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Chronic Diarrhea · 12-02-2006, 08:55 AM

No, no, no, no....high rep sets are worthless. There is only one reason a muscle has for becoming stronger: progressively increased overload. The only reason a muscle will become stronger is by increasing the amount of overload, or “work” on that muscle. A muscle responds to stress (weight training) by adapting and growing to handle future stress that will be placed upon it. Continue to train a muscle with the same weight and you will get the same results. You need to progressively “force” the muscle into growing stronger or it will not. So in order to increase resistance, you need to increase the amount of weight, or work, you are doing.

Lower repetitions of an exercise will allow you to increase the overload to that muscle instantaneously. This forces the stimulation of new muscle fibers that will be recruited to handle the additional stresses that will be placed upon the muscle. This is where the notion that “high reps, low weight to get ripped” is flawed. Since the only reason a muscle will create new fibers is by increased overload, or heavy weight and low reps, it is impossible to train the muscle with low weight. As a result, you will never get “cut” by lifting light weight for burnout or high rep sets. You can only achieve this by lifting heavy.

Low reps will strengthen and “tone” your muscles quicker than higher reps. It is easier to train more intensely if you are only focusing on four-to-six rep sets instead of fifteen. If you can do ten reps of an exercise, the weight is too light to achieve overload. If you are new to an exercise, ten repetitions are fine. We don’t want to sustain in injury because we jumped right into doing 4 rep sets. The first few workouts will be a trial and error process in regard to how much weight you need to use. You will quickly learn which weight you should be using. If you can do more than six reps on your heavy sets for an exercise, the weight is too light. If you cannot do at least four, the weight is too heavy. That is how you tell.

1) Before engaging in any form of weight training, warm up on a cardio machine for 5 minutes. You do not want to start cold. You will not be as strong or energetic. Hell, if you just jump around in place a little bit before your first warmup set, that is better than nothing.

2) Start your first exercise with a very light, easy set of ten reps. Never warm up to the point of failure or exhaustion. You will be wasting energy that will be needed for those heavy sets.

3) The next set should be what is called a weight acclimation set. It’s sole purpose is to get your muscles ready for an increasingly heavier weight that is to follow. If you went from a light-warm up to your heavy sets, you would risk injury and not be as strong. So progress into your heavy sets with a moderately heavier set for six to eight repetitions or less.

4) After the weight acclimation comes either one or two heavy sets. If done correctly, you should never need to do more than two heavy sets. If you can do three or more, the first two were not heavy enough or intense enough.

5) Each heavy set will consist of four to six repetitions. This lower rep range is extremely important. For either men or women, you must stay low in reps in order to gain any lean muscle. A muscle will only become stronger and more defined if it is forced to do so. This is our way of forcing it. I often ask people (male and female) why they do ten repetitions per set, and I’ve never had one person actually give me an answer. They’ve just always heard this or read to do this. Always ask yourself why.

6) Do not do cardio and weight training in the same day. Again, if you’ve already expanded most of your energy, what good is a half-assed cardio session going to do? Also make sure to rest enough between sets. You should be as strong or stronger on each forthcoming set for each exercise. Think of each set as a certain high point. You want to always break this barrier on each set.

7) Only train one or two muscle groups per workout. As a kid when you took a test the teacher didn’t make you take a test covering every subject all in one, did she? I didn’t think so.

	(#14)
Chronic Diarrhea is Offline 1st Lieutenant Posts: 4,318 Join Date: Jun 2002	12-02-2006, 08:55 AM No, no, no, no....high rep sets are worthless. There is only one reason a muscle has for becoming stronger: progressively increased overload. The only reason a muscle will become stronger is by increasing the amount of overload, or “work” on that muscle. A muscle responds to stress (weight training) by adapting and growing to handle future stress that will be placed upon it. Continue to train a muscle with the same weight and you will get the same results. You need to progressively “force” the muscle into growing stronger or it will not. So in order to increase resistance, you need to increase the amount of weight, or work, you are doing. Lower repetitions of an exercise will allow you to increase the overload to that muscle instantaneously. This forces the stimulation of new muscle fibers that will be recruited to handle the additional stresses that will be placed upon the muscle. This is where the notion that “high reps, low weight to get ripped” is flawed. Since the only reason a muscle will create new fibers is by increased overload, or heavy weight and low reps, it is impossible to train the muscle with low weight. As a result, you will never get “cut” by lifting light weight for burnout or high rep sets. You can only achieve this by lifting heavy. Low reps will strengthen and “tone” your muscles quicker than higher reps. It is easier to train more intensely if you are only focusing on four-to-six rep sets instead of fifteen. If you can do ten reps of an exercise, the weight is too light to achieve overload. If you are new to an exercise, ten repetitions are fine. We don’t want to sustain in injury because we jumped right into doing 4 rep sets. The first few workouts will be a trial and error process in regard to how much weight you need to use. You will quickly learn which weight you should be using. If you can do more than six reps on your heavy sets for an exercise, the weight is too light. If you cannot do at least four, the weight is too heavy. That is how you tell. 1) Before engaging in any form of weight training, warm up on a cardio machine for 5 minutes. You do not want to start cold. You will not be as strong or energetic. Hell, if you just jump around in place a little bit before your first warmup set, that is better than nothing. 2) Start your first exercise with a very light, easy set of ten reps. Never warm up to the point of failure or exhaustion. You will be wasting energy that will be needed for those heavy sets. 3) The next set should be what is called a weight acclimation set. It’s sole purpose is to get your muscles ready for an increasingly heavier weight that is to follow. If you went from a light-warm up to your heavy sets, you would risk injury and not be as strong. So progress into your heavy sets with a moderately heavier set for six to eight repetitions or less. 4) After the weight acclimation comes either one or two heavy sets. If done correctly, you should never need to do more than two heavy sets. If you can do three or more, the first two were not heavy enough or intense enough. 5) Each heavy set will consist of four to six repetitions. This lower rep range is extremely important. For either men or women, you must stay low in reps in order to gain any lean muscle. A muscle will only become stronger and more defined if it is forced to do so. This is our way of forcing it. I often ask people (male and female) why they do ten repetitions per set, and I’ve never had one person actually give me an answer. They’ve just always heard this or read to do this. Always ask yourself why. 6) Do not do cardio and weight training in the same day. Again, if you’ve already expanded most of your energy, what good is a half-assed cardio session going to do? Also make sure to rest enough between sets. You should be as strong or stronger on each forthcoming set for each exercise. Think of each set as a certain high point. You want to always break this barrier on each set. 7) Only train one or two muscle groups per workout. As a kid when you took a test the teacher didn’t make you take a test covering every subject all in one, did she? I didn’t think so.