As an old, I’ve found that the one set of very slow reps to exhaustion once per week routine is pretty good. Slow movements make injury less likely and once per week is long enough to not risk overtraining.
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When I was crawling around on my hands and knees a few years ago, I felt something painful under the knee cap, and then it began lock on me. I eventually had three small “rocks” removed from under the knee cap.
It’s possible you either created a loose body in the knee or caused one to shift due to the fall.
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Slow reps is definitely good for training. Unless you’re doing cleans or something this is probably the better way to life for young or old people.
I don’t know about 1 set though. I think most exercises still benefit from 3 or more sets, depending on goals of course. I still do a lot of 5x5 training.
Maybe but the most important set is definitely the one to failure. I like doing like six exercises once a week. Takes about twenty minutes so I can stick to it and it gets results. And with the slow pace of reps I feel like there’s not much injury potential.
I’ve been trying to up my work-out regime as I feel my gains are not reflecting my time and effort, and it seems the current consensus is that consistently doing sets to complete failure is generally sub-optimal. Instead, the ideal is having 1-3 RIR as studies have shown this actually leads to better muscle growth. A few caveats in that most people suck at estimating RIR so going to true failure is better than stopping at say 5 RIR thinking you’re almost at failure. Also, I think most of the studies focused on people working each muscle multiple times a weak with multiple sets, so limiting fatigue was an important factor. I guess it could be possible that going to failure every time is ideal if you’re only doing one set once a week.
I’m not claiming it’s ideal, just that it’s time efficient and does something. And does a good job of avoiding overtraining and injury.
Yeah - I wasn’t trying to criticize. If it works for you and you enjoy it, no need to change to get a bit more gains. I just personally found that switching to not going to failure made my workouts more enjoyable (especially when I don’t have a spotter) and had only being going to failure as I was under the impression that you needed to in order to max gains.
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I do machines and have a trainer so going to failure is pretty easy/low risk.
I’m on team Keed here with the 1-set approach.
Mike Mentzer high-intensity, 1 working set, with ample rest in between lifting sessions. The complete opposite of how I used to do it, and with far better results in less time.
As an old getting back into the gym and beginning to lift again recently after years away, I’m convinced that this is the Way.
At least for me.
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I feel you buddy.
My return to serious lifting has been a whole bunch of 1 step forward, 2 steps back type events.
For shoulders, I recommend doing a LOT of mobility and stability work. Seems there’s about a zillion planes of movement, and you need to strengthen and understand all of them.
Haha. I like this rule.
We need an old fucks guide to lifting.
I’ve been really enjoying Wendler 531. Doing the boring but big template.
This has the one serious set per lift per week but supported by a lot of volume with 5 X 10 at 60%ish of max.
Similar idea.
I do think it’s worth remembering Rippetoes ideas about changing up the workout based on being a beginner or intermediate, etc.
The Starting strength type stuff probably works better for folks coming back from a layoff than doing 1 heavy set like Keed.
The other thing I’m adding in now as a broken old man is ensuring I have lots of opportunity to practise a movement.
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I definitely am opting for heavier smaller sets at the moment. I have yet to max out singles for squats bit can go up to 275 ×3. I guess my 1rm is probably 315ish. Though this week 225 was heavy and I did 5 x 225 X 3 as my working sets. Today I did dumbell bench and did 5 sets of 3 at 50 as my working sets. I guess Ill see how I progress. I have mixed in days of 5x5 as well.
Im starting to think its the patellar tendon. I didnt drive Sunday or Monday but did today and thats what really triggered it. I had to pick my son up from school and it was immediately back to not being able to put any weight on it
Not bad, but next time you need to go the spidercrab route:
But without this part:
The other thing I’ve become convinced of through Peter Attia’s podcasts with Layne Norton (I posted them here before, I’ll post again later if anyone’s interested) is that unless you’re seriously training for powerlifting or body building, the only thing that really matters for muscle growth is # of sets close to failure. Anywhere from 20 reps to 1 rep if you can do it safely.
So if I’m struggling with some pain I’ll back off the weight, go for higher reps, and focus on my form.
My results lately have been the best of my life, and I’m not on anything (er best when I’m not on anything I mean). But also I’ve been going to the gym more consistently than ever before, so it’s probably a lot of that.
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You’ve posted them. They seem long.
I’ve listened to each one at least twice. It’s such good info.
I need raw lat strength like this orangutan
I’d like to do a slightly faster tempo but my trainer shoots for 10+ seconds on the eccentric. So I’m getting like four or five reps on most of my exercises. The very slow tempo seems unnatural and I don’t like it, I think a faster tempo would be better for some reason.