Workload and Work Capacity after 495x1 post injury

No, you did it right. You were supposed to at least go for a single at 485 OR MORE. The idea is to be doing pretty much as high a single as you can during this process (for the heaviest set)...although I wouldn't go for a complete and utter grinder...a bit of a grinder is good. The "or more if possible" refers to more weight on the single if possible. On the doubles or triples, I'd like you to do at least two sets of doubles or triples, but you can do up to three or even four if you have it in you. You did 465 for the doubles so next workout you need to try to do a heavier weight, at least for one of the doubles. 

On that comparison of workload, I don't know what I had you do prior to the 455 but you are leaving out the workload of the buildup, which, even considering the long time it takes to do it, is a huge capacity for workload. I think here it is endurance you are comparing but you haven't been working for endurance you've been working for work capacity, which is not exactly the same thing. 

I'll try to explain the difference. Say you have a pile of rocks to move from one place to another and you've got another guy helping you. Now this other guy, he takes a load of rocks and he is able to push it all the way to where it goes almost running and without a break, get a new load, and do the same thing without resting. 

You, you get a load of rocks that is a bit larger, but you take a break halfway through pushing it to where it needs to go, you unload it, and you take a little break, and then go get another big load. Then you rest halfway, etc. 

The first guy, he's got endurance, an almost can handle the same initial workload. But, after racing through a few loads, he's spend. You have more work capacity. Even though you can race the load very quickly...you are able to recover between loads and keep working, even as fatigue begins to mount. 

So, here, you are able to do MORE work, when it's all said and done, then your helper, because he engenders a lot of fatigue in a very quick fashion, which he then can not longer recover from. You manage the work and the fatigue and, although you work more slowly, you move tons more rocks. 

Now, his power output, at first, would be greater, but he would not be able to sustain that power output. Your power output would be less, and you total force output would be much greater, and you would be able to sustain that force output for a long period of time. 

These workouts, then, they are about moving that whole pile of rocks.  Later on, you can go back to working one moving the load of rocks faster, while still having a tremendous work capacity. Most people just are able to generate that "power" but they cannot sustain force output in the face of that.

Inner Peace + Template

1:31 AM Ground: I think that you are having one of two issues:

  You are discouraged on deadlift, and thus feel that you should be doing more squatting so that you feel more fulfilled

1:32 AM Or, you are tired of deadlifting and want to be doing more squatting

 me: no no

  I keep skipping squats

  because something comes up

  like

  in the last 6 months

  my squatting has dropped from a frequency of once a week to once every 15 days or say

  *so

1:33 AM Ground: I don't see how the template fixes that

1:34 AM or rather, I don't see how it helps to put squats the day after deadlifts

  how that fixes any issues resulting from not doing squat every time

 me: okay so scratch my entire method of thinking

 Ground: i mean, my point is

  after deadlifts and then squats

1:35 AM even if you can perform well on squats

  the rest of the week would tend to be shot

 me: yes

  completely

  thats why earlier I had said:

 Ground: I think it is still, as always, an issue of priorities

 me: DL then back work then DL after an off and then squats then 2 days off then repeat

 Ground: if you are skipping squats a lot

  then are you skipping other things?

1:36 AM me: no

  pressing and squats

 Ground: or should you be skipping those things INSTEAD of squats

 me: i don't have an issue with the skipping because it's not intentional

  i thought you would have an issue lol

1:37 AM Ground: well, I'm more concerned that you get the most out of the training that you DO

  rather than to make a schedule that bastardizes everything

  the false compromise

 me: oh then that is happening...I'm DL'ing and doing all back work just fine

  squatting is also okay but hasn't been regular because of other issues

1:38 AM Ground: wut is the current schedule, losely?

 me: hmm

  Day 1 = DL

  Day 2 = Back work

  Day 3 = DL + whatever I feel like because it's loose

  Day 4 = Squats + pressing + pull-ups or whatever if there is time

1:39 AM Ground: yeah, why don't you just have squats on day three

 me: we did originally

  Day 3 was DL variation + SQ variation

  and I liked that

  but I somehow messed up and moved it

  I dunno why I did that

 Ground: maybe I did

 me: no no

 Ground: I don't remember doing that

 me: this is all my doing

1:40 AM oh

  yeah

  the original template by you was

  Day 1 = DL

  Day 2 = Rowing and Pull-ups

  Day 3 = DL variation + SQ variation

  Day 4 = Left Over day

 Ground: yes

 me: should I go back to that?

  coz I like DL'ing twice a week :D

 Ground: whey don't you go back to that but reverse the squat and dl variation

  put the squats up front on that day

1:41 AM me: yes okay

  perfect

 Ground: i can see how squats would get skipped a lot after all that and squats being on the last day

 me: yes

  invariably something happens

  or I go in late on Day 3 and then I can't do what i had to do

 Ground: i mean, things come up but there is also a bit more motivation to allow them to cancel a workout

1:42 AM me: yes haha

  I'm always okay with giving squats up

  and once I go down that path

 Ground: right, lol

 me: suddenly I find myself 3 weeks later having not done squats for a whole month

 Ground: things don't "come up" on deadlift day

 me: never

  i squash them

 Ground: it is perfectly okay not to want to do squats that much

1:43 AM there are plently of guys who are the opposite

  all they want to do is squat

  and they never want to deadlift

 me: there are way too many of those

 Ground: yet they are heros

 me: i think this makes it more difficult for me

 Ground: heroes

1:44 AM me: coz I get dragged into "be the exact opposite of them you are not like them!"

  way of thinking

  I'll do the squat variaiton first

 Ground: the only reason is that it is more fun to squat heavier

1:45 AM and you'll feel more motivated to squat if it is first

 me: yes

 Ground: which might make you feel a bit better and more 'balanced'

 me: yes

  okay

  and for the DL variation

  even if I do just 1 set it's okay, right?

  coz so far

  volume wise

 Ground: i don't think it is that important

 me: and intensity wise you've left all this up to me

1:46 AM okay

  thank you

  for helping me

  :)

  oh wait

  one more question

1:47 AM tomorrow is DL day for me because i had to skip Sunday

  I'm gonna just do DL tomorrow and then next week onwards (sunday) I will incorporate this new training template

  I just wanted to ask:

  what is the plan for Deadlifts?

  am I just free balling it for a few more weeks

  and then i go back to the volume work?

  as per plan?

1:48 AM Ground: eh..let's go with that for now

  I'm not sure about the volume work

  as far as how much longer you should do it

 me: okay

  I've been doing it since january this year

  till like a month ago

 Ground: yeah

 me: non stop

 Ground: damn

  I think it's time for a change then

 me: okay

1:49 AM Ground: I'm thinking you should maybe do triples, heavy

  then doubles

  then singles

  and then a consolidation cycle

 me: okay

 Ground: on the triples go pretty heavy

  to test out your shoulder

1:50 AM me: but this is after those 2 weeks, right?

 Ground: yes

 me: Eric, the deadlifts don't affect my shoulder at all, sir

 Ground: and on the doubles and singles go balls to the wall

 me: okay

 Ground: "knock on wood"

 me: yes

  knock on wood

  what is the rough volume here

  for triples, doubles and singles?

  and how many weeks of this?

 Ground: like for triples you could do maybe three

  just three weeks

1:51 AM one, two, three done

 me: oh like week 1 is triples, week 2 is doubles and then week 3 is singles?

 Ground: yep

 me: 3 heavy triples

 Ground: the reason is you are slowly going to be increasing rest periods

 me: 4 heavy doubles

  7 heavy singles?

 Ground: so you take advantage of some of this volume work

 me: I keep rest periods at 10 minutes

1:52 AM Ground: something like that, yes

  well, maybe but the density decreases

 me: yes

  a lot

  okay

  this is exciting

  let me write this down in my book

1:53 AM Ground: so, in effect, all that is really happening is you're doing a similar number of reps with more and more rest being added...while you go heavier

  kinda funny that nobody ever thinks of it that way

  when you decrease reps

  but maintain volume, pretty much

1:54 AM you are adding rest

  when you increase reps, but maintain volume

  you are decreasing rest

 me: yes

 Ground: that's kind of all their is to it

1:55 AM me: this is going to be damn difficult

  I'm so not used to the heavy work

1:56 AM Ground: well, you only go as heavy as you can go

  at the start, on the triples, it will be more difficult

  but that is part of the reason for doing it this way

  to get used to going heavy slowly

1:57 AM and to sort of shift your body

 me: yes

  I'll get used to it

  in time

  I'm sure

  it's one week of each

  and i'll bring my micro-loading plates with me

 Ground: you're going t obe doing LESS work, not more!

 me: so I can add a little at a time

  I can do 475 x 3 x 3

  I know

1:58 AM I'm probably gonan do that tomorrow

  coz I wrote it down as a mental planearlier today

  either 475 x 3 x 3 or go to 515 and just stop

  depending on how I feel

  coz I'm fine now

 Ground: 535 soon

 me: but I'm facing all the issues I've developed over time like at the start I feel uneasy on each rep - unsure and unconfident...I will get over all of this

1:59 AM 535 would be nice

  :D

  It depends on the day

  I need to stop feeling the way I do

  it's hard to explain

2:00 AM like I am all worked up the day before deadlifts, i sleep right...everything... visualization, etc. all perfect. but then i show up to train and i'm faced with a totally different situation where the whole lift feels weird

  I'm underprepared

 Ground: hmmm

2:01 AM I think that you are not in flow, grasshopper

 me: I am not

  I've totally fallen off that

 Ground: it's an inappropriate state of arousal

  the question is what happens in between that gets you out of flow

 me: I look at my old videos from last year where i was doing so much relatively heavier work and MY GOD I was in flow

 Ground: i think that it is all the negative bullshit

  that has gone down

 me: I think so too

2:02 AM Ground: I think it is the environment

 me: I always sit between sets and worry...oh if I fail am I going to look like a fool...what if it is too heavy

  it's a lot of negative thoughts

 Ground: no wonder

 me: thats why I have shifted DL days to Sunday

  gym is totally empty

  I am more at peace

2:03 AM Eric...right after I got back from my shoulder injury: did you see my workout? it was INSANE compared to normal

  but there is a lot of negative energy in me

  it really messes me up

 Ground: well, if you can't change the external environment you have to change the internal one

 me: yes

2:04 AM I need to

 Ground: try doing some breathing

  and relaxing

  and then getting yourself back up to the appropriate and right kind of arousal

  which for you is quietness and calmness

  really

  fucosed calmness

  and NEVER think about failing

  or the outcome

2:05 AM you know that is the kiss of death

  think about what your are going to do right

  i think all this is inside you

  you arlready know how to do it

  you've let outside stuff get you out of the habit

2:06 AM and the mindset

  but you can find it again

 me: yes

  I need to find it

  coz this negativity was always there

  it's not "new"

  but I've forgotten how to handle it right

 Ground: people are always feeling like they've forgotten something about lifting

 me: use it positively

 Ground: but no, they've simply added something to their head that wasn't their before

2:07 AM usually what you think is an "off" feeling is some mental artifact

  that does not need to be there

2:08 AM me: yes

  fuck me

  I'm so glad I speak to you about this

  I will work on this

  I'm writing this all down

 Ground: don't "work"

2:09 AM me: yes master yoda

  :)

  I will just do

 Ground: your mind working is what fucks you up to begin with

 me: yes I have too many voices in my head, Eric...I swear I'm as much of a Gemini as Genimis can ever be...I have like hundreds of voices telling me what to expect and do

  and then I fuck up

 Ground: and why the fuck do people think everything i say sounds like yoda?

  lol

2:10 AM me: :)

  I just know from experience

  I am your padawan

  so.... :D

 Ground: I think of myself more like Gandalf

  which would make you like Bilbo

  or Frodo

  hahahahahahaha

2:11 AM i better go

  have fun storming the castle

2:12 AM me: thanks sir

  I'll let you know how tomorrow goes, sir

  :)

2:13 AM I might do some heavy singles instead now

  just to see

  :)

 Ground: okay

 me: 2 weeks of free balling

  byebye sir

  and thank you again!

  so much

 Ground: bye

 me: byebye sir

The Hard Part of Being Us

The Hard Parts of Being Us

We've consulted experts. We've read the work of experts. When do we become experts? 

Never. Experts sit in chairs and talk about things. That is the hard part of being us. We want to find a balance between talking about the thing and doing the thing. But I, Eric, have to talk. And sometimes my talking gets in the way of the doing. So many intangibles.

Rules

I say something, it suddenly becomes a rule. I am against methods and styles and yet I utter one sentence among a whole slew of sentences, and suddenly a method is born! Feyerabend, in "Against Method: Outline of an Anarchistic Theory of Knowledge" said: Given any rule, however 'fundamental' or 'necessary' for science, there are always circumstances when it is advisable not only to ignore the rule, but to adopt its opposite.

I believe it, and the same thing goes for strength training. So remember, don't focus on the finger pointing the way, focus on the way.

Knowledge

The internet has created the illusion of knowledge. John Steinbech said that the gathering of knowledge does not lead to knowing. We grow into knowing through our gathering of knowledge, our synthesis of it, our experience, and our passion to reach our goals.

You can read articles and memorize facts and opinions for a thousand years without ever knowing. You can name the muscles, their positions and roles, and not know. You can criticize another's practice of strength training through your superficial knowledge of training "facts", without knowing.

The secret to knowing is to accept that we aren't grown up yet. That's the hard part of being us. When others criticize your efforts, do not let them become your enemy because you are both children and you both have growing to do. If they want to take credit away from you, give them more, besides.

Helping

When we put ourselves on a pedestal and say that we can show others, we are in danger of exalting ourselves. If we desire to help, we must be humble. We cannot teach from a height, but only eye to eye. Otherwise we are just talking and pleasing ourselves.

We are always in danger of preaching, instead of teaching. That is the hard part of being us. Remember, only a person who does not truly understand those he wishes to reach, will preach. A rich man cannot teach a poor man to live.

You've seen a man raging, and thumping his fist at the stupidity of others. Why can't others see what he sees? Wrong question. The question is, why can't he see what they see? If he could see, then he wouldn't be angry. You cannot help everybody. But you can never help anyone while judging them, and exalting yourself.

Training

Training is what you do, not what others say about it. You will never know how much weight you can lift until you lift it.

Quality Volume Training

What is missing in all this discussion and something I've repeated a few times but is seeming to be ignored is the importance of smaller jumps.

To train like this it is pretty much mandatory to have a way to make smaller jumps. If you have 2.5 lb plates use them..if not get some. Even fractional plates have a valid place for this QVT.

Everybody seems to be emphasizing 10lbs jumps. I do not understand this compulsion and staying to that kind of jump makes it much harder. So, with all this in mind, and all that has been said in mind, I am going to try to explain this one more time, the best that I can. BUT, Azzy, I want you to realize that this explanation is about "getting the most out of it" and it does NOT mean that there is necessarily a wrong way to do this if one follows the basic guidelines. So, this session looked very productive to me.

Okay, here is the part that is missing for EVERYONE:

1. QVT is not about simply building up from light to heavy as possible weights using one to three rep sets. It is about gathering as much volume in the 80% or ABOVE range while maintaining quality, etc.
2. I had said before for one to START at about 80% of a guestimated "max". If one doesn't know his max he can find a relative max on the first session and go with that..but a roundabout guess based on previous experience is fine. Because this is NOT percentage based..you just need an idea of where the weight range should be.
3. SO, starting out with some very light weight that ends up being 55% of your sorta max and then doing QVT from there is not as productive as warming and acclimating to around 80% of your sorta max and then beginning QVT.
4. This allows you not to waste volume on very light weights. You will be warming up at the beginning with slightly more reps then going to less reps, and then since you are only going as heavy as around 80% you will not need much "acclimation". However…sometimes a slightly heavier lift before one begins the actual working sets of the QVT can be helpful.
5. Once you have warmed up enough and are ready to begin at that circa 80% mark, if you ONLY use 10lbs or more increments..you will not have much room to gather volume. Okay. Smaller jumps mean MORE volume. You can build up quickly to the 85+ range and then to the 90% and a bit beyond and stay within this range for longer.
6. This is NOT about just building up to a heavy weight. You do build up to the heaviest weight you can manage with good form but that is not the goal. The goal is as a lot of volume in the 85% to 100% range. Of course, when I say that it becomes confusing because we are not really going by percentages so those numbers are projected from your guestimated max..so what we are REALLY saying is that we want as much volume as possible in the STRENGTH TRAINING Range. In other words…heavy but quality..the QUALITY doesn't just mean quality as in performance, it means quality as in intensity. Because for strength training purposes…a bunch of volume with light ass weights is not QUALITY. It's just volume.
   
   So smaller increments are good. I hardly EVER use more than 5lbs jumps for QVT.
7. The hardest thing to get is when to move one, what reps to use or not use, etc and how much volume are we going for. Well there is no set volume. When you dial it in as well as you can, the volume will always be high relative to this kind of weight range. Compare it to some typical strength training workout using rep maximums where the median intensity is 70 to 80% at most where you get 24 to 30 reps. Here if you get 18 to 24 reps in the 80% or above range..that is a LOT of volume. It's all about the median intensity. That is what your body is adapting to.

Let me harp on this a bit more because it is important to understanding why this works the way it does and how it does what it does. Like, for instance, Joe mentioned that this is a go to method for coming back to a lift after detraining it or maintaining it. Well, in fact, it can help you recover your previous levels with that lift much faster than otherwise is done. Why? Because you spend a lot of time, right off the bat in the proper range to recover that ability.

One would repeat QVT a couple to three times for this purpose. Since the "quality" is self-adjusting and you are going for good performance, not just weight on the bar, the first session will reflect where you are at at that time. And the next will build off of that and so on. So this is different than just building up from some lighter weight to your previous 1RM over a course of several weeks. You are dialing in where you stand AS OF NOW and building off that. Not guessing or dong needless backtracking.

But why this works is because of the median intensity..the overall challenge. Not how heavy the last set is.