Alternating sets

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samfrancisco88
samfrancisco88 Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started NROL4W last week and so far I really like it. The only issue I have been facing is that my gym is huge and it is sometimes difficult for me to alternate sets because where I would do a set of overhead presses and where I would do assisted pull ups (I do these instead of lat pull downs) are in completely different rooms. This is partly because it is a military gym and is always busy and difficult to maneuver. I have been doing squats and deadlifts in one spot where the racks/barbells are, the push ups, step ups, jackknifes, lunges, shoulder presses and crunches in another and the seated row and pull ups in the machine area. I'm not sure if that will hinder my progress or not any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

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  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    itll just take a bit more time.. it wont have much of an effect on results, if any...you may actually have better results doing them seperate... alternate which one you do first and youll effectively change the focus from session to session... id still do them back to back since they are contrasting exercises.

    if youve been logging your liftfs you'll be able to tell pretty quickly if your getting more reps or feeling better doing the seperate rather than as super sets (if you ever actually did the super sets as written)... regardless its a non issue.... a drop in a pond
  • toddis
    toddis Posts: 941 Member
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    You could always use dumbbells to do OHP
  • samfrancisco88
    samfrancisco88 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks! I think I'm just going to give up trying to alternate since it just makes me waste time walking between 3 areas of the gym.
  • MarineCodie
    MarineCodie Posts: 256 Member
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    I hate when my gym is busy! I normally do alternating sets because it takes sooooo much longer to do all my sets of one exercise at a time. GAHHHH!!

    Anyway, you'll be fine.
  • HWeatherholt
    HWeatherholt Posts: 283 Member
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    I just started (again) last week and I don't do alternating sets. The gym I use isn't that big, but I prefer to do one thing at a time.
  • dorkyfaery
    dorkyfaery Posts: 255 Member
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    I'm also doing a version of NROL. It's fine not to alternate sets but you have to build in extra rest for those muscles since you aren't doing the other exercise in between. It might take a little longer to do the whole workout is all.
  • pavrg
    pavrg Posts: 277 Member
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    I started NROL4W last week and so far I really like it. The only issue I have been facing is that my gym is huge and it is sometimes difficult for me to alternate sets because where I would do a set of overhead presses and where I would do assisted pull ups (I do these instead of lat pull downs) are in completely different rooms. This is partly because it is a military gym and is always busy and difficult to maneuver. I have been doing squats and deadlifts in one spot where the racks/barbells are, the push ups, step ups, jackknifes, lunges, shoulder presses and crunches in another and the seated row and pull ups in the machine area. I'm not sure if that will hinder my progress or not any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

    What you are describing is called 'super setting' and is probably a bit above your ability level if you just started strength training. Usually it's done with accessory exercises like curls/tricep extensions, not the main compound lifts. I've never seen anyone super-set deadlifts and squats; knowing how much those exercises take out of you, I'd be surprised if you could do it if you were actually lifting to your potential.

    It is difficult to super-set in a busy public gym for various reasons, one of which you just described. Another is that you tend to piss people off if you are taking up 2-3 different pieces of equipment at one time.
  • dorkyfaery
    dorkyfaery Posts: 255 Member
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    In this particular program, you don't do dead lifts and squats on the same day. I believe they are just describing the wide range of locations required to accomplish all the exercises in the gym. The alternating sets in the first stage of this program are workaout A: push-ups/seated row, step-up/jack knife, and workout B should press/lat pull down, lunge/swiss ball crunch.

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