20 sets

[benchaholic777]

Is 20 sets to much work for a big body part such as Back, if your only doing it once a week?

[takedownII]

i would say no, that is not too much, but everyone's body is different. i would say go for it, and listen to your body. you'll know if you're overtraining or not.

how long have you been training btw?

[manwitplans]

Well, this depens on how much effort you put into sets, and which movement you are doing.

Anyways: Less is often more. Try to put max effort into your training, then 12 - 14 sets on your back should be more then enough to get some serious growing on back there.

[benchaholic777]

how long have you been training btw?

about 15 years off and on.

[Sir Lifts-a-lot]

20 sets is fine for the back if you ask me. It is a huge body part. There is a lot to it so it needs the most work of any body part if you ask me.

[benchaholic777]

20 sets is fine for the back if you ask me. It is a huge body part. There is a lot to it so it needs the most work of any body part if you ask me.

Thats kinda what I thought, what are the tells of overtrainning.

[Ajc330]

well all you need to do is deadlifts overall thickenss, a lattisumus exercise which are rows or lat pulldowns, then you can do some pullups for sweeping the lats, you really only need a few exercises

[needsomehelp]

20 fine.

i do...

pull ups 4x10
bent ovr rows 4 sets- warm up, 12, 10, 6
pull backs 4 same as rows
sitting lat pull (Is that what its called? lol) same as row
then a couple sets on a burn machine

Id say chest, back, and... for LEGS... even more ok. bi tri shoulder i do 12- 14, no more. always include a light warm up to start.

[takedownII]

Thats kinda what I thought, what are the tells of overtrainning.

this will probably answer your question and then some. you've been training for 15 years so i would bet you have a good grasp on your body. i'm sure you'll be able to tell when something isn't right.

here some signs, symptoms, and consequences of overtraining. i hope it helps.

**It should be noted that not all of these symptoms will be present, and that the presence of some of these symptoms does not automatically mean an individual is overtrained. The ultimate determination of overtraining is whether performance is impaired or plateaued.

Performance
Decreased performance (strength, power, muscle endurance, cardiovascular endurance)
Decreased training tolerance and increased recovery requirements
Decreased motor coordination
Increased technical faults

Physiology
Altered resting heart rate (HR), blood pressure and respiration patterns
Decreased body fat and post-exercise body weight
Increased VO2, VE , and HR during submaximal work
Decreased lactate response
Increased basal metabolic rate
Chronic fatigue
Sleep and eating disorders
Headaches, gastrointestinal distress
Muscle soreness and damage
Joint aches and pains

Psychological
Depression and apathy
Decreased self-esteem
Decreased ability to concentrate
Decreased self-efficacy
Sensitive to stress

Immunological
Increased occurrence of illness
Decreased rate of healing
Impaired immune function (neutrophils, lymphocytes, mitogen responses, eosinophils)

Biochemical
Hypothalamic dysfunction
Increased serum cortisol and SHBG
Decreased serum total and free testosterone, testosterone/cortisol ratio
Decreased muscle glycogen
Decreased serum hemoglobin, iron, and ferritin
Negative N2 balance

[perfectbeast2001]

how long does 20 sets take. If it takes longer than 60mins then its too much IMO

[Ajc330]

traning one body part in a full hour is overkill without a doubt, if it takes that long your intensity is too low

[777rocky777]

i did a 20 set bicep workout the other day. i read it in muscle mag it 40 pounds reps were 20, 19 , 18 , 17 all the way down to 1 rep. it took about 25 mins i guess. best pump ive ever had in bicep and i didnt feel overtrained

[m8intl]

i did a 20 set bicep workout the other day. i read it in muscle mag it 40 pounds reps were 20, 19 , 18 , 17 all the way down to 1 rep. it took about 25 mins i guess. best pump ive ever had in bicep and i didnt feel overtrained

Yeah, but you don't do this every week. Do you? I think a regular routine involving 20 sets per body part, even for major ones as the original poster mentioned, is too much.

[PEWN]

depends on intensity man... if I use high intensity ... and little time in between sets ... 20 is about right... but if i go heavy and long breaks... 10 to 12 is plenty....

[needsomehelp]

Intensity is in the set itself. I am 36 and break, grab a swig of water, and lets my muscle relax approx 3 to 4 minutes. I take my time and do each muscle, rotating about 1 hour and 15.

[RA]

Depends on the person but 20 is surely to many for me. I used to do way more sets than I do now and Im much stronger for it...

[777rocky777]

no i dont do it every week ive only done it once il probably throw bicep workout in every... 4 weeks or so just for some extra shock

[thetank]

i always do 20 sets, most of which untill failure if not extremely close..some days less, somedays more..that goes for any body part...i just listen to my body and know when ive had enough. everyone is different...and everyones margin of volume to train efficiently with is also, different..get to know your body and you will find out exactly how much is too much/too little.

[IronReload04]

I only require 2 sets per muscle to grow

In fact, its about time for a new avatar, since that pic

chest press- up 20 pounds
shoulder press- up 40 pounds-
close grip bench- up 20-30 pounds
deadlift- up 30 pounds
squats- up 20 pounds
rows- up 20 pounds
lat pull things- up about 20 pounds

[needsomehelp]

i always do 20 sets, most of which untill failure if not extremely close..some days less, somedays more..that goes for any body part...i just listen to my body and know when ive had enough. everyone is different...and everyones margin of volume to train efficiently with is also, different..get to know your body and you will find out exactly how much is too much/too little.

agree 100%