New Study Confirms That Carbs Make You Fat

Fwiw I had very good results with the 1 set per exercise to failure whole body routine, strength and bodybuilding wise. Not sure how it works if one works out like this long term, and it didn't work so well when I moved to low reps, but most people don't care about low reps ( say below 6). Usually I don't fail a movement though, but stop while i still can finish a whole last rep. Back to this routine with higher reps btw, after 1 week break following a minor injury. Lost quite a bit in that 1 week , body weight, strength and motivation to lift hard, uglier than I'd expected :( Christmas holidays ain't gonna help.
The expression "There are many ways to skin a cat" seems to apply very well to bodybuilding btw, and even powerlifting, lots of quite different routines used by successful lifters.
 
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Visaria said:
Yeah, you are going 1 rep to failure. Which is what i recommend and do.
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Missed twice a rep over the last few months and got hurt twice.I used to be able to miss a rep without that much of an issue but would advise one to try and avoid that.Not sure FF is advising going to real failure, like until one miss a rep.
 
luisHK said:
Missed twice a rep over the last few months and got hurt twice.I used to be able to miss a rep without that much of an issue but would advise one to try and avoid that.Not sure FF is advising going to real failure, like until one miss a rep.
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If you're only doing a few total sets, then you really need to make them count. Unless you have an underlying health issue that prevents you from doing so, I do not believe there is any harm in going to true concentric failure for most exercises. This is the most efficient way to activate all of your fast twitch muscle fibers, including the type IIb. I don't think I'd recommend going to true concentric failure for deadlifts or barbell squats, even if you are using a squat cage with safety bars for the latter. (Although I've done barbell squats to failure years ago, looking back, I think I was playing chicken with the gods.)

The important thing is to keep your rep cadence slow and deliberate, using proper form. No body English to eek out a last rep. If you keep the reps above 8 or so using a smooth, slow cadence for both positive and negative (not less than 3 seconds each), then you should not run into trouble if you are mindful of your form.

Of course, if you have previous injuries, then you need to let them heal, and work around them if possible. Don't try to "power" through them.
 
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Frederick Foresight said:
I don't think I'd recommend going to true concentric failure for deadlifts or barbell squats, even if you are using a squat cage with safety bars for the latter.
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Why not? You want to do exactly that for all other exercises. Bench press? Might fall and crush the chest?

luisHK said:
Not sure FF is advising going to real failure, like until one miss a rep.
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Yes, i think you are right. Fred would no longer be with us if he was really going to 'true concentric failure' for all these years...the ammonia would have taken its toll by now!

I think Fred and I are more on the same page than otherwise....
 
Visaria said:
Why not? You want to do exactly that for all other exercises. Bench press? Might fall and crush the chest?
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Going all out on bench press requires a spotter. The safety benches I've used have potential drawbacks. (Maybe using the safety bars in a squat cage for bench?)

I've seen spotting done for squats, and I don't care for it. But that's just me, so my opinion is that squatting to failure with meaningful weight can potentially be a gamble. Shit can go wrong. Up until several years ago, I've used the safety bars in a squat cage for squatting to failure and, looking back, I'm glad I didn't hurt my back.

You don't need a spotter for deadlifts, but going all out to true failure? I'll leave that to the adventurous.
 
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Visaria said:
Yes, i think you are right. Fred would no longer be with us if he was really going to 'true concentric failure' for all these years...the ammonia would have taken its toll by now!
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So now you're calling me a liar? Seriously, what is it with you and your ammonia?

Except for a brief period a few years ago when I was adjusting my routine, I have always gone to concentric failure ever since I was in my late teens. I'm 60 now, and I'm presently taking it a little further with a brief hold at the end of concentric failure, followed by a very slow negative. That's actually more intense, and it's to make up for the drop in volume and frequency. So please, for the love of gawd, STFU!
 
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Frederick Foresight said:
Going all out on bench press requires a spotter. The safety benches I've used have potential drawbacks. (Maybe using the safety bars in a squat cage for bench?)

I've seen spotting done for squats, and I don't care for it. But that's just me, so my opinion is that squatting to failure with meaningful weight can potentially be a gamble. Shit can go wrong. Up until several years ago, I've used the safety bars in a squat cage for squatting to failure and, looking back, I'm glad I didn't hurt my back.

You don't need a spotter for deadlifts, but going all out to true failure? I'll leave that to the adventurous.
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When I squat to failure it is not in a squat cage but at the CF gym and when you get stuck at the bottom you properly drop the weight backwards. It is not for everyone though but when I have tried to test 1 rep max I had to drop.
 
El OchoCinco said:
When I squat to failure it is not in a squat cage but at the CF gym and when you get stuck at the bottom you properly drop the weight backwards. It is not for everyone though but when I have tried to test 1 rep max I had to drop.
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Okay, but when you go to the limit with a meaningful weight on the bar, it's not just a question of the safety bars to keep the weights from falling on you. It can also be a matter of potentially going a bit wobbly with the weights near the top of the movement as you're losing steam and approaching failure. With enough weight and fatigue, it wouldn't take much to do damage. And I used to do a number of sets, adding to the risk. Admittedly, I didn't always need the safety bars as I would rack the barbell when I was truly spent at the top of the movement, which would suggest something less that true concentric failure. (The barbell squat was an exception in that respect.) But I needed them often enough.

As I said, looking back, I'm grateful I didn't get hurt. And I wouldn't do it again.

P.S. It was never a matter of dropping the weight for me; it was always a lowering it.
 
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