Actually, what you're doing here (what I think and you already mentioned consolidation) is what you had me do when I was lifting 255-285. You had me really get that down. After that phase, my Deadlift shot up to 315. So hopefully I'll be able to DL 455 sometime next semester :-)
That's it. That's exactly what it's about. Only this time there is a "method". Most people look at ONE number. And when they can't pass that they call it a "plateau". So everything focuses on breaking through a plateau. Problem is that being stuck on 405 and then finally getting 410 or even 412.5 doesn't mean a whole lot in the big scheme of things. It could be "a good day" in the gym. All the stuff about recovery, adaptation, etc, becomes a moot point when you think of it in terms of "ranges".
So right now you've lifted heaver but on any given day you can't walk into the gym and do it again. At the same time you are very consistent with the range of 385 to what? 415 or so….
What we are doing is taking that range and making owning it.
Most of the time when people break a number plateau it takes everything they got. And not only is the new number hard..the previous number is still hard as well! So the goal of this is that the weight range we are talking about becomes "easy" and consistent. So it's a maturity factor and for that it helps to get into more volume and density.
When I say volume it's relative of course which is why I use single, double, triple. High volume when you can lift 400 is different than when you can lift 500. At any one point you can focus on "extending the anaerobic threshold" but we are not doing strongman training so we are just doing it as a means to and end but not THE END.
As for the plan:
Week 1: 385 for 2 reps x 2 sets
Week 2: 395 for 2 reps x 2 sets (single progression)
Week 3: 405 for 2 reps x 3 sets (double progression)
Week 4: 415 for 3 reps x 3 sets (double progression)
Here's the thing..if all that is easy than fine. But IF it is easy then I'd end up wanting you to extend it with the goal of increasing density (more reps per set in the same weight range). Because if you really look at that plan and take away the "single and double" it's just a bunch of doubles and triples at higher and higher weights. If you can do that then you wouldn't have need the previous plan. I doubt very much that week 3 and 4 would be easy, though.
There is no way for me to give you a plan or approve of a plan based on a system that has not set plan as its plan! You see the quandary. If I'd wanted to write down a schedule I would have but this whole thing is designed on being open. If you follow that plan you've made and it is too agrressive you could end up doing more harm than good.
Truthfully I'd rather you be able to do MORE at 385 and 395 rather than worrying so much about getting up to 415.
I only say this because I know that I can 395 for 2x2 and 405 for 2x3 tomorrow if you want.
This is the kind of thing that you MUST stop thinking about if you really want to train this way. You are still engaging in this type of thinking in your journal at times as well. Stop thinking about what you "can" do and what you "can't" do. Go in and DO it and what you do is what you do.
It think you would be able to go in and do things the way I explained in the previous pm IF numbers weren't floating around in your head. You say you CAN'T do it. I think you WON'T do it because you CAN'T let go of the numbers.
My reply:Ok I see where you're getting at. I am still approaching this wrong. Let me try again, please.
You want me to dig in and get settled in between the ranges of 385 and 415.
You want me to focus on single and double progression.
But the plan is not really a plan - it is mostly a set of guidelines.
So, what you DO expect me to do is to:
1.) Stop focusing on what I can and cannot do. That is completely irrelevant. All that matters is what I DO.
2.) Go in on Week 1 and do a bunch of sets with 385. I assume you want me to keep the reps the same throughout the workout otherwise Week 1 of that is damn similar to week 4 of this current mesocycle.
3.) Now, I am supposed to base Week 2 off Week 1's workout. So, I can either add weight, add reps or add sets OR reduce rest intervals.
4.) Week 3 will involve me increasing either one of the three factors (sets, reps or weight).
5.) Week 4 follows the same pattern of progression.
Am I correct?
So my 2 concerns are:
1.) Week 1 will involve me starting with 385. Am I supposed to just go in and do X number of sets for Y number of reps based on how I feel?
2.) What if in one of the weeks I cannot add weight without reducing reps. Or if I cannot add reps without reducing weight?
Actually, I think I know the answer to question #2. Just tell me if I'm right here:
- We can cross that bridge when we come to it
- There is no need to plan failure
- If something like that DOES happen, then I simply do a couple more sets of 1-2 reps and in the end I will still have more volume than the previous week overall.
Correct?
1.) Yes
2.) Not more than 3 sets. Don't worry about week 4 except for starting at 385
3). Don't bother with reducing rest intervals…just don't ADD lots of time between sets. When I speak of increasing density, although reducing rest intervals does that, I usually mean adding reps to existing sets because the extra couple of seconds that takes is irrelevant, so in effect you are increasing density because you are getting more work done in a space of time.
I'll give you an example of what I mean but none of this has ANYTHING TO DO with your current program..it's just a hypothetical example. If you think about taking 3 sets of 5 and adding 2 reps to each set over period of weeks:
A. Say it takes you 8 minutes to do the three sets of 5.
B. Week two = 3x7 Add about `12 seconds.
C. Week three = 3x9 add another 12 seconds
D. So you've added a total of 12 reps to the original 15 reps but it only took 24 seconds longer and that 24 seconds was divided into 2 second intervals. Stahley would probably still think that 24 secs was significant. Bullshit. Only if you took that all at once would it begin to be significant. If the extra time it takes to add reps doesn't affect recovery then in effect it is increasing density…since we are not machines. Hence why I pretty much consider adding reps to sets as increasing density and of course volume.
Another point is that you can't do that forever. If you could my analysis would be wrong.
1a) Not based on how you "feel" based on how you perform. Saying it's how you feel makes it seem like you are supposed to walk into the gym and no how many reps and sets you can do. Just warm up, take t he 385 and do some reps until you feel like you have maybe one rep left in you. Rest and repeat. Try to repeat the same reps. If you can't you're done. If you can but it takes every thing you've got, you're done. If you can but it's fairly easy, try for another set (you can go to failure on the last set).
2b) Exactly..there is no need to plan failure. Boy….I am glad you're getting the Alan Watts books, lol.
No comments:
Post a Comment