Need advice re: sit-ups & arm curls

jamesrreed

For the time being, the only two strength exercises that I do are arm curls and sit-ups.

For the most part, I do one exercise exclusively one day and the other the next and repeat. I typically take the weekends off entirely or do far less than I do during the week.

Here are my questions ..

1) Is that a decent approach to doing those two types of exercises? or should I take a longer break (every three days as opposed to every other day, etc.)?

When it is "arm curl day" I do upwards of 10-12 sets of 10 reps with each arm but spread them out over the course of the day. The barbell is sitting here under my desk. When I complete a work task I do a set. After lunch I do a set. Or something along those lines. At times I might do 3 or 4 sets one right after another. Other times it might be a half hour or longer between sets.

2) Is that ok or counter-productive?

Pretty much the same when it comes to sit-ups. I do sets of 25 but at all different times. Some times I do two sets back to back, other times I do 6 or 8 sets total over the course of an entire day.

3) Good or counter-productive?

I'm trying to do as much as I can as often as I can.

Any advice on best practices or ways to get the most out of just those two exercises is greatly appreciated.

rolandhulme

That's a really interesting topic!

For the sit ups, keep doing the same number of reps (sets of 25) but try making it tougher, by lifting your legs onto the couch or something. You'll only build muscle by challenging it and making exercise progressively more difficult. More weight will get better results than more repetitions.

For arm curls - I was advised to leave it 5 days between exercising a body part. This works fairly well with my routine, as I split it up with chest / biceps / shoulders / core / legs so by the time I've finished one cycle, five days has rolled around. If you don't give your muscle time to repair, it will never grow. Remember, more weight will build size - more reps will just maintain it. Your muscles should 'fail' at the end of your last reps and for the next few workouts, they should ache the day after.

Most important - make sure you're getting enough protein. I aim for 200 grams a day. You can't build muscle without it.

dperello

I personally find a full body workout, consisting of compound lifts, 3x a week to provide the best results. Working the same muscles group multiple times a week is a fine approach; just make sure you skip a day for optimal repair. To answer question 2, I find overworking muscle groups to be counter-productive. Three sets done with perfect form, and extremely slowly give me more burn for the rep then doing twice the amount of sets (even if they too are in good form). Most of Dr. Darden's H.I.T. workouts consist of doing single sets, and many people have got great results with that. You might want to ask at John Stone http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/ - a great place for this kind of information.

Best of luck.
-D

rolandhulme

I recommend Carlon Colker's book Extreme Muscle Enhancement: Bodybuilding’s Most Powerful Techniques - it's basically the bible on strength training. He would definitely recommend longer than a single day to let your muscles repair. He recommends as long as 7-10 days for mesomorphs (which is doable depending on your workout structure.) Every time you lift before your muscles have fully repaired themselves, you wind up 'resetting' all the work you did the previous workout. You could lift dayon/dayoff/dayon for four weeks straight, but find you have equal or better results by simply leaving an extra day or two between workouts. 48/72 hours is the minimum.

edorice

Sit ups or push ups???

paddymax

Hi, will sadly I am no expert but over the years have had a lot of advice from diferent people, as I understand things if you want to get 'cut' or definition, then its high reps with a lower weight, or to get big then more wright and less reps. I was advised that in the first case you need at least 4 sets of 15, and in the latter than try 4 sets of 6-8 or the last set go on till you fail to lift it, I am told this increases muscle mass. Also I was told to lift slowly both up and down and ensure the movement is smooth and corect. Hope this helps best of luck

rolandhulme

Paddymax is right on the money. ;-) Although some would suggest 3 sets of 6-8 for building mass, with a heavier weight (you can lift less during 4 sets than you can in 3 sets.) I tend to go for four sets, because I want to really fail on the last rep each time.