Evolving strategy

[cole]

A lifter needs a strategy, or he is basically just a gym bro.

My strategy for the first 7 years has largely been to follow some basic programs that used high loads and mod-high volumes of mainly SBD. I now realize this is not the most effective way of getting strong bc the biggest factor in a mans long term strength potential is the size of his muscles. And size is best gained through higher volume, closer to failure work done on movements with long ROMs and an eccentric portion. But in the short term, strength is best achieved through low volume, further from failure, high load practice with SBD. So you want to avoid excessive fatigue on the main lifts but still get practiced enough to be able to get that skill. This means that there is a delicate balance in the method of training that a person needs to plan for. Concurrently practicing force production while getting the muscles enough of an appropriate dose to grow while keeping fatigue in check. Wow. I guess its not as easy as simply doing 5x5 for SBD.

Anyone else want to share how there training has evolved/adapted over the years?

[Skid]

I've found what has worked for me powerlifting wise is a combination of high rep (say sets of up to 10 reps) on one day, followed up with high intensity work (say a heavy single followed by sets of 3's). Plus using a variety of exercises.

Squats - Monday I would work up to a heavy squat single at rpe9, followed by heavy sets of 3, again rpe 9. On Friday I would do leg presses and hack squats for sets of ten.

For bench Same thing - Work up to a heavy single + backoffs monday, Wednesday do sets of 10 plus dumbbell work, Friday sets of 5 close grip.

Deadlift - Wednesday week 1 - work up to 1 heavy set of 3, week 2 - lighter sets of 5 doing 3" deficits, week 3 - heavy set of 3 lifting the weights off 3" blocks. Then repeat

I also included sets of 10+ accessory stuff like lat pull downs, tricep work, rows, GHR's, curls, etc.

Doing this prior to my last meet I was getting stronger every week, especially with squats. This could have just been the novelty of my new leg press machine since my bench and deadlift didn't move too much, but they went up too.

I did feel recovered between sessions so alternating low and high reps and using a variety of exercises seemed to work well together. Plus I work a full time job and am an old man

[AlanMackey]

No strategy here. I just lift to stave off sarcopenia and to support my other endeavors.

As a corollary, since I stopped taking lifting too seriously—after many, many, many years—I surprisingly discovered it might have the potential of being a fun activity.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Some elements of my current strategy. None of them very orignal, kind of a mix and match of BBM, RTS, RP and other similar. I do not train for strength solely (I'm not even strong lol) but rather for a mix of strength and size (at least I'm somehow big). I'd say that size comes first but strength also matters to me.

- 4 sessions a week, between 1h and 1h30 each session
- My sessions are always split into main lifts (Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Press and their close variations) and hypertrophy work. That does not mean that the main lifts don't get me bigger (because they do, especially the deadlift and the bench press), but hypertrophy work is solely dedicated to size. In the main lifts I care about skill/motor patterns.
- Sessions tend to move relatively quickly. Even for squats and deadlift I almost never rest more than 3 minutes.
- For the main lifts I use percentages, aiming for a top set close to failure (say @8), and then 3-4 backoff sets with about 5%-10% less weight. I'd start a 12 weeks cycle with sets of 8-10 reps on week 1 and gradually lower the reps and increase the weights. On weeks 6 and 12 I test and adjust training maxes with an amrap. I don't use RPE per say, but if I do not feel good coming in, I may either lower the weights or just switch to another exercise. I don't judge progression with RPE, only with actual realized maxes.
- for hypertrophy work: the goal is just to stimulate the muscle mass that does not get enough in the main lifts. I usually follow those parameters: 1 to 3 sets to failure per exercise, usually with myorep matching, machine or cable work, long range of motion pause at the stretch and controlled eccentric, big pump in the target muscle.
- I regulate the amount of hypertrophy with session time. A medium session will be 1h (usually I'll have time for 3 main lifts and 2 hypertrophy exercises) a big sessions will be 1h30 (3 main lifts and 5 hypertrophy exercises). In the weeks leading up to testing (or when cutting or fatigued) usually a "medium" session will be in order, whereas when bulking and far away from testing I'd do a "hard" session.
- The overwhelming majority of sessions (about 95%) are "training" sessions so I don't care much about performance, I'm just trying to get in the work. The remaining sessions are "testing" sessions in which I only care about performance, just do a hard set to gauge the training max and leave.
- Training adjusts to life, not the contrary. I have zero guilt or frustration if I have to do an easy session or just skip the gym. Family and work are more important than lifting weights (for me).

I've laid out my complete current training template in my log as an illustration of the above.

[Hardartery]

A lifter needs a strategy, or he is basically just a gym bro.

My strategy for the first 7 years has largely been to follow some basic programs that used high loads and mod-high volumes of mainly SBD. I now realize this is not the most effective way of getting strong bc the biggest factor in a mans long term strength potential is the size of his muscles. And size is best gained through higher volume, closer to failure work done on movements with long ROMs and an eccentric portion. But in the short term, strength is best achieved through low volume, further from failure, high load practice with SBD. So you want to avoid excessive fatigue on the main lifts but still get practiced enough to be able to get that skill. This means that there is a delicate balance in the method of training that a person needs to plan for. Concurrently practicing force production while getting the muscles enough of an appropriate dose to grow while keeping fatigue in check. Wow. I guess its not as easy as simply doing 5x5 for SBD.

Anyone else want to share how there training has evolved/adapted over the years?

I like 5x5 for some things, but not more than one compound lift at any given time. In my case, it does good things for my rep capacity on a given lift but nothing at all for my ! RM. It might add some size, but not in any meaningfully different way than anything else. This notion of size equals strength is really not particularly true, I have serious misgivings that hypertrophy even has a valid contribution to offer by way of theoretical increase of potential. I have never lifted for hypertrophy particularly, I dislike reps above 5, and yet I got reasonably strong and at the same time got reasonably large as a bonus. In all seriousness, I am at the point of actively avoiding hypertrophy in my old age - I'm not going to start BBing and clothing is problematic as it is.

What I have seen among strength athletes is a similar approach across the board - work up to a main top set and maybe some back-off sets followed by whatever accessory work is deemed important for weak points. Period. That means very few sets above 5 reps ever, unless there is a particular event for reps around the corner in a competition so I have never seen a PLer do that. Guys that worry about size like sets of 10 or above. I've squatted with an NPC guy trying to get his pro card, he was massive and as natural Rich Piana. We did the same ramp up sets and work sets weights. He did 10's, I did paused reps. He was definitely carrying more muscle than me, but my 1RM was definitely higher than his. He did not go to failure, neither did I, I would bet we had roughly the same RIR going on. I have also lifted with Pro SM and high calibre PLers. We all did the same things, the SM just had a higher ! RM than me on most of the static stuff. No shame, I was natty and they were very much not (in addition to the genetics - I don't credit drugs alone for anything).

I'm saying, if you want aesthetics then lift for them, but don't expect that to carry over in any meaningful way. If you want to get strong then train for that but don't expect to look like a BBer. And 5x5 is probably the worst thing you can do for 1 RM other than occasionally to reset. It's not a real strength program for the long term.

[MarkKO]

A lifter needs a strategy, or he is basically just a gym bro.

My strategy for the first 7 years has largely been to follow some basic programs that used high loads and mod-high volumes of mainly SBD. I now realize this is not the most effective way of getting strong bc the biggest factor in a mans long term strength potential is the size of his muscles. And size is best gained through higher volume, closer to failure work done on movements with long ROMs and an eccentric portion. But in the short term, strength is best achieved through low volume, further from failure, high load practice with SBD. So you want to avoid excessive fatigue on the main lifts but still get practiced enough to be able to get that skill. This means that there is a delicate balance in the method of training that a person needs to plan for. Concurrently practicing force production while getting the muscles enough of an appropriate dose to grow while keeping fatigue in check. Wow. I guess its not as easy as simply doing 5x5 for SBD.

Anyone else want to share how there training has evolved/adapted over the years?

Train the main lifts as little as you can get away with while focusing on moving the bar as fast as possible throughout the lift, or to put it simply Compensatory Acceleration Training; occasionally set rep PRs on the main lifts in the six to 10 rep range; follow with simple bodybuilding work that targets whatever your weakest areas are and change the target as your weaknesses change.

I really would love it if I could go back 10 odd years and get myself to do that instead of focusing on SBD and variations in the three to five rep range for the first three or four years.

I think the only real exceptions to this are those lucky people who are built to both squat and bench because they will develop much more muscle mass from those two lifts.

[platypus]

@Hardartery, what's the difference between hypertrophy training and weak point training?

Looking at your log, I would have assumed that sets of 12 leg extensions, for example, would be there to gain mass on the quads. But if I understand correctly, you're hoping not to.

[Hardartery]

Hardartery, what's the difference between hypertrophy training and weak point training?

Looking at your log, I would have assumed that sets of 12 leg extensions, for example, would be there to gain mass on the quads. But if I understand correctly, you're hoping not to.

The leg extensions are probably just junk volume, to be honest. But, I feel that maybe my quads are underdeveloped and maybe a weak point in my lifts. The problem is that every leg press I have tried causes brutal quad tendon issues and it is a very inconvenient kind of tendinitis for every day life. The extensions were either no reps or more than 10 so I ride them out to positive failure as I work my way up. Maybe a complete waste of time, and I would prefer to do something lower rep, but I am also fairly shot CNS wise by the time I get to them on leg day. I am now one plate away from using the stack on extensions, so the experiment may wind down soon.

Mostly hypertrophy work is defined as roughly what I am doing with the leg extensions, but I am indeed not interested in adding mass at this point in my life. My main weight goal is <265, I am currently sitting at 263 this morning so goal achieved. The problem with gaining muscle mass is I have to cut additional fat to stay under 265 (My BP just doesn't like being over 265 generally speaking and I don't like pills), and frankly it's tough to buy clothes. I am not that huge, but when the arms get much north of 18" and the chest is north of 50" the clothing industry doesn't cater to you so I run out of options quickly with any size increase. I don't want to start paying for all bespoke clothing so I need to stay within certain parameters.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

If you are concerned with your weight being too high, why not, you know, lose fat ? You'd have space to add more muscle.

[Hardartery]

If you are concerned with your weight being too high, why not, you know, lose fat ? You'd have space to add more muscle.

Assuming this is in response to me, I am not concerned with my weight being too high, and if I do a Static Monsters or something for fun I will almost certainly eat my way up going into it and then come back down. I quite deliberately do NOT want to gain muscle particularly. I can only get away with hypertrophy through fat loss, and honestly I don't have much of it anywhere but my thighs and belly. I have no interest in trying to achieve or maintain a low bodyfat number, it's generally counterproductive to life. So, at this stage, I am only interested in whatever strength developed remains in me and holding onto it. I do not want my arms over 19" again, ever.

[Bolder]

What you've said makes a lot of sense and this sort of aligns with my experience

Yeah, lifting with high loads and low volume definitely works for the short-term, but you're not building enough muscle to facilitate long-term progress. You get good practice out of it and become good at grinding, and which are specific to powerlifting. But however, the volume of SBD work and, to a lesser extent, accessory work is what does most of the building. Anyway, I think LP/5x5 is fine for beginners and those looking to get back to their old lifting numbers.

I dabbled with thoughts in my head regarding SBD frequency as well. I was asking myself in my head, what's with the rush squatting three times a week? You can still make gains even by squatting once a week and starve off injuries as well (decreasing overuse). It's also not like you'll accelerate gains provided you still get towards the same destination (if you do more work in a shorter amount of time, you'll eventually get an injury that you'll come down with and you have to rehab rather versus taking it slow). I've made good gains with a lower-frequency and a higher volume approach in the past. There's no point in putting the same (or exposing) the tendons and joints under stress over and over again (heavily frequently). If there are those that can handle high-loads higher-frequency moderate to high-volume of SBD lifts (also gaining muscle from them without getting too fatigued), I suppose they're lucky and good for them.