Questions about setting goals in the wieght room

[sickc0d3r]

Hello everyone... I am looking for any advice I can get to help me tailor my weight lifting routines to attain my hopes and dreams. From reading around here it sounds like I need to focus on setting specific measurable goals in the weight room to support the overall goals.

Quick background... I used to hit the weights alot (not very well I might add) and then about 3 years ago I left the weight room and have relied soley on my hobbies for my workouts (muay thai, snowboarding, and mountain biking). Now I feel I need to improve my strength in all areas to really increase performance and enjoyment of said hobbies, and just for overall non-pussiness.

The flip side of that is, adding too much bulk would not really be beneficial to me. So my overall goals are to increase strength and explosiveness as much as possible without putting on alot of extra weight or upper body mass.

I figure I can always work towards bigger numbers for squats and deadlifts (i.e. moving bigger plates) since legs and back can never be too strong or big. But does it make sense to focus on number of reps for other things, such as chin-ups, dips, bench, rows, shoulder press, etc.? Or should I focus on more explosive movements such as box jumps? Or some combination of those things? My current routine looks like this:

Saturday:
10-15 minutes on the treadmill
Squats 5x5
Dips start with reps of 20, sets to exhuastion
Shoulder press 5x5
Triceps (various movements) 5x5
Kettle ball single arm swings, 3 1 minute rounds
Ab crunch machine 20 x 3

Monday and Tuesday: Muay thai

Wed:
10-15 minutes on the treadmill
Deadlifts 5x5
Chin-ups start with reps of 8, sets to exhuastion
Bent over rows 5x5
Curls (various types) 5x5
Kettle ball single arm swings, 3 1 minute rounds
Ab cable crunches 20 x 3

I feel like I might want to replace the upper body 5x5 movements with more reps and lower weights... any advice and/or flaming is welcome.

 

[Oblivian]

If you don't want to put on mass, I wouldn't be doing assistance lifts specific to triceps and biceps. Unless it's a weak area for you, tricep and bicep isolation work will probably result in hypertrophy.

 

[DrBdan]

The amount of bulk you put on depends mostly on your diet. If you don't eat more calories than you burn you won't gain any mass. You should train your upper and lower body. Take a look at the FAQ

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/strength-power-faq-read-436935/

and this thread:

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/faq-update-beginner-intermediate-routines-1210858/

 

[deckingdutchman]

Well you really have two questions: Lots of sets/reps at low intensity or a high intensity/lower rep program like starting strength, and how much food am I eating?

Basic answer:

a)Eat a lot + low rep coupound work = big strength gains + big size gains
b)Eat a lot + high rep bodybuilder type split = some strength gains + big size gains
c)Eat the same or slightly more than now now + low rep compound work = moderate strength gains + minimal size gains
d)Eat the same or slightly more than now + high rep bodybuilder type split = very minimal/no strength gains + very minimal size gains

Believe you're going for C. So the answer is:

Don't drastically increase your caloric intake and follow a simple program like Starting Strength from the FAQ.

 

[sickc0d3r]

Well you really have two questions: Lots of sets/reps at low intensity or a high intensity/lower rep program like starting strength, and how much food am I eating?

Basic answer:

a)Eat a lot + low rep coupound work = big strength gains + big size gains
b)Eat a lot + high rep bodybuilder type split = some strength gains + big size gains
c)Eat the same or slightly more than now now + low rep compound work = moderate strength gains + minimal size gains
d)Eat the same or slightly more than now + high rep bodybuilder type split = very minimal/no strength gains + very minimal size gains

Believe you're going for C. So the answer is:

Don't drastically increase your caloric intake and follow a simple program like Starting Strength from the FAQ.

Yes it sounds like C is my target.

Thanks for the feedback folks. On to the faq's for a good routine...

 

[Indivdude]

Well what are your specific goals? You don't have any or at least didn't list them. If you already have some but just didn't put them down, ignore this post. However, its a good idea to have a specific number in mind. Like 2 plates for bench, 3 for squat and 4 for deadlift. Doesn't have to be that but having a specific goal can help spur you on.

 

[h7jb7sg1e]

Starting Strength should be fine for you. Remember to focus on the technique first then the weight progressions. To develop power you need a baseline of strength. You can train for power with free weights or with your body weight.

 

[sickc0d3r]

Thanks... sounds like the low rep compounds are my best bet for strength gains and nutrition and calorie surplus will be the key to managing mass. And assistance lifts should be avoided for me.

I haven't spent enough time in the gym to have specific numbers in mind for progression, but now that I know what the routine will look like I think I'll start a training log. Sounds goofy but I can't wait to hit the gym tonight with a legit plan in mind.

 

[KnightTemplar]

Starting Strength should be fine for you. Remember to focus on the technique first then the weight progressions. To develop power you need a baseline of strength. You can train for power with free weights or with your body weight.

Since the TS has been working out twice a week with weights, I assume they can keep the same amount of training simply by running Starting Strength twice a week instead of three workouts per week?

There have been times when I had to workout twice a week simply because I did'nt have any other days free. Sometimes I actually made better gains on twice a week strength training, because of greater recovery time.