Hi All
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to cycle workouts.
Usually, during 10 weeks of heavy training, I make decent strength & size gains but I find that I plateau on that routine/rep-range. At that point, if I implement a different workout with the same rep ranges, I don't seem to make any futher gains. The last 10 weeker I did gave me great gains:
Mon - Legs
Tue - Back & shoulders
Thu - Chest & Abs & calves again
Fri - Arms
To give an example of the style of training - leg day was....
Leg Extensions 10,8,8
Leg Press 12,10,8,6
Leg Extensions 2 x 20
Leg Curl 10,8,8
Good morning 4 x 12
Leg Curls 4 x 10-12
Calf Raise 4 x 10-12
I really made good gains on this - I added about 5lbs in 10 weeks. I am pretty small & this took me to 172lbs at 170cm & about 15-18% BF.
Prior to this, I had been circuit training because a prior longer heavy cycle of training left me a bit injured. This cycle of heavy training though - I dropped the weight and the rep speed & really focused on form. I ached after every training day - in the right places too !
SO this time, I spent 10 weeks on this training cycle. Weights or reps moved up on everything, every week. After 10 weeks, I felt quite 'frazzled', strength gains stopped and I had acquired a few mild aches & pains.I stopped for 1 week & then went back to the same workout - but the energy wasn't there. At week 1 - the workouts were great.
So - now I need something different but how do I figure out what ? Do I just need to somehow 'maintain' for 4 weeks before I hit it hard again or what ? I have been at this point before & have always launched into cardio/circuit training which makes me feel great but makes me skinny too.
Do you guys stay on heavy training all year or do you cycle it ? If so - how do you do that ? I only have 1 goal at the moment & that is to add on some size, so it's not like I want to cycle from a goal perspective.
Thanks
Pete
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