Its been five moths of experiencing this concept. I can tell that most important aspect is food and focus. And I mean it. During 1 year of efficient training (less than 3h a week), I have experienced my body working better than before. I could distribute energy from nutrition more efficiently during the day, and perform better. The ideal hormonal balance from food and exercising forces you to be active which is why more fuel needed and more focus.
If not focused, you lose control of what keeps you in constant anabolic state imperative for lean muscles otherwise training only 1h a week is hardly achieved. Therefore, we will touch on mental training in the next post but first, let see how we can train effectively by doing less. As we know by now, the muscle growth stimulation is best achieved by heavy-intense impulses. There are also two types of muscle fibers that define how we train.
Having in mind, our bodies work more constructive over time, more of less will matter profoundly. During intense training even less means much where focus needed to keep the right technique of movements and lifting to achieve maximal results. We also consider two ways around of building muscles which is through pump and increasing weights.
It is also important to consider safety and productivity of exercising. Concentrating on compound or multi-joints exercises will put your body under more stress (great gainers). Using preferably machines to have the right executing technique and avoid injuries. This, will give you nice aesthetic physique without wasting too much of your precious time at gym and confronting more serious injuries.
Starting always with dynamic stretching to warm-up our bodies to induce better executing technique through relieved joints for few minutes depending on your fitness level. I take max 5 minutes, you should do until you start sweating a bit and increase heart-beat.
Hitting the compound exercises with 3-4 sets per exercise where first two are additional warming-up to avoid injuries and prepare for NEXT SET. This next set “number 3” should be highest possible weight you can perform with during one hour time-frame to meet your workout plan. To decrease worrying do first two sets with 10 reps. First set weight should be the one that does not strain much and should be considerably easy to do 10 reps. The second set should be more challenging to accomplish 10 reps. So, we constantly raise weights until set number 4. The intensity level in all three sets is normally 30s break.
The third set should be second most challenging or perhaps the most if you have a partner around as this demonstrates your strength level. If you can constantly raise the bar at gym, your workout and day-to-day productivity will go to whole different level of efficiency. The weight should not be on your maximal strength level as we focus on safety and technique to achieve stronger and better body. Reaching 4-6 reps works more than fine.
The set number 4 is very important in three points: its creates pump what is hardly achieved in previous sets as we go much more through pain by hitting lower weights and going until failure and contract muscles optimally. Secondly, attacking slow-twitched fibers ( doing ideally around 20 reps) increases endurance which allows more productivity over short time frame. In other words, your workout intensity and weights will ascend. The last one, makes sure you killed it – “no more worries your mission is fulfilled.” Do not forget cooling down 2 min and static stretching afterwards 10 min.
Adding isolations exercises in the end allows better pump better gains if advanced fitness level as productivity is increasing and you want to fill out time gap as your workouts are faster – constant pushing and progressing. In the end, it is important to trust your body as it says much about what you can and cannot do with current fitness level. This trust bond will logically strengthen over time with results as we all work differently. You can set your training plan based on preferences, however I chose the most effective considering current knowledge to endorse more strength, better performance and gains.
Squats 60/80/110/60 Leg press 80/100/140/100 kg
Deadlifts 60/80/130 or 140 sometimes add one more set with 60 kg until failure.
Bench-press 60/100/60 kg
shoulder press 60/90/60 kg after this exercise I notice good pump and warm-up so I jump into more challenging breaks 15s
pull-up 45/75/45 sometimes I go 4 sets 45/60/75/45 kg
chin-up 35/45/45 kg
seated cable-row 45/75/45 sometimes 45/60/75/45 kg
grip-barbell 20/35/20 kg good for better grip when exercising with barbell (improve deadlifts, bench-press performance).
isolation exercises – freestyle usually one exercise with 3 sets – biceps, triceps and quads
I focus to target whole body equally not destroying legs too much only deadlifts and squats. This gives me pretty much good overall physique as you use more muscles per exercise. The number of sets and exercises depends on your fitness level, start small grow big. Its good to have a plan to stick to.
Though, you must understand that muscle must be constantly challenged so we indulge in adversity by sometimes adding extra sets when good days or decreasing weight but increase intensity when bad days. It should definitely be more fun to stay driven where main challenge is to stick to the plan which must be always progressive. I also put legs and deadlifts first as it is for me most challenging. Squats are harder for technique and focus than a machine so when I do not feel like it I jump on leg press but put more weights. Have a good training.
References:
Find your exercises
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/6-compound-movements-build-mass.htm
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw46.htm
SET 4 WIN 