5/3/1 Question

[Jungledoc]

This thread has gotten me thinking about my own training, which is, I suppose, what all good threads should do.

So it's time to think things over. Everything I'm doing has evolved into low-rep. Time to juggle things around a bit.

[Oscar_Actuary]

why fixate on your 1-3RM? If you bench 100k for 10 one week, then lift it for 12 two weeks later, hast thou not gotten stronger?

why fixate on an arbitrary number of reps?

1. Yes, probably
2. It's easier to track and has les variace than number of reps, when reps gets to be 10 or so.

[pdellorto]

This thread has gotten me thinking about my own training, which is, I suppose, what all good threads should do.

So it's time to think things over. Everything I'm doing has evolved into low-rep. Time to juggle things around a bit.

Per your earlier thread, I find older lifters recover from higher intensity more than from overall volume training (meaning sets x reps x weight, not just sets x reps). I'm not sure why that is, although it's hardly universal - my ultra-marathon runner friend can handle volume in a day that would floor me if I did it in a week. But with my older clients, I worry more about having them do too much than having them go too hard - speaking in very general terms. If they do too much it's more likely to wear them down than having them go heavy for less reps - the total poundage with the heavier weights is less, and I think that matters.

So I'd recommend going higher reps with significantly lower weight - enough to matter for your reps but not so much total that it crushes you. You might want to look at something like EDT, or back off to a bodybuilding-type phase (3-5 sets of 10-20 reps of lots of smaller exercises) for a couple weeks, and then get back on the intensity horse. You can also try just taking a week or two for practice - pick a couple exercises you don't normally do (TGUs, Windmills, clean and press, farmer's walks), a weight you can handle pretty easily with them, and just practice for an hour or so. It'll end up being a fair amount of work done but nothing insane.

Personally, I kind of like EDT, done with technically simple exercises. It's really hard, but the weights are never so heavy that any given rep is hard. After a few weeks, it's nice to back off to heavier weights for fewer reps, no matter how much heavier that is.

[robertscott]

why fixate on your 1-3RM? If you bench 100k for 10 one week, then lift it for 12 two weeks later, hast thou not gotten stronger?

why fixate on an arbitrary number of reps?

1. Yes, probably
2. It's easier to track and has les variace than number of reps, when reps gets to be 10 or so.

I would've thought that as an actuary number crunching would come easy to you :)

maybe it's just because the majority of my training is higher volume that I find it easy to track progress when doing higher reps...

[robertscott]

there's been some interesting discussion in this thread, I've enjoyed it.

[Oscar_Actuary]

why fixate on your 1-3RM? If you bench 100k for 10 one week, then lift it for 12 two weeks later, hast thou not gotten stronger?

why fixate on an arbitrary number of reps?

1. Yes, probably
2. It's easier to track and has les variace than number of reps, when reps gets to be 10 or so.

I would've thought that as an actuary number crunching would come easy to you :)

maybe it's just because the majority of my training is higher volume that I find it easy to track progress when doing higher reps...

You've reminded me of the importance of programming and tracking results of higher rep work too, and not putting it in as an after thought. On my higher volume weeks, I'm going to be more cognisant of the opportnuity to progress. Same with the back off higher rep sets

sometimes I get sick of looking at numbers all day

last night I wasn't feelnig the normal routine, so I decided to do 10-9-8...2,1,2,3,4....10 Squats, with the "1" being 5lb less than my 2 RM and increments were 11 lbs.
I never got to the back side of the pyramid. I hate most of you. TBH, I was going to jsut go 5x7 at the 5 rep weight (I was concerned about being too worn out to stay heavy), but upon decent I felt a something right near the inside of the right knee cap, and hung it up. I shoulda done some RDLs. I like trying differnt things on days I'm otherwise not feeeling it

[robertscott]

I hate most of you.

:(

[Jungledoc]

This thread has gotten me thinking about my own training, which is, I suppose, what all good threads should do.

So it's time to think things over. Everything I'm doing has evolved into low-rep. Time to juggle things around a bit.

Per your earlier thread, I find older lifters recover from higher intensity more than from overall volume training (meaning sets x reps x weight, not just sets x reps). I'm not sure why that is, although it's hardly universal - my ultra-marathon runner friend can handle volume in a day that would floor me if I did it in a week. But with my older clients, I worry more about having them do too much than having them go too hard - speaking in very general terms. If they do too much it's more likely to wear them down than having them go heavy for less reps - the total poundage with the heavier weights is less, and I think that matters.

So I'd recommend going higher reps with significantly lower weight - enough to matter for your reps but not so much total that it crushes you. You might want to look at something like EDT, or back off to a bodybuilding-type phase (3-5 sets of 10-20 reps of lots of smaller exercises) for a couple weeks, and then get back on the intensity horse. You can also try just taking a week or two for practice - pick a couple exercises you don't normally do (TGUs, Windmills, clean and press, farmer's walks), a weight you can handle pretty easily with them, and just practice for an hour or so. It'll end up being a fair amount of work done but nothing insane.

Personally, I kind of like EDT, done with technically simple exercises. It's really hard, but the weights are never so heavy that any given rep is hard. After a few weeks, it's nice to back off to heavier weights for fewer reps, no matter how much heavier that is.

Thanks, Peter. These are good ideas. I think I'll move my comments on this to my journal discussion thread.

[pdellorto]

last night I wasn't feelnig the normal routine, so I decided to do 10-9-8...2,1,2,3,4....10 Squats, with the "1" being 5lb less than my 2 RM and increments were 11 lbs.
I never got to the back side of the pyramid.

I'm not surprise dude, 10-1-10 squats like that is, what 109 reps? With the heaviest being within 5 pounds of your best double? That would kill me, unless I went a lot lighter.