Hey guys!
I haven't posted on this board much but I thought I would today just to report some of the recent successes I've had with my workout.
I've been weight training on and off for about 10 years and have had limited results with it. My workouts were done with freeweights and it seemed that no matter how hard or how much I trained or how much I ate or what supplements I was using I just couldn't get great results. I wasn't skinny or anything but never really felt like I was reaching my potential.
This past year I purchased a Powertec Leverage System which you can view here. If you've never seen or heard anything about these gyms then I suggest you do a google search on them. They are basically designed for a guy who wants to lift HEAVY without the need of a spotter. Now most of you serious lifters are going to say "It's not freeweights its crap!" Which is exactly what I thought when I first saw it.
However I bought the thing anyway. (Mine is a bit different than the one in the picture.) The training guide which comes with the machine is basically a "One set to failure" workout which I had reservations about as well. I decided to do a google search on one set to failure workouts and I couldn't believe all the debates and different feelings that people have.
There is a whole mindset of people who believe that one set to failure is all you need for each exercise. Then there is the opposition who claim that training in that way won't produce results and will cause injury or overtraining. I read thru all the arguments I could find and was quite surprised at how strongly people felt about their views on training.
I decided to seek some advice from people I respected. Player Supreme who used to frequent these boards (is actually a personal trainer) and spoke of training in this way in the past. I asked him his opinions on one set to failure training and he told me the best way to figure it out is to try it for yourself. So that's what I did.
The workout starts with one warm up set. For upper body I did bench press and performed 20 reps with a medium weight. For lower body I would warm up with Squats. This gets the blood flowing. From there you blast into the workout.
Work out #1 Upper body:
Bench press
Shrugs
Shoulder press
Tricep pulldown
Lat pulldown
Seated row
Barbell curl
Workout #2 Lower body:
Squats
Ham curls
Toe press
Ab workout
That's the workout that comes with the machine. They suggest you workout 2-3 times per week for 15-20 minutes! This seemed totally absurd to me at first. Anyway I would alternate each week. Monday - Upper Wed - Lower Friday - Upper then the next week would be Monday - Lower Wed - Upper and Friday - lower.
For exercises like Bench press and Squats which work multiple muscles I would choose a weight heavy enough that I would reach the failure point around the 12-15 rep mark. For exercises that are more isolated ie. barbell curls I would choose a weight that I would reach failure around the 8-12 rep mark.
Each rep would be performed in a slow fashion. 8 seconds per rep.
I wouldn't take any breaks between exercises. Just long enough to set up the next exercise. My workouts would last around 20 minutes and right from the get go I was thinking "Man that wasn't enough!" However the next day I wasn't thinking that.
I would keep records of my reps to failure and if I ever made it to the 15 rep mark (or the 12 rep mark) then I would up the weight for my next workout. I constantly pushed my self to try and improve each week.
Now to the pros and cons. I heard that training this way would lead to injury because it forces you to lift too heavy without properly warming up. I think there is a misconception about how heavy you have to lift for this type of workout. When you are performing reps super slow (8 seconds) then you don't need as much weight to reach failure in 12-15 reps. From my experiences I haven't once pulled anything or overstrained myself. As far as overtraining goes the argument seems to be that if you are lifting this heavy and to failure all the time then you will overtrain. What I have found though is that I always finish my workouts feeling like I have more to give. In fact when I was volume training I found I was more apt to overtrain. Performing more sets also had a negative effect on many of my joints.
Think about it. If you make training part of your life and you plan on volume training for the next ten years think of how many more repetitions of each exercise you will be doing. Repetitive motions are terrible for you body and joints.
As far as results go. I've been doing this for about 10 months now (also eating like a madman) and I've seen the best results I've ever had. I'm getting compliments from everyone, everywhere I go. I simply can't believe that my muscles are growing like this with so little time devoted to training. A good friend of mine is a total gym rat and has been steadily working out for 10 years. I've always thought of him as having a great physique. He's not huge but he is big and ripped. In just ten months I now have a physique that is almost comparable to his. He's even asked me more than once what workout I'm doing, what supplements I'm taking, how much I'm working out, etc. It's quite a compliment coming from him.
Now just to let you all know I am not a "serious" lifter. I have no desire to be huge or spend hours and hours in the gym working on my body. It's just not my thing. I do however want to be muscular and look my best. This workout and the Powertec gym have allowed me to do this with seemingly minimal effort. Don't get me wrong the workouts ARE tough. Especially squats. They are a killer. You really have to push yourself. However when I think of the amount of time my buddies spend working out it makes me laugh. One set to failure workout for 20 minutes, 2-3 times per week has me the strongest and biggest I've ever been.
Peace
I haven't posted on this board much but I thought I would today just to report some of the recent successes I've had with my workout.
I've been weight training on and off for about 10 years and have had limited results with it. My workouts were done with freeweights and it seemed that no matter how hard or how much I trained or how much I ate or what supplements I was using I just couldn't get great results. I wasn't skinny or anything but never really felt like I was reaching my potential.
This past year I purchased a Powertec Leverage System which you can view here. If you've never seen or heard anything about these gyms then I suggest you do a google search on them. They are basically designed for a guy who wants to lift HEAVY without the need of a spotter. Now most of you serious lifters are going to say "It's not freeweights its crap!" Which is exactly what I thought when I first saw it.
However I bought the thing anyway. (Mine is a bit different than the one in the picture.) The training guide which comes with the machine is basically a "One set to failure" workout which I had reservations about as well. I decided to do a google search on one set to failure workouts and I couldn't believe all the debates and different feelings that people have.
There is a whole mindset of people who believe that one set to failure is all you need for each exercise. Then there is the opposition who claim that training in that way won't produce results and will cause injury or overtraining. I read thru all the arguments I could find and was quite surprised at how strongly people felt about their views on training.
I decided to seek some advice from people I respected. Player Supreme who used to frequent these boards (is actually a personal trainer) and spoke of training in this way in the past. I asked him his opinions on one set to failure training and he told me the best way to figure it out is to try it for yourself. So that's what I did.
The workout starts with one warm up set. For upper body I did bench press and performed 20 reps with a medium weight. For lower body I would warm up with Squats. This gets the blood flowing. From there you blast into the workout.
Work out #1 Upper body:
Bench press
Shrugs
Shoulder press
Tricep pulldown
Lat pulldown
Seated row
Barbell curl
Workout #2 Lower body:
Squats
Ham curls
Toe press
Ab workout
That's the workout that comes with the machine. They suggest you workout 2-3 times per week for 15-20 minutes! This seemed totally absurd to me at first. Anyway I would alternate each week. Monday - Upper Wed - Lower Friday - Upper then the next week would be Monday - Lower Wed - Upper and Friday - lower.
For exercises like Bench press and Squats which work multiple muscles I would choose a weight heavy enough that I would reach the failure point around the 12-15 rep mark. For exercises that are more isolated ie. barbell curls I would choose a weight that I would reach failure around the 8-12 rep mark.
Each rep would be performed in a slow fashion. 8 seconds per rep.
I wouldn't take any breaks between exercises. Just long enough to set up the next exercise. My workouts would last around 20 minutes and right from the get go I was thinking "Man that wasn't enough!" However the next day I wasn't thinking that.
I would keep records of my reps to failure and if I ever made it to the 15 rep mark (or the 12 rep mark) then I would up the weight for my next workout. I constantly pushed my self to try and improve each week.
Now to the pros and cons. I heard that training this way would lead to injury because it forces you to lift too heavy without properly warming up. I think there is a misconception about how heavy you have to lift for this type of workout. When you are performing reps super slow (8 seconds) then you don't need as much weight to reach failure in 12-15 reps. From my experiences I haven't once pulled anything or overstrained myself. As far as overtraining goes the argument seems to be that if you are lifting this heavy and to failure all the time then you will overtrain. What I have found though is that I always finish my workouts feeling like I have more to give. In fact when I was volume training I found I was more apt to overtrain. Performing more sets also had a negative effect on many of my joints.
Think about it. If you make training part of your life and you plan on volume training for the next ten years think of how many more repetitions of each exercise you will be doing. Repetitive motions are terrible for you body and joints.
As far as results go. I've been doing this for about 10 months now (also eating like a madman) and I've seen the best results I've ever had. I'm getting compliments from everyone, everywhere I go. I simply can't believe that my muscles are growing like this with so little time devoted to training. A good friend of mine is a total gym rat and has been steadily working out for 10 years. I've always thought of him as having a great physique. He's not huge but he is big and ripped. In just ten months I now have a physique that is almost comparable to his. He's even asked me more than once what workout I'm doing, what supplements I'm taking, how much I'm working out, etc. It's quite a compliment coming from him.
Now just to let you all know I am not a "serious" lifter. I have no desire to be huge or spend hours and hours in the gym working on my body. It's just not my thing. I do however want to be muscular and look my best. This workout and the Powertec gym have allowed me to do this with seemingly minimal effort. Don't get me wrong the workouts ARE tough. Especially squats. They are a killer. You really have to push yourself. However when I think of the amount of time my buddies spend working out it makes me laugh. One set to failure workout for 20 minutes, 2-3 times per week has me the strongest and biggest I've ever been.
Peace
