How many MR's are you rotating?

[bigla2004]

All- as we know with ft, the variety and combinations are endless. I know a lot of us rotate/periodize volume tiers. As we move up to say tier 3, that's 3 chest, 3 delt, 2-3 back width and thickness (each) muscle rounds every week.

Just wondering how many everyone is logging / rotating in to ensure variety and progression, but not just complete randomness?

Matt

[Altamir]

All- as we know with ft, the variety and combinations are endless. I know a lot of us rotate/periodize volume tiers. As we move up to say tier 3, that's 3 chest, 3 delt, 2-3 back width and thickness (each) muscle rounds every week.

Just wondering how many everyone is logging / rotating in to ensure variety and progression, but not just complete randomness?

Matt

I am probably more elaborate than most. But for say chest, I have maybe 26 or so different MRs I am rotating. Granted I like to do Isolation first. So that's 6 or so different fly variations, and then pressing, so again 6 or so different pressing variations. and then I have a few either spare (can be done with DBs encase everything is taken) or gut busting hard ones I save for lower tiers.

Granted I don't think its really needed to have this many. I personally like the variety. I have seen better progression this way. and for me mentally its much easier to challenge the log book when I have over a month to make sure I get stronger to take it on.

I will say at one point I made some of my best progress with only 3 shoulder MRs that I just hit over and over and over, but it lead to major burn out eventually.

[bigla2004]

I am probably more elaborate than most. But for say chest, I have maybe 26 or so different MRs I am rotating. Granted I like to do Isolation first. So that's 6 or so different fly variations, and then pressing, so again 6 or so different pressing variations. and then I have a few either spare (can be done with DBs encase everything is taken) or gut busting hard ones I save for lower tiers.

Granted I don't think its really needed to have this many. I personally like the variety. I have seen better progression this way. and for me mentally its much easier to challenge the log book when I have over a month to make sure I get stronger to take it on.

I will say at one point I made some of my best progress with only 3 shoulder MRs that I just hit over and over and over, but it lead to major burn out eventually.

Thanks for the reply and that's part of my reason for asking. I started with 5-6 bread and butter, now I'm up to about 8, but as I've been doing some tier 3 volume that only givens me a couple weeks between and most are compounds. I'm thinking I'm going to add more in like you to avoid burnout and start playing with isolation first!

[Altamir]

Thanks for the reply and that's part of my reason for asking. I started with 5-6 bread and butter, now I'm up to about 8, but as I've been doing some tier 3 volume that only givens me a couple weeks between and most are compounds. I'm thinking I'm going to add more in like you to avoid burnout and start playing with isolation first!

Yeah even if I only hit something once every other blast. I just like knowing I have a lot of options. I really struggled doing 2 pressing motions for shoulder and chest in one session. both body parts for me burn out VERY easily. so adding that to a limited lift selection got me into some trouble.

Also of note, just changing rep tempo, adding pauses, adding bands, or depending on the lift, hand / feet position, creates an entirely new MR. so basically you are only limited by your imagination / creativity!

[bigla2004]

Yeah even if I only hit something once every other blast. I just like knowing I have a lot of options. I really struggled doing 2 pressing motions for shoulder and chest in one session. both body parts for me burn out VERY easily. so adding that to a limited lift selection got me into some trouble.

Also of note, just changing rep tempo, adding pauses, adding bands, or depending on the lift, hand / feet position, creates an entirely new MR. so basically you are only limited by your imagination / creativity!

Thanks Altamir, I've been doing a lot of the below and the bands and pauses can really change a lift. Scott & Alt, any thoughts on having too many MR's and too much variation?

[Scott Stevenson]

Thanks Altamir, I've been doing a lot of the below and the bands and pauses can really change a lift. Scott & Alt, any thoughts on having too many MR's and too much variation?

pp. 95-96



"• Rotating Exercises: Perform only one MR for a given exercise in a workout. Your exercise selection will be intuitive: Do exercises that you feel work best for your physique, in the context of how previous workouts went (and where you are sore, etc.), and making sure (as with PUMP SETS) to avoid those exercises that might cause or exacerbate joint or tendon pain. Muscle Round exercises should chosen be to “fll in the holes” in your physique. You don’t need to regularly do any particular exercises, keeping it very random and fresh. On the other hand, you might choose to hammer away at a given exercise until you grow quite strong in that movement and this is reflected in your physique.

• Progression: Log performance in your Log Book to create a "Pool" of exercises you’ve used for Muscle Rounds (see below), so you can see what you’ve done previously and try to beat that performance (weight, sets x reps, or both). The Muscle Round exercise pool can simply be kept in a loose leaf fashion at the back end of your log book."

-S

[bad bad leroy brown]

Thanks for the clarification. I only like two exercises for lat width. Pulldowns and chins (I hate rack chins with a passion) and while I'm getting stronger on both, I'm going to keep beating them and my back will get wider.

pp. 95-96



"• Rotating Exercises: Perform only one MR for a given exercise in a workout. Your exercise selection will be intuitive: Do exercises that you feel work best for your physique, in the context of how previous workouts went (and where you are sore, etc.), and making sure (as with PUMP SETS) to avoid those exercises that might cause or exacerbate joint or tendon pain. Muscle Round exercises should chosen be to “fll in the holes” in your physique. You don’t need to regularly do any particular exercises, keeping it very random and fresh. On the other hand, you might choose to hammer away at a given exercise until you grow quite strong in that movement and this is reflected in your physique.

• Progression: Log performance in your Log Book to create a "Pool" of exercises you’ve used for Muscle Rounds (see below), so you can see what you’ve done previously and try to beat that performance (weight, sets x reps, or both). The Muscle Round exercise pool can simply be kept in a loose leaf fashion at the back end of your log book."

-S

[dens228]

Thanks for the clarification. I only like two exercises for lat width. Pulldowns and chins (I hate rack chins with a passion) and while I'm getting stronger on both, I'm going to keep beating them and my back will get wider.

I have my favorite exercises that I tend to stick with on MR's too.
I like decline bench and dips for chest for example.

[scousedave]

My MR choices are based around exercises that target particular parts of a body part or help me bring up week areas. I hammer at these exercises week in and week out til I top out in terms of weights or reps. For example dips really hit my tris with very little chest recruitment, last blast I went fro 35kg-17 total reps to maxing out at 65kg-21 totoal reps this past weekend before I entered my cruise.