What I did in the gym

.... you did 120 total reps in 7 sets of a single exercise? why did you do this again? what could possibly be the motivation to do something like this???

Posted by: pillsbury

.... you did 120 total reps in 7 sets of a single exercise? why did you do this again? what could possibly be the motivation to do something like this???

Not really sure. I know that its not conventional by any means but keep in mind that I am not trying to put on any size at all. I like my size and weight just want to increase my strength. I have always lifted with lots of reps and seen great progress. Again, I know it goes agaisnt all workout principles but it works so so well for me. By the way this is also something I do when I got nothing but time to workout. Which if I had it my way would be all the time.
All my workouts are designed to use the least amount of weight as possible while getting the most effective workout. I also notice that I am able to actually lift more if I slowly pyramid up then if I jump from say 50 to 75 to 90 then 100. I just never felt it nor notices progress. I know I am a strange man but if I can accomplish my goals nothing else matters

Dude that's badass, even though it's not your typical progression and cycle. It should help you stave off the injuries since the weight is what you consider "light" If you're ripped and feel good, then sweet.

you say you lift more if pyramid - total mental thing. sure there is a bit of priming of the cns by progressively adding weight and saturation of blood in muscle but truthfully if you are strong enough to do it at the end you are strong enough to do it at the beginning... you say you dont want to gain weight but only strength, would seem you would go about it much better way. possibly depends on what kind of strength you want and how much of it but i have never heard anyone say they are satisfied with the strength they currently have. i am by no means bashing hi rep training bc it is very important to strength increases but just seems your method of implementing it is off. doesnt really seem like there is any method specifically scientific that you are using to go about your training

There is vast scientific evidence that shows that you need to ramp up your sets as you go along, as long as you are not fatiguing the muscles. You mentioned priming of the CNS and blood saturation in the muscle. Those are not little things. You are not as strong in the first thing in the morning than you are in the afternoons either. Same principles. It's not mental. Granted every heavy lift has mental components too.

yes you are as strong. you think strength just comes and goes whenever it feels like? like a pet dog or cat? blood and cns are not small things, cns specifically. i can more than guarantee however that your body is more than capable of doing max effort without having to ramp up to it. im not saying its ideal but it is capable.
dont get me twisted, i think a few or even a bit more sets to get blood in is fine especially if your fighting injuries im just saying that his progression by 10lbs to final set with so many reps is a waste.

I agree that it looked like he did too many sets to ramp it up, but he's on a shitload of Testosterone and Anavar so I think he felt like a monster so it hardly mattered. No, I don't think strength comes and goes whenever it feels like. Every sports science book written argues that you are not as strong in the morning, and need a progressive warm up to hit your max.

The potential strength is there, so I got your point. But if your CNS is not all the way turned on and blood is not fully flowing, forget going for a max lift.

That's like Michael Phelps not doing a warm up, or only warming up for 50 meters before his 200 IM. He does a progressive warm up of over 25-30 minutes at least to be able to go all out. One is more cardiovascular based but the same overall principles apply in the thinking that you are just as "strong" whether it's in the water, or weightlifting. Again the potential strength is there, you have to wake it up though.

I would challenge you to try doing a warm up of 10 reps on 135 pounds and then going for a max set. man, that's not a good idea and also won't get you a max lift, or at least your potential max lift.

in most cases yes cns is not firing full throttle without having really wake the fuck out of it. but their are other methods besides warming up physically... drugs specifically have the ability to really push the limits. take any cracked out pcp using son of a bitch and tell him he cant take a few bullets while stomping holes in a few people. ok so maybe that analogy is a bit extreme but point is that your body has the ability to create hormonal environment that is qutie similar, specifically with your friend adrenaline
im happy for michael phelps he warms up. gary frank one of the greatest powerlifters of all time did not.
i dont need a book to tell me when im supposed to be strong. go to any meet and you will find someone who for whatever reason didnt get a chance to warm up but smashed a pr or record

The old saying goes....How many more records would have been smashed if he did warm up? Yes, drugs can warm you up. I didn't realize we were talking about getting shot while on PCP and stomping someone's face in though. Yes, the stories about lifting cars to save your children are true in very very rare instances. Maybe this weightlifter was able to channel that. Anyway, it's jsut not ideal for 99% of the polulation.

yea i kind of got carried away with the pcp thing

i can tell you when you are older, if you pyramid up going to failure you can not do your max weight the last set, just not enough recovery power. i do rep maxes after a single warmup set not to failure. i gues it is just what works for your body. btw, that was some bad ass pressing. i can do 100's but NOT after that many reps and NOT that many reps in any case! good job. oh, and i do not consider that he was amped on massive doses of test and var, those doses are really fairly small as far as bbrs are concerned.

i know there are mass monsters out there that push huge weights but those are really impressive lifts for your run of the mill lifter.

jb

Yeah, a smaller pyramid seems better, but none the less good lift, good endurance. I was always under the assumtion that having high reps with those kinds of weights would cut you up more. That would be a benefit for a non competitive guy that doesn't want to get that much bigger.

Posted by: Bus King

That would be a benefit for a non competitive guy that doesn't want to get that much bigger.

its really interesting that i missed that... 6'1 208 lbs and dude doesnt want to get bigger? come on ngt, stop bullshitting, 208 is not big unless your under 5'4 or something, in fact at that height you would be a bit under normal weight of the average person. furthermore your taking higher than needed gear to maintain a much lower than expected weight; its really fucking nonsense. sorry gt, but your post is more than confusing. i hate to call anyone out especially when its something as ridiculous at this but im quite baffled

I'm 6'5 and weight 202, and people consider me huge....because they are cyclists. It all depends on what your idea of big is. I think 6'1 208 is an NFL type receiver's weight. (maybe a little short)That's solid and not bulky so you can still run without having a heart attack after 50 yards. It' is definitely within normal weight!!!!