Rookie mistake...should have known talking about "mentality" is a bad idea on a powerlifting blog.
Here's my revised plan, feel free to discuss the logic or flaws below...but enough about meaningless words like mentality.
Each exercise has the built in RPE fatigue stop.
Each subsequent workout will be following the usual GVT template.
Lower 1
Squats: 10 sets of 5 @ 75%
Rack Pulls: 5 sets of 5 @ 75%
Upper 1
Bench Press 5 sets of 5 @ 225 (I have no idea what % this is, with no meet on the horizon I could give a rat's ass what my 1 RM BP is, the important point is that it is the most conservative progression over my last block which started at 5x5 @ 220)
Standing Military 5 sets of 5 @ 130
DB Rows 5 sets of 16-20 @ 125
Lower 2
Deadlift 10 sets of 5 @ 75%
Pause Squats 5 sets of 5 @ 75%
Upper 2
Dips 5 sets of 10 @ 63% (i.e. 20 RM)
Pullups same
Chins same
I am lowering the intensity here to reduce wear and tear on my nerve entrapment. Its the intensity that irritates it, not the volume.
Now, overall the only thing that has changed from my previous block is the replacement of 1 assistance exercise done for 5 sets, by 5 additional sets of the core lift.
My % selection will be on the conservative side so its still 15 working sets over the course of one workout.
I like 10 sets, I always have, they allow me to work on the mechanics of my lifts through reduced intensity and increased volume. My previous 3 cycles really have all been intensity, intensity, intensity (not to be confused with a lack of volume) due to the boneheaded % selections on my part, I want to get back to fast paced volume work because I feel that is where I laid the foundation for the gains that I have made to this point.
In addition, it keeps me in better shape. Yes, its easy to talk about running hills in addition to the lifting that I do, but I just don't have enough time for that. I want to get into better overall condition and I feel that the volume and tempo of doing my core lift for 10 sets will help me accomplish that. Also, I am not preparing for a meet, so there is no need to stress any intensity portion of lifting, old fashioned volume will work just fine to get me stronger.
Also, as Danny mentioned, it comes down to what you have confidence in. I have confidence in this routine, it's worked before, there's no reason to think that it won't work now. Not that I didn't have confidence in the 5x5 plan we spelled out, just think of this as getting back to what got me here.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
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If you want to do 5 more sets of the core lifts, then a seemingly better plan is (for example) ... 5x5 SQ --> 5x5 DL --> 5x5 SQ. This is 10 sets of squats, but there is still enough energy left for deadlifts.
ReplyDeleteAlso, some food for thought: You did GVT after a few months without serious training (due to back injury), being much weaker and about 10 lbs lighter (not sure). At that time, any reasonable routine could have given you great gains. For example, when I was a teenager, training 13 out of 14 days, sometimes twice a day, was a good program for me. This added lots of mass and strength, without any injuries. So why am I not following this program now?
I, too, am not a fan of this workout. Replacing assistance work with core work actually adds quite a bit to the stress of the workout, and assuming that your primary goal is still to lift more weight, at some point you have to just add more weight to the bar, and I don't think 75% will cut it. More volume at lower weight may help conditioning, but it will slow down strength gains.
ReplyDeleteHonestly speaking, though, I really don't feel like arguing with you. If you have confidence in this program, then do it.
Frank's message reminds me that you didn't mention the second part of the original cycle (or decided not to do it, or to write it separately later, I don't know), which is two weeks of intensity, with 3x3 @ ~90%.
ReplyDeleteFair enough. I still think 10 sets is too much though, but hey, whatever works.
ReplyDelete@Danny I was just too lazy. But yes, I understand everything you're saying.
ReplyDelete@Frank So, on the one hand the volume is too much so I'll overtrain easily, on the other hand 75% isn't intense enough to make gains? And by the way, this isn't an "argument" this is me receiving feedback on my plan. If you don't want to discuss it, don't comment.
High volume with low(ish) weights can hamper your recovery ability without helping you make gains. An extreme example would be running a marathon after every workout. A less extreme example than a marathon: If 10 sets is good, then why not 20 with straight weight across?
ReplyDeleteIn your case, you're clearly using less weight than you otherwise would in order to accommodate the additional sets, unless you feel like never completing all 10 sets. Thus, yes, you are both putting too much "stress" on your body, while compensating for the additional volume by lowering the load. I think both things are suboptimal.
In my opinion, faster gains can be made by using a higher percentage, say 80%, with fewer sets, or pushing the weight more aggressively from workout to workout with fewer sets.
I agree with what Frank says, and to rephrase (hope that I'm getting this right): There is an "optimal" amount of volume. It's not necessarily concentrated on a single point, but the right interval definitely has finite endpoints. So the sentence "the volume is too much so I'll overtrain easily, on the other hand 75% isn't intense enough to make gains" doesn't necessarily contain a contradiction.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, most lifters won't be able to make good gains (for extended periods of time) without incorporating some amount of intensity. I always thought this term means at least 90%, but lately (last two years) realized that with good planning it's possible to make great progress without ever (or at least, very rarely) entering the [90,100] zone, though there are probably frequents visits at [80,90].
Everything above is obviously written under the assumption that the main goal is to get as strong as possible (measured by your powerlifting total). If the objective is more complicated (like: be very strong + be very conditioned + be very lean + sometimes enjoy life; note the use of "very"), then my best suggestion is to find someone who achieved this and ask him. Unfortunately, I don't know any one like this in person.
Shanker, if you are getting stronger and adding weight to the bar there isn't anything wrong with the plan. Its going to be hard to add 5lbs a workout on a 10x5 though. Test your maxes and see if the GVT has helped them. If it hasn't, try something else.
ReplyDelete