training, juicing and timing question

[gazpacho]

training, juicing and scheduling question

Hi,

My question is about how to train for size while on an AS cycle.

I have been training for several years. lately, my training schedule looks liek this: 1 month high intensity (light weight, 12-15 reps), 1 month hypertrophy (medium weight, 8-12 reps/set), 1 month strength training (heavy weight, 4-6 reps/set), 1 week off, repeat.

I want to do a size building AS cycle. Does it matter when I start the cycle in terms of my training schedule? In other words, I assume that hypertrophy and strenght training exercises are better than high intensity for gaining size while on, right? I just finished a month of hypertrophy training (medium weight, 8-12 reps/set). If I start my cycle next week, can I do another month of this type of training? Should I start with heavy strenght training instead? Should I mix it all up? If so, how?

thanks (and good karma) fo ryour help!

 

[BigPapaPump]

Gaz,

Please don't take this too personal.....thant's the craziest thing I've ever heard of. Hopefully you're taking some time off during your month long training splits...if not you need to. You can not make your training sessions so regimented. You must have a plan but within that plan you need to 'feel' what your body wants and adjust accordingly.

You have not defined what heavy / medium / light weight is, so I will not atempt to define them.

The easiest way to look at training is like this. Figure out whatever split is most appealing to your schedule. I divide myself into 3 large muscle groups, chest, back and quads. I will train each of these major muscles, with 2 or 3 core lifts at the beginning of every session as heavy as I can lift CORRECTLY. I will then polish them off with 4 or 5 sets of higher rep / lighter weight just to gorge them with blood. If I have trained hard enough, that muscle is pumped to the point that I can not train it any more. Then I move onto a scondary group and do the same....ie on chest days I would move onto tri's, quads I would move to calves...etc.

What you need to concentrate on is getting the biggest bang for the amount of energy that you have to offer. I see way too many little guys bustin their ass off doing pec flys when they have no pecs to begin with. WHen you're on any cycle, your energy levels are much higher than normal, use that towards the larger muscles and that's were the payoff is. DOn't waste time / energy and thoughts on the smaller muscles now, after you gain some size, the smaller groups will be much easier to work on.

I usually only train 4 days per week. I hit the 3 major groups as outlined above and repeat my lagging body part on the training day. One thing that you'll notice if you're on a good cycle is that you really do not need the long recovery between sessions like you do when not on cycle.

Here's what I just finished tonight: Flat bench 12 reps / 4 sets, Incline DB press 10 reps / 3 sets, flat bench DB press 10 reps / 4 sets. pec deck 12 reps / 5 sets. cable cross 20 reps / 2 sets and 1 set to failure, Tris: over head DB press, 10 reps / 3 sets, overhead rope extension, 12 reps / 4 sets, tri push downs, 10 reps / 3 sets, machine tri extensions to failure for 3 sets.

You must record your lifts and increase weight / reps or sets atleast once a month if not every week.

Well enough...good luck

BPP

 

[gazpacho]

BPP,
Thanks very much for your very detailed and informative response. Unfortunately, I may not have been very clear. The month-by-month schedule outlined above is a macro cycle, but within each month I follow weekly split with days off and cardio.

For example, during the month of heavy training, I train each body part once a week using a 4 day/week split. During the month of high intensity training, I train each body part 1-2 days/week. The point I was trying to make is that my focus over the three-month cycle shifts from conditioning, to size, to strength training. I believe that you need to change your workout strategy on a monthly basis, at least, to make serious progress.

To phrase my question another way: If I am planning to start a size/growth cycle, should I train for the full 8 weeks using 8-12 reps/set, which is considered the maximum range for hypertrophy? Or should I train in this range for 4 weeks and then train using heavy weights for low reps(4-6)? Since I just finished a month of hypertrophy training, would it make sense to just train for strength and conditioning over the next 8 weeks?

thanks again for your help. if my goals and training schedule are still unclear, please let me know.

By the way, here is what I mean by heavy, medium and light weight:
Heavy weight = 80%-100% of 1-rep max
Medium weight = 60%-75% of 1-rep max
Light weight = 40%-55% of 1-rep max

 

[gazpacho]

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[gazpacho]

bump.

 

[BigPapaPump]

Sorry for the late reply.

I think you would be better off staying in the medium range if I understand your training cycles.

The reason I say stay there is 2 fold. First off, if this is your first cycle, you might not be prepared for the strength increase, energy increase and if you lift too heavy too quick you could end up getting hurt.....no fun. Secondly, you did not list what type of gear you were going to use, so it's hard to tell whn you will begin to benefit from the usage. I'm ususally a test only guy, so I get the kick in within a week of starting.

I'd also lay off the cardio...say to once per week. Unless you have already adjusted your diet, you may not get the full benefit of a cycle. It's nice to stay trim but also counter productive while trying to gain mass. There's only so much you can eat.

Good luck

BPP