I'll use weighted dips as an example. I'd want to do 5 sets of 5 reps with 15kg in a bag on my back, if after the 3rd/4th set I started struggling to do the 5 reps, is it better to just do three or four good reps with the 15kg still on my back, or drop it to 10kg and finish the full amount of reps? It's probably an irrelevant question because either way I'll get home and eat chocolate and crisps.
If you can't hit the reps.. Lower the weight and higher the reps to 8 -10 - 12 reps. That's what i used to do, volume is important. You're working in the 5 x 5 range so this puts allot of stress on your Central Nervous System....and trains it more. It's like a car battery, so sometimes in this rep range. Your CN'S blow out before your muscles get tired, so that's why lad you should mixed it up. Use low reps, and higher rep's to develop your muscle's more i.e body building. Heavyweight and Low reps..aim more at improving strength. Because it trains your muscle's neurologically more. Or you could do paused reps, like take short rest's and try and knock out 1 rep...still using the heavyweight. "But i don't like it" But i would go with lowering the weight around the 3rd 4th set, and implement higher reps. Big Pay Back..!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I should do 3 sets of 5 reps with the weight, then finish off with 2 sets of 8 reps with no weight? I'm not bothered about size, I'm only interested in getting a bit stronger.
Just make sure your form is right, and do the highest you can so that you can still keep form and finish X amount or reps. I know I do 3 sets of 12 with a 45 hanging on my waist and if I cant finish or I get sloppy with form Ill drop to a 35 for the last set.
Well would'nt you like to get abit stronger, and also look better...? And have better muscular development..? you can do what you want, i am just sayin.. Yeh around your 4th set, when you can no longer complete the 5 reps with the 15kg. Lower the weight and up the rep's, go down to 10kg/or no weight... and up the rep's..very simple.
I couldn't give a toss about looking better, I rarely have my shirt off anyway. I'm sure I'll get a bit of muscle as I get stronger but I'm mainly doing it to help me at work. I'll try what you said, cheers for the advice. :good
Would it help to do a circuit training instead? I've read that it takes appr. 5 minutes for the nerves to recover, switching between exercises would give them some time. Serious question, I'm actually curious not attacking anyone's weight routine
Switching between exercises..and still using heavy weight..and using a 5 x 5 rep range..? If this is what you are talking about..? No that will **** you up, CN'S burnout. But like i said, you can mix it up. If your doing weighted dips, you can also mix in non - weighted dips aiming for high reps. Inbetween Heavy sets, put a non weighted set in and knock the rep's out. I have not been the gym for months, just doing my own ****. But for me it's all about, the overall A-game. The overall ****ing A-game.
What I meant was, suppose you start doing bench presses. The nerves firing up the muscles will become stressed, so you move on to leg work. While doing the legs the nerves in the chest can recover, and after 10 minutes or so you could do another heavy set of benches. Doesn't having a high rep set in between accomplish the same thing, giving the nerves time to recover?
No the central Nervous System doe's not work like that. All over your body, and in your muscles. You have something called..Motor Units. So in your chest, legs, biceps..where ever. You have Motor Units. It's your central Nervous Systems job, to recruit these Motor Units. And these Motor Units recruit muscle fibre's and tell them to ****ing lift this heavy ass weight. So whenever you lift, Heavyweights on any exercise. Your Central Nervous System is always in action, your central Nervous System is always working. The bigger the exercise, the more Motor Units, your Central Nervous System must recruit. So squat, Bench Press, Dead Lifts cause massive strain on the central Nervous system. Do you understand..? Overall A- Game.
If you're not eating enough, you won't gain muscle. Simple as that. Ideal rep range for maximal strength is between 1-3. Lowering the weight after being unable to complete a set at the weight of the previous sets, would be optimal for hypertrophy by stressing the muscle. Do not do this with compound exercises such as bench, squat, and deadlift.
That answers my question, thank you. I was just wondering if the overloading of the CN system was local, and that does not appear to be the case. The reason I wondered, is because different motor units control different muscles. I guess there's a lot of overlap in case of compound exercises, but still. Of course if the CN system as a whole gets overloaded, it doesn't matter much anymore which motor unit should be activated, it won't happen anyway. Interesting stuff.
Depends. You want strength? Grind out those reps. You want size? Drop the weight and do a few more reps. Not as simple as that but use that as a guideline. You can build a great body with choc and crisps, clean eating is overrated.
Interesting info there, and I wondered why do I feel bad even tho I use different exercises with heavy weights. Thanks for the info kool.