Iridium IP

Leg Day 🙈

Leg Press
DB Walking Lunges
2 Up & 2 down leg extensions
Regular leg extensions
Calf Press

Set 1 - 15R @ 55% max
Set 2 - 12R @ 65% max
Set 3 - 10R @ 75% max

Hamstring Development

TS1
8-12R (slider) Single leg deadlift
8-12R Kneeling hamstring curl
10-15R Glute bridge & curl

TS2
8-12R Barbell hip thruster
8-12R Posterior plank curls
10-15R (DB) Hamstring curl

Training for increased muscle mass – volume of work per week

A little guidance to contemplate..........

Increasing muscle mass helps support a reduction in overall body fat, promotes a stronger immune system and increases energy levels and serotonin production. Hypertrophy is the term used when referring to an increase in muscle mass which, usually manifests as increase in muscle size and strength through targeted training. Generally speaking there is a relative increase in strength, smaller increases measured for isolation lifts and bigger gains seen for technical compound lifts.

It is important to step back and look at the week as a whole or the overall bigger picture. If you are looking to increase muscle size or utilise the benefits of hypertrophy as part of your overall training plan, the real question is “how many total repetitions should I complete per week?”

Volume equates to the number of exercises, sets and repetitions performed per week. Higher volume workouts look to target the larger muscle groups such as the quadriceps or back require between 90 – 120 repetitions per week whereas the smaller muscle groups such as the biceps and triceps require on average 50 – 70 repetitions (dependant on weight used).

Targeting each muscle group 2-3 times per week with fewer sets, results in greater muscle mass than once per week workouts that contain many sets. To avoid burnout, aside from the volume, the intensity you bring to your workouts is important for tearing down muscle tissue and triggering hypertrophic growth. Training each muscle group 2-3 times per week with fewer sets allows you to maximise intensity within your workout and reduce the risk of injury as fewer sets are spread out over a number of workouts.

Volume breakdown per workout:

Large muscle groups:

BEGINNER
90 – 120 weekly repetitions (3 workouts)
30 – 40 repetitions per workout
3x 10 – 12 repetitions per exercise

ADVANCED
90 – 120 weekly repetitions (2 workouts)
45 – 60 repetitions per workout
3x 8 – 10 repetitions per exercise

Smaller muscle groups:

BEGINNER
50 – 70 weekly repetitions (3 workouts)
15 – 25 repetitions per workout
2x 8 – 12 repetitions per exercise

ADVANCED
50 – 70 weekly repetitions (2 workouts)
25 – 35 repetitions per workout
2/3x 8 – 10 repetitions per exercise

Your goals, your plan and ownership of compliance……. Or is it?

When mulling with frustration over my own training (or enforced lack of), I came to realise we use variation in training modalities both for ourselves and with our clients on a daily basis. We choose the modalities or session structure based upon how we are feeling that day, how fit we are at this point in time, reaction to previous training sessions, what the next short term goal is or what event we have coming up next.

We often talk about goals and as trainers or coaches we programme clients sessions with these goals in mind. Have we however, ever sat down with our clients and elaborated on the different modalities of training and how they can be used to support their longer term goals? Discussed the importance of benchmark testing and re-testing to better understand their gains or adaptations needed to achieve results?

We place a lot of ownership on clients to “stick to the plan” however if we do not explain the pathway of progress and modalities, how can we expect them to take ownership for their compliance?

This is what happens when I have coffee in the morning!!