping, rowing, cycling). 60mins of treadmill is pointless.

Brad Pitt is just lean so looks defined, he probably weighs as much as a crisp packet.
 
80-90% of his MHR for 60 minutes?!

Paula Radcliffe runs marathons at 92% of her MHR.

Doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. If anything sets of 25 seems really high right at the end of the muscular endurance scale.

You say you've plateaued, what are you aims?
 
The exercises that i do are very similar, just a different rep range. I currently do 3 sets of 12,10,8. I normally do one body part a day aswell. As for my aims i want to bulk up a little bit not hugely. Currently at ~11% bf and i dont really want to put on a lot of fat whilst i bulk. The plan is once ive bulked i wil ltry and strip away the body fat till im around 8%. AS for the plateau bit ive got to the stage where it seems like i cant lift anymore. I've been told to switch up the rep range. Is 25 too much? thought it was very high when i first saw it. Are there any advantage or disadvantages of going such a high amount of reps?
 
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Try some strength or power training 5x5 or 3x6 obviously with much heavier loads. Have a look at stronglifts or starting strength.

There's no real advantage to going much over 12-15 reps tbh as you just enter the endurance phase and it becomes much more aerobic. Which in itself isn't a bad thing but if you're trying to get bigger and stronger it's not what you want to be doing.

Also make sure you eating enough as this is crucial too.
 
BennyC said:
Try some strength or power training 5x5 or 3x6 obviously with much heavier loads. Have a look at stronglifts or starting strength.

There's no real advantage to going much over 12-15 reps tbh as you just enter the endurance phase and it becomes much more aerobic. Which in itself isn't a bad thing but if you're trying to get bigger and stronger it's not what you want to be doing.

Also make sure you eating enough as this is crucial too.
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Can you just clear something up for me. This is probably a myth but i've been told that low reps will build strength but if you want more size your better off with the high reps. Im more interested in looking bigger then building a lot of strength
 
that is partly true.
if you are going for 4-6 reps per set you focus more on strength, if you go more like 8-12 reps - it's size although you can't really gain much of one without getting the other as well.

but the 12th rep should be next to impossible to do, if you can feel like you can get another 2 or 3 and it isn't your warmup set then you are better off increasing the weight.

with the exception of legs who do like higher volume (squatting for 20 reps with slow negs can be very productive and demanding at the same time) the other muscle groups it's rather pointless to go over 12 reps, if we're talking 20+ then it's a waste of time if mass/strength is what you want.
 
s4ch117 said:
Can you just clear something up for me. This is probably a myth but i've been told that low reps will build strength but if you want more size your better off with the high reps. Im more interested in looking bigger then building a lot of strength
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Cristi has hit the nail on the head.

Size & strength go hand in hand.

Fair enough if you primary aim is mass but mass has to be functional to some extent. It's hard to gain strength or size and not the other too.

Not only this but some strength training will be a shock to the body which in itself may help it to grow. It'll also help bone, tendon & joint health/strength too.

'Nothing works for ever'.

Imo strength & mass training should be cycled for maximal benefits. Whether that be every 8 weeks, every few weeks or even weekly (probaly not ideal but you get the idea). Normally if something is working then stick with it but if you've stalled then sometimes something at the other end of the spectrum is often welcome.

Ascending pyramids may be an idea increasing weight as you decrease reps. So say you start at 12 x 40KG > 10 x 50KG > 8 x 60KG > 6 x 70KG etc. Best of both and is what I'm currently doing.
 
Size doesn't always = strength though. :)

Volume builds size really more than anything else, but that does not mean a few sets of lots of reps, it's a balance between % load of your 1RM x 4-6 reps x # of sets for volume.

Strength can be huge without size, and that's high number of sets, but low reps (1-3 max) and is more about stimulating CNS function and high twitch fibers.

Maintenance is medium volume with medium intensity work outs.

Conditioning is low-medium volume but using HIT principles.

This is a general rule - clearly, some training programs can develop both hypertrophy and strength together, but for your body to do that it needs a LOT of nutrition, and clever training. DC, (A)GVT and FST-7 etc... type of training are very good at delivering both - but analysing those programs they are very advanced and challenging and 90% of the effort is done in the kitchen (or in pill form if you want to listen to that thread in GD :rolleyes: )

There's no 1 size fits all - it's very individual and very centric on your lifestyle and training mentality. Mixing HIT principles (and I don't mean HIIT), with volume in different training routines can yield great results - but takes a lot of preparation and intuition.
 
Does he look good? :/ Not to me :p Most of the girls I know that like him like his facial features rather than his body. Fortunately my GF doesn't like skinny men \o/
 
Vegeta said:
He looks hot. Hotter than anyone here. Sorry :P
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:rolleyes:
So volume builds mass? So lifting lighter weights but a high rep is ideal?
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No, well, you can't just pick up 5KG DB's and sit there pressing them for hours on end. The same principles apply that always have. Correct load, correct repetitions, correct intensity and correct volume all build mass. Not volume alone.
 
BennyC said:
:rolleyes:


No, well, you can't just pick up 5KG DB's and sit there pressing them for hours on end. The same principles apply that always have. Correct load, correct repetitions, correct intensity and correct volume all build mass. Not volume alone.
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Don't bother ;)

Ant :cool:
 
BennyC said:
No, well, you can't just pick up 5KG DB's and sit there pressing them for hours on end. The same principles apply that always have. Correct load, correct repetitions, correct intensity and correct volume all build mass. Not volume alone.
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Indeed.

BP's physique really isn't impressive at all, certainly not for someone who has the time and ability to train as he does. ANYONE, and I mean anyone can achieve his physique. However for you and I it would take more dedication and hard work than him as we have our lives to live etc.. at the same time.

Then again low BF physiques aren't my bag, but getting there wouldn't be tough - I'd just be upset at losing a lot of size as he's very very slim in that film.


Anyway we're going off track.

OP, if you want that physique, it's 90% done in the kitchen, so be sure to follow his diet, and of course do his training if it's real (which I doubt it is).
 
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