There are four different types of weight training that are described with the inclusion of the word “high.” The four types of weight training highs include:
High Intensity: Quick Gains Followed by a Plateau
Of the four types of “highs” that are involved with weight training, I am most cautious about including high intensity. Why? Because I learned the hard way that it can easily become a dead-end road. I must concede that high intensity training has the potential to deliver rapid results at times, but in my own experience, it proves futile when done all the time. The end result for me has always been a never-ending training plateau.
Moderate Intensity More Often Than High Intensity
It took me about two years of punishing my body with high intensity training in every workout to realize that it was not a good idea. A much better idea seemed to be what I came up with next, which was to do two moderate intensity workouts for every one high intensity workout.
The plan that I used for years was to do three full-body workouts per week. The first two workouts were moderate intensity workouts in which I would stop my work-sets three to four reps short of failure. The third workout every week was a high intensity workout in which I pushed my work-sets to failure. All three workouts consisted of two or three work sets for each muscle group. I focused my training on this type of workout for approximately fifteen years. Anytime my curiosity caused me to experiment and wander away from this workout, I would eventually come back to it because it always seemed to deliver the most consistent results.
Moderate Intensity Works Over The Long-Term
Do I still do high intensity workouts? No, I gave them up due to the wear and tear they caused on my body, and, even more importantly, I found something else that worked better. I had always believed that when I did two moderate intensity workouts plus one high intensity workout each week, that the high intensity workout was driving the results. I saw the moderate intensity workouts as recovery workouts that helped me maintain my strength between high intensity workouts that needed to be spaced a week apart. It eventually dawned on me that the moderate intensity workouts were the real result producers if I would just make sure to increase the weights a little every six to twelve weeks. The resulting strength gains from doing this were more predictable over the long-term than when I included high intensity workouts.
Occasional High Intensity
If I ever felt the urge to start including high intensity workouts again, I would change my previous schedule of two moderate workouts per week plus one high intensity workout per week. The change I would make is to only include a high intensity workout once every two to three weeks. I would also avoid applying high intensity to the most basic exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. In my opinion, going to failure on squats, deadlifts, and bench presses is a sure-fire way to hit a sticking point. I feel it would be better to go to failure on exercises such as belt squats, goblet squats, straddle squats, hyperextensions, reverse hypers, and dumbbell bench presses. I would also limit the sets to failure to two sets per muscle group. If you really want to go to failure on benches, deadlifts, and squats, my advice would be to limit it to once every six weeks.
How Hard to Push Moderate Intensity Workouts
Between high intensity workouts, you should be doing moderate intensity workouts. These workouts should consist of two to four work-sets per muscle group, and the work-sets should be stopped two to four reps short of failure. Instead of constantly trying to add weight or reps to your lifts, give yourself time to repeat enough moderate intensity workouts with the same weight and reps until the weights become easier to lift. When the same weight and reps become easier to lift, it should show up in your ability to perform more reps or to use more weight when doing the occasional high intensity workouts in which you push to failure.
I understand that high intensity workouts can help you to make rapid gains, but they can also lead to burnout and sticking points. If you have hit a sticking point with high intensity training, consider adjusting your schedule. Some lifters use the strategy of adding more rest days between high intensity workouts. If adding more rest days doesn’t seem to work, consider the alternative strategy of adding moderate intensity workouts in between the high intensity workouts. This was the best strategy for me when I used high intensity workouts and if you use high intensity training, it may benefit you as well. Best of training to you.