I'm not I've read they can hamper your gains, so I've opted not to use one.Originally Posted by Capebuffalo
I'm not I've read they can hamper your gains, so I've opted not to use one.Originally Posted by Capebuffalo
Ok thanks, peace.Originally Posted by Capebuffalo
I love the internet... Better then Jerry! Everyone is going to be different; I am with Cape on this one though not sure how it is possible to complete sets so quickly. I am at the gym 70-90 mins (with a partner) with 2 mins between sets and 4-5 between exercises. Not saying what you are doing is wrong, but I cannot fathom being done that quickly.
I've always had the philosophy that if it works for you, then keep doing it. I used to take very short breaks between sets (60secs), because that's what I learned in the Arnold Encyclopedia, but over the years I've come to need more rest in order to get the most out of every set. I also do a lot of stretching and flexing of the muscle I'm working in between sets, and this takes time. As another poster mentioned, supersets are one way to cut down on yout workout time, but I find them useful only when you're working two different muscles, or two different parts of the same muscle. For example, I often do supersets on my bicep/tricep day, but I certainly don't do them on chest day. I mean there's no point supersetting flat bench press with incline press LOL! Still, I've never raced the clock when it comes to my workouts. I try to keep them to 75 minutes or less, but I can usually do chest in 60 minutes or so, while back takes 75 or even longer some times if I'm lifting heavy weight and taking long rests between sets.
Still, to each his own, and if it works for you, great. As long as you're doing it right (the proper number of sets, etc.), then it doesn't matter how long it takes you, although I personally believe that being in the gym for more than 90 minutes regularly can lead to overtraining.
Lol theres no way your not trolling. 30 sets in 40 minutes? lol what. I cant imagine how bad that routine must be for bodybuilding/strength training. Ai can hamper your gains? lol by this logic i'd expect the next thing you'd spout off is that taking a xanax pre workout pumps you up.
Those 2 workouts I don't do, due to lower back issues and doctor tells me a big no no. He says the same about military press but I still do themOriginally Posted by Capebuffalo
Ok, I just started reading this and so far have gotten through the first page. To the guy with 59K some odd posts. Why dont you post more in this section? This is the first time I have seen you. I got to go with Cape so far on the first page. I do feel like during PCT, a person should bust it a bit harder. The ONLY reason I say do it harder, is that mentally, I think if you work hard for the 4 weeks of PCT, you can ease up a bit after and still be doing alot and not realizing it. Idontbelieve in 30 second rests between sets either. There is no way enough weight is being used if you can do a full set and rest for 30 seconds and go right back to it. I am not saying it isnt beneficial to do, I am just saying it is no way to build a solid base(IMO) and shape the body. For me, my sweet spot is 3-4 sets, depending on what I am working. Dumbell shoulder press for instance, I have to do light weight or 2 sets because I dont have much cartilage in my right shoulder. Legs, 4 sets on everything. I try and stick with 4 sets, and if I am exhausted or not "feeling" it, I might only do 3. But heavy weights, maybe light for burning out or warming up. From my reading on the first page, it seems to me that the OP is just lazy. But then again, this is what I have taken from reading the first page and I am not ruling anything out. I am not calling you lazy, just my observation as of right now.
Then why not do them? Are you only going against what your DR says onthe workouts you want to do? Deadlifts are a crucial exercise, much more so than military press. I have scoliosis, arthritis in every joint of my body, bone to bone on T8-T12 vertebrae, degenaration, rheumatism, etc. but have found that exercise helps the pain much more so than not exercising the affected area. Go light and work up. A good DR will tell you that the pain areas are good to work out, especially at a young age. If you are not activating the joints or the tissue around them, you get worse and worse. That is why you see 50+ year old people with backs that wont straighten and they are hunched over and in wrenching pain. They have had "old-timer" DRs telling them to take it easy on the affected area and they are crippled for it. I would rather be dead than to be like that. I refuse to let my body break down due to inactivity. Just try it. My wife is a physical therapist, and they are in the business of rehabing people who suffer from injury. If they break their back, rehab is not on the shoulder, or the foot.
No you shouldnt take off during pct.
I believe what theyre trying to tell you is to do hypertrophy workouts, longer rest times with heavy weight (you'll still be strong and will gain bigger size by doing this) what you're actually doing is more of like lactating circuits which is smaller rest times, I don't know if you are maximizing your weight as you go along, I alter 2-3 months at a time, I do hypertrophy get bigger and gain some size, then I switch to power/strength workouts (mixing regular gym with Olympic lifting is the route i take) hypertrophy if you like to be quick and more explosive in sports will slow you down. ... It all depends what you want ^_^ I like to mix them both not too much hypertrophy workout but it is needed IMO.Originally Posted by 951thompson
It really all depends on the situation and the individual...pertaining both to a PCT plan and training during that time.
If a cycle was run during a hard diet, like a contest prep diet and then you're coming off of everything, it's normally best to let your body rest a little bit if you can. A hard diet like that really takes a toll on the body, absolutely wears it out and you're not going to accomplish anything killing yourself in the gym after that. You need some rest.
After a bulking cycle, if you need rest then take some rest. If not, keep lifting. Just goes by how your body feels. If the progress you made on cycle all disappears after 1-2wks of rest you really didn't make any progress. Sure, you might drop a chunk of weight, but in two weeks time all you'll be doing is dropping a butt load of water for the most part after a serious bulking cycle.
As for how to eat during PCT, again it depends on the situation. If you're in off-season mode a lot of guys would be better off if they backed off the calories a little bit. So many guys put on way too much fat during this time. The same goes for after a cutting cycle, probably more so. It's important to keep in mind, you no longer have the hormones in your body to support the level of activity (food & training) that you had when you were on cycle.
Last thing, most guys training for bodybuilding or related purposes will generally only train around an hour max. Most pro bodybuilders only train for an hour max, sometimes less. Hard and intense with short periods of rest. Go as heavy as you can go without sacrificing a good contraction but there's really no point in resting for minutes on end if you're focusing on a bodybuilding style physique. If power and strength are more your goals, sure, more frequent periods of longer rest are probably best.
good thread, nice to read differing view points from experienced veterans.
unrelated to body building but my sport is all about disengaging the brain and relying on muscle memory. one of the best things i can do prior to competition is to take the last week off and give my body a rest. helps me be mentally focused and physically fresh. having never done a cycle before (or pct) i haven't considered making up my mind yet what i'm going to do, apart from waiting to see how my body responds and act accordingly.
The best thing you can do is to not over think it. The entire point of using anabolic steroids is to take what you're already doing right and to do it a little better. Steroids are not used to create something or bring you into some type of eating and training program that wouldn't exist otherwise. Sure, that's how some guys approach it but it's not the best way IMO. If you've found what works best for you, stick with that. By adding steroids to it you will only improve what works best for you. Now that doesn't mean you cannot find other ways and explore other options, you can always do things better and improve. Hopefully you get what I'm driving at here.
understand and agree. apart from generating discussion, i think threads like these are not going to be as effective at deriving specific topic related answers for a specific individual. there are just too many of us, with different body types and different goals. it's no different than a wide variety of martial arts really, take what works specifically for you from each and discard the rest. some people will require the discipline of kata or forms, for others it's a complete waste of time. the sooner that we all find what specifically works for us, the sooner we can push the envelope individually.
Totally agree, good post! Thanks for your educated input ;-)Originally Posted by Metalject
I just dont understand why most of the members responding to this thread are touting that there must be heavy weights used and longer rest periods.
As if that is the end all be all of gaining muscle.
Hmmm.
Taking the muscle to failure by use of resistance, in any way possible... is what causes muscle growth.
Especially when the hormones and food are properly part of that equation.
Whether that is doing 40 reps till failure.
Or 4.
As for rest periods....
That also doesnt matter.
When you feel ready... then lift that fukking weight.
This is true, I start every session be it chest, legs,shoulder what have you, I start with a light set til fail. I keep repping until I feel the muscle burn. Now I know my muscle is engaged in the exercise. I do this to engage the muscle, then now my muscle is engaged I do my lower heavy reps.Originally Posted by dukkitdalaw
Now If you are not burning your not working your muscle properly, ever heard the thrase- feel the burn! (no pain no gain) if you are resting for minutes on end, you won't feel the burn, not as well as you could!
If you can feel the muscle engaged and your last few reps burn, that's a sure sign you are hitting your muscle properly!Originally Posted by dukkitdalaw
Get your facts right Cape! he said 40 mins not 30hahahahaha... OP your ether under training or you simply just dont know how to workout. you can debate this fact all night you want but I find it hard to belive that anyone can get a PROPER and EFFECTIVE workout in your 30-40 minutes (pick one). You prove what i say right by your post above. I have yet to meet someone that give it their all after a set and is able to jump and do another set in this 20-40 second window as you state.
Are your fingers getting the "burn" haha?
Listen up A-hole, you go watch most of the pro bodybuilders on youtube then say short intense workouts isnt what its all about. See how long they rest for?Originally Posted by Bevsta123
I'm guessing your one of them tards that spends more time talking at the gym then actual work. It's not a social gathering you know, your there to work out! Lets do a set then sit around ideal for five minutes, real good work out!
Dude there is nothing wrong with my workout regime, maybe you should look at yours, keep reading this thread you might learn something!
Last edited by 951thompson; 09-05-2012 at 10:47 AM.
I hate pissing matches on the web anymore.... maybe im getting older lol.
95, ive seen i few threads of yours now. People offer advice, and you shut it down.
Youtube wont get you far. If it was, everyone would be great right?
I ain't angry, I'm chilling lolOriginally Posted by Capebuffalo
Just the A-hole was pulling my skirt, the dude was ignorant and rude, so I replied in a similar manner.
I was brought up to treat one as he treats you!
Dude I am not looking for advice on training, the title of this thread- is it a good idea to have a week off during pct.Originally Posted by t-dogg
I don't shut people down, if its advice I'm asking for.
if you are referring to the bread argument? I had in the nutrition section,That thread was actually called- cheap sources of protein on a budget. just people here tend to go off topic! No one can tell me not to eat bread if it works for me, no one can tell me I'm training wrong, when my methods work! You don't fix something that isnt broken!
Last edited by 951thompson; 09-05-2012 at 11:10 AM.
951 Thompson I have to completely agree when I train I'm in and out within an hour, I do each set so that I destroy the muscle ( not literally) then as soon as I'm ready I hit the next set. If your lifting as much as you can and are in the 5-10 rep range then IMO and for me it works. Just my opinion peace (good thread)
Thanks man, at the end of the day everybody's body is different, different things work for different people. But what I cant stand is people coming on here saying because our method is different to there's then it must be wrong, that is just plain ignorance! You need to have an open mind people.Originally Posted by bigsiv
Thanks for you opinion, good post ;-)
bump
Hey up stalker, I thought you was leaving me alone? I though I was on a promise ;-)Originally Posted by Capebuffalo
At the risk of mortally offending and setting off a berating for trying to help, here it goes (keep in mind this is all meant in the most constructive way.).
I assume that's you in your avatar. If it is and you are cycling AAS can you at least admit there is obviously something not working, if not more than one thing...
Think about this now...just because something works (which clearly it's not) does not mean it's right, safe or optimal. Just because something works for someone doesn't mean it will work for you. Everyone likes to use Arnold in this respect i.e. Arnold drank a lot of beer, Arnold took 3-4 months at a time off, Arnold did 20 sets to failure on quads, Arnold did 6 hour workouts 6 days a week, Arnold ran 5 miles before every workout etc etc ad nauseum... You get the picture? Now days we know that 99.9% of guy's training today could not achieve success doing any one of the things Arnold did.
HOWEVER, there are a few accepted facts that have been tested by many people and found to work for a majority of people. One of them IS NOT doing 20 sets on chest or some such silliness, with 20-30 second breaks. If you are seriously doing this then you have no idea what failure even feels like. It's just ridiculous if your trying to gain lean muscle mass.
Here's another one. Taking a break from working out during PCT is extremely ill advised. Sure as the sun rises you will lose most of what you worked for. The older you are, the better the chance of this. A one, possibly 2 week prime ONCE a year is preferable to complete burnout and altogether quitting. Also better than letting nagging injury turn chronic.
One more example I just noticed. Bread is not a good carb source. It just isn't. Everyone knows it and at this point there's so much evidence it's boring to argue about it.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Take some advice. Do something different. Get some results.
BTW, none of this needs to be countered or argued or taken as an offense. It's every bit of it fact. Good luck.
Turkey bacon does suck. Thanks.
Everything I've got is natural, im currently holding a high bodyfat % my goal is not to be huge. It's not the look im gunning for. Im going for the Hollywood movie star kind of look ;-)Originally Posted by The Titan99
OK. You don't need AAS to look like 99% of the "Movie Stars" unless your over 40 trying to look like a 20 year old. Duane Johnson...yes, Hugh Grant...not so much. I guess it's a matter of what you define as huge. This could very well be my mistake. At first glance diet's off, training's off. But, maybe your going for something I don't even know about. Hell, maybe your there already...
At the moment im bulking, on my 4th week of sustonon, I plan to continue bulking until my cycle finishes (so another 8 week's plus pct) then I plan to cut, where my aim will be to get to 6 to 7% bfOriginally Posted by The Titan99
I am happy with my training.
Fair enough then. Good luck!!
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