LogFAQs > #979474768

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Honestly, I think this is what everyone wants. To be stronger, bigger and leaner. It's not an impossible order, but there's just no one program or one diet that has it all arrive at the same time year round. Part of the wisdom I've learned in lifting is that you have to be comfortable at times with feeling shitty or looking shitty. To grow significant muscle you have to be less lean than you'd like for a while and in turn cutting weight to get "beach ready" makes you feel weak and hate everything. The instagram life of people walking around looking perfect all the time is a farce.

I guess I never really thought about doing both. I've always stuck with one or the other. I wonder how often I should switch this up? Like each workout should be a variation?

You don't want so much variation that you are just confused and relearning things every workout, but it's good to have some variety in set/rep patterns in the same movements. So for example, I follow a program that has follows this sort of pattern:

day 1:

• Main lift: heavy squats for 5 sets of 3
• Secondary lift: light bench press for 3 sets of 10
• Accessory: lat pulldown for 3 sets of 15
• Squat accessory (e.g. leg press) for 3 x 15
• Bench accessory (e.g. dumbbell press) for 3 x 15

Day 2:
Same thing but now the main lift is bench and the secondary is squats.
Day 3:
Main lift deadlift, overhead press is secondary

etc.

So with that, you've got a focus on strength in one lift and then some lighter work on a different muscle group, so you're not too taxed.

You know, I haven't really added more weight each week as a regime. I should try this and I bet the variation here would be enough to get me out of this plateau.

That is key. Progressive overload is really the main thing that matters regardless of what program you do. That's why programs are good, because they push you to go for more weight/reps/sets continuously.

I'm not on an official program as the ones I typically like are made for men and it gets exhausting translating it for me. I should probably just design my own at some point.

Curious about this bit. Designed for men like they focus on muscles that men like, or have jumps in weight that are too large, or something else?