increasing weight and super setting?

[jrb8484]

how fast should i be increasing my weight with my exercises?for instance bench, also is it ok to practice super sets? for instance one set of bench then a immediate set of tricep push downs then back to bench an continue?

 

[CJ]

how fast should i be increasing my weight with my exercises?

When you're able to.

for instance bench, also is it ok to practice super sets? for instance one set of bench then a immediate set of tricep push downs then back to bench an continue?

Why would you want to do that? You won't perform as well on either exercise. You're saving time at the expense of performance.

If you want to do alternating sets, use exercises that don't overlap, like pairing bicep curls and calf raises, as a example.

 

[jrb8484]

When you're able to.



Why would you want to do that? You won't perform as well on either exercise. You're saving time at the expense of performance.

If you want to do alternating sets, use exercises that don't overlap, like pairing bicep curls and calf raises, as a example.

i thought mabye you could get more blood to the muscle? idk man im just beginning lifting im in good shape already. been lifting for 5 months but i was told super sets are good. idk im not a pro ! just a questin?

 

[CJ]

i thought mabye you could get more blood to the muscle? idk man im just beginning lifting im in good shape already. been lifting for 5 months but i was told super sets are good. idk im not a pro ! just a questin?

It might, but getting blood to the muscle isn't the goal of training. Putting the muscles under tension with appropriate volume, is.

 

[Test_subject]

how fast should i be increasing my weight with my exercises?for instance bench, also is it ok to practice super sets? for instance one set of bench then a immediate set of tricep push downs then back to bench an continue?

This is just how I do it, so don’t take this as gospel but…

Pick a fairly wide rep range, say, 8-12 just as an example. Start off at a weight that you struggle to get 8 on your last set(s). Once you can do 12 across all sets; bump the weight up.

How much you bump it really depends on the exercise.

I don’t like the superset idea at all. Supersets are great, but not in that context. You’ll just fatigue your triceps and your bench will suffer.

 

[snake]

There's nothing wrong with it but I would focus on the same muscle. For instance, I would do cable crossovers and then go right the bench. I also like to keep the reps up around 12.

You really want to get sick? Go with a giant set for legs. Leg extensions, squat, leg presses and then leg curls. Now you're probably not going to achieve a 500 lb squat doing this, but you can build some pretty big legs.

Here's my only concern when I hear guys talk about this. You don't do it because it's a time issue. You do it because you want to get the most out of your workout. If your intention is to get out of the gym before you even get there, don't even fuukin bother.

 

[snake]

As for how much to jump in weight, ballpark, I would say 8%. That's also assuming you're keeping the reps the same. It also assumes that your first set Is more like a real heavy warm up.

 

[BRICKS]

Agree with Snake. I actually super set almost everything. I've been doing this for years, as I my own gym. I super set same body parts, for example Hammer inclines with pec deck flys. Straight Hammer press with my dip machine. For back it's Nautilus pullovers with overhand grip chest supported Tbar rows, and Hammer hi row with behind the back upright rows on the Smith. Legs day is 4 exercises, giant set, each set the weight goes up on everything.

The notion that you get less out of an exercise if you superset is just false. The notion that you have to use lighter weight is also false. In 40+ years I've trained every way possible, straight sets, super sets, drop sets, even German volume training on squats (ugly). I don't use any lighter weight when supersetting, I just nut up and Hammer thebheavy weight out. The reason I've been training this way now, well, for close to a decade, is because it works for me.

 

[jrb8484]

Agree with Snake. I actually super set almost everything. I've been doing this for years, as I my own gym. I super set same body parts, for example Hammer inclines with pec deck flys. Straight Hammer press with my dip machine. For back it's Nautilus pullovers with overhand grip chest supported Tbar rows, and Hammer hi row with behind the back upright rows on the Smith. Legs day is 4 exercises, giant set, each set the weight goes up on everything.

The notion that you get less out of an exercise if you superset is just false. The notion that you have to use lighter weight is also false. In 40+ years I've trained every way possible, straight sets, super sets, drop sets, even German volume training on squats (ugly). I don't use any lighter weight when supersetting, I just nut up and Hammer thebheavy weight out. The reason I've been training this way now, well, for close to a decade, is because it works for me.

so let me ask you a question. im a beginner lifter just back into it, its been some years since i lifted. i seem to have prettty good muscle memory because im increasing the weight at a rapid pace an dont know if a plateu is comeing? but when i work out hard hard, im not getting sore anymore as i was in the beginning. with that being said, do you think i am still getting enough muscle workout being i work out hard hard with about 70%--80% one rep max????

 

[BRICKS]

so let me ask you a question. im a beginner lifter just back into it, its been some years since i lifted. i seem to have prettty good muscle memory because im increasing the weight at a rapid pace an dont know if a plateu is comeing? but when i work out hard hard, im not getting sore anymore as i was in the beginning. with that being said, do you think i am still getting enough muscle workout being i work out hard hard with about 70%--80% one rep max????

Soreness isn't an indicator of whether or not you're training is sufficient for growth. As long as you're progressing toward your goals you're doing fine.

 

[Test_subject]

Soreness isn't an indicator of whether or not you're training is sufficient for growth. As long as you're progressing toward your goals you're doing fine.

Yep. You can do wind sprints for an hour and you’ll be sore as hell, but it’s not going to build much muscle.

The best measures of workout effectiveness are A) Is your body composition improving? And B) Are you getting stronger?

 

[Yano]

Yep. You can do wind sprints for an hour and you’ll be sore as hell, but it’s not going to build much muscle.

The best measures of workout effectiveness are A) Is your body composition improving? And B) Are you getting stronger?

Even lifting , I havent felt real DOMS in years and years. Some local soreness but not that crippling somethings gonna rip if I move too fast feeling in the muscle. An a good amount of my time each week is working from 80 to 90 of 1rm.

 

[jrb8484]

Even lifting , I havent felt real DOMS in years and years. Some local soreness but not that crippling somethings gonna rip if I move too fast feeling in the muscle. An a good amount of my time each week is working from 80 to 90 of 1rm.

i have another question. im dealiong with an issue of feeling my non dominant arm is slightly smaller or the bicep isnt as big as my right. i have been working heavier in my curls an more volume on my left then right. how can an or will my non dominant side catch up with my right? is there a proper way to insure my left side catches up or evens out to my right?

 

[CJ]

i have another question. im dealiong with an issue of feeling my non dominant arm is slightly smaller or the bicep isnt as big as my right. i have been working heavier in my curls an more volume on my left then right. how can an or will my non dominant side catch up with my right? is there a proper way to insure my left side catches up or evens out to my right?

As you've stated, you're a beginner, you've been training for 5 months. You don't have asymmetry yet, EVERYTHING needs to get bigger.

Don't worry about any imbalances that you might have for several years. You'll just be wasting time if you do that now.

 

[Yano]

i have another question. im dealiong with an issue of feeling my non dominant arm is slightly smaller or the bicep isnt as big as my right. i have been working heavier in my curls an more volume on my left then right. how can an or will my non dominant side catch up with my right? is there a proper way to insure my left side catches up or evens out to my right?

Perfectly normal and part of life.

Like @CJ just told ya that is nothing you need to worry about right now , you arent competing anytime soon or taking a stage right now. Train proper , eat proper , live proper. Simple as that. Get big , then worry about pretty.

An just for point of reference , I myself have an 18.5 inch bicep on one side , and 18 on the other. In the past 4 years of powerlifting meets , not one person has ever come to me and asked , hey whats with the one skinny arm ?

 

[buck]

I would say if you have only been lifting as few months then trying to do any higher intensity training principles aren't needed. Just continue to increase the weight when you can. That should be more then enough to invoke muscle gain. This has worked for countless people since lifting weights became something to do.

 

[Big-paul]

how fast should i be increasing my weight with my exercises?for instance bench, also is it ok to practice super sets? for instance one set of bench then a immediate set of tricep push downs then back to bench an continue?

Years ago I was stuck at 315 on flat bench, and I starred training with someone had a strong bench and a similar build that I do, long arms , broad shoulders and not a barrel chest. If you have long arms it means more work, you will never be as strong as a guy who has a barrel chest and short arms

I started lifting as much as I could for 3 reps and my spot would give me the next 3. When I could get 6 reps on my own, I could add as much weight as I could and still get at least 3 reps with help on the next 3.

You depend on your training partner to make progress so if you don't have someone as serious as you are, it won't work. I went from a max of 315 on bench to 405-415 in a little over a year, and that was natural.

With the strength gains and losses from running cycles it probably will not work as well. If you are using peds you will get strong anyway.

 

[snake]

i have another question. im dealiong with an issue of feeling my non dominant arm is slightly smaller or the bicep isnt as big as my right. i have been working heavier in my curls an more volume on my left then right. how can an or will my non dominant side catch up with my right? is there a proper way to insure my left side catches up or evens out to my right?

I have yet to hear someone ask why my left bicep is 3/8" bigger than the right. No one will notice but you so don't worry about it. Would you take the difference off of the bigger arm just to be symmetrical?