This is the third out of a series of four articles about a weight training technique called ramping. The first article addressed ramping up on training volume. The second article addressed ramping up on training frequency. This article will address ramping up on training intensity.
Ramping is a technique in which you select one training variable to focus on. You begin by using a moderate level of stress for the selected variable at the start of the ramp. The variable you are focusing on is then ramped up with small increases of stress over the course of a predetermined number of workouts. The exact number could range from three to twelve workouts depending on your goals, preferences, and how long you want a specified ramp to last.
Defining Intensity
Since this article is focused on ramping up on intensity, it is important that I define what I mean by intensity because powerlifters tend to use the term intensity to refer to the amount of weight on the bar. In contrast, bodybuilders often use the term intensity to refer to how close a lifter comes to reaching the point of failure. Training to the point of failure simply refers to performing as many reps as possible and is also known as “max reps.” Even if a lifter is using relatively light weights, he is still training with a high amount of intensity if he pushes himself to the point of failure.
In this article, I will only be using the term intensity to refer to how close a lifter comes to reaching the point of failure at the end of his set. If a lifter leaves a lot of reps in the tank and stops his set well short of failure, he is not training with a high degree of intensity. The closer he comes to reaching the point of failure at the end of a set, the more intensity he is using.
How To Ramp up Your Intensity
In order to illustrate how to ramp up your intensity, we will use the example of Jeff. We will assume that Jeff will be performing about 30 to 32 reps per muscle group for all of his workouts, and he will be using 75% of his single rep max for each exercise. I want to make it clear that Jeff isn’t doing 30 reps per set as that would be impossible when using 75% of his max. When Jeff pushes himself to do as many reps as possible with 75% of his single rep max, he can do a total of 10 reps. Since 10 reps is the maximum number of reps that Jeff can perform within a set, it would also be the maximum amount of intensity that he could put forth within a set and it would take three sets to reach a total of 30 reps.
Maximum intensity should be reserved for the very end of an intensity ramp. The beginning of the ramp should start out with less intensity by doing less reps per set. This being the case, more sets would need to be performed in order to reach a total of 30 reps across all of his sets for a given muscle group.
An Intensity Ramp: Example 1
Jeff decides to work out three times per week and do a ramp that will cover six workouts across two weeks of training. This being the case, Jeff plans an intensity ramp according to the following workouts:
Week 1
Workout 1: 10 sets x 3 reps with 75% for each muscle group
Workout 2: 8 sets x 4 reps with 75% for each muscle group
Workout 3: 6 sets x 5 reps with 75% for each muscle group
Week 2
Workout 4: 5 sets x 6 reps with 75% for each muscle group
Workout 5: 4 sets x 8 reps with 75% for each muscle group
Workout 6: 3 sets x 10 reps with 75% for each muscle group.
Hopefully you can see from the example listed above that Jeff is doing more reps per set for each consecutive workout. He starts out with only 3 reps per set in the first workout and finishes with 10 reps per set for his final workout of the ramp. The number of reps per workout stays nearly the same, the sets become more intense from workout to workout until Jeff reaches max intensity by pushing to failure for his last workout.
An Intensity Ramp: Example 2
Some lifters may prefer to cut back a little on the number of total reps per muscle group as the ramp progresses in intensity. It is a fairly common strategy among lifters to perform more total reps when the intensity is lower and less total reps when the intensity is higher. An illustration of this concept is presented in the example below:
Week 1
Workout 1: 10 sets x 3 reps = 30 total reps with 75% for each muscle group
Workout 2: 7 sets x 4 reps = 28 total reps with 75% for each muscle group
Workout 3: 5 sets x 5 reps = 25 total reps with 75% for each muscle group
Week 2
Workout 4: 4 sets x 6 reps = 24 total reps with 75% for each muscle group
Workout 5: 3 sets x 8 reps = 24 total reps with 75% for each muscle group
Workout 6: 2 sets x 10 reps = 20 total reps with 75% for each muscle group
An Intensity Ramp: Example 3
Remember, you can organize an intensity ramp according to your goals and preferences. If you prefer to increase the intensity from week to week instead of increasing the intensity every workout, you can do so. The following would be an example.
Week 1
Do 3 sets of 10 reps with 75% for each muscle group within each workout of week 1
Week 2
Do 5 sets of 6 reps with 75% for each muscle group within each workout of week 2
Week 3
Do 3 sets of 10 reps with 75% for each muscle group within each workout of week 3
Those Who Prefer Constant Change
The change within of intensity will provide a constant change of training stress as you proceed through a training ramp. Many lifters prefer constant change. If this is true of you, planning an intensity ramp is one of the training strategies that you can use to add variety to your training.
In the next article, I will discuss how to plan a loading ramp. Best of training to you.