Lifting less more quickly

[DonutMan]

So, I used to try to lift as much as I could and I would rest like 2-3 minutes in between sets. I have not seen very good results doing this, so I decided to try something new. Now I am doing 4 sets of each lift I would normally do, but only waiting like 30 seconds before the next set. I definitely am feeling more of a burn and my muscles are still sore from doing this, but I am not able to lift as much as I normally would. Does anyone know how this will affect me. Will I build muscle faster, or get stronger faster? I thought I read somewhere that this was good for strength gaining.

 

[Kerpal]

You won't build strength as well this way because you have to use lighter weights.

 

[user43770]

So, I used to try to lift as much as I could and I would rest like 2-3 minutes in between sets. I have not seen very good results doing this

Eat more.

 

[Kerpal]

Try resting longer too.

 

[user43770]

...and focus more on squatting.

 

[bornyesterday]

I'm not an expert on this, but I think you feel the burn more because you arent used to it, the sets are new for your mussels. Also the sum total of energy you put into it is more as well. But generally you dont gain mass and strength as well as when you lift heavier with fewer reps.

Why you are not gaining with your previous exercise is probably due to not eating enough, especially protein. 1g protein for every pound of bodyweight is a good start. Only count the protein from meat, fish, eggs and whey.

 

[Quiksilver]

The "burn" is just lactic acid...

Depends what your goals are... if its conditioning/cardio training then do what your doing; shorten the rest time and increase the sets.

If it's strength you're after, stretch out the time between sets to make sure you hit your lifts for that week.

 

[WalkingStick]

I'm training under a coach who teaches something like this (he's also a professional strength coach). They're called supersets

We'll do one exercise (say squats, bench, etc) and then go STRAIGHT to another (something that works a different and usually smaller group of muscles).

We'll then go back to the first exercise (add 30 secs of rest if needed) and repeat. This way you can keep your body working hard while giving your muscles a little more rest.

I don't recommend what you're doing now, but I've never really heard anything said about it either way.

 

[Kerpal]

The problem with that is that you don't get much rest time. So you can't train with heavy weights. Training is all about adaptation, your body adapts to what you tell it to adapt to, and training with light weights is not going to send the signal to your body to increase strength very much.

In general, if you're training for strength, you should use heavy weights, low reps, and long rest periods. You can't always train this way because it's very stressful on the central nervous system, so you need to incorporate light days, deload periods and rest periods into your training, but I think the bread and butter for a strength athlete (or anyone looking to get stronger) is sets of 5 or less.

BTW, when I say "heavy" and "light", I'm talking in terms of percentage of 1 rep max. It's all relative, "heavy" for one person can be "light" for another, and vice versa.

If you're interested in this subject I recommend Mark Rippetoe's book "Practical Programming for Strength Training".