Ask Dan
Weight Training
36 answers
- After I gave my weight and strength info. I noticed your program designed for me for the Body Mass a medium weiight -high repetition style workout. For example, my maximum bench is around 360 and I do 5 or so reps with 315,but your bench routine calls for me to do around 15 reps with 200,180,etc. Will this help me build mass? Perhaps it will. Since I can gain decent muscle mass with medium-heavy weight in the 8-12 rep range but then I plateua out on the size gains.But my strength does keep increasing. So will the higher reps and lower weight instead produce better muscle size and density? But will I loose strength,doing it this way. Such as on my bench press. Sometime I notice I loose strength when I try high rep routines here and there. What is the happy medium? Especially since I do need to loose the fat at the same time. I have been doing aerobics after my workouts,not excessively,which have been working, but again my size gains are stahled. Again perhaps this is another reason for yourhugher rep's lower weight routine for me. But again will it still allow for strength and size and fat loss simulatneously?
- All of a sudden my reps have been reduced to 12-15. In the past, they have all been 20 or so. Is this correct? I am doing the "get lean" program, and have had good results so far. I am in week 5. Why the sudden reduction in reps, when the weight amount has stayed the same??
- Can training each muscle group 4 to 5 times a week cause any harm?
- Does squating, Leg pressing, or Deadlifting stunt your growth in any way?
- How important is doing the exact weight? I have a multi station and the plates are 10LB each, which makes it impossible to do 5 LB increments. so I just use the same weight for each of the sets. Is that OK? Also, some of my body parts are never sore while others ones are sore for a couple of days. Does this mean that I am not working certain parts hard enough (even though they are exhausted during the workout) or am I not using enough weight or am I doing to much with the parts that are sore. I am the kind of person who feels that no pain is maybe not really a gain.
- How important is the length of rest between sets?Will it effect gaining mass?
- I am a college football player who last summer used a four times a week lifting program very similar to yours. The program, which I followed down to the last detail, left me no stronger or faster than I was before. After the season finished this year, I have been doing a 3 times a week program similar to what I did in high school. I have made surprising gains in my strength. The program goes as follows: MON- BENCH, HANG CLEAN, DIPS, AB WORK WED-INCLINE BENCH, SQUAT, NARROW GRIP CHIN-UPS, AB WORK FRI- BENCH, HANG CLEAN, WIDE GRIP CHIN UPS, AB WORK My question to you is that because I'm making gains with this program should I stick with it or go back to the 4 day a week program? What else can I be doing to make me faster and stronger?
- I am curious, what formula do you use to determine what weight someone should lift after determining their 1 rep max from bench press, squats and reps of crunches?
- I am currently in my 10th week and having great results. I would like to continue the program I am on after the 12th week but it appears that even if I update my fitness test the intensity level for the new 12 week program starts back at the beginning. How can I continue with the program I am on after the 12th week without having to start all over with the build up of a new 12 week program?? Thanks for your help.
- I am in only the third week of a program (5-day chest/leg mass bodybuilding) and the results are remarkable. My question concerns cardio exercises, and when I should be doing them so I'm not overtraining or exhausting myself. I'm used to doing a variety of cardio routines, a typical one would be 45 minutes on an elliptical trainer with most of it spent at level 3 or 4. Is it better to incorporate this training on the same days as I lift, and should it be before or after the iWorkoutSmart.com routine? Or should I be doing that sort of intense cardio workout on different days, or perhaps mornings and lifting in the evening? So far I've been doing lighter cardio workouts, level 2 or so for 20 minutes, before or after the bodybuilding routine.
- I am interested in losing bodyfat (especially around my thighs and butt). I have often read that during weightlifting, I should do "high reps". Can you tell me just what range is considered to be "high reps" and how many sets should be done.
- I am presently taking the 4 day bodybuilding course. My question is should you wait 48 hrs. between workouts, or can you do them on consecutive days?
- I currently am working my muscles to failure one day, and doing alternating sets the other. I have read may not be as good I previously thought. Yet, if I do actual pre-determined sets for each exericse, won't my muscles adapt to what I'm doing? I want to keep my workout spontaneous and keep my muscles growing to their full potential. Any help is appreciated, thanks.
- I finished my first workout yesterday, and am completely sore all over today. Should I just workout through the soreness?
- I have been working out for about continuously for about the last 5 years. I am 31 year old male 5'8" and 180lbs. Over the last 6 months I have been doing a lot of training with squats, bench press and especially dead lifts. I was dead lifting in the 375 to 400 lb range at one point. My question is this I am 2 weeks into your Get Lean program. Will I lose a large percentage of my strength and mass by doing this program or will I be OK. I hate to give up the dead lifts. Should I be doing a different program so I don't lose all the gains I have mmade. I do want to lean out.
- I have just started working out and on one day split up my workouts but for example i do 5 exercises for biceps with 5 sets but how do i know how much i should lift when im done im tired but i still feel that i could do more. First set i do 15 pounds 15 times to warm up then i do 20 pounds 12 times twice then i do twenty five pounds 8 times twice and then 30 pounds once. I do this for a few different types of exersice and of course I'm sore afterwards but i dont feel tight its like i should lift more, should I?
- I have read in magazines that you should only work out your large muscle groups once a week. I am young(18) and if I work them once a week, I don't see any results. I used to work out almost every day and I got big, but I got to a point were I couldn't get bigger. Was I over-working before? I took a break, should I go back to working out every day?
- I hope you are fine. This WebSite have helped me a lot. I just have one question. If dont do my workout one day...can I do it next day combine it with the workout for that day? thanks
- I just had a quick question. I'm working out to get lean. I noticed you recommend resting 45 to 60 seconds between sets. I would like to know how long to rest when you move to the next body part? Does it always stay 45 to 60 seconds?
- I occasionally miss a scheduled day due to my kids activities so I just go to my next workout the next day. I assume that back-to-back days are not adviseable to do in order to play catch-up, especially for a 45 yo.Is this true?
- I recently completed the 4 day a week S and P with olympics program. I am 25 years old now and have been lifting since I was in high school and I can say with confidence that it is the most productive program I have ever participated in. I have always been a big believer in periodization and multiple set training but at times I have found the amount of different approaches to be a bit overwhelming. Your website has taken much of the guess work out of my workouts and I am very grateful. I have told all of my friends about your awesome service. My question has to do with progressive overload. In programs I have experimented with in the past ( for example a russian power cycle) the three major lifts bench squat and clean over a period of several weeks progress to say two reps of two at about 105% of max whereas in your programs no sets are done with weights much above 95% of max. Why is this? Believe me I have no complaints, like I said before I had tremendous success with your program I just find the science of periodization interesting and I am always trying to understand it better. My second question is why doesn't the s and p programs allow you to exchange lat pulls with chinups. I find chin ups much more effective for me and I would like really like to have this option. I have noticed in your football programs that chinups are actually the excercise most stressed for the upper back. Thank you again for your service, I lost 15 pounds of bodyweight and gained about fifteen percent on the three big lifts in just twelve weeks. Fantastic!
- I recently picked the 4 day advanced power and strength program. I was to do the workout monday thru thursday. Then I changed the days to mon,wed,fri, and sat. I noticed that now my workout has changed. On tuesday of the first week I remember having bench, incline bench, and dumbell bench. When I lood at my workout now it only shows bench for that same day. Is there a reason my workout changed. The other workout seemed harder, and that's what I liked. How can I get my old workout back. please help.
- I was doing the bodybuilding and mass program and I was wondering how come its hard for me to bench weight that was kinda easy for me to get when I was just lifting without a program? For example I uesed to be able to get 177 8 times and now when I pick it up off the bar it feels so heavy, is it because this is only my 3 week of your program and it starts me off at a low weight so i am used to your program. I guess i havent been used to lifting this much weight. If u could answer me back it would be thank ful
- I will be starting the 4-Day Get Lean Program and had a quick question. I know the weights for the sets are calculated from our strength tests, but are we supposed to basically reach failure by the end of each set. For example, if it says 15@25lbs. should I barely be able to do 25, and if it seems easy, do I increase the weight or the number of reps?
- I'm doing the strength training mass express.But I would like to know, do I have to do the strength tests before or after the 5th week workout?
- I've been following your website for a long time now, and I think its great!! I have a question, On the days I work my bis,tris, and forearms, I dont get sore the next day. Is this ok?? I mean I got sore on the first week, but after that, I rarely get soreness the next day. Is this alrite or is this the sign of me not working out hard enough? I do 5 sets of 6-8 reps with 3-4 exercises per muscle. BUT the day I work my chest, back and shoulders I do find myself sore the next day. So is the lack of soreness a sign of a waste of a workout???
- I've been using your programs for about a year, and have seen some results. A problem I've been having lately is on some exercises with a large # of reps (ex. 3 sets, 20 reps, 15 reps, 10 reps), I can handle the weight, but I cannot do the full # of reps in a set without resting for a minute or so. So, to complete an exercise, instead of doing 20,15,10; I end up doing 10,10,10,5,10. Is this what I should be doing, or should I lower the weight and do the complete sets with no rest? I feel I can easily handle the weight for the 1st 10 or so reps of each set, but then it is impossible to continue without rest. After the rest, I have no problem handling the weight for the remainder of the set.
- In all your responses to some earlier questions, you stated the best thing is to switch programs(into cycles) I am currently in week 2 the 5 day strength/training. I will want to switch to bodybuilding program to gain some mass after 4 or five weeks. Where do I pick up in that phase(bodybuilding)week 1? or week 5? Then after that I will want to lean out. What should I do?
- In regards to periodization,some of the exercises use increasing weight/decreasing reps. Another exercise will have increasing weight/decreasing reps followed by increasing reps with the same weight and then decreasing weight. Is this something you can explain to amateurs? I am just in the middle of week 9 and I am learning the value of sleep during this very hard week. I certainly enjoy the iWorkoutSmart.com program and plan on contining during the coming year.
- Is there a 30 minute workout program? Mostly cosconsisting of super-setting.
- Is working out one muscle group a day enough to gain weight and strength. and howmuch rest would i need For example Day 1 Legs Day 2 Arms Day 3 Chest Day 4 Shoulders Day 5 Back
- My question has to do with adjusting the weight in a program. I am in week two of the 4-day Bodybuilding Program. The weeks cycle from moderate to hard to medium hard etc. If I am adjusting the weights in my program to be able to just make the specified number of reps won't this, in effect, make each workout hard or very hard? I do understand the instruction about not increasing the weight for the very easy week but what about the other weeks?. Also, I really like the program. This is a great way to get variety in my workouts. I was getting into a 4-set with 8-12 reps rut. The change provided by your program is noticable even after only two weeks. Great web-site! Thanks.
- Should all sets end at failure. With some of the exercises listed in my program the weight is way to low for that many reps. For example, the toe press is listed at 35lbs for 12 reps, but i can do 12 reps with 140lbs. I was just curious
- Sorry to bother you again (there was a misunderstanding with the last email), but what i was asking is weither you think it's better to do the regular workouts with chest, shoulders, triceps one day, back and biceps anothor. Or is it better to workout every second day and do you back with triceps and your chest and shoulders with biceps. I felt that i have more arm strength with the latter way because my tri's and bi's aren't tired out from doing exercises where they are the secondary muscles. p.s. Your programs work like magic. They almost force you to workout properly even if you don't know what you're doing. I've got a dozen of my friends using your program now and they dig it too. thanks for your time
- This is my workout sched: SUN -> Back (4 exercises) TUES -> Biceps (4-6 exercises) WED -> Triceps & Shoulder (4 exercies of each, 8 total). SAT -> Chest (5 exercises) First, is this workout schedule okay? Secondly, where should I add Leg & Ab development in this schedule, and which exercieses do you recomend? Thanks again!
- Will Fat turn to Muscle?