when i am in the gym, i am the hardest working guy there! i am no half ass lifter! i do every set to failure. yes, i get the burn on every set, too. obviously i will if i'm lifting til i can't do a complete rep on every set. i don't think we really disagree. my point is just that, to really get the MOST burn feeling possible, it will come from doing a lot of reps or a lot of sets. i guarantee you, if next time you go to the gym, you will get more of a burn feeling if you do 4 sets of whatever without resting than you would from doing 2 sets, resting between sets. (both will damage the fibers.. lactic acid build up (burn) is not required to build muscle). but yes, i feel the burn on every set, too. think about it, if the burning feeling is caused by lactic acid build up, the more you're working the muscle, the more will be building up. but yes, you can still get a burn without high reps/sets.
hey dude....I don't want to get into a flame war with you, but what are you even bothering arguing for? Just admit that if you take steroids you're willfully taking something you know is bad for you. It's STUPID, just like cigarettes. Like cigarette smoking, it also reveals an insecurity of some kind too. What's the point of being massive if everyone knows you did it unnaturally? What kind of chics are you going to attract with that? The kind that use 'roids, too?!? Is vanity really worth future serious health problems? My rehab, if you must know, is for an old basketball-related injury I thought would heal on its own but didn't. I tore the I.T. band on one side. Also had back problems. p.s. I started this thread asking about home gyms and somehow you managed to turn it into a discussion on steroids. Why not start another thread on that topic instead of dragging this one off-topic?
ok... ya, i see what your saying.. we really agree on this one. i've tried it all.. from lots of reps.. all way down to triples. even REST/PAUSE sets as conceived by the Mentzer Bros! (you know this one? ) higher reps can allow for more accumulation of lactic acid and its byproducts... that produces a burn... but don't forget that LESS reps is more ANAEROBIC if you will... and this means essentially LESS time and opportunity for removal of these metabolic byproducts... and consequently... DA BURN! i also believe that the evidence supports a portion of the burn arising from connective tissue damage... and high strains produce MORE damage. on the other hand... repetitive loading from many many cycles (such as from endurance exercise or high reps) can produce ... CREEP & RELAXATION phenomena... due to the viscoelastic properties of the connective tissue. but, for this discussion, i dont want to get too tech here. :-/
what is an "I.T. band" injury? what does this refer to? i'm drawing a blank on this one. ok, lets talk about this "unnatural" argument. is taking vitamin sups "unnatural"? what about creatine? much evidence supports physical benefits from supp creatine in the diet. lean muscle weight gain and enhanced muscle endurance. is this also verbotin? how about the dietary supplement Androstenedione commonly known as andro. anything wrong with this??? huh? what say?? :-/ ps we already told you these home gyms suk so what else to say
longshot, here is EXACTLY how i lift.... as i said, for muscles that i still want to grow, i do them according to the optimum rest period i read in some book. for the muscles that are already the size i want, i just do them once a week. i have 3 cycles: 4-7 x 3, 4-7 x 4, 8-11 x 2 for the 4-7 x 4, i don't rest between sets (these give me the most burn, although i always get some type of burn). all sets are to failure..... when i do rest, it's usually about less than a minute. important note: i keep track of what weight i'm on for BOTH the 4-7 and 8-11. i am on different weight amounts for each. obviously, because i will be able to do more weight for the lower reps. for say the 4-7, if i can't do 4 reps ON THE FIRST SET with good from, i decrease the weight. when i can do 8 or more ON THE FIRST SET, i increase weight. the same is for 8-11, but just 8 and 11 instead.... i forgot to tell you this next part the other day...... after each set, i decrease weight. say i'm doing 4-7x3..... say the first set is 120lb. the next set i will do 100lb. the 3rd set, 80lb. all sets to failure. there is a method i use for determining how much weight to drop per amount started at, but i don't want to get into that. ALL IN ALL, i don't claim to have the best lifting method out there. it's pretty tough to scientifically determine which works best. what i do works good for me though. we may disagree, but i still say eating the correct amount of calories and protein is super important. just about any lifting method is probably ok if you have a way of systematically increasing the weight.
you taking CREATINE? i was asking happyboy those same questions. ever take any or why not?? also, i asked awhile back... you ever heard of REST/PAUSE? it kiks major butt! :-/
longshot.....read this about protein. this is what i go by. read lemon's calculations. that is what i use... actually, mine is a little different than his because his calculation uses body weight. in my version, i adjusted his calculation for lean body weight instead. but anyways, this is pretty much what i go by for protein: http://www.maxsportsmag.com/healthnutrition/issue12/12hn1.htm notice in the article, it is stated that someone using steriods can probably utilize more protein. so your optimum needs are probably higher than his/my calculation. p.s. my protein calculation is..... grams of protein a day = LEAN body weight x .87
i still say aside from a *little* evidence that a few simple techs of calorie manipulation, carb stacking, slightly more than normal protein consumption etc diet does not play much of a role in building muscle or strength. don't mistake me, i am not speaking to losing weight and getting "cut". that is another matter entirely. i'm saying diet plays much less of a role than does the proper stimulus for optimal adaptation. diet is highly overrated. :-/
no, i don't think i know about rest/pause. i did try creatine for a little while, but i don't take it anymore. i'm just about the size i want to be, so i don't really have a need for it. maybe if i was trying to get bigger....