Soldato
Size or strength. Imo your strength is quite high for your weight anyway so.
Poll: ***The all new gymrats thread***
- Thread starter Freefaller
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Size or strength. Imo your strength is quite high for your weight anyway so.
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- 20 Oct 2004
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Thanks - I am pretty pleased with the weight but if I'm honest I mainly work out for vanity reasons so I'm looking for size. However I would have thought that I'd need to add more weight to get the extra size that I'm looking for and I just don't seem to have much luck going heavier without seriously sacrificing form.
I train tend to train solidly and never take a week off - perhaps I should introduce one every couple of months?
One other thing is that I always seem to train heavy i.e. in the 5-8 rep range. I find I get exhausted in the 10-12 range too easily but maybe it's worth mixing it up a bit?
Caporegime
Morba, do you ever go to the bath uni gym? Just I saw an absolutely massive, short(at least I know you're not tall) and bald guy there which seems to fit your criteria and I think you've mentioned living at or near bath?
This guy was so big he couldn't put his arms in to his sides as his lats got in the way
haha, nah wasnt me fella
i've never had an issue getting my arms down, sometimes i think the carpet roll carrying look is down to mentality rather than physical restriction hehe
oh and yes im rather short
and live on the nicer side of bristol hehe
Soldato
haha, nah wasnt me fella
i've never had an issue getting my arms down, sometimes i think the carpet roll carrying look is down to mentality rather than physical restriction hehe
oh and yes im rather short
It sure is, no matter how big you get you can relax your arms if you aren't pumped. But you know some days (back day after pullups/ pulldowns anyone?) it feels good to try and fly
Caporegime
lol true
Soldato
That's an impressive deadlift and squat for your weight!
Soldato
Missed the reply sorry mate. Imo taking weeks off all the time is only going to hinder not help (not talking about a week off for holidays abroad etc
) and people worry way too much about over training/ rest periods."However I would have thought that I'd need to add more weight to get the extra size that I'm looking for"- Not at all- look at olympic lifters in the lighter weight classes. I know some people at my gym that are monsters and have similar lifting stats as you (apart from bench perhaps) but just use much more volume, and eat much more aswell most probably.
I had the same thing when I tried 5x5. When I started high volume again I was feeling sick on bicep curls, lateral raises and other pretty small mucles exercises which I would normally not have any problems with. Try really mixing it up with a high volume routine, try new exercises if you always use the same ones, perhaps giving your legs 2 days (as I am doing at the moment) if you have never really given them the love they deserve.
Missed the reply sorry mate. Imo taking weeks off all the time is only going to hinder not help (not talking about a week off for holidays abroad etc
Not true, time off can be very beneficial and is suggested by most of the proven training programs like Starting Strength, Bill Starr, Stronglifts, HST etc...
Hypertrophy is triggered by progressive load, if you’re not increasing weight/tempo/reps week-on-week size and strength gains will very quickly stall. In that situation you could drop the weight and try to work back up, but, your muscles will be conditioned to a heavier weight and therefore the lighter weight won’t trigger much hypertrophy.
So, if you hit a plateau one of the best things you can do is take a week or two off. In that week or two you shouldn’t really lose any size, but your muscles will lose conditioning. So you can start back at a lower weight while still triggering hypertrophy and, after a few weeks, break though your sticking point.
Preventing overtraining is not the point of having a rest week every few months (apparently, a week or two off wouldn't be enough for your CNS to recover if you have been overdoing it). It is a proven and effective way of braking through plateaus and ensuring that you can continue making long term gains.
Soldato
In your opinion it's not true, unless you can link me some actual studies that I can have a read through? (and routines aimed at beginners and buzzword trend followers don't count ).
Same with the weight/ reps- that is one aspect to hypertrophy yes, but if it was the only aspect IFBB pros would be using insane weight for insane reps with incredible tempos constantly all of which increasing all the time, and that is quite far from the truth. Its all about variety.
In my opinion someone who is looking to gain size not strength, training low volume currently 4 days a week and eating correctly(!!) will not need a week nevermind 2 off, they need to get more volume and variety
).Same with the weight/ reps- that is one aspect to hypertrophy yes, but if it was the only aspect IFBB pros would be using insane weight for insane reps with incredible tempos constantly all of which increasing all the time, and that is quite far from the truth. Its all about variety.
In my opinion someone who is looking to gain size not strength, training low volume currently 4 days a week and eating correctly(!!) will not need a week nevermind 2 off, they need to get more volume and variety
I have to disagree dun. Sometimes your body response very well to staggered training, and a week off can be enough to trigger extra hypertrophy and test production - providing you're well rested, eat well and keep moderately active (i.e. don't sit at home doing sod all). There's no point in pushing your body if it's knackered, and sometimes a week off is what you need.
Well I've just taken a week off due to have some nasty virus, might of been mild swine flu or something.
I'm still feeling tired but not as bad. Going to start my new split today and a new diet, going on a keto diet for a while as I'm still having trouble with lard around my stomach.
I'm still feeling tired but not as bad. Going to start my new split today and a new diet, going on a keto diet for a while as I'm still having trouble with lard around my stomach.
Soldato
I took a week off and felt much stronger when I was back in the gym purely because my body was more refreshed. I don't think I'd do it every month though but if I hit a complete plateau where I couldn't increase the weight or reps then I would take a week off and try again.
Soldato
I have to disagree dun. Sometimes your body response very well to staggered training, and a week off can be enough to trigger extra hypertrophy and test production - providing you're well rested, eat well and keep moderately active (i.e. don't sit at home doing sod all). There's no point in pushing your body if it's knackered, and sometimes a week off is what you need.
Yes I agree sometimes you do need a rest, especially if ill or run down. But in this case where the guy is training 4 days a week low volume I think (and found myself when I was in a similar situation) that a change is as good as, if not better than, a rest. That's all, I'm not some slave master NO REST EVER, I just think a firm principle gets over exploited by those who aren't that serious
Oh I agree, a change in routine to shock the system into a different regimen is brilliant and absolutely necessary. And in terms of low volume/intensity, then you're less likely to be pushing your body into the high levels you'd typically need a rest for - but not everyone is as nutty as some in terms of training
And in terms of low volume/intensity, then you're less likely to be pushing your body into the high levels you'd typically need a rest for - but not everyone is as nutty as some in terms of training 
Soldato
Had quite a good session today, managed 26kg dumbell press for 8 reps then it quickly dwindled to 6 reps then the 24kg's came out. Is 40 sets a bodypart too much? I quite like doing my current routine of 5x6-8 (8 if I can do more than 6 then I'll up the weight) for about 7-8 different exercises on my chest although I worry its a bit counterproductive (the results have been coming in though).
Soldato
I will be unable to get to the gym for various reasons in the next 3 weeks, I do however have a barbell that can be made up to 50kg max.
Can anyone recommend a nice full body routine using a bar bell only, bearing in mind I only have this and a simple bench.
I was thinking something along to the lines of deadlift, into clean, then shoulder press, into squat, then back down being 1 rep.
Obviously that might be a load of rubbish so would really welcome suggestions.
I am looking for fatloss at the moment so something quite intense would be great.
Can anyone recommend a nice full body routine using a bar bell only, bearing in mind I only have this and a simple bench.
I was thinking something along to the lines of deadlift, into clean, then shoulder press, into squat, then back down being 1 rep.
Obviously that might be a load of rubbish so would really welcome suggestions.
I am looking for fatloss at the moment so something quite intense would be great.
Soldato
I guess it depends on what works for you.
I do 20 sets MAX per body part and find that more than sufficient but also depends on how heavy/hard you are working.
I just don't think I could push myself for 40 sets without seriously dropping the weight
Soldato
The weight does dwindle towards the end of a session, for example I did a few sets of smith press (smith was only available at the end of workout and I just finished myself off) at the end of a session for 50kg 8 reps rather than at the start I can do 65kg for a set of 6.
Soldato
How long are your workouts though? Are you giving your body enough time to rest in between sets?
What is your goal? Size or Strength? or Weight Loss?
Still seems a little too much to me for 1 workout. Do you work out more than 1 body part per day?
However, if your routine works for you then it's all good
What is your goal? Size or Strength? or Weight Loss?
Still seems a little too much to me for 1 workout. Do you work out more than 1 body part per day?
However, if your routine works for you then it's all good
Soldato
How long are your workouts though? Are you giving your body enough time to rest in between sets?
What is your goal? Size or Strength? or Weight Loss?
Still seems a little too much to me for 1 workout. Do you work out more than 1 body part per day?
However, if your routine works for you then it's all good
They tend to vary in length though usually 1.5hour-2hour as I tend to go with my friends and wait up for them, goal is for a bit more size (lean bulk) and strength. My current workout is:
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wed: Shoulders/traps
Thur:Rest /cardio
Fri:Triceps/biceps
Sat:Legs
Sun: Rest / cardio
and I tend to add in extra things eg train my calves twice a week and traps twice as they need a bit of work.
It's only really my chest/back that I do up to 40 sets for, stuff like shoulders/triceps I tend to do ~20 max, rest time inbetween sets is a bit high and something I should probably work on.
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