Periodize Your Warm Up Sets
I am convinced that some training methods will produce quick, short term gains, while other methods produce slower gains, but are better for long term progress. High intensity training and heavy weights tend to be more beneficial for those who are most interested in a short term plan. The main drawback with this type of training is that a training plateau will show up earlier than those who use a long term plan.
A long term training plan generally starts out with lighter weights, more training volume, and a lower training intensity. Strength may not be built as quickly, but lifters who apply a long tem plan often find that they can gradually increase their training load for a long time before hitting a plateau. Since the inclusion of plenty of training volume is of often a key to a long term training plan, one way to accomplish this is to include plenty of training volume through the use of an extensive amount of warm up sets. You may feel that this will weaken you and diminish your strength before doing your heaviest set(s), but in the long run, if you learn how to effectively increase the load of your warm up sets, your strength will improve.
Periodize Your Warm up Sets Instead Of Your Work Sets
Most lifters periodize their training by loading weight onto their heaviest set(s) which are often referred to as work sets, but if your strength doesn’t seem to budge by trying to increase the load of your heaviest set, periodizing your warm up sets may prove to be a more effective solution. Accentuated warm up sets can help you achieve this. More explanation is needed.
When performing warm up sets, the first set is generally done with a light weight. Weight is added from set to set before finishing with one or more work sets. For example, if you are doing squats, you may start out by doing four progressively heavier warm up sets and finish with one work set which is your heaviest, hardest set. We’ll imagine the squat workout consists of the following sets:
4 Warm up sets
1 set x 10 reps: Use 30% of your single rep max
1 set x 5 reps: Use 50% of your single rep max
1 set x 3 reps: Use 60% of your single rep max
1 set x 2 reps: Use 70% of your single rep max
1 Work Set:
1 set x 6 reps: Use 80% of your single rep max
Accentuating a Warm up Poundage
The warm up portion of the workout listed above can easily be periodized by accentuating the amount of sets done with one of the poundages. This simply means to repeat several sets with one of the warm up poundages. For example, when using the first warm up weight of 30% for a set of ten reps, this warm up poundage can be accentuated by repeating sets until you have done five warm up sets with 30%. The rest of the warm up poundages are done for one set each. The work would now be done as follows:
Repeat (or Accentuate) the 1st warm up poundage for several sets
Warm up Sets
5 sets x 10 reps: Use 30% of your single rep max: Accentuated poundage
1 set x 5 reps: Use 50% of your single rep max
1 set x 3 reps: Use 60% of your single rep max
1 set x 2 reps: Use 70% of your single rep max
1 Work Set:
1 set x 6 reps: Use 80% of your single rep max
Five sets for the first warm up poundage may sound like a lot, but that’s why you are only using 30% of your single rep max for five sets, and it is why the weight and reps are carefully chosen for all of the warm up sets. The warm up sets must not be too hard when using the accentuated warm up poundage method.
After accentuating (or repeating) the first warm up poundage during the first week, a different poundage will be accentuated in each of the following three weeks. By the fourth week, all four warm up poundages will have been accentuated for a week. The second through the fourth week would be done as follows:
Week 2
Repeat (or Accentuate) the 2nd warm up poundage for several sets
Warm up sets
1 set x 10 reps: Use 30% of your single rep max
5 sets x 5 reps: Use 50% of your single rep max: Accentuated Poundage
1 set x 3 reps: Use 60% of your single rep max
1 set x 2 reps: Use 70% of your single rep max
1 Work Set:
1 set x 6 reps: Use 80% of your single rep max
Week 3
Repeat (or Accentuate) the 3rd warm up poundage for several sets
Warm up sets
1 set x 10 reps: Use 30% of your single rep max
1 set x 5 reps: Use 50% of your single rep max
5 sets x 3 reps: Use 60% of your single rep max: Accentuated poundage
1 set x 2 reps: Use 70% of your single rep max
1 Work Set:
1 set x 6 reps: Use 80% of your single rep max
Week 4
Repeat (or Accentuate) the 4th warm up poundage for several sets.
Warm up sets
1 set x 10 reps: Use 30% of your single rep max
1 set x 5 reps: Use 50% of your single rep max
1 set x 3 reps: Use 60% of your single rep max
5 sets x 2 reps: Use 70% of your single rep max: Accentuated Poundage
1 Work Set:
1 set x 6 reps: Use 80% of your single rep max
Add Weight To Your Warm Up Poundages
At the end of the four week cycle, you may or may not be able to add weight to your work set. Either way, add five pounds to each warm up poundage and repeat the four week cycle of accentuated warm up sets. Eventually you will become strong enough to increase the weight of your work set. When using this long term approach to strength training, you automatically add weight to your warm up sets from cycle to cycle. However, adding weight to your work sets is not necessarily automatic, you only do so when your body is ready.
It is very important that you use the correct amount of weight for your work set. If you are pushing to failure every time you do your work set, it’s going to be hard to add weight every four weeks (unless you are a beginner or intermediate lifter who has been lifting less than a year). Instead of pushing to failure on your work sets, only push to your marker rep at the beginning a training cycle. This means to keep repeating reps of a work set until your rep speed starts to slow down. Stop on the very first rep where you notice that your rep pace is slower. For example, if your rep speed slows down on the 6th rep, stop after you complete the 6th rep. Keep doing workouts where you stop at your 6th rep until you gain enough strength to do all six reps without slowing down when you reach your sixth rep. If you succeed at this by the end of a four week training cycle, you can add weight to your work set when starting the next four week training cycle. If not, just focus on loading your warm up sets until you gain enough strength to add to your work set.
If you have hit a plateau and can’t seem to add weight to your work sets, periodizing your warm up sets as suggested in this article is just one way that you can start making progress again. It’s an option that you can use as needed. Best of training to you.
Linear Loading for Strength Gains
Linear loading has produced a huge amount of powerlifting champions over the past half century. It was especially popular all the way through the 1990’s and it is still somewhat popular today. Linear loading basically refers to a training cycle in which weight is added to your lifts on a regular basis according to a predetermined schedule. The cycle generally starts out with lighter weight that can be done with higher reps and proceeds to increasingly lower reps as the weight is increased over time. The schedule may vary according to the specific program that is being followed. Some schedules may call for weight increases every workout. This would most commonly be used for beginner or intermediate training, and is also used for a method called, Hypertrophy Specific Training (also called HST) which was originated by Bryan Haycock. More often, linear loading consists of weekly increases of weight, and sometimes it refers to increasing the weight from block to block when using training blocks that last anywhere from three to six weeks in length.
A linear loading cycle may last as little as three weeks. This type of short loading cycle is often called a wave. The Westside lifters use a three week loading wave for their dynamic speed training. The wave is then started over again every three weeks. More often, a linear loading cycle lasts at least 6 weeks and may go as long as 18 weeks. At the end of this article, you will find a linear cycle that is 14 weeks long.
Effective Loading is Dependent on Adding the Right Amount of Weight
One of the keys to linear loading is to start with the right amount of weight and add the right amount of weight each time weight is added. If the additions of weight are too small, the training never becomes challenging enough. If the additions of weight are too big, a lifter will not have enough strength to complete the required number of reps for each set of a given workout. This can happen to anyone on occasion, but if it happens on a regular basis throughout a training cycle, the training will prove to be ineffective. One of the most challenging aspects of linear loading is to find the right amount of weight to use in every single workout.
Two Methods For Planning a Linear Loading Cycle
There are two common methods that lifters use when planning how much weight to start with and how much weight to add each week throughout a training cycle. The first way is for a lifter to set a goal in terms of the amount of weight and reps that they are shooting for in the very last workout of the training cycle. From there, the lifter will count back by even intervals of weight from week to week to determine how much weight will be used for a given lift each week. The lifter may count back by just five pounds each week if they are a beginner or an intermediate. As they become stronger, the lifter may plan cycles that demand an increase of 10 pounds per week. If a lifter becomes enormously strong with the ability to lift 500 pounds or more for a given lift, he may need to increase by 15 or even 20 pounds per week; it all depends on the strength of the lifter and how long they want their training cycle to last. For example, if a lifter’s goal is to be able to lift 400 pounds for a single rep by the end of a 14 week training cycle, he may start with a 270 pound squat during the first week of the cycle and add 10 pounds per week until he reaches 400 pounds the last week of a 14 week cycle.
A second method for determining how much weight to use each week is to use the percentage method. The percentages are based on how much weight a lifter can use for a single rep max lift. For example, if his max lift for a single rep in the squat is 300 pounds, and the prescribed weight for the first week is 65%, then the lifter must use 65% of 300 pounds which is 195 pounds. The prescribed percentages will increase from week to week and the lifter simply follows the prescribed percentages listed. This is the type of linear loading cycle that is shown at the end of this article.
Knowing How to Make Adjustments to the Loading Process
The biggest problem with any linear loading program is that a lifter’s strength level may not truly match the amount of weight and reps listed from week to week. It takes a lot of experience to find a loading cycle that matches your individual strength throughout the whole cycle. This means that a system that makes room for adjustments must be built into the cycle in case the weights are either too challenging or not challenging enough.
In the 14 week cycle list below, increasingly heavier percentages are used from week to week. If you look at the cycle, you will notice that 10 reps are used for the first three weeks. The first week should not be extremely hard or you will not be able to add on weight and still complete ten reps during the next two weeks. You should be able to do all ten reps using a steady even rep pace your first week without having to slow your rep speed on any reps at the end of the set. However, by your third week with ten reps, it should be quite challenging to perform ten reps. Your rep speed should slow down at the end of the set if you are truly pushing yourself. Use these guidelines for evaluating whether or not you need to adjust the single rep max weight that you are calculating your percentages from. Let’s look at some examples of when you would need to make adjustments.
When to Adjust The Prescribed Weights Up or Down
Let us assume that your single rep max for the squat is 300 pounds and that you are using this number to calculate your percentages. If you find that 10 reps are very easy the third week, you need to increase the max you are using for your calculations to 310 pounds or more when calculating your weekly percentages. On the other hand, if the you couldn’t even reach 10 reps with the weight you were using the third week, you need to decrease the max weight down to 290 or less when calculating your weekly percentages. Always adjust as needed throughout the cycle, because you may be gaining strength at a rapid rate which means that the max you are using for your percentage calculations will be constantly changing. It may also be that the max that you are using for your calculations isn’t truly your max and you either over-estimated or under-estimated your max and need to make adjustments to the max you are using for your calculations.
With this information in mind, the 14 week linear loading cycle listed below would be an excellent option if you are interested in trying a linear loading cycle.
Guidelines for Evaluation After Weeks 3-6-9-12
- If you reach one of the evaluation weeks (which refers to weeks 3, 6, 9, or 12) and the required number of reps feels easy, add 5 to 10 pounds to the single rep max that you are using to calculate your weekly percentages.
- If you did not have enough strength to perform the required number of reps during an evaluation week (which refers to weeks 3, 6, 9, or 12), subtract 10 or more pounds from the single rep max that you are using when calculating your weekly percentages.
If you are looking for a new linear loading program, you can give this one a try. Best of training to you.
Tony Conyers: Physically and Spiritually Strong
Tony Conyers is an example of a powerlifter who is both physically and spiritually strong. As a powerlifter, he has been lifting for over 30 years and has maintained a tremendous amount of strength into his 50’s. As recently as two years ago (in 2015), Tony hit official competition lifts of 580 pounds in the squat, 405 pounds for the bench press, and 665 pounds for the deadlift. This was done at a bodyweight of 155 pounds at the age of 57. The man is strong!
Spiritually Strong
While it is obvious that Tony has placed plenty of emphasis on gaining physical strength, he believes that the spiritual part of a person is even more important than the body. It takes strength to stand up for your beliefs and to live them out when it’s often unpopular to do so. Tony does this and is a dedicated preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ because he cares about people and their spiritual wellbeing.
I’ve been looking for any information about how Tony trains and can only find a little bit on Bud Jeffries website, which discusses 10 Tips that Tony gives on how to train (click here to see the 10 tips). One of the tips that Tony stresses is to master the lifts with great form. Another tip he gives in regard to his training is that he uses a combination of high reps and low reps. He’s not the only great dead-lifter who does this as Lamar Gant and Richard Hawthorne are also great dead-lifters who mix high reps and low reps into their training.
Older Lifters
If you plan on training into your forties, fifties or beyond, let Tony be an encouragement to you. I personally am 54 years old at the time of this writing and believe that with correct training, it is possible to maintain most of your strength throughout your fifties.
I don’t recommend shock training or a severe form of training for an older lifter who has already been training for many years. Patience, precise training, and adding to your workouts little by little are the keys to successful training for an older lifter. The precision point training methods that I recommend in the basics of PPT section of this website offer a form of training that is not overly hard, but hard enough to stimulate strength gains a little at a time.
Learn From Success
Back to Tony Conyers; I want to point out that he is a natural lifter who has been tested many times for steroid use and has always proved to be clean. Though he is fairly small, somewhat old, and a natural lifter, he is strong for any size, any age, and he is stronger than the vast majority of elite lifters on steroids. If you want to be successful, it is wise to learn from those who have succeeded, and Tony’s success would indicate that he is a good person to learn from in regard to growing strong both physically and spiritually. Best of training to you.
High Intensity Low Time Under Tension Training
Strength gains can be triggered through a variety of training mechanisms; one of them is time under tension. Time under tension is simply the amount of time that a muscle is required to contract while doing an exercise or a workout. Doing a lot of slow reps will produce much more time under tension than doing a few fast reps. Time under tension training tends to be used far more by bodybuilders than powerlifters, which indicates that strength can be built without a great deal of time under tension.
Time Under Tension For Strength
There are a few bodybuilders who have become extremely strong by using a training style that emphasizes slow reps and a high time under tension. Mike and Ray Mentzer are examples of this. Bill Pearl was involved in weight training and bodybuilding for decades. As a gym owner and trainer of several champion bodybuilders, he had the opportunity to observe multitudes of lifters and bodybuilders. Bill was once asked in an interview who he thought the strongest bodybuilder was. He replied,
“The Strongest bodybuilder that I’ve ever trained with was probably Franco Columbu on the specific lifts, but the guy I’ve seen handle the most weight on all sets and repetitions on all the exercises was Ray Mentzer. I saw Ray training at a gym over in Germany a few years ago, and he was using about 240 pounds on a Nautilus bicep machine. Ray took that thing and sat down and with one arm curled that weight (240 pounds) up. When Ray went in to take a shower, I went over to that machine, and with two arms I could not curl it, and I consider myself strong. All of a sudden my attitude towards Ray changed tremendously.”
High Intensity Low Time Under Tension for Strength
The reason I bring up the example of Ray Mentzer’s high time under tension is because I am about to give you some examples of powerlifters who perform high intensity low time under tension workouts. To be specific, the workouts are intense in terms of weight, force and rep speed, but very low in intensity in terms of the total time under tension. Even though many powerlifters become very strong with a low time under tension, there have been bodybuilders who have become strong by emphasizing time under tension, so don’t dismiss time under tension as a hindrance to building strength, but understand that it does not need to be emphasized in order to build strength. Dynamic speed lifting is an example of this as only a few reps are done per set, and the reps and sets are done very, very fast. The Westside lifters a known for their use of the dynamic speed method. You can see how they apply this method in the context of very low time under tension in the following video:
The total time under tension for the 11 lifts that were shown in this video is 16 seconds. The lifts take one to two seconds each, if that. A total dynamic speed deadlift workout may only consist of twenty seconds of time under tension. These lifters are building a tremendous amount of strength in only twenty seconds of actual lifting, but the load and force they are applying in that small amount of time is sufficient to trigger strength gains. Notice that bodybuilders often try to produce fatigue when training while the powerlifters in the video are trying to avoid fatigue by only doing a single brief rep. However, the load and force of each rep are done at a high intensity as that is what it takes to build strength. This same principle is illustrated again in the following video which shows a dynamic speed training session for squats.
High Volume Low Time Under Tension
It is possible to accumulate a substantial amount of training volume (i.e. total workload) yet still do so without accumulating a high amount of time under tension. This is seen in the next video of a dynamic speed bench press, which consists of only 21 seconds of time under tension across 27 total reps. The speed bench reps are then followed by two sets of dumbbell presses for 20 reps each, a total of 40 reps that this lifter bangs out with only 34 seconds of time under tension. This means the total time under tension for 9 sets of 3 reps and two sets of 20 reps (a total of 67 reps) is only 55 seconds, which is a lot of training volume in only 55 seconds of actual lifting.
If your main goal is to get strong, you can do so with high intensity low time under tension training. The specific type of intensity is based on focusing on load and forceful lifting. With the right type of training intensity, it doesn’t take a lot of time under tension to get strong. Best of training to you.
How Much Time Under Tension Do Champions Use?
Time under tension is measured in terms of the amount of time it takes to complete a set of an exercise. It can also be measured in terms of how much actual lifting time occurs during a workout when you exclude rest time from your workout.
It’s obvious that some lifters prefer brief workouts and only spend a half hour to forty five minutes in the gym. Others spend up to two hours in the gym to complete a workout. They may even say they did a two hour workout, but if they did, you have to wonder how much of the time was actually spent lifting, and how much was spent resting between sets. It’s not uncommon for an entire bench press workout consisting of several sets to add up to sixty to ninety seconds of actual lifting.
A Lot of Work in a Short Amount of Time
Vince Gironda was a famous bodybuilding trainer who advocated short workouts. He wanted his students in and out of the gym in forty five minutes or less. Some of his routines were to be done in as little as fifteen minutes. On the surface, this may sound wimpy and insufficient, but Vince saw no point in people sitting around during their workouts. The time spent in the gym consisted of a lot of exercise and only a little rest. He actually wanted his students to do a substantial amount of work, but he wanted them to do it in a short amount of time.
You will often hear instructions in regard to how fast you should lift and lower the weight for an exercise. A very common suggestion for rep speed is to take one second to lift the weight, and two seconds to lower the weight, but if you look at the best lifters and bodybuilders, how long does each rep actually take? Of course it varies from lifter to lifter, but we are going to look at some examples of great lifters and bodybuilders to see how much time under tension is actually occurring during a set or a series of sets of the bench press. We will start with Jay Cutler benching 405 pounds for twelve reps. You’ll see that his lifting form is outstanding for using such an immense weight for twelve reps.
Jay Cutler
It takes Jay 20 seconds to complete twelve reps which is 20 seconds of time under tension. An average rep takes a little over a second and half to perform. If Jay were to do four sets of twelve reps, his total lifting time would be one minute and twenty seconds.
Next we will look at several sets by Eric Spoto.
A set by set break down of Eric Spoto’s time under tension for each set is as follows:
First set for 20 reps with 135 pounds takes 13 seconds
Second set for 12 reps with 225 pounds takes 10 seconds
Third set for 10 reps with 315 pounds takes 9 seconds
Fourth sets for 10 reps with 405 pounds takes 10 seconds
Fifth set for 10 reps with 495 pounds takes 10 seconds
Sixth set for 3 reps with 585 pounds takes 7 seconds
Seventh set for 1 rep with 635 pounds takes 3 seconds
Eighth set for 1 rep with 675 pounds takes 3 seconds
Ninth set for 1 reps with 705 pounds takes 4 seconds.
69 Seconds!
Total time under tension across 68 reps for all nine sets combined is 69 seconds.
Let’s take a look at a set where Eric pushes for max reps with 500 pounds:
Total time under tension for Spoto’s set of 17 reps is 20 seconds.
The first 14 reps are done in 12 seconds; a little less than one second each.
The last 3 reps take about eight seconds or two and a half to three seconds each
Amazing strength, power, and rep speed for 500 pounds.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The next lifter that we will evaluate is none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Take a look at Arnold doing a set of 12 reps when benching:
It takes Arnold 20 seconds to do 12 reps on this set.
His first nine reps take 12 seconds; a little over one second per rep, and his last three reps take 8 seconds which is close to three seconds per rep.
Arnold Compared to Jay
When we compare Jay Cutler with Arnold as two bodybuilders who are doing 12 reps for a set, you will notice that Jay went a little slower when lowering the weight, and a little faster when lifting the weight. Arnold also grinds more on his last three reps than Jay and Arnold’s last three reps account for a substantial amount of his time under tension.
Another look at Arnold benching early in his career.
In this second video of Arnold benching, he gets 8 reps in 20 seconds which averages out to two and a half seconds per rep.
What The Evidence Indicates
We can learn from these examples that time under tension may provide benefit for building muscle size, but it doesn’t seem to be necessary to incorporate a lot of time under tension to get strong. Eric Spoto is monstrously strong and in spite of utilizing a substantial amount of training volume (68 reps), his time under tension for nine sets is barely over a minute. It appears that the main triggers for building strength are the use of heavy weight and fast or explosive reps. Notice however that as a powerlifter, Spoto does lower the weight slowly on his first rep of every set, and he always pauses the bar on his chest before doing the last rep of each set. The pause is something that must be done for as long as required by a judge in an official powerlifting meet, so there is value in replicating a slow negative followed by a pause on the chest when training as a powerlifter.
Bodybuilders are more likely than powerlifters to incorporate a significant amount of time under tension into their workouts. Bodybuilders still tend to do basic exercises different than isolation exercises. They use more power rep speed for exercises such as bench press, squats, deadlifts, and rowing, but often use slower reps and a pause at the bottom and top of isolation exercises. They do this to feel a stretch at the bottom of a lift, and a strong muscle contraction at the top.
If your primary purpose is to lift weights to gain strength, the amount of time under tension isn’t nearly as important as making sure to do some heavy and explosive lifting. Time under tension may help to build muscle size, but if your main purpose it to gain strength, you would emphasize time under tension during a hypertrophy phase of training. This would need to be followed by heavier and more explosive lifting at some point to maximize strength gains. If you want to see some examples of bodybuilding methods that rely heavily upon time under tension, you can refer to the following videos. Best of training to you.
The Problem With Predetermined Weight Training Progressions
Football, basketball, and weight training have one thing in common; they can all be done on the basis of a preplanned course of action, or they can be done based on reactions that are dictated according to moment by moment situations as they develop. A read offense in football and basketball will give the players the opportunity to see what needs to be done and do it, instead of having to stick with a set of scripted actions that may not make sense as a play unfolds and develops. An adjustable weight training program is the same way, you can adjust your workout according to how your body is responding at any given time, instead of being bound to an inflexible scripted plan for the next twelve weeks.
Lifters often formulate an extensive series of workouts that are based upon predetermined weight training progressions. They do this by planning a training cycle according to a projected goal. If their goal is to increase their bench press from 200 pounds to 240 pounds in twelve weeks, they form an entire twelve week plan based on their final goal of 240 pounds. For example, the final goal of 240 pounds would be planned for the twelfth week, and the lifter would count back by ten pound intervals each week until he reaches his starting weight the first week. This means 240 pounds would be used in week twelve, 230 pounds would be used in week eleven, 220 pounds would be used in week ten, and so on. This plan would dictate that a lifter begin their first week of a twelve week cycle with 130 pounds for the bench press.
The next step when formulating a predetermined weight training plan would be to assign an amount of reps that correspond well to the amount of weight that is to be used each week. For example, ten reps could be used for weeks one through three, eight reps could be used for weeks four through six, five reps could be used for weeks seven and eight, three reps could be used for weeks nine and ten, and one rep for weeks eleven and twelve. This preplanned program would be written as follows:
Week 1: 3 sets x 10 reps @ 130 pounds
Week 2: 3 sets x 10 reps @ 140 pounds
Week 3: 3 sets x 10 reps @ 150 pounds
Week 4: 3 sets x 8 reps @ 160 pounds
Week 5: 3 sets x 8 reps @ 170 pounds
Week 6: 3 sets x 8 reps @ 180 pounds
Week 7: 3 sets x 5 reps @ 190 pounds
Week 8: 3 sets x 5 reps @ 200 pounds
Week 9: 3 sets x 3 reps @ 210 pounds
Week 10: 3 sets x 3 reps @ 220 pounds
Week 11: 3 sets x 1 rep @ 230 pounds
Week 12: 1 set x 1 rep @ 240 pounds
This is an absolutely brilliant strategy if you know the rate of gain that your body is capable of and you are able to keep up with your projected progress. But what if your body doesn’t respond according to the rate of gain that you had planned? This happens all of the time to lifters who use this strategy; especially to inexperienced lifters. It also happens to lifters who are closer than they think to their adaptive ceiling where it suddenly becomes more difficult to keep gaining strength. They base their progress on how fast they were able to gain in the past without realizing their gains are going to slow down during their projected training cycle. Even experienced lifters can have a difficult time knowing how much strength they can gain by the end of a training cycle. Unless you can accurately predict how your body is going to respond from week to week, you are better off planning a progression system that can be adjusted at anytime according to how your body is presently responding.
If you want to add weight to your lifts or shift to a new rep range on the basis of being truly ready to do so, there are a couple methods that I recommend in order to monitor your progress from workout to workout or from week to week. These methods will enable you to know when to add weight, and when to switch to a new rep range. You will be empowered to make adjustments according to how your body is responding at any given time.
For the first method, start by choosing an exercise that you want to improve at and use the following steps for determining when you should add weight or shift to a new rep range:
Step 1: Start by choosing a weight that you can do for ten reps using a steady even rep pace for all ten reps. If you have to strain in order to complete all ten reps, you are starting too heavy; you should be able to do the set without straining or slowing down your rep pace at all throughout the entire set. Use this weight for your first workout.
Step 2: In the next workout (or the next week), add five pounds to the amount of weight that you used for your first workout. You can either add five pounds of weight from workout to workout, or you can add weight at a slower pace by adding weight from week to week. Continue to do ten reps per set.
Step 3: Keep doing ten reps per set and adding five pounds of weight from workout to workout or week to week until you reach a workout where you can no longer do all ten reps using a steady even rep pace. The key is to be aware of when you reach a weight that causes your tenth rep to be done at a slower rep speed than your first nine. When this happens, your tenth rep is called a marker rep. The marker rep marks the point in a set where you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace.
Step 4: When reach weight that causes you hit your marker rep on your tenth rep, keep repeating workouts with the same weight until you gain enough strength to do all ten reps without slowing down on your tenth and final rep of each set.
Step 5: When you accomplish step number 4 by doing ten all ten reps without slowing down, add five pounds in your next workout and only do eight reps. Keep doing eight reps and adding five pounds to each workout, (or each week) until you can no longer do all eight reps using a steady even rep pace. This is when the eighth rep becomes a marker rep that is slower than the first seven.
Step 6: Once you reach a weight that causes you to hit your marker rep on your eighth rep, do not add weight. Keep doing eight reps and using the same weight every workout until you gain enough strength to do all eight reps without slowing down on your eighth rep. Once this is accomplished drop to five reps per set and add five pounds from workout to workout.
Step 7: Keep adding five pounds to your five rep sets from workout to workout or week to week until you reach a weight that causes you to hit a slower weaker marker rep on your fifth rep. Repeat your workouts with five reps with the same weight until you gain enough strength to do all five reps using a steady even rep pace without any evidence of the fifth rep being a marker rep. If you want to do the same thing with three reps, then repeat the process with three reps.
By the time you finish the whole cycle, you should have a new single rep max and should be able to start the cycle again with more weight when beginning with ten reps. A variation of this method is to do the same thing without repeating workouts with the same weight when you reach your marker rep for a given rep range. This means that when you hit your marker rep with a given rep range, you will add five pounds in the next workout and immediately move to the next rep range with less reps. The marker rep is the determining factor that shows when you should move to the next rep range instead of predetermining this ahead of time without any regard for how your body has been responding.
If you like to add weight to your workouts from workout to workout, or week to week, you can try this method and adjust your workouts according to how your body is responding from week to week. Best of training to you.
The Right Way to Incorporate Light Weights Into Your Training for Strength Gains
Light weights for strength training? Many would say nonsense to such an idea. I would agree that it would be very difficult to maximize your strength by only using light weights. Some heavy lifting should be done for maximum strength gains. On the other hand, you may be able to benefit from the proper use of light weights when you combine it in a strategic manner with heavy lifting. Notice I said, “proper use of lights weights,” because it is easy to misuse light weights and hinder your training progress.
The proper use of light weights can produce the following benefits:
Light weights provide the best means for Increasing training volume and metabolic stimulation without overtraining (high volume with heavy weights is a good way to over-train). An increase in training volume and metabolic stimulation can lead to an increase in muscle growth in those whose training is lacking in volume, and those who need metabolic stimulation.
Light weights can be used to Increase strength endurance (this is different the aerobic endurance).
Light weights can be used to Increase explosive speed and power.
Light weights can be used to Increase recovery ability.
Light weights can be used to keep the nervous system stimulated for better muscle contractions.
There are several methods that can be used to incorporate light weights into your training in a beneficial way. Let’s take a look at some of these methods.
The Extended Warm up
Not all of the strongest powerlifters or bodybuilders use an extended high volume warm up, but some do. I recommend watching a full workout of one of Richard Hawthorne’s training sessions. Don’t just look at his heaviest work sets, but look at his entire workout, including his warm up sets.
Richard is pound for pound the strongest deadlifter in the world. Perhaps he just lucked out with good genetics, but I think smart training has contributed to his success, and Richard does an extended warm up with tons of sets and high reps. He starts out with 135 pounds on his first warm up set. This is very light in relationship to his strength level as it is about 22% of his single rep max. If you are a 300 pound deadlifter, this would translate into 65 to 70 pounds for your own warm up.
Richard is not the only one who uses an extended warm up with high reps, Eric Spoto is an elite bench presser who does a lot of light warm up sets, and so does Charles Staley. If you want to see the type of training volume that starts out with light weight while working up to heavier lifting, I recommend the following videos.
CHARLES STALEY ACCUMULATES TRAINING VOLUME
ERIC SPOTO USES LIGHT WEIGHTS AND LOTS OF REPS FOR WARM UP SETS
If you have never done a high volume warmup, you can try the following sets and reps scheme using the percentages listed. The percentages are based on your single rep max for basic lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, cable rows.
2 x 20 20%
2 x 10 30%
2 x 10 40%
1 x 8 50%
1 x 8 60%
1 x 6 70%
1 x 5 80%
The workout listed consists of ten sets and a total of 85 reps. It starts out light and easy and gets progressively harder, but in the process, a lot of training volume is accumulated. You don’t have to train with this much volume in every workout. High volume and low volume workouts can be alternated, or you can set up a training block consisting of a high volume warm up followed by a training block that utilizes a low volume warm up. When high volume workouts are followed by low volume workouts, the muscles often super-compensate with added energy storage (of glycogen or creatine phosphate and protein synthesis). The result is added strength and muscle size.
Bottom Up Progression
If you decide to use an extended warm up consisting of a lot of sets and reps with light weights, it gives you the opportunity to make use of bottom up progression. This simply means that sometimes you will find it easier to keep your heaviest set at the same weight for several workouts or several weeks while slowly adding weight to your warm up sets during that same period of time. Don’t assume that the only way to get stronger is to add weight to your heaviest set. You would be surprised at how you much progress you can make if you give yourself time to add weight little by little to your lighter sets before trying to add weight to your heaviest sets.
I refer to the lightest set as the bottom set of your workout and your heaviest set as the top set. If you start a training cycle by adding weight to your bottom (or lightest) sets first, then you are using bottom up progression. This often works better than top up progression if you have been stuck at the same strength level.
Explosive Rep Speed Training
Another way to incorporate light weights into your training is to use light weights in conjunction with explosive speed training. This is usually done with 40% to 60% of your single rep max for 8 to 12 sets of 3 reps. Keep in mind, you can do many more reps per set with light weights, but you stop at three reps to avoid fatigue in order to maximize speed and explosive power. The following video gives an example of how this can be done while using fairly light weights.
EXPLOSIVE REP SPEED WORKOUT WITH LIGHT WEIGHTS
Recovery Workouts
Light weights can also be used for recovery workouts on your off days. If you prefer one hard workout per week for each body part, light recovery workouts can be used in order to keep your nervous system fired up so that you are at full strength when you come back for the next workout. Of course the weights should be very light. Light means less than 30% of your single rep max. I recommend ten to fifteen reps for two to four sets of each exercise. Some people have unique exercises that they use for recovery workouts, but I believe you can simply do the same basic barbell and dumbbell exercises that you always do, but just do them lighter. The same type of workouts can be used if you are recovering from a mild injury. Simply start out with very light weights and add little by little as you are able to do so without any pain, discomfort, or restriction in range of motion.
ACTIVE RECOVERY WORKOUT WITH LIGHT WEIGHTS
Be Cautious About Going for the Burn With Light Weights
Some of the most current weight lifting science indicates that light weights are as effective as heavy weights for building muscle size, although they don’t work as well for building strength. Even so, one study showed that regular light lifting plus a max effort lift with the heaviest weight possible once every three weeks will work as good for building strength as someone who lifts heavy all of the time.
According to Stuart Philip’s research at McMaster University, the key to effective training with light weights is to push to a point of fatigue by training nearly to failure. In my own experience, this has been counter-productive for strength training, whereas using light weights for ten sets of three reps or using an extended warm up have proved beneficial. If your main objective is strength training, I don’t recommend pushing to the point where you must struggle to keep doing reps when using light weights, instead, perform your reps forcefully and stop a set before your muscles start to burn.
Throughout most of my weight training career, I believed that the use of light weights would hinder strength gains because I always misused light weights by burning myself out. After decades of training, I have injured myself enough with heavy weights that I have been forced to rely much more on light weights. In the process, I discovered that the correct application of light weights can play a useful role in the strength building process. The methods that I recommend are discussed in this article and I believe you can benefit from them if you use them. Best of training to you.
Light Weights for Strength?
Weight training tradition is generally based on the belief that it takes heavy lifting to build muscle size and strength. However, recent research on weight training shows that this is only partially true. A notable researcher by the name of Stuart Phillips, from McMaster University, ran a study that compared the effects of light weights to heavy weights and found that heavy weights are better for building strength, but light weights proved to be just as good for building muscle mass. Brad Schonfeld is another outstanding researcher who has done similar research and found similar results. You can read about Phillip’s research by clicking here . You can also watch the following videos to listen the research presented by Phillip’s and Schonfeld.
Information on training with light weights starts at 25 minutes into the Interview with Stuart Phillips
Information on high rep training for hypertrophy starts at 8 minutes in this interview with Brad Schonfeld
Even without the research, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that would agree with Shonfeld’s and Phillip’s findings. Serge Nubret built one of the most phenomenal bodies of all time by primarily using light weights. When I say light weights, I mean light compared to the maximum weight he could lift. Serge used up to 225 pounds for the bench press, which may be heavy for a lot of people, but he could bench 500 pounds raw. To put it into perspective, 225 was less than 50% of his max which is a percentage that most people would consider to be light.
Dan Laurie won the most muscular title in the Mr. America competition in the 1940’s. Like Nubret, most of his lifting was done with light weights. Jonny Fuller built a massive body by mostly using high reps; he generally did about 30 reps per set. Sergio Oliva and Rory Leidelmeyer used plenty of heavy iron, but they also incorporated light weights and high reps into their training doing as many as 70-100 reps per set.
What about powerlifters? I don’t know of any powerlifters who only use light weights to build strength, however, there are many who incorporate the use of light weights into their training in the form of dynamic speed lifting with 10 sets of 3 reps, or an extensive warm up. Almost all powerlifters do a little bit of light lifting to warm up, but some do such an extensive warm up that their warm up is comparable to a workout even if they never followed it up with heavy lifting. Richard Hawthorne (a world record deadlifter) often does sets of 20 reps with 135 to 145 pounds for the squat and deadlift. He then does plenty of sets of 10 reps and eight reps as he works his way up to heavy weights. Richard admits that the huge amount of reps that he does in his warm up plays a large role in building his strength.
Eric Spoto (a world record holder in the bench press) does tons of warm up sets with light weights using 10 to 20 reps for the bench press. He accumulates an enormous workload before he ever starts to challenge himself with weights that are heavy in comparison to his single rep max. Another powerlifter who makes use of light weights is Louie Simmons, one of the greatest powerlifting coaches of all time. When using what he refers to as the repetition method, he sometimes uses light weights for exercises such as belt squats, reverse hyper extensions, and incline dumbbell presses. You can read an article about his version of the repetition method by clicking here.
Can you build strength and muscle size without the use of light weight? Certainly, but you may be able to enhance your strength gains if you know how to use light weights correctly. However, it is much easier to misuse light weights than heavy weights. Going to failure on a regular basis with light weights can cause your strength gains to plummet faster than just about anything. Although research suggests that light weights should be pushed for max reps to induce fatigue which stimulates growth, my experience is to avoid high levels of fatigue on a regular basis when using light weights. Severely fatigued muscles can easily result in strength loss.
In the next article, I will discuss specific ways that light weights can be incorporated into your training to enhance both muscle size and strength gains. Until then, best of training to you.
Breaking a Record by Lifting a Weight Easier
There are highly motivated lifters who can’t resist the temptation of trying to break a record every time they work out. Of course this is a great way to gain rapidly when you first begin lifting, but it generally backfires with a monumental sticking point after a few months training. There are ways that lifters try to get around this problem. One way is to use different rep ranges from workout to workout so that you don’t burn out on the same rep ranges. A second way is to frequently change exercises. You change exercises every week for six to ten weeks. When you come back to the same exercise six to ten weeks later, hopefully you will be able to break a record by the time you come back to the same exercise.
There is another way to break record. I have never read about this method except when I read my own writing. Likewise, no one has ever recommended this method to me and I don’t know anyone who teaches it, although some may infer it at times. I say all this because I am guessing that many of you will think that this is a rather odd approach to breaking a lifting record. However, I offer it as an option to anyone who cares to try it. The method is this: keep using the same weight and reps for several workouts. The record you are trying to break is to lift the same weight easier for the same amount of reps. Every time the weight becomes easier to lift, you have broken a record for how easy the lift has become. When it becomes easier, it is evidence that you have become stronger. Isn’t that the main idea behind breaking a record? You can then add weight and repeat the process.
Give Your Body What it Wants
What is the purpose of lifting the same amount of weight and reps until it becomes easier to lift? The answer is that it helps your body accomplish exactly what it is trying to accomplish when it gains strength; it is trying to make a heavy weight feel lighter and easier to lift. Your body adapts this way to reduce the amount of lifting stress.
Most people think you should always try to make your training harder, but your body hates that idea. If you keep making your training harder all the time, your body will keep getting stronger in order to keep trying to make the weight easier to lift, but it will only keep trying to do this for a while. After three to six months, your body will give up on getting stronger because it recognizes that instead of making the weight easier to lift, added strength will trigger added weight, added reps, added stress, and a harder workout.
Use the Marker Rep
You can avoid this problem by giving your body time to allow the same weight and reps to become easier. The key is to design your sets in a way that makes it simple to tell whether or not they are becoming easier. This is done by stopping at your marker rep. The marker rep marks the initial point in a set where you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace during a set. It’s the first rep that is noticeably slower and causes more strain and difficulty than the previous reps of the set.
Let it Get Easier
If your marker rep falls on your tenth rep when using 200 pounds for given lift, then you will be able to do the first nine reps using a steady even rep pace, but the tenth rep will be slower. With this awareness, keep repeating workouts using 200 pounds for ten reps. Eventually the tenth rep will become easier and you will be able to do all ten rep using a steady even rep pace. When using the marker rep method, the record you are trying break is to do all ten reps faster, easier, and with less effort.
Breaking records by allowing your marker rep to become easier is an excellent long term strategy. If you are a beginner or intermediate, you can use more of a short term strategy. This simply means that you don’t necessarily need to take the time to allow your marker rep to become easier; you can just push to near failure on your sets and keep on trying to break previous records by lifting more weight or doing more reps. However, when you stop gaining by simply trying to push yourself to a new record, you have the option of using the marker rep method where you stop at your marker rep and keep repeating workouts with the same weight and reps until it gets easier and easier. It sounds contrary to the way that most people think that progress should be made, but it works. Best of training to you.
Additional resource
A quote from a Danny Padilla interview, “I did the same exercises for 25 years and everybody would say, ‘Oh you got to change the routine.” And I’d say, “Why?” Just get better at that routine. If 225 is light, go up 10 pounds. So I stuck to the basic exercises: bench, inclines, flies, pullovers, I did it all, all the time, and as I got better at it, I just kept raising the weight.”
When Danny says just get better at the routine, I think he is saying to keep on doing it until becomes easier and feels lighter.
Danny trained in what I think of as the sweet spot in regard to using the right level of intensity and effort. When doing a set, he used a steady even rep pace until he needed to pause. After the pause, he would do one, or occasionally two more reps. Most of the time he hoovered around the marker rep as a stopping point for his sets, which you can see in the following video:
Powerlifting IQ: Part 2
In the last article I opened up the topic of powerlifting IQ. Those who have an outstanding powerlifting IQ often have great knowledge about strength training in an academic sense, but the main key is that they have the ability to translate their knowledge into actual training results, both for themselves and when helping others. Charles Staley, Garrett Blevins, Richard Hawthorne, Louie Simmons, and Boris Sheiko are some of the lifters and coaches discussed in the last article. In this article I will be focusing on Fred Hatfield and Bud Jeffries.
Fred Hatfield
Fred Hatfield was one of the first men in the world to squat over 1000 pounds. He was able to make progress year after year in order to accomplish this. Fred attributes much of his training success to learning form elite Russian lifters and coaches. The basics of Fred’s training philosophy is based upon five training stages as listed below which is then followed by a couple of videos of how Fred trains.
Stage 1: Foundation
Concentrate on building up weak body parts, and improving joint mobility and lifting technique.
Pick ten to fourteen basic exercises that cover all your muscle groups.
Do 4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise using perfect form on every rep of every set. You can superset exercises that work opposing muscle groups. Rest at least two minutes between supersets.
Also include stretching exercises to enhance flexibility.
Give yourself four to six weeks on stage 1.
Stage 2: Strength
Select ten exercise including basic exercises such as squats, bench press and deadlifts, plus assistance exercises for smaller muscle groups.
Start with 4 sets of 8 reps on the basic powerlifting exercises for two to three weeks, then move to 4 sets of 6 reps for two to three weeks, and finish stage two with 4 sets of 3 reps. However, when doing assistance exercises for smaller muscle groups, do 4 sets of 8 reps throughout stage two.
Fred recommends doing different exercises on different days. For instance, upper body pressing movements in one workout and leg exercises in a separate workout.
Stage 3. C.A.T. = (compensatory Acceleration Training)
Do the same exercises and same amount of sets that you did for stage two, but only do three to six reps per exercise for the basic powerlifting exercises.
C.A.T. stands for compensatory acceleration training which means to exert explosive force throughout the entire range of motion (from start to finish) of each rep. Use weights that allow you to lift with speed.
Stage 4. Power
Use the exact form that you would use in competition for squat, deadlift and bench press instead of doing variations of those exercises. Lift heavy and forcefully.
Stage 5. Plyometrics
There can be overlap between stages especially stages four and five. Don’t stop lifting after stage four to do plyometrics in stage five. Stage five should be done in combination with stage four the last three weeks of stage four to peak for a lifting competition. Drop all extra assistance lifting exercises the last two to three weeks before competition in favor of the following plyometrics:
Bounding (consecutive long jumps off two feet) 3 x 150 feet.
Hopping forward on one foot 3 x 150 feet each legs.
Lateral jumps from side to side: 3 x 10
Toss and receive a medicine ball with as much force as possible: 3 x 10
Depth jumps: Jump off 30 to 40 inch platform or box and upon landing explode upwards by jumping as high as possible for 3 x 3
Bud Jeffries
Bud Jeffries is one of the strongest raw natural lifters and strong men of all time with ease. Like Fred, he has also raw squatted 1,000 pounds (raw and natural) and he has tons of knowledge about strength training and strong man competitions of all kinds. Bud’s knowledge has definitely translated into real world strength in his own training. I highly recommend going to his website and looking at some of his books and videos. Just click on anunconventionalife.com to check out Bud’s resources.
The list of excellent powerlifting advice that can help you to increase your powerlifting knowledge goes on and on. At the end of this article, I will list more links to great resources for powerlifting information. The only problem is that you may find many different philosophies on how to build strength and end up more confused than ever about strength training. If you want a simple uncomplicated method for building strength, you can try the Strength to The Max program which is a book that can be found on this website.
Powerlifting IQ comes through study and experience, providing that it is not just mindless experience, but analyzed experience. Study and try things out. Learn from the best, but learn especially from your own results. Best of training to you.
Other great resources
Alphonso Duran: Quest for Muscle
Powerlifting IQ
Some powerlifters seem to clearly understand how to make strength gains year after year, or even decade after decade. Those who are able to accomplish this are generally able to do so because of a high training IQ, which simply means that they know how to train in an intelligent manner that translates into consistent progress. Good genetics can help a lifter get strong in a hurry, but it takes more than good genetics to keep on gaining for ten, twenty, or thirty years as some lifters have. This type of consistency takes good training.
Who are the lifters who have made long term gains? I will discuss some of these people in this article.
Charles Staley
The first lifter to immediately come to my mind is Charles Staley. Charles certainly did not come on the strength training scene with a big bang or a lot of fanfare. He was more or less average in ability. Nonetheless, he was mentored early on by a great powerlifter named Fred Hatfield, and has not stopped learning from anyone he can. Not only did he learn from others, he learns from his own experience and is open minded enough to try something new when his current training isn’t working.
One of the dangers of becoming a great lifter who has used the same system for years or decades, is that it is easy to conclude that the results were so good that there can’t be any other effective way to train. Some people are bound to a system because of the results it delivered in the past, but what about now? Your body will change over time, and you may find that what worked wonderfully in the past doesn’t work now, but that doesn’t mean that there might not be another form of training that will work now.
If you are not gaining, you have nothing to lose by trying something new. You may have to throw away a lot of old ideas and try something that you don’t think will work. At one point, Charles Staley didn’t think linear periodization would work. He preferred non-linear periodization where heavy, medium and light weights are all used within the same week, but he switched to linear periodization in which different amounts of weight are used in during different phases or blocks of time. He made this change after decades of training and it helped him to become stronger than when he was in his 20’s 30’s and 40’s. Charles is now at his all-time strongest while in his 50’s. He has learned, changed, and adapted according to his current results, not the results from ten or twenty years ago. In my opinion, Charles is smart. He is a good powerlifter and an excellent coach and writer.
At one point, Charles posted his daily workouts on a website called Breaking Muscle. He hasn’t posted his workouts in a while but you can still learn how he trains from his past posts on Breaking Muscle. Click here to go to his posts. Charles also does personal training and online coaching which you can learn about by clicking here. The type of training that Charles does is based on what is often referred to as “phase potentiation.” Garrett Blevins is another fantastic powerlifter who is great at explaining the concept of phase potentiation. If you are interested in his excellent teaching on phase potentiation, you can watch the following video.
Louie Simmons
Louie Simmons has probably coached more powerlifting champions at West Side Barbell Club than anyone in powerlifting. He is another lifter who progressively became stronger into his 50’s, and he has helped countless others make progress for year after year. Louie is famous for emphasizing the dynamic speed method in combination with single rep max effort training during a given week. The dynamic speed method is usually done for bench and squat or deadlift for each week, as is the single rep max effort training, although different variations of these lifts are used each week for the heavy single rep max effort training. The extensive variation of exercises and weight ranges is often referred to as the congregate system. Louie also includes bodybuilding exercises to build up important muscle groups, and believes that special exercises to build up weakness in an individual lifter are important.
If I had to recommend a powerlifting coach for someone who was forced to go into a powerlifting competition within a year and had the privilege of choosing any coach in the world, I would recommend training at Westside with Louie. Louie’s website can be accessed here.
Richard Hawthorne
Richard is pound for pound one of the strongest men in the world. I know he only weighs 130 pounds, but it hasn’t stopped him from deadlifting well over 600 pounds (almost 5 times his bodyweight). He claims to be a natural lifter who doesn’t take steroids or PED’s, and I tend to believe him. In my opinion, Richard just plain knows what’s going on in his body when it comes to training. He does very simple routines, but is a master at combining lots of warm up volume with a few heavier sets into the same workout. Richard is a huge proponent of using precise exercise technique and he knows how to train hard enough without overtraining, which is a huge key to training success. He claims his approach to knowing how much weight to use from one set to the next is somewhat instinctive, but his instincts are uncanny and translate into results, which is a sign of a high training IQ. You can visit Richard’s youtube page by clicking here.
Boris Sheiko
Boris Sheiko is recognized as one of the greatest, if not the greatest lifting coach in Russia, and the coaches and lifters from Russia are generally considered to be among the best in the world. He has produced one great lifter after another including Kirill Sarychev who has the biggest raw bench in the world with a bench of 738 pounds. You don’t achieve the results that Sheiko has achieved without a high coaching and training IQ. Sheiko approach to training would be considered as high volume and moderately high frequency by American standards. You don’t jump into his training routines, you must work your way into them or you will end up over trained and exhausted. He takes a long term approach that is very systematic, individualized, and somewhat complicated. Nonetheless, he is someone that you can learn from and you can visit his website by clicking here.
In the next article, more powerlifters and coaches with a high training IQ will be discussed. Until then, best of training to you.
Bodybuilding IQ: Part 2
Bodybuilding IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is not a common term, but I am using it to refer to a bodybuilder’s ability to know how to train optimally for best results in relationship to their own genetic potential. Bodybuilding IQ is not just a matter of a lot of mental knowledge about anatomy, physiology, and various bodybuilding techniques and routines. This type of knowledge can be a part of bodybuilding IQ, but only in terms of how well it translates into effective training.
A bodybuilder with very poor genetic potential may need a very high bodybuilding IQ to obtain what may seem like minimal results. On the other hand, a bodybuilder with fantastic genetic potential may experience what appears to be great results, but still fall far short of their genetic potential due to inferior training. Bodybuilding IQ refers to being able to get the most out of your training in light of your potential.
It is possible for a bodybuilder to know every type of training style in existence from the low volume high intensity training that Mike Mentzer did, to the extremely high volume training that Serge Nubret did. A bodybuilder may also know all of the science and physiology behind how to train. If this knowledge helps him maximize his genetic potential through optimum training, then all of his knowledge is contributing to his bodybuilding IQ. However, if that same bodybuilder can’t figure out how to apply all of that information in a way that brings about the greatest result for their own body, their mental knowledge is not leading to a high bodybuilding IQ in terms of training.
It’s also possible that a bodybuilder has very little information on how to train, yet he develops a sense and a feel for how to train that produces optimum results for his genetic capacity. In spite of his lack of mental knowledge or lack of ability to articulate his training methodology, he still has a high bodybuilding IQ in regard to training.
Measuring Bodybuilding IQ
The main problem with the term, bodybuilding IQ, is that it is hard to measure. This is because genetic potential is hard to measure, so it’s hard to know how close a person has come to reaching their genetic potential through smart training. Even so, there are a few factors that I believe indicate a high bodybuilding IQ. One factor is consistent results over a long period of time. Many genetic wonders develop very quickly, but few can make consistent improvements over a long time period, and even fewer can do it without steroids.
Traits of High Bodybuilding IQ
Another factor to consider is whether or not they know how to reproduce the results they achieved in others who they are advising, however, this is not foolproof evidence of bodybuilding IQ. Some successful bodybuilders and coaches know how to attract talent and they also know how to spot it. If they give training advice to a community of bodybuilders who have great genetics, then they will appear to very smart about how to train whether they give great advice or not.
Given these factors, I will point to some bodybuilders that I believe had, or have a high bodybuilding IQ. In the last article I featured Bill Pearl as he made consistent improvements for decades without steroids or much nutritional supplementation. Not only that, he trained other champions. In this article, I am going to feature other bodybuilders including Leroy Colbert, Vince Gironda, Brad Schoenfield, and Phil Heath.
Leroy Colbert
Leroy Colbert was the first bodybuilder to develop 21 inch arms before steroids were used to build muscle. How much of his success came as a result of good training as opposed to good genetics? You can’t really measure genetics, but I believe he had a combination of great genetics and great training.
Leroy started bodybuilding at the age of eleven. He had been taught that the perfect number of sets for each body part was three sets and doing any more than that would be counterproductive. At one point Leroy got up the courage to do more than three sets and found that his muscles did not wither away. He eventually did as many as 18 sets for both his biceps and triceps. Little by little he kept making progress until his arms reached a measurement of 21 inches in his early twenties. Leroy often talked about the need to have the right “feel,” and the right “instinct” for how to train. He claims he just knew by instinct how hard to train, how long to train, and how long to wait before he trained again, and he credits much of his success to that instinct.
Leroy was convinced that many bodybuilders either trained too long or too short, too often or not often enough, and they made the mistake of straining instead of training. He definitely is not a fan of the modern high intensity training to failure trend when it comes to long term results. Leroy believed that straining and struggling to get the weight up is a bunch of counterproductive hype. If you want to hear Leroy talk a little about his feel for training, you can fast forward to about one minute and ten seconds into the following video.
Leroy Colbert
Vince Gironda
Vince Gironda was another natural bodybuilder who I believe had a high bodybuilding IQ. In addition to training himself, he trained other bodybuilders and produced many outstanding bodybuilders including the first Mr. Olympia, Larry Scott. I believe Larry had a high bodybuilding IQ in his own right. If you read very much about Larry, you’ll find that he credits a lot of his success to Vince’s advice and a nutritional a supplement called Blair’s protein powder which caused his body explode with size. Before that time, he had a hard time building muscle. Vince also trained Mohamed Makkawy who was an amazing bodybuilder who placed 2nd in the Mr. Olympia. Vince was an outstanding bodybuilder himself and trained himself for virtually a lifetime. He still had an outstanding body in his fifties.
Vince was one of the most open minded bodybuilders of his time and believed in a variety of routines including 3 sets of 8 reps, 5 sets of 5 reps, 6 sets of 6 reps, 8 sets of 8 reps, 10 sets of 10 reps, 15 sets of 4 reps, and giant sets of four different exercises for the same muscle group with no rest between exercises. The exact routine a bodybuilder did depended on their personal training capacity, recovery ability, and goals. Most of Vince’s training routines were to be done at a rapid pace with little rest between sets. Vince was famous for routines that could be done in less than 45 minutes and for producing quick results in the clients he trained. He placed great emphasis on nutritional supplements and believed in training hard enough, but not so hard that you pushed to failure. For more information about Vince Gironda’s training click on the following link (Vince’s training information). You can also watch the following video.
Brad Schoenfeld
Brad Schoenfeld does cutting edge research and experimental studies on muscle building. If you are into the scientific aspects of bodybuilding, there is no better resource than Brad. He also has competed and ranked well in natural bodybuilding competitions and has trained others with outstanding results. Brad is ridiculously knowledgeable both in terms of the physiology of muscle building and in terms of applying his knowledge to formulate effective training strategies. His expertise is in the area of natural bodybuilding instead of the type of training that results from steroid induced gains that don’t transfer well to natural bodybuilding. Watch the following videos for more information from Brad.
Phil Heath
I must include the current Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath, as a bodybuilder who has a very high bodybuilding IQ. Every time I watch him train his form is spot on and he generally pushes each set as long as he can maintain a steady even rep pace. In other words, he knows how hard to push without pushing too hard. Phil’s training pace is often pretty fast, but once again, he has a feel for knowing how fast to move from set to set to push his muscles the right amount. If you are a natural bodybuilder, I would recommend that you watch the form that Phil uses to do his exercises, and that you notice his rep speed, rep tempo, and his level of intensity. However, I would caution against doing as many sets as he does, because he does a lot more sets than many natural bodybuilders can handle.
If you love bodybuilding, this article can lead you down a lot of paths that can increase your bodybuilding IQ. In the next article, I will transition over to powerlifting IQ and those who have great knowledge, instinct, and feel for powerlifting success. Until then, best of training to you.
Bodybuilding IQ Part 1: The Genius of Bill Pearl
What is bodybuilding IQ? It refers to the amount of intelligence a bodybuilder has in regard to productive training. Of course a genetic wonder can build a lot of muscle without a high bodybuilding IQ, but I believe there are bodybuilders who have had enough training intelligence to build a lot of muscle without great genetics. These would be an examples of a bodybuilder with a high training IQ.
Bodybuilding IQ is not Academic Knowledge
Before I discuss anything further about bodybuilding IQ, let me explain what I do not mean by bodybuilding IQ. I don’t mean that a bodybuilder who can identify the name and precise function of each muscle has a high bodybuilding IQ. Such a person may have a high academic IQ when it comes to anatomy, but it may not translate into productive training. A bodybuilder may also have knowledge of a huge amount of exercises and types of routines, but this may not necessarily translate into effective training either. All of these things can help increase a person’s bodybuilding IQ, but only as it translates into effective training.
A bodybuilder with a high training IQ understands what they must do to get results for their own body at any given point in their training career. They may possess this knowledge in a clearly defined manner that they can explain, or they may understand it by feel and instinct. Either way, it translates into effective training.
Gaining muscle is generally easier in the beginning stages than it is for someone who has been training for several years. A beginner may gain muscle fairly easy from a variety of different types of training, but as they progress, it becomes harder and harder to keep gaining. The more advanced a bodybuilder becomes, the less room there will be for error in terms of productive training. In my opinion, no natural bodybuilder who refuses steroids or PED’s can keep gaining year after year unless they have a high bodybuilding IQ. Very few possess this quality. Some do and I will begin with a bodybuilder in this article who I think understood how to train for long term progress better than just about any other.
Bill Pearl: Top Pick for High Bodybuilding IQ
My top pick for a high bodybuilding IQ is Bill Pearl. Bill began bodybuilding in the late 1940’s and kept getting better without the use of steroids until his last competition in 1971. In fact, he still looked great for many years after competeing well into his fifties. I started lifting weights in the late 1970’s and had seen Bill in some muscle magazines. I had read some articles about him, but at the time, he had already been retired for several years and I just thought of him as another bodybuilder.
It wasn’t until the year 2000 with the help of the internet that I was shown a progression of pictures from the early 1950’s through the 1970’s. Bill had already been lifting for several years in his first photo. He had decent development, but was pretty skinny by modern standards. In addition to the earliest photo, there were year by year photos of his improvement, but I couldn’t see any major improvements from year to year. Bill just made small improvements from year to year until by the mid to late 1060’s those small yearly improvements added up to huge improvements when you looked back at his first photo from the early 1950’s. Bill just kept getting better and better over the course of decades which is rare; especially without steroids. I don’t know of anyone who figured out how to train and gain for such a long time without drugs, and I don’t think he was a genetic freak. If Bill were a genetic freak, he would have gained a lot more at the beginning of his career, but it took a long, long time to reach the level of development he finally attained. You can learn more about Bill’s competitive career in the following video.
Not only was Bill a great bodybuilder himself, but he was an excellent trainer who coached many outstanding bodybuilders. His most famous student was Christ Dickerson who was Mr. Olympia in 1982. Chris was another bodybuilder who was able to become better and better year after year into his 40’s.
Bill’s Training Philosophy
Bill was a high volume bodybuilder who did lots of sets and lots of sets, usually 20 sets per body part. He also hit each body part three times per week which adds up to 60 sets per week for each body part. This may seem like a lot, but if he were to coach you, he would emphasize the need to gradually work up to this type of training volume or it won’t work. He was also very much against training to failure and believed that training to failure conditioned both your mind and your body to fail instead of to succeed. Bill believed in always stopping one to two reps short of failure and thought it was important to still have plenty of energy at the end of a workout. He also liked to do a huge variety of exercises with varying weights from set to set, and he would change his exercises every month.
If you want to know more about his training, he freely shares his training knowledge and a training program on his website. It’s a 20 month program in which you work up to the type of high volume training that he did. You can find his website by clicking on the following link (click here to go to Bill Pearl’s website). Perhaps his most famous interview on training is with Dennis Weiss which you can find by going to the following link (Bill Pearl Interview).
There are other bodybuilders from both the past and present who I believe had very high bodybuilding IQ’s. I will discuss some of them in the next article. Best of training to you.
For more on Bill’s training philosophy, refer to the following video;
The Deadlift Experts Show You How
For those who are interested in optimizing your lifting form for the deadlift, I will be referring you to six deadlifting experts. These are some of the best deadlifters and coaches in the world who have found great success using the techniques that they teach.
Expert #1 Eric Cressey
My top recommendation for deadlift expertise is Eric Cressey. I can’t supply you with an instructional video of his on this website, but he does have a free video course that you can sign up for at the following link (click here for Eric Cressey’s deadlift instruction). If you go to the webpage that corresponds to the link, look on the right side of the page and you will see a form to fill in for Cressey’s free deadlift instruction.
Eric Cressey is an excellent deadlifter himself and coaches volumes of baseball players and strength athletes. He is the Einstein of anatomical function and his knowledge is at the genius level in relationship to how to maximize your exercise form to greatest advantage for performance, safety, and optimum anatomical soundness for just about any exercise. The good thing about Eric is that he will teach you three variations of the deadlift including the traditional deadlift, sumo deadlift, and trap bar deadlift, and explain which body types are best suited for each variation of the deadlift.
Expert #2: Richard Hawthorne
Richard Hawthorne is pound for pound the strongest deadlifter in the world. He emphasizes his belief that proper technique is the greatest key to training and performance success. Hawthorne believes that lifting technique is so important that the best progression system of sets, reps and increases in weight can be nullified by suboptimal lifting form. Lifting form distributes the stress correctly over your body so that each muscle is doing its job at the proper time during the lift. If a muscle is either being over-stressed or under-stressed by poor technique, those muscles will end up being over-trained or undertrained. This will prevent those muscles from developing properly and the end result will be a sticking point. Watch Richard’s video if you want his expert training advice.
Expert #3: Andy Bolton
Andy Bolton is one of the few people on the planet who has exceeded a 1,000 pound deadlift. I can remember a time in the past when experts were speculating that a 900 hundred pound deadlift might not ever be achieved, but it has and Bolton belongs to a tiny number who have surpassed it by over 100 pounds. Bolton gives some excellent advice by emphasizing five deadlifting secrets in the following video.
Expert #4: Ed Coan
Ed Coan is one of the greatest, if not the greatest powerlifter of all time. In the next video, he gives instruction to Mark Bell and Silent Mike. Ed doesn’t teach an exact deadlift technique in this video, but stresses variations according to what works for each individual.
Expert #5: Alan Thral
Alan Thral is an excellent deadlifter who gives outstanding advice to lifters with different proportions. Some lifters have proportionally long legs compared to their upper body, others have a long upper body compared to their legs, and some have upper and lower bodies that are relatively equal in length. Each body type will look somewhat different in regard to deadlifting technique. Alan explains and demonstrates these differences in his video.
Expert #6: Larry Lrkr Barcello
If you prefer the sumo deadlift, Larry Lrkr Barcello gives excellent information on how to set up for the sumo deadlift and how to perform it in the following video
If you still want more information on how to do the deadlift, click on the following link (how to deadlift) which will take you to one of my previous articles on deadlifting technique. Best of training to you.
Ronnie Coleman: Positive Self-Talk During Workouts
Some powerlifters and bodybuilders are into a mindset of struggle and pain. They program themselves with self-talk and thoughts about how hard they must push and how hard their workout is going to be. These lifters may not know it, but they are psyching themselves up in a negative manner instead of a positive manner. Is there a time for psyching? Yes, but I believe it should be done in a positive manner instead of self-talk that is focused on struggle, pain and difficulty.
Light Weight
I think Ronnie Coleman had the right idea when he would approach a heavy weight that he was about to lift. He would always look at the weight and say, “Light weight.” Ronnie’s self-talk and thoughts were not focused on how hard the lift was going to be, instead he was focused on how strong he was to the point where he saw the weight as light, even though it was heavy. Did he psych himself up for his heaviest lifts? Undoubtedly yes, but there is a difference between being psyched out and psyched up. People who focus on the struggle and overwhelming weight are psyching themselves out. In contrast, psyching yourself up is based on believing you are strong and will conquer the weight. Ronnie psyched himself into believing he was so strong the weight would feel light.
If you watch the following video, there several instances in which Ronnie uses positive self-talk by declaring, “Light weight,” before he starts lifting.
The belief that workouts must become harder and harder is backwards thinking in my opinion. Of course workouts must become heavier and heavier over time, but that doesn’t mean they must become harder. If your strength gains keeps up with the increases of weight, then the increases of weight aren’t going to keep getting harder and harder. The workouts may occasionally be harder when you initially increase the weight, but the increase in weight should be followed by a time period in which you allow your strength to catch up with the increase in weight. During this time period, the same weights should feel progressively easier to lift, not harder.
One of the basics of precision point training is that when you reach your marker rep where rep speed starts to slow down, stop the set and make it the last rep of your set. You should not increase the weight or reps in future workouts until it becomes easier to perform the same number of reps. Your goal is to become strong enough to do the same number of reps without slowing down your rep pace when you reach the last rep of the set. When you accomplish this, it is a sign that you have become stronger. This system of progression is based on the same weights feeling as though they are becoming lighter and easier to lift instead of harder and heavier.
When your mindset is based on seeing the weights as easy to lift instead of hard to lift, and you combine this mindset with allowing the same weights to become easier to lift over time, you will find that consistent strength gains are a natural byproduct. Try thinking lighter and easier, even when you progress to heavier weights. You’ll find that workouts are more productive when your mental and physical approach are congruent with each other. Best of training to you.
Programming for Overcompensation and The Texas Method
Everyone has minimum and maximum capacities for workouts that will lead to strength gains. There are lifters with succeed with a minimum amount of training. They start with warm up sets and work their way up to a single work set for each exercise and they only do one exercise for each muscle group. Andrey Malanichev is an example of a world class squatter who uses this strategy, and he generally only hits each exercise just once per week.
Andrey Malanichev Squat Workout
There are also lifters who want to find the maximum limit of training volume that they can perform without overtraining. These lifters either do several work sets of an exercise or they do several exercises for the same muscle group. Max Aita is an example of a great squatter who has pushed his workouts to the limit in terms of training volume and training frequency. During one stretch of his lifting career he squatted every day; often several times per day for thirteen years. I don’t know if Max still squats every day, but he is not afraid to do a substantial amount of very hard work sets. I have seen a video of Max doing five sets of squats and go to failure on every set. He is perhaps the most relentless squatter I have ever seen and prefers maximum capacity training rather than minimum.
Max Aita Relentless Squatting
Experiment
Some lifters take the time to find their minimum and maximum capacity for how much they can train without suffering negative effects from training too much or too little. The only way to do this is to experiment with smaller and smaller amounts of training until you find the minimum amount you can train while still making progress. The opposite is done by training more and more until you find the maximum amount you can train while still making progress.
What is the point of knowing the minimum and maximum amount of training that you can do while still making progress? The benefit is that you can occasionally increase or decrease the amount of training in order to keep your body from stagnating from the same training. When you increase the amount of training that you do, your body must increase the rate and/or magnitude of protein synthesis in order to rebuild muscle tissue by the next workout. Your body must also increase the rate at which glycogen and creatine phosphate is synthesized to replenish your muscles with energy. Once your body has been programmed to speed up its rate and magnitude of recovery, you can cut back to the minimum amount of training that you can do while still making progress.
Overcompensation = Better Recovery
Why cut back to less training after doing more training? Because your body will be programmed to overcompensate by over-recovering or overcompensating with more protein synthesis and more energy synthesis than the demand of the workout. In other words, if your body has been trained to recover from four or five sets, but you only do one set, then one set will be easy for your body to recover from. Your body will actually recover more than it needs to by growing bigger and stronger.
Programming for Overcompensation
Lifters use both short cycles and longer cycles to program for overcompensation. A short term training cycle can be done over the course of a single week. For example, a lifter can do five sets of eight to ten reps for his lifts on Monday, three sets of five reps on Wednesday, and one set of five reps on Saturday. By doing this he would be training to his maximum capacity for a productive workout at the start of the week. As the week progresses, he trains according to his minimum capacity for a productive workout.
Deload Every fourth Week
Another common strategy that lifters use for programming for overcompensation is to do high volume workouts for three weeks followed by one to three weeks of lower volume workouts that can also be done with a lower training frequency. Lifters commonly deload or cut back every fourth week. If you find that you benefit from the cutting back for more than one week, then you can cut back longer.
In the end, each lifter must take the time to find their own capacity for the minimum and maximum amounts of training that they can do while still making progress and learn how long to use each type of training before transitioning to the other. It may take a lot of experimenting to do this, but in the end, it may also lead to more progress. I have used very consistent training with little or no change for months and I have also used highly varied training. Both types of training work if you take the time to find workouts and training cycles that work for you.
If I had to recommend a training schedule that is a well designed training method that programs your body for overcompensation, I would recommend the Texas Method. It evolved out of the five sets of five reps routine and was tweaked over and over again until lifting coaches hit upon a training formula that worked exceptionally well for the vast majority of lifters. The specifics of the Texas Method can be learned by following the links below. Best of training to you.
The basic explanation of the Texas Method Starts at about 3:20 in the video
The Texas Method (article from T-Nation)
3 x 10 or 10 x 3: Which is Better?
A common question in strength training circles is: Which is better, three sets of ten reps, or ten sets of three reps with the same weight? If you are focusing on pure strength training, I would go with 10 x 3 (ten sets of 3 reps). However, if I had a choice to use both strategies, I would use them both. Three sets of ten reps is going to stimulate more lactic acid and may trigger more growth hormone and muscle growth in some lifters. On the other hand, if you use the same weight for ten sets of three reps, you will be able to reduce fatigue within each set. This will enable you to perform each rep with a greater measure of force and power, which is good for strength development.
3 x 10 or 10 x 3?
To explain this in greater detail, let’s assume that Jim can use 200 hundred pounds in the bench press for three sets of ten reps. He could also choose to do ten sets of three reps with 200 pounds. Whether Jim does three sets of ten reps or ten sets of three reps, he will be doing a total of thirty reps in both cases. Common logic would tell you that doing ten reps in a row with 200 pounds would be harder than doing three reps in a row with 200 pounds. This being the case, Jim could start a workout cycle by doing ten sets of three reps and increase the intensity of his workouts by changing the amount of reps per set he does in order to reach a total of 30 reps. For example, Jim could increase the amount of intensity for each set by using the following training cycle consisting of 30 rep workouts:
30 Rep Training Cycle: Increasing in Reps per Set
Workout 1: 10 x 3 with 200 pounds
Workout 2: 6 x 5 with 200 pounds
Workout 3: 5 x 6 with 200 pounds
Workout 4: 3 x 10 with 200 pounds
Jim could also reverse the cycle by doing the workouts in the opposite order that is listed. In other words, he could start with three sets of ten reps and move towards ten sets of three reps as shown in the following example:
30 Rep Training Cycle: Decreasing in Reps per Set
Workout 1: 3 x 10 with 200 pounds
Workout 2: 5 x 6 with 200 pounds
Workout 3: 6 x 5 with 200 pounds
Workout 4: 10 x 3 with 200 pounds
The first cycle starts with low reps per set and transitions to more and more reps from one workout to the next. This means that Jim is starting by emphasizing power and transitions to emphasize more hypertrophy at the end of the cycle.
The second cycle starts with more reps per set and transitions to less and less reps per set. I actually like this cycle better for strength development as it emphasizes hypertrophy first, followed by strength and power as the cycle progresses.
Variations in Rest Between Sets
There are many variations and progressions that can be used with the same two cycles listed in order to emphasize different energy systems within your muscles. For example, instead of doing each workout just once, you could do each workout three times during the week and slightly alter the rest times between sets in each workout. One option for doing this would be to start out the first week with ten sets of three reps and do it for three workouts. For the first workout, you could rest two minutes between sets. For the second workout, you could rest 90 seconds between sets, followed by a third workout with 45 seconds of rest between sets. The same changes in rest between sets could be done with the six sets of five reps and five sets of six reps. However, you may have to adjust the rest times slightly and make them longer when doing less sets and more reps per set.
Training Blocks
The strategy of doing the same number of overall reps for an exercise, but breaking the total reps into more and more sets with fewer reps could be used for a series of different weights to form training blocks. An example of this is shown below with four different weights to form four training blocks. Each training block would be done for six workouts over the course of two weeks. Of course the number of workouts per week can be adjusted according to your own recovery rate. The four blocks are shown below:
Block 1: Workouts with 36 total Rep (Use 65% -70% of your single rep max)
Workout 1: 3 sets x 12 reps
Workout 2: 4 sets x 9 reps
Workout 3: 6 sets x 6 reps
Workout 4: 6 sets x 6 reps
Workout 5: 9 sets x 4 reps
Workout 6: 12 sets x 3 reps
Block 2: Workouts with 30 total Reps (Use 70%-75% of your single rep max)
Workout 1: 3 sets x 10 reps
Workout 2: 3 sets x 10 reps
Workout 3: 5 sets x 6 reps
Workout 4: 6 sets x 6 reps
Workout 5: 10 sets x 3 reps
Workout 6: 10 sets x 3 reps
Block 3: Workouts with 24 total Reps (use about 75%-80% of your single rep max)
Workout 1: 3 sets x 8 reps
Workout 2: 3 sets x 8 reps
Workout 3: 4 sets x 6 reps
Workout 4: 6 sets x 4 reps
Workout 5: 8 sets x 3 reps
Workout 6: 8 sets x 3 reps
Block 4: Workouts with 18 reps (Use 80%-85% of your single rep max)
Workout 1: 3 sets x 6 reps
Workout 2: 3 sets x 6 reps
Workout 3: 6 sets x 3 reps
Workout 4: 6 sets x 3 reps
Workout 5: 9 sets x 2 reps
Workout 6: 9 sets x 2 reps
As I said earlier, you can do the workouts in a given cycle or block in the opposite order if you prefer to do so. If you did them in the opposite order, you would start with more sets and less reps per set, and work your way up to more reps and less sets. Both methods have their own benefits and you could use them according to your own goals.
One of the keys to this type of training is to zero in on an optimum total workload (also referred to as training volume) that works best for you with a given weight. A percentage of weight in relationship to your single rep max is listed at the start of each block. These percentages should put you in the right ballpark in terms the amount of sets and reps listed for each block. Once you find the right total workload for the amount of weight you are using, you can redistribute same total of reps across varying amounts of sets and reps. In doing so, you will stress the creatine phosphate more when doing low reps, and the lactate system more when doing higher reps. Of course the method presented in this article should be used whenever you see fit and should be adapted according to your own goals and preferences. Best of training to you.
Micro-loading
Micro-loading small amounts of weight to your lifts is a valid option for progressive strength training workouts. What is micro-loading? It simply means to add a pound or less to your lifts instead of the typical five to ten pounds to your lifts. I believe the main reason most lifters to try to improve in increments of five to ten pounds is that the smallest weight plates in a typical gym are two and a half to five pounds each. Beginning and intermediate lifters may increase in five to ten pound increments, but lifters who have been lifting for more than a couple of years generally do not.
Gaining five to ten pounds of strength at a time gets harder and harder over time, however, even advanced lifters can gain a pound of strength at a time. The key is to do it over and over again so that those small additions of strength add up to big gains over time. This can be done with micro-loading if (and this is a big if) you do it right.
A basic precision point training principle is that there specific conditions when it is best to repeat workouts with the same amount of weight and reps until they become easier, and there is are specific conditions when it is best to add weight and make the workouts harder.
When do you allow the same workouts to become easier? When you push to your marker rep. The marker rep is the point in the set where the pace of your reps starts to slow down in comparison the previous reps of the set. Instead of trying to increase weight, you simply repeat workouts with the same weight and reps until they become easier. You will know when this has happened when the last rep is no longer slower than the previous reps of the set.
What about increasing the weight? When is best to do this? If you don’t push all the way to your marker rep, the conditions change and it is best to add weight in order to make progress. One way to add weight in an effective manner is to use micro-loading. More explanation is needed.
When adding weight, one of the goals of your body is to gain strength in order to avoid a severe training stress when weight is progressively added. It can’t do this if you begin with a severe training stress and try to add on to it. However, if you start out with a training stress that is not severe, and you add to it little by little, then your body will gain strength in order to keep the additions of weight from becoming so hard that they become severe. The reason for emphasizing this point is that you must begin with the right amount of effort when micro-loading.
Adding Weight to the Right Level of Effort
The starting point must not be a severe training stress. The level of effort that you should start with when adding weight is the limit rep. The limit rep is the last rep that you can perform using a steady even rep pace with a given weight. You may be able to do fourteen reps with 200 pounds for the bench press, but if your rep pace starts to slow down on your last four reps, then your tenth rep is your limit rep because it is the limit of reps that you can perform using a steady even rep pace. This would be the starting place for micro-loading small amounts of weight when using 200 pounds for ten reps when doing the bench press.
When starting with the limit rep, the strategy is fairly simple; add one pound (one half pound to each side of the bar) from week to week. If you started out with ten reps with 200 pounds for the bench press, you should still be able to do all ten reps using a steady even rep pace after adding a pound. If you keep adding a pound every week, you may eventually reach a point where you add enough weight to cause your tenth rep to start slowing down. If this happens, you have two options;
Option1: You can use the “load and hold method” or;
Option 2: You can drop back five pounds and start micro-loading again.
Load and Hold
So what is the load and hold method? In our case, it simply means that you start with your limit rep and micro-load one pound at a time until you reach a weight that causes your last rep to slow down. For example, if you start with ten even paced reps, keep adding one pound per week until the tenth rep stats to slow down. When you reach this point, you hold at the same weight; meaning repeat workouts with the same amount of weight and reps until the slowness of the tenth rep vanishes and it can be done at the same rep pace as the previous reps of the set. Once the tenth rep has become faster and easier, you can start micro-loading again.
Drop Back and Start Over
Your other option if you reach the point where your tenth rep starts to slow down is to drop back five pounds in weight and start micro-loading again. For example, let us imagine that you started with 200 pounds and were able to add on ten pounds before your tenth rep started to slow down. At that point drop back to 205 pounds and start adding a pound every week again and try to get past 210 pounds before your tenth rep starts to slow down.
Micro-loading With Single Reps
Of course these strategies for micro-loading can be used with any amount of reps. The key is to begin with your limit rep when starting the process of adding small amounts of weight. If you are trying to add on to a single rep, start with a weight that allows a smooth nonstop lifting motion throughout the entire lift and add small amounts of weight from there. If your reach a point where you can no longer maintain a smooth nonstop lifting motion for the entire lift, then stop adding weight until your form smooths out, at which point you can start micro-loading again.
Obtaining Micro Weights Online
One of the biggest problems with the advice that I just gave in this article is that you may not have small weight plates to add. The best thing to do is to look online for micro-weights and order some to take with you to the gym. Make sure that you get microplates that weigh a half pound or less. If you get eight half pound plates, you’ll be able to add on four pounds before switching over to two and a half pound plates to each side for a five pound increase.
Olympic Plates and Standard Barbell Plates
I must warn you that most of the micro-weights on the internet are for Olympic barbells which are 2 inches in diameter at the end of the barbell. If you are using a standard one inch barbell at home, you can try looking up a hardware store online called Fastenal. You can order washers from Fastenal that have a center hole that is one inch in diameter. Make sure the washers are USS (Unites States Standard Size). It takes three USS washers on each side of a barbell to equal a pound.
If you find yourself stuck, micro-loading can reignite gains and help you to start making progress again. Be precise about how you progress, and you will find success. Best of training to you.
Variations of Progressively Heavier Workouts
In my opinion, finding the right physiological training state is the key to success regardless of the lifting program that is used. The right physiological training state is largely based on training with the right amount of effort. In the beginning, just about any training program will produce some degree of results, however, keep in mind that your body does not have an endless adaptive reserve. What does this mean? It means that it will eventually become difficult to keep gaining strength and muscle size. When gains slow down or stop, you must start thinking in terms of the optimum level of effort instead of the maximum level of effort.
In the last article, I discussed an approach that can help you zero in on the right level of effort when using a linear progression scheme where weight is increased every workout. I left off with the following example of nine successive squat workouts that grow progressively heavier:
3 progressively heavier workouts with 8 reps
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 255 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 260 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
3rd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 265 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
3 progressively heavier workouts with 5 reps
4th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 275 pounds = 1st point of intensity
5th workout; 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 280 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
6th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 285 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
3 progressively heavier workouts with 3 reps
7th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 290 pounds = 1st point of intensity
8th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 295 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
9th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 300 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
If you didn’t read the last article, you may be wondering what is meant by the first, second, and third point of intensity at the end of each workout listed. The three points of intensity refer to three levels of intensity for a given rep range. For example, if eight reps were being used, you would do three progressively heavier workouts with eight reps. The amount of weight that you use is based on the maximum amount of weight that you can handle for eight reps using a steady even rep pace for all eight reps without slowing down your rep pace at the end of the set (getting this right is the key to working out at the right level of effort). Once you have found the right amount of weight, you have established the weight you will use for your second workout with eight reps. The first workout should be two to three percent lighter than the second workout, and the third workout should be two to three percent heavier than the second workout. The same system would be used when figuring out how much weight to use for three workouts with five reps, and three workouts with three reps.
Variations
If you do three workouts per week, the nine progressively heavier workouts will take three weeks to complete. However, there are many variations of this progression. Some of these variations are what I would like to discuss in this article.
One variation would apply to those who would rather work each lift or each body part twice per week rather than three times per week. In this case, the nine workouts listed at the start of the article could be grouped into a six week training plan as follows:
Week 1
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 255 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 260 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
Week 2
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 265 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 265 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
Week 3
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 275 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 280 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
Week 4
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 285 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 285 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
Week 5
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 290 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 295 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
Week 6
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 300 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 300 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
Notice that third point of intensity is always repeated in the above six week workout schedule. This is only one variation of the nine workouts listed at beginning of this article.
Do the Same Workout for A Week
A second variation would be to do the first workout two or more times during the first week. Then do the second workout throughout the second week. The third workout would be repeated for the desired number of workouts throughout the third week and so on. If each workout were done two or more times during the corresponding week, it would constitute a nine week training cycle as follows:
Week 1: Do the following workout two or more times per week
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 255 pounds = 1st point of intensity
Week 2: Do the following workout two or more times per week
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 260 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
Week 3: Do the following workout two or more times per week
3rd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 265 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
Week 4: Do the following workout two or more times per week
4th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 275 pounds = 1st point of intensity
Week 5: Do the following workout two or more times per week
5th workout; 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 280 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
Week 6: Do the following workout two or more times per week
6th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 285 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
Week 7: Do the following workout two or more times per week
7th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 290 pounds = 1st point of intensity
Week 8: Do the following workout two or more times per week
8th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 295 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
Week 9: Do the following workout two or more times per week
9th workout: 2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 300 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
Individual Differences and Adjustments
I want to point out that no two people are the same. Different people respond better to different training frequencies, different amounts of sets, and different intensities. I personally prefer three or more workouts per week for each lift. Benching and squatting twice per week doesn’t cut it for me, but that’s just me. You might do best by working each exercise only once per week. You may also find that your best results come from focusing more on one point intensity and that you need to do more sets or less sets than the amount of sets I listed. If you need to adjust a workout scheme in order to get better results, do whatever is needed for best results.
A final factor that I have found that varies greatly among lifters is the way in which they do warm up sets before doing their work sets. Some do a minimal amount of warm up sets and warm up with low reps; others do an extensive warm up consisting of tons of sets and reps. Some prefer a minimal warm up when working out in the eight rep range and switch to a far more extensive warm up when working out in the three rep range. You must find what works for you and let results be your guide. Best of training to you.
Linear Periodization Specifics
When someone is under-motivated, the chief factor that keeps them from succeeding is lack of effort. Those who are under-motivated must constantly be reminded to push themselves when they workout if they hope to make any progress. Let’s face it, most people in this world have no motivation to work out at all and most people who work out, don’t want to work out very hard. Little is accomplished when little is invested in terms of effort. However, if you are reading this article, you are probably highly motivated or you wouldn’t be bothering to learn more about strength training.
If you are highly motivated, it is doubtful that putting forth enough effort is your problem. The bigger problem is learning to be precise in regard to putting forth the right amount of effort. For a person who is already willing to train hard enough, more effort and more training are not the keys to success; precise effort and better training are the keys. This concept must be applied to any form of training for best results. In this article, we will look at how to apply precision to linear periodization.
Using the Right Amount of Effort With Linear Periodization
Linear periodization is a popular form of strength training. It basically begins with the use of lighter weights early in a training cycle and heavier and heavier weights are used as the training cycle progresses. Some people believe that the key is simply to add weight over time. In many cases this works. When something works, the best strategy is often to keep using it until it stops working. However, in my opinion, adding weight must be done with calculated precision in order for linear periodization to work. If this precision is neglected, training cycles that employ a steady increase of weight over time will fail.
Three Points of Progression
In the last article, I discussed the concept of three points of progression when using the same amount of reps over a short cycle. Three points of progression refers to three points of load based intensity for the same amount of reps. We can look at an example of this when doing three different workouts using eight reps for all three workouts. A different amount of weight will be used for each workout to create three different levels of intensity. Each level of intensity must be very specific for each workout. You must start at the right level of intensity and add the right amount of weight so that each workout is done at the right level of intensity. Let’s look at an example of how to find the right levels of intensity for three points of progression.
Bill wants to use three points of progression with eight reps in all three workouts. His first job is to find the heaviest weight he can use for eight reps using a steady even rep pace for all eight reps. This is the amount of weight he will use for his second workout. His first workout should be done with a weight that is about three percent lighter than his second workout, and his third workout should be done with a weight that is three percent heavier than his second workout. An example of this is shown below for three different squat workouts which are all done with eight reps:
1st workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 255 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2nd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 260 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
3rd workout: 2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 265 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
Ideally, the three amounts of weight would be closer to 253 pounds, 260 pounds, and 267 pounds, as this would be closer to a three percent difference between each amount of weight used. However, it is hard to find weights in these increments, so five pounds increments are used from one point of intensity to the next.
If you are familiar with precision point training terminology, the first point of intensity is one rep short of the limit rep (the limit rep is the amount of reps that can be done using a steady even rep pace with a given weight). The second point of intensity falls exactly on the limit rep. The third point of intensity falls on the marker rep, which is one rep past the limit rep. The marker rep marks the initial rep where you can no longer maintain the same rep pace that you could for the previous reps.
Three Points of Progression with Linear Periodization
The concept of using progressively heavier with eight reps is a form of linear periodization within the eight rep range. The same concept could then be repeated with three progressively heavier workouts using five reps followed by three progressively heavier workouts using three workouts. The key is to be precise by using three points of specified intensity for each rep range. If you moved through three points of progression for the eight rep range, and did the same for the five rep range, and the three rep range, it would constitute a total of nine progressively heavier workouts. Of course this is linear progression, but it is done using a very specific level of effort. The entire progression of nine workouts is shown below:
3 points of intensity (3 progressively heavier workouts) with 8 reps
2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 255 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 260 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 265 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
3 points of intensity (3 progressively heavier workouts) with 5 reps
2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 275 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 280 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
2 or 3 sets x 5 reps @ 285 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
3 points of intensity (3 progressively heavier workouts) with 3 reps
2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 290 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 295 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
2 or 3 sets x 3 reps @ 300 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
If you did three workouts per week, this cycle would take three weeks to complete. You may find the three week cycle to be effective, but many lifter prefer cycles that take longer than three weeks. I will discuss how to use these workouts in a longer cycle in the next article.
When and How to Add Weight
In the last article I focused on the concept that there is a right time to repeat the same workouts until they become easier. The right time to repeat workouts until they become easier is when you start by pushing each set to your marker rep. What is a marker rep? It occurs when you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace during a set. In other words, if you can maintain a steady even rep pace for eight reps, but your ninth rep is the first rep that starts to slow down during a set, your marker rep is your ninth rep. If you keep pushing to the same marker rep over the course of several workouts or weeks, the slowness of the rep will eventually disappear. This simply means that you will be able to perform your last rep at the same pace as the previous reps in a set. When this happens, it is a sign that your strength has increased.
When to Add Weight
Just as there is a time to allow the same workouts to become easier, there is a time to add weight and make workouts harder. In this article, I will focus on when and how to add weight to your workouts. The bottom line is that it is best to add weight to workouts where you are not reaching your marker rep. We can look again at the example of someone who has the ability to do eight reps with a given weight before reaching their marker rep on their ninth rep. If they have not been pushing all the way to their ninth rep, they are in a good position to add weight to their workouts. How much weight should be added and how often? One option for determining this is to use the three points of progression method.
Three Points of Progression
The three points of progression method is taken from the book, The Peak Strength Principle. The method is based on using three consecutive workouts to progress through three different points of intensity within a set. The key to this is precision. If you are training to failure and try to add weight on top of what you are already doing, it’s not going to work for very long. You must start from the right level of intensity when adding weight. Three points of progression will help you to do this.
Three different amounts of weight will form three points of intensity. The reps will be kept the same in each workout. It is critical to start out with the right amount of weight when adding to it in the next two workouts. To illustrate how this works, we’ll imagine that Rob is doing sets with eight reps. In order to plan his workouts, Rob must already know how much weight he can use for eight even paced reps without slowing down his rep pace. With this knowledge, he will plan three workouts as follows:
1st point of intensity
Rob’s first workout should be done with a weight that is two to three percent lighter than the weight he can use for eight even paced reps. (By clicking on the bold links, you can find good sources for calculating lifting percentages ExRx.net, or percentagecalculator.net.)
2nd point of intensity
Rob’s second workout should be done with the exact weight that he can use for eight even paced reps. To accomplish this, he will be using two to three percent more weight than the previous workout which was done at the first point of intensity.
3rd point of intensity
Rob’s third workout should be done with a weight that is two to three percent heavier than the weight he can use for eight even-paced reps. This means the third workout will push Rob all the way to his marker rep. In this case, his eighth rep will be slower than the others. However, this should not occur during his first two workouts. An example of three consecutive workouts using the three points of progression method is shown below for the squat:
3 points of intensity with 8 reps
2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 250 pounds = 1st point of intensity
2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 260 pounds = 2nd point of intensity
2 or 3 sets x 8 reps @ 265 pounds = 3rd point of intensity
Notice that ten pounds was added to the second workout and only five to the third. This is because adding the suggested amount of two to three percent for each workout is awkward as two to three percent of Rob’s max would be probably be about six to eight pounds. Most weight plates don’t come in these increments. To compensate for this, ten pounds were added to the second workout, and five pounds were added to the third workout. If Rob (or you) happens to have very small micro weight plates, then he (or you) can add even increments of six to eight pounds.
Progress by Repeating Three Workouts
When using this method, Rob has options for how he can continue to progress. First, he can simply keep repeating the same three workouts until his third workout improves to the point where he can do all eight reps without slowing down his rep pace. There are other options in regard to how Rob can add weight. Rob can use micro loading, or he can use a more extensive linear progression program. However, these options will be discussed in the next articles. Until then, best of training to you.
Two Goals
Your body has two basic goals that it is trying to accomplish when it gains strength.
Goal #1:
If you make your workout hard enough, your body gets stronger in order to make it easier to lift the same weight.
Goal #2:
Your body becomes stronger to keep additions of weight from become harder (or to minimize the degree to which the workouts increase in difficulty). This assumes that you are not starting out with a severe training stress in your first workout and trying to add weight on top of it.
When to Use Goal #1 or Goal #2
The main question to consider in regard to these two goals is this: When do you use the first goal of allowing the same weight to become easier to lift, and when do you use the second goal of adding weight to your workouts?
I suggest using precision point principles to determine when to add weight and when to let the same weight become easier to lift. The bottom line is that if you push a set to the point of your marker rep or beyond, your goal should be to allow the same workouts, weights and reps to become easier. If you don’t push to the point of your marker rep, then you can add on weight or reps from workout to workout until you reach the point of hitting your marker rep. More explanation is needed.
Allow the Marker Rep to Become Easier
I believe the best situation in which to allow the same weight to become easier is when you push to your marker rep in a set. Your marker rep is the initial point in a set where your rep pace starts to decrease. You can generally perform reps using a steady even rep pace early in a set. As you continue to do reps, you will reach a point where you cannot maintain a steady even rep pace. This is the point where there will be a noticeable decrease in the pace at which you can repeat reps. The first rep where this becomes noticeable is your marker rep.
The marker rep is a precision point or a threshold that marks the point in a set where a sudden escalation in the difficulty of your reps occurs. We’ll imagine that you reach your marker rep on the eighth rep when using 185 pounds in the bench press. You may be able to do ten or eleven reps with 185 pounds, but if your marker rep is the eighth rep, stop on your eighth rep. Keep stopping on your eighth rep in future workouts any time you are using 185 pounds for the bench press.
Since the eighth rep is the point at which reps suddenly escalate in difficulty, it will make your body more uncomfortable than the previous reps. Because of the difficulty of the marker rep, your body will try to find a way to get rid of it. How can it do this? By becoming stronger.
If you gain enough strength, the marker rep will shift form the eighth rep to the ninth rep. However, you will still only do eight reps. In doing so, your body will avoid the point at which the set suddenly escalates in difficulty which occurs at the marker rep. This is exactly what your body wants to happen when it gains strength, so let it accomplish its goal.
What happens when your body accomplishes its goal and the set becomes easier? You will find that you no longer have to slow down on your eighth rep and you will be able to use an even rep pace for all eight reps. Once you have used the same weight long enough to accomplish this, you can add a little weight and repeat the process.
Using Different Weights
In this imaginary scenario of doing eight reps with 185 pounds, would you have to use 185 pounds and do eight reps in every workout? No. You could do the following
Workout 1: Use 175 pounds for 10 reps. Hit your marker rep on your tenth rep.
Workout 2: Use 185 pounds for 8 reps. Hit your marker rep on your eighth rep.
Workout 3: Use 200 pounds for 5 reps. Hit your marker rep on your fifth rep.
You could even use these three amounts of weight in the same workout for your work sets. The main point is that if you are doing a set with for eight reps for 185 pounds, keep doing eight reps anytime you are using 185 pounds in future workouts. Don’t try to add weight or reps when using 185 pounds until the eighth rep transitions into an even paced rep that doesn’t slow down at the end of a set. The same thing would be done if you were doing 175 pounds for 10 reps or 200 pounds for 5 reps. Add weight when you can do an entire set using a steady even rep pace without slowing down at the end of the set.
There is a time to make a workout harder, and a time to allow it to become easier. You allow it to become easier when pushing to your marker rep. You can add weight to your workouts when starting below your marker rep. This shall be discussed more in the next article. Until then, best of training to you.
Individual Training Frequency
There are multiple training frequencies that lifters use to gain strength. Some do the same exercise multiple times per day, others train a muscle group only once per week. Each lifter must find a training frequency that matches their own physiology.
In addition to individual physiology, the difficulty of each workout also plays a huge role in how often a given lifter should work out. The main thing to consider is whether or not your current training is working. If it is, don’t change your training frequency. If it isn’t, try something else. In this article, I am going to suggest two alternatives for those who are not making progress using their current training frequency.
The training schedule that I am about to suggest is not used by many people because most people think in terms of equal spacing between workouts. Most lifters train each body part twice per week which gives each muscle group 72 to 96 hours of rest between workouts. I am going to suggest a couple alternatives consisting of varied frequency training. This simply means that training frequency is varied throughout the week. I will use the bench press (or chest training) as an example of these alternatives.
Varied Frequency Training Alternative 1: M – T – F
The first alternative is to start by doing dynamic speed training with 10 sets of 3 reps using 50% to 60% of your single rep max for the bench. If this were done on Monday, you would then do incline dumbbell presses for 6 sets of 6 reps on Tuesday. When doing 6 sets of 6 reps, use a weight that you can lift for about 25 reps if you were doing one set to failure. The rest time between 6 sets of 6 reps should only be 20 to 30 seconds.
Of course by hitting your chest on both Monday and Tuesday, you are working your chest two days in a row. No chest work should be done on Wednesday or Thursday. On Friday, work up to a heavy set of benches in the one to five rep range. Follow the heavy set of benches with 8 sets of 8 reps for triceps extensions. Although you hit your chest two days in a row (i.e. Monday and Tuesday) with this schedule, you still have 72 hours before your third workout, and another 72 hours before you start over again with your first workout.
Varied Frequency Training 2: M – T – W – F
The second alternative would be more for bodybuilding. On Monday, do dumbbell bench presses on a flat bench for 8 sets of 8 reps. On Tuesday, do either barbell or dumbbell incline presses for 6 sets of 6 reps. On Wednesday, do dumbbell flies for 4 sets of 12 reps. Each of these workouts should be done at rapid pace. Do no chest work on Thursday or Friday and work up to a heavy set of barbell bench presses for five to eight reps on Saturday. Take Sunday off. Make sure you take your time and move from set to set at a fairly slow pace when working up to a heavy weight for Saturday’s workout.
The Peak Strength Principle
One of the keys to training a muscle group on consecutive days is to do it in conjunction with the peak strength principle. This simply means to train a muscle group as long as it is at full strength but no longer. You can’t always tell if you are at peak strength immediately after finishing your last set. Peak strength can be determined by resting five to seven minutes after your last set. At that point, you can try a single rep with 80% of your max. It should still be easy if you are still at peak strength. If it is hard, it is a sign that you are well below peak strength and you have worked out too hard. Back off the next time you do the workout until you find a weight that allows you to finish at peak strength.
It is possible to scorch your muscles with 8 sets of 8 reps if you go all out. You don’t have to do this because you will be working the same muscle group the very next day. Work your muscles hard enough to stimulate them, but not so hard that you are still substantially weaker five to seven minutes after working a muscle group.
The alternatives that I offered in this article are options, not mandatory requirements for training success. Options give you the opportunity to try something different when you are not satisfied with your current results. Any time you get stuck in a training rut, do not take on the mind-set that there is nothing that you can do about it. You always have training options that you can try. Be a learner by learning from others, but above all, try things out and let your own results speak for themselves. Best of training to you.