Never done steroids, didn’t mean to imply that either, sorry about that. The blasting and cruising terminology is what Dante uses for working hard and deload phases.
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It could also be that super compensation thing. Maybe your body didn’t have a chance to grow during DC but now that you’ve decreased the intensity, it’s catching up.
I can’t say they I’ve ever noticed growth in a four week period.
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You were likely fatigued, like @Frank_C said. You also may just be getting a better pump now, with more volume, so you look more jacked.
In any case, I think sometimes just changing things up is a good move. Not every 10 days (which we all like to and is why we’re here!), but after 12 weeks it’s not a bad idea.
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To second what @TrainForPain wrote: @Lonnie123 phrased it perfectly,
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Thank you for this, really needed to hear it.
lol!
Despite what the countless authors who have never succeeded as competitors would have you believe, the majority of decent to successful folks onstage train with bro splits. THat doesn’t mean you ignore your recover though, which is why most people following the splits they read about in magazines back in the day but had crap diets and did countless sets with no intensity didn’t get results. The split itself had nothing to do with failed efforts.
S
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This early year, for my first real cut, despite doing it too fast, and being severely depressed, I had the best (muscular) gains since noobie gains and I used a bro split.
I’d be interested to hear your views on a whether more frequency for a natural is better. You read a lot about how more frequency for a natural creates more protein synthesis but you can only gain so much a month.
Would be great to hear your views mate.
Cheers
I’ve failed this challenge, I’ve stopped following 531 sets, and will be changing to a ppl set up from next week.
Hope everyone else is sticking at it.
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I am, although finding it increasingly tempting not to. Only halfway there.
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Think I’ve pulled the plug mates. Saw a cool looking comp in January and just couldn’t resist a training modification to gear up for it.
I think we had 19 people who tagged their logs and started. I guess we’re down to 17…
For those of you struggling to stick with it - did you pick a program or a style or training? For example, any of the 5/3/1 templates compared to just running some form of 5/3/1 for the duration.
I’m following parts of SGSS but I feel like I’ve adopted the progression and applied it to my training goals/needs. It’s similar to @isdatnutty’s double progression but the progression follows a different path. It’s simple - increase volume, increase weight, repeat. I’m hoping that it can help me stick with the same goals and stimulus. My problem has always been changing my programs so much that I don’t really move forward on any one lift. I’d do the big three for a bit and then abandon them when joints starting hurting. I’d replace them with completely different movements so I’d detrain on those while building up the new stuff. Then I’d switch back lose the new gains while trying to rebuild what I’d lost from the big three. The result has been no change in anything.
It’s time to make this training thing simple and just do the rep ranges and movements that I like for a long time.
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I’ve gone rep for rep, with only 2 exceptions:
- if the equipment I need is going to be tied up for the foreseeable, in which case I sub for something with similar intent. Never for main movements.
- If I’ve had a particularly strong dose of stupid pills and feel like maxing out. In which case I’ll do it on top of my planned session and just deal with the consequences.
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I have mandatory and optional workouts. The optional workouts let me do what I want some. That said, there’s variety in the mandatory workouts too.
In all honesty, I’m still getting itchy to change things…
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For me, the key to long term adherence will be doing what I enjoy. I know that some people think you should do the things you dislike because you probably need them, but I think that will be detrimental because I’ll slack off or quit (not quit training, but definitely switch to something else).
I think I’ve reached a point where I don’t really need to push outside of my comfort zone. I can do what I like and still improve. I’ll probably improve more because I’m going to stick with the same movements. I enjoy them, they get results, and they don’t hurt. Those are the keys to successful programming for me. They might not be the big three or four, but there’s really no reason to get caught up with what other people think is necessary.
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100% agree. I think it matters way more than we admit why you are doing this. As my own example, I hate running. However, when it mattered for work or there was a selection, I could get my mile down to 5:00 and would run 3-4x per week with at least one run going over 6.5 miles every single week. But that was for work, and I can just do what I have to for a job.
Even if running was the key to being lean and eating buffets every day, I’m not going to do it regularly, because this is for fun for me. My choice now is so different cardio or quit it altogether if I tell myself only running will do. I’m still the same person (more or less - I’m wussier now), so it’s not like you have one disciplined person and one person that needs to suck it up.
Anyway, kind of a ramble, but I think you need to do what sucks and close your gaps if it’s the difference between you and a paycheck. I think you need to do what you enjoy if it’s to get you exercising.
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Got down to the last page I had written out in my notebook this morning. (Yeah, I’m old I still like paper.) Considered whether or not I wanted to call it here. Had to miss some assistance stuff this week but I doubt that is going to change the end result. So I decided…
Nah! I am making decent progress, and even though the voices in my head want to bail, I told them no!
Went ahead and wrote out two more cycles which will be the end. The end date will depend on the need to deload.
Don’t plan on deloading this round.
Pretty sure this is a program PR for me lol.
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What’s a good way to go maximally, to test yourself in order to evaluate your program, without disrupting or abandoning your program?
Does anyone have any good in-program Testers to show training is working and build confidence in the routine?
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I have just been going by the amrap sets. At least it gives me hope!
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I guess it would depend on your program? If you’re doing strength work then just ramping up to like a 2RM then doing 3 down sets shouldn’t interefre much. If you’re doing a program with higher rep ranges, just go for a single set of rep PR
Me I’m sticking to it. The first program is already over in 2 weeks and I’m surprised, it passed quite fast (even thoughbt the begining was a nightmare).
Sure I’m eager to put some muscle on my upper body but I can wait til january.
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