Need some weight lifting advice.
ChrisC_77
Posts: 271 Member
I am lifting weights and coing cardio. I have shown some muscle growth and toning after 30 days. My question is, will do the exact same routine (but increasing the weight when I can) be sufficient for continuing to shock muscle growth, or do I need to add in no routines? Thanks!
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Replies
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In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)0 -
Most people only change their routine when they stop seeing strength gains on their current one.0
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Changing is always a thing to bear in mind. Even switching days, or style of lift - mixing it up keeps you interested in it, and works the same muscles in differents ways
I read something a while ago about 'surprising' your muscles - different routines, different orders. It's a benefit in terms of growth and training - I can't find the link at the mo, will look again later.0 -
i'd say switch it up somewhat every 60 days if necessary. listen to your body. also make sure that you're taking in enough calories, protein and carbs to see to see gains so that it won't all be in vain0
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Keep adding weight to induce the required stimulant, there is no need to go change to different exercises if they are working as you said.
Progressive overload in good form and sufficient calories to build muscle that's all there is to it.0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
^^this
Change it up. If 30 days is too fast, 6-8 weeks is a cycle that I have worked with.0 -
Google for Stronglifts 5x5 or pick up a copy of Starting Strength. If you're doing the basic lifts, it will be months before you need to change your routine to see gains.
That's not to say you can't change, but you don't need to.0 -
Google for Stronglifts 5x5 or pick up a copy of Starting Strength. If you're doing the basic lifts, it will be months before you need to change your routine to see gains.
That's not to say you can't change, but you don't need to.
+1!
I'm doing stronglifts 5x5, and its working great. Add 5-10 lb every time you do the lift (ie 45lb squats on Monday, 50lb on Wednesday, 5 sets of 5 reps).
K0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
This is the worst advice you could give to a lifter. To the OP, you need to pick a proven program that is well suited for beginners (Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, Madcow's 5x5 or even 5/3/1 if you feel you're ready) and STICK WITH IT LONG ENOUGH FOR IT TO WORK! Only beginning lifters will achieve a training effect in 30 days. You need to stick with a program as long as you can before you swap.0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
This is the worst advice you could give to a lifter. To the OP, you need to pick a proven program that is well suited for beginners (Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, Madcow's 5x5 or even 5/3/1 if you feel you're ready) and STICK WITH IT LONG ENOUGH FOR IT TO WORK! Only beginning lifters will achieve a training effect in 30 days. You need to stick with a program as long as you can before you swap.
This most definitely^^^^. I know people who've gone months with Starting Strength and made awesome linear noob gains. One of my friends did this for a year before he even started adding in any assistance work whatsoever and he only did that because he was plateauing on his strength gains. I'm only 30 days in to Starting Strength and I'm not changing a thing.0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
This is the worst advice you could give to a lifter. To the OP, you need to pick a proven program that is well suited for beginners (Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, Madcow's 5x5 or even 5/3/1 if you feel you're ready) and STICK WITH IT LONG ENOUGH FOR IT TO WORK! Only beginning lifters will achieve a training effect in 30 days. You need to stick with a program as long as you can before you swap.
^This. Start Stronglifts 5x5 and run it for 6-12 months then switch to 5/3/1 and run it for a few years or longer if you want. Building strength takes time and increasing the weight is stimulus enough to perturb the muscles to grow.
There is no need to "shock" the muscles and basing the effectiveness of your workout on soreness is not a good gauge.0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
This is the worst advice you could give to a lifter. To the OP, you need to pick a proven program that is well suited for beginners (Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, Madcow's 5x5 or even 5/3/1 if you feel you're ready) and STICK WITH IT LONG ENOUGH FOR IT TO WORK! Only beginning lifters will achieve a training effect in 30 days. You need to stick with a program as long as you can before you swap.
^This. Start Stronglifts 5x5 and run it for 6-12 months then switch to 5/3/1 and run it for a few years or longer if you want. Building strength takes time and increasing the weight is stimulus enough to perturb the muscles to grow.
There is no need to "shock" the muscles and basing the effectiveness of your workout on soreness is not a good gauge.
^^yep. As long as you have progressive loading baked into your routine, which the above has, you do not need, and in fact should not keep changing your routine.0 -
Changing it up is a good thing, after working at something for months if not YEARS. Anyone who thinks they can reap the full benefits of a program in 30 days is kidding themselves.0
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I definitely think that switching up is always a good thing, keeps your body reacting differently. I've done it by simply changing from free weights to using the machines for a bit, just because they do work the body differently.0
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In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
Lets take another quick example - man starts lifting weights ie. squat, deadlift, press, chest press and barbell row.
squat they start at 20lbs and one year later they are lifting 280lbs, still gained muscle, probably got more flexible, engaged lots of different muscles and they did not have to chop and change their routine ever. Know why that is, progressive overload and the muscle cannot adapt to a new weight every week. Do not confuse bodybuilding and hypertrophy with weight lifting or do not confuse Men's Healths need to sell magazines and advertising with reality.
As for engaging other muscles, great play sports and engage them or do endless isolations.0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
I agree with Mike here. Need to change up the routine about every 4 weeks. Also take a week to do some light training (a rest week so your body can recover) You will be really surpised how much that helps in your next 4 week training cycle.
When we say change it up it can mean many different things to change. Intensity (super sets), Heavy Weights (Low Reps), Light Weights (high reps), Bodyweight Resistance training, HIIT etc.0 -
Changing routines is neccessary, but also HIGHLY over rated. Keep doing the same thing while adding weight until you reach a point where you aren't adding much weight, then change. Don't set an arbitrary time frame.0
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Compare average strength of people saying you need to change monthly with that of people saying to stick with the program until you've exhausted its usefulness.0
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Changing routines is neccessary, but also HIGHLY over rated. Keep doing the same thing while adding weight until you reach a point where you aren't adding much weight, then change. Don't set an arbitrary time frame.
^This. You have to milk the routine for everything you can before you go off and do something else. Changing your training program every 30 days is called "program hopping" or "program ADD" and it is the number one reason new powerlifters stall in their strength gains. You have to stick with a program long enough for it to work and 30 days isn't long enough.0 -
Compare average strength of people saying you need to change monthly with that of people saying to stick with the program until you've exhausted its usefulness.
Good point.
Squat: 535lbs
Bench: 415lbs
Deadlift: 660lbs0 -
A strength training routine specifically targeted at athletic performance in a particular sport is vastly different from a strength/hypertrophy routine. By the same token, a person striving to improve their performance in basketball would do a significantly different workout from somebody trying to improve their performance in football - both of which would be different from a person looking to enhance their performance in baseball. And so on.In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
If we're going to talk about general strength/hypertrophy for the average person, "muscle confusion" is highly overrated. As others have said, stick with the same routine and keep adding weight to the bar for as long as you can, milk everything possible out of it before switching routines. Jumping from routine to routine is counter-productive as it stymies progression. The only thing "confused" is your results because you don't have any solid yardstick to measure progress.
If you stick with something like, say, Stronglifts (or whatever) for 6 months, you'll have solid, reliable statistics at the end of that time which you can use to gauge the effectiveness of what you're doing. If your bench press went up from 115 lbs. to 225 lbs. and your squat went from 155 to 315, it's obvious that you've gained strength (and most likely have physical results to show for it). If you jumped from routine to routine during that same 6 months, all you know is that you've done a whole bunch of different exercises at different weights. You didn't confuse your muscles, you confused yourself.0 -
:glasses: bump0
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A strength training routine specifically targeted at athletic performance in a particular sport is vastly different from a strength/hypertrophy routine. By the same token, a person striving to improve their performance in basketball would do a significantly different workout from somebody trying to improve their performance in football - both of which would be different from a person looking to enhance their performance in baseball. And so on.In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
If we're going to talk about general strength/hypertrophy for the average person, "muscle confusion" is highly overrated. As others have said, stick with the same routine and keep adding weight to the bar for as long as you can, milk everything possible out of it before switching routines. Jumping from routine to routine is counter-productive as it stymies progression. The only thing "confused" is your results because you don't have any solid yardstick to measure progress.
If you stick with something like, say, Stronglifts (or whatever) for 6 months, you'll have solid, reliable statistics at the end of that time which you can use to gauge the effectiveness of what you're doing. If your bench press went up from 115 lbs. to 225 lbs. and your squat went from 155 to 315, it's obvious that you've gained strength (and most likely have physical results to show for it). If you jumped from routine to routine during that same 6 months, all you know is that you've done a whole bunch of different exercises at different weights. You didn't confuse your muscles, you confused yourself.
This is pretty on point (change the '*' to a 'u')
http://www.leangains.com/2011/09/f*ckarounditis.html0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
When we say change it up it can mean many different things to change. Intensity (super sets), Heavy Weights (Low Reps), Light Weights (high reps), Bodyweight Resistance training, HIIT etc.
This is exactly what I mean. OP and others please don't think I say go from P90X, to Tae Bo, to professional high jumper type of routines every 30 days.
What I believe is if you do normal curls for 30 days then go to hammer curls for the next 30 and then maybe ez bar curls for 30. You are doing the basic exercise for biceps but just hitting it differently.
Wow did my comment kick up a little stuff.0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
When we say change it up it can mean many different things to change. Intensity (super sets), Heavy Weights (Low Reps), Light Weights (high reps), Bodyweight Resistance training, HIIT etc.
This is exactly what I mean. OP and others please don't think I say go from P90X, to Tae Bo, to professional high jumper type of routines every 30 days.
What I believe is if you do normal curls for 30 days then go to hammer curls for the next 30 and then maybe ez bar curls for 30. You are doing the basic exercise for biceps but just hitting it differently.
Wow did my comment kick up a little stuff.
Changing your curl =/= changing rep ranges.0 -
What happens when you change programs every 30 days is you never see the benefit of that program. Then you get the "I tried the 5x5 and it didn't work" comments. Find a program you like and stick with it. A minimum of 4 months. Preferably until you stop making gains on it.
Goals as a lifter also come into play. If you are content with circuit training and lifting to "tone" (which is another fallacy), then change all you want. If you want to get stronger, or gain mass, then get on a program and let it work for you.
Beginners will gain on just about any program and often mistake changing routines as letting them make progress, but once your newbie gains are gone and you have to work your butt off for every 5lb increase in a lift, that's when a consistent program is going to help.0 -
In my opinion you MUST change the routine. Must. Lets take a quick example:
Have you ever been working out and felt you were doing good, then played a sport and felt absolutely sore?
That happens because you use different muscles, in different ways.
I would recommend you change your routine now and every 30 days. (also helps to keep boredom in check)
When we say change it up it can mean many different things to change. Intensity (super sets), Heavy Weights (Low Reps), Light Weights (high reps), Bodyweight Resistance training, HIIT etc.
This is exactly what I mean. OP and others please don't think I say go from P90X, to Tae Bo, to professional high jumper type of routines every 30 days.
What I believe is if you do normal curls for 30 days then go to hammer curls for the next 30 and then maybe ez bar curls for 30. You are doing the basic exercise for biceps but just hitting it differently.
Wow did my comment kick up a little stuff.
Changing your curl =/= changing rep ranges.
I see where y'all are coming from with this but it is also important to note that these changes should be written into your programming. For example, in a block periodized training cycle or a coan style taper cycle you would start with higher reps and lower intensity and gradually decrease reps and increase intensity (either in blocks or in a constant., gradual manner respectively), not haphazardly and without specific intent.0 -
Lots of information. Thanks for posting. I have been busy since I posted this earlier today and haven't had time to chime in.
Currently, this is my routine. Most of my lifting is using Magnum Machine Weights. Standard curl bar, crunches, and push ups.
II am also doing the 100 push up challenge. I do my daily tests on Mon, Wed, Fri.
As for work out routine. It is as follows.
Workout A (upper body)
Workout B (legs)
Mon, Wed, Fri (Workout A)
Tues, Thur (legs and cardio. Usually a mile or 2 on the treadmill.)
No lifting on the weekend right now. Just throw in a few weight bearing excersies and some cardio.
I lift to me what feels heavy. I usually get away with 6 reps) I wait about 30 seconds and do my next set of the same exercise. repeat for a 3rd set. Then I go to the next exercise.0 -
Lots of information. Thanks for posting. I have been busy since I posted this earlier today and haven't had time to chime in.
Currently, this is my routine. Most of my lifting is using Magnum Machine Weights. Standard curl bar, crunches, and push ups.
II am also doing the 100 push up challenge. I do my daily tests on Mon, Wed, Fri.
As for work out routine. It is as follows.
Workout A (upper body)
Workout B (legs)
Mon, Wed, Fri (Workout A)
Tues, Thur (legs and cardio. Usually a mile or 2 on the treadmill.)
No lifting on the weekend right now. Just throw in a few weight bearing excersies and some cardio.
I lift to me what feels heavy. I usually get away with 6 reps) I wait about 30 seconds and do my next set of the same exercise. repeat for a 3rd set. Then I go to the next exercise.
Yeah got to love those workout A's and B's.0 -
I lift to me what feels heavy. I usually get away with 6 reps) I wait about 30 seconds and do my next set of the same exercise. repeat for a 3rd set. Then I go to the next exercise.
6 reps is a good rep range but if your main goal is strength, go a little heavier (3-5 rep range) and rest a little longer between sets.0
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