Question for weight lifters......

bsharrah

Between running for cardio I have really enjoy strength training with dumbbells but have a question. I have been doing compound exercises, full body, three times a week. Lifting heavy, 6-10 reps with 3 sets per exercise, before moving to the next exercise. I am thinking of changing it up by doing 1 set per exercise, then repeating the entire workout at least three times. What are your thoughts on this? Is it better or worse to do it this way vs. completing all three sets before moving on to the next exercise? Does it matter one way or the other?

John2347

It does not matter either way. What you are doing right now is called horizontal loading, where you do all sets of one exercise before moving on to another exercise. This is effective but it takes a long time and you might notice yourself in the gym for 1-2 hours. Doing what you said you are looking to do now, doing one exercise then the next then the next (basically circuit training) until you are through all the exercises then repeating the circuit is called vertical loading. You can get more done in less time and even get a cardiovascular workout by doing this. It is still very effective and if you do it right, you do not really have to ever stop for your muscles to recover since you should be working opposing muscle groups. If you have any questions about this feel free to ask and Ill explain more in depth. Good Luck!