High-Volume Lee Priest Routine

[Aggravated]

Lee Priest also does steroids.

I KNOW RIGHT!

[hardknock]

i dont get whats so intense about this? i do more than this every time i lift, 5-6 days a week. i dont always go up to 5 sets, sometimes just 4 but i add about 2-3 more exercises than this routine except maybe arms. in all honesty i dont see whats wrong with this.

YOu're saying that you do this exact same routine for weeks on end? And, you're constantly gaining 10-15lbs? .... Either you're skidding me a couple or someone has got me twisted up?

[faaipdeoiad]

YOu're saying that you do this exact same routine for weeks on end? And, you're constantly gaining 10-15lbs? .... Either you're skidding me a couple or someone has got me twisted up?

hahah no dude definately not. i dont even do this exact routine, just a routine of equal or similar intensity. and i went up 10-15 lbs in the past couple months since my cut. im not willing to keep bulking cu z i started gaining fat again. my only point in saying that was i dont think the intensity of a workout constitutes someones overtraining in itself. i sleep about 9 hours a day and eat about 3600 calories, but yes my workouts are extremely intense, and i am still increasing weights. i can post my last couple workouts if ur interested, but i do change it up very frequently. its never really the same considering all the options i have now of combining sets, order, and supersetting some lifts.

[Rugger]

If your intensity was as high as it should be, it would be over training. No question. Your gains are probably newbie gains and you probably aren't working out as hard as you think you are.

[hardknock]

hahah no dude definately not. i dont even do this exact routine, just a routine of equal or similar intensity. and i went up 10-15 lbs in the past couple months since my cut. im not willing to keep bulking cu z i started gaining fat again. my only point in saying that was i dont think the intensity of a workout constitutes someones overtraining in itself. i sleep about 9 hours a day and eat about 3600 calories, but yes my workouts are extremely intense, and i am still increasing weights. i can post my last couple workouts if ur interested, but i do change it up very frequently. its never really the same considering all the options i have now of combining sets, order, and super setting some lifts.

Just seemed pretty phenomenal given your age range...dunno. Have you been coming back from a layoff?

Yeah, not saying that it's impossible (i've done the leg routine myself) but for months on end? nah! And I sure as heck didn't get in and out of the gym in 55mins...

After about 3 months, my gains came to a dead STOP, period! No movement in anyway, felt sick all day, and had enormous headaches daily,...this is the reason why i missed 30+ days from the gym a few months ago...lol

[faaipdeoiad]

Just seemed pretty phenomenal given your age range...dunno. Have you been coming back from a layoff?

Yeah, not saying that it's impossible (i've done the leg routine myself) but for months on end? nah! And I sure as heck didn't get in and out of the gym in 55mins...

After about 3 months, my gains came to a dead STOP, period! No movement in anyway, felt sick all day, and had enormous headaches daily,...this is the reason why i missed 30+ days from the gym a few months ago...lol

i sincerely doubt that theyre newb gains bro or i wouldnt be able to push the weight i have been lately with such consistency. ive been lifting for about 8 years

as far as overtraining, i was actually going to start a thread to see what people thought, as by all logic i should be overtraining...but i feel fine. everyone who hears my routine tells me the same thing, youre overtraining. ive made significant strength gains lately (granted i ran a cycle of tren xtreme) and mantained them, as well as succeeded in whatever i was going for- cutting/bulking. the only problem is that i cant seem to take time off. i have to force myself to take one day off a week just because i dont need to. When i was on cycle i was lifting 6 days a week, often twice a day, and sometimes did cardio on the 7th. It sounds ridiculous i know but i still kept making progress. Right now im trying to keep it at only 5 lift days a week, but thats partially because of finals. So again, im not sure if i am overtraining, because how am i still making progress then? I have friends about my size and strength who lift with me but always stop about 2/3 of the way through my routine because they cant handle anymore. They also always tell me that it gets them noticeable strength and leanness just by lifting with me, but for me i pretty much do it just to break even. Im not sure exactly whats going on then, maybe my body is just so used to this intensity that it recovers faster? Like i said, i havent experience any of the symptoms uve mentioned

Heres my routine from a couple days ago. This was actually a bit more than i usually do, I usually take out the T-bar rows, do deads first, etc. my lifts vary- almost each time i lift i try to add in something new or a new order

BACK

1) Weighted Pulls Ups - 0x10, 25lb x 8, 45 x 7, 35 x 8, 25x 5 + 0x3
2) Standing Barbell Rows- 135x11, 185x8, 185x9, 155x11
3)Dumbell Rows- 120x7, 120x8, 100x9
4) Lying T-Bar Rows - 115x7, 115x6, 90x7
SUPERSET w/ +
5) Bent Over T-Bar Rows- 135x8, 135x7, 135x7
6) Deadlifts - 135x12, 225x8, 275x7, 275x7, 225x8
7) Lat Pull Down - 120x8, 120x7, 120x6
SUPERSET W/
8) Cable rows - 160x7, 150x7, 150x7, (plus 1set 60x12 each arm)

CALVES
1) Seated Calf Raise- 115x14, 135x12, 135x10, 135x8
2) Leg PressMachine Calf Extensions - 560x12, 560x10, 450x14
3) Standing Calf Raise- 360x20, 375x 16, 375x15

ABS
4 sets of Decline Crunches SUPERSET w/ Decline Reverse Crunches/Hip Thrusts

This was a little longer than my normal workouts, but i still managed to get through it in just over an hour and a half. I take short rests and i dont really waste time. I got through it fine though.
In short, im not sure, can you be overtraining if u dont feel any of the symptoms of fatigue?

[KgTomCat]

In short, im not sure, can you be overtraining if u dont feel any of the symptoms of fatigue?

I dont know, lately Ive stopped 'going by the book' on certain things...I go by what my body is telling me and how I feel

[faaipdeoiad]

yea man thats what ive been thinking. even though by all logic i should be way overtraining, i still feel fine. The only negative thing ive noticed is that im running out of ways to up the intensity. Im not really sure what else i can add in.I need crazy workouts now just to break a sweat, normal lifts just wont do it anymore. But thats not really enough motivation to back it down. I might force myself to take 5 days or so off just so i can start fresh, but as of yet i dont need to. i dunno man its weird

[KgTomCat]

yea man thats what ive been thinking. even though by all logic i should be way overtraining, i still feel fine. The only negative thing ive noticed is that im running out of ways to up the intensity. Im not really sure what else i can add in.I need crazy workouts now just to break a sweat, normal lifts just wont do it anymore. But thats not really enough motivation to back it down. I might force myself to take 5 days or so off just so i can start fresh, but as of yet i dont need to. i dunno man its weird

I've stuck with drop sets....to me nothing beats that. You drop the weight by so many different percentages, ou go to failure, then go further, seems the best way to keep up growing, IDK, its what works for me

[faaipdeoiad]

yea i usually incorporate them into at least the last sets of each lift. i dont really even keep track anymore, i use a combination of drop sets, negatives and forced reps for prety much every lift just to get the most out of it.
drop sets are a great way to end a workout though

[KgTomCat]

yuppp

[fritzer]

example of my leg routine:

squats 3 sets of 4 reps
Lunge 2 sets of 4 reps
StraighLeg deadlift: 2 sets 4 reps

(next week lunges are leg press and SLDL are hanging raises)

and i am still overtraining sometimes it is more important to use your brain than your muscles.

So your body feels fine on your huge overtraining routine. Thats great that it is working for you. But truth is you could cut that down in half or even to 1/3 of what you do and make the same gains. And then you are optimizing your hormone levels from your workout and can spend time doing other thing like HIT cardio later etc etc.

Also, a wise man once told me. It isnt what you can do right now, it is what you can keep up for the rest of your life. I can definitley keep up my 7-9 set workouts through school and work. I am currently 6'5 247lbs 8% BF and it has taken me 5 years (since i started) to realize how to train correctly

[fritzer]

5x5 has never worked for me, Im more of a pyramid guy...Im a strong believer in overloading the muscle

pyramiding is NOT overloading the muscle. i am a calm guy but you need to do more reading.

"Once a muscle is fatigued it can't be properly overloaded." if you are working up in weights set by set it means your first set is not completely overloading your muscles, so by the time you reach your last set you have become fatigued and cannot achieve overload.

here is my overload squat routine from this past week:

Warm-up:

135 x 12
225 x 8
315 x 4
385 x 2
415 x 1

Overload sets:

485 x 5
490 x 4
500 x 4

now see i get acclimated to the weight, then go right in and hit heavy as possible overload.

[KgTomCat]

pyramiding is NOT overloading the muscle. i am a calm guy but you need to do more reading.

"Once a muscle is fatigued it can't be properly overloaded." if you are working up in weights set by set it means your first set is not completely overloading your muscles, so by the time you reach your last set you have become fatigued and cannot achieve overload.

here is my overload squat routine from this past week:

Warm-up:

135 x 12
225 x 8
315 x 4
385 x 2
415 x 1

Overload sets:

485 x 5
490 x 4
500 x 4

now see i get acclimated to the weight, then go right in and hit heavy as possible overload.

I didnt mean 3 sets of 10 reps of the same weight, I add weight every set, Ill do a few sets to positive failure, add more weight...and so on, then throw in a drop set

[Aggravated]

example of my leg routine:

squats 3 sets of 4 reps
Lunge 2 sets of 4 reps
StraighLeg deadlift: 2 sets 4 reps

(next week lunges are leg press and SLDL are hanging raises)

and i am still overtraining sometimes it is more important to use your brain than your muscles.

So your body feels fine on your huge overtraining routine. Thats great that it is working for you. But truth is you could cut that down in half or even to 1/3 of what you do and make the same gains. And then you are optimizing your hormone levels from your workout and can spend time doing other thing like HIT cardio later etc etc.

Also, a wise man once told me. It isnt what you can do right now, it is what you can keep up for the rest of your life. I can definitley keep up my 7-9 set workouts through school and work. I am currently 6'5 247lbs 8% BF and it has taken me 5 years (since i started) to realize how to train correctly

pyramiding is NOT overloading the muscle. i am a calm guy but you need to do more reading.

"Once a muscle is fatigued it can't be properly overloaded." if you are working up in weights set by set it means your first set is not completely overloading your muscles, so by the time you reach your last set you have become fatigued and cannot achieve overload.

here is my overload squat routine from this past week:

Warm-up:

135 x 12
225 x 8
315 x 4
385 x 2
415 x 1

Overload sets:

485 x 5
490 x 4
500 x 4

now see i get acclimated to the weight, then go right in and hit heavy as possible overload.

Is it just me or does that seem completely contradicting in itself.

[hardknock]

Heres my routine from a couple days ago. This was actually a bit more than i usually do, I usually take out the T-bar rows, do deads first, etc. my lifts vary- almost each time i lift i try to add in something new or a new order

BACK

1) Weighted Pulls Ups - 0x10, 25lb x 8, 45 x 7, 35 x 8, 25x 5 + 0x3
2) Standing Barbell Rows- 135x11, 185x8, 185x9, 155x11
3)Dumbell Rows- 120x7, 120x8, 100x9
4) Lying T-Bar Rows - 115x7, 115x6, 90x7
SUPERSET w/ +
5) Bent Over T-Bar Rows- 135x8, 135x7, 135x7
6) Deadlifts - 135x12, 225x8, 275x7, 275x7, 225x8
7) Lat Pull Down - 120x8, 120x7, 120x6
SUPERSET W/
8) Cable rows - 160x7, 150x7, 150x7, (plus 1set 60x12 each arm)

CALVES
1) Seated Calf Raise- 115x14, 135x12, 135x10, 135x8
2) Leg PressMachine Calf Extensions - 560x12, 560x10, 450x14
3) Standing Calf Raise- 360x20, 375x 16, 375x15

ABS
4 sets of Decline Crunches SUPERSET w/ Decline Reverse Crunches/Hip Thrusts

This was a little longer than my normal workouts, but i still managed to get through it in just over an hour and a half. I take short rests and i dont really waste time. I got through it fine though.
In short, im not sure, can you be overtraining if u dont feel any of the symptoms of fatigue?

I agree that you probably wouldn't feel exceptional fatigue since that w/o looks as if your going pretty light, say, 75% of your max?

[hardknock]

Is it just me or does that seem completely contradicting in itself.

It did seem awkward, but im guessing, he was just mentioning an example in his second post?

[fritzer]

I didnt mean 3 sets of 10 reps of the same weight, I add weight every set, Ill do a few sets to positive failure, add more weight...and so on, then throw in a drop set

hahaha ok i need to clarify a bit, i apologize to all your guys.
I know what you meant KgTomCat... but that is not overloading. if say 300x 4 of whatever is your max then you should be doing as close to 300 x 4 in your sets as possible, NOT 275 x8, 285 x 6, etc etc... that is prefatiguing the muscle group... by the last set you cannot do 300 x 4 anymore.

so what i mean is say you can flat bench 300 x 4 at the end of your pyramid if you did a proper warmup and jumped right into overload you could potentially do 315 x 4... THAT is overload!

Is it just me or does that seem completely contradicting in itself.

no it is not. you are looking a the warm up as actual sets. the 3 heavy working squat sets are the overload!

for kgtomcat and other this is a pyramid like in one of the previous posts:
Standing Barbell Rows- 135x11, 185x8, 185x9, 155x11

Why not do 205 x 6, x5, x4

THAT is overload = muscle growth

sorry if i was unclear what i meant. again the warm up sets i listed are a warmup nothing more, not part of the working sets. my overload squats were:
485 x 5
490 x 4
500 x 4

--> as much as possible for 4-6 reps.
pyramiding would be
405 x 12
415 x 8
425 x 6
455 x 4 ---- see 455 x4 VS what could have been 500 x 4 above!!

[faaipdeoiad]

I agree that you probably wouldn't feel exceptional fatigue since that w/o looks as if your going pretty light, say, 75% of your max?

hm im not really sure, as ive never really tried a 1rmax. never seemed to be much point. im going to do back again today, i suppose i could try doing less sets and heavier weights. the only problem is no matter how heavy i start i still have tons of energy at the end and my back doesnt feel as worked unless i hit it from every angle. not sure, maybe its just mental

[KgTomCat]

hahaha ok i need to clarify a bit, i apologize to all your guys.
I know what you meant KgTomCat... but that is not overloading. if say 300x 4 of whatever is your max then you should be doing as close to 300 x 4 in your sets as possible, NOT 275 x8, 285 x 6, etc etc... that is prefatiguing the muscle group... by the last set you cannot do 300 x 4 anymore.

so what i mean is say you can flat bench 300 x 4 at the end of your pyramid if you did a proper warmup and jumped right into overload you could potentially do 315 x 4... THAT is overload!



no it is not. you are looking a the warm up as actual sets. the 3 heavy working squat sets are the overload!

for kgtomcat and other this is a pyramid like in one of the previous posts:
Standing Barbell Rows- 135x11, 185x8, 185x9, 155x11

Why not do 205 x 6, x5, x4

THAT is overload = muscle growth

sorry if i was unclear what i meant. again the warm up sets i listed are a warmup nothing more, not part of the working sets. my overload squats were:
485 x 5
490 x 4
500 x 4

--> as much as possible for 4-6 reps.
pyramiding would be
405 x 12
415 x 8
425 x 6
455 x 4 ---- see 455 x4 VS what could have been 500 x 4 above!!

IDK why I wrote that, sorry, reminds me of my Max-OT days hahaha