MetalFortress
Master Don Juan
This is an article I wrote on the "Post Your Own Article!" board at bodybuilding.com's forums. Will it make it to the website itself? Who knows, but tell me what you think. I'd especially like to hear Diesel's opinion on it.
This is a lesser known principle, but one that is quite well known to the malcontents over at Dragondoor (Andy70 for example, the 69 year old ornery old man who deadlifts around 700 pounds). This is also a principle that really needs to be applied to beginning weightlifters and even non-beginners.
What do I mean? Well, I've seen workout splits involving some 60 different lifts, with about 56 of them being isolation lifts. What is the point of THIS??? I've been chastised by the Dragondoor misfits/world-class-lifters for trying to keep 8 lifts at once going, and you guys are doing THAT MANY? It's pretty pointless.
First of all, forget about isolation lifts. The way I see it, they are only really needed if you have one majorly lagging muscle group. Otherwise, just forget em. They get really dull and boring when you are doing 40 of them in one workout split. Do you want to build mass? Compound lifts are the way to go. Do you want a lot of strength? Once again, go compound. Ladies, do you want to be "toned"? Forget about whether or not this is a "scientifically correct" statement or not - go compound. And keep it simple.
By simple, I mean training a few lifts at a time can give you a lot. Don't do 5 different curls, 5 different tricep movements, and 4 different workouts with the word "leg" in them. Do squats for the legs. Do dips for the triceps and chest. Do military presses for the shoulders. Do chins for the upper back and biceps. Do deadlifts for the lower back, and many other muscles. Do olympic lifts for pretty much anything.
Not gaining enough mass on a 5x5 routine? Double the sets. Do 10 sets of 5 reps, or however many reps you do. More sets = more muscle fibers used. And of course, do three days a week max unless you are training low volume.
Of course, isolation workouts do have their uses. For example, world-class drug-free powerlifter Garm Olafson, another Dragondoor misfit, is a fan of bicep curls. Why? They help to strengthen the bicep tendons to prevent bicep tendon injuries, a common powerlifting injury. But unless you are a pro bodybuilder, pro powerlifter, pro something else, or have a muscle group really lagging behind, keep off the isolation. Don't complicate things so much. Keep it simple.
This is a lesser known principle, but one that is quite well known to the malcontents over at Dragondoor (Andy70 for example, the 69 year old ornery old man who deadlifts around 700 pounds). This is also a principle that really needs to be applied to beginning weightlifters and even non-beginners.
What do I mean? Well, I've seen workout splits involving some 60 different lifts, with about 56 of them being isolation lifts. What is the point of THIS??? I've been chastised by the Dragondoor misfits/world-class-lifters for trying to keep 8 lifts at once going, and you guys are doing THAT MANY? It's pretty pointless.
First of all, forget about isolation lifts. The way I see it, they are only really needed if you have one majorly lagging muscle group. Otherwise, just forget em. They get really dull and boring when you are doing 40 of them in one workout split. Do you want to build mass? Compound lifts are the way to go. Do you want a lot of strength? Once again, go compound. Ladies, do you want to be "toned"? Forget about whether or not this is a "scientifically correct" statement or not - go compound. And keep it simple.
By simple, I mean training a few lifts at a time can give you a lot. Don't do 5 different curls, 5 different tricep movements, and 4 different workouts with the word "leg" in them. Do squats for the legs. Do dips for the triceps and chest. Do military presses for the shoulders. Do chins for the upper back and biceps. Do deadlifts for the lower back, and many other muscles. Do olympic lifts for pretty much anything.
Not gaining enough mass on a 5x5 routine? Double the sets. Do 10 sets of 5 reps, or however many reps you do. More sets = more muscle fibers used. And of course, do three days a week max unless you are training low volume.
Of course, isolation workouts do have their uses. For example, world-class drug-free powerlifter Garm Olafson, another Dragondoor misfit, is a fan of bicep curls. Why? They help to strengthen the bicep tendons to prevent bicep tendon injuries, a common powerlifting injury. But unless you are a pro bodybuilder, pro powerlifter, pro something else, or have a muscle group really lagging behind, keep off the isolation. Don't complicate things so much. Keep it simple.
Agreed about working out, although 50 minutes or so wouldn't be too bad. After an hour of work is when the cortisol sets in, I think.