LiE's Diet and Training Thread

It's a funky pose to do I guess, but doesn't have great appeal to me hence never having done it before. My fave shot of the back is similar to what I posted original as it gives an idea oh how the back looks.
 
Anyway, no more pics for a couple months, want the next pics to be updates oh my progress.
 
I'm so hungry on non training days, I think the gym and pre-workout supplements somehow reduce my appetite in the evening.
 
The way I see it, when you're down the gym you're away from your house/thoughts for what, an hour - hour and a half? That's a fair chunk of time to not be thinking about food etc.
 
Yea I think it's a combination of things.

I've been thinking about working sets the past few days and how to decide what weight to use for the main lifts. Traditionally I've done what most people do, increase the weight for each working set until the last set is as much weight as I can do for desired reps.

I got thinking, wouldn't it be better doing 3 sets of the same weight, and being more efficient. The difficulty is finding this perfectly balanced weight that won't be too light or too heavy for each set.

Lets take bench press.

Traditionally I'd do something like this.
Warm-up, 100x10, 110x8, 120x8.

In this example we could say not all these sets are the right effort level.

Here's a different approach.
Warm-up, 110x8, 110x8, 110x8

The first set would be easier than the last, which would require max effort. The benefit of sticking to this structure is the ability to increment the weight easier, and track progress. Sure I'm not lifting 120 in this example, but neither am I lifting 100.

The following week I would do 112.5x8x3 and so on. You always need to be progressive when training, either by increasing weight or reps.

What do people think?
 
Well, that's what I do :)

The first set is 'always' easy, then it gets progressively harder. At the end of the day, if you think you haven't worked that muscle group enough, you could always throw in a drop set? (If that's the right terminology...?)

Then as you say, up the weights each week. What you DON'T want to do mind is start the weights too high at the start. What I mean is start on 3 x 8 x 100KG, then get stuck on 3 x 8 x 120KG after a few weeks (I know it won't happen with you, but you get my drift)
 
i think that's what lots of people do =) It's much easier to gauge performance, as you're removing yet another variable. Or two in your case - the amount of weights and the reps as well.
 
Perhaps the last set could be 8+ reps to get a gauge of how heavy the weight is.
 
You could do, as it's the last set. Although that will have an impact on your performance over the next exercises you do I'd imagine.
 
I'd up the weight each time you complete the 3x8 rather than at a set time, although i guess that's what you'll be doing once you exhaust the lower weights?
 
Yea, it's a trade off between doing an awesome set that you know stimulated growth, or walking away at a set number of reps knowing you could have done more and worrying it didn't stimulate as much growth. Then you'd need to be sure you hit it hard enough for the rest of the workout.

Yea skill, I won't be starting on the max weight I can do for 3x8, as I need to be progressive. Lifting the same weight each week ain't going to make no body grow :p
 
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Yep, I think every routine should be progressive. Obviously you'll know roughly what your 3x8 is, so aim to be what, 10kg below it then add 2.5kg each session.
 
What so being progressive by not challenging yourself lifting easier weights is better than being progressive by challenging yourself to hit more reps with a heavier weight and moving up in weight?
 
If you're training for size now LiE, just stick to 3 or 4 sets per exercise, at 8-12 reps. When you find you can do 12 reps without a struggle of that exercise, up the weight by 2.5-5kg

I never stick to the same sets or reps each week, I mix it up all the time :) keeps your body guessing and keeps it all fresh
 
I think it's easier to be progressive if you start a little below what you can do. If I went in and did 120x8x3, and tried to up that next week I would probably struggle, so I'm not very progressive. It's hard to be be progressive when you're hammering on at the same weights.

Monkee, what I mean is it's hard to figure out what weight to start with for 3x8.
 
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