"Can arms be trained with the 5x5 method without resting in between? I did hammer curls today that way, and it felt good and didn't take long:
5 reps with 17 kg
no rest
5 reps with 15 kg
no rest
5 reps with 12 kg
no rest
5 reps with 10 kg
no rest
5 reps with 9 kg
"Is this a good training method to follow for a long time? It gives a good burn and, as I said, is very quick. I have done hammer curls according to this pattern for a month, and it feels OK. If I follow a training program, is it wise to do chin ups 3 sets to failure 5 days a week? I did chinups today 3 sets to failure and I hardly felt any fatigue afterwards. To tell you the truth, chinups don't seem very effective. I could only take 3 full chinups although my biceps aren't that bad."
-CS
My Answer: What you're doing are descending sets, otherwise known as drop sets. It is a very effective training method, but you will either get used to it or burn out on it. It's best to do it once a week to avoid either stagnating or overtraining.
You can get used to any technique or exercise, no matter how traumatic it may seem at first. This is part of the reason why chin-ups aren't doing anything for you: you acclimated to the exercise, because you've been doing a few sets of it 5 days out of the week. You're doing small doses of chin-ups (3 sets) spread out across the week.
Plus, chances are you're doing chin-ups with a narrow underhand grip. That is the second easiest chin-up variation to do. So if you're doing it that way, then you won't feel much in the back or biceps. Pull-ups with a wide overhand grip will stress your lats more, but you still won't feel it in the biceps. Not only this, but if you can only do 3 chin-ups, then your total is so low (3 sets x 3 reps = 9 total reps), that you're not stressing the lats or biceps much at all.
5 reps with 17 kg
no rest
5 reps with 15 kg
no rest
5 reps with 12 kg
no rest
5 reps with 10 kg
no rest
5 reps with 9 kg
"Is this a good training method to follow for a long time? It gives a good burn and, as I said, is very quick. I have done hammer curls according to this pattern for a month, and it feels OK. If I follow a training program, is it wise to do chin ups 3 sets to failure 5 days a week? I did chinups today 3 sets to failure and I hardly felt any fatigue afterwards. To tell you the truth, chinups don't seem very effective. I could only take 3 full chinups although my biceps aren't that bad."
-CS
My Answer: What you're doing are descending sets, otherwise known as drop sets. It is a very effective training method, but you will either get used to it or burn out on it. It's best to do it once a week to avoid either stagnating or overtraining.
You can get used to any technique or exercise, no matter how traumatic it may seem at first. This is part of the reason why chin-ups aren't doing anything for you: you acclimated to the exercise, because you've been doing a few sets of it 5 days out of the week. You're doing small doses of chin-ups (3 sets) spread out across the week.
Plus, chances are you're doing chin-ups with a narrow underhand grip. That is the second easiest chin-up variation to do. So if you're doing it that way, then you won't feel much in the back or biceps. Pull-ups with a wide overhand grip will stress your lats more, but you still won't feel it in the biceps. Not only this, but if you can only do 3 chin-ups, then your total is so low (3 sets x 3 reps = 9 total reps), that you're not stressing the lats or biceps much at all.