Timed vs Pre Set # of Reps

[gpahutch]

I do a full upper body workout 3x/week Two chest, back, shoulder tri and bi exercises. I change the exercises every 4 weeks. I do legs 2x per week. Just straight sets no time or circuit

I do three sets of 20 seconds. As many reps as I can get done in that time. 15 seconds off between each set. I try to do it like a circuit and move from one exercise to the next as quickly as possible.

I have been doing this for about 90 days. I plan on doing it another 30-60 then switching to a low rep - high set/weight routine concentrating on a different body part each day.

What do you think?

[HOUSTON TEXAN]

I think you should go with sets and reps and not work your damn bi's and tri's that much in comparison to how your working your larger muscles. Legs are the largest muscle in the human body and to burn fat and look like a stud you need as much muscle on you as possible. Having a huge chest and arms but little chicken legs doesn't look so hot either.

Try using compound exercises when working the beach muscles.

[swanso5]

the timed thing can be good but you don;t know if you're progressing from workout to workout unless you're also counting reps...if you do 8 reps in 15secs with 2okgs mon and then ony 7 with the same wt the next mon, then you've actually gone backwards and wasted a workout

split is rubbish i think...just go to full body workouts or 2 x lower / upper workouts

20secs will be not enough time under tesnion for size gains anyway, you need to be in the 30 - 70secs mark

bodybuilding / bodypart splits are even worse

[gpahutch]

What you are saying about increased reps makes sense. i was measuring progress by increased weight. I started out benching 85 pounds and really burning through the reps. Now I do 115 not quite as fast but almost. I have experienced similar gains on each exercise

Read the tag. I am 46. days of gaining size have passed. I just need to tone what I have. The switch in routines is keep muscles guessing.

belief is there is no such thing as a wasted workout. As long as the weight is the same. Any workout at all is better than the alternative.

[HOUSTON TEXAN]

-I still would stick to sets and reps for more structure.

-You can still gain size at 46. Muscles can still go into hypertrophy at your age. You will make gains just not as fast as someone younger.

-Switching routines is good but don't do it too often.

-While a workout is better than no workout there is such thing as a wasted workout because you can do more than what you did.

[swanso5]

- well you can go on wt, reps, speed etc...what you'd need to do is to add up the "power factor" of each exercise each session

so if you got 18 reps at 115pds you'd have this:

115 x 18 = 2070 total wt lifted

now hopefully you're keeping the time per set the same so next time you need to simply better 2070 either through more reps at the same wt or more wt and whatever amount of reps are needed to better it

- you can build muscle at any age, that bullshit
- if you do the same wts, sets and reps as the last workout than it is a wasted workout, simple as that...all you need to do is increase 1 rep each session or increase the wt 1pd and you'd have progressed