whats the ideal intensity?

spesmilitis

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Whats the ideal intesity? hows many exersices and sets within how much time?

I can kick up my intensity by a lot, but I think that would make it more like cardio, and my goal is bulk up as much as possible.

My cardio is awesome from bjj, so I can take whatever you prescribe to me.
 

donjuanjovi

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What do you mean by intensity?
How fast you perform the movement?
Rest time between sets?
Intensity is thrown around a lot these days. There's some great bulking guides on here so read those! Stick to HEAVY COMPOUND exercises like squats and deadlifts. Eat your face off and get lots of rest and water!:box:
 

Warboss Alex

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by intensity we mean load.. or at least I do. the weight on the bar.. to get big, sets of five or six are ideal on the core lifts, higher with the accessory work.
 

spesmilitis

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the amount of sets performed in the duration of a workout session.
For example, 12 sets in 45 minutes, or 16 sets in 1 hour.

I guess rest time between sets can be another description for what im looking for.

I have great cardio, I never breath through my mouth during a workout (in weightlifting, bjj is a different story). I feel like I'm good to go 20 seconds after I perform a set. But 20 seconds rest between sets will be more of a cardio workout, which won't help me bulk up.
 

Warboss Alex

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spesmilitis said:
the amount of sets performed in the duration of a workout session.
For example, 12 sets in 45 minutes, or 16 sets in 1 hour.

I guess rest time between sets can be another description for what im looking for.

I have great cardio, I never breath through my mouth during a workout (in weightlifting, bjj is a different story). I feel like I'm good to go 20 seconds after I perform a set. But 20 seconds rest between sets will be more of a cardio workout, which won't help me bulk up.
look.. you go pull your 5RM on the deadlift, can you really say you could do that again 20 seconds later? rest until you're ready! no need to overthink it. whether the session takes 30 mins or 3 hours, take as long as necessary to give 110% effort.

do a set, when you feel ready, do another one.
 

donjuanjovi

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20 seconds :eek:

You're doing something wrong than! Put some more weight on that bar brotha'! You sould be busting a nut to get that last rep in! Generally I take 90-120 seconds between sets depending on how I feel, sometimes I'll even take 3 minutes if I feel I need it!
 

Skilla_Staz

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If you feel "good to go" 20 seconds later, you're not going heavy enough.

When I do heavy sets, I feel weak 20 seconds later. It takes a few minutes for me to feel like I've recovered enough to hit more weight.
 

spesmilitis

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sorry, i wasn't being specific enough. Im 'good to go', but I won't perform anywhere as good as my previous set. For example, If i do a set of 8, and wait only 20 seconds, then i'll do like 2-4 reps. But those will be my maxes.

Before I got good cardio, by body would fatigue and give out before i felt i could reach my maxes. That is, if I went high intensity.

The 5-6 rep max thing is the answer im looking for. I'll aim for 7 reps on my first one, then wait untill i feel i can atleast do five, and repeat.
 

Warboss Alex

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spesmilitis said:
sorry, i wasn't being specific enough. Im 'good to go', but I won't perform anywhere as good as my previous set. For example, If i do a set of 8, and wait only 20 seconds, then i'll do like 2-4 reps. But those will be my maxes.

Before I got good cardio, by body would fatigue and give out before i felt i could reach my maxes. That is, if I went high intensity.

The 5-6 rep max thing is the answer im looking for. I'll aim for 7 reps on my first one, then wait untill i feel i can atleast do five, and repeat.
I think you're missing the point. We're working out to stimulate a muscle, not to do it in the shortest time possible.

And trying to grow while doing BJJ is difficult, I've said this to people before..
 

spesmilitis

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I heard something about a workout being most efficient in one hour *shrugs*.

I gained 1.5 pounds during the month I started bjj. When I took a week off, I gained 2 pounds, but one of them was probably fat as I lost it when I went back to bjj.

Thats good enough gain for me, I know I could gain alot more if I did not do cardio.
 

Skilla_Staz

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1-2lbs is weight fluctuation for me.
I range anywhere between 147-154 on any given day.
 

donjuanjovi

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I'll wake up at 208 and go to bed at 215. So I could techincally gain 7 pounds in 16 hours. The scale is definately not the way to judge progress! You say that you want to "bulk up as much as possible", yet you're happy with a pound or two a month that could easily be water or fat?
You can easily do a workout in an hour. My high-rep squat routine took about 50 minutes, done three times a week. Included heavy sets of SQUATS, benchpress, bent over rows, stiff-legged deadlifts, and military presses. Although some of my routines could take 2 hours. All depends on your goals!
 

insidious

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spesmilitis said:
t... I feel like I'm good to go 20 seconds after I perform a set. ..
Dude LOL :eek: 20 seconds after finishing a set I'm still catching my breath!
 

Warboss Alex

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personally.. it takes me 30-40 mins at least to WARM UP for squats or deadlifts.
 

Throttle

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You can probably "start the clock" with your first work sets rather than your first warm up, esp. if you're talking a half hour of warmups for your first major lift. But I want nutrition in me within an hour of ass-kicking squats or deadlifts.
 

Warboss Alex

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Throttle said:
You can probably "start the clock" with your first work sets rather than your first warm up, esp. if you're talking a half hour of warmups for your first major lift. But I want nutrition in me within an hour of ass-kicking squats or deadlifts.
for my squat and deadlift workouts I have a 'during workout' shake (because they take so long), basically whey + carbs and I may pop a handful of BCAA pills if they're not already in the drink.. if you work out (a) long and (b) hard then consider this.

I know plenty of powerlifters who work out for 3 hours at a time (or more), around the 1.5 hr mark they stop to recarb with a solid food meal, none of this shake malarkey. but they're all tiny, so ... ;)

there's another (intentional) freudian slip in this post for Throttle's benefit.
 

Throttle

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lol... beautiful, man.

well, i'm just now considering adding whey to my regimen (you well know, if none of the rest of these kids, that it's possible to do without) so I might have to consider that aspect of it, too.

The real question is how to break away from a 3-hour marathon session with a lady to refuel. "'scuse me while I whip this out..."
 

Warboss Alex

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Throttle said:
lol... beautiful, man.

well, i'm just now considering adding whey to my regimen (you well know, if none of the rest of these kids, that it's possible to do without) so I might have to consider that aspect of it, too.

The real question is how to break away from a 3-hour marathon session with a lady to refuel. "'scuse me while I whip this out..."
I've stopped to recarb before, actually quite often. Usually the progression is bedroom-shower-bedroom again so I'll have a drink and a bite while she's drying her hair.

I always keep an energy drink next to our bed at night too.
 

Unregistered

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I pour a protein shake on my gf and lick it off her body. It feels great to be simultaneously pleasing the woman I love and getting my protein.
 

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