Weight training methods - opinions?

MrSix

MrSix

MrSix

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With the multitude of different ways to actually "do" weights, I was wondering what you guys found most effective?

I've tried a few different methods and I'm still at a loss as to which works best for me...

1) Lifting in sets of 10, 10, 8, 6 - where the weight is increased as the reps are decreased. This is the first method I ever used, but I got to thinking that perhaps I was restricting the number of reps I could potentially do on the heaviest weight because I was already fatigued by the first "lighter" reps...

Does anybody know the pros and cons of training like this?

2) Lifting in straight sets such as 8, 8, 8 with a consistent weight. So if I was benching 70kg, I would keep that weight for all three sets.

Once again, pros and cons please?

3) Drop-sets. Lifting as much as I can on a selected 'heavy' weight (I normally pick something I can 'just' manage 6 reps with). Once I can't lift any more, immediately drop it and move on to a lower weight until eventually you're lifting either an empty bar or the lowest weight available. Once you're through, rest until your heart rate returns to normal and repeat another 2 times.

Guess what.....? Pros and cons please :D

That's basically the three methods I've toyed with over the past year or so and I'm sure there are more, so if anybody has any advice that will help me build muscle mass then I would be very grateful.

Cheers.
 
It depends what you want to achieve really. Muscle stamina, muscle growth, power, strength, they all get touched on, but you can focus on certain aspects more than others depending on your training program.

Pyramid training is good - I vary it with reverse pyramids too. However it should be 1x max rep, then down to you however let us say 90% -> 80 % ->> 70% etc... for as many reps as you can do. Obviously the reverse pyramid you build yourself up to your last 1x max rep.

For example my flat bench training yesterday was 12x 60kg, 10x 80kg, 8x 100, 5x 110, 2x 120kg. I sometimes flip that on itself and go down - it's harder IMO.

If you want size - doing negs is really worth every rep you do.

Supersetting is another good exercise to stimulate muscle growth.

If you keep the same weight at the same repetition your muscles will cope fine and not stimulate growth or increase in strength, it'll just keep them as they are - which is fine if that's all you want. But then I'd increase the number of sets.

There's a huge way to look at it, and I've probably only really scratched the surface compared to some of the more serious weight trainers here.
 
Cheers mate, that's good stuff.

Your training sounds similar to what I did to begin with - low weight > high weight.

When you say negs, do you mean the 'inverse' action to whatever lift you're doing?

For example I do what I call 'reverse bicep curls', which is where I would normally curl 15kg, but instead I use 17.5kg and instead of curling up towards my body, I slowly let my arm down from a 'curled' position to a completely straight one. Is that what you would describe as a neg?

I'm looking to increase my size really, but as I do martial arts I need to keep flexible and limber. So I'm not looking to go powerlifter big, but I do want to have considerably more bulk than I do now.
 
MrSix said:
Cheers mate, that's good stuff.

Your training sounds similar to what I did to begin with - low weight > high weight.

When you say negs, do you mean the 'inverse' action to whatever lift you're doing?

For example I do what I call 'reverse bicep curls', which is where I would normally curl 15kg, but instead I use 17.5kg and instead of curling up towards my body, I slowly let my arm down from a 'curled' position to a completely straight one. Is that what you would describe as a neg?

I'm looking to increase my size really, but as I do martial arts I need to keep flexible and limber. So I'm not looking to go powerlifter big, but I do want to have considerably more bulk than I do now.
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Do you even strain yourself with 15KG lol. I warmup on like 30KG but currently do 5x5 on 60KG, that gets the face red and muscles tearing up. Reverse bicep curls is an exercise itself it's just like it says, reverse, reverse your hand position so instead of palms facing forward you hand hands over the bar and pull it up, targets the bicep differently.

Im currently doing 5x5 for everything and not adding pyramids etc in. I'll increase the weight when possible but im mainly aiming for more strength, im cutting anyway so it's not like im going to achieve much mass.
 
If you balance it well you should maintain your flexibility - whilst still being muscular but cut.

Yeah you got it right with negatives - for example on the bench, my spotter would pull the bar up then I'd let it down to my chest as slowly as possible. That really has phenomenal results in my experience.

You probably don't want to bulk up too much though, so I'd concentrate on hitting your 80% max on a good 8-10 reps. And maybe alternate it so that you have a "light" week every other week you do 50-60% of your max during that week with slightly higher reps 12 maybe. Keep to pyramid training too during your "heavy" week, and just symmetrical sets on your "light" weeks - but maybe do 5 sets instead. That should give you a nice balance between stamina, strength and a bit of size.

Obviously you have to consider your diet, but I'm presuming that you've already got that relatively well sorted? Don't get too big though as biking becomes less fun :p I'm a solid 15st and it does affect riding - Just an excuse to get a quicker bike I guess ;)
 
Freefaller said:
Obviously you have to consider your diet, but I'm presuming that you've already got that relatively well sorted? Don't get too big though as biking becomes less fun :p I'm a solid 15st and it does affect riding - Just an excuse to get a quicker bike I guess ;)
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I've re-assessed my diet recently and I'm now only eating 1 carb meal per day and the rest protein and I'm also taking protein suppliments (I'm vegetarian too).

I'm currently 12stone 6 and I'm going quite hard on the cardio at the moment to cut down my bodyfat % as it's too high to see my abs.

I'll give the negs a go next time I'm at the gym - how would you work them in to a routine, by doing one normal set and then one negative set? Or somehow else?
 
MrSix said:
Yes I do actually, otherwise I wouldn't be lifting it.
Quite how you can curl 60kg is beyond me.
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Are you really light? I mean not knocking you but I have a few friends who are as skinny as you can get talking 9 stone or slightly under, pencils and can still pull there weight. For example one can lift 65kg x 5 on bench which is quite impressive imo.

Probly my weight, height, build and genetics that enable me to lift that. Been lifting for like 5 months or something. 6ft 3in , 13.5 stone , 11% body fat.
 
I go until failure, and then do the rest of the set as negatives if I haven't finished the set. However sometimes I will complete a set and then do a complete set of negatives. It just depends on what I'm working on and what I "feel"... I keep a log and so on, so I'm not as disorganised as I sound, but I'm not regimented either. :o
 
SK07 said:
Probly my weight, height, build and genetics that enable me to lift that. Been lifting for like 5 months or something. 6ft 3in , 13.5 stone , 11% body fat.
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That's great BF for your height! You're maybe a little light for your height no? Then again maybe I'm just a fat bast.... :p
 
Freefaller said:
That's great BF for your height! You're maybe a little light for your height no? Then again maybe I'm just a fat bast.... :p
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Eh im unsure yet not 100%, the results have been good but I want to lower to 10% before I make a final dec, xmas has messed me up a little bit and I could expect 12%, not a problem though as I'll shed it off in January and start a clean bulk in feb hopefully. I've got to the stage that im desperate to start lifting :D, I do lift 3 times a week but im talking 5 times per week + 1 day of cardio to A) maintain the body fat and B) obtain muscle mass.

Bodyfat used to be 26-28% for your reference, and weight was like 17 stone if you check back way back on gordy r's thread you'll see, 6 months on 13.5/11%. Worked my ass off but at the end of the day those who do get the results eh?

So far I need to build my obliques out, I thought I had quite a bit of fat on my chest area but if I tense it it's rock solid so im unsure if it's actually muscle lol. Obliques need filled out, was lagging in that area but now hitting abs hard. Top 4 abs I can see, especially the outline anyway bottom two are mythed in a layer of fat, but abs so far are thick and chunky, so the more resistance work I do to abs and compound exercises the more they should pop out.
 
That's fantastic progress mate - it really is, you should be really pleased with yourself. Yeah it's a fine balance between keeping the muscle building whilst not going over board and letting the BF creep up! I just love my food... :o
 
SK07 said:
Are you really light? I mean not knocking you but I have a few friends who are as skinny as you can get talking 9 stone or slightly under, pencils and can still pull there weight. For example one can lift 65kg x 5 on bench which is quite impressive imo
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I've said, I'm 12 stone 6.

Are you talking about bicep curling 60kg? If you have a 9stone friend who can bicep curl 60kg I'd love to see that...

I bench 80kg 6x3 - if that's what you mean?
 
Freefaller said:
That's fantastic progress mate - it really is, you should be really pleased with yourself. Yeah it's a fine balance between keeping the muscle building whilst not going over board and letting the BF creep up! I just love my food... :o
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Well, when I come to bulk up I will find it hard, after having a calorie deficit for such a period of time your stomach gets used to that, so intaking 3,000 or so calories is going to be a mission lol.
 
MrSix said:
I've said, I'm 12 stone 6.

Are you talking about bicep curling 60kg? If you have a 9stone friend who can bicep curl 60kg I'd love to see that...

I bench 80kg 6x3 - if that's what you mean?
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Loooool, you must have thought I was talking of using dumbells, nah the bar.

Alough your bench is pretty decent, whats your other stats?
 
hittman said:
Very impressive mate! reckon you can eventually pass those weights? you must be very bulky mate.
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IMA DOINA MAH CURLZ:

Gval5.jpg


Rofl, but seriously I bicep curl 60KG and no idea on the straight arm curl as im not one who does tons of bicep exercises, I work them once a week and do some bicep curls and sometimes concentration curls but im more trying to bulk out my shoulders than my biceps. my gyms DB's only go up to 35KG which is *** suck, because for exercises such as one arm DB row instead of doing my 5x5 I improvise doing more reps. Im not huge but im fairly big built so thats on my side.
 
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