The Training Support Column MkII

[tim290280]

I'm in bulking mode right now, I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I was just curious as to what you thought was better, because I always have a set # of reps I try to do, and I see some people on here will do 2 reps for a heavy weight, I'm guessing to see how much they can lift and to see if they can handle the weight, and I never do that, I'm a firm believer in sticking to routine.

You can do sets with 2 reps. But for hypertrophy you really do need to do about 10 sets of that. Most people would do that set, not to build strength, nor to help hypertrophy, but to be able to say they bench X. If you do 8 reps with 220 it doesn't sound anywhere near as good as 2 reps with 275. Same 1RM being used......

But what you do has to be productive, so one set at 95% of your max doesn't achieve as much as 5 sets at 85% (5x5). Better to stick to the program and actually get strength and hypertrophy.

Also, I'm thinking of taking a week off in a few weeks to let my knee rest up after I finish the program I'm on, but then it'll only be like 2 or 3 months before I have a 2 week break for holidays, do you think I should just stick it out until then?

2-3 months is a fair time to be training. A week break won't hamper your gains. Just don't become completely inactive in that time.

What's wrong with your knee exactly?

 

[Chesticles]

So your saying, say I do a high rep set at the end of an exercise, it would still be beneficial to replace it with a low rep set?

I think you misunderstood about the takin a break thing man. when I finish this program in a few weeks, I wanted to take a week off, after that I'll train for another few months before I go on my annual end of year xmas holidays for 2 weeks with the family. Do you think I should still have the one week off when I finish this program, or just wait until the end of the year?

Oh I hurt my knee from football, but squats reaggreviated it.

 

[tim290280]

So your saying, say I do a high rep set at the end of an exercise, it would still be beneficial to replace it with a low rep set? More about that one ultra heavy set serves little purpose without several others at that loading. I'm not a fan of cummulative fatigue methods, so unless you are wave loading, pyramid style lifting is ineffective.

I think you misunderstood about the takin a break thing man. when I finish this program in a few weeks, I wanted to take a week off, after that I'll train for another few months before I go on my annual end of year xmas holidays for 2 weeks with the family. Do you think I should still have the one week off when I finish this program, or just wait until the end of the year? Week off is a good idea. It'll give you a good boost into the new program.

Oh I hurt my knee from football, but squats reaggreviated it.

On the knee: Why is the squats aggrevating? I've found that they were nothing but good, and I did just about every bit of damage you can do to mine. Also fixing the knee is something that needs to be done correctly, otherwise you really can have problems.

 

[Chesticles]

Thanks for that Tim. To answer your question, my kneecap is really tight, and squats just make it even soreer and tighter. I'll have to get surgery if it doesn't get any better after the weeks break I take.

 

[Chesticles]

Hey tim, thought I'd ask a few more Q's to get you column going again.

Most people go from high reps to low eg 1 x 10 reps, 1 x 8 reps and 1 times 6 reps. Would there be any difference and/or benefit from doing it the reverse way, that being starting on a heavy weight and working to a light weight?

Also, what's your thoughts on doing a high rep week, then a medium to low rep week? and what reps would you use for each?

and finally, what's your thoughts on doing hamstrings before quads on leg day?

 

[tim290280]

Hey tim, thought I'd ask a few more Q's to get you column going again.
Most people go from high reps to low eg 1 x 10 reps, 1 x 8 reps and 1 times 6 reps.

I don't think much of this pyramiding method. It is basically a fatiguing method of training, so you are actually training sub-maximally. Better options are to train using the same weight or alternate between maximal and super maximal loads, e.g. 5x5 with same weight.

Would there be any difference and/or benefit from doing it the reverse way, that being starting on a heavy weight and working to a light weight?

The benefit would be that you would be using your heaviest load when you are freshest. Assuming you have warmed up already this would be a better method, but not as good as that mentioned above.

Also, what's your thoughts on doing a high rep week, then a medium to low rep week? and what reps would you use for each?

I actually use a range of reps and loadings in any given training week. Also a recent thread post by Wolf (why did Diesel change his name??) highlighted the advantages of higher rep work for joint health. So periodising the high, meidum and low reps is a good idea. Alternating weeks though would sell yourself short, a month would be more beneficial.

and finally, what's your thoughts on doing hamstrings before quads on leg day?

Good idea. Hamstrings are an important muscle that is universally underdeveloped, both in strength and size. Apparently most strength coaches spend the majority of their time fixing hip and hamstring weaknesses.

 

[Chesticles]

Alternating weeks though would sell yourself short, a month would be more beneficial.

How so?

and also, isn't it beneficial to have a meal 45 mins to an hour after having a protein shake?

 

[Dilmun Bull]

Hi Tim

Heres a question My Calf muscles are lagging. Now I know this could be Genes considering I'm Black but could u look at my log and offer any suggestions to the routine

 

[tim290280]

How so?

and also, isn't it beneficial to have a meal 45 mins to an hour after having a protein shake?

Well if you are alternating loadings continuously you have two factors to balance out, adaption and adaption. Confused? Well the first is that you aren't allowing yourself time to adapt to the training stress, as you are continuously training differently (to some extent). As a result the body doesn't "learn" and adapt. But then you don't want to stagnate either due to the second adaption.

So basically a more traditional periodisation of the loadings, 4 weeks, is a good way to go.

Yes it is good to eat about an hour after the PWO shake. Solid meals are best at this time. Basically taking advantage of the 2 hour PWO window of raised protein synthesis, etc. The more I read about PWO shakes the more I'm leaning towards having a shake that has carbs, whey, casein, and good measures of BCAA's. Nutrition isn't my strong point though, so CWU might be the one to ask about any specifics.

 

[tim290280]

My Calf muscles are lagging. Now I know this could be Genes considering I'm Black

Squats
140kg 12
180kg 8
220kg 4 Then Giant drop set 180kg 12, 120kg 54 (was going for 100 reps should have mentaly focused on 200.)

Lunges
60kg 12
80kg 8
80kg 9
60kg 8

Leg extentions
95kg 12
95kg 12
95kg 12
95kg 8

Hamstring curl seated machine
65kg 12
70kg 12
75kg 6
65kg 12

stiff leg deadlift
120kg 12
130kg 12
140kg 3

Standing calf raise
180kg 12
200kg 12
220kg 12
240kg 3--> Giant drop set 180kg 12, 180kg 12, 120kg 54

Ok while it could be because of insertions, and other genetic factors, the calf should be able to grow pretty well. I notice mine look wider, while not looking thick, but I've still added size to them. I've also noticed (and have read the same observations from strength coaches, etc) that calves respond to repeated exercise. Personally I had my biggest calves when I was walking across tilled ground daily (hard on the calves), was doing hard bursts of skipping as a warmup to every weights session, and doing dumbbell calf raises twice a week.

First up, you are doing the standard split thing. The second is that calves are the last thing you do on a big leg day. So essentially you are doing your calves once a week at the end of possibly the hardest workout of the week.

So if you stay with splits, you could move calves to first in the workout. You could also consider adding in extra exercises like seated raises.

You could also do more days with calves. If you were to do this, try to do just one exercise in a session and keep training days as seperate as possible.

Another way would be to change the entire training setup and train legs more often. I can expand on any of these further if you want.

 

[Dilmun Bull]

^^ more exercises more frequency got me intrested
seated

what about leg press calf raise

and what days would you add the extra work

 

[TrueOutlaw]

i've been off for about 6 weeks b/c of scheduling... i've done HST training most recently but i don't want to start over with it b/c i know my strength has gone down and that whole program requires you to base you lits off your max and progressivley add weight. i would like to get my base back should only take a few weeks to get my strenght back.. my question is what type of split or training do you suggest..

THX
TO

 

[tim290280]

^^ more exercises more frequency got me intrested
seated

what about leg press calf raise

and what days would you add the extra work

On your split you train a body part once a week. You can go to a split that trains everything twice a week, or possibly ditch splits and do upper/lower (twice a week), or whole body (three or four times a week).

Seated calf raises or donkey calf raises would be a better bet than leg press calf raises. As the leg press raise is essentially the same as the standing one (depending on type of leg press). As your current split stands, I'd do calves on the arms day.

 

[tim290280]

i've been off for about 6 weeks b/c of scheduling... i've done HST training most recently but i don't want to start over with it b/c i know my strength has gone down and that whole program requires you to base you lits off your max and progressivley add weight. i would like to get my base back should only take a few weeks to get my strenght back.. my question is what type of split or training do you suggest..

I don't quite get the issue.......

Why can't you go back to the HST? Why would you want to do a program with less frequency to "catch up"?

In general after a lay off you want to follow a period of fitness improvement (GPP), rehab, movement and ROM practice (get your form right), and working up to the next phase. The next phase would be a strength phase, then into the hypertrophy. There is no need to have radically different training basis behind these phases.

 

[Dilmun Bull]

Thnx Tim

will keep up split and go twice a week with more exercises

 

[tim290280]

^^ just to be clear: Leg session will have 1-2 exercises of calves, and the arm session will have 1-2 of calves. With the greater frequency there isn't any need to absolutely blast them, so a handfull of sets should be fine for the entire calf work.

 

[tim290280]

Interesting stuff. There was debate raised about spot reduction, as the original papers that called it myth were rather limited in scope (tennis player forearms). So now we may have something more concrete. Of course the effect measured here is minimal.

Are blood flow and lipolysis in subcutaneous adipose tissue influenced by contractions in adjacent muscles in humans?
Bente Stallknecht1*, Flemming Dela1, and Jorn Wulff Helge2

Aerobic exercise increases whole-body adipose tissue lipolysis, but is lipolysis higher in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT) adjacent to contracting muscles than in SCAT adjacent to resting muscles? Ten healthy, overnight-fasted males performed one-legged knee extension exercise at 25% of maximal workload (Wmax) for 30 minutes followed by exercise at 55% Wmax for 120 minutes with the other leg and finally exercised at 85% Wmax for 30 minutes with the first leg. Subjects rested for 30 minutes between exercise periods. Femoral SCAT blood flow was estimated from washout of 133Xe and lipolysis was calculated from femoral SCAT interstitial and arterial glycerol concentrations and blood flow. In general, blood flow as well as lipolysis was higher in femoral SCAT adjacent to contracting than adjacent to resting muscle (time 15-30 min: blood flow: 25% Wmax: 6.6 ± 1.0 vs. 3.9 ± 0.8 ml 100 g-1 min-1, P < 0.05; 55% Wmax: 7.3 ± 0.6 vs. 5.0 ± 0.6, P < 0.05; 85% Wmax: 6.6 ± 1.3 vs. 5.9 ± 0.7, P > 0.05; lipolysis: 25% Wmax: 102 ± 19 vs. 55 ± 14 nmol 100 g-1 min-1, P = 0.06; 55% Wmax: 86 ± 11 vs. 50 ± 20, P > 0.05; 85% Wmax: 88 ± 31 vs. -9 ± 25, P < 0.05). In conclusion, blood flow and lipolysis are generally higher in SCAT adjacent to contracting than adjacent to resting muscle irrespective of exercise intensity. Thus, specific exercises can induce "spot lipolysis" in adipose tissue.

 

[TrueOutlaw]

I don't quite get the issue.......

Why can't you go back to the HST? Why would you want to do a program with less frequency to "catch up"?

In general after a lay off you want to follow a period of fitness improvement (GPP), rehab, movement and ROM practice (get your form right), and working up to the next phase. The next phase would be a strength phase, then into the hypertrophy. There is no need to have radically different training basis behind these phases.

nevermind....

 

[Chesticles]

lol at outlaw.

Tim, can you tell me the correct way to do a dumbbell crossface? I've never done the exercise before, and I want to try it for triceps tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

 

[Dilmun Bull]

Interesting stuff. There was debate raised about spot reduction, as the original papers that called it myth were rather limited in scope (tennis player forearms). So now we may have something more concrete. Of course the effect measured here is minimal.

Are blood flow and lipolysis in subcutaneous adipose tissue influenced by contractions in adjacent muscles in humans?
Bente Stallknecht1*, Flemming Dela1, and Jorn Wulff Helge2

Aerobic exercise increahuLessVictory: ses whole-body adipose tissue lipolysis, but is lipolysis higher in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT) adjacent to contracting muscles than in SCAT adjacent to resting muscles? Ten healthy, overnight-fasted males performed one-legged knee extension exercise at 25% of maximal workload (Wmax) for 30 minutes followed by exercise at 55% Wmax for 120 minutes with the other leg and finally exercised at 85% Wmax for 30 minutes with the first leg. Subjects rested for 30 minutes between exercise periods. Femoral SCAT blood flow was estimated from washout of 133Xe and lipolysis was calculated from femoral SCAT interstitial and arterial glycerol concentrations and blood flow. In general, blood flow as well as lipolysis was higher in femoral SCAT adjacent to contracting than adjacent to resting muscle (time 15-30 min: blood flow: 25% Wmax: 6.6 ± 1.0 vs. 3.9 ± 0.8 ml 100 g-1 min-1, P < 0.05; 55% Wmax: 7.3 ± 0.6 vs. 5.0 ± 0.6, P < 0.05; 85% Wmax: 6.6 ± 1.3 vs. 5.9 ± 0.7, P > 0.05; lipolysis: 25% Wmax: 102 ± 19 vs. 55 ± 14 nmol 100 g-1 min-1, P = 0.06; 55% Wmax: 86 ± 11 vs. 50 ± 20, P > 0.05; 85% Wmax: 88 ± 31 vs. -9 ± 25, P < 0.05). In conclusion, blood flow and lipolysis are generally higher in SCAT adjacent to contracting than adjacent to resting muscle irrespective of exercise intensity. Thus, specific exercises can induce "spot lipolysis" in adipose tissue.

Sorry but thats way over my head can u break it down for us in laymans terms