JKurz1 said:
It just seems like everyone is so into the 5x5 theory that they are neglecting high intensity w/ high volume....
Don't forget DC guys!
With all respects to you, brother, I think very high intensity and high volume are mutually exclusive. You can certainly do a very intense volume workout, but your output on each set
cannot approach what you can do if you drill a few sets extremely hard.
my leg routine is about 20-25 sets long.......when most here are 8-10.........anyone train legs with higher reps and more volume??? Such a huge body part, need the extra pump IMO.
My leg routine Wednesday was three work sets total, and one of the hardest I have had in some time.
I did extreme stretch calf raises on a leg press to failure (not much, like 400 lbs.), took in ten deep breaths, rest-paused out a few more to failure, breathed deeply 15 more times, and did a final 2-3 reps with agonizing negatives. My calves were totally dead. I could barely stand up on my toes or flex my feet...they must've been pumped a full inch, probably to 18.5". And they were burning like someone stuck a hot poker into every gastroc fiber!
Next I did leg presses. I did three warm-up sets--405x8, 675x6, and 765x4 I think, all nice and easy--then did 855x8, knees to armpits with slow negatives and explosive positives, avoiding lockout.
But at the end I did lock out at the top to get three more reps "breathing" style--probably took me a minute or so to finish these, with assistance needed on the last rep. Then I did a static with the stop mechanism in place, because one I failed with that it was going to come crashing down.
Last I did stiff-legged deadlifts. I did only one warm-up w/ 225, then jumped to 310x9, bringing each rep to a dead stop before it hit the floor, pausing for 1-2 seconds for a killer stretch before snapping it back up.
All of those were failure sets. If I'd tried to do a whole lot more, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I could barely do 45-60 sec. stretches for quads and hams at the end.
If I tried to do 10, nevermind 20 sets in this fashion, I would probably go into shock. As it was, puke was coming up near the end of leg pressing. I had to go get rid of breakfast before and after SLDL in the bathroom; "my" Gold's wouldn't take kindly to someone hurling all over their cute little carpets, and I refuse to walk around with a barf bag.
If you can bust it with a handful of sets, why not? Once you've done a 20-rep set of squats, for instance, with your 10 RM, you've stimulated all the growth you ever could from one workout. I don't know how anyone could follow that up with 24 sets of anything productive.
If it's just a pump you want, what I just did above definitely delivered. My thighs are still a little swollen. Besides, I don't think you need a pump for growth. I know too many powerlifters who don't get a gigantic pump, yet they're huge, drugs or not.
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