[gipperdog]

What's better - to weight train to muscle failure or to lift according to a prescribed number of sets & reps in a routine? I have no set routine when lifting in the number of sets I complete. I tend to always work almost to muscle failure (or at least till I'm pretty wiped out.) I can't lift too heavy as I'm trying to recover from pretty severe tendenitis in both elbows.

Am I wrong lifting to failure??? I take no drugs of any kind (except Ibuprophen - LOL)

One thing positive I have increased my flexed bicep/arm measurements from 16 inches to 21.5 inches working like this.

My workout - (All exercises listed below are on cable machines.) My weights are a bit light because of the tendonitis in both elbows make lifting heavy very painful.

On the machine - Reverse one handed tricep extensions - sets of 10 reps but about 30 or so sets per arm (no resting between sets & with alternating between arms @ 15 lbs). This usually takes me about 10 minutes or so to complete. Sometimes I use an easy curl bar & then do about 20 sets or so at 25 reps min (@55lbs).

I then immediately switch to rope curls (beginning at 55 lbs working up to 85 lbs) for 10-12 sets (min) of 10-15 reps each. Then I break & go over to the dumbells beginning at 50 lbs working up to 80 lbs) doing sets of 10 for about 6-8 sets. For those I only do inside hammer curls as I have a blown rotator cuff in my left shoulder that couldn't be repaired. I have no movement for normal curls. Dang arm just won't move. No problem with hammer curls though. Go figure?

Then I start back on the cable machine doing supersets of cable triceps pushdowns & rope curls till I just crap out. I've lately begun one armed cable curls also for 8-10 sets of 10 reps. This entire routine takes about 1 1/2 hours to complete. I finish off with seated benchpress with 5 or 6 sets of 25 reps (80 lbs to up to 140 lbs). I do all this every Monday & Thursday.

I do my shoulders & back stuff done on Tuesday's & Fridays. I start with machine lateral shoulder raises - 4 sets of 10 @ 80 lbs on thru 120 lbs. Seated Bar Military presses beginning at 95 lbs working up to 185 lbs (usually stopping at 155 lbs) for 6-8 sets of 10 - 20 reps each. I also do the usual lat pulldowns, upright rows, shrugs (olympic bar), . Also, my shrugs are up from 225 lbs to where I work out at 405 lbs now (free weights).

Not a lot of leg work as I have bad knees, so I get on the Elliptical machine for 30 minutes.

So, for a 50 year old guy, is it wrong to work out like this? Am I knocking myself down & overdoing it? I generally feel fairly rested by the next workout rolls around & so far the only injuries I've sustained are the problems I mentioned already with my elbows. Will an elbow sleeve from INZER help with that?
Thanks for any info - Rick

[Hunter]

I'm also in my 50s but I don't have any elbow or joint problems. Weight lifting for over 25 years. I would suggest increasing you weight 25% and doing only 4 sets not 10. Go to failure and do some super sets, pyramids, running the rack sets, negatives, forced reps and strippiing method sets. I usually wait 1 minute when doing moderate weights and 2-3 minutes when I do heavy or stripping weights, etc. Enjoy !!