Muscle mass, weight or intensity?

[TitanWIP]

I know this is a dead horse for some but I am still learning so no flames plz.

I was out of town this weekend for a sales conference. Trained at a gym where this beast was doing set after set on squats using only 245. I watched him while I was working out and then got the balls to ask him about his training. he said he does 8x10 with 245 one week 8x8 with 275 the next and 8x6 with 315 on the third week. His quads were HUGE and he didn't look like a juicer.

Do you guys think that after you get to a good base strength level that it's ok to workout like this, using more of an intense approach instead of strict beastly weight? he said he had squatted 525 before but that the low rep sets were beating him up so years back he switched to volume.

Yeah, this isn't Mike Mentzer intensity. But it is a form of intensity rather then grinding out set after set of low rep heavy weight.

What do you guys think. Is it good to train like this after you have a good amount of strength?

[big_swede]

I think thats a good approach, i do one day of 1 set of 20 reps and one day of 8-10 sets lower reps a week and it pays off, im no expert or anything and im still experimenting to se what works but i think its good do squat in different rep range and have a lot of variation.

[jslep]

i believe it is easier to maintain than to build. once you have reached a point of growth and strength from max effort and pain you can lay back a little and maintain a good portion of the power and size you have built. i have seen many guys in my time that have done this. and met plenty in the gym lately that do that very same thing. i don't think he would have ever reached a 525 without heavy singles and probably couldn't at the present but muscle memory and the obility to maintain muscle once you have it is astonishing.

[BendtheBar]

I think once you've built up some good core strength you can pretty much work within whatever rep/set parameters you want as long as you find a way to continually challenge yourself. If you're a natural the majority of your muscle gains come with strength progression over the first 2 to 4 years. After that muscle mass gains are reduced to a trickle, so the return on investment for extra strength isn't much. You can either continue to push for raw, brute strength for the challenge, or start to play with intensity by reducing rest periods, etc.

I think each natural reaches a point where they must decide what form of training is best for their goals and body. For an advanced natural bodybuilder there is nothing wrong with low rep strength training, and there is nothing wrong with intensity training. You're primarily training to maintain, so train for pleasure. If you are advanced, that is.

Each year brings something new. Squats get harder for me with each new pound, but deadlifts become more fun as my max goes up. Listen to your body, and train in a way that pleases you. nothing wrong with that. No shame in it.

Some old timers like Grimek like high reps. Some like Hepburn lived on lower reps. Both were beasts.