3 or 4 sets on a wrk out ?!

[Godson]

im having trouble deciding to go 3 sets or 4 sets

for example on chest day

Flat - 3 or 4 sets each ?

incline - 3 or 4 sets

decline - 3 or 4 sets ?

flys - 3 or 4 sets? - what would u do

i've been doing 4 sets each and seen good results but i do abs and cardio every single workout also, and my wrkout is dragging to a huge 2.5 hours a day when i do more weight longer rest

i wanted to cut down on time a bit, but then i switch to 3 sets and feel like im not gettin the pump i want.. any opinions from personal experience on the matter?

[manwitplans]

Well are your primary goal strength or hypertrophy?
Anyways 2,5 hours sessions are way to long dude, something needs to change.

Do abs one session per week, really crushem. (Train every muscle as you do the rest..)

[lole]

i would say 4 set bro

[manwitplans]

i would say 4 set bro

I would definatelly say 3, or less excersizes.
12 sets total on chest, should get you good and toasted..

[Godson]

thanks its pretty tough to decide, but the main reason the wrkout runs 2.5 hours is like i do 50 mins of cardio after the weight lifting.. so really im doin around an 1.5 hours of lifting, but 1/2 of that 1.5 hours is abs..

i feel like abs can be worked every single day, ive heard abs+ calfs can...not sure though but it works well

reason i do abs daily because lets say i go do flat bench
instead of going straight to incline for I.E , i think its good to give ur chest a break and do abs, whats your routine like ( amount of time u spend in the gym daily )

[j4ever41]

whats your goal at this time? I would say drop abs to 1-2 times per week,if 4 sets have been working for you i would stick with that,personally i would lose the flys for sure if your goal is to bulk also if goal is to bulk cut cardio to 3 days a week 20-30 minutes each session.

[anabolictonic]

i hope your havin a shake during that 2.5 hour marathon!!!!

[DSM4Life]

Being in the gym that long shows your workouts are not intense enough.

[Godson]

Being in the gym that long shows your workouts are not intense enough.

i disagree with that 110% , it shows i do cardio and abs daily and u dont... just because you don't do cardio and you can cut off an hour of ur workout doesnt mean cause i do it it isnt intense enough...

[Godson]

it works out like this , roughly 1 hour a little bit over for that muscle of choice of the day like back for example = 1 hour

abs = 30 mins

cardio = 60 mins -20 mins running 40 on elliptical

total = 2.5 hours at the gym

and the workout is very intense, if im doing heavy weight i rest longer and do less reps obv, and if im doing light weight, i rest less and can finish a little bit faster

[bmit]

really looks like overtraining bro. Are you cutting or trying to gain mass. Bc gaining mass with your current regiment will be damn hard.

[Godson]

i was cutting, for abs.. but i got them so now i cut cardio and abs down to twice a week
still want to maintain the abs though, well see if i do

[Godson]

can somebody else give me their time in the gym?

[DSM4Life]

it works out like this , roughly 1 hour a little bit over for that muscle of choice of the day like back for example = 1 hour

abs = 30 mins

cardio = 60 mins -20 mins running 40 on elliptical

total = 2.5 hours at the gym

and the workout is very intense, if im doing heavy weight i rest longer and do less reps obv, and if im doing light weight, i rest less and can finish a little bit faster

I do two muscle groups, and 20 mins of cardio (thats all i need) in an hrs time. You shouldn't be there longer than 1.5. Im sorry but 2.5 hrs is almost laughable in my book.

[0tolerance]

if im training a group of friends...
then im there for 2 hours..
if im working out on my own i can do abs 2 body parts in 45 minutes and leave the gym tottaly recked.

[D7M]

besides, 30 min on abs alone is a bit excessive.

[british bulldog 1]

way too long bro. your workout should go over 45 minutes. if you're training for 2.5 hours then you aint training properley or hard enough. after 45 minutes you should be exhausted.

you wouldn't train your chest everyday so why do your abs and cardio everyday.

i think you need to go back to the drawng board and start again because that is all wrong !!!

[DSM4Life]

besides, 30 min on abs alone is a bit excessive.

Also agree. People are under the assumption that the more work you do for your abs the easier they are to "bring out." We all know its diet that shows the six'er.

[hankdiesel]

I'll train one major and one minor muscle group in under an hour. If I'm doing an hour of cardio I'll do it first thing in the A.M about 8 hours before I weight train. And I've never done abs for 45min.......I have a life.

[Godson]

I'll train one major and one minor muscle group in under an hour. If I'm doing an hour of cardio I'll do it first thing in the A.M about 8 hours before I weight train. And I've never done abs for 45min.......I have a life.

is the comment really necessary, with 500 post since oct 2008 seems like ur life consist of this forum

[Godson]

Ill take the advice, because i wanted some alternative opinions thats why i joined the forum

for example if u are lifting for strength and increase your rest intervals, how much would u do it by? 2 mins ? or is that too long
I.E
flat bench
1st set
2 min rest
2nd set
2 min rest etc....

[Godson]

way too long bro. your workout should go over 45 minutes. if you're training for 2.5 hours then you aint training properley or hard enough. after 45 minutes you should be exhausted.

you wouldn't train your chest everyday so why do your abs and cardio everyday.

i think you need to go back to the drawng board and start again because that is all wrong !!!

i was under the impression from other people, that abs like calves can be worked out daily ..comparing abs to a chest workout is wrong, thats like saying don't run 5 days a week, because ur working out ur legs 5 days a week u wouldnt work out ur shoulders that much would u? - the two muscles aren't similar

[Godson]

can i mention i seen fantastic results with this ( i have before and after pictures posted here) , so saying my workout is all wrong just because it doesnt work for you is WRONG

saying you dont agree with it is RIGHT

[DSM4Life]

i was under the impression from other people, that abs like calves can be worked out daily ..comparing abs to a chest workout is wrong, thats like saying don't run 5 days a week, because ur working out ur legs 5 days a week u wouldnt work out ur shoulders that much would u? - the two muscles aren't similar

Your abs are a muscle just like any other. Again, you dont see your abs from working out but from diet.

Take a look at the bottom of this thread for a sample of a chest workout i might do. I don't believe in volume but do believe in intensity.

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...=1#post4399128

[DSM4Life]

can i mention i seen fantastic results with this ( i have before and after pictures posted here) , so saying my workout is all wrong just because it doesnt work for you is WRONG

saying you dont agree with it is RIGHT

I agree.

[gymnerd]

In my humble opinion I would go with 3 working sets each, hit them hard. Personally I would ditch the declines and go do some dips instead. That is ALOT of pressing.

[Godson]

i decided to take all the advice in an objective way, and my workout is much more enjoyable lol , runs a little bit over an hour

i dropped the cardio completely, and the abs to a minimum

and dropped all my workouts to 3 sets each for a total of 12 total for the muscle im doing that day..
it is less taxing and more manageable long run for sure

[Godson]

Your abs are a muscle just like any other. Again, you dont see your abs from working out but from diet.

Take a look at the bottom of this thread for a sample of a chest workout i might do. I don't believe in volume but do believe in intensity.

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...=1#post4399128

i've read your workout for chest and i have a quick question

for example my stats are 150lb 5'6
if im doing bb flat bench press for chest that week and my max is around 225lb
what would u recommend for the max intensity workout instead of volume..

for example what i usually do is bench

175lb- 10 reps
185lb- 8 reps
195- 6 reps - if i can get it, and if i only get lets say 4
i rest a few secs and finish the next 2

i know your recommending intensity over volume but how would i do it in terms of the weight i lift

[Godson]

In my humble opinion I would go with 3 working sets each, hit them hard. Personally I would ditch the declines and go do some dips instead. That is ALOT of pressing.

alot of people ditch the decline i've noticed, i just enjoy them since the range of motion seems to be smaller and u can do more weight lol ...but i do dips on tricept day, do u think dips are more aimed for chest than tris ?

[Godson]

if im training a group of friends...
then im there for 2 hours..
if im working out on my own i can do abs 2 body parts in 45 minutes and leave the gym tottaly recked.

i'd love to hear a detailed explanation of your workout
2 body parts + abs in 45 minutes ? how is that possible?

when i say i workout abs i mean

Leg Lifts
1 set = 30
2 set =25
3 set =20

Decline sit ups
1 set = 15
2 set = 10-12
3 set = 8-10

3/4 decline sit ups ( i go even higher than regular decline bench)
1 set = 10
2 set = 8
3 set = 6

i literally did this 4-5 days a week for a few months , took about 30 mins each time and my abs have never looked better but then again during this time was the first time i ever went on a strict diet.. not sure where to give the credit to

of course at first i couldnt do 30 leg lifts, but i started out at 15 for the 1st set and gradually increased to 30

[DSM4Life]

i've read your workout for chest and i have a quick question

for example my stats are 150lb 5'6
if im doing bb flat bench press for chest that week and my max is around 225lb
what would u recommend for the max intensity workout instead of volume..

for example what i usually do is bench

175lb- 10 reps
185lb- 8 reps
195- 6 reps - if i can get it, and if i only get lets say 4
i rest a few secs and finish the next 2

i know your recommending intensity over volume but how would i do it in terms of the weight i lift

If this was my first movement i might do two warm ups like you have. Or you could try 165lbs 10 for warm up then go right to working set. You are just trying to warm up and throw some blood into the muscle before your max set. I don't know your body structure but if you could get away with only one warm up that would be better. The heavy the load later on down the road the more warm up need. If you starting hitting likw 250-300 i would def say 2 warm ups.

[Godson]

If this was my first movement i might do two warm ups like you have. Or you could try 165lbs 10 for warm up then go right to working set. You are just trying to warm up and throw some blood into the muscle before your max set. I don't know your body structure but if you could get away with only one warm up that would be better. The heavy the load later on down the road the more warm up need. If you starting hitting likw 250-300 i would def say 2 warm ups.

during ur max set how heavy do you do? like literally your max or somewhere close to it ?

cause if thats the case i could only do 225lb like once or twice , is that enough?

[DSM4Life]

during ur max set how heavy do you do? like literally your max or somewhere close to it ?

cause if thats the case i could only do 225lb like once or twice , is that enough?

I would go for a total of 6-8 clean reps. I wouldn't move up in weight until i got 8. Some movements ill do straight sets where others ill do rest pauses.

[Emondo]

i never do declines ever, i do dips, flys, flats and inclines... that should be enough yea?

[Godson]

i never do declines ever, i do dips, flys, flats and inclines... that should be enough yea?

yea i would say that it's enough as long as you have dips in there to hit that spot .. i prefer to do dips on tricept day personally

i just decide to hit decline, flat, incline, and flys
cause it just makes sense to hit all parts effectively, if dips and decline hit the same part i kinda assume decline might be slightly more effective but to be honest im not sure..as long as u have either sounds good though

[Godson]

I would go for a total of 6-8 clean reps. I wouldn't move up in weight until i got 8. Some movements ill do straight sets where others ill do rest pauses.

alright i understand, sounds good to me.. when you decide to move up do you move up small for I.E 5lbs on each side or like even smaller like 2.5 on each side.. i heard so many different things, like even moving up as tiny as 2.5 on each side its still good because you're moving up and not stayin idle

it sucks when you plateau, recently i realized on BB flat bench i was plateauing so i decided to switch to DB, and i DB's are pretty sweet, but after 3 weeks of DB im switching back to BB to see if i made a breakthrough