I think that this thread is about how PX trains, eats and gets big WITH HIS APPROACHES. We are analyzing that, not other approaches that he hasn’t tried, nor they work for him.
There’s a DC thread, and DC experts, but elsewhere.
Prof, I recently got done doing total body training (starting strength) where I was performing power lifts @ 3x5 sets across and squatting 3x a week, doing linear progression. I gained a good base of strength and some muscle and want to develop my muscles specifically now.
I am 6’4 210lbs. and 20 years old. I have a decent recovery ability.
Right now I am looking at doing 2 days on, 1 day off. Chest/tri, back/bi, leg/shoulder and throwing abs in on one of the 2 day cycles.
I start out each workout by doing a 5x5 (ramping weight) compound lift, such as bench or deadlift or squat, then move up in reps as I reach more specialized exercises like incline bench, flys, pulldowns, leg extensions. Usually those end up being 4x10.
I know it’s not the same for everybody across the board, but do you think I could benefit from doing 1 muscle group per workout and just blasting the shit out of it, then letting it recover for the rest of the week?
Say, chest: DB bench, incline DB bench, CG bench, cable flys, pec dec all at 3x8 or 4x8?
I just don’t really know what my limits or recovery ability are. I don’t get sore a lot and it makes me feel like i’m not training right, which is why I am thiking it may benefit me to destroy a single muscle per day.
[quote]randallh1989 wrote:
Prof, I recently got done doing total body training (starting strength)[/quote]
Glad you finished.
[quote]
where I was performing power lifts @ 3x5 sets across and squatting 3x a week, doing linear progression. I gained a good base of strength and some muscle and want to develop my muscles specifically now.[/quote]
You do realize you can do both, right? Just checking. Gaining muscle is not some separate entity to gaining strength.
[quote]
I am 6’4 210lbs. and 20 years old. I have a decent recovery ability.[/quote]
Good, because you need some size on you to fill out a frame like that and that is going to take at least 5 days a week in the gym to really make a ton of progress by this time next year.
[quote]
Right now I am looking at doing 2 days on, 1 day off. Chest/tri, back/bi, leg/shoulder and throwing abs in on one of the 2 day cycles.[/quote]
I don’t see how anyone could train legs with any other body part…but if it works, keep doing it.
[quote]
I start out each workout by doing a 5x5 (ramping weight) compound lift, such as bench or deadlift or squat, then move up in reps as I reach more specialized exercises like incline bench, flys, pulldowns, leg extensions. Usually those end up being 4x10.[/quote]
I am not familiar with 5x5 but if your weights are going up and you are gaining from it, go ahead. I personally think more reps than five are needed to really stimulate more muscle fibers, but the proof is in the results.
[quote]
I know it’s not the same for everybody across the board, but do you think I could benefit from doing 1 muscle group per workout and just blasting the shit out of it, then letting it recover for the rest of the week?[/quote]
That would depend on your level of training and strength. No one can know that over the internet. You weigh 210 and you are VERY tall. Someone like you would probably have to be sitting at around 240-260+ to really look filled out and heavier than that to look like a “bodybuilder/pro football player” to anyone.
I would venture, however, that you are not at the stage where you need to ONLY be training a muscle group once a week. I mean, I still train some body parts twice a week now, especially shoulders.
I see nothing wrong with the cycle you wrote earlier for body parts but would plan to train whatever muscle group needs it twice a week if possible.
[quote]
Say, chest: DB bench, incline DB bench, CG bench, cable flys, pec dec all at 3x8 or 4x8?[/quote]
I am not hip to the fascination with number schemes that some of you are into. Your question of “3x8 or 4x8” implies you think there is some inherent power in those numbers.
There isn’t. In my honest opinion, it seems like personal trainers come up with shit like that just so people buying the books can claim they came up with something new.
It isn’t like my muscles will stop growing if I did “4x8” next week instead of going up to 10-12 reps.
I stop the set on my last heavy sets when the weight tells me to…not because I just hit 8 reps.
[quote]
I just don’t really know what my limits or recovery ability are. I don’t get sore a lot and it makes me feel like i’m not training right, which is why I am thiking it may benefit me to destroy a single muscle per day.[/quote]
…and you won’t know what those limits are until you reach them and move passed them.
I think you “rep number scheme” is bogus and needs to be more related to the results you are actually seeing and if you are actually anywhere near failure on those last sets when you stop the set.
if you are simply stopping at “8 reps” when you could do another 4 or so, then that explains why you feel like you aren’t doing enough.
This is why I believe most people just need a basic skeleton outline of sets and reps instead of this new trend to act as if the power is in the numbers.
It isn’t.
It’s somewhere in you if it is there at all.
X, thanks for the info. I’m a 54 year old 5/3/1 guy, i appreciate your clean, simple approach. for me, now, i like the athletic feel of compound moves…like i always clean before i press rather than use the rack…good fun. i’m having good success, having a great time, and lifting better than I ever have.
thanks again.
Hi X!
Some bodybuilder in an MD clip said that barbell rows with an underhand grip emphasize the lower portion of the lats more than with overhand. Is there any credibility to that statement at all? I was under the impression that you couldn’t focus more on specific parts of a single muscle.
Thanks!
Prof. X, I really appreciate the insight.
To clarify better, when I say 4x6-8, I mean to say that I am ramping the weight up about 5 lbs each set to a heavy set where I can only get 6-8 reps, then when I can get more than 8, I increase the weight, once I get over 8 reps with the new weight, I increase it again. Does this clear it up and make it sound like a better plan? This means that I go to failure on my last (4th) set of each exercise.
I will try to see how I can fit certain muscles in twice per week. I may just have to group them together again to be able to do more, like add triceps to my chest workout and biceps to the back workout so that my arms aren’t taking up an entire training day that could be geared towards hitting my chest or back again.
How does this look?:
Day 1 - Legs/Abs
Day 2 - Chest/Triceps
Day 3 - Back/Biceps
Day 4 - Shoulders/Abs
Day 5 - Rest
Then repeat this cycle. This means I hit each muscle once every 5th day, which is twice a week.
Here’s one more idea:
Mon- off
Tues - off
weds - chest/tri/abs
thurs - back/bi
fri - legs/shoulders/abs
sat - chest/tri
sun - back/bi/abs
I can’t seem to plan out another split that allows me to hit the muscles more frequently. If you have a better idea, i’d love to hear it!
Thanks so much!
X,
How important do you feel stretching/hip mobility and that stuff is when lifting? Could you let us in on how you warm-up and cool-down on leg day, or any day?
Thanks!
Adam
[quote]PDJD wrote:
X, thanks for the info. I’m a 54 year old 5/3/1 guy, i appreciate your clean, simple approach. for me, now, i like the athletic feel of compound moves…like i always clean before i press rather than use the rack…good fun. i’m having good success, having a great time, and lifting better than I ever have.
thanks again.[/quote]
Dude, thank you for even reading my shit.
[quote]cyberwar wrote:
Hi X!
Some bodybuilder in an MD clip said that barbell rows with an underhand grip emphasize the lower portion of the lats more than with overhand. Is there any credibility to that statement at all? I was under the impression that you couldn’t focus more on specific parts of a single muscle.
Thanks![/quote]
I agree with that bodybuilder…but not because it somehow denotes hitting one part of the muscle simply because of the movement. This is bodybuilding…we are talking about HOW IT FEELS.
It is true that you will not be focusing on “lower biceps” vs “upper biceps”. However, BIG muscles that span large areas CAN be trained to focus on one area more than another…like upper pectorals. Some also claim to feel front squats more in the LOWER QUADS. Therefore, don’t write this all off as being impossible when so many others are seeing a difference.
I feel certain movements different in certain muscle groups. I know this because of where I feel DOMS. The question then is, do YOU feel it the same as the lifter you heard that from. If not, find another way to hit that area.
I feel it in my lats more when I squeeze the contraction for lat pull downs and sometimes hold that contraction for a couple of seconds.
[quote]randallh1989 wrote:
Prof. X, I really appreciate the insight.
To clarify better, when I say 4x6-8, I mean to say that I am ramping the weight up about 5 lbs each set to a heavy set where I can only get 6-8 reps, then when I can get more than 8, I increase the weight, once I get over 8 reps with the new weight, I increase it again. Does this clear it up and make it sound like a better plan? This means that I go to failure on my last (4th) set of each exercise.[/quote]
Yes…that means you are training like someone who actually expects to see progress by FORCING your body to adapt.
Ain’t nuttin’ wrong wit dat.
Guy, the split itself isn’t the issue. by the time you have been at this for a decade, you should have tried every single combination you can think of if that decision is LOGICAL and the changes made ARE FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES.
I started training triceps with biceps lately…simply because I had neglected triceps because I was too damn tired after training chest.
I find that my “accessory” muscles still feel pretty fresh after training the larger one. Thanks, Prof X! I’m gonna give this one a try! This is my first venture in to bodybuilding style (as opposed to powerlifting) workouts so i’m excited to see a lot of muscle growth!
[quote]Professor X wrote: I agree with that bodybuilder…but not because it somehow denotes hitting one part of the muscle simply because of the movement. This is bodybuilding…we are talking about HOW IT FEELS.
It is true that you will not be focusing on “lower biceps” vs “upper biceps”. However, BIG muscles that span large areas CAN be trained to focus on one area more than another…like upper pectorals. Some also claim to feel front squats more in the LOWER QUADS. Therefore, don’t write this all off as being impossible when so many others are seeing a difference.
I feel certain movements different in certain muscle groups. I know this because of where I feel DOMS. The question then is, do YOU feel it the same as the lifter you heard that from. If not, find another way to hit that area.
I feel it in my lats more when I squeeze the contraction for lat pull downs and sometimes hold that contraction for a couple of seconds.[/quote]
Thanks,
I’ll experiment with the barbell row and different grips and see what works.
[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
X,
How important do you feel stretching/hip mobility and that stuff is when lifting? Could you let us in on how you warm-up and cool-down on leg day, or any day?
Thanks!
Adam[/quote]
I don’t do much stretching unless it is my for my quads in between sets to help them get ready for the next one. I do spend quite a bit of time warming with lighter weight and squeezing the top contraction for legs, biceps and back. For legs, I usually start with leg extensions and basically do sets until that muscle doesn’t feel stiff anymore and can handle more weight. For biceps, again, I use a lighter weight (usually a machine) and squeeze at the top and hold that contraction (sometimes for upwards of maybe 3-5 seconds).
This is my new favorite thread.
Just to continue the conversation going on here, Prof where is your flexibility at? I know a few heavy squatters that can’t touch their toes - were you once an inflexible dude and over years of becoming legendary you became more limber? I assume if thats the case you committed to stretching?
Edit: Yeah, I read the posts you made before and understand you don’t do much stretching now, but your flexibility is what I’m curious about
lol i dunno bout that. Hell, im at the point where i cant touch my deltoid with the same arm, poor prof prolly cant scratch his ass.
Corners of walls are back scratchers, right prof?
[quote]Akuma01 wrote:
lol i dunno bout that. Hell, im at the point where i cant touch my deltoid with the same arm, poor prof prolly cant scratch his ass.
Corners of walls are back scratchers, right prof?[/quote]
If you weigh over 220lbs at average height and don’t own a back scrubber to clean yourself with, you are one nasty bastard. I could always touch my toes so I do not consider that some amazing feat of flexibility. I can not touch my delts with the hand on that same side. Big biceps take up space…but then, how crucial is it that someone can do that anyway?
Beyond buying a back scratcher, I think you would have to be near freak proportions for big muscles to actually hold back movement.
You would have to make Markus Rhul look “slightly muscular”.
LOL gonna get hot on purchasing that back scrubber now…
I swear I was just thinkin about how I’d wash my back if I ever got hyooge…
Hey Professor X,
I noticed you recommended for a tall guy to train 5 (or six, I forgot) days per week.
I have also read for tall guys to train each muscle twice per week.
With that said, (I am about 6’4") how do I set up a split that includes each muscle at least twice per week, without repeating a muscle on consecutive days? do you recommend chest and back on the same day?
I am trying to set up a good setup before the week begins monday (tomorrow). My workout schedule now probably is not that good
(anyone else can chime in too!)
[quote]eyegainweightbig wrote:
Hey Professor X,
I noticed you recommended for a tall guy to train 5 (or six, I forgot) days per week.
I have also read for tall guys to train each muscle twice per week.
With that said, (I am about 6’4") how do I set up a split that includes each muscle at least twice per week, without repeating a muscle on consecutive days? do you recommend chest and back on the same day?
I am trying to set up a good setup before the week begins monday (tomorrow). My workout schedule now probably is not that good
(anyone else can chime in too!)[/quote]
Legs (i do some shrugs on this day too)
Chest/Shoulder/Tri
Back/Bi
repeat X2
or
Legs
Chest/Back
Shoulder/Bi/Tri
repeat X2
or any other combo over a 3 day, repeated 2 times a week split