Few questions?

[Afernandez]

Hi guys, i posted 2 months ago about advice for weight training, helpful advice was received and currently 6 weeks into a programme iv managed to gain nearly a stone, might sound rubbish (or not) but i am quite active and have a ridiculously high metabolism, any ways i have a few questions hopefully i can get a few answers:

Im not sure if this is true, but i believe i read you should change your workout routines because your muscles get used to a particular exercise, for example alternate different exercises rather than repeatedly do the same ones, if this is true how often should i be changing routines, like trying different shoulder exercises rather than the same ones?

as im trying to gain weight, i've also been eating at times like before i go to sleep, whether it be cheese, or bread or a snack, is this good, or is there anything i should be eating before sleep?

sometimes i find myself doing like 6 reps for a particular workout (like yesterday it was for a tricep workout) is this good as long as im lifting the heaviest i can?

i've finished from uni, so will be working a bit more on my part time job, as i have a high metabolism and trying to gain weight, being on my feet and walking around is going to burn calories, is there there any way of working out how much i'll be burning whilst at work so i can make it up in terms of calories in a meal?

im going on holiday in july, so wont have access to a gym or weights, what can i do to maintain my body in order to continue this weight training, all i know is that there is a swimming pool?

maybe some ridiculous questions, but any answers given are welcome.

thanks in advance

 

[Goldfish]

1) You don't need to change your exercises all the time. What you do need to do is improve on your primary exercises as consistently as possible. An elite sprinter probably did not reach his/her status by not sprinting, an elite rower probably did not reach their status by not rowing, and an elite weightlifter probably did not reach their status by not lifting cleans and snatches. The whole idea that something has to change for progression IS true: these somethings include the number of reps, sets, and the actual weight lifted. If you squat 3x10x100lb for a month, then at the end of the month you will be able to squat 3x10x100lb, and something will need to change to see improvements. If you'd gone up to 3x10x110lb after the first week, then 3x12x110lb the next, then 3x10x120lb, and so forth, then the change would have been made every week, and you would see progress. The exercise itself doesn't have a need for change unless it's no longer appropriate for whatever reason (eg injury, modifications specific to new goals). It may be appropriate to do different exercises on different days during the same program, as it's not always practical to go through all your exercises on one day, but provided there's no physical or motivation need for change, people can often stick to the same progressive program for months without stalling.

2) There's a lot of talk about some obscure idea that eating after certain hours makes you gain weight. Yeah - bloody - right. While I admit I haven't done extensive research on the topic, the primary reasons for not eating immediately before bedtime are related to comfort and ease of sleep, or if you have certain health issues (eg a diabetic would have to be careful about what they consume late at night, to minimise the risk of hypoglycaemia, which they won't notice while they're asleep). If you go too long without food before you go to bed, you'll go to bed hungry, which will disrupt sleep. If you don't wait long enough between eating and sleeping, that can also cause sleep problems. Anecdotally speaking, there's always been the old tradition of having a warm cup of milk before bed to help you sleep, and incidentally, milk is great for growing muscles.

3) Low reps (1-10) seem to be pretty advantageous for both strength and size gains. I'd probably stay close to the 5 rep range for primary compound movements, and lean on the lighter side for accessory exercises. Lifting heavy is good. Lifting the heaviest you can isn't always good, as the closer you get to the edge of your limits, the greater the risk of injury (either from cheating the last rep or from loading the muscle with more work than it can handle). That's not to say that doing RM's (rep-maxes) is automatically bad, either. But I'd approach such efforts with caution. Common advice is to stop 1 rep short of failure most of the time, which will still give you a high training stimulus with some more safety in mind.

4) There are calculations regarding your metabolic rate, taking into account the activity you do every day. If I recall correctly, the terminology is Basal Metabolic Rate, so googling that might help you out a bit. If you've been seeing progress in bodyweight since you started training (which 1stone says you have), then that should give a you pretty good guide. Generally speaking, it's likely that you'll need 3,000kcal/day or more to achieve your goals.

5) You could do some aqua training, or some bodyweight stuff if possible. You could also treat your holiday as an opportunity for a planned deload.