When considering how long a workout should last, I prefer fast workouts. it is possible to spend a huge amount of time in the gym without working out very much. I know that there are serious powerlifters who spend up to ten minutes resting between sets, but this is precisely how to spend up to two hours in a gym while only spending ten minutes of that time working out. This is perfectly ok if it is your preferred training style and you have the time to do it, but I am going to admit in this article that I hate resting between sets. When I work out, I like to work out instead of sitting around between sets.
A Lot of Training In A Short Time
Vince Gironda was a prominent bodybuilding trainer from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. One thing I like about his training methodology is that he was an advocate for workouts in which a lot of training is done in a short amount of time. He believed you could build an outstanding body without spending a lifetime in the gym. Vince’s fast workouts were not based on low set training, they were based on a moderate amount of sets done in rapid succession. While Vince believed in fast workouts, the workouts were usually based on doing several successive sets for the same muscle group before moving on to the next muscle group. I prefer a style in which you move from one muscle group to the next as you proceed from set to set. This reduces the fatigue within a given muscle group which allows you to recover faster between workouts and it also enables you to use heavier weights.
When it comes to fast workouts with weights, a lot of people assume that fast workouts are a reference to high intensity training. High intensity workouts often completed in a short amount of time. Each set is pushed extremely hard, but you don’t do very many sets which is the main reason why the workouts are short. However, in this article, the fast workouts that I discuss will not be in reference to high intensity workouts.
Moderate Intensity, Not High Intensity
The fast workouts that I believe in are done by moving from set to set at a rapid pace. This is very difficult to do if you push each high intensity set to failure. Even if you do move from set to set at a rapid pace in conjunction with high intensity training, your ability to keep performing each set at a high level of intensity will be greatly impaired after just a few sets. This is because high intensity with no rest between sets produces a high amount of fatigue in a short amount of time, leaving you gasping for breath by your third set. Once fatigue sets in, your ability to lift with intensity will plummet. You can keep pushing through the fatigue and strain out a few more sets if you are motivated to do so, but you’ll be so weak that in my opinion, it won’t do much good.
Leave Several Reps In The Tank
Instead of attempting to annihilate my muscles in a short amount of time, I prefer to use moderate weights that are comfortable to lift. Similarly, instead of using an intensity level in which I push to failure, I leave about four to five reps in the tank at the end of each set. By the way, if you think that you must push to failure in order to benefit from weight training, look at what Pavel Tsatsouline has to say about Russian research in regard to how hard to push each set (see the reference at the end of the article).
Move Quickly from Set to Set
The type of fast workouts I prefer are based on doing each exercise for eight to twelve reps per set. The rep speed is neither slow nor fast, but about three to four seconds per rep. I start with one set of each exercise including a back exercise, a chest exercise, a shoulder exercise, a calf exercise, and an exercise for my quads. This forms a circuit of five different exercises that are each done for one set. The circuit is repeated three to five times which means that the workout consists of a total of 15 to 25 sets. The only rest between sets is the amount of time it takes to move from one exercise to another.
Consider High Frequency
The workout can be completed in about fourteen to twenty-five minutes depending on how many circuits are performed. Over time, I have developed the ability to do this work out four to six times per week, however, I recommend starting out with three workouts per week. You can then work your way up to more if you develop the capacity to do so.
When doing fast workouts, I prefer high frequency and moderate intensity rather than high intensity low frequency training. For the first three and a half decades in which I worked out, my primary workout mode was to use heavy weights. The constant use of heavy high intensity training that I once employed resulted in several shoulder, back, and neck injuries. Injuries always cause setbacks and a loss of progress, so high intensity training is no longer worth it to me. While high intensity can work wonders in the short term, it can also backfire in the long term with injuries and sticking points. When moderate intensity is used in conjunction with frequent workouts, good form, and training thresholds, it is possible to make gradual long-term progress that often results in strength gains that take you beyond the sticking points that occur with high intensity training.
I believe that a properly designed fast workout is not only time efficient, but it also has a very positive effect on strength gains and muscle mass. In the next article, I will go into greater depth in regard to how to structure fast workouts. Best of training to you.
How hard to Push Each Set based on Russian research
Start Listening at 19 min 10 sec into the video.