2 things:
DOMS is not the best indicator of whether or not a workout was good or not. Especially with arms, it’s really unusual for me to get that. I actually feel best about a workout when I don’t have it. Once you get used to the program, the DOMS will diminish.
Also, no one workout session is a ‘success’ or ‘failure’. As long as you’re eating right, you’ll benefit from cumulative results. Weightlifting is a marathon, not a sprint.
Hey just a couple things.
I can still barely walk and its been ages since leg day, when will this agony stop and is there anything besides 1 to 1.5 grams of protein I can do to lessen the agony?
Do I need to do cardio. I have quite a bit of fat but I am scared of losing any muscle gains I make which has happened before while I was a member of the Triathlon club and regularly did over 10km a day. Maybe an hour a day walking on incline tradmill? Maybe sprints?
3.On monday it is usually tonnes of lads doing curls and as a result the dumbbell floor is being used where as the bench’s seem to be barely touched. Rather than doing DB and BB press could I do the BB version for each exercise to save time that would be spent waiting for the dumbbells? usually 25 minutes or so.
The whole “oh cardio will make you lose muscle mass!” only really applies to people who are so advanced in their bodybuilding that their body wants an excuse to get rid of excess muscle mass. For the average person, cardio and some sort of conditioning will will help their muscle gain, not hurt it. Just continue eating at or slightly above your daily caloric requirements and walk at a brisk pace for 3-6 times a week/2-3 days of conditioning after leg/lower body days. Your muscle gain “may” slow, but at the same time you won’t gain or possibly even lose bf. You will be healthier and have a better platform from which you can continue gaining clean weight for years to come. Unless you’re on a time-limit, it’s always preferable to do things slowly when it comes to your body.
Another thing to keep in mind is a principle (not sure if it’s an actual principle or just an observation by him) that Christian Thibaudeau mentioned in his bulking article. A lot of people think they’re getting bigger when they’re bulking, when in fact they’re gaining bf and not actual muscle. End result- They look like a fat slob. Conversely, dropping into the 10% or lower bf club will make you actually look bigger by the virtue that your muscles are actually visible. Granted, this only applies when you have a good amount of muscle mass already.
As for your soreness following legs. It always happens when you make an abrupt change in your routine. Either the work-out hit your legs far beyond what they were used to, or it’s utilizing muscles that it never has. Either way, you’ll probably be sore for close to 4-5 days after such an exercise.
If it’s because you’re taxing your legs far beyond what they’re used to then you should just mentally prepare yourself for being sore 24/7. Chances are it’ll continue the intensity.
If it’s just because you’re exercising a muscle/part that hasn’t been exercised before, then it should start feeling fine after 3 weeks or so; though I’m sure it depends on the person.
Bb decline press
1.10@50kg
2.10@60kg
3.7@65kg
4.6@70kg
Incline bb press
1.10@40kg
2.6@40kg
3.6@50kg
Flat db bench
1.10@20kg
2.6@20kg
3.5@20kg
Do calves on shoulder or back day because work in 20 minutes all the stuff being used
Please don’t whine about being sore. It happens to everyone. If you have big goals, you can deal with it. Your legs may be sore for 2 weeks straight. Doesn’t matter. I said this before, it will get better, just trust the process.
I would suggest on your benching not to switch the order of exercises. I see you already did it this week. You should start with incline, then flat, then decline. It’s a mistake to do it in the opposite order. If you have to substitute BB for DB or vice versa, fine. But what you did doesn’t really even resemble the original intent of the program laid out for you.
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
Please don’t whine about being sore. It happens to everyone. If you have big goals, you can deal with it. Your legs may be sore for 2 weeks straight. Doesn’t matter. I said this before, it will get better, just trust the process.
I would suggest on your benching not to switch the order of exercises. I see you already did it this week. You should start with incline, then flat, then decline. It’s a mistake to do it in the opposite order. If you have to substitute BB for DB or vice versa, fine. But what you did doesn’t really even resemble the original intent of the program laid out for you.
[/quote]
Hey dude I was wondering after reading your reply if you think maybe doing all the bench press exercises with dumbbells would be better as I can adjust to each one on the bench without having to wait for people to get off.
Also if you have the time could you explain why the bench needs to be in that order? Thanks