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Pros like Ronnie Coleman and others seem to only do 1 real working set per exercise

kingsnake

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Hey fellas. I was watching some bodybuilding videos and realized that a lot of the really strong pros don't really do a lot of volume that the magazines say they do. For example.

Ronnie coleman is known for doing a lot of volume in his workouts but when I watched his video called Ronnie Coleman the unbelievable, it looks that he really only does 1 heavy work set then moves on to the next lift.

He doesn't even really train to failure but instead has a set number of reps he shots for and if he gets his rep goal he stops even though it's obvious he could have done more reps.

It seems like before Ronnie evens gets to his real set he just burns through so many reps with his warm up sets then when he gets to his real main set he does the same number of high reps as his warm up sets. This is cool an all but why not just say you did 1 working set instead of counting your warmups as real sets to. It's not like the warm ups are stimulating a muscle growth. They are just warm ups.

For example. In the his barbell shoulder press goes like this.
(set 1) 135 pounds x 15 reps
(set 2) 225 pounds x 15 reps
(set 3) 275 pounds x 12 reps
(set 4) 315 pounds x 12 reps

What doesn't make any sense to me is he calls it 4 sets but it's obvious that the only real set that meant anything was the 315 pounds for 12 reps. The fact that he did 315 for 12 means that the 275 for 12 was just a warm up. And it can't be considered pyramiding because with pyramiding the reps are supposed to get lower as the weights get heavier but Ronnie's reps stay the same as he works his way to his top heavy set which is the one that counts.

Another example is his barbell row lift. His poundages look like this.
(set 1) 225 pounds x 15
(set 2) 315 pounds x 10
(set 3) 405 pounds x 10
(set 4) 495 pounds x 8

Now obviously with Ronnie barbell rowing 495 pounds for 8 reps, this means that the 3 previous sets where just warmups. so it's not 4 sets but just 1 real working set.

Even on Ronnie Coleman's cost of redemption video, here is his stats on the incline benchpress.

225 pounds x 15 reps
315 pounds x 12 reps
405 pounds x 10 reps

Now obviously if he did 405 for 10 reps that means that the previous sets were just warmups so why does the magazines call it 3 sets like he actually did 3 working sets???

I've noticed this with a lot of pro builders that are strong, they only do 1 real working set for an exercise but the magazines count there warm up sets as working sets, making it look like the pros are doing more volume then they really are.

It would seem to me that most of the pros training methods are not that much different then Dorian Yates method of just doing 1 working set per exercise. The only difference is Dorian calls it 1 set and Ronnie Coleman and others count there warm up sets as real sets even though they are not.

They all seem to work up to one heavy main working set. It would seem that a lot of the top pros don't really use a lot of volume but the magazines lye and say they do by calling there warm up sets real sets to foul the reader into thinking the pros are doing 30 plus sets when they aren't.

Let's here some opinions on the matter.
 
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It's how i train. If you do a set to proper failure there's not much left in the tank. I pay no attention to what the magazines say. There will be pros that train high volume though. Let's be honest pro genetics, pro doses and all that food they eat so long as they train hard does it matter what they do?Probably not
 
maybe it's cos he is so strong?

eg if he does 225 x15 and 315 x12 incline before top set of 405 x8, 225 x15 and 315 x12 are still gonna stimulate the muscle alot cos thats still alot of reps with a good weight.

just a guess anyway
 
I train the same way, I copy a lot of jay cutlers stuff, it's basily 3 warm up sets then one all out working set, then move on, maybe 4-5 exersicers each muscle group
 
I agree with sammy the pro's probably grow no matter what they do as long as they push the gear and food. Have you ever seen some of these guys workouts? I remember one video of Dennis Wolf, he's actually yawning during sets and trying no to fall asleep in between sets.

Personaly I like the way Branch Warren trains and I try to train like that, going to failure and beyond on almost every set.

Also once a pro has built a certain amount of muscle it probably takes less to mantain it than it did to build it.
 
Branch is training the same way in some of his videos. He raises the weight almost on every set followed by a dropset.
 
Those weights and reps he uses on his sets leading up to his 1 heavy working set would not be considered warm up weight and would certainly stimulate growth in the strongest of bodybuilders.
 
Those weights and reps he uses on his sets leading up to his 1 heavy working set would not be considered warm up weight and would certainly stimulate growth in the strongest of bodybuilders.

How would it not be considered a warm up? Because it's heavy weight for you?

Heavy is relevant.... If the guy is that strong I have a hard time believing that any of those sets leading up to that one set is doing anything but a warm up, maybe the 2nd to last set, MAYBE....

But for real, if the guy benches 135lbs for 15, then 225 for 12-15, then 315 for 12, then 405 for 12 and those 12 reps on the 405 look fairly easy, doesn't even go to failure but struggles on the last 2 or 3 a bit, how are you going to say any of those sets before were muscle stimulating working sets... I don't see it...
 
Hey thanks for the feed back everyone. Hey lilgumby. Yeah the working up to one real set does kinda resemble DC training.

Hey row4grow. Yeah Branch Warren does seem to just work up to one heavy top end set just like Ronnie but the only difference is like you said. Branch incorporates drop sets on his last main set. Kia Green does the same thing like on the video where he is inclining pressing 495lbs for reps then stops stripping plates off and continuing his set all the way down to 225 pounds. Just 1 top end set still no though less.

Hey Tom. What I don’t understand is how are those previous sets stimulating any growth for Ronnie if his last set is done with his heaviest weight for the same number of high reps as his previous sets with less weight? Just think about it. On Ronnie Coleman’s unbelievable video, he does flat presses with 200 pound dumbbells for 12 reps on his last set, but before that he does 100 x 15, 150 x 15 and 175 x 12 reps. Now if the guy is pressing 200 pound dumbbells for 12 reps then obviously the 175 pound dumbbells for 12 reps he did on his previous set was absolutely nothing to him. I don’t see how the 175 pound dumbells x 12 reps is providing any type of growth stimulas for Ronnie when he turns around and does the 200 pound dumbbells for 12 reps right afterwards. That means that the 175 pound dumbbells for 12 was nothing but a mere warm up to him meaning that the only real work set he does is his last set which is with the 200 pound dumbbells.

Besides not using beyond failure techniques, Ronnie’s and other pros training is not much different from Dorian Yates style of training. The only difference is Dorian Yates is truthful and calls it one set while other pros call it multiple sets even though it’s usually there last set that actually provides any growth stimulas.

Hey Nemsz. I 100% agree with you bro. If Ronnie is benchpressing 405 x 12 on his last set then there's no way that his previous set of 315 or 365 x 12 reps is doing anything for him besides warming him up. Yeah 315 pounds is heavy for most people but to Ronnie it's nothing but childs play. Just like when he pressed the 175 pound dumbells for 12 reps then afterwards does 200 pound dumbells for 12 reps. Obviously the 175 pound dumbells for 12 reps was nothing but childs play for him if he does 200 pound dumbells for the same number of reps. If your last heaviest set is done for the same number of reps as your previous sets with lesser weight then those sets were don't work sets.
 
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you cant move that kinda heavy weight with only one or 2 warmups. not when u get older, anyway. this is how i do it now. start with an easy 10 then add weight and do 10's til i fail at 8.
or i do 8 first, heaviest i can, then decrease weight til i fail at 10.
same way with 12-15 rep days.
i dont even count "warmup" sets, i just do as many as i need to hit my last fail set, sometimes 4, 5, depends on how light or heavy i start.
i used to do the max-ot thing, i'd do 4 warmups with the last being one rep. then i'd do some stupid heavy weight for 4-6 reps. burned out really quick.
 
I mean the amount of gear they run and food they consume is pretty amazing. He also may have been just getting a good pump in to look good on video. I enjoy lifting heavy as I'm still in my mid to late 20s and that's what works best for me with the gear and supps I consume.
 
Hey brutus69. You are right that it takes multiple warm up sets to work up to the massive weights that Ronnie and most strong pros reach but why are they calling them work sets when they are really not? Like I said earlier if your last set with your heaviest weight is done for the same number of reps as your previous lighter sets then the only real muscle building set is your final set. The others are just warm ups, no matter what the weight is. A 405 lb benchpress for 12 reps is considered a warm up if the person turns around and does 500 pounds for 12 reps shortly after.

On Ronnie Coleman’s chest workout this is how it went on his cost of redemption video.

Benchpress 4 sets of 12
Incline benchpress 4 sets of 12
Decline benchpress 4 sets of 12

But when you see his videos it’s only the last set that is his actual work set so in reality he only did 3 work sets for his chest total. Not 12 sets as it’s written.

This is why Ronnie was able to train each body part twice a week and recover. The reason is because he only did 3 to 4 actual work sets per body part.
 
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Hey brutus69. You are right that it takes multiple warm up sets to work up to the massive weights that Ronnie and most strong pros reach but why are they calling them work sets when they are really not? Like I said earlier if your last set with your heaviest weight is done for the same number of reps as your previous lighter sets then the only real muscle building set is your final set. The others are just warm ups, no matter what the weight is. A 405 lb benchpress for 12 reps is considered a warm up if the person turns around and does 500 pounds for 12 reps shortly after.

On Ronnie Coleman’s chest workout this is who it goes
Benchpress 4 sets of 12
Incline benchpress 4 sets of 12
Decline benchpress 4 sets of 12

But when you see his videos it’s only the last set that is his actual work set so in reality he only did 3 work sets for his chest total. Not 12 sets as it’s written.

Branch and Johnny have a video about last year's Olympia and they put up up their workouts at the beginning and they specify exactly what they're doing... Like;

Back;
Wide grip pull downs 2 warm up sets/ 2 all out sets
T-bar row 4 sets pyramid to heavier weight

Etc..

But what blew my mind about these guy's workouts were the number of exercises as well as the sets...For back I believe they did upwards or 8 different exercises and I want to say around 30 sets total (not all working sets) but still, these guys train fucking hard...
 
Training... the least important part in this sport. It's all about one thing: go to the gym and work hard. You can do it in a lot of ways. You can train 3 or 7 days a week, You can train in 6-10 rep range and 15-30 rep range. You can make 25 sets per body part or 10 sets etc. etc. Million workout routines, million training programs. All of them work if You train hard and consistently.

Train with fking passion, go back to the kitchen, eat, go to the bathroom, pin Your oils, go to the badroom, sleep. The last three things are the most imporant.
 
Hey brutus69. You are right that it takes multiple warm up sets to work up to the massive weights that Ronnie and most strong pros reach but why are they calling them work sets when they are really not? Like I said earlier if your last set with your heaviest weight is done for the same number of reps as your previous lighter sets then the only real muscle building set is your final set. The others are just warm ups, no matter what the weight is. A 405 lb benchpress for 12 reps is considered a warm up if the person turns around and does 500 pounds for 12 reps shortly after.

On Ronnie Coleman’s chest workout this is how it went on his cost of redemption video.

Benchpress 4 sets of 12
Incline benchpress 4 sets of 12
Decline benchpress 4 sets of 12

But when you see his videos it’s only the last set that is his actual work set so in reality he only did 3 work sets for his chest total. Not 12 sets as it’s written.

This is why Ronnie was able to train each body part twice a week and recover. The reason is because he only did 3 to 4 actual work sets per body part.

i don't know what answer your looking for....if he calls it 4 sets or 1, does it make a difference? noone in the world looks like RC and I'm sure 19939183989 people have tried his style.... well atleast the style portrayed in the mags... a few of his most watched and impressive videos are Powerlifting doubles like the squat and DL vids
 
Exactly there is no one certain way to do this. It's all about figuring what works best for you and changing things when you start to stop making gains. Wether it be changing your training or your nutrition. Your body will try to adjust to whatever you are doing


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
How would it not be considered a warm up? Because it's heavy weight for you?

Heavy is relevant.... If the guy is that strong I have a hard time believing that any of those sets leading up to that one set is doing anything but a warm up, maybe the 2nd to last set, MAYBE....

But for real, if the guy benches 135lbs for 15, then 225 for 12-15, then 315 for 12, then 405 for 12 and those 12 reps on the 405 look fairly easy, doesn't even go to failure but struggles on the last 2 or 3 a bit, how are you going to say any of those sets before were muscle stimulating working sets... I don't see it...

Strength does not equal size. Plenty of guys out there who use freakishly heavy weight but don't even look like a bodybuilder. Plenty of freakishly heavily muscled guys who have built their physiques with very light weights even though they are capable of using much more.
 
Hey Tom. What I don’t understand is how are those previous sets stimulating any growth for Ronnie if his last set is done with his heaviest weight for the same number of high reps as his previous sets with less weight? Just think about it. On Ronnie Coleman’s unbelievable video, he does flat presses with 200 pound dumbbells for 12 reps on his last set, but before that he does 100 x 15, 150 x 15 and 175 x 12 reps. Now if the guy is pressing 200 pound dumbbells for 12 reps then obviously the 175 pound dumbbells for 12 reps he did on his previous set was absolutely nothing to him. I don’t see how the 175 pound dumbells x 12 reps is providing any type of growth stimulas for Ronnie when he turns around and does the 200 pound dumbbells for 12 reps right afterwards. That means that the 175 pound dumbbells for 12 was nothing but a mere warm up to him meaning that the only real work set he does is his last set which is with the 200 pound dumbbells.

Besides not using beyond failure techniques, Ronnie’s and other pros training is not much different from Dorian Yates style of training. The only difference is Dorian Yates is truthful and calls it one set while other pros call it multiple sets even though it’s usually there last set that actually provides any growth stimulas.

.

One does not have to go to failure with their max set to stimulate growth. Serge Nubret was capable of benching in the mid 400's but built his physique rarely going above 220 LBS. A lot of older guys have reduced the weights they use by a significant amount to save their joints and look better than when they were using heavy weights. Many ways to train to stimulate growth.
 
Hey everyone. Thanks for chiming in on this. I agree that strength doesn’t always equal size but when you’re pressing over 400lbs for high reps like 12 to 15 then turn around and press 500 for 12 to 15reps and just stop at 15reps even though you can do more reps, then obviously that weight isn’t even considered heavy for you.

The 400 pounds nor the 500 pound press is heavy for you when you’re pumping out 12 to 15 smooth looking reps and yelling out light weight baby with a smile on your face. It seems to me that the last set of each lift is what’s building most of these PRO’s physiques that follow a similar approach to Ronnie’s style which when you break it down, is no different then Dorian Yate’s training approach of just one heavy working set per lift.

When you see these pros and other strong lifters follow a certain rep scheme and just simply stop at that rep range on there top set even though they look like they could have kept going, it kinda makes training to failure and past failure seem unnecessary.

My main point is if you benchpress 405 for 12 reps then turn around and benchpress 500 for 12 reps then obviously the 405 for 12 reps didn't mean crap to you and was just a warm up set. I don't see how 405 for 12 is considered a working set when you do 500 for 12 shortly after.
 
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