training thoughts

summer is when i pump the hardest

When you work outside in 105+ temps it might be a little different. I "look" alot better in the summer. But to truely get enough calories to bulk, I need the cooler weather.

When you work outside in 105+ temps it might be a little different. I "look" alot better in the summer. But to truely get enough calories to bulk, I need the cooler weather.
Damn! Where do you work and in what field? I'm sure there have to be some sort of regulations about that. How much water do you go through when working outside in those temps?

Damn! Where do you work and in what field? I'm sure there have to be some sort of regulations about that. How much water do you go through when working outside in those temps?

I usually build turn keys houses (from foundation to trim) but work has been few and far between. So most of the work I have been getting lately is roofing. I'm a contractor so there are no regs. I gotta get the work done to feed my kids. I drink three of those 3/4 round gallons of ozarka water and 4 to 6 gatorades just at work. And a few emergen c's in my water. Getting my calories in during the heat of the day is the hard part.

I usually build turn keys houses (from foundation to trim) but work has been few and far between. So most of the work I have been getting lately is roofing. I'm a contractor so there are no regs. I gotta get the work done to feed my kids. I drink three of those 3/4 round gallons of ozarka water and 4 to 6 gatorades just at work. And a few emergen c's in my water. Getting my calories in during the heat of the day is the hard part.
Hard work all over. You own your own company? Please tell me you're not drinking that bottled gatorade bro...

I like the 5 to 6 rep range, compound movements. I only switch it up when I'm forced to, like I have no spotter on chest day, I will work in a much higher rep range. During summer thou I find myself just trying to survive, not to let any of my lifts go down.

This is what I mean when I and a few other people can't agree on, the amount of reps needed to break down the muscle fiber. I do understand that each person is different, and that number will be different for each person.

When you work outside in 105+ temps it might be a little different. I "look" alot better in the summer. But to truely get enough calories to bulk, I need the cooler weather.

Winter is the only time i go on a bulk cycle. summer is all cut.

Winter is the only time i go on a bulk cycle. summer is all cut.

makes good sense to me.

I usually build turn keys houses (from foundation to trim) but work has been few and far between. So most of the work I have been getting lately is roofing. I'm a contractor so there are no regs. I gotta get the work done to feed my kids. I drink three of those 3/4 round gallons of ozarka water and 4 to 6 gatorades just at work. And a few emergen c's in my water. Getting my calories in during the heat of the day is the hard part.

Im with ya on the calories and heat. Similar situation myself, I add 2 extra 3 scoop protein shakes in to my diet during this time. Its the solid food which is hard to choke down at 3:30 in 105 degrees.

Im with ya on the calories and heat. Similar situation myself, I add 2 extra 3 scoop protein shakes in to my diet during this time. Its the solid food which is hard to choke down at 3:30 in 105 degrees.

You should try this mix my wife found in her mag.

She mixes
Greek yougurt
uncooked oatmeal
protein powder
and your fav jelly or jam.

Put them in small containers and I eat them thru out the day. For some extra cals and protein.

^^^good idea

On the rep range subject. This is how I feel.

I've heard 4-6, 5-10, 8-12 and all kinds of rep ranges that are supposedly supposed to maximize how much muscle we build. Well, honestly, I think they all work because so many people stand by their rep ranges. Yeah, some people might be gaining a tad bit faster than others because of their set rep ranges but does it really matter? I don't think it does really. After so many years of training we all figure out what works best for us that's why it's annoying to me when people on the BB.com forums argue about something so trivial.

Just my 2 cents.

Do you guys tend to throw in drop sets or half-reps to really exhaust muscles? Or do you think it's more important to maintain strict form and just go all-out on the weight you're at, even if you're demolished on rep #3?

To me the formula for muscle growth is time under tension. The muscle has to be under enough tension to give it the spark for an adaptive response and the tension has to be for long enough. Most pro's would put the time under tension or number of reps at somewhere between 8-12 with 10 being the sweet spot for most people. That does not exclude the place of lower reps say 5-6 on occasion or also the differences in individuals. For years I did 5 and 6 rep sets. Made good gains but made far better progress with that 8-10 range. Always remember BBing training is NOT powerlifting. However there is some place for overlap. I would agree to always be changing things up and lets face it any exercise is good and will work to a point. In the gyms I constantly see younger guys doing triples and singles and then asking how come I'm not growing. It's just not long enough. I am also a big fan of all the ways we have for adding intensity to a set, forced reps, negative's, partials, rest pause and my fav FST-7 sets.These need to be used sparingly though and not every set. The amount of tension studies put at somewhere between 65 and 85 % of 1 rep maximum. There is so much more to it than reps and sets, really squeezing the muscle hard and putting your heart and soul into each set. Just some of my thoughts on training.

There is so much more to it than reps and sets, really squeezing the muscle hard and putting your heart and soul into each set.

Yeah bro what you said is so true. One of the hardest things for many to learn. For me it was the mind to muscle connection, or feeling the squeeze while training my back. Yeah until I learned to feel that squeeze, my back was the part that lagged the most in size.

When I started I did good on the explosive part of the lift, or the positive. Then learned the squeeze after awhile, the last thing I realized was the importance of the negative. After putting those things together with heart and soal intensity, definitely needed more recovery time, and saw very good gains.

Great read ! Gathering different ideas and opinions
Much respect to yo all..........:winkfinger: Thankzzzzz