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| Getting strong, building tight muscles, and losing the flab all at once is possible! |
I recently received an email that asked me some pretty good and common questions. I thought instead of just answering the questions in an individual email, I would answer the questions here. Below are the questions...
I am trying to increase my strength and muscle
mass and at the same time loss some fat. This is where I get confused.
My workouts right now include 1 day-
back/biceps/core, 1 day chest/triceps/core, 1 day shoulders/legs, then I
repeat. I am working heavy weights with 8-10 reps and 9-12 sets per
muscle group. How often should I change my repetitions/weights? I have been doing heavy weights for a while now but I am starting to feel it in my joints a little bit. Should I switch to lower weights and higher repetitions? And if so how often do I switch? I also work in about three 1 to 3 mile runs.
Then with my diet I am trying to reduce my
calorie intake to lose weight and increase my protein intake to build muscle.
I don’t know if this is a combination that will
accomplish what I am trying to do. I can tell that I am gaining muscle
mass but I do not feel like I am losing fat and my weight seems to be steady or
slightly going up.
To thoroughly answer the above questions, a person could write an entire book, but I will at least try to give some useful information here for those that have these same questions.
Question #1. I am trying to increase my strength and muscle mass and at the same time loss some fat. This is where I get confused.
Increasing strength, building muscle, and losing fat all at the same time is like Zoolander turning left, difficult but possible. To see the largest and quickest gains in any one area, you should focus on that specific area, and most likely you will see slight improvements in the other areas. However, the truth is that many of us just want to keep improving in all 3 areas. I have worked with many competitive high school and college athletes that have done well achieving all three goals when just training for one, so even the average person can succeed in all three areas when you train and eat properly. To do this, you will need to train consistently, train hard & smart, and focus on nutrition. Keep reading to see how this can be done.
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| This group is made up of former bodybuilders, fighters, & athletes, and all of them were able to be strong, muscular, and lean in the proportion they desired by proper training & nutrition. |
Question #2, 3, & 4. My workouts right now include 1 day- back/biceps/core, 1 day chest/triceps/core, 1 day shoulders/legs, then I repeat. I am working heavy weights with 8-10 reps and 9-12 sets per muscle group. How often should I change my repetitions/weights? I have been doing heavy weights for a while now but I am starting to feel it in my joints a little bit. Should I switch to lower weights and higher repetitions? And if so how often do I switch? I also work in about three 1 to 3 mile runs.
Again, a book could be written answering theses questions, but we can cover some important points here. To understand more of what I think should be included in a strength & conditioning program, check out two of my prior posts, Choosing or Designing a Strength & Conditioning Program Part 1 and Choosing or Designing a Strength & Conditioning Program Part 2.
Before I even look at answering any of the specific questions, I would suggest that he change his workout split. Right now it is more like the traditional bodybuilding layout. I don't believe this setup gives the best option for gaining strength & size and definitely for not for fat loss. Even a traditional Lower Body/Upper Body Split would work better because you'd be working each area of the body more often in a week. I suggest using either a Total Body Program or a Push/Pull Split. I personally like the Push/Pull Split because you can work out 4 times a week and if needed you could do all 4 days in a row. I also like a Push/Pull Split because it helps ensure that you keep a balance in the muscles and movements you work.
Here are templates of workouts that I have often used...
By including exercises from each of these categories you will have muscular balance and reduce your risk of injury. Here are examples for each of the categories...
Explosive Push: Jump Squats, Push Press, Push Jerk, Split Jerk
Explosive Pull: Clean Variations, Snatch Variations, Swings, Explosive Step Ups
Rotator Cuff: L, W, Y, T, and I's, Wall Slide Shoulder Press
Single Leg Lower Push: Rear Foot Elevated Squats, Single Leg Squats, Front Lunges
Double Leg Lower Push: Front Squat, Back Squat, Goblet Squat, Barbell Hack Squat
Horizontal Push: Chest Press Variations, Push Up Variations
Vertical Push: Shoulder Press Variations
Single Leg Pull: Single Leg RDL Variations, Rear Foot Elevated Dead Lift, Hip Raises
Double Leg Pull: Dead Lift Variations, RDL, Good Morning, Hip Raises, Leg Curls
Vertical Pull: Pull Ups, Chin Ups, DB Pullovers, Lat Pull
Horizontal Pull: Row Variations (Cable, DB, or BB)
Stability Core: Plank and Bridge Variations
Rotational Core: Rotations, Chops, Twists, Side Bends
Deep Ab: Rollouts, Sit Up Variations, Get Up Sit Ups, Reverse Crunch Variations
Mobility: Lateral Shifts, Hip Flexor, Straight Leg March, Knee Hugs, Ankle Hugs
Generally we'll do working sets of all exercises. This means that for exercises that are more complex and/or use heavier weights, like squats and cleans, you may need to perform 1-5 warm up sets where you gradually increase your weights using 2-6 reps at a time until you near your first work set.
To answer the question of how many repetitions should be done and how often to switch, here is an excerpt from a prior post...Some programs will have a different intensity goal for each workout in a week. An example would be where Day 1 would be moderately intense, Day 2 would be very intense, and Day 3 would be a light day. The style that I generally prescribe is called weekly undulated periodization, which is where I change the rep scheme weekly. Week 1 is moderately high rep (8-12 reps), Week 2 is mid-range (6-8 reps), and Week 3 is lower rep (3-6 reps). Usually we'd go through this cycle twice before taking an unloading week (go lighter weight and/or usually alternated exercises to give the body a break from the norm), but is some cases will throw an unloading week in after Week 3. I also usually progress the intensity of each set during a workout, especially in the bigger lifts, going from moderate intensity on the first set to very intense on the last set.
Besides your unloading weeks, I do not suggest going higher reps and lower weights for fat loss and to avoid soreness. Your first work set should be moderately difficult and build up to your final work set where you use a weight that pushes you to technical failure (the point where you could not perform any more reps with good technique and tempo) in your rep range.
These templates are not the only type that we use, but they do give a great starting point. Some people like to move to more straight sets and others like to put 3 to 5 exercises in a group set instead of just doing paired sets, just depends on preference, time, and goals. Either way, the balance should be maintained between workouts.
I suspect that more of his soreness is by combining longer runs along with his strength training. Unless you're a distance runner, I suggest skipping out on the longer runs, maybe one a week for recovery and enjoyment purposes (if you enjoy long runs). Other use some sort of interval training for conditioning purposes. Check out the Power of Intervals for more information on interval training. You can also use "finishers" at the end of your workouts. Finishers use a combination of exercises done in a quick and intense fashion. I will have a future post that will discuss the use of finishers.
For any type of competitive athlete that needs more speed, power, and/or agility work, drills and exercises can either be added to this template after the warm up and before the lift or even incorporated into the lifting workout as complexes.
Statement #1. Then with my diet I am trying to reduce my calorie intake to lose weight and increase my protein intake to build muscle.
Nutrition has just as much or more to do with fat loss as training does. As far as reducing calorie intake, some people may need to do so, and some do it to much. I find that most people that train regularly often don't need to restrict calories, but rather choose their calories. There are different caloric needs calculators out there, I suggest try a few and see what caloric range is consistent among them.
He has the right idea about increasing his protein intake. This won't only help in building muscle, but also helps with fat loss. The goal for protein intake should be about 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. If you're trying to lose a larger amount of weight, that number may be high, so average your current weight and your target weight and use that as your goal. So if you weight 250 and you want to be at 200, use 225 as your goal, and this number will gradually lower as you reach your goal weight.
Generally, the area that many people have problems when it comes to carb intake. Your carb intake should be relative your activity level. Your body can handle and utilize more carbs on the days that you have more intense workouts. Generally, you should have between 1 and 3 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight. Be on the higher end if you're main goal is to gain muscle mass and it is a day you have an intense workout. Be on the lower end if you are more focused on losing fat and/or it is a day where you had little to no activity. If you have a lot of fat to lose and it is a day that you not active you can even get by with .25-.5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight.
I won't go further into nutrition in this article, but remember, keep sugars low, eat less processed foods, and don't be afraid of healthy fats.
Closing Statement. I don’t know if this is a combination that will accomplish what I am trying to do. I can tell that I am gaining muscle mass but I do not feel like I am losing fat and my weight seems to be steady or slightly going up.
The information in this article should help you get on the path to reaching the multiple goals of increasing strength, building muscle, and losing fat. Achieving these goals simultaneously is not easy, but it can be done. Check out Article Takeaway: 8 Laws of Strength Training by Bret Contreras. Also, stay posted here for more posts that will help reach your goals.
Be Strong and Laugh!
Before I even look at answering any of the specific questions, I would suggest that he change his workout split. Right now it is more like the traditional bodybuilding layout. I don't believe this setup gives the best option for gaining strength & size and definitely for not for fat loss. Even a traditional Lower Body/Upper Body Split would work better because you'd be working each area of the body more often in a week. I suggest using either a Total Body Program or a Push/Pull Split. I personally like the Push/Pull Split because you can work out 4 times a week and if needed you could do all 4 days in a row. I also like a Push/Pull Split because it helps ensure that you keep a balance in the muscles and movements you work.
Here are templates of workouts that I have often used...
By including exercises from each of these categories you will have muscular balance and reduce your risk of injury. Here are examples for each of the categories...
Explosive Push: Jump Squats, Push Press, Push Jerk, Split Jerk
Explosive Pull: Clean Variations, Snatch Variations, Swings, Explosive Step Ups
Rotator Cuff: L, W, Y, T, and I's, Wall Slide Shoulder Press
Single Leg Lower Push: Rear Foot Elevated Squats, Single Leg Squats, Front Lunges
Double Leg Lower Push: Front Squat, Back Squat, Goblet Squat, Barbell Hack Squat
Horizontal Push: Chest Press Variations, Push Up Variations
Vertical Push: Shoulder Press Variations
Single Leg Pull: Single Leg RDL Variations, Rear Foot Elevated Dead Lift, Hip Raises
Double Leg Pull: Dead Lift Variations, RDL, Good Morning, Hip Raises, Leg Curls
Vertical Pull: Pull Ups, Chin Ups, DB Pullovers, Lat Pull
Horizontal Pull: Row Variations (Cable, DB, or BB)
Stability Core: Plank and Bridge Variations
Rotational Core: Rotations, Chops, Twists, Side Bends
Deep Ab: Rollouts, Sit Up Variations, Get Up Sit Ups, Reverse Crunch Variations
Mobility: Lateral Shifts, Hip Flexor, Straight Leg March, Knee Hugs, Ankle Hugs
Generally we'll do working sets of all exercises. This means that for exercises that are more complex and/or use heavier weights, like squats and cleans, you may need to perform 1-5 warm up sets where you gradually increase your weights using 2-6 reps at a time until you near your first work set.
To answer the question of how many repetitions should be done and how often to switch, here is an excerpt from a prior post...Some programs will have a different intensity goal for each workout in a week. An example would be where Day 1 would be moderately intense, Day 2 would be very intense, and Day 3 would be a light day. The style that I generally prescribe is called weekly undulated periodization, which is where I change the rep scheme weekly. Week 1 is moderately high rep (8-12 reps), Week 2 is mid-range (6-8 reps), and Week 3 is lower rep (3-6 reps). Usually we'd go through this cycle twice before taking an unloading week (go lighter weight and/or usually alternated exercises to give the body a break from the norm), but is some cases will throw an unloading week in after Week 3. I also usually progress the intensity of each set during a workout, especially in the bigger lifts, going from moderate intensity on the first set to very intense on the last set.
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| Females can also benefit from lifting heavy weights! |
Besides your unloading weeks, I do not suggest going higher reps and lower weights for fat loss and to avoid soreness. Your first work set should be moderately difficult and build up to your final work set where you use a weight that pushes you to technical failure (the point where you could not perform any more reps with good technique and tempo) in your rep range.
These templates are not the only type that we use, but they do give a great starting point. Some people like to move to more straight sets and others like to put 3 to 5 exercises in a group set instead of just doing paired sets, just depends on preference, time, and goals. Either way, the balance should be maintained between workouts.
I suspect that more of his soreness is by combining longer runs along with his strength training. Unless you're a distance runner, I suggest skipping out on the longer runs, maybe one a week for recovery and enjoyment purposes (if you enjoy long runs). Other use some sort of interval training for conditioning purposes. Check out the Power of Intervals for more information on interval training. You can also use "finishers" at the end of your workouts. Finishers use a combination of exercises done in a quick and intense fashion. I will have a future post that will discuss the use of finishers.
For any type of competitive athlete that needs more speed, power, and/or agility work, drills and exercises can either be added to this template after the warm up and before the lift or even incorporated into the lifting workout as complexes.
Statement #1. Then with my diet I am trying to reduce my calorie intake to lose weight and increase my protein intake to build muscle.
Nutrition has just as much or more to do with fat loss as training does. As far as reducing calorie intake, some people may need to do so, and some do it to much. I find that most people that train regularly often don't need to restrict calories, but rather choose their calories. There are different caloric needs calculators out there, I suggest try a few and see what caloric range is consistent among them.
He has the right idea about increasing his protein intake. This won't only help in building muscle, but also helps with fat loss. The goal for protein intake should be about 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. If you're trying to lose a larger amount of weight, that number may be high, so average your current weight and your target weight and use that as your goal. So if you weight 250 and you want to be at 200, use 225 as your goal, and this number will gradually lower as you reach your goal weight.
Generally, the area that many people have problems when it comes to carb intake. Your carb intake should be relative your activity level. Your body can handle and utilize more carbs on the days that you have more intense workouts. Generally, you should have between 1 and 3 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight. Be on the higher end if you're main goal is to gain muscle mass and it is a day you have an intense workout. Be on the lower end if you are more focused on losing fat and/or it is a day where you had little to no activity. If you have a lot of fat to lose and it is a day that you not active you can even get by with .25-.5 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight.
I won't go further into nutrition in this article, but remember, keep sugars low, eat less processed foods, and don't be afraid of healthy fats.
Closing Statement. I don’t know if this is a combination that will accomplish what I am trying to do. I can tell that I am gaining muscle mass but I do not feel like I am losing fat and my weight seems to be steady or slightly going up.
The information in this article should help you get on the path to reaching the multiple goals of increasing strength, building muscle, and losing fat. Achieving these goals simultaneously is not easy, but it can be done. Check out Article Takeaway: 8 Laws of Strength Training by Bret Contreras. Also, stay posted here for more posts that will help reach your goals.
Be Strong and Laugh!
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