Low volume, high frequency, high intensity results

[pumpkinhead]

so guys I just wanted to post my test I ran. I have been stuck in the one bodypart a week routine for more years then I like to admitt. Always changed it up, but never as drastic as this. for thoose of you in a rut, here is some food for thought.

with most of my workouts by the time I got to excercise 3-4-5 I was totally gased and not getting the most out of thoose sets and really no longer making much for gains...seemed like I was more just maintaining, so I radically changed the workout as follows:

Day 1: incline dumbell press
flat dumbell fly
Dumbell shoulder press
Dumbell side laterals
Vbar pressdowns
Reverse grip pressdowns
lower back hyperextensions
*burnout 1 set pushups

Day 2: Wide grip lat pulldowns
Close grip pulldowns
Dumbell Curl
Preacher curl
Standing calve raises
Barbell shrugs
Abs

Day 3: LEGS

Day 4: off

Day 5: Flat dumbell bench
Incline Dumbell fly
Barbell upright rows
Dumbell front raises
Dips
rop pressdowns
Hyperextensions
*burn out high rep set of side laterals

Day 6: Bent over barbell rows
Wide grip behind the neck pulldowns
Cambered bar curls
Seated isolation curls
Seated Calves
Reverse Shrugs
Abs

Day 7: OFF

*each bodypart only gets hit with 4 excersies total per week diveded between 2 workouts, except legs. With the exclusion of a burn out set

**Thus far after 2 months, all lifts are up from baseline, and bodyweight is up from 252 to 258. When I asked my wife if I had gained any fat, she said No your shoulders are veiny as hell. so I think bodyfat has remained the same if not dropped.

*calories and supplement program remained unchanged.

Just thought I would post this for some food for thought and thoose of you stuck in a rut to try and give a new workout a try. What I found hardest was getting out of the mindset I need to do more in a workout for a particular muscle group and must moving on to the next group.

 

[mike913]

very similar to what I'm doing now as well...everything (including legs) twice a week. Its definately a challenge to stop doing so much volume in each workout though, that was the biggest problem for me.

 

[Trainwreck80]

Pumpkinhead,
How many sets and reps are you doing with this new plan? How many were you doing before for each workout? I'm assuming you meant to say you were working each muscle group one time per week?

 

[pumpkinhead]

Pumpkinhead,
How many sets and reps are you doing with this new plan? How many were you doing before for each workout? I'm assuming you meant to say you were working each muscle group one time per week?

yea I ment to say one muscle group per week...not one workout per week. LOL

my old chest workout used to look like:
incline bench-3 or 4 work sets
flat dumbell- 3 or 4 work sets
incline barbell- 3 work sets
pec dec- 3 work sets
incline cable flys- 3 work sets
(sets ranged from the 6-15 range)
*so I used to do anywhere from 15-17 work sets for chest...


new plan for day 1:
Incline dumbell press- 3 work sets
flat dumbell fly- 3 work sets
dumbell shoulder press- 3 work sets
side lateral- 3 work sets
Vbar pressdowns- 3 work sets
dips- 3 work sets
lower back hyperextensions- 3 work sets
(all sets are in the 8-12 range)
*so the new workout has 21 work sets, but the volume is much lower for each muscle group so I can push much harder and move much quicker without being gassed the whole time. Recovery is also much quicker and ready to be worked again for day 5.


I know this workout is a bit unorthodoxed..but so far I feel much better mentally outside the gym and actually gaining strength back

*on a side note I also like it because if I miss a day, its no big deal. Easy to move everything back a day and repeat cycle. with the old one bodypart a week, if I missed a day it really fubar'd everything for that week and the next, seems like I was always playing catch up.

 

[pumpkinhead]

very similar to what I'm doing now as well...everything (including legs) twice a week. Its definately a challenge to stop doing so much volume in each workout though, that was the biggest problem for me.

Trust me I know mike... when I finish my second excercise for a bodypart, I always want to go do something else to "finish it off"...but I have to hold myself back and force myself to move onto the next bodypart.

 

[Gravyv]

I just recently just switched over to something similar also. The problem I have is sometimes I end up doing too much volume, and it ends up affecting my workout a few days later. For instance, I'll do arms, then 2 days later do chest\front delts. I definitely notice my triceps haven't recovered fully when i'm benching because usually my triceps stay strong throughout my chest workouts.

 

[pumpkinhead]

I just recently just switched over to something similar also. The problem I have is sometimes I end up doing too much volume, and it ends up affecting my workout a few days later. For instance, I'll do arms, then 2 days later do chest\front delts. I definitely notice my triceps haven't recovered fully when i'm benching because usually my triceps stay strong throughout my chest workouts.

why not just work your tri's with your chest and delts, your using them anyhow.

 

[Gravyv]

why not just work your tri's with your chest and delts, your using them anyhow.

I used to do tri's with shoulders. But since I haven't had a arm day in years, decided to switch things up. I do a light lateral delt workout with legs the day before arms. It is kind of tricky for me sometimes to find that right balance between lifting/recovery because I train around a injury. Any tips?

This is what I've been doing
Mon-off
Tue-chest
Wed-back\bi
Thur-off
Fri-Legs\lateral delt
Sat-arms
Sun-off
I do calves\traps\abs if my lower back is feeling decent with either chest or legs.