Accumulator- what type of routine are you doing, that you`re able to fit it all in 25 minutes? I used to do that HIT stuff, highly controversial, with good results but it`s easy to burn out on it.
That "25 minutes" comes from averaging...a result of my *NOT* exercising very much/often; I only do the minimum required to get the results I want, and if I do *more* I don`t get those results anyhow. A given workout might take a while, but then I`ll go days before the next one. And most of the w/o are awfully brief.
Oh man, this`ll be LONG...I could write a book
[INSERT disclaimer that what works for me might be all wrong for others..]
[INSERT note that I`ve studiously evaluated my workouts for over 30 years and I continue to study this subject in pretty great depth. You name it, I`ve read/tried/evaluated how it works *for me*]
Note that I`m spoiled- I have a fully-equipped gym in the basement. I train alone, at home (shades of Clubber Lang
).
Cardio: High Intensity Interval Training, 2:1 (work:rest) intervals, target is >90% my (actual, not "age-adjusted") max heart rate during the work intervals.
I alternate between the StairMaster and the AirDyne, doing two SM sessions then one AD. Each session leaves me *utterly* played and yes indeed I can understand why people burn out on it (I just don`t, been doing this for a long time now).
I do two, *maybe* three cardio sessions/week max. Each is short, that`s all I (or anybody else...check the original Tabata studies) can handle if I truly max out the work intervals while keeping the rest intervals short. My warmups are 3-5 minutes; my Workout is 3-10 minutes; my cooldowns are 2-5 minutes. I do this first thing that morning, before breakfast.
I walk the dogs briskly cross-country (hiking, really) frequently, at least several times weekly, but I don`t really consider that "cardio", more like "recovery work".
Resistance Training: Basically a variation on the Heavy Duty approach, tweaked towards what works best for me long-term.
I`ve found that *FOR ME* it`s best to split up my bodyparts into numerous fairly brief workouts. I wish that approach weren`t the best for me, but it is, so that`s what I do.
Each body part gets worked directly each 10-18 (not a typo) days as *I* need a lot of recovery time. No more than 6-7 work sets per bodypart (that`s for back and I usually do far fewer), some bodyparts only need one. The split is basically:
-Cardio day, Upper Legs (2-7 sets), abs (abs are always 1-2 brief, ~low-rep sets max)
-Cardio day the next week, Lower Legs (2-4 brief, low-rep sets max), maybe abs
-Back, biceps (1-3 sets), brachialis or rear delts (one set of either every other w/o)
-Chest, triceps (3 sets), mid delts (one set every other w/o)
-Forearms (4-6 sets max)
-maybe an extra ab day now and then at the end of some other w/o
That`s it.
"But you can`t gain on one work set every couple of weeks". Bull.
The targeted muscles get very sore *every* time (except my biceps, which hardly ever get sore). Other related muscles also get a little sore (e.g., work back = chest gets a bit too).
I do very little warming up/cooling down, maybe two light but strict sets of the first exercise. I do every rep fairly slowly and with strict form, only loosening that slightly for occasional additional inroad. I rest as long as I feel like between sets, even if that`s a long time. I do every single work set to absolute concentric failure, sometimes even adding eccentric and static failure at the end of the set.
I give *a lot* of thought to things like:
-gravity pulls straight down but most muscles don`t move straight up/down
-many forms of resistance are constant/linear, but most muscles don`t work that way
-some muscles benefit/don`t from holding the peak contraction
-the understanding of what specific muscles actually do, which isn`t always obvious
Again, this is just what works for me. And/but I`m 100% satisfied with my results and I expect to be able to keep doing this indefinitely. Have *never* had a significant injury/issue, and haven`t had *any* for many years. Long layoffs (e.g., surgical recovery) have very little detrimental effect, I bounce right back in no time. I can eat as much as I like of whatever I like with no thought to getting fat. Totally dialed-in
