You can add weight or reps or additional exercises, once your body gets used to something. Or you can split and add another session. Might be worth doing squats and deadlift on separate sessions (by splitting legs and back) and going harder on them as they are more important compound exercises than the rest. Just depends if you want to get more involved than you already are as I know weights workouts are supplementary for you rather than the main focus. I've personally been really enjoying them recently.
Appreciate the advice, but I do like my superset setup.
I don't go overly hard on them anyway, if I was tuning my legs or back up for something specific, then maybe I'd work them separately, but I'm generally only doing weight workouts 2 or 3x a week anyway (except maybe over previous winters when I'd gym more). I want to be out on the bike in the summer, or walking, or that other thing that's like walking but where you move a bit quicker; it's been so long I've forgotten what it's called now.
I see. If you've been doing it for so long, trying out a completely different programme might help break through plateus. Maybe even keeping a workout log (if you aren't already) to make sure that you are actually increasing in weight/reps at a decent pace and not just doing the same volume and weight each and every workout. Iceman makes some good points as well.
I kinda' already do mix things up a bit, at least aside from the compound stuff.
I've got six workouts for each muscle group, and I only (generally) do four of them per session, though no two session is the same. For example, my current six back/bicep workouts are;
- Dumbbell Curls
- Incline Barbell Curls
- Low Row
- Pull Down (fore)
- Pull Down (aft)
- Pull Down (grip)
- Cable Curls
Okay, I can't count, that's seven.
In any case, I'll only do four of them on any given day, and the next time I'm doing my Legs/Back/Bicep workout, I'll do a different four, or some of the same, and some different, or I'll change the order in which I do them etc.
All I have to say about that is, I am as weak as the proverbial kitten. Core strength is virtually non-existent. There is a lot of work ahead of me. On a plus note, my flexibility is better than I thought it would be.
I went back to my gym on Monday, and went straight for the barbell squats and dead-lifting. I purposely reduced the weight to half of what I was doing back last year as to reintroduce myself to the exercise. My pattern is a set of squats, a set of wide grip pull-ups, and then a set of deadlifts - and then a quick rest before returning to the squats.
It was on my first set of squats that I felt that "what the hell" feeling in my hamstring, though I finished them and moved on. When I went down on my second set of squats, my legs nearly broke!
I managed to complete them, but whereas I'd normally have done 4-6 sets, I had to stop at 2. Today is Thursday, and my hamstrings are still ... tender.
My plan is to continue to keep carbs keto low, fat intake at a maintenance level and up my protein intake to allow for muscle growth. About 1 gram per pound of my bodyweight.
I've always been under the impression that carbs allow for a slow burn of energy; when I've ran half marathons, or been doing 100k+ cycle rides, I always fuel up the evening before with pasta, pizza, baked potato etc, and that's generally seen me strong through the following day or two.
These past two weeks I've hardly eaten carbs, aside from the odd sandwich, and man, don't I know it. My energy levels in terms of cardio and endurance has me zapped.
