In future, doing this, if you want to add more weight add it distributed. I.E. some weight to the doubles and some wieght to the high rep set, but not just a big chunck to one. While adding the reps to the doubles to make them triples is a good idea, it is not "equal" to adding 10 pounds to the bar, really.

i think im only good with numbers lol...

ok, so is this right:

Week 1: 245x2x4, 185x15
Week 2: 245x2x5, 195x10
Week 3: 250x2x4, 195x12
Week 4: 250x2x5, 195x15
Week 5: 255x2x4, 205x10
etc?

is this correct?

Oh, good lord. It's just general guidelines. If you try to pin it all down to numbers you'll lose that 30% I always talk about.

All I was saying is I wouldn't add 20 pounds to just the high rep sets. I would add ten to the doubles and 10 to the high rep IN GENERAL.

Look at it this way. Say you've got some potato patches. So you go to dig up your potatoes and some patches only have 10 potatoes. The others have 15 or 20. Some have 12, etc.

Do you dwell on every little patch? Or do you just dig em up and go home with a bushel of potatoes?

It's the same way with gathering strength. That next PR, or whatever improvement you are looking for is a bushel. All the little individual numbers aren't as important. What counts is that they contribute to the filling that bushel. As long as they aren't rotten it all counts.

The flip side is that you get so many potatoes you can't finish them all before they sprout and go bad. Ok, so that's not a good analogy for "doing too much" but it's the best I could come up with that fits :biglaugh:

I'm only good with numbers is a hang up. You've got to get past it to some extent.

i know i know...im kidding about that....i didnt realize you meant that generally. i thought you meant i should do that hence forth out. i will do as you command, sire :) equal (or somewhat equal) distribution of progress.

so, to recap: next week: 245x3x4, 195x10-12?

guidelines:
1.) dont add a lot of weight to just one of those mini-sessions. distribute the progression somewhat equally.
2.) after i hit triples i must go back to doing doubles and add 5-10 lbs to the bar.

have i got it down right? :)

Bench Press Day
Cycle 7

Overall Impression:

changed it up a bit...but before we begin...so here's something extremely odd...last monday, when i hit my Military Press record of 160, i weighed in at 173. i then decided i would up my protein intake to 300-350 grams a day knowing that that wasnt going to happen but it was important i set such a high goal because im actually having between 200-250 grams a day now. well, today i go and weigh myself and im at 180!!! how? how can this happen??

The Workout:

Pull-ups
- 6 reps + 6 reps + 6 reps + 6 reps = 24 reps @ 2 minute Rest Intervals
decided to start today's session with some pull-ups. they worked out pretty well.

Seated Unilateral Dumbbell Shoulder Press and Pull-ups Superset
- 50 lbs x 7 reps x 2 sets and 5 reps x 2 sets respectively @ 2.5 minute rest intervals
i decided to superset unilateral presses and pull-ups...

Skull Crushers and Bent Arm Pull-overs Superset
- 50 lbs x 7 reps x 3 sets and 50 lbs x 7 reps x 3 sets respectively

Pulley Push Downs and Reverse Grip Push Downs Superset
- 52.5 lbs x 12 reps x 1 set and 37.5 lbs x 8 reps x 1 set

Ab Work
- Overhead Plate Side Bends = 25 lbs x 8 reps, 15 lbs x 12 reps
- Regular Plate Side Bends = 45 lbs x 10 reps
- Lat Pull Down Sit-ups = 80 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets

Shoulder Prehab Work
some dumbbell shoulder protractions and some push-up plus work and a little overhead shrug work as well. nothing too heavy and nothing too effortful either. though reps were high but with light weights most of the time.

Yeah, pretty much.

You definitely don't want to go past triples. That would be pointless. It's all a learning process. You get to know how much is enough and how much is too much. Sure it's a lot trickier than "formulas" based on rigid numbers but in the end you make more consistent and better progress.

That is one of my biggest problems with the percentage based plans. You will never learn what you can and can't do. Everybody knows I am all for playing it safe. And I think it is "safe" to say that most of us are better off doing a little less than we think is necessary. But you gotta also be creative and color outside the lines sometimes.

Like recently, as you know, I got this really bad stomach virus. Really violently ill. There is nothing like a GI virus to sap your strength. So when I got back to the gym I had about 2 or 3 really bad workouts where I was just sluggish as hell. What sucked is right before that I had just got a great PR on deads. Then bam, that same night I'm puking my guts out.

So when I get back to deads I can barely pull 80 percent of that max I had established. But I managed to do a couple of sets of 5 of it and basically called that workout done. The reason I knew that I could get away from doing as much as I did, even though it took so much out of me is because it ain't the first time I'd gotten sick and it wasn't the first time I'd felt that weak coming back. I know from past experience that I hadn't really actually lost much absolute ability. My body was just fatigued from the illness and I knew that I had to basically send a message that the game was back on. Besides it was a "light" weight. For another person it might have been too fatigueing and been a mistake but for me I knew it was just the ticket. My body tends to want to shut down it I don't continually let it know that there is business to be done.

That is actually reason why I little "active recovery" workouts on my off days.

Next deadlift workout sucked too BUT I didn't feel like my body was made of jello. It was basically the same workout though.

Then after a few more days my stength basically rebounded and I set a PR on box squats and some other stuff. Then deads came around and ALL that seemingly lost stength was back as if it had never left. And I knew it would be. My plan then was to repeat that PR I had made before I got sick.

I took my time and worked up to it carefully. Really feeling everything out. I got the PR and it was sorta difficult but I could tell that it wasn't the weight. The fact was my body wasn't yet completely ready. I knew I could actually get a new PR that day and the old max was all I needed to get that last bit of acclimation. So I rested up about 4.5 minutes and got and unbelievable 10 additional pounds! And I WAS actually being conservative. The PR was better and easier than the old PR which had kinda went to my back more than I'd like. That is a really good day for me. REALLY good. And my back even felt great the next day.

The question is, how can someone get a max that feels like a MAX but know that they can lift more? You just know because you know you. That is the kind of thing you've got to discover for youself and you'll never discover it if you never break from the "plan". That thiry percent can make all the difference.

ok sir, excellent post. i love it. and i will try to do that, sir. i want to nail 295 soon :D i think from next time i will begin walk-outs with 295.

thanks :)

ps: i really like the post, sir!

^^^ Sir, u talk like your on Charlie Brown.....:biglaugh: j/k

I'm not Peppermint Patty, dammit :D

haha..