The Flywheel Effect

[Clearwater47]

Exactly what happened today. I was happy with my squatting and didn’t feel the usual need to destroy myself on everything else, so I cut things about a rep short and voila, hit half the reps on the second and third mini-sets.

Yep, makes perfect sense! It's going to take me a while to get dialed in enough to be able to do this on a consistent basis. Today, for example, doing single leg curls with my right leg I got to 13 reps and thought that was it. Tried another and got it, and another, and another, lol. But for sure I think with time anyone will get better at gauging how close they are to failure, assuming they actually pay attention.



High Bar Squat:
185 pounds x 6/5
Added 3 reps on to my total from last time. Did these with much better form too, letting my knees travel forward and using more quads (which is why I have them programmed in). Still a lot of room for improvement becaseu my bar path is inconsistent and feet we're not planted firmly at all, among other things. But I'm happy with the progress and the main goal next time will just be to try to repeat today's performance and try to keep my feet more stable.

Single Leg Curl: Goal = 13-17 pounds
Left Leg: 50 pounds x 19 reps (13/6)
Right Leg: 50 pounds x 22 reps (16/6)

Donkey Calf Raise - Cable:
85 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps

Energy level was good today. Felt refreshed and relatively strong. After running this style of programming for a couple of weeks I'm making some adjustments to how exercises are split up daily (not changing any exercises really, just splitting them up differently. And then adjusting rep ranges on quite a bit of stuff. For example, the leg curls I did today had a goal rep range of 15-30 reps. That's much wider than it needs to be, and I know what range I want them to be in so I shrunk it significantly. I'm doing that for a lot of exercises. Also changing most or all of the rest pause work to just 2 sets instead of 3. At this point doing a 3rd set on each exercise seems to be adding a lot of fatigue for not much payoff. If I acclimate well enough to 2 sets I'll think about adding a 3rd back in at some point.

I really dig this type of training though. It reminds me somewhat of the Conjugate style training I did for a couple of years. My favorite thing about that was the max effort, where I was pushing myself to the limit. I get that in this approach as well but with lighter weights, which is probably good. I can see myself sticking with this for a LONG time if I can get the right balance of stimulus and fatigue. I feel like I'm not terribly far off already, which is good.

[DCR]

Exactly what happened today. I was happy with my squatting and didn’t feel the usual need to destroy myself on everything else, so I cut things about a rep short and voila, hit half the reps on the second and third mini-sets.

Yep, makes perfect sense! It's going to take me a while to get dialed in enough to be able to do this on a consistent basis. Today, for example, doing single leg curls with my right leg I got to 13 reps and thought that was it. Tried another and got it, and another, and another, lol. But for sure I think with time anyone will get better at gauging how close they are to failure, assuming they actually pay attention.

I find machines to be much, much harder to gauge in terms of where failure is than any kind of free weight. When there’s no weakest link beyond the actual muscle that you’re working, it’s amazing how far you can push beyond what may seem like a near limit rep.

[Clearwater47]

I find machines to be much, much harder to gauge in terms of where failure is than any kind of free weight. When there’s no weakest link beyond the actual muscle that you’re working, it’s amazing how far you can push beyond what may seem like a near limit rep.

Great point. I hadn't thought of that and it makes a whole lot of sense.


Bench Press: Rest Pause Goal = 9-13 reps
135 pounds x 15 reps (11/4)

Overhead Press - Cambered Bar: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
75 pounds x 12 (7/5)

Close Grip Bench Press: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
115 pounds x 16 reps (10/6)

As I mentioned last time, made some adjustments to the rest pause sets - tightening up rep range goals and reducing to just 2 sets instead of 3.

Had my first colonoscopy today. The procedure itself wasn't too bad. The prep process made me quite short of sleep though, which probably impacted my performance today.

Haven't shared any videos in quite a while, and especially upper body work. So here's todays first set of bench:



I've kind of resigned myself to sucking at pressing work. This is largely because of injury/pain issues. A few months after I started lifting I had a shoulder injury that was either caused or exacerbated by benching and that kept me away from any upper body lifting for about 4 months. Then about 2 years ago I went through a pretty decent growth phase. It was largely driven by increasing volume. This ended up in extremely annoying elbow pain that didn't let up for over a year, and still starts coming back when my workload increases. So I've resigned myself to being poor at pressing work because the only thing that's worked in the past is increasing volume and my body doesn't seem able to handle volume increases well at all.

But I would love to hear suggestions on what I can do better if anyone has any they're willing to share. For one, I'm sure there's room for improvement in technique. For example, my touch point, and moreso my bar path are inconsistent. The other thing I'm trying to do is build up overall shoulder strength by doing a wide variety of exercises that work the delts at different angles - especially stuff that doesn't require bending of the elbows. Would love to hear thoughts on either of these, along with any other ideas.

[DCR]

Had my first colonoscopy today.

Damn, man. After my colonoscopy I pretty much quit on the rest of the day for all purposes.

Regarding the pressing issues, as an initial suggestion, have you tried DBs? Perhaps your shoulders and elbows just dislike the positions that a barbell requires?

[Clearwater47]

Had my first colonoscopy today.

Damn, man. After my colonoscopy I pretty much quit on the rest of the day for all purposes.

Regarding the pressing issues, as an initial suggestion, have you tried DBs? Perhaps your shoulders and elbows just dislike the positions that a barbell requires?

Yeah, I'veI done DB's on and off and I have them in my programming right now as well (just didn't happen to have any in yesterdays session). The shoulder and elbow are just as finicky, if not moreso, with DB's as they are with a barbell, but when I do enough warmups I can usually find a position that's somewhat comfortable.

[Clearwater47]

Lat Pulldown - Wide MAG: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
85 Pounds x 27 reps (20/7)
Not enough weight but I was too lazy to change it and start again once I was far enough in to realize this. No worries though, I'll add weight next time and it should put be closer to the goal rep range.

Seated Cable Row: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
100 pounds x 27 reps (20/7)
Same note as above.

EZ Bar Cable Curl: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
30 pounds x 18 reps (11/7)
I rarely try doing any curl variations except for Hammer Curls because they've always hurt my elbows. Somehow I got through these without a hint of discomfort. :O Really hoping I can continue doing these for a while because they're much easier for me to overload than Hammer Curls.

Hammer Curl: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
40 pounds x 8 reps / 30 pounds x 8 reps
Having done the cable curls prior made a BIG impact on these. I though starting with 40's was conservative, but that certainly turned out wrong. Probably will start off with 30's next time.

[Clearwater47]

Donkey Calf Raise (Cable): Goal = 2 sets of 15-20 reps
90 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
Definitely will be repeating this weight. I tried a couple of new setups and they did not go very well.

Lying Leg Curl: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
115 pounds x 14 reps (10/4)
Good progress here. Last time I believe I did 8 and 3 on the first 2 sets, so a 3 rep improvement.

High Bar Squat: Goal = 2 sets of 4-6 reps
185 pounds - 2 sets x 5 reps
Man, probably could've hit 6 on both of these sets. Frustrating in retrospect. I guess in the moment I just didn't have the mental fortitude to fight through. I hate making excuses, but I'm pretty miserable today. Was the last one in my family to get the crud and I'm feeling it. Most times I probably would've just skipped the workout, but I brought the 3 year old to urgent care on Saturday and they said it's just a nasty cold that's lasting 7-10 days for most people. He'll be at a week tomorrow and is still feeling pretty rough. So I decided if it's not going to get better anytime soon, it's probably going to get worse first and I may as well suck it up and get some work in. With that in mind it was an okay session I guess, but I really wish I'd have attempted a sixth rep on both of those squat sets. I'm done whining now, lol. Headed to bed early and will take a rest day tomorrow regardless of how I'm feeling.

[Bolder]

It's always good to do a bit of pump work if you're sick, injured, or feeling down.

Anyway, are you following an upper/lower split?

[platypus]

But I would love to hear suggestions on what I can do better if anyone has any they're willing to share. For one, I'm sure there's room for improvement in technique. For example, my touch point, and moreso my bar path are inconsistent. The other thing I'm trying to do is build up overall shoulder strength by doing a wide variety of exercises that work the delts at different angles - especially stuff that doesn't require bending of the elbows. Would love to hear thoughts on either of these, along with any other ideas.

I have a rating scale I use for shoulder pain:
1/5 slight discomfort.
2/5 I feel pain, but no restricted ROM.
3/5 I feel pain and ROM is restricted.
4/5 I feel pain and ROM is restricted enough to mess up a lot of daily activities.
5/5 The hellish feeling of a fresh tear.

Daily tracking has helped me to figure out which movements and set/rep schemes bother my shoulder, and which ones help. It wasn't exactly what I thought it was before daily tracking. You might find the same thing helpful in your own training.

[Clearwater47]

It's always good to do a bit of pump work if you're sick, injured, or feeling down.

Anyway, are you following an upper/lower split?

Yeah, that's good advice. I should have taken that route instead of trying to push as hard as I did.
My training has been in flux for the last couple of months. Been struggling to find time to work out consistently, and have been adjusting my programming constantly. At the moment I'm trying to do a PPL. The most recent session was my first Legs session. I've never done PPL before - always gravitated to Full Body or U/L, so this will be interesting. My main goal with this setup is to be able to push really hard on each session knowing that I'll have multiple days of recovery, and to have short workouts since this will make it more likely that I get sessions in regularly (for the first run through I'm averaging around 30 minutes per session, which is just about where I want it).

But I would love to hear suggestions on what I can do better if anyone has any they're willing to share. For one, I'm sure there's room for improvement in technique. For example, my touch point, and moreso my bar path are inconsistent. The other thing I'm trying to do is build up overall shoulder strength by doing a wide variety of exercises that work the delts at different angles - especially stuff that doesn't require bending of the elbows. Would love to hear thoughts on either of these, along with any other ideas.

I have a rating scale I use for shoulder pain:
1/5 slight discomfort.
2/5 I feel pain, but no restricted ROM.
3/5 I feel pain and ROM is restricted.
4/5 I feel pain and ROM is restricted enough to mess up a lot of daily activities.
5/5 The hellish feeling of a fresh tear.

Daily tracking has helped me to figure out which movements and set/rep schemes bother my shoulder, and which ones help. It wasn't exactly what I thought it was before daily tracking. You might find the same thing helpful in your own training.

That's a good idea. I work in the manufacturing world. We have this saying that you can only change what you have visibility to. Tracking is the way you get the visibility. Funny how I have things ingrained in my work life but then I totally forget to apply them in other areas.

[DCR]

At the moment I'm trying to do a PPL. The most recent session was my first Legs session. I've never done PPL before - always gravitated to Full Body or U/L, so this will be interesting.

I’m exactly the same in terms of preferences and when I tried PPL for like five minutes recently, I hated it. I considered not typing this to avoid being discouraging and I sincerely hope it works far better for you, but I just mean to say, if you dislike it, it ain’t just you.

[Clearwater47]

At the moment I'm trying to do a PPL. The most recent session was my first Legs session. I've never done PPL before - always gravitated to Full Body or U/L, so this will be interesting.

I’m exactly the same in terms of preferences and when I tried PPL for like five minutes recently, I hated it. I considered not typing this to avoid being discouraging and I sincerely hope it works far better for you, but I just mean to say, if you dislike it, it ain’t just you.

Not discouraging in the least. I mean, I've avoided it for a reason - I don't really like the idea of a PPL and much prefer splitting up my volume for a specific muscle group over multiple sessions as opposed to doing it all at once. But it kind of jives with my life schedule right now so I'll give it an honest try.

[Clearwater47]

Fly Press: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
25 pounds x 36 reps (24/12)
Obviously started with too light a weight here, but no biggie. Just wanted to be sure I didn't start too heavy on this exercise. I'll increase next time.

Behind the Neck Press: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
45 pounds x 24 reps (15/9)
Same as above. Wanted to err on the side of starting too light.

Cable Overhead Triceps Extension: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
25 pounds x 21 reps (14/7)

Feeling a bit better today. Pretty easy workout, but that was by design. Plan is to lift again tomorrow.

[Clearwater47]

Lat Pulldown - Close Grip: Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
95 pounds x 23 reps (17/6)
Was not expecting this many reps after doing 15/5 with less weight last time. Obviously I'm happy with it.

Dumbbell Row:
70 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps
Struggled to his 12 reps on the first set but did it easily on the second. Weird.

Incline DB Curl: Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
25's x 29 reps (21/8)
Last time I did these I hit 30's for 2 sets of 10. So 21 reps in the first set was not something I thought was in the realm of possibilities. Will definitely be adding weight next time.

Wrist Curls:[/B]
45 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps
Just getting a feel for these. I did them Kiriakos Grizzly style behind my back (I'm sure I spelled his name wrong, lol). They felt really great and I'll definitely do them this same way next time.

Still been a little under the weather but I really had no effect on this workout. Energy level stayed high throughout and I got through it quickly and smoothly.

[MailmanMuscle]

Are your rest-pause goals from the original DC template, from elsewhere, or are you coming up with them for each exercise?

[Clearwater47]

Are your rest-pause goals from the original DC template, from elsewhere, or are you coming up with them for each exercise?

They're very similar to the original DC ranges, but I modified them because since I'm new to rest pause training I'm only doing 2 sets per lift instead of 3.

Do you have specific ranges you use for different body parts or lifts?

[MailmanMuscle]

Are your rest-pause goals from the original DC template, from elsewhere, or are you coming up with them for each exercise?

They're very similar to the original DC ranges, but I modified them because since I'm new to rest pause training I'm only doing 2 sets per lift instead of 3.

Do you have specific ranges you use for different body parts or lifts?

For compound lifts, if I’m doing rest-pause or drops, I typically have 12-15 total reps in mind. If I’m doing an isolation lift, it’s probably 20-30. If I can get them in 2 rounds/sets, then I’ll usually stop it there and won’t go for a third. Those aren’t hard numbers, but without checking my journal that’s where I think I tend to land.

[Clearwater47]

For compound lifts, if I’m doing rest-pause or drops, I typically have 12-15 total reps in mind. If I’m doing an isolation lift, it’s probably 20-30. If I can get them in 2 rounds/sets, then I’ll usually stop it there and won’t go for a third. Those aren’t hard numbers, but without checking my journal that’s where I think I tend to land.

Yeah, those numbers seem very logical. I'll likely raise my rep ranges on some of the isolation stuff as I acclimate to the rest pause work. I'm planning to stay away from rest pause on big compounds for the most part. On those I'll typically aim for a specific rep range and try to keep 1-2 reps in reserve. I never thought of making a 3rd round optional based upon the number of reps completed in the first two rounds - interesting idea and it makes a lot of sense.

[Clearwater47]

SSB Calf Raise: Goal = 15-20 reps
155 pounds - 2 sets x 15 reps
Did these slow and controlled. May have left a couple of reps in reserve, but it was still 5 more than last time. I'll aim for 20 reps next time around.

Hatfield Squat: Goal = 4-6 reps
255 pounds x 6 reps
I did 5 with this weight last time. 6 was easy enough this time that I thought I must have misloaded. I counted it 3 times after finishing the set, lol. Probably had 2 reps in reserve here. I'll increase the weight next time.

Stiff Legged Deadlift: Goal = 6-8 reps
325 pounds x 5 reps
Did 320 for 8 last time but it was with a belt and done touch and go. Today was beltless and done from a dead stop. I plan to continue doing them this way moving forward. I normally have really good flexibility for this lift and can get full extension to the floor with a totally flat back pretty easily, but I struggled today and felt like my back was slightly rounded right from the beginning of the lift. Because of this I decided not to press my luck when it started getting pretty hard.

No rest pause work today. The calf work may change to rest pause at some point. I also might add a second set of squats later on, but will stick with one for now because I don't want to be destroyed before doing the deads. Recovery seems to be good right now even though I've been sick, so that tells me I may be able to add some volume and/or intensity here and there, but I'll do this very gradually to be sure I don't overdo it.

[MailmanMuscle]

I'm planning to stay away from rest pause on big compounds for the most part. On those I'll typically aim for a specific rep range and try to keep 1-2 reps in reserve. I never thought of making a 3rd round optional based upon the number of reps completed in the first two rounds - interesting idea and it makes a lot of sense.

There are certain compounds that I won’t do rest-pause with. Things like squats, deadlifts, good mornings, explosive lifts like push press - maybe a few others. And if in doubt, then I rack it with a rep or two in reserve rather than push it to 0 RIR if I’m not absolutely sure I can get it. That’s the powerlifter in me: I don’t show up to miss reps. On big lifts, I’m not starting a rep unless I know I can finish it. On curls and lateral raises, who cares?