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Posted: Jan. 21 2003,3:26
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How many exercises?
I am a big fan of reducing the number of exercises and increasing the number of sets. For example, if you can stick with only 4 or 5 exercises per workout (e.g. squats, dips, chins, shoulders [only an example]) you can get in some really good work for the whole body without running around the gym from exericse to exercise. When doing this I definitely recommend using 2 different sets of exercises which you alternate between each workout, each set of exercises still geared towards major muscle groups with compound lifts. This is for overall body growth/mass.
If over time, a person feels they are neglecting a minor muscle group, it is easily addressed in a cycle or two before a competition (bodybuilding).
This is the most common mistake I see - people do too many exercises each workout on HST. They are so concerned with hitting every possible exercise that they aren't able to really focus on any of them.
(from an old post) :
I may only use 6-7 exercises to train my entire body. One major exercise for legs, back, chest, delts, bis, tris and calves. This doesn't have to be done all in one workout either. I may only do 4 of those exercises in the morning, and 3 later that evening. Or sometimes, if I can’t train twice a day, I do 4 body parts on Monday and the other 3 on Tuesday and then repeat the process on Wednesday. That way I can spend as much time on each exercise/bodypart as I need. 3 insufficient sets using 3 different exercises for a muscle group will do less than 3 sufficient sets with one exercise...make sense?
If you are concerned about not using enough exercises, simply set up two sets of 6-7 exercises for the entire body. Use the calculator and get all your weights for each exercise. Then alternate between the two sets of exercises each time you train the whole body. So, if you train everything in one day, you would do one set of exercises on Monday, and the other on Wednesday, then repeat the first on Friday, followed by the second on the next Monday, etc, etc.
If you can train twice per day, do one set in the morning, and the second set of exercises in the evening (you will definately drop fat by doing this).
If you train your whole body in 2 days, alternate between the two sets of exercises in the obvious way. That way, instead of 6-7 exercises, you would be using 12-14 exercises within 2 fullbody workouts.
Squats and deadlifts in the same week?
There is no need to do squats and deadlifts during the same week, unless perhaps if you are training for a powerlifting event. Even then, you should alternate between squats and deads every other workout. These two exercises are essentially full body exercises. Unless you are chemically assisted doing both of these exercises with such frequency will lead to burnout.
Most people can only handle 2 exercises per week that stress the lower back. These include squat, deadlift, stiff leg DL, unsupported bent over rows.
If you are doing squats and SLDL 3 times per week during the 5s it's no wonder your back hurts. I can only do squats twice per week during the 5s, and I don't usually do a lot of SLDL.
I would highly suggest you either drop the SLDL all together during the 5s, and only do a major exercise like squats or deadlifts twice per week. You can hit the quads and hams with extensions and curls inbetween.
Various
Grip width only effects the lats or pecs differently if the elbow is moved into a different plane of motion. There is no need to do incline press, shoulder press, and overhead db press all in the same workout, not to mention 3 times per week. If you insist on doing all of these shoulder movements you need to arrange an alternating workout schedule. Do flat bench and shoulder press on one workout, then dips and incline press on the next. Then just alternate between the two exercise routines each workout. The same goes for biceps. If you are training back properly, there is no need to do two different curling movements in a single workout. As with shoulders, alternate between curling movements from workout to workout.
Leg extensions aren't "bad" for your knees per se, they are hard on somebody's knees that are already bad.
Leg extensions are an integral part of knee rehabilitation in clinical settings. They wouldn't use knee extensions if they were bad for your knees. Done properly, knee extensions can actually help heal knees that have started hurting do to training stress. HST is designed to allow a person to heal up old aching joints, in order to allow them to train effectively once again. If you have a preexisting serious knee problem or injury, check with your orthopedic doc before doing any leg training.
SLDL
Your depth on Stiff Leg Deadlifts depends on the flexibility of the hams...not the back. The only movement should be the pelvis. When done properly, very few people can even go parallel to the floor with their torso. The stretching sensation with the legs straight will be felt behind the knees. As you begin to bend your knees the stretch will move up the back of the leg. The lower back should not give way.
SLDL is NOT a back exercise. It is strictly for the hams. It isn't necessary to do really heavy SLDLs - since this isn't a "strong position" for the body and it may expose a person to injury if pushed too heavy.
I do Squats and SLDLs three times a week, and I love 'em. The only thing that's led to me hurting my back so far is my girlfriend, and that's just 'cause she passed out in my lap one night and I didn't want to move her because she was tired after a long day. The things we do for love.