Full Body: One set to failure (daily) training / My Experience

Dens228 · Nov 19, 2023

comedycentral said:
Surely you’re still having to do 3-4 sets of warm up accumulation before your 1 set. Especially for someone like me late 40s and beaten up. I’m 4 sets minimum before a working set and that would be with a 10+ rep range. Lower rep would be another warm up set

Of course there was a warm up. But I didn't need much warmup later on the workout.

GroundFloor · Nov 19, 2023

Dens228 said:
"Day 1-chest, shoulders( shoulder presses) , triceps, quads, crunches
Day2- Back ( pull ups-rows) biceps, hamstrings, calvs.
Just rotate between days..........
Same exercises......declines or dips for chest/squats for quads.......stiff leg deads for hams.......rotate between seated and standing for calv.......1 set crunches..........HERE is the key......pick a weight you can do 7-10 reps with.........do set, rest 1 second, do next set, rest 1 second, do 3rd set..........train every day until u need a day off."

As I read it I remember what I didn't like. The rest "1 second" and do another set was pretty much impossible. I bet it would be great without that though.

Is there a chance he may have meant to say “1 minute” and put “second” by accident? I don’t think I could re-setup for the exercise after only 1 second lol!

Dens228 · Nov 19, 2023

GroundFloor said:
Is there a chance he may have meant to say “1 minute” and put “second” by accident? I don’t think I could re-setup for the exercise after only 1 second lol!

Nope, we had a lengthy discussion when I first got this version. I too didn't believe it was possible, he believed in one continuous motion was a set, if you had to pause between reps it was over. So basically come to a stop, take a big breath, then go again.

Flex500 · Nov 20, 2023

juggy38 said:
Short and sweet: daily bouts of training will still trigger mTOR and p70S6K, to a higher extent than 72h workouts. BUT MPS rates are lower the closer the workouts are together.

The downstream cascades that need to happen (4eBP1) seems to get fucked
if inflammation is too high (such as sepsis which is referenced from another study) or too much muscle damage from previous training sessions.

Things that increase muscle damage: training to failure, calcium ion influx (high rep sets to failure), training the muscle in stretched position, excessive volumes.

Do anabolics lower the residual inflammation from a session? I don’t know.

So frequent sessions should keep total volume down, keep reps per set lower (like no more 20 rep leg presses to failure), and don’t take stretched position exercises to hell and back (RDLs, preacher curls, overhead tricep extensions)

In your mind, what does "keep volume down and reps per set lower" mean? It's sort of like putting together a puzzle. I've chosen to go the route of one set to failure so I'm hitting that failure part hard (but not beyond failure) but it's only one set. I tried the 1-3 RIR with two sets instead of one but didn't like it as much. I also find for me it is better mentally to pour it all into one set because it can be a lot of movements.

Flex500 · Nov 20, 2023

tornquad201 said:
I think we need to ask how fast does it take a muscle to recover ? Bulgarians have said that a muscle can be trained again after 8 hours . With this training your doing only one set you should be ready the next day . If you do a exercise and got 13 reps then the next day you got 14 or more I’d say you were recovered . I’ve always went up in reps every workout there are some exercises that I might be consistent at sand reps for a few workouts then all of a sudden be up 2-3 reps . I’ve also have trained full body twice a day when off from work and bored and had great workouts . As stated this isn’t easy training it dam hard especially if you stick to hard movements like squats , RDL’s , declines , dips etc at my best this summer I squatted 455 x 30 and done dumbbell RDL’s 150x33 consistently every workout .

Good stuff man thanks for posting. I agree with you all around. I think what I just don't know (and not sure if there is a way to prove it out) am I recovered enough not just to baseline, but to the point my point is actually building new muscle with daily training? It is a visual mind screw that can alter your view because you are always pumped up and full and it makes me think it's new muscle but it may be all full muscles and that pumped look.

I actually have not trained in 10 days and went no carbs and am going to take pictures and measurements and then train daily and take pictures throughout. After around 90 days I'm going to stop training, no carbs, and do measurements and pictures again. What I'm trying to get at is to really see if new muscle growth occurred or am I just fooling myself with a great pump all day.

I also do believe the risk for muscle loss is real. Maybe not for us all at least on trt+ and eating plenty of protein but for your rank and file natural who doesn't have diet in order I could totally see a scenario where there is muscle breakdown.

Remember...every workout is a chance for protein synthesis...but it is also protein breakdown and if recovery is not in order you could lose muscle.

qbkilla · Nov 20, 2023

Flex500 said:
In your mind, what does "keep volume down and reps per set lower" mean? It's sort of like putting together a puzzle. I've chosen to go the route of one set to failure so I'm hitting that failure part hard (but not beyond failure) but it's only one set. I tried the 1-3 RIR with two sets instead of one but didn't like it as much. I also find for me it is better mentally to pour it all into one set because it can be a lot of movements.

I'd guess keep volume down, your already as low as possible (1 set) so your there. Reps lower would be 8-10 vs say 15-20 on that one set

Cerberus777 · Nov 20, 2023

qbkilla said:
I've heard John Meadows say this in videos too about high reps being more fatiguing, why is this? I always thought higher loads or less reps were more fatiguing? I guess they just tax the cns more?

To truly fail at 8reps is much easier than 20-30reps. Especially larger compound movements. An 8 rep squat is hard. A 20rep to failure squat will wear you out.

qbkilla · Nov 20, 2023

Cerberus777 said:
To truly fail at 8reps is much easier than 20-30reps. Especially larger compound movements. An 8 rep squat is hard. A 20rep to failure squat will wear you out.

I definitely agree. I used to associate low reps, rest pause, low volume with intense brutal training. Then went to high volume and reps and discovered what working out hard actually is.

But I still had assumed that the low rep heavy load cut into recovery more because a higher load is used.

Cerberus777 · Nov 20, 2023

qbkilla said:
I definitely agree. I used to associate low reps, rest pause, low volume with intense brutal training. Then went to high volume and reps and discovered what working out hard actually is.

But I still had assumed that the low rep heavy load cut into recovery more because a higher load is used.

I find higher reps better for joints. But cnc and metabolically more demanding. We're not doing a 1 rep max effort. Which can be the worst cnc load.

Flex500 · Nov 21, 2023

So as of the 19th I had 10 days off and went no carbs. Took measurements, weight, etc. My weight on reduced calories (2,000 a day), no training, and no carbs dropped to 214 as of yesterday morning. That is a full 15 pounds less than when I was training everyday with around 250-350 grams of carbs and 3,000-3,500 calories.

Here is my concern/question...how effective is this growing muscle? Or...are we all fooling ourselves looking 10-20 pounds over our "real" weight as we just max out sarcoplasmic hypertrophy?

RandomMachine · Nov 21, 2023

Flex500 said:
So as of the 19th I had 10 days off and went no carbs. Took measurements, weight, etc. My weight on reduced calories (2,000 a day), no training, and no carbs dropped to 214 as of yesterday morning. That is a full 15 pounds less than when I was training everyday with around 250-350 grams of carbs and 3,000-3,500 calories.

Here is my concern/question...how effective is this growing muscle? Or...are we all fooling ourselves looking 10-20 pounds over our "real" weight as we just max out sarcoplasmic hypertrophy?

You can't really determine how much of your weight loss is from reduced calories/carbs versus training.

All of your weight loss could be from diet alone. You would really need to take time off while maintaining the same diet where you take your initial measurements.

Cerberus777 · Nov 21, 2023

juggy38 said:
I’ve never done full body high frequency, but I have been playing with DC 2 way split 2 on 1 off and liking it. Topset backoff for most exercises. Arms and shit like shoulder laterals I’ll do a muscle round.

What rep ranges do you use for work set and back off. Thinking about giving this old body a break from rest pause, my CNS seems to not recover as fast as it used to.

Flex500 · Nov 21, 2023

RandomMachine said:
You can't really determine how much of your weight loss is from reduced calories/carbs versus training.

All of your weight loss could be from diet alone. You would really need to take time off while maintaining the same diet where you take your initial measurements.

This is true in that it isn't a fine science and I agree. However, my contention is still that this training will have you pumped and full 24/7. It gives me a look "day to day" I don't usually have. I was increasing the foods, carbs, and the daily training just makes you looked pumped 24/7. But...is that all I'm doing? In that regard, seeing myself in a non carbed up, non training state I think is at least a decent measure to take out the pump obscuring my vision.

The other challenge is in reality, how much muscle would I gain anyway? I've been training 25 years and taking 30mgs of test a day. Odds are I may not gain any appreciable program on this program...but that will have nothing to do with daily training.

juggy38 · Nov 22, 2023

Cerberus777 said:
What rep ranges do you use for work set and back off. Thinking about giving this old body a break from rest pause, my CNS seems to not recover as fast as it used to.

So on safe movements like machines…..I’ll even go down to 5-6 reps for first set, backoff around 10-15%, and get 6-8 reps.

Barbell pressing or rowing, I’ll do 7-8 reps, backoff and try to stay 7-8 reps.

Legs….top sets in a good hack or smith, or a locked down seated leg curl, 6-8 reps, backoff to stay same reps.

Leg press, laying leg curl, split squats, 10-12 reps.

Shoulders, leg extensions, biceps triceps, rear delts, 12-15 reps.

Back- it’s so individual…..heavy as you can go and keep tension on the muscle you’re trying to grow. I suck at back MMC, so probably higher than most. Except krock rows…..2 heavy, ugly, chesty sets till the fucking thing isn’t moving

Cerberus777 · Nov 22, 2023

juggy38 said:
So on safe movements like machines…..I’ll even go down to 5-6 reps for first set, backoff around 10-15%, and get 6-8 reps.

Barbell pressing or rowing, I’ll do 7-8 reps, backoff and try to stay 7-8 reps.

Legs….top sets in a good hack or smith, or a locked down seated leg curl, 6-8 reps, backoff to stay same reps.

Leg press, laying leg curl, split squats, 10-12 reps.

Shoulders, leg extensions, biceps triceps, rear delts, 12-15 reps.

Back- it’s so individual…..heavy as you can go and keep tension on the muscle you’re trying to grow. I suck at back MMC, so probably higher than most. Except krock rows…..2 heavy, ugly, chesty sets till the fucking thing isn’t moving

Might give this a go. Do you find you can go longer than using rest pause?