Pump Sets & Training Days

[bk777]

Hi,

I'm just after a bit of advice with a couple of things.  Firstly, are Pump workout sets taken to failure?  Are we aiming to use a weight we could do 30+ reps with but then stop at 25 reps and in turn well short of failure?  Or do we rep that weight out until failure and if it goes beyond 25 reps (which it probably would) then that's how it goes?  I just want to understand so I'm doing it correctly each week.

Also, which 2 workouts in the program is better to do back-to-back?  Originally, I was going to do the Loading days (W/O 1 & 2) back-to-back but then it got me thinking about the pump sets and if we are taking them to failure we would be essentially working a specific muscle on back-to-back days with no rest (Loading one day and Pump the other).  So then I thought it might be better to do the MR days back-to-back but if you decide to do the Turbo version again you would be training specific muscles on continuous days with no rest so I just wondered if it mattered

Could anyone please give me a couple of adductor exercise examples that can be done with dumbbells.  I'm just looking at the leg loading days and don't really know what to use for an adductor exercise

Thanks

[desertrock]

I'll take a shot at this. The pump sets are detailed in the book on page 91. They should be taken to failure, and you can even use intensity techniques such as partial reps, 21s, 5s in the hole etc (detailed on p. 93) as long as there is constant tension on the target muscle.

I decided to do the muscle round days back to back and have one day of rest between the two loading days. If I go Turbo, I will instead move the rest day between the muscle round days and do the loading days back to back, since the pump work won't probably need as much recovery as the muscle rounds. As far as I understand you're allowed to split the rest days how you personally prefer.

[bk777]

I'll take a shot at this. The pump sets are detailed in the book on page 91. They should be taken to failure, and you can even use intensity techniques such as partial reps, 21s, 5s in the hole etc (detailed on p. 93) as long as there is constant tension on the target muscle.

I decided to do the muscle round days back to back and have one day of rest between the two loading days. If I go Turbo, I will instead move the rest day between the muscle round days and do the loading days back to back, since the pump work won't probably need as much recovery as the muscle rounds. As far as I understand you're allowed to split the rest days how you personally prefer.

Thanks for the info.  I did read that you could structure the workout routine how you want and if we taking pump sets to failure I thought it would be better to have the MR back-to-back like you said and have that rest day between Loading/Pump days

[Scott Stevenson]

Desertrock nailed it!

Most find that Day 1 and 2 should be separated by a rest day, but this is not at all a hard and fast rule.  

An exception could be when someone has a work schedule and gym accessibility such that training those two days in a row makes more sense.  For instance if someone can only make it to their preferred gym on weekends and rest can be best then (no work to do) then those might be be best days to focus on training and optimal recovery.  

Imagine someone with a long commute and a job where eating enough is very difficult, and also thus has to train at another gym en route from home that lends itself better to doing Muscle Rounds, where exercise selection can be autoregulated more more easily.

That might might mean:
Train Sat AM Day 1 and Sunday Day 2 perhaps later in the day (after sleeping in) with weekly caloric surplus focused here (AYCE buffets available, etc.)

Train Day 3 on Tues and Day 4 on Thurs, after work en route from home.  The extra day(s) recovery will compensate for the negative effects on training vigor by training later in the day / after a long day's work, and off-set the less optimal eating schedule.

-S

[bk777]

Desertrock nailed it!

Most find that Day 1 and 2 should be separated by a rest day, but this is not at all a hard and fast rule.  

An exception could be when someone has a work schedule and gym accessibility such that training those two days in a row makes more sense.  For instance if someone can only make it to their preferred gym on weekends and rest can be best then (no work to do) then those might be be best days to focus on training and optimal recovery.  

Imagine someone with a long commute and a job where eating enough is very difficult, and also thus has to train at another gym en route from home that lends itself better to doing Muscle Rounds, where exercise selection can be autoregulated more more easily.

That might might mean:
Train Sat AM Day 1 and Sunday Day 2 perhaps later in the day (after sleeping in) with weekly caloric surplus focused here (AYCE buffets available, etc.)

Train Day 3 on Tues and Day 4 on Thurs, after work en route from home.  The extra day(s) recovery will compensate for the negative effects on training vigor by training later in the day / after a long day's work, and off-set the less optimal eating schedule.

-S

Thanks for the information Scott, I appreciate it.  I'll keep the Loading days apart and rest inbetween.  I think it's the best way to play it when doing pump sets to failure in the following w/o so I'll aim to keep that pattern throughout.