There are two basic strength training strategies that I believe in when the goal is long-term strength gains.
The first is progressive loading,
The second is adaptive de-loading.
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Progressive Loading
Progressive loading is used when the intensity starts out at a moderate level and gradually increases over the course of many workouts.
Adaptive De-loading
Adaptive de-loading is used when the intensity starts out fairly high and you keep lifting the same poundage with the same amount of sets and reps over the course of many workouts. The body adapts to the same load over time by gaining strength, causing the load to gradually feel as though it is decreasing.
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The Wrong Idea for Progressive Loading
Some lifters use progressive loading in conjunction with a high intensity strategy. For example, a lifter may start out by pushing themselves to failure with a weight that they can lift for twelve reps per set. When advancing to the next week, they increase the weight and push to failure for ten reps. The following week, they push to failure with a weight that they can lift for eight reps. They are using a progressive loading strategy, but the intensity relative to failure is always at a maximum.
During my early years of lifting, I was consumed with the idea that high intensity training was the only method that could possibly work. It took me years to figure out that progressive loading is more likely to work if it is combined with progressive intensity relative to failure. In other words, it is better not to start out training to failure, or close to failure when starting a loading cycle. A better strategy is to begin a loading cycle with moderate intensity that is well short of failure. As the load is increased over time, the intensity will also grow progressively closer to failure. It is not necessary to reach the point of failure by the end of the cycle, however, the intensity will grow progressively closer to failure.
In the case of my own training, I no longer believe in pushing all the way to failure. The highest intensity that I am willing to reach consists of repeating reps until I fail to maintain a steady even rep speed, at which point, I stop the set. Sometimes I push one rep past my ability to maintain a steady even rep speed and stop on the rep where my rep speed starts to slow down.
How do you apply the concept of starting with moderate intensity that is well short of failure, and then increase the load each week with a concurrent increase in intensity relative to failure? The following two examples are a couple of approaches that you can use when using progressive loading in combination with an increase in intensity relative to failure.
Use the following sets, reps, and percentages of your single rep max for the exercises you are performing:
Example 1
Week 1: 9 sets x 3 reps with 70% of your single rep max
Week 2: 7 sets x 4 reps with 72%
Week 3: 5 sets x 5 reps with 75%
Week 4: 4 sets x 5 reps with 77%
Week 5: 3 sets x 6 reps with 80%
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Example 2
Week 1: 5 sets x 6 reps with 70%
Week 2: 4 sets x 6 reps with 72%
Week 3: 4 sets x 6 reps with 75%
Week 4: 3 sets x 6 reps with 77%
Week 5: 3 sets x 6 reps with 80%
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Adaptive De-Loading
Progressive loading is far more popular than the second idea that I would like to discuss, which I have come to refer to as adaptive de-loading. De-loading is normally a term that lifters use to describe a temporary phase in which they decrease the load of the poundages they have been lifting. Adaptive de-loading is a different concept because the poundages are not decreased, but it feels as though they are decreasing because the body is experiencing an adaptation in the form of a strength gain.
As I mentioned earlier, adaptive de-loading basically consists of using the same poundage, and the same number of sets and reps for several weeks. As your body adapts over the weeks by gaining strength, the load will feel progressively lighter or easier to lift. Of course, the load isn’t actually decreasing, but as you adapt to the load by gaining strength, it feels as though the load is decreasing, which is why it is called adaptive de-loading. The following is an example of a workout that you would perform for each exercise when using the adaptive de-loading strategy:
Do 2 sets x 8 reps with 75% of your single rep max.
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Goal: More Reps Short of Failure
The first time you do a workout with two sets of 8 reps with 75% of your max, the ideal is to reach a level of intensity that is about two reps short of failure. The strategy is to keep repeating the same number of sets and reps with the same poundage until it becomes easier to lift. The goal is to gain strength to the point where stopping after eight reps makes you feel as though you are ending the set three to four reps short of failure instead of two reps short of failure.
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Short Cycles for Adaptive De-loading
You can also use a short cycle of different workouts and keep repeating the same cycle of different workouts until the cycle becomes easier to perform. The following is an example of three workouts that make up a weekly cycle that can be repeated until the workouts become easier:
Weekly Cycle
Workout 1: 3 sets x 10 reps with 65%
Workout 2: 3 sets x 8 reps with 72%
Workout 3: 3 sets x 6 reps with 77%
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2 Basic Concepts
The two basic concepts of the information in this article can be summarized as follows:
Concept 1
When performing hard sets that are fairly high in intensity, the strategy for progression is to allow the hard sets to grow easier over time through a process of adaptive de-loading.
Concept 2
When performing easier sets, the strategy for progression is to make the sets harder over time through a process of progressive loading.
To be more specific, If you push a set to the limit of your ability to repeat reps using a steady even rep pace, or you push beyond the limit of your ability to maintain a steady even rep pace, then you are pushing hard. If you are pushing hard, use the process of adaptive de-loading by allowing the sets to grow easier over time.
In contrast, if you are stopping your sets short of the limit of your ability to maintain a steady even rep pace, you have room to increase the load in future workouts, and should use a progressive loading strategy.
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Remember, the concepts presented in this article are long-term strategies. You can probably push harder than I recommend and hit a peak in which you get better results for a short time. The problem with this is that a sticking point will soon beset you. If you are training hard and struggling to make progress, consider utilizing the concepts outlined in this article. May God bless you with the best of training.