Question about strength training

[soleft]

So a guy at the gym told me if I wanted to get stronger and leaner, which is what I want to do, not building large muscles, I should not increase weight, I should increase reps.

When I went to PT last summer, the PT guy had me do everything in 5 sets of 10 reps.

So if the guy at the gym is right, should I do more reps within the sets, ie. do 5 sets of 12,15, 20 reps.

Or should I just do one set and do as many reps as possible.

Also, at some point, don't you have to increase the weight. I mean, do you want to do excess of 50 reps, say?

[MemphisTiger]

1. There are many strategies out there

for strength I suggest low reps and heavy weight, but longer rest periods between sets. I'm a big 5x5 fan

Five sets of five reps per set as much weight as you can handle to failure at 5 reps

[Lone_Wolf]

7. I totally agree with the 5x5 progression

After experimenting with all different rep and set combos, this has worked the best for me.

[Room101]

2. You will NOT get stronger using +12 reps

Using +12 reps does not produce any significant muscle stimulation, which is needed to stimulate muscle growth and strength. Not increasing weights just reps only increases the volume of work not the intensity of work, which is counter productive for strength gain.

Do NOT confuse volume with intensity! Volume is the number or length of time you make your muscles work. Intensity is how hard you make your muscles work. Many people make the mistake of applying the theory of economics to training. Think of it this way, if you have a headache you take 2 aspirins not 4-10. The goal is to stimulate muscle
Hypertrophy without depleting the bodies reserves in the process of training. Contrary to popular opinion muscular hypertrophy occurs during rest.

To continually grow stronger you must make your muscles work harder than the pervious workout by increasing the intensity. (See “high-intensity training the Mike Mentzer way”)

I would suggest the following.
No more than 2 sets per exercise!
NO more than 10-12 reps per set.
When you reach 10-12 perfect form reps increase the weight by 5-10%.
NO weight training session should last longer than 30 min; otherwise you will deplete your reserves, which are needed during rest for muscle growth/strength.


Regarding becoming lean there is three components Cardio, diet, and weight training, you must make them all contemporaries in order to be truly lean.

This is just bird’s eye view stuff considering I don’t know your training health history,
I’m a certified personal trainer who has been training for over 8 years. Most importantly
Never get your training information from muscle magazines and do allot of research so that when you go into the gym you have the confidence of knowing that the training principles you are applying are based on muscle biology/science.

Read “high-intensity training the Mike Mentzer way” it will bring clarity to the information madness your in.

[flvegan]

3. Well, as a woman

you don't really have to worry about "building large muscles" as genetically it's unlikely. Firming and toning, yes. Building 19" biceps? Um, no.

On a very generic level response, if you are doing an exercise with good form, focus and intensity, and you aren't pretty spent at 12 reps, you need to up the weight.

"Stronger" is weight-driven, mostly. "Leaner" is more of a diet/cardio/bodyfat term. Anyone that states "if you want to get stronger and leaner" and doesn't suggest both weight training and cardio, is simply worth ignoring...or trying to sell you something.

[soleft]

4. I'm doing cardio

Since I'm just starting my exercise program, what I'm doing is 3 days a week.

1 day I swim. I swim for a half hour and every week I had a length. 98 lengths is one mile. Yesterday I did 49. When I started 5 weeks ago I did 40.

1 day a week I do the life cycle. 20 minutes.

and 1 day I use the machines in the weight room.

In January I plan to add the eliptical machine to each day's work out, and after I've lost weight and feel stronger at some point I hope to combine swimming with the lifecycle, lifecycle with strength training, ie. do two a day.

then next year I want to join a triathlon team and start training to do a triathlon in 2007.

Thanks everyone for your information!

[flvegan]

6. Okay, so you want stronger and leaner, but no muscle growth

Not possible, but, to reach your goal of joining a triathlon team to do one in 2007, you might well be on the right track.

I'd up the cardio, though, if that's the goal. Real-world cardio, too, not just machines and a pool.

[crispini]

8. Take a yoga class too.

Flexibility is a wonderful thing to counteract all of that repetive motion you are doing. Plus, it's fun. :D

[seemunkee]

5. muscle growth

There are two types of muscle growth myofibrillar hypertrophy and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. If you want size gains then you want to stimulate sarcoplasmic growth. This is what bodybuilders do when they do reps of 8-12 and go to failure. It means a buildup of sarcoplasm, fluid in the muscles that does not contribute to strength gains, but can help with endurance.
If you want denser muscles then do lower reps in the 1-5 range. It increases filaments in the muscle and contributes to contractile strength.
Imagine your muscles as a bunch of straws. Do you want a handful of coffee stirs or a bunch of McDonald shake straws? In the long run, doing one set of heavy lifts will promote one kind of growth, doing one set of high reps will promote another. Take your pick.

A lot of women worry about bulking up like a female body builder, but face it they work REALLY hard to look like. It doesn't happen by accident from doing a little bit of work in the gym. It takes dedication and massive amounts of work for that to happen. Cardio and weights combined will get you there along with a good diet.
One method of strength training it to find what your one rep max is and work out at 80% of that and slowly increase. Retest yourself every 6 weeks or so to see how much your max has gained.

[MemphisTiger]

9. The only way you'll build "large" muscles is to eat big

This is a common misconception among women. Many seem to think if they pick up a freeweight they will get bulky and veiny. This takes years of hard work and DIET. If your goal is to lose weight with little muscle growth do free wights and cardio. Also, make sure your diet is in check, that is 80% of your results.

[Longhorn]

10. Vocabulary question.

Forgive me if this is silly. :silly:

Do "free weights" refer only to weights on the end of a weight bar -- that is, is there a difference in the results of using a home gym (a weight stack and pulley system)?

Also, if you could check out my "How to incorporate strength training?" thread about 12 down from this one, I'd sure appreciate it. :hi:

[seemunkee]

11. Yes Free weights are not attached to a machine.

Barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells would all qualify.
Machines usually work one muscle or one group at a time and restrict the range of motion. What free weights will do is require you to use secondary stabalizing muscles to perform the exercise. Consider a bench press machine vs a barbell bench press. The machine only allows you to move in the handles up and down. No forward and back and no tilting of the bar. Try the same thing with a barbell or dumbbells and you will have to use a lot more muscles to keep the bar in the line that you want to push in. Even a smith machine will limit your movements and not give the same benefit as a straight barbell. Machines do give a lot more safety when you are working out alone.

[MemphisTiger]

12. By free weights I am referring to dumbells, barbells

That sort of thing. Non-machine weights. There is a place for machines don't get me wrong, but I think the free weights should be the cornerstone of any weight based routine.

[w8liftinglady]

13. lower reps with more weight

I am a competative powerlifter,and believe me-you won't get bulked up.Women generally have to take "supplements" to get the monster mass look that I think you are afraid of.it took me a long time before my arms and shoulders had some bulk to them.