sets/reps/excercise selection

[Scott Stevenson]

I keep reading it over and over again and keep seeing it doe different ways fr different tiers. Just like legs for tier two the example went squat Extension then squat but on tier 3 for chest it went smith incline then 100 lb dumbbell then smith incline then 100 lb dumbbell . So the way I see if for whatever your doing your rotating your sets rather then just going for like the chest example smith incline smith incline again the 100 lb dumbbell then 100 lb dumbbell ... I'm using the training log sheets so that's what confusing me... And I'm guessing when you get to 4 sets like on tier 3 you split it into 2 different excercises and do 2 sets for each because that's what was done for chest ... Idk I feel dumb lol or that I'm overthinking everything

Kyle,

Firstly, you need to distingue Set Type. You're taking about Loading sets here.

I would use the Overview sheets not the Training logs for the purpose of following the program. The info. is set up there more cleanly for seeing the big picture. (Don't even look at the logs for now.)

The alternation between exercise for Loading sets is called zig-zagging. From the book:

"Alternate Sets of Compound Exercises with Isolation Exercises (free weights when possible) for the same muscle group. I call this back n' forth alternation between compound, multi-joint exercises and isolation (mainly single joint) exercises 'zig-zagging.'"

(Search the board - this one has been asked about quite a few times.)

If a Tier calls for 4 sets, this is 2 sets of compound exercises with 2 sets of isolation exercises. If the muscle group is chest, the zig-zagging pattern would typically be press--> Fly --> Press --> Fly. For Thights, it could be squat --> knee ext --> Squat --> Ham Curl --> Squat

Take Tier II for back, where it calls for 3 sets, you'd zig zag between width and thickness exercises, but do two sets of one exercise and 1 set of another. You'd pick the exercise you do more sets wth depending on what your physique needs in terms of growth (and perhaps other nuances of how you're training, e.g., muscle rounds that you like to do, etc.)

If a Tier Calls for 1 sets, you'd do one compound, and thus not technically zig-zag. (This is self-evident, mathematically, so I choose not to explain this in this version of the book, but it is understandably a question that some have, so I mention it here.)

-S