What type of training do you do?

[AndrewBenn]

That's a lot of sets.  Did I read that right?  Some exercises are 8 sets of 8 reps?  I couldn't lift anything remotely heavy doing that many sets and my workout would take forever.  Do you use a very limited time between sets to turn the session into hard calorie burning endurance type lifting session?

it seems like alot of sets on the surface the 8x8 but I find that with the rest period being so low and the weight is not the normal max or near max for that rep range that it is really like doing a sort of rest pause. Lets say you can bench 135 for 20 reps, well if you did that 8x8 it wouldnt get hard till halfway thru, but with good form and low rest, under 30 seconds it would get diffcult and well you would get kinda 64reps put of the 135

the first half of those sets are typically not hard, the last half it gets harder to complete, eapecially with moves like squats.

it's not meant to be heavy, but its not meant to be easy

next time you hit a bodypart, pick 2-3 movements and try it, lets say arms preacher curls, seated dumbell hammer curls, use like half the weight you would normally use and keep the rest down to 15 seconds, the form good, I try to do a cadence of 2-3 seconds on the lowering and 1-2 on the positive with a slight pause at the top of a movent, keep the weight and reps the same all sets.

its the first time I have tried it with an alternating cycle of conventiona workouts, plus my diet is cleaned up. Let me see what happens with it over the next while and I will give feedback,

Look at serge nubret, guy did lots of sets and reps with low rest and moderate light weights. Not only looked fantastic but sstayed that way.

[Rich B.]

Thanks for the reply.  I know a lot of top notch bodybuilders use moderate weight with short rest between sets.  I know it's not easy.  I compare it to a guy running with a good marathoner for one block saying he's not going that fast.  Well keep up for a couple of miles. 

I have heard guys talk of seeing bodybuilders like Danny Padilla and Chris Dickerson using what looked like light weights.  Using many sets with limited rest will turn what seems a light weight into a ton.  One guy at my gym was saying he saw Dickerson using 30 lbs for delt laterals.  What he left out was that he did  six sets of 12 reps with very little rest between sets.  I doubt few could keep up with his pace.

[AndrewBenn]

For myself I am slowly bringing my bodyfat down.

When it comes to training when I came back to it last year I decided that no matter what I was going to make it fun.

After a while back I started noticing my best routine was in essence a non routine, well I may have a set and rep format layed out and even a bodypart schedule, but  that is the basic layout.

I also found that  when I came back i did alot of lighter workouts high volume, low rest not because I wanted to but I had too, I was such a wreck when I came back. Example I coulhardly walk straight last year due to a bad foot injury amongs others during a withdrawal seizure i suffered(alcohol and drugs). long story short I couldnt even squat let alone with my bodyweight.

I worked my way up did alot of lighter weights, low rest, higher sets(8x8 as the example). I also did moves that would bring back and improve my balance, well in August my squat was 315x8 and 365x1(wasn't doing 8x8 those days lol)

I found when I went from the high volume, lighter weights, low rest to the more conventional pyramidding after a couple months my strength and size exploded. Yes i put on fat and muscle evenly, but I put on a whack of muscle. But after a few weeks of this aches and pains started coming on, and I train fairly strict form. Well I started doing lighter again and saw progress.

So thats why I fugure why not alternate moderate heavy with light higher volume. In the end my workouts take under and hour. I do like to test my strength once in a while too when feeling my oats, although I find heavy squats, well squats in general to be more mental then anything.

I am thinking up taking updated pics this weekend as pretty much before shots(no top, I have some in my phone from the spring, when I am in shape they will see the light of day) then taking more shots as the months go on so when I am comfortable with the progress I will pot them on here and the other places I visit

[Rich B.]

Glad to hear your off drugs and alcohol. That must have been really tough. 

 I always use low sets and what is for me, heavy weight.  I was always frustrated that just a little to much cardio and the strength goes.  I like running for cardio but many times after say a hard 3 mile run; squats suffer badly the next day.  Many a day I have thought why don't you just lift for volume instead of grinding out two sets of 8 reps with max weight. 

[AndrewMartin]

Ok so i have changed things up, and have gone back to a bodybuilding routine.

i give credit to Modok over at T-Nation for this routine.

Basic Template

Day1 Chest and Back (10-12, 8-10, OR 5-7 reps, I'll explain)
heavy press
heavy row
db press
heavy pullup or chin (or hammer pulldown)
Day2 Legs/abs ( squat day)
Squats (or other lower body push)
SL Dead or GH raise ( or other lower body pull)
standing calf
couple of ab movements
Day3 Shoulders Arms
Military press variant
bicep movement
tricep (press type movement ex. C-G bench, rack lockout)
2nd bi movement
tri (isolation movement ex. pushdowns)
Day4 off
Day5 Chest and Back
repeat day 1 template with different exercise and rep range)
Day6 Legs and abs (deadlift day)
Floor deadlifts and/or rack pulls
lower body push (leg press or other squat alternative)
heavy bb shrugs
couple ab moves
Day7 Shoulders arms
repeat of day 3 template with different exercises and rep ranges.

This is basically two cycles through all the bodyparts each week. On the first cycle, one rep range is used, and in the second cycle of the week a second rep range is used. For example, days 1,2, and 3 get 10-12 and days 5,6,7 get 8-10 reps. Each month, you roll the rep ranges but keep the movements the same. So after 4 weeks, you'd move the 8-10 rep bracket to days 1,2,3 and drop days 5,6,7 into the 5-7 rep bracket. So the 10-12 rep bracket takes a brake for a month. Then, when the NEXT month comes around, you roll the 5-7 rep bracket to days 1,2,3, drop off the 8-10 rep bracket for 1 month, and bring back the 10-12 rep bracket on days 5,6,7. By doing it this way, I've found that I don't stall nearly as fast in poundage progression, and it keeps everything fresh and challenging, and it trains the different "fiber types" on a regular basis...if you are into that kinda scientific stuff.

As stated previously, floor deads are the only caveat. I work up to a heavy triple on those, then do the "volume" portion of the deadlift as a rack pull.

Number of sets per exercise would generally be 3 in this plan. However, on the lower rep days when they come around (5-7 reps) I will generally throw in another set to make up for the lost volume of losing those higher rep sets.

Add weight each and every workout and try to beat last week's numbers. Compare each week on a set to set basis. For example, try to beat last week's set 1 of bench with this week's set 1, set 2 for set 2, and set 3 for set 3. Use small plates (1.25 lbs, etc.) if you need to.