little exercise trick that they taught me a while ago when i was a newbie.
this is an trick to put weight on your bench easily for that hardgainer trying to gain strength and size.
ill give the example on the flat chest press and just incorporate it on all the other exercises if you like.
basically its a math equation. and you will perform 4 sets in total.
first (3)sets should be pretty much what you can lift for 5 reps. then for the final set you divide that weight by 7. whatever number you get, subtract that from the original weight and perform that as your final set for 10 reps.
example: 200lbs for 3 sets...
then: 200 divided by 7= 28.5(rounded off=30)
now: 200-30= 170lbs
finally: 170lbs for final set of 10 reps.
i know it sounds complicated, but its really not. and IT WORKS!!
just add 10 lbs every week and after 8wks you should be up 80lbs on your bench.
pretty sweet. and it worked for me. i started with 200lbs weighing 160lbs and in 2 months i was easily benching sets close to 300! no juice and under 200lbs (i dont remember, but i weighed around 165- 170lbs)! let me remind you that it was when i was a newbie in weight lifting. experienced lifters will laugh at this method. of course eat big and REST, REST, REST!!!! if not this wont work.
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1jakd_hipyThis may get a noobie to progress quickly and it will add size but after 300 I guarantee you plateau. The reason is strength is a function of the central nervous system if you never overload it your progress will slow greatly. If this worked for big numbers the guys over at Weatside Barbell would use it
i really want to know how you never hit a plateau. read carefully. i made it real clear, this is not for vets. when you hit a plateau, that means that you are doing something right. some people never even reach their plateaus. so.... you're welcome.
Anonplateaus are realistic for anyone, though. both of you are right in a sense. you will reach plateaus in any regimen. then again, the key is proper nutrition, proper execution of training principles, and appropriate rest between sessiions for recovery.
as we all know the gains are made in the kitchen and not the gym. simply put, we are what we eat; the nutrition we give our bodies is similar to the raw materials given to a carpenter to build a home - give him shitty materials and you get a shitty house. overloading your muscles is the most important factor for making gains in the gym. what i discussed below about the rep ranges is precisely the overloading principle designed by the NFPT (National Federation of Professional Trainers) for each individual fiber type.
i see a lot of people that misunderstand this concept and they think that it's more in the reps not the weight. the load has to be sufficient to cause unassisted failure in the rep ranges in order to properly overload the muscle group. without overloading them and simply doing 4-6 reps with a weight that you can do 10-12 is only cheating ourselves.
most of us know this already, but there are those that come here searching for these answers. so, i state these facts mainly for those people..
1jakd_hipySorry bud hitting a plateau means your doing something wrong. There are two reasons you hit a plateau 1. Is repeating the same workouts over and over again (not applying the conjugate method) 2. Is never stimulating your CNS. Now eventually you'll start reaching what the human body is truly capable of but that's still being pushed everyday by guys like Eric Spoto and Dan Efferding. There is a reason that Westside Barbell is the strongest pound for pound gym in the world and its because Louie Simmons knows how to prevent plateaus. I can't tell you the last time I plateaued and I never have since I started using Westside
you just dont get it. YOU are not new at this. when you started, i can bet my left nut you hit plateaus. now, just like me, you know when you are getting there and thats when you do something about it. 8 wks is a great amount of time to "repeat" an exercise routine being new at lifting. stop being so "Mr perfect bodybuilder" and move on. again(4th time), this is not for people like you and I. i can sit here and start writing essays about the human anatomy and put everybody here to sleep from boredom, but thats not what i originally intended to do by writing this. i dont care what those guys you mentioned have to say or what gym they go to. all of my degrees are what i listen to. i know my shit! i am in no way saying that you dont, by no means, for all i know you could the great arnold on the other side of the computer. just put youself in those newbies shoes. thats all. they are just looking to up their bench, not to learn why they are benching that weight. and if i sound aggressive in any way, i apologize, its the test in me!!! lol
ding, ding, ding! forum fight!! ha!
no hard feelings, HIPY! this is the reason i love this sight. a bunch of juiced up know-it-alls!!
1jakd_hipyNo hard feelings here bro except for the body building comment(I'm a power lifter). My point is that you can take someone who's never touched weight and their CNS will be easily stimulated. Take my wife for example 2 years ago I could make her do real push-ups everyday and her bench would go up because she had never moved that much weight. I can tell you my workouts to the end of the year, and they don't repeat themselves. Simply by changing from time to rep scheme and things like different bands and chains you have endless workouts. If the new guys can learn what will work long term instead of a short term fix which takes them to a plateau and then they're fucked they'll be much better off.
AnonEasy now boys!! Lol
Anonso many different tips and tricks out there.. when it comes to goal oriented sets/reps, best tool in the bag is a lil knowledge about the muscle groups and the different fibers types. for instance...
muscles are comprised of individual fibers bundled together, and there are 3 different fiber types - white fast twitch, red fast twitch, and red slow twitch. i could get super technical with this but i'll try to 'kiss' it.
there are components within these fibers that play various roles in the processes that cause your muscles to contract. mitochondria are essentially the power houses of the cells making up these fibers. their job is simple: make ATP (energy) from raw nutrients. Without ATP, muscles simply cannot perform contractions. there are several other variables that can affect contractions as well, but let's stop with this process.
fiber types....
white fast twitch (WFT): are the largest fiber type of the three. they are responsible for lifting the heaviest loads of all three. they also have the fewest mitochondria of all three, which means that they consequently fail faster than all three and take the longest to recover. due to these characteristics, targeting this fiber type would be most ideal for someone who's goal is size and strength. WFT fibers typically fail under a load within a 4-6 rep range. This means rep to unassisted failure...
red fast twitch (RFT): are smaller than WFT but larger than red slow twitch fibers. they also can support heavier loads than RST but not as much as WFT fibers. this is due to both the size of the fibers and the fact that they have more mitochondria than WFT but fewer than RST fibers. Because of these characteristics, this fiber type is mostly ideal to support moderate strength and stamina based exercises, and will typically fail at the 12-15 rep range.
red slow twitch (RST): are the smalllest of the three and have the greatest number of mitochondria. As a result, they are incapable of supporting heavy loads, but can maintain frequent contractions for the longest duration. Therefore, this fiber type would be most ideally targeted for someone who's goal is endurance or weight loss. These fiber types typically fail at the 20-25 rep range.
How can you use this information practically? If your goal is size and strength, go with a weight that you can only lift 4 times. Do 4-6 sets on this muscle group in this rep range and give yourself appropriate resting time and nutrition. As your muscles become stronger, you'll notice yourself reaching the higher end of the rep range (6 reps). when this happens, tweak the weight and drop yourself back down to 4 reps. this will put you in line for constant progression and good gains!
Think I failed to keep it simple... smh... not trying to jack your post, brotha. you basically did the same thing. only you added a set at the end to target the red fast twitch. And it works because you're constantly going to failure and tweaking the weights as you get stronger. my bad for the tangent... lol
thats exactly it. but i was just giving the same advise that someone gave me when i started and it really worked. i didnt want to overload the newbs with why it works, just how to do it and progress. thanks for reeeaaalllyyyyy explaining it. lol and yeah, youll hit a plateau. but then again you always will. thats what makes this sport so interesting. if there was a "perfect workout", then everyone would be benching 1200lbs doing the exact same routine. in no time did you jack my post, homie. if anything you made mine even better, thanx for that. when you've been doing this for sooo long, you learn how YOU react to workouts and kinda "know" whats b est for you. i made it clear, "for newbies and hardgainers". not for the vets.
AnonRight on bro. i'm no vet by any means. i do have a working knowledge of the human body and how it responds to exercise and nutrition. just like to share that knowledge. i think a lot of us, even the newbs, come here for answers. maybe it's just me and how i like to learn but i the the more factual the better. just wanted to add to your post.