Newiest routine not panning out?

M

MrNasty

New Member
I just started my new HST cycle today. It's a 2on/1off upper-lower split. I'm doing Back, Chest, Delts, Traps during upper and Legs, Arms during lower days. 3 exercises per muscle, 1 set per exercises, and currently in 10's (I skipped 15's).

I'm concerned: I was in and out of the gym in an hour, mainly because it was busy. My assumption is that this cycles WOs are around 45min a peace; which is way faster than I've ever trained. Also, doing 1 set seems piontless at this piont. Although SD was good (14days), I'm not sure 1 set was sufficient.

My questions is ... should I add 1 exercises to each muscle group worked, OR, should I use 2 sets instead of one?

I'm going to wait till the morning to judge tonights workout. help me out.... Thanks.
 
If you're going to increase the number of sets per muscle, then double up rather than 1xA + 1xB in the same workout. FAQ says increase sets if you aren't growing. Bare in mind that you've only just started the 10s, you skipped the 15s, and you aren't frying your CNS (feeling dead tired is not a barometer for growth)

I find my full body workout takes 40-45mins and that's without equipment delays. 15s takes the longest for me b/c I end up having to catch my breath.
 
I think you have to go by your past experience and take into account how long you've been training. For me (I've been training for 5 years and using HST for nearly 3) I know that I now have more success with two sets during the 10s. When I first started on HST one set was fine. On the other hand, I don't do 3 different exercises for each muscle group (usually 2), so two sets of each might be a lot.

Unfortunately, training is often a trial and error process. I would stick with what you're doing for a week and if you experience no soreness whatsoever, and are still feeling that its not enough, then go ahead and start adding to the volume. I'm a big fan of doing what is necessary, rather than all I can tolerate. No reason to beat yourself up if you don't have to. :D
 
My original plan, because this is a 16wk cycle, was to increase volume (sets) every 4 weeks so that by the last 4 week block I am using 4sets. Due to lastnights workout and concerns, however, I thought I might up the sets to a min of 2. BUT ... I woke up this morning pretty stiff, so I think I'm going to stick to the one set for know. I'll instead slow TUT down and really focus on contractions.

Thanks....
 
I'm still concerned (after legs and arms (lower) workout). lol, I'm probably driving you guys crazy with my inquries. Listen, I just did a 30min legs, bis, & tris (1set, 3 exercises a peice) routine - I've NEVER had a 30min work out. Is that enough?

Who else works out in 30min?
What is your opinion?
 
A 30 min workout is happening because you have less volume total to complete ina given session. I found on my first cycle that doing Upper-Lower 6x a week gave me 55min-30min sessions, so I altered it when I hit the 5s to make it 6x full body @ 45ish a session (less volume per muscle per individual session, but the same over the week).

Remember that you have less different muscles to work out in your legs, and thus you require less different exercises to do this. Glutes, Quads, Hammys and Calves......as opposed to: Chest, Lats, Upper back, Lower back, Traps, Bis, Tris, Delts, Forearms (if you want)......so typically, the legs-dominated day will take less time.
 
Mr. N, as you have probably read in the past, I am a bigger fan of multiple exercises instead of multiple sets. That way you can exercise a muscle group by emphasizing different muscle fibers which, I believe, is more efficient than hitting the same fibers multiple times.

As I recall, you are currently "assisted". IF that is the case, doing 2 1/2 cycles per week of 3 sets per muscle group is on the light side. That is only about 7 or 8 sets per muscle group per week. With assistance you can certainly use more volume (12 to 15 sets per muscle group per week which would come out to 4 or 5 sets per muscle group per workout) and more frequency such as 3 on/1 off or 6 on/1 off. If you are not assisted, I would merely make sure I did the current workouts but make sure I got each bodypart 3 times per week.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Mr. N, as you have probably read in the past, I am a bigger fan of multiple exercises instead of multiple sets. That way you can exercise a muscle group by emphasizing different muscle fibers which, I believe, is more efficient than hitting the same fibers multiple times.
Click to expand...
You know O&G, I actually like this theory a lot. It makes sense when you think about it (knowing the little I know), but the notion has been argued that you CANNOT focus on one portion of a muscle or another when working one particular muscle, that the muscle itself works soly as a whole. What is your take on that?

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]As I recall, you are currently "assisted". IF that is the case, doing 2 1/2 cycles per week of 3 sets per muscle group is on the light side. That is only about 7 or 8 sets per muscle group per week. With assistance you can certainly use more volume (12 to 15 sets per muscle group per week which would come out to 4 or 5 sets per muscle group per workout) and more frequency such as 3 on/1 off or 6 on/1 off. If you are not assisted, I would merely make sure I did the current workouts but make sure I got each bodypart 3 times per week.
Click to expand...
Lets figrue some stuff out ...

Here is my routine:
2on/1off upper-lower split
Upper: Chest Back Delts and Traps
Lower: Legs, Bis, & Tris

During upper, each muscle group gets 3 exercises & 1 set 2x a week for a total of 6sets a week. During lower, each muscle group gets 4 exercises & 1 set 2x a week for a total of 8 sets a week.

Upper = 6 sets per muscle group a week
Lowe = 8 sets per muscle group a week

HOWEVER, (a little agaisnt what you are saying) in the next few weeks I will be taking each of those exercises and increase the sets. 1 set every few weeks + the progressive load. So by my last advancment I'll be doing 4 sets per exericese per muscle group.

Then;
Upper = 24 sets per muscle group a week
Lower = 32 sets per muscle group a week

By then I should be heavily saturated with assistance, you know what I mean?
wow.gif
) Now that I look at it though, that looks to be to much. Even if I cut back to 3 sets per muscle group per exercise (but maybe not).

I guess I just figured out my own problem. Answer being: Simma down, and see how #### pans out. Right? Thanks for making me think bro. Your always a lot of help.

(I feel stupid) :confused:
 
I agree that you cannot entirely focus on one portion of a muscle. However, you can certainly emphasis, or de-emphasis, certain portions. Take incline benches vs. dips for example. One recruits more upper pec fibers and the other more lower pec fibers. Some argue that dips don't really recruit more lower pec fibers but merely recruit less upper pec fibers. I say "what's the difference?' The emphasis has still changed. That is why I believe that it is more efficient, for general hypertrophy, to do multiple exercises vs. multiple sets. There are certainly cases where multiple sets may be more efficient, such as trying to emphasis the lower pec. Also, multiple sets are, in general, superior for general strength training or when training for a specific sport.

I agree with your second conclusion. I had not taken into account your increased sets as you decrease reps. 24 and 32 does sound a bit high.
 
The pecs are really 2 muscles, the clavicular head (upper) and the sternal head (lower&bigger), so you can by using incline benchpress and dips focus more on one or the other, but where I've read, it suggests that a single muscle can only contract in a single way, so you don't have to do alot of different exercises for that reason, the reason should be if you want to increase difficulty, or range, or go from component to isolation (or bored of doing the same exercises again and again).

However, whenever I do the dips, I really feel it in my upper pecs which are connected to the clavicle.. especially the left one, don't know why.. I'm looking forward to the 15s again, hoping they'll help me fix it.

S.
 
Stan, you're correct of course but very few muscles that we use to complete a task use individual muscles only. Rather, it is a group of individual muscles. Even smaller muscle groups have multiple individual muscles, such as the triceps. It is very hard, if not impossible, unless, perhaps, electrical stimulation is used, to work each muscle individually. You can, however, emphasis or de-emphasis individual muscles within muscle groups by having them flex from differing angles.

I suspect that the reason you feel more in your upper pecs than lower pecs when doing dips is that you may be using an exaggerated angle by leaning forward more than 10 degress. The more you lean forward in that exercise, the more you recruit upper pec fibers. If that is not the case, then I would have to assume that you may have some type of unique skeletal or muscular structure that causes this recruitment.
 
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