Old Bodybuilder

Ok so there’s a few issues I am having. One is that I am fairly new to the low rep style of lifting and also supplementation. Basically I have an older body builder telling me I am not doing things right.

He currently holds the record for our state in a number of lifts (squatting around 900 lbs etc).

He was asking me about my training because he saw me drinking a protein shake. I heard that I need about 2 grams of protein for every lb of muscle, and there’s just no way I can fit that much protein in me without whey.

The other thing is he told me to do Hyuuuuuuge reps, citing the fact that when he was squatting 900 he was doing 50 reps of 375. He told me I need to go to failure more too or I wouldnt see any gains.

I know his method works (eventually), but I guess I just want feedback regarding the low reps high weight method and to know if the whey is the “way” Thanks.

[quote]Arc_1mpuls3 wrote:
Ok so there’s a few issues I am having. One is that I am fairly new to the low rep style of lifting and also supplementation. Basically I have an older body builder telling me I am not doing things right.

He currently holds the record for our state in a number of lifts (squatting around 900 lbs etc).

He was asking me about my training because he saw me drinking a protein shake. I heard that I need about 2 grams of protein for every lb of muscle, and there’s just no way I can fit that much protein in me without whey.

The other thing is he told me to do Hyuuuuuuge reps, citing the fact that when he was squatting 900 he was doing 50 reps of 375. He told me I need to go to failure more too or I wouldnt see any gains.

I know his method works (eventually), but I guess I just want feedback regarding the low reps high weight method and to know if the whey is the “way” Thanks.[/quote]

How old are you first? I can’t help you unless I know you’re not like 50 years old.

Second, I don’t know shit about Whey, but you do not need 2 grams of protein for every pound of muscle; whatever that’s supposed to mean, unless you’re trying to store it as fat.

Third, he is right about the failure and the high rep sets. Not only will that increase your pain tolerance but it will shock the hell out of the legs and force them to grow.

List some more stats… I’m sure plenty of people will chime in to help you out. I need more information before I can really tell you anything that might help.

This argument has been beaten to the ground…I have seen it go back and forth ad-nauseum.

Here it is…try both methods for a period of time and find which one works best for you.

I bet most on this board would recommend lower reps. Personally I like heavy weights at low reps (3 to 6) without going to failure. I just feel better when I do that, like I am growing more and can get more quality sets that way.

[quote]Jimfound wrote:
This argument has been beaten to the ground…I have seen it go back and forth ad-nauseum.

Here it is…try both methods for a period of time and find which one works best for you.

I bet most on this board would recommend lower reps. Personally I like heavy weights at low reps (3 to 6) without going to failure. I just feel better when I do that, like I am growing more and can get more quality sets that way.[/quote]

I recommend doing what I do. I could never recommend doing something I’ve never done.

I recommend going to failure constantly if you’re a beginner… not only that, going way past it, not what you actually think is failure but what your muscles say is failure. This will increase your pain tolerance and just start the bodybuilding process for you. After that, learn to use shocking principles and rotate rep ranges around with periodization.

Lastly, you can do what I do now. I do 50 rep sets of dropsets/stripper sets or rest-pause re-rack sets. Or do low reps, the reps don’t matter… beginners think they do but they don’t… it’s the change of rep ranges that matters and the amout of tissue you can break down using different rep ranges. I do 1-rep singles right now, rack the bar rest 5-10 seconds, then rep 1 more time, rack the bar, and then keep doing that until I reach 7 reps. I do 4 sets of that then switch to another exercise. I do 2 or 3 exercises then call it a day. I do 8 or 12 high intensity sets, none to failure… I use my 3RM weight.

I’ll be doing this for 2 more weeks. Then I’m switching to 40-50 rep sets with my 10-12 RM weight to start, then I’ll drop set it or rest-pause it. These sets I’ll take to failure or way past it.

Generally 3-12 reps is ideal but if your training for strength, you will want the reps less than 3. For hypertrophy, they’re not going to matter. There are about a dozen factors to explain why the reps won’t matter. Just try to use the normal principles that everyone else uses. when you get stuck and can’t grow, just PM me and I’ll explain why and give you some tips.

Muscle building is more about breakdown of muscle tissue, not reps. Ideally a heavy weight with alot of reps. You can break it down in many rep ranges. Strength training is about heavy ass weight and lifting maximally. For power just explode through the weight as fast as possible and go heavy or light.

Sorry for not describing myself. I am 22 years old, I’ve only taken about 3-4 years of weight training in High School. I weigh 183. I am about 5’11. And I feel really stupid about the 2 grams of protein thing, some one was asking me about supplementation and asked about protein I said I wasnt supplementing it, he being more knowledgeable than I suggested that I supplement. In my defense, he was holding up a shoe while telling me this so I was forced to believe him (jk).

So I think I am going to continue to do low reps high weight, I like my gains even if the old builder says he “hasn’t noticed any size increase” (of course I don’t think he was ever looking at the before) Thanks for the input, and helping the newbie.

Right now I am doing sort of a wave system, I will go almost as heavy as I can go for 3 or 4, rest, take a percentage of the weight off then do 6 as fast as i can, rest and either put the same amount of weight on for the second set or more. Unfortunately I have 3 jobs going to failure makes it so I cannot do it or I dont move well afterwards. I will work on going to failure, but another problem I have yet to find a solution for is that I dont have a spotter and I dont want to get injured.

[quote]Arc_1mpuls3 wrote:
Right now I am doing sort of a wave system, I will go almost as heavy as I can go for 3 or 4, rest, take a percentage of the weight off then do 6 as fast as i can, rest and either put the same amount of weight on for the second set or more. Unfortunately I have 3 jobs going to failure makes it so I cannot do it or I dont move well afterwards. I will work on going to failure, but another problem I have yet to find a solution for is that I dont have a spotter and I dont want to get injured.
[/quote]

If you’re just starting out or back after a long layoff anything that hurts and doesn’t injure you will work for a while. Meaning good form and some pain. If you’re muscles hurt toward the end of your sets and you’re tired, but not exhausted when you’re done working out you’ll grow for at least a while. Even with a sub optimal diet though eating good food, coupled with some sleep will help even more.

–Tiribulus->

It has been reccommended in many articles that protein intake should be around 1.5 - 2.0 grams protein per LBM.

Heavy fool, reading about your training is interesting and I agree with all of your points, but if you want to give people advice starting with “this is what I do…” then you have to post some pics mate!

Silly or not, I’m never going to be too interested in those sorts of statements unless I know the author practises what they preach!

For instance, CT would be my favourite writer on this site. He obviously walks the walk.

[quote]Go heavy fool wrote:
Jimfound wrote:
This argument has been beaten to the ground…I have seen it go back and forth ad-nauseum.

Here it is…try both methods for a period of time and find which one works best for you.

I bet most on this board would recommend lower reps. Personally I like heavy weights at low reps (3 to 6) without going to failure. I just feel better when I do that, like I am growing more and can get more quality sets that way.

I recommend doing what I do. I could never recommend doing something I’ve never done.

I recommend going to failure constantly if you’re a beginner… not only that, going way past it, not what you actually think is failure but what your muscles say is failure. This will increase your pain tolerance and just start the bodybuilding process for you. After that, learn to use shocking principles and rotate rep ranges around with periodization.

Lastly, you can do what I do now. I do 50 rep sets of dropsets/stripper sets or rest-pause re-rack sets. Or do low reps, the reps don’t matter… beginners think they do but they don’t… it’s the change of rep ranges that matters and the amout of tissue you can break down using different rep ranges. I do 1-rep singles right now, rack the bar rest 5-10 seconds, then rep 1 more time, rack the bar, and then keep doing that until I reach 7 reps. I do 4 sets of that then switch to another exercise. I do 2 or 3 exercises then call it a day. I do 8 or 12 high intensity sets, none to failure… I use my 3RM weight.

I’ll be doing this for 2 more weeks. Then I’m switching to 40-50 rep sets with my 10-12 RM weight to start, then I’ll drop set it or rest-pause it. These sets I’ll take to failure or way past it.

Generally 3-12 reps is ideal but if your training for strength, you will want the reps less than 3. For hypertrophy, they’re not going to matter. There are about a dozen factors to explain why the reps won’t matter. Just try to use the normal principles that everyone else uses. when you get stuck and can’t grow, just PM me and I’ll explain why and give you some tips.

Muscle building is more about breakdown of muscle tissue, not reps. Ideally a heavy weight with alot of reps. You can break it down in many rep ranges. Strength training is about heavy ass weight and lifting maximally. For power just explode through the weight as fast as possible and go heavy or light.
[/quote]

[quote]Sxio wrote:
Heavy fool, reading about your training is interesting and I agree with all of your points, but if you want to give people advice starting with “this is what I do…” then you have to post some pics mate!

Silly or not, I’m never going to be too interested in those sorts of statements unless I know the author practises what they preach!

For instance, CT would be my favourite writer on this site. He obviously walks the walk.

Go heavy fool wrote:
Jimfound wrote:
This argument has been beaten to the ground…I have seen it go back and forth ad-nauseum.

Here it is…try both methods for a period of time and find which one works best for you.

I bet most on this board would recommend lower reps. Personally I like heavy weights at low reps (3 to 6) without going to failure. I just feel better when I do that, like I am growing more and can get more quality sets that way.

I recommend doing what I do. I could never recommend doing something I’ve never done.

I recommend going to failure constantly if you’re a beginner… not only that, going way past it, not what you actually think is failure but what your muscles say is failure. This will increase your pain tolerance and just start the bodybuilding process for you. After that, learn to use shocking principles and rotate rep ranges around with periodization.

Lastly, you can do what I do now. I do 50 rep sets of dropsets/stripper sets or rest-pause re-rack sets. Or do low reps, the reps don’t matter… beginners think they do but they don’t… it’s the change of rep ranges that matters and the amout of tissue you can break down using different rep ranges. I do 1-rep singles right now, rack the bar rest 5-10 seconds, then rep 1 more time, rack the bar, and then keep doing that until I reach 7 reps. I do 4 sets of that then switch to another exercise. I do 2 or 3 exercises then call it a day. I do 8 or 12 high intensity sets, none to failure… I use my 3RM weight.

I’ll be doing this for 2 more weeks. Then I’m switching to 40-50 rep sets with my 10-12 RM weight to start, then I’ll drop set it or rest-pause it. These sets I’ll take to failure or way past it.

Generally 3-12 reps is ideal but if your training for strength, you will want the reps less than 3. For hypertrophy, they’re not going to matter. There are about a dozen factors to explain why the reps won’t matter. Just try to use the normal principles that everyone else uses. when you get stuck and can’t grow, just PM me and I’ll explain why and give you some tips.

Muscle building is more about breakdown of muscle tissue, not reps. Ideally a heavy weight with alot of reps. You can break it down in many rep ranges. Strength training is about heavy ass weight and lifting maximally. For power just explode through the weight as fast as possible and go heavy or light.

[/quote]

No need to post pics. I had a picture of my bicep shot as my avatar and took it down yesterday because I guess a few people got intimidated by the size and didn’t think my arm was actually my arm. So now there is nothing to make anyone feel like less of a man.

My girlfriend is in the sexy wives threads. you can take a look at her and guess what kind of man she might be interested in. I will probably take her pic down too if it starts to bother anyone.

[quote]Sxio wrote:
Heavy fool, reading about your training is interesting and I agree with all of your points, but if you want to give people advice starting with “this is what I do…” then you have to post some pics mate!

Silly or not, I’m never going to be too interested in those sorts of statements unless I know the author practises what they preach!

For instance, CT would be my favourite writer on this site. He obviously walks the walk.

Go heavy fool wrote:
Jimfound wrote:
This argument has been beaten to the ground…I have seen it go back and forth ad-nauseum.

Here it is…try both methods for a period of time and find which one works best for you.

I bet most on this board would recommend lower reps. Personally I like heavy weights at low reps (3 to 6) without going to failure. I just feel better when I do that, like I am growing more and can get more quality sets that way.

I recommend doing what I do. I could never recommend doing something I’ve never done.

I recommend going to failure constantly if you’re a beginner… not only that, going way past it, not what you actually think is failure but what your muscles say is failure. This will increase your pain tolerance and just start the bodybuilding process for you. After that, learn to use shocking principles and rotate rep ranges around with periodization.

Lastly, you can do what I do now. I do 50 rep sets of dropsets/stripper sets or rest-pause re-rack sets. Or do low reps, the reps don’t matter… beginners think they do but they don’t… it’s the change of rep ranges that matters and the amout of tissue you can break down using different rep ranges. I do 1-rep singles right now, rack the bar rest 5-10 seconds, then rep 1 more time, rack the bar, and then keep doing that until I reach 7 reps. I do 4 sets of that then switch to another exercise. I do 2 or 3 exercises then call it a day. I do 8 or 12 high intensity sets, none to failure… I use my 3RM weight.

I’ll be doing this for 2 more weeks. Then I’m switching to 40-50 rep sets with my 10-12 RM weight to start, then I’ll drop set it or rest-pause it. These sets I’ll take to failure or way past it.

Generally 3-12 reps is ideal but if your training for strength, you will want the reps less than 3. For hypertrophy, they’re not going to matter. There are about a dozen factors to explain why the reps won’t matter. Just try to use the normal principles that everyone else uses. when you get stuck and can’t grow, just PM me and I’ll explain why and give you some tips.

Muscle building is more about breakdown of muscle tissue, not reps. Ideally a heavy weight with alot of reps. You can break it down in many rep ranges. Strength training is about heavy ass weight and lifting maximally. For power just explode through the weight as fast as possible and go heavy or light.

[/quote]If you’re really hard up. My routine is in my blog.

Don’t attempt my calve routine unless you want to experience pain.