On the matter of training to failure, which I had probably done to excess in the past and have only recently reconsidered, I think the following approach makes the most sense to me: When do you cease repping out? So, how do you leave a rep in the tank? Well, when youâre getting towards the end of a set (say you were trying for something in the 8-12 rep range), and you get to the point where either a) you can no longer maintain excellent technique (ie 8+ out of 10 on a technique rating scale), or b) youâre almost certain that the next repetition will result in muscle failure, THATâS when you stop. Donât try to squeeze in one last sloppy repetition, and NEVER train to the point where you cannot maintain the basic technique. Instead, devote your utmost attention to your technique and ramp up the intensity as much as your form will hold. You should be able to function normally during and after your strength training sessions â even your high intensity sessions (especially those!). Make this a rule for yourself, and allow yourself the luxury of breaking the rules once in awhile when youâd like to see what you can really do in a training session. http://physicalliving.com/4-reasons-to-avoid-training-to-muscle-failure/#more-7419 After reading a fair amount of different opinions from ostensibly credible sources on the Internet and following some experimentation over the last few workouts, I think it will be my best bet. From my previous all-out approach to leaving 2 or 3 "in the tank" is just too much of a radical departure, especially since I am no longer doing traditional cardio as I had also done for years. I expect the above-suggested intensity will provide the desired cardio effect.
You were the one suggesting genetics, whereas I was squatting almost double my body weight on my first set until the time I quit barbell squats when I was about 47. In my mid-40s, I was asked by another gym-goer if I was a competitive gymnast. (I'm pretty sure it wasn't a come-on.) Meanwhile, you're having trouble with 135-lb squats and 10 pushups in your early 30s? As for my remarks to Baron, it was not so much his physique itself as the idea that it was achieved from four 35-minute workouts a week. That goes against the grain of old-school thinking on the subject and was the reason for my question, which coincided with my recent experimentation with lower-volume workouts.
If you really could squat twice your body weight, you would have looked very similar to Baron, or better. So why would you doubt Barons physique, to begin with? You should know that's possible, natural. As for myself, ya, it's been 10 years since I was last in the gym. The past 6 years I spent trading overnight markets, with day-time sleep and an all round shitty lifestyle. This is my second week back to the gym. So I guess I'll pass you in sissy squats by the end of next month?
Albeit this was 10 years ago, me and my friends got big on high weight, low volume, short(er) workouts (<45 mins). 5-7 reps, maybe 4 sets? Anyway. Not sure what school your from, but that worked for us. So what gymnastics team were you on?
Because I had spent about 7-8 hours per week in the gym (which included 1.5 hours of cardio) until my mid-40s, doing the volume that old-school thinking insisted was essential. So imagine my surprise at the idea that I had wasted a lot of time and effort. Coincidentally, you will note that I have been updating myself on the subject and experimenting with lower volume routines since then. As I noted earlier in this thread, my current routine is far shorter than anything I had done since the '70s.
I'm not suggesting what you did was wrong by any stretch, but don't forget that you were at an age where you would have grown pretty much regardless of what you did. (As did I.) Ten years later, as you take it up again, you'll still grow fairly easily but not quite at the pace you did 10 years earlier. And so on. I never said I was a gymnast.