Weight Lifting techniques and tips

1. Nope, not a typo. You are always strongest with the muscle group you start out with. So on Monday I prioritize chest and on Friday I prioritize back. I also do a few extra sets on the muscle I prioritize.
2. Nope, no worries at all. Mond you I monitor my elbow joints very, very carefully. I have broken both my elbows and suffer from tendonitus. So I realy have to be careful on raining arms and not going heavy after being warmed up. I do aprox 9-12 sets for biceps and triceps each. I keep rest periods at 60 seconds and thus prioritize the pump and blood flow.
With back and chest training you indeed train arms as well and with heavier weights. So on a traditional arm day I just pump away!
3. If you are always doing 6 sets of 12, you are working out, not training! Keep changing things up all the time. I try to change at least 2 variables from one training to the next. Exercise selection is one, but also rest period or overall volume, etc.
Are those 6 sets of 12 per exercise or per body part. First is too much and second is not enough.
Would you please explain a bit more?

Deload weeks:
Let’s get this out of the way.
You don’t need them IF your training is adjusted. Meaning a deload week is only required if it is build in your program.
One needs a deload week if you ramp up volume each and every week until you hit the overtrainings-wall. Then and only then you do a deload week.
During the deload week you reap the benefits from having your neural system programmed for volume. When you dial that back one week overcompensation starts to happen which should result in muscle growth.

However if you keep alternating your training, frequency and thus volume you don’t need a deload week.
The deload week seems to be the new “ cheat day” . One day of the week to stuff your face because it “ ramps up your metabolism” .
Right right, as if that has any merit; it’s just an excuse to pig out.
Same for a deload week. You don’t need it. Only use it when you feel like you need it. There is no golden rule here.
Most have their deload weeks during holidays and the festive season.
I rarely come across trainers that run themselves so deep into the ground that they actually need that week.

Hope this explains a bit, but please share a bit more info.
By no means is my system “ great” , but I made it work for me.

 

I would indeed say as well, see your vacations as deload weeks. But again, I rarely see people that actually need deload weeks.
Which is btw no shame as clever programming means you don’t need a deload week.
The term comes more from olympic- and power lifters; not gym rats.
Even on vacation I like to get a few workouts in. Not going all out, but simply doing a few sets to get some blood flowing.

 

Oh and btw using 50% of your regular workout weight is not “ going through the motions” . It’s useless.
I’d rather stay at home or take a walk.
Ramping the volume down means instead of 6 sets to failure you do 3 sets to failure.
You still focus on getting “ quality sets” and not “ junk sets” .
50% of the weight is a junk set aka useless volume.

 

I just used 6 sets of 12 as an example. That is what I tend to do for dumbbell chest presses. I was mainly trying to figure out if a deload was 50% weight with same sets/reps, or full weight and half the sets.
For different muscle groups I have different target rep ranges. So for smaller muscles like biceps and triceps I aim range 15-20 per set. I try to vary exercises which is why I get ideas from people here as well as YouTube channels like Jay’s, Jeff Cavaliere, Jeff Nippard, MountainDog, and Ryan Humiston (spellings may be off).
It sounds as though the deload week may be more a myth than something to incorporate. I have generally found that after going steady for a number of cycles I just need a few days off, mostly because of mental fatigue more than anything I suppose. Travel and getting together with friends & family also has a way of injecting days here and there with no workouts.

Thanks again!

 

OK, understood.
I would not go beyond 4 sets per exercise. That’s more a preferential thing and less rock, rock solid research. I’d rather use those ‘ extra’ 2 sets on a different exercise.
15-20 is a lot of reps. For biceps and triceps I would vary between 8-15. They tend to respond well with a little higher rerps due to muscle fiber make up.
But if you are joint sensitive the 15-20 also works.
Not a big fan of Ryan here. He tends to screw the science a bit and just goes on and on about training yourself into the ground as the only way to go….
The other know what they are talking about.
Might want to check out Mike van Wyck as well.

Yes, if you don’t progam. The deload week, you don’t need it. Just like you don’t need a pound of twinkies on Sunday to “ kick start your metabolism” !

 

So since you posted this I have changed the rate of piling on the weight for my bench. I do 10 with the bar, 10 at 135, 7 at 185 then I hit 225 once but yesterday I was able to do it twice. Then I do 2 sets of 5 with 205, 3 sets of 5 with 195 and then finish with one set of 7 at 185 and three more sets of 5 at 185. I am trying to make all the sets at 185 to be 7 but for now my goal is to get in at least 50 reps with 185+ and that's how it's going.

I can definitely see the 225x5 happening this year. BTW, I was doing 210 twice when I first started this and that was my equivalent of 225. I first tried 225 once about a month ago and it was easy enough at that point in the workout so I just kept it in there and now I can do it twice.

 

Nice to hear you are improving!
Time to take your programming to the next level as what little info you give, does tell me you do in total (including 3 warm up sets) 13 total sets.
That's waaaaay too much volume for one exercise and robbing you of more/better results.
If the goal is to get to 50 reps of 185 with the least amount of sets, then it's best to work towards that goal.
Or do you want 5 x 225lbs? Please be specific so I can help you program better as you want to mix a muscle fatigue goal with a strength goal. Doing both will yield suboptimal results.
Any specific reason to do so? Meaning do you want to improve overall strenghthg, muscle mass or simply set a goal?

As your sets and reps do strike me as a bit odd.
You start with warm ups towards as max set, you than back off and start adding volume.
Generally it's way too musch and is seting you up for injuries (sorry!)

Again, I have little info, so I'll have to make a few assumptions here.
Start with a good diet. Try to aim for 1lbs of protein per 1lbs of body weight.
When trying to increase strength you should not be dieting as that's a try strength killer.
Don't aim for "I want to build muscle AND lose fat" it's suboptimal.

A good middle ground option for you would be to do bench presses 2x per week.
You do your strength work on Monday and 'conditioning' work on Friday.

(as with a strength program, feel free to go with Jim Wendler's 531 program that has been mentioned several times here)
Strength work based on your numbers:
Warm ups:
12-15 empty bar
10 x 100
8 x 150
Working sets:
5 x 200
3 x 210
2 x 220

It's important that you stay away from failure with your last set. You should have a little bit in the tank.
The aim is to progress each week on your last set of 2 x 220 to 2 x 225 to 2 x 230, etc.
Same applies to the working sets.
I suggest 90-120 sec rest between warm ups and min 3 min between working sets.

Do you also know where your sticking points are with the bench press?
Bottom (chest), middle (chest shoulder) or top (tricep) as we can include exercises that work that specific range.

On Friday you do your muscle fatigue sets:
Warm ups:
12-15 empty bar
10 x 100
8 x 150

Working sets:
simply aim to do as many reps per set until you go 2 reps shy of failure of first 2 sets.
Than on 3 and 4 set you go 1 rep short of failure.
Sets 5 and beyond go ape ****!

Hope the above helps!
keep us posted!

 

Thanks for the analysis. My goal is really to get a 1 hour workout at the gym and get stronger doing 2 to 3 workouts per week. The 225x5 goal is just to be able to do it, maybe not at the top of the workout but that would be even better if I can get to that. I will try to incorporate what you are saying and then put something else in to fill the time since I would not be doing as many reps with your sets on the heavy day. Do you have any suggestions for other exercises to include on the heavy days? I already put in a lot of incline situps or ab crunches, some curls, some pulldowns for lats and some kickbacks for triceps.

 

Sure, some more pointers.
Keep things intense so you can get mor ‘ quality work’ in verses a lot of stuff you don’t need.
I always get nervous when I hear people say “ a lot of set ups/ab work”. I have never met someone that did a lot of ab work that had decent ab development. (Sorry!)
Keep your ab workouts /sets to about 4 sets 2-3 times per week with reps between 8-20. If you can do more than 20 you are not training your abs but your hip flexors. Which is actually what 99% of the general public does.
The key with ab workouts is to focus 110% on your abs. Do NOT go through the motions but focus completely on your abs. Should an atom bomb drop you will have nothing on your mind but yours abs!
I posted previously some videos on how to do quality abs exercises. Please scroll back or perhaps look up “ v-ups”. Do 20 quality reps of those 4x and you can stop a dum dum bullet with your abs!
Additional work would include chin ups, triceps pressdowns (never ever kick backs!) and some barbell/dumbell curls.
Don’t neglect upper back as it’s pivital for bench press strength

 

I will do you one better.

How about once a week for about 1.5 hours?

Try the 30-10-30 technique.

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/growth-explosion-the-30-10-30-technique/

 

I could write a full essay on this about the pros and cons……
Yes you will get newbie results, yes, age maters, yes doing things right for the first time always generates great results.
Let alone getting scientifically and looking into protein retention, etc, etc.
Take away message will be, train more = bigger, beter and faster results.
I do not know anyone with great performance/physique that trains once per week….

But hey, if you are short on time and want results, you could always try it. Worth a shot.
Once a week beats never a week!

 

Yeah, I am 66 so I am not interested in gaining weight and muscle like that. I am just trying to maintain a good physique, while staying strong and maybe getting stronger. The same thing happened to me when I was 19, I went from 165 to 190 in one summer and it was all muscle. I was a roofer and I was carrying 100 lb kegs of tar and 80lb bundles of shingles up ladders.

 

“ Gaining muscle”. Is not always about looking like a body builder. It’s also about simply maintaining your current muscle mass and function. Then again, anyone at any age can gain muscle.

 

I'd like to add to the above post that 'gaining' or maintaining muscle mass is one of the key drivers in longevity.
Having plenty of muscle mass has been clearly shown to slow down the aging process.
Let alone exercising itself being THE most important factor to prevent most serious ilness' and age dependant issues.
So, lift weights, run, swim, ride, walk, aka whatever stay active and live a long and healthyt life!

 

Hello @Maximus1973 - What do you think of Jeff Cavaliere - the AthleanX guy? His videos seem solid but I'm not smart with this stuff so I thought I'd ask for your thoughts. Thank you for your posts here. I appreciate the time you put into it.

 

Jeff is a physical therapist and thus looks at exercises with that certain angle.
You generally can’y go wrong with his tips…
Some of his rehab stuff is really good.
However I ‘hate’ it when people do say “only my advice is correct type videos’ .
This is not a sport where there are only a few good exercises. Multiple are.
There is however proper and poor form on exercises.
99% of people in the gym have poor form; so that is universal.

But again, he is a great source of information. Not THE information just a good source.

 

Please don’t get me wrong here…. But your form isn’t proper on this exercise.
You keep on raising your shoulder and don’t fully extend your back. So the focus becomes more on arms, shoulders and upper back.
It’s more like a partial movement.
You should focus on pushing your shoulders down and ‘ reaching’. To grab the handles to fully extend your back.
The difference in feel and pump will be night and day.
Yes, you are stronger in your version, but since you’re not entering a rowing competition that should not be your main concern.
Have a look at Mike van Wyck back videos. He perfectly shows the difference on back exercises and how to proper do them.
You will feel and see and difference and your results will skyrocket; trust me!

Back is a touch muscle group to ‘ isolate and focus’ on, but once you know how the proper ‘ connect’ the difference is truly night and day.
Wish I could show you, but again, look up Mike and try it…..

“ There are hardly no poor exercises, just poor form”.

 

I understand what you mean, buit have a closer look from the back. You can see how little back involvement you have. Start the movement with e bente elbow and try to keep your buut/hips always behind your shoulder. Meaning your chest is supporting the front support. That means you will get additional range of motion which is very helpful for taller people like yourself. When you start the pulling motion try to ‘ drive into the chest support’ . When you look into your movement, you kinda move away from the support. Most people when the weight becomes heavy, they move away from the support as that’s a stronger position. When you start the pull, try to pull your body to the weight with shoulders down and chest up. Again, you pull your body towards the weight; not the weight towards you.

 

Actually when you are flexible you can move more fluid. Your movement here is very rigid. Try to open up your back more. Use your flexibility.
Put your butt on the back position of the bench. So only your chest is touching the support and not your crouch. It may look a bit weird but the feeling is sooooo much better.
Your have great genetics and potential. But no offense you could use witha few pointers towards form. Again, not your fault and I’m a ****** when it comes to form. But I simply hate tp see effort/potential being wasted and I KNOW you want to improve.

Again, go look up Mike Wycked, put ego aside, drop some weights and try the pointers. On several exercises. It will make a world of difference. It’s tough for me to explain, but go by feel.

Same applies to your french press. If you move your elbows more towards your ears; the weaker position, you will get a stretch and pump like you never had before.

 

I'd raise the seat as well, if you pull too high it's more rear delt vs. lats.