Are the reps too high!?

[IWantGains]

Monday - Chest/Biceps/Forearms

To kick off the week we?re going to hit chest, biceps and forearms. It?s a good idea to switch the first 2 exercises in this routine (dumbbell bench and barbell bench) each week to promote good upper chest development.

* Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 8
* Incline Barbell Bench Press - 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 8
* Dips - 4 sets of MAX
* Cable Crossovers - 4 sets of 10 reps
* Incline Dumbbell Curl (alternating) - 4 sets of 12, 10, 10, 8
* Rope Cable Curl - 3 sets of 10
* Preacher Curl - 3 sets of 10
* EZ Bar Reverse Curl - 3 sets of 10
* Wrist Curl - 3 sets of 12

Tuesday - Legs/Abs

Heavy leg training is a MUST build your quads, hams and glutes. Squats you should be lifting as heavy as possible! Deadlifts should be done with slow rep timing, focusing on the stretch and contraction of the hamstring.

* Squats - 5 sets of 12, 12, 10, 10, 8
* Stiff Leg Deadlift (AKA Romanian Deadlift) - 4 sets of 12
* Leg Press OR Leg Extensions - 4 sets of 10 reps
* Leg Curl - 4 sets of 10 reps
* Hanging Leg Raise - 3 sets of 15 reps
* Swiss Ball Crunch - 3 sets of 20 reps
* Hover - 3 sets for MAX time

Thursday - Shoulders/Traps/Triceps

A few notes for this day. First, shrugs need to be slow with a pause for 3 seconds at the top of the movement. Second, tricep kickbacks need to be done with ultra-strict form with a 2 second pause at the top of the movement. Never leg your elbows drop below your shoulders!

* Seated Barbell Press - 4 sets of 8
* Dumbbell OR Cable Front Raise - 4 sets of 12
* Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 4 sets of 10
* Cable Reverse Fly - 4 sets of 12
* Dumbbell Shrug - 5 sets of 15, 12, 12, 10, 10
* Lying Dumbbell Extension - 4 sets of 10 reps
* Cable Tricep Extension (using rope) - 3 sets of 10
* Dumbbell Kickbacks - 3 sets of 12

Friday - Back/Calves/Abs

Back, calves and abs today. You?ll see I have wide grip pullups as the first exercise. These are THE KING of all back exercises and you should always kick off your back day with them. If you can?t do pullups, replace the exercise with lat pull downs and work up to it.

* Wide Grip Pullups - 4 sets of MAX reps
* Cable Row - 4 sets of 10 reps
* One Arm Dumbbell Row - 4 sets of 8 reps
* Close Grip Pulldown - 4 sets of 12 reps
* Standing Calf Raise - 5 sets of 15, 12, 12, 10, 8
* Seated Calf Raise - 5 sets of 10, 10, 8, 8, 6
* Decline Sit Up - 3 sets of 20
* Floor Crunch - 3 sets of 20 reps
* Hanging Leg Raise - 3 sets of 15 reps

[IWantGains]

Please, any input!?

[Cocaine]

Is the reps too high? Too vague of a question, whats your goals?

[IWantGains]

Is the reps too high? Too vague of a question, whats your goals?

I want to gain maximum muscle. Are the set and rep counts too high. Starting with 12 reps then to 10 and so on seem like a lot. I have heard many times that low reps (6 reps) is the best for gaining mass. Is this true or should I continue to follow this workout? Any input, comments, or suggestions gladly accepted. Thanks guys.

[Opies]

Just my personal opinion it looks way to high.
I would try and keep the rep ranges more consistent like 4x10 rather than 12,10,8,8, but if that works for you, then do it.
I just don't understand how anyone can do 25+ sets though. Within 15 sets I'm bloody dogged, and I rarely make it to 20. If you can do 25+ with that kind of rep scheme, you must not be working hard enough/lifting heavy enough

also... no chinups, deadlifts, front squats, or flat BB bench????? O.o
And why 13 sets of curls? Seems like extreme overload. There is no way your biceps should last 13 sets if you use the right weight

[Cocaine]

for mass, lower reps, higher weight is better

[IWantGains]

Yea it seems way to high. I just did the Chest and Bicepts portion and I am very tired. Although the site I go it from seems pretty legit. Check it out and tell me wha you think. http://www.realweighttraining.com/rw...lding-workout/

[IWantGains]

A quote from the webpage.
"Ty - 06 Oct 08 at 21:14:34

The workout looks great! I have just one question…my goal is to gain weight/mass because I am 6′1 and only 170lbs. I am trying to eat as much as possible to gain weight. Concerning the workout, I thought in order to gain mass or bulk, you do low sets of 8, 6, or 4. Is this right? For example, the squats have 12 reps and deadlifts.. Thanks!!
Jeff-Admin - 07 Oct 08 at 11:48:19

Hi Ty, no that’s not correct at all. Lower reps are used for training for pure strength. Numerous studies have shown that the best rep range for hyertrophy (muscle growth) is between 8-12. Bigger muscle groups often respond better sligter higher reps, that’s why deadlifts and squats are at 12 reps.

Good luck.
"
Does this make any sense; is this an accpeted theory in the bodybuilding world?

[Cocaine]

sounds pretty stupid to me..

[J-FRY]

Please watch this whole video before asking anything else on bodyspace man


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvitFh8A0zI

[IWantGains]

Yes, that is true, although it is best to start with something that has been effective for someone else with a similar body type. I am not so expirienced that I can listen to my body. That takes time.

[trackhead78]

Hypertrophy rep range is 6 to 12 ... this is per the NASM - CSCS training manual...
Also the 12,10,8,8 (or any variation of the ladder) protocol (as the reps go down the weight increases) is also appropriate for hypertrophy if you choose to use it, because it increases stress on the muscle and causes increased muscular adaptation, leading to hypertrophy.

I do believe that the set per body part ratio is off slightly.
On Monday I understand that the reverse curls are for the forearms but because you are doing three other exercises for the bi's I would only do two of those exercises and then do the reverse curls (instead of all 3 bi's and reverse curls). Especially if you are lifting at 65% to 85% for each exercise you might over train the bi's and be susceptible to injury.

On Tuesday, I would caution on heavy squats if you don't have good form and a spotter. However if you form is good and you have a spotter heavy squats are ok... As a side note, most lumbar strains are caused from improper squatting technique, so make sure you have it down before you attempt heavy squatting.

On Thursday, I'm not sure why they varied the rep ratio for the different shoulder exercises... I would probably just do them all at 4 x 10 and I would probably do just 3 exercises.

On Friday, As a personal preference to stay in the 6-12 rep range I do weighted pull-ups. I wouldn't do more than 12 reps for anything other than abs, that includes standing calf raises (they have you doing 15... no need) ...

Other than the minor critique, I guess if you are finding that you are challenged by the workout I would continue it.

[IWantGains]

Thanks a lot. Any other inputs?

[Opies]

More sets of compounds, less sets of isolation, shorter workouts with higher intensity.

Keep the reps between 6-12 for good hypertrophy (not to say you cant gain size in 1-5 or 12-20) but 6-12 is best

[IWantGains]

Just completed the Thrusday workout, it went well. I will have to see the results and how my body responds. Has anyone had substantial gains after a similar program? Thanks.

[ptwa9]

Thanks a lot. Any other inputs?

Here's some advice: "Are the reps too high?"
is sort of like asking "Am I driving right?". The obvious solution is just to get out there and enjoy driving. You learn by doing and testing waters. So the thing to do is try different routines - some high rep, some low rep, etc. You learn this way. Nothing wrong with asking for input, but don't rely on it.

[james0566]

Here's some advice: "Are the reps too high?"
is sort of like asking "Am I driving right?". The obvious solution is just to get out there and enjoy driving.

around here, they make us take a test first. we have to learn about rules, and safety and all kinds of useless stuff. where you live sounds better!

[samseed101]

It sounds like you are just starting out and haven't really done this before. if that's the case, then you have WAY too complex of a routine there. Look at your first day... 16 sets for the chest, 13 sets for the biceps, and then 3 wrist curls... Hell, you even have 10 sets for triceps later in the week!!! Way too many isolation exercises.

You're just stating out! Take a very simple routine to start with and do that for 6 months. Forget all of this isolation stuff for now. Work on compound lifts.

You probably won't listen or won't want to hear it, but you should probably look at a very simple beginning routine.

[sircharles032]

The reason that everyone is telling you to focus on the compounds and not the isolations is because you need to get stronger before you worry about getting bigger. I have never seen someone have a big chest and a max bench of 150lbs (Using this as a reference bc it's your bodyweight, and if you are new to lifting that is a good starting point). Get stronger then get bigger IMO, it will save you a lot of heartache in the process.

[ptwa9]

around here, they make us take a test first. we have to learn about rules, and safety and all kinds of useless stuff. where you live sounds better!

How did all the bad drivers get out on the road then!