View Single Post
 
Old 11-02-2007, 12:19 PM
EricT EricT is offline
Rank: Heavyweight
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,314
Default

I think it is important when it comes to injuries, and especially ones as bad as Anuj's shoulder injuries, to get away from the idea of plainning things based on what you did before.

Although it makes sense to say it, I think some of this confusion comes from the phrase "converting 185x3x3 to 185x10x3". That makes it sound like Anuj took 185 and plugged away at it until he could do 185 for three sets. Although that would likely have some little impact on your max, it would mostly be endurance work like hrdgain was saying. Maybe we should say he used to be able to do 185x3x3 but now he can do 190x10x3. You can't see the progress if you just judge things with numbers without the circumstance.

But the 185 that he could do before has nothing to do with what he started with after the injury. It does, however, help to explain the progress he was able to make on the 10x3. Make no mistake, you can't load the bar every session with any set rep scheme and not be getting stronger

Anuj started with his approximate 5RM AT THAT TIME. He did 10 sets of 3 with approx. 60 second rest intervals. Probably most people would think of this as "endurance" because of the short rest intervals but you have to recognize that the shorter rest intervals were used to actually increase the challenge.

If he had done 5x5 or something with a little less weight with typical rest periods, say 3 minutes or more you figure he is actually going to take at least around 13 minutes to complete the sets. And, yes, most people rest that long. Even with 2 minute rest periods he would still take at least 9 minutes...just viewing from the pure standpoint of time. And he probably would have used something like 145 to start instead of starting with his actual 5RM of 165.

So if you look at the actual working time and the weight on the bar you can see that the combination of short rest intervals, plus more weight on the bar, plus the continual loading of the bar was pure strength work as much as anything else. After all he started doing more work in 8 to 9 minutes than he would have doing 5x5, for example. HE LIFTED MORE WEIGHT in that time period. That right there will make you stonger. Not to mention increasing recovery and work capacity. Anything can work, you just have to know how to make it work for your goals.

Also, enduarance is a mixed bag. Primarily endurance is simply doing a given level of work for a longer period. But that is not what Anuj did. He started with a given period of time and increased the workload he could do in that time. So unless you are a person that contunually changes you rest intervals, that is not different than any other set and rep scheme.

Pretty soon he will switch to 7x4 while keeping the total time around the same. Density will increase. The rest periods will increase except the total time will remain about the same. The total reps are about the same at 28. The bar will be loaded as long as possible. That is assuming he recovers and gets going again.

Then he will switch to 6x5. So 30 reps which is close enough for government work. The rest periods will adjust again. Bar will be loaded for as long as possible. These loading periods may only be a couple of weeks, it doesn't matter.

Then he will go to more maximal work for a little while assuming everything is OK.
__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
or
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


If you act sanctimonious I will just list out your logical fallacies until you get pissed off and spew blasphemous remarks.
Reply With Quote