Muscle Confusion



Q: I have read some of your material regarding working out and the 10-8-6-15 program. I just have a question:

I have been consistently lifting weights now for 3 months, and I started with this routine, which was upper body on Monday and lower body on Tuesday, then same thing Thursday, Friday. Since May I started doing chest/triceps on Monday, back/biceps Tuesday, quads/hamstrings/legs Thursday, and shoulders/calves Friday. I'm still doing this workout.

Is there anything you can suggest I change or do? Of course sticking with this same workout I'm sure my body has adapted to it. I need to confuse my muscles and continously change things to make progress, right?

Take care,
Arvind


My Answer: You've answered your own question, Arvind. Yes you do need to change things up, because 3 months is way too long to be on a program. Your body will adapt to a program within 3 weeks.

If you're thinking of switching to the Hypertrophy Training for the Ectomorph (HTE) program, then that would be a good start. The reason is that you're currently training each body part directly only once a week. If you switched to the HTE program, then you would be training each body part directly 3 times a week. This change in training frequency will build more muscle at a faster rate.

Keep in mind that you must adhere to the principles outlined in the article. One exercise per body part done 3 times per week. Four sets per exercise. If you add anything else or change the program around, then you are messing around with the training parameters.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Targeting the Deltoids, Minimizing the Traps

Image
Q:  I've read your article about shoulder workouts as well as many others, and I have a question. I really appreciate if you can spare some time to answer it. I heard from almost everywhere that you can get wider shoulders by working out. I have a very slim body (56 kg, 172 cm tall, 24 year old male) and very narrow shoulders. The width of my shoulders is only two times of the width of my head (1/2). I checked this ratio by measuring photos of a man with broad shoulders, and this ratio is usually 1/3. I know it has a lot to do with genetics, but how much exactly can you add to your shoulder size by workout? Someone told me that you can add 2 centimeters to each side at a total of 4 cm maximum. Even if that's true, by working out my deltoids I will also work my trapezius muscles as well, even if I don't want to. And the growth of the trapezius makes your shoulders look narrow, because it gives your shoulders an angle to the ground rather than being nearly parallel to...
Keep reading

Bench Press to Increase Pushups

Image
Q: I must say I enjoy reading what you write and find you somewhat an inspiration. I have wanted to be a police officer my entire life, but considering a juvenile criminal record (JUST expunged) I can't join the Marines as an MP. I can't join period either, because I got my GED and so I'm volunteering at the YMCA, and answering phones at the fire department until I start college for a degree in Education. I do have one area of concern. I used to box. I'm 17, but started boxing when I was 16. I weighed 115 and was benching 180. Around New Year’s I cut myself on the wrist and severed several tendons, which put me to all running and biking for a good many months. Just this past month I've gotten back to work out, but I've found myself hesitating from the bench press due to a concern that it might affect my push up reps. My goal I've set is 100 push ups by New Year's, as well as squatting 200 pounds 20 times, running 5k, and 20+ chin ups. It...
Keep reading

Leg Presses and 5x5

Image
Q: What's your opinion on the 5x5 training programs? They are very well liked by many.  Also, because of tight hamstrings, I like leg presses better than squats. Are leg presses effective? Squats are very useful and build overall strength. Can the same be said about leg presses? -CS My Answer: The 5x5 is a solid program and has been around for a long, long time. Of all the programs floating around in the gym, it is second to the 10-8-6-15 program as far as popularity. But while the 5x5 is a solid program by itself, it works even better as a decompression program, which I go over in Strength and Physique: The Articles . As far as leg presses, it really depends on what your goal is. If you're an athlete looking to gain real world strength and size, then the leg press won't do anything for you unless you're a speed skater. If you're just concerned about size and nothing else, then the leg press is good choice, even better than the squat. Q: ...
Keep reading