Strength Weight Training: Anything and Everything II

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I only go twice per week, one day upper and second day lower.

Feel like I'm not progressing, despite my lifts all increasing. Probably just a mental thing.

My single leg squats are up to 40kg x 6 now, much better than the 10kg I started on when I couldn't even keep my balance for 5 reps.
I'll be rapt when I can push out 60kg for 8+
 
mcuzzy said:
I only go twice per week, one day upper and second day lower.

Feel like I'm not progressing, despite my lifts all increasing. Probably just a mental thing.

My single leg squats are up to 40kg x 6 now, much better than the 10kg I started on when I couldn't even keep my balance for 5 reps.
I'll be rapt when I can push out 60kg for 8+
Click to expand...
Twice a week is not enough.
I'm getting good results but I live only 2 minute walk away from my gym so it's easy for me to get down without hassle and I enjoy going. I'd be lost without it. I go 4 days on 1 day off.
But I separate each day with different muscles groups so they don't clash and have the right amount of rest to avoid straining.

For instance I would do like today Shoulders Traps.

Then the next day would be Legs but id do cardio and maybe abs if I fill like squeezing it in.

Next day Bicep, Back, Forearms.

Next day Chest Triceps.

Then rest day.

Rotation starts again.

I've written down all the different types of exercises for each muscles groups.

And go through them each per day and make sure the muscles feel it.
 

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mcuzzy said:
I only go twice per week, one day upper and second day lower.

Feel like I'm not progressing, despite my lifts all increasing. Probably just a mental thing.

My single leg squats are up to 40kg x 6 now, much better than the 10kg I started on when I couldn't even keep my balance for 5 reps.
I'll be rapt when I can push out 60kg for 8+
Click to expand...
Any reason you do an upper and lower split? If you can only go twice a week (gains can definitely still be made) then doing whole body is the best option.
 
Drumroe said:
Any reason you do an upper and lower split? If you can only go twice a week (gains can definitely still be made) then doing whole body is the best option.
Click to expand...

I moved to upper lower from full body. Full body was just doing the exercises I do now except not designated to upper or lower day. Doesn't make a difference.
 
mcuzzy said:
I moved to upper lower from full body. Full body was just doing the exercises I do now except not designated to upper or lower day. Doesn't make a difference.
Click to expand...
haha I was the same... I used to do a 5x5 variation.. now I moved to an upper/lower split.. using a program by Johnnie Candito off YouTube..

I just find psychologically better for me
 
mcuzzy said:
I moved to upper lower from full body. Full body was just doing the exercises I do now except not designated to upper or lower day. Doesn't make a difference.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean here. There must be a difference.

For eg: I assume you're only squatting once a week with upper/lower whereas you'd be squatting twice a week with full body.
 
estibador said:
I'm not sure what you mean here. There must be a difference.

For eg: I assume you're only squatting once a week with upper/lower whereas you'd be squatting twice a week with full body.
Click to expand...
Nah for example if his old program was:
Day 1
Squat
Bench
Pullup
Step Up

Day 2
Deadlift
Bent over row
Single leg squat
Pushup

So now he does
Day 1
Squat
Deadlift
Step up
Single leg

Day 2
Bench
Pullup
Row
Pushup.

So same exercises just split differently. I still think doing them as two whole body workouts would be more beneficial as you're getting more frequency in, and you will be fresher when doing alot of the exercises as you havnt done 3-4 exercises on that body part already. So from a strength perspecrive you can work max strength betyer
 
cptkirk said:
can of each you put in words why you split your workout they way you do/ just interested in your reasoning...
Click to expand...

This is in order so day corresponds to movement.

Mon, tues, wed, fri, sat split.

Squat, back hyp, bench, dead, military press.

Each day except for back is a heavy 5x5 followed by around 10-12 sets of assistance work, usually 3x10s before moving onto the next assistance exercise.

Each day starts with an Olympic lift variation to keep myself reasonably athletic while focusing on powerlifting essentially over the next few months.

Most sessions will include some conditioning work at the end 3-10 mins. Rower, different loaded carries, sprints, sleds or drags.

Lately since I work at a gym, when I close at 10pm I've been doing some circuits or a steady state rowing erg for 20-30. Thursday I punch out a steady state 1-1.5km swim.

Reasoning - I want to get a lot stronger while staying athletic. I've found this is a decent split in terms of recover although my front delts are a bit cooked for military press. If you want any more reasoning just ask.
 
BrockBlitz said:
This is in order so day corresponds to movement.

Mon, tues, wed, fri, sat split.

Squat, back hyp, bench, dead, military press.

Each day except for back is a heavy 5x5 followed by around 10-12 sets of assistance work, usually 3x10s before moving onto the next assistance exercise.

Each day starts with an Olympic lift variation to keep myself reasonably athletic while focusing on powerlifting essentially over the next few months.

Most sessions will include some conditioning work at the end 3-10 mins. Rower, different loaded carries, sprints, sleds or drags.

Lately since I work at a gym, when I close at 10pm I've been doing some circuits or a steady state rowing erg for 20-30. Thursday I punch out a steady state 1-1.5km swim.

Reasoning - I want to get a lot stronger while staying athletic. I've found this is a decent split in terms of recover although my front delts are a bit cooked for military press. If you want any more reasoning just ask.
Click to expand...

i'd switch to squat / military / back ext / bench / deadlift...so alternate lower/upper in any order you want so they get a rest day btw them and also uppers get an extra day btw them too...why back ext as a main lift? usually an assistance lift that one...
 
cptkirk said:
i'd switch to squat / military / back ext / bench / deadlift...so alternate lower/upper in any order you want so they get a rest day btw them and also uppers get an extra day btw them too...why back ext as a main lift? usually an assistance lift that one...
Click to expand...

Back hypertrophy *

This week I changed dips from my first bench accessory to the last and the delts are feeling good so that might just do the tick.

I need a decent break between squats and deads because I low bar back squat.I front squat once and high bar back squat on other days as well as doing them on my squat focus day.
 
that 5th day might be throwing things out of whack a little

mon - heavy squat + weakpoint lift + 2 - 3 hypertrophy
tue - military + weakpoint lift + 2 - 3 hypertrophy exercises
wed -
thu - not as heavy deads + weakpoint lift + 1 - 2 hypertrophy exercises
fri - bench + weakpoint lift + 2 - 3 hypertrophy exercises
sat - full body whatever / extra volume day
sun -
mon - not as heavy squat etc
tue - military etc
wed -
thu - heavy deads etc
fri - bench etc
sat - fb etc
sun -

that might work a bit better - if you can't recover from squats for 4 days then it'll take longer for deads so a 2 day turnaround couldn't be optimal from my point of view

have you looked into auto regulation/rpe type stuff before?
 

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cptkirk said:
that 5th day might be throwing things out of whack a little

mon - heavy squat + weakpoint lift + 2 - 3 hypertrophy
tue - military + weakpoint lift + 2 - 3 hypertrophy exercises
wed -
thu - not as heavy deads + weakpoint lift + 1 - 2 hypertrophy exercises
fri - bench + weakpoint lift + 2 - 3 hypertrophy exercises
sat - full body whatever / extra volume day
sun -
mon - not as heavy squat etc
tue - military etc
wed -
thu - heavy deads etc
fri - bench etc
sat - fb etc
sun -

that might work a bit better - if you can't recover from squats for 4 days then it'll take longer for deads so a 2 day turnaround couldn't be optimal from my point of view

have you looked into auto regulation/rpe type stuff before?
Click to expand...

I hear what your saying but I don't do back on deadlift day, I have a separate day for that and focus on posterior chain stuff on dead day. Squat day has only the 1 posterior chain dominant movement (low bar), the rest is front and highbar squats, leg extensions etc so its not too taxing on my ass and hammys. In addition, I front squat (thoracic back builder) on Fridays with deads and do some volume high bar back stuff on Wednesdays.

So, I leave a while between squats and deads so I can fit in a back hypertrophy day without being too cooked for deads and so I can fit in an extra high bar back squat or split squat.

I've looked into RPE/auto regulation stuff and I've done that almost my entire lifting career. At the moment I'm doing linear progressions and when I miss lifts I go back and ratchet up again, moving say a month behind where I missed the lift and trying to push 2 weeks to a month passed the missed lift marker. So far I'm really enjoying the structure. It might not be optimal but until I start to stagnate I'm going to stick with it.
 
Hello all,

Would love some help as I have plateaud for quite some time and want to progress.

Background: Am 32, retired from footy 12 months ago, 196 cm - naturally long/lanky build. Long training history which has traditionally been a mix of bulking in off season and in season doing a mix of strength & core training, plyomterics & speed as well as endurance.

Current goal: Retired from sport so am working purely on aesthetics. Initially wanted to bulk and without cardio and full focus on building, went from 88 to 98kgs in 3-4 months. In the 6-8 months since, have gained no weight and not a lot in strength. Eased back on carbs (maintained protein) as pure bulking comes with fat and did not need more once i reached 98kgs (17% fat at a guess). Changed my workout every 6-8 weeks but haven't made any adjustments for about 3 months now (except for trying to go heavier if I can). Want to continue to build lean good looking muscle (and am simply aiming for a well built and defined body (not body builder massive but big)). Figure I have 5-6 more months to reach my goals (baby due in March).

Current workout: 5 days per week, one muscle group per day, 1-1.5 hrs (an hour is often all the time I have).
Day 1 - Chest
Day 2 - Back
Day 3 - Shoulders
Day 4 - Legs
Day 5 - Arms
(Abs squeezed in or done on extra day if time permits). These days are not always done consecutively and some weeks one will be missed - this can't be helped due to work or family demands.

Just for reference, example of 1 day.
DB Chest Press 4x8, 1min rest, 70, 80, 90, and 100kg (get to 4-6 at 100). Final set 'pump' start at 100 and progressively drop to 60kg pushing out as many as I can.
BB Chest press, 4x8, 1 min rest, 60, 65, 70, 75 LBS
Machine Pec Fly 4x8 175 - 190 lbs
Decline BB Chest Press
Decline single arm chest press
Incline BB chest press
Seated machine (single arm) chest press (goes up focussing on upper pec)
Lower and higher cable flys

All 4 sets of 8 reps with one minute rest and struggling on final set. Most days have similar look to the above (can provide detail if required).

Diet: Breakkie - Cup of oats/porridge and 3 egg white/1 yolk omelette
M/Tea: Often nothing, sometimes can of tuna
Lunch: Solid meal, usually featuring pasta or rice (usually brown) and breast chicken, tuna or kangaroo.
A/Tea/Pre-workout: Varies - Toast with tuna or sushi - sometimes only time for a protein shake (can't do caffenated or energy drinks - messes with me)
Post work out: Protein shake, followed closely by
Dinner: Similar to lunch (usually a little bigger)
Supper: Peanuts or toast w/ peanut butter.
Pre-bed: Casein shake.

Sooo...any ideas? What should I do next? What am I doing wrong? Ok to eat more & get bigger?

(I don't usualy post on this board so please excuse long post and any etiquette I may have overlooked :) )

Thanks for your help.
 
Mofra said:
Interesting article on squats (yes squats article no 347 on the thread):

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/squatting-youre-doing-it-wrong
Click to expand...

As I've gotten older I found keeping my weight sessions simpler, generates better results. Squats is my favourite as I feel I get a whole body work out and get the heart going.

90-120kgs depending on reps and pushing the weight up off the shoulders (as much as possible) and I engage the shoulders, back, arms, core and of course the legs.

There's not much left to do after squats but pull ups with weights around the waist, dead lifts and military press are alternated for variety.
 
Guardian Hawk said:
Hello all,

Would love some help as I have plateaud for quite some time and want to progress.

Background: Am 32, retired from footy 12 months ago, 196 cm - naturally long/lanky build. Long training history which has traditionally been a mix of bulking in off season and in season doing a mix of strength & core training, plyomterics & speed as well as endurance.

Current goal: Retired from sport so am working purely on aesthetics. Initially wanted to bulk and without cardio and full focus on building, went from 88 to 98kgs in 3-4 months. In the 6-8 months since, have gained no weight and not a lot in strength. Eased back on carbs (maintained protein) as pure bulking comes with fat and did not need more once i reached 98kgs (17% fat at a guess). Changed my workout every 6-8 weeks but haven't made any adjustments for about 3 months now (except for trying to go heavier if I can). Want to continue to build lean good looking muscle (and am simply aiming for a well built and defined body (not body builder massive but big)). Figure I have 5-6 more months to reach my goals (baby due in March).

Current workout: 5 days per week, one muscle group per day, 1-1.5 hrs (an hour is often all the time I have).
Day 1 - Chest
Day 2 - Back
Day 3 - Shoulders
Day 4 - Legs
Day 5 - Arms
(Abs squeezed in or done on extra day if time permits). These days are not always done consecutively and some weeks one will be missed - this can't be helped due to work or family demands.

Just for reference, example of 1 day.
DB Chest Press 4x8, 1min rest, 70, 80, 90, and 100kg (get to 4-6 at 100). Final set 'pump' start at 100 and progressively drop to 60kg pushing out as many as I can.
BB Chest press, 4x8, 1 min rest, 60, 65, 70, 75 LBS
Machine Pec Fly 4x8 175 - 190 lbs
Decline BB Chest Press
Decline single arm chest press
Incline BB chest press
Seated machine (single arm) chest press (goes up focussing on upper pec)
Lower and higher cable flys

All 4 sets of 8 reps with one minute rest and struggling on final set. Most days have similar look to the above (can provide detail if required).

Diet: Breakkie - Cup of oats/porridge and 3 egg white/1 yolk omelette
M/Tea: Often nothing, sometimes can of tuna
Lunch: Solid meal, usually featuring pasta or rice (usually brown) and breast chicken, tuna or kangaroo.
A/Tea/Pre-workout: Varies - Toast with tuna or sushi - sometimes only time for a protein shake (can't do caffenated or energy drinks - messes with me)
Post work out: Protein shake, followed closely by
Dinner: Similar to lunch (usually a little bigger)
Supper: Peanuts or toast w/ peanut butter.
Pre-bed: Casein shake.

Sooo...any ideas? What should I do next? What am I doing wrong? Ok to eat more & get bigger?

(I don't usualy post on this board so please excuse long post and any etiquette I may have overlooked :) )

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

Work in the 4-6 rep range for and as soon as you hit 6 reps up the weight. Many sites will tell you 8-12 reps is best for hypertrophy but this is not (necessarily) the case.

I'm really liking Mike's advice from this site http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-build-a-workout-routine/

Then again there's this site which says constant tension is the key to hypertrophy http://www.musclecamptv.com/welcome?from=optin&&vtid=youtube&internal_vtid=youtube which I'm inclined to agree as who have probably the best upper bodies in the world? Gymnasts.

This site has some of the most scientifically sound advice on the net http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/

Also check out AthleanX on YouTube
 
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Strength Weight Training: Anything and Everything II

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