Group: Experienced Exercise

Created: 2012/01/01, Members: 50, Messages: 19484

For intermediate and advanced individuals. Share and learn how to take your fitness to the next level!

Join group

What do you do between reps/sets?

yooperjim
yooperjim
Posts: 104
Joined: 2005/09/01
United States
2005/09/27, 05:07 AM
What do you all do between reps/sets? I've always moved from one excersize to another unrelated one without stopping, but now I've started a split routine and this resting thing between reps and sets is making me nuts. For one I get really bored, and I also seem to loose some of my ooomph. Before, my whole workout was almost like cardio, heartrate stayed up, etc. and so on. I think it's a physics thing, ie; 'a body in motion...'

Jim
bropie
bropie
Posts: 1,084
Joined: 2004/12/04
Canada
2005/09/27, 07:43 AM
how long do you rest now? keep it below 3 min if you are doing a bodybuilding style workout.. you could also try training a different bodypart when you are resting another (called supersetting). for example, do a barbell bench press and do calf raises in between sets.
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2005/09/27, 12:08 PM
I keep a log of all workouts, so I take my notebook in with me. We have a table in the center of the gym, and I keep my book there. After each set, I walk over to it, and write in what I did. (this gives me cardio also!! LOL!!), but seriously, passes a minute or so.

Then walk over to the water fountain and get a sip of water. This is normally a decent rest period between sets.

--------------
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....

bb1fit@freetrainers.com
yooperjim
yooperjim
Posts: 104
Joined: 2005/09/01
United States
2005/09/28, 08:29 AM
Well, I've tried many of these things, I always write everything down, but does't take long to jot down a number, and there is something about the inactivity that just saps my energy making it very hard to continue with much intensity. I like the idea of supersets. I think that's what I had been doing, sorta, before I started this split, multiple set thing. So can anyone suggest complimentary excersizes for supersets? here is the list of excersizes that I do, now just scramble them into supersets?

Incline dumbell press
Flat Bench press
Flat dumbell flys
Bo row
One arm rows
Barbell curls
Hammer curls
Concentration curls
Standing shoulder press
Front raise
Standing Dumbell flys
Tricep press
Tricep press
Tricep press
(all three Tri presses are diff. just not sure of the names)
There are also five different ab. excersizes

Thanks for the guidance,

Jim
yooperjim
yooperjim
Posts: 104
Joined: 2005/09/01
United States
2005/09/28, 08:31 AM
Shoot, I forgot to add the squats, lunges, goodmornings, and deadlifts....

jim
bropie
bropie
Posts: 1,084
Joined: 2004/12/04
Canada
2005/09/28, 08:42 AM
how long are you in the gym??? a routine like that and i would be dead halfway through.. maybe look into adopting a split program. if you want to stick with that, pair up an exercise for one body part with one for another.. or even 2 exercises for the same body part (ie a compound and isolation mvt for ex.) for a great pump.

how long do you rest b/t sets? maybe cut this down a bit..
yooperjim
yooperjim
Posts: 104
Joined: 2005/09/01
United States
2005/09/28, 09:29 AM
No gym, I workout at home, and this routine takes less than an hour. There are no rests in between, and I have been doing between 10 to 15 reps. This is the order that I have been doing it...

Incline dumbell press
BO Rows
Barbell curls
Tricep press

Flat bench press
One arm rows
hammer curls
tricep press

Flat dumbell flys
standing shoulder press
concentration curls
tricep press

I tack these on at the end 'cause I don't know where else to put them;

Front raise
squats or lunges
deadlifts or goodmornings
standing dumbell flys

And then before I do the weights I do 15 to 20 minutes on the treadmill followed by my ab stuff. I do one set of each excersize with no rest (maybe some stretches in between)
2005/09/28, 09:39 AM
you write in the notebook the exercise, weight used, reps performed, forced reps? partial reps? how did u feel when u performed the set? did u feel more weak than usual or did u have tons of energy...or more than usual..? did u perform the exercise same way or did u use some variation....(even shifting the grip changes dynamics of an exercise)..how long did u rest between sets....etc....u can write many things in the notebook....
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2005/09/28, 12:08 PM
Sounds like you are embarking on a circuit type training, and this is good if endurance with a small strength gain is your goal. If strength and hypertrophy is your goal however, then you may think about changing up to a split where you can put more intensity into each bodypart and more rest.

--------------
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....

bb1fit@freetrainers.com
yooperjim
yooperjim
Posts: 104
Joined: 2005/09/01
United States
2005/09/28, 01:32 PM
Yeah, that's what I've been thinking, in fact, I tried doing something like that, I just did my chest and biceps and abs. Wasn't sure if I should have included my tris too, but I didn't. I liked the effect on the muscle groups, and did notice more soreness the next coupld of days, but I felt like I was half done and cheating...lol This is also where I ran into the lack of intensity, and the frustration with resting between reps and sets, makes everything seems like it's in slow motion.

Oh, menace! I never thought about writing a novel in between sets. Lol. I just jot down numbers...