Underestimated Yourself ?

[chiplin]

What do you do if you start with a weight, then increase until you're doing the exercise, but just don't feel you worked that muscle group enough ? If this happens, which is rare, I usually just do a burnout set of calisthenics or a light weight, depending on the group. Just curious as to what everyone else does ?

[Ritch]

calisthenenics? What are you 75? Lol...

[L3]

strip sets to finish, FTW

[Ritch]

Strip sets are great, but don`t overdue it. Doing 1 1/4 reps are great as well.

[tiramisu]

This question confuses me in so many ways.

Let's stop and think how this event is possible and by what logic one would do calisthenics?

If the purpose of weight lifting was to not get stronger this might make sense.

No program? No weights to add to the bar?

The entire reason for weight lifting as I understand it is to get stronger. If the exercise is too light you add weight. This is almost a definition of get stronger.

What is the purpose of weight lifting but not lifting enough weight?

I am befuddled by this question.

[519Muscle]

It use to happen to me all the time id finish my workouts in like 30min and feel like i didnt do enough, but i was just working out wayyy to fast. So slow down durning ur workouts should help.

[nii]

I am befuddled by this question.

Man its good to have u back posting regularly mate. Sometimes you handle situations with such grace, other times you :beat, brings me pleasure.

[JacktheThriller]

how do you know if you have worked it enough? A pump? That doesnt mean growth. Some of my largest gains are not felt at the gym. Technically you just need one maximal set to get stronger.

[chiplin]

This question confuses me in so many ways.

Let's stop and think how this event is possible and by what logic one would do calisthenics?

If the purpose of weight lifting was to not get stronger this might make sense.

No program? No weights to add to the bar?

The entire reason for weight lifting as I understand it is to get stronger. If the exercise is too light you add weight. This is almost a definition of get stronger.

What is the purpose of weight lifting but not lifting enough weight?

I am befuddled by this question.
It's not difficult to understand man.

I mean after my required sets, if I just feel I should do a bit more, should I do another set ? Or go do a push-up burnout ?

[tiramisu]

It's not difficult to understand man.

I mean after my required sets, if I just feel I should do a bit more, should I do another set ? Or go do a push-up burnout ?

Again you don't understand how strength or muscle is built. This is not a cardio or endurance sport. If you can complete your sets then simply raise the weight next workout. Another set or pushups aren't going to do anything for you.

You need to lift progressively heavier weights with an adequate number of reps to tax the maximum number of muscle fibers. The optimal number of total reps is likely going to be somewhere between 10 and 30 working reps (this doesn't include warming up) depending on your ability to be intense (lift heavy weight).

Muscle and strength is not built by adding a higher volume of lighter weight.

There are instance where you are doing heavy weight with a complex exercise (i.e 500 pound squats) where you may do a backoff set or a widow maker (20 repper) with a lower weight but IF you could maintain the coordination required then lifting the heavier weight would be more effective than lifting a lighter weight.

So the problem with your question is neither of your alternatives build muscle. Both are useless to achieving the goal.

If you can complete your reps to the top of your rep range for your program then you need to raise your weight on your next workout with that exercise.

[chiplin]

Again you don't understand how strength or muscle is built. This is not a cardio or endurance sport. If you can complete your sets then simply raise the weight next workout. Another set or pushups aren't going to do anything for you.

You need to lift progressively heavier weights with an adequate number of reps to tax the maximum number of muscle fibers. The optimal number of total reps is likely going to be somewhere between 10 and 30 working reps (this doesn't include warming up) depending on your ability to be intense (lift heavy weight).

Muscle and strength is not built by adding a higher volume of lighter weight.

There are instance where you are doing heavy weight with a complex exercise (i.e 500 pound squats) where you may do a backoff set or a widow maker (20 repper) with a lower weight but IF you could maintain the coordination required then lifting the heavier weight would be more effective than lifting a lighter weight.

So the problem with your question is neither of your alternatives build muscle. Both are useless to achieving the goal.

If you can complete your reps to the top of your rep range for your program then you need to raise your weight on your next workout with that exercise.
Oh my lord, I'm saying, in order to get a better pump/burn... not to gain. I'm not gaining, I'm on a cut right now and just want to get the best out of my workouts. I'm not asking for something that will provide any type of results, just a better burn for a short time... Clearly the workout is arranged to build muscle and strength. Just sometimes I finish and wanna do more.

[tiramisu]

So what you are saying is that you have worked the muscle adequately for the development of strength/muscle and what you want to do is find a way of making things worse. AND you are asking what everyone else does to make the conditions for muscular growth worse rather than better?

I now understand.

I like to start by hitting myself with a dumbbell. If I can find someone to help me I then follow up by having them hit me with 45 pound plates for sets of 10. Once I've bruised the muscle adequately I find it helpful if I can get someone to kick me in the stomach.

I have found that this makes me very sore the next day and incapable of increasing my weights for another 10 days while I heal at the local ER.

[GYMBRAT]

I know my body and what I need to do to exaust it 110% with each and every exercise/set. When I'm finished an exercise I am spent, I never have to to altenative sets to finish it off.

[L3]

Even on a "cut", you should be treating your workouts as if you weren't; going to failure, pushing more weight or doing more reps than the week before.

i respectfully disagree.

[GYMBRAT]

I agree with ya cch, It is counter productive if he has already finished his main set etc, it'll just lead to becoming overtrained quicker imo

[MMASTAR]

I WAS a classic overtrainer, always had to do just one more set, lifted till i couldnt lift any more, at all, began growing much faster when i started lifting LESS. Someone already said, sometimes all it takes is one good hard working set to stimulate he muscle. I also think having workout based off your 1RM and using percentages to build up is great. Like jim wendlers 5 3 1 program. Remeber we grow at home not in the gym.

[chiplin]

I'm sorry to have to inform you of this.. but you have no understanding whatsoever and you sound ridiculous. That "pump/burn" you speak of won't help you anymore than a fat girl in a g-string. Even on a "cut", you should be treating your workouts as if you weren't; going to failure, pushing more weight or doing more reps than the week before. The objective is to gain or in the least keep what muscle you have while solely losing bf. Not catabolizing it. You wanna do more after your workout!? ...You're not working out right. Like your other threads, you ask for assistance or what to do or what others do and than you shut everyone down, listen to no one and act as if you know everything and do it all right... You don't know shit!.. sorry.

I don't know what cookie cutter program you're on, but if you wanna feel burnt out in every muscle until the next week you work it... Push yourself beyond failure... by this I mean grab a spotter.. work up to whatever weight you feel you can push in whatever exercise for 6 reps. If you get 6 great, keep going to failure and by failure I mean till it's gonna drop on you and you NEED that spotter.. Then! get that spotter to follow with you through the motions for 2 more reps as you do negatives! Do this for 2 Sets! and you'll barely be able to move.. but wait! we're not done... you want more outta your workouts! So drop some weight and do the exact same thing for a set of 10 reps! once again... going for them negatives. And the best part is.. this the only the first exercise! Do atleast 2 more exercises in the same manor and then crawl to the cardio machine; where cardio should* be done.. not on the weight floor. And once again, next week make sure you do more than the week before... enjoy.

Clearly I don't know shit... hahahaha.
I go until failure on however many working sets are required, I just like to push myself until I physically cannot do one more, and push the muscle group until it's done. It's not for gains, cuts, or endurance, it's just like a natural high. Similar to when guys love beasting out a set of deads and feeling like they're going to vomit after.

[tiramisu]

I don't usually do this but to ensure I'm not confused again I'm going to add you to my ignore list. good luck in your future endeavors.