Q&A for: 23-Apr-06
1515. Q:
response to 1509. Thanks for advice Mike. I wanted ask though. Would the workout routines really help me gain moe muscle? Or just help me maintain what I have? They seem so lite. (which I guess was the point:) I always thought you had to get to the gym and kill every muscle every week to get anywhere. You know 'no pain no gain.' One more question how can I calculate where i how much weight to use to do 5-6 which are 10 reps short of failure? If I squat say 215 and bench 160 and dead lift 175?
A:
Those routines do work and they're especially appropriate if you've been doing high-volume to-failure training for awhile (like it sounds you have). The best training routines will vary the load and intensity throughout the year continuously giving your body different stress level and also letting it recover. In plain terms that means that after a period (say, two months) of high-volume (many sets) intense (every set to-failure) training you follow with a period of lower-volume and/or lower-intensity training before going back to higher-volume. The programs I posted do just that -- all three are low-volume and last two are not-to-failure.
The program that prescribes stopping 10, 8, 6, etc reps short of failure is specifically designed to build strength rather than add mass (though it will probably do a bit of latter too) so that's why it looks so strange when you're used to to-failure training. strength-specific training will rarely involve going to failure. Depending on the exact strength-training program you'll max out to-failure no more than once a week and usually even less often (like in my program). This program will seem very very strange to you, especially in the first two-three weeks when the sets will not even seem like warm-ups, but it does work: check out Q&A #188 and Q&A #199 where I helped somebody put together a program to improve bench press strength. He came back in Q&A #440 with much improved results!
As far how do you know what weight to select for a given number of reps, go to my articles page and click on 'Find Weight and Reps to Lift' link. Then input what you normally lift to-failure for 8 or however many reps and it'll tell you the weight to use for other reps. For 14-rep effort (like in week 2 when you do 6 reps and stop 8 reps short of failure -- 6 + 8 = 14) use 65-67% of 1RM (1RM = one-rep max or the maximum you can lift in a single rep) and for 16-rep effort (like in week 1) use 63-65% of 1RM.
1516. Q:
what do you think of hiit training? is it effective
A:
Yes, HIIT (see Q&A #1394) is a very effective form of 'cardio' (it's actually a hybrid of anaerobic and aerobic training).
1517. Q:
Mike, is it necessary to do dedicated forearm exercises, or do your forearms get enough from gripping heavy weights while lifting.
A:
I would say that doing heavy deadlifts and shrugs will be enough for most people to develop their forearms. But if find that your grip is not particularly stressed by these exercises, you'd probably want to add some dedicated forearm work.
1518. Q:
what is a good weight for a 40 year old female 5'3'
A:
Anywhere from 110 to 140 pounds would be considered healthy weight for you and I wouldn't worry too much if you're just a few pounds over.
1519. Q:
FOllowing a one week break I decided to add ten pounds to my squat. After doing four set of 8 at 215lbs for the entire next week my legs hurt. They hurt really bad the first few days, then it got a little better. When it was time to do squats again they still hurt. Is it better to skip it for another week, or hit them a little less, or do the same weight again?
A:
Skip squats until your legs fully recover. Coming back after the break and adding more weight always results in most muscle soreness, so next week you should be back to normal.
1520. Q:
hi mike i have a body fat percentage of 11 but something is weird sometimes under light maybe around 9 am i cant hardly see the pack lines but when its darker maybe like 6pm i can see the lines , how can i bulk up on my packs so that they are more visible
A:
That sounds about right -- at 11% body fat you're right you should be right on the verge of seeing your six-pack. In order to bring it out better however, the main thing is to lower your body fat (below 10%). That is not easy to do, with enough time and discipline it's possible. Check out my advice in Q&A #1208 for somebody in the same situation. Also if you give me a lot more detail about yourself, your diet, and your training I'll probably be able to give you specific suggestions on things to change or improve.
1521. Q:
hi mike can you please tell me how much fat does 1 capsule of Scotts Pure Cod Liver Oil Contains here is the link http://www.wherehealthbegins.com/singapore/Product?skuno=385 , i need to know the amount of fats it contains in 1 one capsule because im doing a research thanks : )
A:
I can't find exact information but most often such capsules contain 1 gram of fat per capsule.
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