strength vs size, volume vs weight, and total cals (long)

anemoneprose

Great thread, OP.

FWIW, and interested in your corresponders' thoughts on this, I've read in a bunch of places (including Lyle McDonald's site) that the best thing to do to hedge all your bets (for strength & size gains, injury prevention, etc) by rotating between rep ranges within any given week.

I.e., have 1 heavy day (3-6), 1 medium (8-12), and 1 light (10-15) (probably easier with a 3 x full-body or 2-day split routine).

Determinednoob

Great thread, OP.

FWIW, and interested in your corresponders' thoughts on this, I've read in a bunch of places (including Lyle McDonald's site) that the best thing to do to hedge all your bets (for strength & size gains, injury prevention, etc) by rotating between rep ranges within any given week.

I.e., have 1 heavy day (3-6), 1 medium (8-12), and 1 light (10-15) (probably easier with a 3 x full-body or 2-day split routine).

That is one way to do it, but working in multiple rep ranges in the same workout is another. Also as I kinda mentioned before, the difference is overstated and overthought when it comes to beginners.

Also overstated, in my opinion and exeprience with one 6.5 month cut, the danger of losing muscle is overstated IF you are lifting heavy, eating high protein, and not already lean (i.e. if you are above 10% bf for a man).

As for lifting on a cut, again, I lifted exactly the same. As was alluded to a few posts up, this told me exactly when my strength started to drop. I never got to a point where I dropped the weight I was lifting, but in my last week completing final sets of OHP and especially Bench with the weight I had been lifting got really difficult, like form breaking type struggle on my last Bench rep. I ended my cut there having dropped from low 20s BF to 12. (26lbs)

Jynus

Regarding volume and muscle growth, is there significant difference doing 5 sets of 6 vs 3 sets of 10? Both total 30 reps. I'm thinking 3x10 would be better as there would be greater fatigue?

you would do a routine like PHAT where you would do both weekly. the difference between the `strength`rep range and the `size`rep range is very overstated. you WILL get big doing 5 reps. you will get stronger doing 12 reps. muscle is muscle. type IIb hypertrophies in exactly the same way as Type IIx. So train both types to grow. I do a template 5 rep where I do upper, lower, legs split with hypertrophy based reps and movements. then on top of that, 2x a week I do starting strength template where i do 1 push 1 pull 1 legs where i work up to my 5 rep max and go full out.

Think of it this way, its NOT the fact youre doing 12 reps that grows you per se. doing 12 reps of 135lbs bench is NOT going to make anyone big. But doing 12 reps of 315 and now we are getting somewhere. but to get to 12 reps at 315, you need to be strong enough to push weights that heavy first. best way to do that is strength training. so the 2 go hand in hand.

michellekicks

bump because my brain can't absorb all this in one sitting :laugh:

marieteresa41

Bump