Neither rep duration, nor # of muscle actions affect strength increase, body composition

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Frederick Foresight, Oct 2, 2018.

  1. destriero

    destriero

    One working set per group?
     
    #21     Oct 2, 2018
  2. No, per exercise. Two per muscle group, and three if you count the drop set.
     
    #22     Oct 2, 2018
  3. destriero

    destriero


    I don't think you're doing nearly enough sets to reach DOMS unless you're doing 30-reps per set (don't!). I take 5 mins off between working sets and do two high-rep warmups 4-6 working sets. I am doing only compounds.
     
    #23     Oct 2, 2018
  4. I've been experimenting with decreased volume over the last few years, after reading a number of studies that concluded lower volumes were about as effective as higher volumes for strength and size. I can tell you that I don't recall feeling appreciably more DOMS when I was doing up to 10 sets per muscle group than I do now. But as I got older, 10 sets per muscle group to failure became prohibitive.

    And I'm at an age (60) where size and strength take a turn. So while I am not quite as strong as I was a number of years ago, and am smaller, I don't know if it's a function of the streamlined routine over time, or just nature taking its toll. Perhaps both. But I can tell you that as I significantly reduced volume and frequency, I did not notice any ~discrete drop in strength or size that I could arguably attribute to a modification in routine. The drop in strength and size were much more gradual than the drop in volume and frequency. Not that I would expect to immediately get noticeably smaller and weaker due to an inadequate routine, but my rate of "decline" was almost imperceptibly gradual.

    As an aside, and as I have noted in another thread recently, when I added 2 drop sets to each of two exercises not too long ago, I noticed that I became weaker on my first, heavier set a few weeks later. I then reduced it to only one drop set for those two exercises, and am now doing an additional rep (again) on the first set.

    Because I do so few exercises, I also only do compounds; bang for the buck, and all that. Except for calf raises.
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2018
    #24     Oct 2, 2018