posted Tue, 02/07/2012 - 08:11
2449
Muscle confusion
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I'm currently in a mass building mode! I've been hovering between 175-190lbs for the last 8 years while boxing. I have just recently started training to gain mass and left the gloves hanging up. I'm training heavy, low rep workouts. Everything to faliure at 5-6 reps. This kind of training is still foreign to me so I'm wondering how and when you experienced BBers implement muscle confusion techniques. How long is too long for the same routine? I'm interested in examples of muscle confusion workouts. Help a brotha out. Thanks guys!
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Well, I've been doing what was suggested in this thread and I feel like I did the first week I ever lifted. I'm sore every day. I never do the same exercise for a particular body part in consecutive weeks. It seems to be working very well. I have to rest more often even on cycle but I believe it's paying dividends. Thanks for The help guys!!
You change the exercise when it stop producing results. a lot of us powerlifters change the exercise every two weeks on max effort day in order to keep growing and hit a new pr on a different lift every week. EXAMPLE: week 1-2 max effort bench press. week 3-4 max effort Dumbell press. week 5-6 Max effort incline bench press. you still do the other exercises but you only try to max out on one lift at a time and if done correctly you will be hitting new pr's on every lift
Excellent! Thank you for the input bro! I'm going to change it up Monday. I have increased my max 2 different times in the last month but always the same exercises. I've gotten bored frankly. I'm ready for a change. I'll stay away from hammer strength machines for a while and practice better form with nothing but free weights.
Hey mate I see a few people here all saying a similar thing. Let me pose this question to you. What is the primary function of any muscle. It's to contract. The other is to relax. Now when you have multiple muscles in your upper arm some bring the radius and ulna towards the humerus. Then the opposing muscles draw them away from each other. Now my question. How do you confuse some thing with only 1 purpose. The main reason for changing exercises is to keep you from becoming bored. When you become bored you put in less effort and as such your gains lessen or stop. You also change exercises to assist in injury management. I am not trying to say everone doesn't know what they are talking about but that's the way I view it anyway.
Thank u for the response. I'm open to any and all advice. I'm here to soak it all up and listen to as many differing opinions as possible. I was under the impression that when you get set in a particular routine (same weight, same time frame, same exercises) your muscles adapt to that routine and since they can already handle the strain you put them under, they stay stagnant. If you put them under a different kind of stress that they are forced to adapt and compensate ,hence grow to prepare for the shit storm you rain on them next time. I'm a rookie at this. Like u said this is the impression I was under. So to confuse them is to constantly change the weight, intervals, sets, exercises and not allow them to adapt. Am I mistaken? What I wanted were some examples of how some experienced body builders are able to pull this off. I appreciate your feedback Wallabokkie. Keep it coming
You are %100 correct that the body adapts to the stress placed on it so it grows. If you were to do squats and get say 100kg out for 20reps would you stay on that weight or would you increase the weight and try to build up to the 20reps again. By doing this you are not confusing the muscle you are increasing the load of whitch the body then goes shit a brick I need to grow to be able to deal with the new stress placed on the muscle. I do change my routine every now and then but not as often as most people do. It might change maybe 2 times a year thats it. What I was getting at very basicaly was the muscle contracts and relaxes thats it. You cant confuse something that has no brain to confuse. Confusion is a mental state and not a muscular condition. Could you picture someone walking down the street while their quads were confused it would be nothing short of hiliarious. The muscle recieves an electric signal through the nervous system to either contract or relax thats it pure and simple. This muscle confusion thing is an old term used that should have died a natural death years ago as science and education have all advanced. The way I make my body change and grow is by increasing the stress placed on it. It can be done in a few ways by heavier loads i.e. increased weight on the bar or through increased volume of weight moved through your session. Now that being said what type of physique do you want. Do you want to look like a sprinter or a marathon runner. This is just an example of the differenc in training high reps and low rep power. Now that being said as well there definately is a place volume training in bodybuilding. There is a huge difference in doing volume training and doing high reps. I hope this has helped a bit bro
Lmao! Love the analogy. I understand what you mean. I only called it that because I've been told that's what it is "muscle confusion"! Based on everything you guys are saying , I'm going to start Monday fresh with a different routine. I'm going to find the weight that causes failure at 10, incorporate new exercises and practice good form. After a few weeks of that I'll do the same again but this time increase the weight to failure at 4. I think I'm getting the hang of it. Just have to find a groove! Thanks bro, yes you've been helpful
Yeah mate the term muscle confusion has been around for a very long time. I personally don't use it my self. The other term that I am not a fan of is a bulking cycle. Why would you want to put on heaps of fat only too have to go through the process of losing it again. I call it a up sizing cycle. I keep the diet clean just use different compounds.
Gotcha! So it is cool to alternate exercises and sets weekly. I think someone else said this as well. Thank you. Helpful for sure
I've been power lifting for 9 years body building for a year and I'll switch it up one day I'll go a 5+5 on bench the next time ikl do 3+15 just so my body never plateus.
Anon5-6 reps is power lifting game. Get up in 10 rep range. Mucsle confusion as I play it is more like hitting a push/pull then going back and tricpes and pecs and bi's. Moving that big weight IS going take a toll man. Go lighter and more reps for a long BB lifestyle.
Ok so I'll still make mass gains at 10 rep faliure? I'm currently at about 6,000 calories a day. It's tough to eat that much but I do it (with supplemental
Calorie shakes help). Right now I'm typically doing one big muscle and one small per day with a rest in between.
Monday: Back & bi's. 5 exercises each muscle w/ faliure at 6 & 4 sets per
Tues: legs. Same routine, 5 exercises faliure at 6 & 4 sets per exercise
Wed: off
Thur: chest /tris. Same routine
Friday: shoulders /abs. Same routine.
So if I up the reps to faliure at 10-12 how many sets should I be doing per exercise?
Anon3 sets. Leave the fatigued but plenty of energy to keep going. Muscle group spent not your whole body.
Agree doc, I personally never rep anything I can't push at least 8-10. If your goal is to reach a bb look then the weight should be the least of your worries. It's all about the squeeze and form, that is of course unless your into the power lifting game.
The goal is to gain quality muscle. Increase size and strength. For my height and frame I think I would be happy at about 220lbs lean
AnonLean is point man. You'll look bigger weighing less evertime.
Ok, thanks for the advice guys.