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3 x 8 or 5 x 5?


There is your problem.

I'll say it again. Strength isn't just 1RM.
 
bazza said "get stronger before doing bodybuilding"

when I read that I straight away think (for a beginner) focus on the multi joint exercises.

do what you can in the gym, work hard, pick a rep range that works for you, stick at it and make it progressive.

once you have developed (size) yourself enough to be able to consider competing, it is then that you place more focus on fine tuning your proportion and symmetry with isolatory type exercises.
 
it is true that strength is not always the vital goal of bb.

But, as some suggest, whatever you do, whether light and strict or heavy and slow or even heavy and explosive, the poundages should go up over time to indicate greater muscle capacity as demonstrated by higher poundages. To me, this is a good guideline for bb's, no matter which way they train.

Having said that, however, a bb could stay on 30kg over time for barbell curls, but just do the movement stricter and stricter. Gary Lewer, a NABBA Mr World, did this.

In contrast, sonny schmidt trained pretty heavy, yet could only do a 166kg bench press, despite coming 6th in Mr Olympia. Saw him do a 276kg back squat, strict as (Olympic style but controlled on way down).
 
Again, the question of which (versus) number of sets and reps are moot, its up to you, you have years to work this shit out.
 
ill just leave now, but I will say, that I've never seen a man or women increase the strength and size of a muscle on a low intensity program.
 
I don't think many ever work it out, they just go with what they enjoy.

I like higher reps as my heavy test set rather than a max, say anywhere from 6-10 (80-86% intensity of max), yet I mostly train on sets of 5-8 reps with short rests at 60-70% max.

This supposed certainty of this reps doing this, and others doing that, is simply bull shit. 50 years on, and people still argue about the perfect training program.

There have been so many athletes that defy conventional thought with how they train, that a magical number of sets and reps is almost futile.

If you are getting bigger and/or stronger, it works.
 
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Silverback,

I, and a 500 pounder bench press, once trained with gary lewer. We were fucked from the intensity, and my back muscles took a week to recover.

Intensity can also be achieved by doing light weights. It is the way you do the exercise.
 
spartacus said:
Silverback,

I, and a 500 pounder bench press, once trained with gary lewer. We were fucked from the intensity, and my back muscles took a week to recover.

Intensity can also be achieved by doing light weights. It is the way you do the exercise.
Click to expand...

intensity is subjective, results are tangible.

for a young buck I believe the intensity of work should be very high.
to work at a very high level of intensity takes time, and like like adding kg's to the bar it more often than not needs to be progressive.
 
yes, I agree.

The less experienced lifter should go with weights increase. I also find it less boring and plan my sessions in accordance to % of max.

But, I have seen enough bb champs to question whether one needs to lift heavier weights to guarantee greater intensity. It does not.

It is the same with strength athletes. there are many champs who have mainly trained on poundages under their max capacity.

Again, key is to know when to push and when to back off. This much harder than knowing magical no's of sets and reps. Recovery period also varies from individual to individual. I have generally needed ten days to recover from a flat out effort.

That is why these strength programs, where poundages are given, do the thinking for the lifter to ensure that enough heavy and lighter weights are included in balance between volume and intensity.

But, for others like Gary lewer, or even the great weightlifter Alexeev, they train according to their own rules developed from experience, thinking and listening to their own bodies.

The sets and reps they picked, may have easily been something else, but I am sure it still would have worked for them.
 
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Certainly no-one can argue with this
 
Flip the coin. If you get bigger you will get stronger. So train to get bigger when your goal is bodybuilding not strength.
 
Seriously, who gives a shit which one comes first
Get stronger and you'll get bigger
Get bigger and you'll be stronger
 
Darkoz said:
Seriously, who gives a shit which one comes first
Get stronger and you'll get bigger
Get bigger and you'll be stronger
Click to expand...

Coming together is better.

But the question I ask is, who gives a shit what rep range you use as long as it's progressive, adding kg to the bar and a rep here or there is our goal.

this is whether one wants to play a sport, get a girl, compete in bodybuilding and all that shit.
its all the same.
 
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