maxing out on cycle

[stupidhippo]

HI!!

I was wondering does anyone know is it beneficial to max out (do your 1 rep max) every week in bench when u r on a cycle, or would it be better to have not so heavy weeks even when u r on a cycle.. ??

[fballhoss51]

tha weight u use is constantly changing so i wouldnt kno what to put on, i like to put up my weight and do low sets and if it was easy, i add more weight and do another set w/ tha same amount of reps

[stupidhippo]

yeah but I mean should I go n hit the real low reps (max weight) every week or not. I know that normally this wouldnt be smart in the long run but dont know that when u r on roids.

[Mealticket]

unless you're a power lifter and do competitions y would you need to max out. Just promotes injury. Swallow the ego, drop the weight, and tighten up your form. Obviously when you press the same amount of weight the following week while completing more reps yo're getting stronger

[Geeezer]

I switch up every week work up to max then max my max is 325 4 time
next week do 4 sets of 225 10 times
next week use bumb bells 4 sets of 100 8 to 10 reps
then back to the strart

Will be uping my weights this next chest work out,hope to add 10 pounds
to my reps
I will be staying at 325 for one more rotation

[edmen2]

i usually try to do a max lift of at the end of each exercise. mainly for a confidence booster. ive never been hurt doing a max but i have pulled a pec on my 3rd set of bench.

[marcus300]

i wouldnt do 1 rep max every work out,unless your power lifting and not bodybuilding, not even for confidence booster, id work you muscle to the max push as much weight as possible try training methods ie drop sets, supersets, but 1 rep max would cause to much injury,,,,bodybuild not your ego!!!

[Son Of Khadafi]

Sets for strength(1-4 reps) are good for muscle density and the gains are generally more easily maintained than hypertrophy gains. When you do sets of 3 reps you are only working your fast twitch(white) muscle fibers which are anaerobic. Lifting like this increases your muscle size and also, over time, thickens and toughens the cell wall around the muscles, which helps resist shrinking. Hypertrophy(6-12 reps) increases the slow twitch(aerobic) muscles and also calls your body's endurance into play resulting in glycogen(used for energy expenditure) storage around your muscles(giving you that puffy look that most ppl associate with bb's) this is good, but also realize that it makes you muscles seem bigger than they really are and can make you musclebound if you don't work your reps through a COMPLETE range of motion.

hope that helps

[bignbald02]

Sets for strength(1-4 reps) are good for muscle density and the gains are generally more easily maintained than hypertrophy gains. When you do sets of 3 reps you are only working your fast twitch(white) muscle fibers which are anaerobic. Lifting like this increases your muscle size and also, over time, thickens and toughens the cell wall around the muscles, which helps resist shrinking. Hypertrophy(6-12 reps) increases the slow twitch(aerobic) muscles and also calls your body's endurance into play resulting in glycogen(used for energy expenditure) storage around your muscles(giving you that puffy look that most ppl associate with bb's) this is good, but also realize that it makes you muscles seem bigger than they really are and can make you musclebound if you don't work your reps through a COMPLETE range of motion.

hope that helps

great info bro.

[Son Of Khadafi]

thanks. i try

[Pinnacle]

This is slightly off topic.But I found it interesting since I was always told to keep your rest peroid low between sets to keep stress on the muscle and force growth .This sort of changed my view.

Short vs. Long Rest Period Between the Sets in Hypertrophic Resistance Training: Influence on Muscle Strength, Size, and Hormonal Adaptations in Trained Men.

Ahtiainen JP, Pakarinen A, Alen M, Kraemer WJ, Hakkinen K.

Department of Biology of Physical Activity & Neuromuscular Research Center, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland.

Ahtiainen, J.P., A. Pakarinen, M. Alen, W.J. Kraemer, and K. Hakkinen. Short vs. long rest period between the sets in hypertrophic resistance training: Influence on muscle strength, size, and hormonal adaptations in trained men. J. Strength Cond. Res. 19(3):572-582. 2005.-Acute and long-term hormonal and neuromuscular adaptations to hypertrophic strength training were studied in 13 recreationally strength-trained men. The experimental design comprised a 6-month hypertrophic strength-training period including 2 separate 3-month training periods with the crossover design, a training protocol of short rest (SR, 2 minutes) as compared with long rest (LR, 5 minutes) between the sets. Basal hormonal concentrations of serum total testosterone (T), free testosterone (FT), and cortisol (C), maximal isometric strength of the leg extensors, right leg 1 repetition maximum (1RM), dietary analysis, and muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) of the quadriceps femoris by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were measured at months 0, 3, and 6. The 2 hypertrophic training protocols used in training for the leg extensors (leg presses and squats with 10RM sets) were also examined in the laboratory conditions at months 0, 3, and 6. The exercise protocols were similar with regard to the total volume of work (loads x sets x reps), but differed with regard to the intensity and the length of rest between the sets (higher intensity and longer rest of 5 minutes vs. somewhat lower intensity but shorter rest of 2 minutes). Before and immediately after the protocols, maximal isometric force and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the leg extensors were measured and blood samples were drawn for determination of serum T, FT, C, and growth hormone (GH) concentrations and blood lactate. Both protocols before the experimental training period (month 0) led to large acute increases (p < 0.05-0.001) in serum T, FT, C , and GH concentrations, as well as to large acute decreases (p < 0.05-0.001) in maximal isometric force and EMG activity. However, no significant differences were observed between the protocols. Significant increases of 7% in maximal isometric force, 16% in the right leg 1RM, and 4% in the muscle CSA of the quadriceps femoris were observed during the 6-month strength-training period. However, both 3-month training periods performed with either the longer or the shorter rest periods between the sets resulted in similar gains in muscle mass and strength. No statistically significant changes were observed in basal hormone concentrations or in the profiles of acute hormonal responses during the entire 6-month experimental training period. The present study indicated that, within typical hypertrophic strength-training protocols used in the present study, the length of the recovery times between the sets (2 vs. 5 minutes) did not have an influence on the magnitude of acute hormonal and neuromuscular responses or long-term training adaptations in muscle strength and mass in previously strength-trained men.

[Son Of Khadafi]

That's interesting... But waiting that long would make for one hell of a long workout. Cortisol gets too high after an hour or so and your muscles have a harder time growing. I would be interested in hearing about some more studies on the topic... Nice post bro

[dieselhead]

that really answers a question i''ve been struggling with for a while. I like doing low reps, such as 2-6, but a buddy i train with sometimes, that's also juicin, wants to do supersets and giant sets for everything. this is my first cycle and probably his tenth, but he really has nothing to show for it. we're both the same height and weight. also he has this impression that you only go half to 3/4 of the way down on an exercise such as bench press, then go back up, whereas i think, since i'm bodybuilding not powerlifting, that if i want to work my chest i should instead stick with the bottom half of the movement before my tris and shoulders become more involved

[Son Of Khadafi]

After 3/4 of the way down on bench, your chest muscles aren't pushing the weight....your deltoids are. I see his point interms of growing his chest, but he's wrong. The point of bench press is that is a compound exercise, just like squats and deadlifts, and therefore is indespensible in terms of making your whole body grow, making you much more massive than just going through half the motion. Everyone thinks that newer techiniques are better but they suck... they don't take into account overall strength and fitness. Plus not exercising a muscle through a complete range of motion shortens it! Not something you want

[stupidhippo]

A lot of good info.. thx guys!! I've also read that while short rep sets are effective they can lead to overtraining if done too often.