ExRx.net

How do you all go about it.
I've adopted a laissez faire methodology and it needs improvement.

Say you do Bench Press 5/3/1 - ish followed by 3-5 x 15-8 sets x reps of DB Decline Press,
How do you decide to up the weight, or periodize the set x rep scheme ?

randomly? by "feel" ? structure?

Thought you'd never ask.

Mine is FDR capitalism -- free but regulated.

Start with deload week. That is play week. Start light, sets of 8, add weight until it just about starts being work. Quit here, it's deload week.

Next week (This would be 5+ on 5/3/1) take highest weight from last week for a set of 10. Add weight and do 10's until you cannot do 10's. Make big jumps if things seem silly, go back down if you don't get 3 sets. Today I did this for Incline Press:



Next week (This would be 3+ on 5/3/1) take last week's max weight for 10 and try to get 3x10. Today you will find out if you mean it. You can do far more than you think you can. Man it up and do the reps.

Next week try to add 5 or 10 (or 1 or 20 depending on the exercise) and do 3x10 again. If you made it last week because you are not a quitting lazy-ass all-talk gym rat wannabe, then you can make it this week.

When it doubt, if you're making the reps add more weight. No BS about "this is a marathon not a sprint." You need maximum benefit from the max weight you can do with nice form right up to the last rep or so. If you get lazy and do a bad rep don't be an a**hole and say, "Oh I'm fatiguing I should stop." F*ck that. Recommit mentally to good form and do another rep -- then realize you are not a loser after all and finish the set. For lower body especially, like trap bar deadlifts, if you are not suffering then you need to add weight. Upper body stuff is different, when the muscle fatigues you fail and that's it. The idea is to get right up against that fail point and push it with all you got.

Oscar, in your case, read a bunch of Wendler articles, especially the ones where he calls you names like "vag" and "pussy". Though it might not be the language of the Academy, he is making a very important point, he's saying it's about being willing to do the work. As long as you "have a lot of quit" in you no set/rep scheme will ever work.

Oscar you may find this video edifying. If you don't have the patience for the whole thing, start at about 1:40.



P.S. It is the weirdest satire I have ever seen. And yes, it is satire.

Wow, Ken. That would be great programming for main lifts on a high-rep program. But he's asking about accessories!

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

add 10% weight and go back to 8 reps as soon as you are able do to 12 reps with the current weight.

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali

I just make sure I progress in some matter. Its either reps, sets or weight. Every time I do better in one or more of those. Keep it simple.
Exercises support the main lifts, usually weak points. (Like in bench I do floor presses to get some tricep strength). I usually keep the reps in the range of 6-15, with 2-5 sets. Depends on exercise, energy levels and the feel of the moment.

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Prove the impossible!

I used to be very specific about my accessory lifts, in terms of reps and weights, now i 'just go by feel' for want of a better term. Sometimes it's more reps sometimes it's more weight.

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What if the Hokey Cokey really IS what it's all about?

Yuo might have me confused with someone who is trying to get as strong as they can as soon as they can, without regard to actually enjoying myself. No really, like Andy says this is for accesories.

This seems like a good simple, easily tackable plan. Maybe tweak depending on exrcise, but a good start for sure

This is sorta where I am now. Although, I may "forget" to progress and get hung up on a weight ceiling (like 130 lbs for 3x10 pulldowns, without a schedule,

Ken,
on anothre note, accessories are straight sets, except BarbellRow and Pull Downs and Lateral Raises where we need to do several reps at 70% after the main sets. Duh.

I have to write it all out before hand.
I'm not a natural push myself once I'm out there kind of guy.

i would just do it the way Dub/ephs describe it.

Why aren't you pyramiding your weights?

Too much work to bother for accessories.
I may have 2 levels, but thats as far as I go.

That is what I do for accessories, and I do it exactly for the reason quoted above, but I forgot you are not trying to get strong.

So you probably want some other plan that is not as difficult.

In all seriousness, why not just do what seems fun that day? What is your definition of fun? I'm in it for the fun, but I like lifting heavy, so working out how to go as heavy as possible and improve the main lifts is fun for me, even though it inspires some gutter talk in describing it. So what is your idea of fun?

the fun is knowing I'm doing my body good.
and that I might look good nekked, if I stopped eating junk
and that I'll improve my chances of being able to get off the toilet at age 85
and staying injurty free to continue working on movements and proper form

Whiel some listen to speed metal, I'll watch Fox News, or ESPN, or Seinfeld while training. To give you a mind set realm.

I suspect you share your idea of fun with Dan John. He also says this, "Bear hugging is a great training tool as the weight is not unlike Zercher squats: the internal pressure is building, the breath is choked off by the weight on the chest, and squeezing it hard in order to hold it is adding to all the problems. All in all, just nothing but fun."

Reading your description of fun I'd repeat my original advice. You may find it is "nothing but fun."

awesome