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Workout at less than 100% or shift workout day?



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  #1  
Old 01-21-2009, 05:08 PM
Doo Doo is offline
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Default Workout at less than 100% or shift workout day?

There is a chapter in Cressey's Maximum Strength called "The Muscle Between Your Ears". I liked that chapter especially the section on "Low Motivation". I rarely skip a workout. If I do, it is because I do not have access to a gym but even then I have a set of IronWoody resistance bands that I make good use of.

What is more often the case is that I shift workout days. I tend to favor M/W/F for my 3-day-per-week routine. Cressey suggests that if you don't feel up to par (lack of sleep, a little "under the weather", etc.), to go ahead and work out at as scheduled at <100%. He believes that you could set yourself up for more execuses later.

However, what if you shift your workout to M/Th/Sa because you had to work an extra 4 hours on W and you think that you will have a better day on Th. This has worked for me quite often but I have ended up with the next day not being so good either and in that case I try to suck it up and do the best I can...for that day.

So, what do you guys think? Do you think that a flexible workout week with regards to actual days (maintaining at leat 48 hours rest between) is ok? Or, do you think that a backslide starts with shifting days and then progresses to missing days?
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  #2  
Old 01-22-2009, 04:51 AM
EricT EricT is offline
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Do you mean that shifting your schedule is just missing a day which means when the schedule starts you might just miss another day? I can see that but I guess it's up to the individual.

From EC's perspective it's better to keep moving even if it's nothing by some dynamic ability or anything and on that I have discovered for myself he is right. It's one thing being sick or whatnot but, especially this time of year, the less you move the less you want to move.

Even on those "off" days, you need to remind your body that there IS work to be done.

But shifting schedules is no big deal whatsoever as long as you can except the fact, like you said, that when that day comes it may be an off day as well, lol. But this whole business that if you change your schedule, or miss one day, or do something different than planned one day, that the sky is going to fall, you will drop 20 pounds off your squat overnight and turn into a twig is COMPLETE hogwash.

It just so happens, though, that I'm working on a joint article that kinda goes into making the best out of off days.

There are so many factors that go into motivation, readiness, etc...that you can never truly say what is going on except for the obvious. You know when you're sleep deprived. You know when your food deprived. All sorts of other physical, psychological, and emotional stressors that you KNOW about. But it is important to not make TOO many excuses.

Because all those things I mentioned, are the SAME things that people who NEVER actually do this talk about. I'm tired. I'm stressed. I'm hungry. Whatever.

But I've learned my lessons on a lot of things. I used to preach that working out was WORK. Wasn't supposed to be fun. Suck it up. That is sorta somewhat true as for as stick-to-it-ness, hardwork, yada-yada.

But I realized, that one day, hopefully a long time from now, when I'm lying on my deathbed, I'm not going to be thinking about how I didn't do that one squat workout as planned on a bad day, lol.

One simple way you can salvage an off day and a way to use the muscle between your ears is to simply do something different. Try something new. Maybe an exercise you haven't done before. Have fun. That can make all the difference in the world.

I actually don't agree with EC that it is always necessary to do just as planned but just less than one hundred percent or whatever. Because that's drudgery. If you are less than well-recovered, etc...all you're dong is making yourself miserable and getting more recovery debt out of a workout that wen't nowhere. It's okay to do something a bit different.

However you must also consider how it factors in to what you are doing. The max strength program is balls-to-the-wall. At least if you are doing it as prescribed. This is not that sissy intensity cycling, lol.

So put it in perspective. An off day on max strength is like a full on day with many other "methods". After all, there are other programs where you spend weeks lifting FAR BELOW capacity only to finally lift within your means.

For those types of routines there is no "wiggle-room". That is one thing that makes them less effective, imo, and that is one of the reasons that EC designs the program the way he does. An off day on max strength will NOT make you or break you. That's the good thing about manipulating the volume his way.

I don't mean this as a hard and fast rule, of course. And always keep your filter on. As much as I like EC I keep in mind that EC does this for a living. HE is always in this very motivating environment with people and stimulus there. I'm sure he has off days too. But he works in a facility, lol.

If you're on his program, then try to do what he says. He's thought about it and anticipated a lot.

But, in general, what works for him and for his trainees that have access to factors you don't, may not work for you. You are asking in this thread if you can try what it is you want to try to deal with and achieve your goals. I say of course you can.
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If you act sanctimonious I will just list out your logical fallacies until you get pissed off and spew blasphemous remarks.
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  #3  
Old 01-22-2009, 06:57 AM
Doo Doo is offline
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Nice reply. I especially like...

Quote:
Originally Posted by EricT View Post
...
I actually don't agree with EC that it is always necessary to do just as planned but just less than one hundred percent or whatever. Because that's drudgery. If you are less than well-recovered, etc...all you're doing is making yourself miserable and getting more recovery debt out of a workout that went nowhere. It's okay to do something a bit different....
That is what prompted me to ask in the first place. I agree with a lot of what Eric says but I didn't agree with this either. With that said, I could also see where he was going with it.

I'm sure that for some people it gets easier and easier to slack off once you start. But in my case, I feel more determined and, yes, likely more recovered, the day following a regularly scheduled workout.
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Old 01-22-2009, 03:02 PM
Doo Doo is offline
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OK. Ended up a good idea (as it has generally been in the past) to move yesterday's workout to today. Got two PRs.

Squat (ATG) - 3x3x275lb
Power Clean - 1x3x135lb/1x3x140lb/1x3x145lb

Squat PR was 4 days after previous. I am fiiguring that 3x3x275lb ATG trumps the previous 5x5x250lb ATG. Power Clean was previously 2x5x135lb. Why 2x5? Ran out of time to attempt more sets.
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