Single Set Weight Lifting Routine

Flesh Thorn · Post by **Flesh Thorn** » August 26th, 2007, 11:33 am

A strength routine that last more than 45 minutes is going to play havoc with your HGH and testosterone production and recovery. From your work out:

Dumbbell Flat Bench
Dumbbell Floor Press
Cable Cross-Overs
Weighted Push-ups (Bringing my IBA to the gym and shoving 10lb plates into the SAPI plate holders)
Incline Bench Alternating Dumbbell Curls

The above cluster of exercise strikes me as being too redundant. You could probably eliminate all but one exercise and get more benefit. To be blunt, it looks like an 1980's body building routine from Muscle Fitness Magazine. Of course I ain't got no certifications or nothing.

Bikkstah · Post by **Bikkstah** » August 26th, 2007, 12:50 pm

What is redundant about that? Flat bench employs pecs, lats, triceps, and deltoids. Floor press employs pecs and triceps, and most importantly stresses the perfect form required for bench press. Cross-over works serratus and weighted push-ups make APFT push-ups easier and easier. I hit chest the hardest because as you can see, it is my weakest muscle group.

Flesh Thorn · Post by **Flesh Thorn** » August 26th, 2007, 2:02 pm

Bikkstah wrote:What is redundant about that? I hit chest the hardest because as you can see, it is my weakest muscle group.

I clock in about 2 hours in the gym.

Are you hitting it harder or just longer ? Why not train the hell out of a basic exercise like the flat bench press and move on to something like squats and go the hell home ? Using fewer basic compound exercises will hit all of your muscles groups, train the body to function as a collective, and stimulate the release of HGH and testosterone. Plus you save time. With all of the work you are doing for your "chest" you are probably over training those smaller muscles and in the long run setting yourself up for
an injury or burn out. For athletic performance basic compound movements should be your bread and butter. I also noticed that you train hamstrings on day 4. Don't your hams get hit hard when you do squats and stiff leg deads ? The hams should be highly activated in both of these movements.

Don't forget that the exercise is only part of the program. Recovery is the other part and spending two hours a day, four days a week hitting the weights is cutting into your recovery time. I am sure that you are eating right and taking plenty of supplements, but your nervous system also takes times to recover. Ever wonder why you see little skinny guys out lift or out sprint a bigger and more muscular guy ? The answer is that the smaller guy's nervous system is more efficient. He is able to recruit more of his muscle fibers to contract. In us average guys with average nervous systems , the system also needs time to recover. If your nervous system isn't up to par then it doesn't matter how big your muscles are.

The consensus is that work outs should be designed to take 30 -45 minutes in order to optimize the bodies recovery time. Of course if you enjoy spending eight hours a week in the gym lifting weights when you could get better results from spending two hours a week then drive on.

Bikkstah · Post by **Bikkstah** » August 26th, 2007, 5:24 pm

Well, as stated, I tried supersets today and the result was cutting my time in the weight room from 1.5 hours to about 30 min. Started today at 1700 and was on the elliptical at 1730.

Seated Hamstring Curls (160lbs) supersetted with
Glute-ham Raises (100lbs)

Lying Hamstring Curls (130lbs) supersetted with
Seated Calve Press (200lbs)

Standing Machine Calve Raises (910lbs) supersetted with
One-leg Barbell Calve Raises (140lbs per leg)

Rested 1 min. inbetween supersets, doing 5x5.

Flesh, I tried just focusing balls to the wall on bench and I went nowhere. I remained stagnant and even lost strength that way. The thing is that I'm eating about 1400 calories a day right now on a huge cut. My first line leader thinks whey protein is a weight gainer and that creatine is an oral steroid. I'm at 8% body fat which is way below what I'm allowed to have (I think I'm allowed to be in the mid 20's for my age), but I'm 30lbs over my height/weight (174lbs for 5'11"). He's told me if I don't get down to 174, muscle or not, by the next annual APFT (October), I'll get counseling statements until I meet it, which means Article 15's. On 1400 cals a day, I just don't have the energy for 8, 10, or 12 rep sets, especially not at a strength that I am capable of.

Sorry if my last post came off assholish too, didn't mean for it to sound that way.

bmf175 · Post by **bmf175** » August 26th, 2007, 7:52 pm

Bikkstah wrote:I am a few weeks from sitting for my personal trainer certification with the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

Hey bikkstah, so ACE isnt exactly a school its just an exam you can take to become qualified. is this correct?

So theoretically one doesnt have to have any formal education you just have to read books and take the test?

If there is an actual school (classes) how long does the school last? And where do you take the classes? How many classes?

Bikkstah · Post by **Bikkstah** » August 26th, 2007, 8:09 pm

Bmf,

Personal trainers are certified through a few credited institutions, the ACE being one. Another is the National Council on Strength and Fitness. You can take classes in person and then sit for the exam, or simply purchase all the study materials and cram for the exam. Once certified, you are hireable as a personal trainer at gyms, companies, etc. You don't need a degree to be a trainer but you do need one of these certifications.

As for my "formal' education, I am a year out from my bachelor's in exercise science, specializing in corporate fitness. I'm also interested in pursuing a master's in dietetics after that to become a registered dietetician.

As I said, I didn't mean for my post to seem "assholish" as if my education made me more knowledgeable about PT then you Rangers and I'm sorry if it came off that way.

bmf175 · Post by **bmf175** » August 26th, 2007, 8:23 pm

No its cool man, I was just wondering what educational requirements personal trainers need.
Im a exercise science major as well, so Im glad to hear that you do have more insight than what ACE has to offer.
If you werent an ES major i would have reacted a different way. Ive met 2 ACE certified Personal trainers that had no formal education. Carry on.
What school do you attend?

Bikkstah · Post by **Bikkstah** » August 26th, 2007, 8:49 pm

I finished the majority of my first bachelor's at Western Michigan University before I dropped out to enlist and switched when I got back this past fall from OSUT (started up again this past winter semester). Was done with my general ed's and a few courses into my education degree when I switched to exercise science. Since losing weight and getting into shape and joining the Army, physical fitness is much more where my interest and passion lie now then with education. Plus it's just a better business choice, teaching jobs pay similar or worse to military pay and I'd have to move across the country to find a job. Fitness is a booming industry and it will be easy to get a job as a trainer and even easier as a dietetician. I'm at Eastern Michigan University now: they have a superior ES program and the last semester is an internship depending on your specialization. Since mine is in corporate fitness (gyms/big company trainer), I'm hoping to get my foot in the door somewhere (hopefully the gym I lift at now, that would be nice) as a trainer and then when the internship comes around, just get them to sign for it so I get the internship hours and paid at the same time. Also, EMU is about 10 minutes from Mom and about 30 min. from Dad/Grandma, and I live with my sister as a roommate right now, wanted to be close to my family before I go to Iraq.

Yeah, some trainers really don't know shit, because you don't really need to know shit to get certified. They hold exams near almost every major and medium sized city in the country, almost everyday. I imagine with the frequency of exams, it's probably the same exam for at least a year. I can see a lot of guys failing and just coming back until they get enough right. You can go to the ACE or NCSF or google one of the other certifers and find sample tests on their sites. It's like $350 for the big book and the CD's or to go and take classes at the test site. Some stuff is pretty in depth, but some of the shit is like, which muscle is used during a push-up with a chart pointing to your ass, your eyeball or your tricep. Some stuff is not even physical at all; a few questions are math based on body mass index/body fat questions, like: If Bob weighs 300lbs, and has 10% body fat, how many pounds of fat does he have? Real basic stuff, all multiple choice, too.

Smaller gyms will pick you up with just your cert, but bigger places (where they get more money per hour from clients) want people with at least 1 cert, sometimes multiple certs, and either well into their ES program or already graduated from it.

bmf175 · Post by **bmf175** » August 26th, 2007, 8:58 pm

Thats interesting info. Never wanted to go the professional exercise route. I go to University of South Carolina. Exercise is interesting but Im in the scientific foundations track which is the pre-med track at my school.
Sorry for the thread highjack Ranger Bill I just wanted to know more about bikkstahs education.

Bikkstah · Post by **Bikkstah** » August 26th, 2007, 9:03 pm

Yeah, the ES program here can be used as a pre-med track too (lots of bio and chem). I'd love to be an MD with some kind of specialization in fitness but I'm really really shitty with chem. My gym pays trainers $46 an hour, but they probably only do 10-15 hours of training a week, the rest of the time they clean the machines (I think they're contracted to clock in 30 hours a week), but fuck, I'll wipe down the squat rack for $46 an hour.

Sorry for getting off track here fellas.

Flesh Thorn · Post by **Flesh Thorn** » August 27th, 2007, 5:06 am

I'm 30lbs over my height/weight (174lbs for 5'11"). He's told me if I don't get down to 174, muscle or not, by the next annual APFT (October), I'll get counseling statements until I meet it, which means Article 15's.

I don't think they can give you an Article 15 if you are heavy because of muscle mass. At 1400 cals a day it sounds like you need to do as an abbreviated workout as possible.

Bikkstah · Post by **Bikkstah** » August 27th, 2007, 5:31 am

Don't multiple counseling statements turn into Article 15's though?

Bikkstah · Post by **Bikkstah** » August 27th, 2007, 6:25 am

Flesh,

Came across this while reading this morning, think I'm going to cut down to 45 min. and under:

"..Natural hormone levels drop by up to 85% after 45 to 60 minutes of intense exercise. Going longer than this provides little in returns."

I just figured it wasn't bad 'cuz I was never super sore or super tired from being in the weight room for 90 min.

Flesh Thorn · Post by **Flesh Thorn** » August 27th, 2007, 7:14 am

Bikkstah wrote:Don't multiple counseling statements turn into Article 15's though?

You should be getting regular counseling statements evaluating your performance not just when you fuck up. Article 15s are the non judicial alternative to UCMJ action. You have to have committed an offense under the UCMJ for your commander to initiate this action.

Army Regulation 600-9 deals with over weight soldiers. To the best of my knowledge, if you meet the body fat standards then you can not be considered over weight regardless of your height /weight.

Bikkstah · Post by **Bikkstah** » August 27th, 2007, 7:25 am

Good to know, thanks Ranger.