Workout till failure?

[eldus]

So here's my dilemma. I ride bmx a couple times a week and ride MX usually on sundays. This leaves me pretty much sore for most of the week but on Wednesdays or Thursdays I usually feel strong and energetic again so I workout pretty much my entire body.

How I do it is I find the hardest excersises I can do for each area(pushing, pulling, chinups, shoulders, core, legs), do 10 rep sets to failure.

So when I'm done working out I'm DONE.

I feel I have progressed a LOT in the strength and endurance department, but I don't really see a lot of changes in the way my body looks. I mean...I still look stronger than most of the people I see on a daily basis (friends and people at uni) but I'm thinking the visual change is just not proportional to the strength gains!

Without wanting to sound superficial, I don't want to be a huge bodybuilder but I sure want it to show!

Is working out till muscle failure my problem?

I'd like to hear some opinions =)

eldus

[Starclassic]

Working out till failure wont be a problem unless you do it every single day. If you want to pack mass on, eat big and do x-reps at the end of each set. Look up x-reps on bodybuilding.com, i'm too tired to explain them right now :wink: (the burn from them is insane if you do it right). Remember that the main triggerer for mass is fast twitch muscle fiber stimulation, so if you keep your reps low, your reps explosive, and add some range to your reps (i.e. extended range pushups) that should help. But remember to eat HUGE in the protein department.

You can tell if failure is the problem if your rep numbers are constantly getting smaller and your basically back tracking. But even then, eating big will help prevent overtraining.

[cheesedog]

Starclassic is right on the money, especially about the the importance of eating ALOT to gain mass. Plenty of high quality protein. Most bodybuilding authorities today agree on using fast protein (whey) and high glycemic carbs right after, or even during, your workout and slower sources of protein (casein, egg, etc.) an hour or so later.

As for training to failure, for gaining strength you want to avoid it most of the time, but for gaining mass most people train to failure at least some of the time.

[koltz]

if you want to get muscles and be lean you have to eat like a bodybuilder to make optimal progress...

working till faliure is not mandatory or better then working not to faliure since faliure in a set is mostly CNS burnout ... for looking liek a bodybuilder you must add in some workouts that give maximum stimulation for the muscle fibers working around the cns

[Starclassic]

if you want to get muscles and be lean you have to eat like a bodybuilder to make optimal progress...

working till faliure is not mandatory or better then working not to faliure since faliure in a set is mostly CNS burnout ... for looking liek a bodybuilder you must add in some workouts that give maximum stimulation for the muscle fibers working around the cns

which is exactly why i recommend x-reps. they target the max force point of the an exercise. the two guys that researched it for the bodybuilding mag they work for were on cutting diets, sliced their sets in half, used x reps, and gained 5 lbs. of muscle in a month. ther people have reported 10 or more pound of muscle gain in a month with x reps on a bulking diet.

[eldus]

Mmmh, I'll look into that x-reps

Also, on the protein department...I guess I'll have to buy some whey protein, I'm pretty sure I'm not eating as much protein as I should, my main protein income comes from milk and SOMETIMES tuna or meat..

Thanks a lot!

[Starclassic]

Milk is actually a pretty good natural protein supplement. 8g of protein in a cup, about 80% of that is casein and the remaining 20% is whey. Whey powder in milk makes a really good protein source because of the casein so dont mix the whey with water. Even better, get a protein mix lik Met-Rx protein plus because it has whey and casein. whey will completely digest in about 30-45 min. and the casein can take 3 or more hours. so you want to make sure you get a slower digesting protein about 20 min. after you have your whey.

btw-whey is the liquid in cottage cheese and casein is the curds. (fat free cottage cheese is a bodybuilding favorite especially before bed.)

[bklynfirefighter]

Starclassic
There is a lady on the web who is a nutritionist and registered dietician and an athlete...can't remember her name. :oops:
Anyway, she posted a recipe to make your own protein shakes.
8 oz of milk to 1/2 cup of powdered milk...add 1 or 2 ice cubes and a couple of tablespoons of instant pudding mix to thicken it.
Blend until the ices is crushed....
Do this twice a day and you have 32 grams of protein, in addition to the food you eat.
Much cheaper than buying protein mixes.

[eldus]

Starclassic
There is a lady on the web who is a nutritionist and registered dietician and an athlete...can't remember her name. :oops:
Anyway, she posted a recipe to make your own protein shakes.
8 oz of milk to 1/2 cup of powdered milk...add 1 or 2 ice cubes and a couple of tablespoons of instant pudding mix to thicken it.
Blend until the ices is crushed....
Do this twice a day and you have 32 grams of protein, in addition to the food you eat.
Much cheaper than buying protein mixes.

Great idea!

I LOVE cold milk too..so this is good news haha

eldus

[koltz]

Starclassic
There is a lady on the web who is a nutritionist and registered dietician and an athlete...can't remember her name. :oops:
Anyway, she posted a recipe to make your own protein shakes.
8 oz of milk to 1/2 cup of powdered milk...add 1 or 2 ice cubes and a couple of tablespoons of instant pudding mix to thicken it.
Blend until the ices is crushed....
Do this twice a day and you have 32 grams of protein, in addition to the food you eat.
Much cheaper than buying protein mixes.

Great idea!

I LOVE cold milk too..so this is good news haha

eldus

home mad protein shakes suck , cause if you got the time you just make yourself a sandwitch.............

[eldus]

Starclassic
There is a lady on the web who is a nutritionist and registered dietician and an athlete...can't remember her name. :oops:
Anyway, she posted a recipe to make your own protein shakes.
8 oz of milk to 1/2 cup of powdered milk...add 1 or 2 ice cubes and a couple of tablespoons of instant pudding mix to thicken it.
Blend until the ices is crushed....
Do this twice a day and you have 32 grams of protein, in addition to the food you eat.
Much cheaper than buying protein mixes.

Great idea!

I LOVE cold milk too..so this is good news haha

eldus

home mad protein shakes suck , cause if you got the time you just make yourself a sandwitch.............

Exactly, but as I love milk this is perfect!
eldus