[quote]Chi-Towns-Finest wrote:
Thanks for the reponse. I found competing to be an extremely rewarding experience, I feel I have developed a lot as an individual during the six months that I trained for the show. I can’t wait to see what I can accomplish with nine or ten months of prep and a well planned 16-20 weeks of cutting!
I will certainly give 30s a try, on an off note the only time I take a preworkout is on leg day. I use NO Explode and generally will use slightly more than two scoops. It certainly makes taking shorter rest periods a lot more bearable compared to the rest of my workouts!
I’ve actually just started using peak contractions, not for 5s, but I’ll focus on contracting the muscle and imagine the blood pumping through it. I’ve used this particularly for calves at the suggestion of a fellow trainer. I’ll have to play around with it on a couple other exercises.
As far as variety, I have always switched things up. Recently another trainer recommended taking two workouts, my quad and ham workouts for example, and sticking strictly to those two for up to 6-8 weeks or until I stop seeing results. I’d like to hear your thoughts or experience with that, maybe it’s a good idea for certain muscle groups?[/quote]
Yeah, peaks on calves has been crucial for me as well. I’ve recently started really focusing on the bottom of the reps too…coming to a complete stop stretching my calves on the negative as much as possible before contracting them upwards. It’s too early to tell how effective this is…but I’m holding out hope
Variety is a tricky bastard. I’ve tried both doing different workouts each session and sticking with something for at least 8 weeks or so. I think they both have their place in a well designed training split, but if I had to choose one over the other I think sticking with something for several weeks before switching might be better. For me, it is difficult to gauge progress if I keep switching my exercises, order of exercises, etc. By sticking to the same routine for some time, it is easy to see if I’m improving. Either more weight, more reps, or the same weight/reps with less rest is all progress…obviously.
The difference between my first and second shows may have been one of the most explosive periods of my life! It sounds like you’re well on your way to experience the same. The motivation and drive you’ll have in your training will take you to a whole new level. You sound very eager and I’d bet you’re gonna see some really nice improvements across the board.
Good luck!