What To Do In Between Your Workout Sets By Aaron DiPrima
I am currently on vacation and training several states away from my home
gym, utilizing a Gold's gym in Austin, Texas. Sometimes when forced into a
different situation you can automatically make some new discoveries, as when
young altar boy Mark Roman discovered that not all priests have good
intentions.
Within just a week or so of hitting my workouts down here I noticed that I
had dropped a little body fat and my abdominal muscles were leaned out
again. This struck me as kind of odd as I had not been doing any strict
dieting or aggressive cardio type training, like my sleds, prowler, or manic
uncontrollable convulsive sobbing while watching The Notebook. Then during
my workout it occurred to me what was happening.
The Gold's I was using on Ben White Blvd. in Austin is an enormous club,
about 50,000 square feet of floor space and having a 1/13th mile track that
scales the inside perimeter. After every set of exercise, being a naturally
fidgety kind of person, I was pacing around the track in preparation for the
next set. By the time I realized this I had already knocked off a couple of
miles and had kept my heart rate elevated for about an hour and a half. This
would have a synergistic effect with the training and would negate the need
for cardio done at a second session, thus freeing up another half hour of
the day where I can sit around and wish I had something to do besides ponder
which of the two Corey's I like better. Also, it is just walking. If
walking affects your workout you need to analyze what you are doing as it
just means you are very out of condition.
Now, at most gyms, you will not have the luxury of a track through the
middle, (also at most gamblers anonymous meetings), so some other ways you
could incorporate this would be to walk on a treadmill or other cardio piece
between sets. Unfortunately, availability then becomes an issue, especially
during peak hours. Also DO NOT LEAVE THE TREADMILL RUNNING. I have seen some
people who were unaware that the treadmill was running when they got on it
and the results are, although pretty funny in a Three Stooges kind of way,
still very dangerous. Also if I really need to tell you this I have a giant
floppy red hat I would like to sell you for your giant retarded head. On a
recent trip to visit Louie Simmons at Westside I utilized the Tread Sled
that they have in between my sets and this proved to be a great method. I
plan on purchasing one of these soon (end shameless plug here). Basically, I
would do a set and then perform 30-50 steps on the sled, then go right back
into another set.
I have also done some other experimenting with the down time between sets;
so far just on the benchpress, with some promising results. On my Dynamic
day (50-70 percent of a max for 8-10 triples) I have been incorporating an
extremely sub maximal set in between (10-25% at the most). As I had
expected, the light sets, although fatiguing, do not affect the work sets in
this scenario as they are working in different physiological energy systems.
Also I have continued to make progress on my maximum effort day while doing
this, which is mentionable as my body has processed about a hundred gallons
of whiskey on my vacation down here, along with pulling a couple all
nighters. A quick side note. I recently replaced all the fish in my diet
with raw red meat, and all the vegetables with Jack Daniels, and although I
felt good while doing this, the issue of the shared bathroom became an
issue, so I had to switch back.
Dealing with a population of one (myself) with this training experiment, it
is hard to reach any definite conclusions, but I have noticed a more full
feeling in my upper body that I am pretty sure isn't just neurotic ego (I'm
for sure this time Dr. Schaffer!), but specifically in my chest, arms, and
shoulders. There is a great and obvious conditioning aspect, as with the
constant movement I get into a sweat immediately, it seems to be helping me
work on my form, and I am still getting stronger, so at the very least it
has no apparent detrimental effect. Also my receding hairline is growing
back, my erections seem fuller and harder, that constant feeling of
overwhelming sorrow and depression stemming from the vast, black emptiness
of the universe has somehow lifted and has been replaced with a warm glow
and a soft angelic voice singing words of inspiration, love, and hope into
my ears as I drift into a blissful slumber at days end with my full head of
hair and my massive throb bing hard-on.
As far as implementation I would recommend trying this under the following
conditions. 1) You are an experienced trainee. 2) You are following a
Westside protocol, or are training sub maximally--for instance if you are
doing, say, 5 sets of 5, with a weight you could handle for 10-12, or are
doing singles and doubles with a sub maximal (80%) weight like a Shieko type
of deal. And 3) No more than 25% (probably better off a bit lower) on the in
between sets, and not to failure, just to fatigue. This may also be
performed on a machine or bodyweight exercise, but may lose a little bit of
the contribution to working ones form. In the very least it should help
save you a trip to Wal-Mart for a larger pair of pants.
Please call with any questions Aaron DiPrima
Strength Beyond
269-655-0066
