Some more questions

B

BigL

New Member
- I am going to do drop sets this week. How much should I decrease the weight to do the drop sets. I am thinking about 30 pounds for the compounds and maybe 10 for the iso's?

- I read in another thread that if you use HST to cut up there is no need to SD for two weeks after each cycle. My question is would it be a problem if I take a week off after every cycle to rest?

- Lastly, is it OK to change exercises in the next cycle? I did flat bench for this cycle, next cycle i want to do incline bench, then the cycle after that I WANT To do flat dumbbells, then incline dumbbells. Is that fine?

Thanks
 
All of the answers to your questions can be found in the FAQ. Maybe you should read it one more time.

If you are still employing a cutting diet, I would not advise SD if even for only a week. But if you have decided to switch to a bulking version, it would be ok but you should take a full SD period of at least 12 days, IMO.

It is always ok to switch exercises but you need to know your maxes before trying to implement them into your program.
 
BigL,
I believe he means that if you SD you will basically be going a week without any exercise, therefore this could have a negative impact on your fat loss. So, perhaps you could either stop weight training for a week and do HIIT sprint workouts, or you could simply not exercise for that week and give your body a total rest. If you choose this method, I would be sure to cut calories even further and consume even less carbs since you will not be engaging in any rigorous exercise.
 
Not really the right idea.... When you are cutting calories are low, yes? If you are not weight training, the lack of energy supply is going to increase the amount of muscle loss. You need that stimulus to prevent, or at the very least keep to a minimum, the amount of loss that will occur.
 
I agree. I suppose a better question for discussion is, how long does it take for muscle to atrophy? Does muscle really atrophy significantly in one week? Will someone's progress be wiped away if he/she went on a weeklong vacation to the beach and decided to eat more steak instead of pasta? I'm sure there is a study out there that shows how quickly our muscles decline without use, can anyone please post it? Good luck with the cutting BigL.
 
What I was planning on doing is, after If finish my first cycle the last workout is on a Friday. So I would go back to the gym that monday and retake my maxes, then take the rest of the week off and start the 2nd cycle that following Monday. But this doesnt seem like a very good idea, right?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Scooper182 @ July 25 2005,10:48)]I agree.  I suppose a better question for discussion is, how long does it take for muscle to atrophy?  Does muscle really atrophy significantly in one week?  Will someone's progress be wiped away if he/she went on a weeklong vacation to the beach and decided to  eat more steak instead of pasta?  I'm sure there is a study out there that shows how quickly our muscles decline without use, can anyone please post it?   Good luck with the cutting BigL.
Click to expand...
It really doesn't matter how long it takes, BabyA's answer was based on FSR, fractional synthetic rate of proteins during resistance exercise, loading the tissue increases FSR so does food, take one of them out of the picture you are probably still OK, take both out of the picture...horse of a different color. Now top it off with a reduced BMR in cases of severe prolonged diet and .....oops there goes another rubber tree plant. ;)

As far as studies, there are a ton of them that look at nitrogen balance, FSR, Accretion and the like, just do a Pubmed search and you'll find them.

Dan
 
My diet is pretty strict already.

Meal 1: egg whites and whole wheat pancake
Meal 2: Walnuts
Meal 3: Spinach wrap with Grilled Chicken, red peppers, tomatoes, and a little balsalmic dressing. I only eat half of the wrap though.
Meal 4: I eat the other half of the wrap, but just the inside.
Meal 5: Either steak, chicken, or porkchops on the grill.

Do I need to further cut calories during the week I take off?

Thanks
 
This depends on how big of a cut you already have in place now. Too large of a reduction will reduce your metabolic rate after a time so be careful, top that off with no exercise (SD) and it can have an opposite effect of what you want. So choose wisely how much of a deficit you wish.
 
dkm, I am just planning on sticking with the same diet on my rest week and not working out or doing cardio.. I will only work out on Monday to retake my maxes... Like you said inthe PM, i doubt one week rest will have a huge effect in the long run.

Thanks
 
It sure looks a strict diet - but it don't look balanced. I think it could do with some EFA's to at least slow down protein absorbtion overnight...
 
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