# Anyone do anything similar to this?



## blundig (Jul 8, 2021)

In the last year I've gotten decent strength gains by primarily doing  6 sets of 6 reps for each major muscle group, as heavy as I can go.  That's back, chest and legs three days a week , and arms, shoulders and calves 3 days a week.  I feel 6 reps works for me as a happy medium to  get the benefits of both strength and bodybuilding. training. 
I'm adding some extras now though. I'm very open to any advice, poking holes in this, etc.


----------



## Badleroybrown (Jul 8, 2021)

So if I am reading this right you train _7 days a week and without a break.. I am not sure can you break this down for me with the days of the week along with the muscle group you are working on those days. Seems like a lot of work. Thanks. _


----------



## blundig (Jul 8, 2021)

Badleroybrown said:


> So if I am reading this right you train _7 days a week and without a break.. I am not sure can you break this down for me with the days of the week along with the muscle group you are working on those days. Seems like a lot of work. Thanks. _


Six days a week.  3 days of  back, chest and legs and 3 other days of arms, shoulders and calves. The workouts don't take that long. A  day is 18 sets of 6 reps---6 sets for each of the three categories that day. 
Then some extras here and there.


----------



## DEADlifter (Jul 8, 2021)

Paging Dr. @CJ275


----------



## CJ (Jul 8, 2021)

Not me. There's no way in hell I could do back, chest, and legs on the same day, at least not training them hard.


----------



## rawdeal (Jul 8, 2021)

Bill Starr used to advocate a Push-Pull-Legs, 1 exercise each, on one day  x  3 times a week.  The Push and the Pull and the Legs would each have a Heavy, a Medium, and a Light day during the week, arranged so that any given day only had 1 heavy, 1 medium, and 1 light bodypart session.

He then allowed for the common temptation toward vanity with 1 or 2 of what he called "some curlies for the girlies" exercises


----------



## blundig (Jul 8, 2021)

CJ275 said:


> Not me. There's no way in hell I could do back, chest, and legs on the same day, at least not training them hard.


I know it seems weird. But for some reason chest and back flow easier for me,  even training hard and with weights within normal proportionate range to those used for other body parts.  Arms, on the other hand, tire me more than chest/back. Go figure. But, obviously, my training hard is not your training hard.


----------



## Badleroybrown (Jul 8, 2021)

CJ275 said:


> Not me. There's no way in hell I could do back, chest, and legs on the same day, at least not training them hard.


Without a doubt you are right my friend. I have done it maybe twice a week at one point t or another just because maybe I trained with some one during the week and they were training a different body. But as far as purposely doing it. No way. I trained chest and tris on Monday and back on Sunday and I am still sore and today is Thursday.. this above sounds like a lot of work.  . For sure.


----------



## blundig (Jul 8, 2021)

Badleroybrown said:


> Without a doubt you are right my friend. I have done it maybe twice a week at one point t or another just because maybe I trained with some one during the week and they were training a different body. But as far as purposely doing it. No way. I trained chest and tris on Monday and back on Sunday and I am still sore and today is Thursday.. this above sounds like a lot of work.  . For sure.


Well, what I'm doing may be a stupid idea, so I'm going to assess the underpinnings of the choice. Or it might still be good for me, or it may have been good for a period of time but not now. One advantage is that I do it at my home gym and 18 sets can easily be done in an hour or so.  So I don't consider it a lot of work at all. I'm done at 7:00 a.m.  I also have an hour and ten minute commute (and once had a longer one for ten years), so I may just be nuts.


----------



## rawdeal (Jul 8, 2021)

This might be a good time for a discussion on what  6 x 6  "as heavy as I can go" means.

Are you choosing a fixed weight that will permit 6 x 6 where only the later sets, and certainly the last set, *are *as heavy as possible as fatigue becomes a factor?  ...........

Or, are you warming up with lighter weights, up to a maximum weight for the first "official" set of a 6 x 6, and then lowering the weight as needed to permit 6 maximum reps for all 6 sets?

One version of "6 x 6" has less than 6 intense sets in it;  the other version has all 6 sets at maximum intensity.  I always wonder what guys mean when they cite a 6 x 6, or 5 x 5, or whatever numbers training scheme.  Might be different guys mean different things.


----------



## CJ (Jul 9, 2021)

rawdeal said:


> This might be a good time for a discussion on what  6 x 6  "as heavy as I can go" means.
> 
> Are you choosing a fixed weight that will permit 6 x 6 where only the later sets, and certainly the last set, *are *as heavy as possible as fatigue becomes a factor?  ...........
> 
> ...


Great point, 6x6 or 3x10/5x5 is lacking important details.


----------



## blundig (Jul 9, 2021)

rawdeal said:


> This might be a good time for a discussion on what  6 x 6  "as heavy as I can go" means.
> 
> Are you choosing a fixed weight that will permit 6 x 6 where only the later sets, and certainly the last set, *are *as heavy as possible as fatigue becomes a factor?  ...........
> 
> ...


Very true. Kind of neither. It varies a little based on the body part, and I'm not totally pure about it when I am transitioning to a higher weight or rehabbing a little. Also, as hard as I can go can change from day to day, so there are moving parts. I also don't warm up much and believe it's overrated _regardless_ of weight used.  But let's take an example. Today I did six sets of six dumbbell flyes. I used a single weight. The first three sets were quite doably hard, the fourth was very hard, and the last two were very intense exertion. So now I see "as heavy as I can go" is not entirely accurate when applied to *each* set. And when the first few sets seem too easy, I may do 12,10 or 8 reps for them until I transition to a new fixed weight. So I was speaking somewhat indistinctly when you look close. Basically, I'm really taking a weight that I can _complete_ 6X6 with at a good clip, with no easy sets and a couple real ballbusters.


----------



## Badleroybrown (Jul 11, 2021)

So I always thought with a 5x5 6x6 or whatever rep scene you pick the weight should be 79-80% of your max. So the first 2-3 sets would be light work while the intensity grows till the last 2-3 we here you are struggling to make the last one. If you start out with a weight you can get 10-12 reps in then it’s not a 6x6. This is just my train of thought on it. Please if I am wrong some one correct me or add to what I just said.


----------



## rawdeal (Jul 11, 2021)

Badleroybrown said:


> So I always thought with a 5x5 6x6 or whatever rep scene you pick the weight should be 79-80% of your max. So the first 2-3 sets would be light work while the intensity grows till the last 2-3 we here you are struggling to make the last one. If you start out with a weight you can get 10-12 reps in then it’s not a 6x6. This is just my train of thought on it. Please if I am wrong some one correct me or add to what I just said.


I think the whole idea is there is no wrong, or right ... just that whenever someone says "5 x 5"  or some other numbers, you never know how much intensity he's talking about.  Any discussion about (overall) recovery time and workouts per week follows from that imo.

Also some inherent ambiguity in these discussions when choosing what % of 1RM to use for any scheme unless the time between sets is factored in.  A scheme based on 5 x 5s with 3 minute rests can use a greater fixed % of 1RM than a 5 x 5 with just 1 minute rests.  And any numbers we think are ideal for us go out the window when comparing Squats to Curls, at least in my case.

I've used them all, Badleroy, but your train of thought is the one I revisit the most.


----------



## blundig (Jul 11, 2021)

Badleroybrown said:


> So I always thought with a 5x5 6x6 or whatever rep scene you pick the weight should be 79-80% of your max. So the first 2-3 sets would be light work while the intensity grows till the last 2-3 we here you are struggling to make the last one. If you start out with a weight you can get 10-12 reps in then it’s not a 6x6. This is just my train of thought on it. Please if I am wrong some one correct me or add to what I just said.


I agree with that. That's why I don't do higher reps except for a short transition period before using a higher weight.


----------



## blundig (Jul 15, 2021)

Just to clarify another point rawdeal made, I take around a minute between sets, sometimes less for the first three.  Has worked for me.


----------



## CJ (Jul 15, 2021)

blundig said:


> Just to clarify another point rawdeal made, I take around a minute between sets, sometimes less for the first three.  Has worked for me.


That's cardio!!!  😳😳😳


----------



## 1bigun11 (Jul 15, 2021)

blundig said:


> In the last year I've gotten decent strength gains by primarily doing  6 sets of 6 reps for each major muscle group, as heavy as I can go.  That's back, chest and legs three days a week , and arms, shoulders and calves 3 days a week.  I feel 6 reps works for me as a happy medium to  get the benefits of both strength and bodybuilding. training.
> I'm adding some extras now though. I'm very open to any advice, poking holes in this, etc.


I will say this.  If you are getting decent results doing what you are doing, then keep on doing it for as long as that wave will last.  Do not over think it, go with it.  Do not convince yourself that it cannot be working, when you know for a fact that it is working for you.   

You will see people on these boards who are always changing things up in pursuit of the "perfect" workout and diet plan, but who always look the same year after year because they are never making progress.  If you have found something that works for you now then thank your lucky stars and go with it!


----------



## snake (Jul 15, 2021)

Each body part 3x/wk with a 1 min rest between sets? Oh hell no, we couldn't be further apart. lol But hey if it's doing the job, keep it up.


----------



## snake (Jul 15, 2021)

1bigun11 said:


> You will see people on these boards who are always changing things up in pursuit of the "perfect" workout and diet plan, but who always look the same year after year because they are never making progress.


When you're 30 and someone says you don't look any different than 10 years ago, you're doing something wrong. When your 50 and someone says you don't look any different than 10 years ago, you're doing something right.


----------



## 1bigun11 (Jul 15, 2021)

snake said:


> When you're 30 and someone says you don't look any different than 10 years ago, you're doing something wrong. When your 50 and someone says you don't look any different than 10 years ago, you're doing something right.


I suppose that depends on how great you think you looked at 40.  I see a lot of 40 year olds joining this board.  I suspect that they have some expectation of improving themselves, not just holding on, but I could be wrong.


----------



## hulksmash (Jul 15, 2021)

Nope. I blew up in strength by adopting a Paul Anderson style.

1-4 reps. Heavy enough where I always failed the 4th until I adapted the strength to do it.

Once a full 4 reps, add 5-10lbs the next week.

3-4 warm-up sets. NEVER waste your strength on this-just get blood in there, warming up the joints and muscles.

1x a week. Sometimes I would do triceps 2x/wk when I was stuck using 50s for lying DB extensions (was at 75s right before my tear).

KISS. Strength=1-4 reps and forced reps.

EDIT: Forced reps are used for introducing your CNS and tissues to new-yet to be adapted-weight load. It's a variable that hastens strength gain.

*You will gain muscle from this if in a caloric surplus.* Obviously, you won't gain as much as a pure muscle goal would. You can't serve two masters, after all.


----------



## snake (Jul 15, 2021)

1bigun11 said:


> I suppose that depends on how great you think you looked at 40.  I see a lot of 40 year olds joining this board.  I suspect that they have some expectation of improving themselves, not just holding on, but I could be wrong.


Count me in as the just holding on then!


----------



## BrotherIron (Jul 15, 2021)

What also hasn't been discussed is where is this lifter in their lifting life?  meaning is this person a newb?  Newbs can do damn  near anything and get gains/ progress from it while intermediate or adv lifters have to be much more detail oriented and take fatigue into account (muscular and CNS). 6days a week for an interm or adv lifter is just not going to work.  Recovery would be damn near impossible.

6 reps imho is more hypertrophy and not as much strength if you're trying to talk about strength int he truest sense of the word.  If you were talking about triples I would say otherwise. Sets in the 5-6 rep range don't accumulate the neural fatigue like lower reps/ higher weight reps do.


----------



## transcend2007 (Jul 15, 2021)

Consistently and diet are what matter most ... find a workout you love and look forward getting into the gym to do ... so many people spend more time watching other people workouts on YouTube than they do in the gym themselves ... the reality is workouts change over the years ... if your loving this workout now do it as intensely and consistently as possible ... results will happen if your in your first few years of working out ... creating the workout habit is most important ...


----------



## hulksmash (Jul 15, 2021)

snake said:


> Count me in as the just holding on then!


Yea right gramps

We know you still liftin and slangin dick like a 20 year old, amirite?


----------



## hulksmash (Jul 15, 2021)

transcend2007 said:


> Consistently and diet are what matter most ... find a workout you love and look forward getting into the gym to do ... so many people spend more time watching other people workouts on YouTube than they do in the gym themselves ... the reality is workouts change over the years ... if your loving this workout now do it as intensely and consistently as possible ... results will happen if your in your first few years of working out ... creating the workout habit is most important ...


+1 on that

Consistent progressive overload+great diet=strength, always.


----------



## blundig (Jul 16, 2021)

And at 71, if you're not drooling to the extent you can't grip the dumbbell...


----------



## blundig (Jul 17, 2021)

BrotherIron said:


> What also hasn't been discussed is where is this lifter in their lifting life?  meaning is this person a newb?  Newbs can do damn  near anything and get gains/ progress from it while intermediate or adv lifters have to be much more detail oriented and take fatigue into account (muscular and CNS). 6days a week for an interm or adv lifter is just not going to work.  Recovery would be damn near impossible.
> 
> 6 reps imho is more hypertrophy and not as much strength if you're trying to talk about strength int he truest sense of the word.  If you were talking about triples I would say otherwise. Sets in the 5-6 rep range don't accumulate the neural fatigue like lower reps/ higher weight reps do.


Of course 6 reps would be absurd as a regular diet for strength and power training. Naturally, you also wouldn't do a normal bodybuilding length between sets either like I do.  But I use heavier weights than I would if I did more reps, so for me it's a happy medium of sorts.


----------



## Badleroybrown (Jul 19, 2021)

hulksmash said:


> Nope. I blew up in strength by adopting a Paul Anderson style.
> 
> 1-4 reps. Heavy enough where I always failed the 4th until I adapted the strength to do it.
> 
> ...


This is great advice but This above would only be able to be achieved if you have a training partner to help you with failure. The last thing you want is for someone to drop a barbell on their face. Faces smoosh easy. Lmao..


----------



## Badleroybrown (Jul 19, 2021)

At this point in my life I have changed my training g up… I still train heavy but I train in whatever reps I want to. Let’s take cable towns. Sometime  I do cable rows as heavy as I can whole rack for as many reps as I can..  i try and stay in the 12 range. I’ve also done half the weight for 20-30reps.  As someone said above . Start a routine that works run it till it dosnt and switch something up.. it dos t have to be a big switch but something.


----------



## hulksmash (Jul 19, 2021)

Badleroybrown said:


> This is great advice but This above would only be able to be achieved if you have a training partner to help you with failure. The last thing you want is for someone to drop a barbell on their face. Faces smoosh easy. Lmao..


Actually, I have no partner. I _did_ have my wife to help me start only in Flat DB Bench, but she couldn't help after 120lb DBs. I had to start alone to 170s (injury has stopped me).

*There were many weeks where I had to stop due to not being strong enough*. For example, I get to the 150s. I couldn't do the first rep. The next week or 2, my mind and body would sync up (felt great and stronger), and I could do my set of 1-4. Many weeks of just 1 rep with my end weight, too.

I only use DBs, too (except for Front Squat, Stiff Legged Deads and BB Toe Raises, my only leg exercises). This makes a difference. I fully believe DBs gains you more strength versus barbell.

It can be done without a partner (at least for me). DB-only make it easier.

EDIT: I forgot! Forced reps DO require a spotter, though. My wife _was_ able to help me do forced reps, since I was still doing most of the load. Only 1-3 reps for forced reps-you risk injury too much with more reps.


----------



## Badleroybrown (Jul 19, 2021)

hulksmash said:


> Actually, I have no partner. I _did_ have my wife to help me start only in Flat DB Bench, but she couldn't help after 120lb DBs. I had to start alone to 170s (injury has stopped me).
> 
> *There were many weeks where I had to stop due to not being strong enough*. For example, I get to the 150s. I couldn't do the first rep. The next week or 2, my mind and body would sync up (felt great and stronger), and I could do my set of 1-4. Many weeks of just 1 rep with my end weight, too.
> 
> ...


In my younger days all I wanted to do was barbell this barbell that. It wasn’t till I got older and wiser that I really started hammering db’s. They crest a nice balance with each side of your body and not letting g your dominance side take over like with bb bench. 170’s. Huh. Nothing don’t see those to often in too many places. My gym has 150’s that where they stop.. but rep out some 150’s and that’s all you need to calll yourself strong. Only a few of us touch them. If not they would be dust collectors..


----------



## blundig (Aug 4, 2021)

Mostly all db's here. Partially out of necessity because of an imbalance after a shoulder operation many years ago (46 years!), but the customization and flexibility pf db's works for me too.


----------

