I have adopted a theory that doing a single set of each exercise 1-2 times a week is enough and that the diminishing returns from additional sets is large enough to make doing more than that a waste of time (especially for beginners/novices like myself).
I have no evidence to back this up and I have adopted this theory mostly because I have never really liked lifting weights much. It's the hanging around, repetitive part that I despise. But I've found that if I do 10-15 exercises (mostly dumbbells) for one set of 10-20 reps I don't mind it at all and almost enjoy it. I'm done in about 30 minutes during lunch and think I might be getting something out of it.
Is there any validity to my theory or am I wasting my time with this routine?
A long time ago a bodybuilder named Mike Mentzer wrote quite a bit on the subject of few reps/sets and high intensity training. He and his trainees seemed to get results. Might be worth looking into, he stressed a lot on the importance of recovery. I've subscribed to this philosophy of less is more regarding my weightlifting, but have modified my workout to what seems to work best for me. Currently I'm lifting once or twice a week, but only hitting each body part once every 12-15 days, or 2-3 times a month. It seems that this is enough to maintain my strength level, and allows me more days to swim (which is currently my main focus). I lift for power/strength, because I really don't want to add mass. So I'll do two exercises, four sets per exercise, with a main rep range from 3-7, going to failure on one set.
:bliss:
A long time ago a bodybuilder named Mike Mentzer wrote quite a bit on the subject of few reps/sets and high intensity training. He and his trainees seemed to get results. Might be worth looking into, he stressed a lot on the importance of recovery. I've subscribed to this philosophy of less is more regarding my weightlifting, but have modified my workout to what seems to work best for me. Currently I'm lifting once or twice a week, but only hitting each body part once every 12-15 days, or 2-3 times a month. It seems that this is enough to maintain my strength level, and allows me more days to swim (which is currently my main focus). I lift for power/strength, because I really don't want to add mass. So I'll do two exercises, four sets per exercise, with a main rep range from 3-7, going to failure on one set.
:bliss:
