March 21st, 2022

[zombie]

x holds the highest rotten tomatoes score for an A24 horror film. i hope that's a good portent for what our genre has to offer through the rest of the decade.

[Jason]

Slaughter, can you explain the difference in hypertrophy on 5 sets of a 10 rep max or 5 sets of a 70 rep max?

[Slaughterhouserock]

Slaughter, can you explain the difference in hypertrophy on 5 sets of a 10 rep max or 5 sets of a 70 rep max?

Not sure what you're asking since I don't know of any exercise that you'd normally do 70 reps on(pushups or something?). Seems excessive, what's commonly referred to as junk volume. But in general, if lifting with the goal of hypertrophy, you want to stick to a moderate rep range(6-15 reps, but usually closer to 8-12 is more common). So the 5 sets of 10 reps would be good for hypertrophy. Doing 70 reps of anything would require an extremely light load and would only be good for endurance training, if anything. And 5 sets is generally considered alot(3-4 is usually enough), and should only be necessary for advanced lifters unless you are doing a program that calls for it(like the 5x5 workout).

Also, you say "rep max"; do you mean lifting a weight that you would reach failure on the 10th rep? An RPE of 10(if you know the term)? If not, I'm not sure what you mean there. Lots of people push the idea that you need to go to failure on every set, but people in the industry I trust, as well as multiple studies, say that you should limit going to failure to the last set of an exercise(if at all) for compound movements. Single joint movements are generally ok to go to failure on every set, and should be done at the end of a workout.

[Jason]

Slaughter, can you explain the difference in hypertrophy on 5 sets of a 10 rep max or 5 sets of a 70 rep max?

Not sure what you're asking since I don't know of any exercise that you'd normally do 70 reps on(pushups or something?). Seems excessive, what's commonly referred to as junk volume. But in general, if lifting with the goal of hypertrophy, you want to stick to a moderate rep range(6-15 reps, but usually closer to 8-12 is more common). So the 5 sets of 10 reps would be good for hypertrophy. Doing 70 reps of anything would require an extremely light load and would only be good for endurance training, if anything. And 5 sets is generally considered alot(3-4 is usually enough), and should only be necessary for advanced lifters unless you are doing a program that calls for it(like the 5x5 workout).

Also, you say "rep max"; do you mean lifting a weight that you would reach failure on the 10th rep? An RPE of 10(if you know the term)? If not, I'm not sure what you mean there. Lots of people push the idea that you need to go to failure on every set, but people in the industry I trust, as well as multiple studies, say that you should limit going to failure to the last set of an exercise(if at all) for compound movements. Single joint movements are generally ok to go to failure on every set, and should be done at the end of a workout.

I'm just looking to change things up a bit from my typical routine. I've mostly done the same stuff with the occasional break or change every few months or a year for the last 9 or 10 years. I typically do 4 sets of around 10 reps for most exercises, and by rep max, I mean the 10th rep of the 4th set. I don't typically push myself to failure with every set.

The 70 rep max was a bit over the top, but I'm looking into some studies about lifting and I'm reaching the age where the things that I eat are affecting my performance in the gym and I'm gonna have to start cutting a lot of shit out of my diet. When I had unknown (at the time) medical issues that put me out of work for about 3 years, I was as disciplined as I ever was when it came to exercise. Basically because I had nothing to do. After the gym I ate a shit load of chicken breast and occasional rice to go with it and that was my meal for the day. Never felt better. Gonna go back to a more strict diet and then implement some new stuff. Hopefully the new diet can help me get some of that energy back.

[Slaughterhouserock]

I'm just looking to change things up a bit from my typical routine. I've mostly done the same stuff with the occasional break or change every few months or a year for the last 9 or 10 years. I typically do 4 sets of around 10 reps for most exercises, and by rep max, I mean the 10th rep of the 4th set. I don't typically push myself to failure with every set.

The 70 rep max was a bit over the top, but I'm looking into some studies about lifting and I'm reaching the age where the things that I eat are affecting my performance in the gym and I'm gonna have to start cutting a lot of shit out of my diet. When I had unknown (at the time) medical issues that put me out of work for about 3 years, I was as disciplined as I ever was when it came to exercise. Basically because I had nothing to do. After the gym I ate a shit load of chicken breast and occasional rice to go with it and that was my meal for the day. Never felt better. Gonna go back to a more strict diet and then implement some new stuff. Hopefully the new diet can help me get some of that energy back.

If you've always done the same shit, you're not likely to see much progress. Also, after lifting for that long, you're likely going to see very small gains from now on. The body likes the status quo, and will quickly adapt to whatever you throw at it. If doing the same shit for years, your body will know how to handle it, and it will lead to less and less gains. I generally change my workout every 3-ish months to keep things fresh. Try different exercises, different loads/reps, or spend a month doing some shit you're not used to, like an all bodyweight workout, or swap over to strength training, or powerlifting, anything really. Lifting is all about avoiding your bodies ability to adapt to what you are doing. Change is good.

Nutrition is always important, but even more so as you become an advanced lifter. Make sure you are getting adequate protein for muscle growth(I like 1g protein/1 lb. of weight, but that's on the high end, fuck around with it to see what works for you), at least 20% of your calories should be from fat to avoid any hormonal imbalance, and the rest should be carbs. And keep in mind, everyone has a genetic limit to how big they can get. And the older you get, the less likely you are to see changes, mostly due to hormones and shit.

[Jason]

I'm just looking to change things up a bit from my typical routine. I've mostly done the same stuff with the occasional break or change every few months or a year for the last 9 or 10 years. I typically do 4 sets of around 10 reps for most exercises, and by rep max, I mean the 10th rep of the 4th set. I don't typically push myself to failure with every set.

The 70 rep max was a bit over the top, but I'm looking into some studies about lifting and I'm reaching the age where the things that I eat are affecting my performance in the gym and I'm gonna have to start cutting a lot of shit out of my diet. When I had unknown (at the time) medical issues that put me out of work for about 3 years, I was as disciplined as I ever was when it came to exercise. Basically because I had nothing to do. After the gym I ate a shit load of chicken breast and occasional rice to go with it and that was my meal for the day. Never felt better. Gonna go back to a more strict diet and then implement some new stuff. Hopefully the new diet can help me get some of that energy back.

If you've always done the same shit, you're not likely to see much progress. Also, after lifting for that long, you're likely going to see very small gains from now on. The body likes the status quo, and will quickly adapt to whatever you throw at it. If doing the same shit for years, your body will know how to handle it, and it will lead to less and less gains. I generally change my workout every 3-ish months to keep things fresh. Try different exercises, different loads/reps, or spend a month doing some shit you're not used to, like an all bodyweight workout, or swap over to strength training, or powerlifting, anything really. Lifting is all about avoiding your bodies ability to adapt to what you are doing. Change is good.

Nutrition is always important, but even more so as you become an advanced lifter. Make sure you are getting adequate protein for muscle growth(I like 1g protein/1 lb. of weight, but that's on the high end, fuck around with it to see what works for you), at least 20% of your calories should be from fat to avoid any hormonal imbalance, and the rest should be carbs. And keep in mind, everyone has a genetic limit to how big they can get. And the older you get, the less likely you are to see changes, mostly due to hormones and shit.

I started about ten years ago and just learned as I went, basically. I picked a routine for my body type and stuck with it and essentially transformed myself in less than a year and I've been going steadily ever since. The last couple of years I've still been consistent in showing up, but my output and motivation has dipped drastically. I'm still in great shape, but I'm essentially just trying to get filled out again like I used to be a few years ago. I pretty much have all the knowledge needed for the lifting routines, but I am a total novice when it comes to dieting and I'm reaching the age where the diet is having more of an affect. I'm aware of the protein needed, but I get mixed information about carbs and shit like that. I'm hearing the healthiest way is high fat, low carb, meat based diets. I bought some sirloins and eggs and I'm gonna try to go back to eating one big meal a day of just a protein shake after the gym and steak and eggs an hour or two later.

I was a skinny fuck before I started lifting and packed on about 35 pounds and I've maintained that weight ever since. I'm basically just timid about experimenting with new diets. The lack of knowledge about what all that shit means can be discouraging. I don't know what carbs are, let alone the healthy ones, or how they benefit muscle mass. And being a truck driver it's hard as shit to keep a healthy diet when the only fresh food out there is fast food. I try to hit up Chipotle when I can since I know it's a way better alternative than the typical fast food places.

Also, how would you divvy up multiple exercises for one specific muscle group? For example, I alternate flat bench, incline bench and flies for chest workouts. Some days I'll just do 4-6 sets on flat bench or I'll alternate and do 4 sets on flat and 4 on incline on the same day. Would that he considered excessive or should each workout per muscle group be spread out throughout the week (flat Mondays, incline Wednesdays etc...)? Also, is it best to keep the same weight for every set or slowly decline downward?

[Slaughterhouserock]

I started about ten years ago and just learned as I went, basically. I picked a routine for my body type and stuck with it and essentially transformed myself in less than a year and I've been going steadily ever since. The last couple of years I've still been consistent in showing up, but my output and motivation has dipped drastically. I'm still in great shape, but I'm essentially just trying to get filled out again like I used to be a few years ago. I pretty much have all the knowledge needed for the lifting routines, but I am a total novice when it comes to dieting and I'm reaching the age where the diet is having more of an affect. I'm aware of the protein needed, but I get mixed information about carbs and shit like that. I'm hearing the healthiest way is high fat, low carb, meat based diets. I bought some sirloins and eggs and I'm gonna try to go back to eating one big meal a day of just a protein shake after the gym and steak and eggs an hour or two later.

I was a skinny fuck before I started lifting and packed on about 35 pounds and I've maintained that weight ever since. I'm basically just timid about experimenting with new diets. The lack of knowledge about what all that shit means can be discouraging. I don't know what carbs are, let alone the healthy ones, or how they benefit muscle mass. And being a truck driver it's hard as shit to keep a healthy diet when the only fresh food out there is fast food. I try to hit up Chipotle when I can since I know it's a way better alternative than the typical fast food places.

Also, how would you divvy up multiple exercises for one specific muscle group? For example, I alternate flat bench, incline bench and flies for chest workouts. Some days I'll just do 4-6 sets on flat bench or I'll alternate and do 4 sets on flat and 4 on incline on the same day. Would that he considered excessive or should each workout per muscle group be spread out throughout the week (flat Mondays, incline Wednesdays etc...)? Also, is it best to keep the same weight for every set or slowly decline downward?

What's "healthiest" changes based on the newest fad. It's all bullshit. You need all three macronutrients to survive. You need around .7g of protein per 1 lb. of bodyweight to gain muscle(can vary per person up to 1.2g/lb.). You need at least 20% of your daily caloric intake to be fat to keep from having hormonal issues(I took in exactly 20% for years and was in the best shape at the time). The rest should be carbs. You can add more fat and reduce carbs if that works for you. Fat is used for energy for long duration types of exertion(e.g. running). Carbs are used for energy for shorter duration activities(e.g. lifting weights). Since you sit for work, you would probably be better off with more fat and less carbs due to not being very active throughout the day.

As for good carbs and bad carbs, it's pretty simple. Anything that's pure sugar will be burned through quick, so you want slow-acting carbs(such as brown rice). If it's white(white rice, white bread, etc.), chances are good it's a fast-acting carb. You can have both, but when planning around your workout, eat some slow-acting carbs beforehand(30-60 minutes) so you have the energy needed to do the workout. How carbs affect muscle mass is a bit more complicated. Basically, carbs help push nutrients into your blood, which pushes them into your muscles. There's also something called glycogen which is essentially stores of carbs in your muscles that are used for quick bursts of energy. There's more, but that's about as simple as I can make it.

The different fats are harder to deal with, but just stay away from trans fats and you should be fine. And protein derived from animals will always be best as it will contain all the essential amino acids, whereas plant proteins will need to be mixed to get them(such as beans and rice). Amino acids are all generally reliant on each other to do their job, so only get one or two won't do much for you in terms of muscle building(hence why BCAA's are a scam). The post-workout protein isn't necessary, just the total daily protein intake, but if you haven't had much protein pre-workout, it helps(or if you just like it, it's fine).

And exercise selection, sets, and reps would all depend on variety of factors. There's no universal "do this, it works", despite what influencers tell you(all of which are taking PED's of some sort, so their information is useless for natural lifters). Generally, you want at least fourteen sets per muscle group per week for muscle growth. Sounds like a lot, but when you break it down, it's easy to achieve. Say you're doing chest twice a week, that's seven sets per workout, which could be split up into two exercises, one at four sets, one at three. You can do more, but that's the basics.

For chest, you have three "sections", upper, middle, and lower. Barbell bench press is going to be the best for size due to a variety of factors, but you need to hit the upper and lower pecs to ensure you hit the entire chest. You could do flat, incline, and decline bench all in the same workout if you want. You could split it up and do flat and incline one day, then dips and flies the next. As long as you are hitting all parts of the muscle and doing enough sets, you're good(which is why hitting a muscle group more than once a week is ideal). Too much is hard to define, as it will vary by person.

There is no "best" when it comes to weight. Just pick a goal and stick to it. Examples:

3 sets of 10 reps at an RPE of 8 is good
3 sets of 10 reps with the last set being a drop set is also good

Neither is better, they are just different. Anyone that claims otherwise should be ignored as they don't know what the fuck they are talking about.
Do whatever works for you. It's all about progressive overload. That doesn't just mean increasing the weight every time. It means doing anything that increases the difficulty(so to speak). That could mean increasing reps, slowing down the reps, increasing the weight, doing different exercises, pushing beyond failure(e.g. drop sets), etc.

[Jason]

Sweet. I'll carry that with me. Appreciate the help. Feels good to know I wasn't very far off in how I was interpreting all that stuff.