Adding Weight 'Every' Workout

Training Bodybuilding
41

I think the problem is that we all know you can’t add weight literally every time. You have to have some common sense. Sometimes you take a break, sometimes you add reps, sometimes you add time or add sets or what have you. In general though, over the months and years of a training career, you’re adding weight.

The problem is, someone had to go and remind people explicitly that you can’t “really” add weight every time. People prone to underachievement take this and instead of adding weight when they can and using the other progressions I listed when they can’t, they don’t add any weight or progress for months and months. They swing too far the other way. That’s utterly ridiculous.

It’s better to assume you should add weight to the bar every time and use the other progressions as exceptions to the rule. The opposite would be knowing you “can’t” add weight every time and looking at it as anomalous when you do, which is entirely unproductive.

42

Once again, another simple concept gets over-complicated in the forums…

43

[quote]The Austrian Oak wrote:
SSC wrote:
The Austrian Oak wrote:
I can’t add weight every workout. No one who has been doing this seriously for more than a couple years can. But I can get atleast 1 more rep literally everytime I train.

You’re not very big - No offense. You should be adding 2-3+ reps or weight every time you’re in there, if I remember your picture correctly. Sorry, but you’re not someone I’d say has been “doing this seriously for more than a couple years.”

All I really see in this thread is weak people trying to discredit something that will actually absolve their weakness.

How do you how much progress I have made in the past 2 years? I have never posted before pictures. The pix I posted were from February anyway.

I have NEVER posted anywhere on this site that I consider myself to be “big.”

I know that inorder for me to really stand out that I will have to weigh 275+. I am 6’5 and I am not very wide in the shoulders and have long arms and legs. This will naturally cause me to take more time to fill out than a person with more favorbale bodybuilding proportions.

Just because I haven’t reached my goal yet doesn’t mean that I don’t know anything about progressing and adding size and strength.[/quote]

Fair enough. I’ll admit I was wrong in ‘calling you out,’ or whatever. But, in my humble opinion, I believe that someone who is 6’5" should have a pretty high potential for strength capacity. If you plan on approaching things this way for like, six years without cutting, sure, it’s probably a good pace.

I don’t know, until you start to become something ‘stellar,’ (You could even put Dave_, Holy Mac, and other folks in here along with X, Modok, CC, etc,) I’d be pretty disappointed with myself if I was only adding 1 rep per session. Again - This is just me.

44

[quote]Dave_ wrote:
I think everyone posting in this thread should have a pic on show (with exception to the guys we already know are hyooge).

[/quote]

I’m slowing converting to the “it should be a requirement to post here (bodybuilding forum) period” camp. (Outside of those who obviously know wtf they are doing.)

I mean you don’t have to be jacked to have an opinion, but it gives a nice frame of reference as to where someone is coming from. And I feel like it would instantly improve the quality of the posts here by about 35% instantly.

45

NOBODY adds weight EVERY workout. But you should still aim to.

Think about it, even if you were only training each lift 1x per week, and added 5lbs per week, you’d be lifting 250lbs more in all your lifts at the end of the year.

I go up some workouts and down some, but I always make it hard.

EX:

Week 1: 200lbs 5x5
Week 2: 200lbs 5x6
Week 3: 200lbs 5x7
Week 4: 220lbs 5x2
Week 5: 225lbs 5x2
Week 6: 210lbs 5x5

Just hypothetical, but you can get the point. I like using a “heavy” workout with low reps and a lot of sets to get used to a new heavier weight. I’ll do this maybe once or twice, and then reduce the weight a bit on the next workout, and work with more reps.

There are a lot of ways to progress. Another thing that works, is to stick with a weight for a whole month, but change other variables.

EX: (Bench)

Week 1: 190lbs 5x3
Week 2: 190lbs 4x4
Week 3: 190lbs 5x5
Week 4: 190lbs 3x5 (deload)

Week 5: 200lbs 5x3
Week 6: 200lbs 4x4
ETC
ETC

You get the point. You might have to get creative with this, but if you raise the weight EVERY MONTH you’ll still make a lot of progress in a year. Just adding 10 lbs a month would put 120lbs on your bench in a year.
The key to this one is to progress every month. Ive tried it in the past with pretty good success on DB’s. (Went from benching 80lb DBs to 100’s in less than 4 months)

46

[quote]Dave_ wrote:
I think everyone posting in this thread should have a pic on show (with exception to the guys we already know are hyooge).

[/quote]

2 weeks i’ll have mine to show off altogether 6 weeks of training :stuck_out_tongue:

Hopefully you can tell i train LOL

47

[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Once again, another simple concept gets over-complicated in the forums…[/quote]

Do you think Milo would have figured out how to carry his bull calf if it wasn’t for the internet?

48

[quote]conorh wrote:
SteelyD wrote:
Once again, another simple concept gets over-complicated in the forums…

Do you think Milo would have figured out how to carry his bull calf if it wasn’t for the internet?[/quote]

Probably, but where would everyone argue if you made more progress by having the bull shit on your left shoulder v the right shoulder?

49

[quote]Scott M wrote:

You won’t be able to add 10 lbs to the bar every week, maybe just 1 rep, or 5 lbs over two weeks but if you are still gaining you’d be a fool to stop.

[/quote]

this I completely agree with and what I’m getting at.

50

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
conorh wrote:
SteelyD wrote:
Once again, another simple concept gets over-complicated in the forums…

Do you think Milo would have figured out how to carry his bull calf if it wasn’t for the internet?

Probably, but where would everyone argue if you made more progress by having the bull shit on your left shoulder v the right shoulder?[/quote]

Further, did he ‘ramp’ up with a chicken set, piglet set, then the bull calf set at the top? Or, did he do straight bull calf sets???

51

[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
Wow… since a 1 rep increase represents at least a 2% increase in strength (often more), your strength then has been increasing by at least 1.02 to say the 40th power every year.

(Assuming you mean weekly, and granting say 12 weeks per year that aren’t so good.)

That means increasing your strength 2.2 times per year, so over the last say 3 years, I trust then that since your strength always increases this much per week, your strength has increased by more than 6 times in say the last 3 years. Really?

Or you are adding reps to non-maximal performances. Then changing things up, and again adding reps to non-maximal performances.

Rather than actually increasing in strength so much every week as corresponds with being one rep stronger.

As mentioned, this is a topic that I have tried more than enough on already, never with any good result. So I will leave it to this: Those of you that are experienced, and know accurately what you were lifting a year ago, etc. and of course what you are now:

Try dividing out the improvement by the weeks. It ain’t gonna be any 5 lb per week, or 1% per week. Not on a sustained basis.

Those who have the illusion that they always gain this fast, obtain it by switching things around and constantly changing the reference. The apparent 5 lb per week increases are relative to non-maximal, for the individual, performance due to referring to a point of having just resumed an exercise after a layoff from it, and having lost some skill on it.

Else, everyone who was at say a 300 lb bench, would be adding 250 lb per year and we’d have countless multi-ton benchers. For that matter most who were benching 300 (for example) at some point of being experienced, aren’t benching 820 raw 10 years later thanks to adding even 1 lb per week.

And yes the microloading has benefit.

There are ways to program things where weight increases DO correspond to what the body can do.

But the typical recommendation does not match up with, other than beginner gains, what is possible. Sorry you ain’t adding 5 lb strength every week to your bench for years on end, particularly not from an already-decent point.
[/quote]

Perfectly said

52

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
conorh wrote:
SteelyD wrote:
Once again, another simple concept gets over-complicated in the forums…

Do you think Milo would have figured out how to carry his bull calf if it wasn’t for the internet?

Probably, but where would everyone argue if you made more progress by having the bull shit on your left shoulder v the right shoulder?[/quote]

At the forum?

53

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
i love how the people who disagree with it are not even big. [/quote]

Seriously. How are these people in a position to argue with those, like Modok, who clearly show the results behind the concept? I’m not big, but I’ve made more than sufficient progress in the last year. And I don’t argue with those who are much much bigger than me. I listen! Hence my low post count. More of these people who are creating preset limits on what they can and cannot do, should start listening more to the big guys as well.

54

ha ha, good show gentlemen… lol two funny ass posts in a row

55

[quote]kylec72 wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
i love how the people who disagree with it are not even big.

Seriously. How are these people in a position to argue with those, like Modok, who clearly show the results behind the concept? .[/quote]

Common sense?
or the fact that Professor X has agreed to a similar position.

I’m not saying that one shouldn’t be progressing, it’s obviously the cornerstone of seeing results. However, I never understood how people up the weight every workout :shrug:

sure, you may up it one week and meet your goal reps, you may up it another week and fall a rep short, that’s cool. But to consitently week after week “beat the log book” doesn’t sound right to me.
At least in my experience I tend to suffer on my form to the point that I don’t feel it as good as I should.

And yes, MODOK, my strength is nothing great, so I’m not saying that I shouldn’t be increasing my weights frequently, but every workout seems like a stretch.

For example, I can get on a lat pulldown 225x5.
If I stick with this for let’s say 12 weeks. I should be up to 285 for 5 at the end… That seems like one hell of an increase in 12 weeks. Thoughts?

56

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
kylec72 wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
i love how the people who disagree with it are not even big.

Seriously. How are these people in a position to argue with those, like Modok, who clearly show the results behind the concept? .

Common sense?
or the fact that Professor X has agreed to a similar position.

I’m not saying that one shouldn’t be progressing, it’s obviously the cornerstone of seeing results. However, I never understood how people up the weight every workout :shrug:

sure, you may up it one week and meet your goal reps, you may up it another week and fall a rep short, that’s cool. But to consitently week after week “beat the log book” doesn’t sound right to me.
At least in my experience I tend to suffer on my form to the point that I don’t feel it as good as I should.

And yes, MODOK, my strength is nothing great, so I’m not saying that I shouldn’t be increasing my weights frequently, but every workout seems like a stretch.

For example, I can get on a lat pulldown 225x5.
If I stick with this for let’s say 12 weeks. I should be up to 285 for 5 at the end… That seems like one hell of an increase in 12 weeks. Thoughts?[/quote]

I guess it goes along with your point, but “beating the logbook” doesn’t always mean more weight. For example; I worked up to my top set on squat, but only got one work set. I think I’m going to stay there for weight next time but increase my number of work sets. When I get three I’ll go and increase the weight. It’s still progression, and I’m still beating my book, it’s just not increased weight.

57

[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
Wow… since a 1 rep increase represents at least a 2% increase in strength (often more), your strength then has been increasing by at least 1.02 to say the 40th power every year.

(Assuming you mean weekly, and granting say 12 weeks per year that aren’t so good.)

That means increasing your strength 2.2 times per year, so over the last say 3 years, I trust then that since your strength always increases this much per week, your strength has increased by more than 6 times in say the last 3 years. Really?

Or you are adding reps to non-maximal performances. Then changing things up, and again adding reps to non-maximal performances.

Rather than actually increasing in strength so much every week as corresponds with being one rep stronger.

As mentioned, this is a topic that I have tried more than enough on already, never with any good result. So I will leave it to this: Those of you that are experienced, and know accurately what you were lifting a year ago, etc. and of course what you are now:

Try dividing out the improvement by the weeks. It ain’t gonna be any 5 lb per week, or 1% per week. Not on a sustained basis.

Those who have the illusion that they always gain this fast, obtain it by switching things around and constantly changing the reference. The apparent 5 lb per week increases are relative to non-maximal, for the individual, performance due to referring to a point of having just resumed an exercise after a layoff from it, and having lost some skill on it.

Else, everyone who was at say a 300 lb bench, would be adding 250 lb per year and we’d have countless multi-ton benchers. For that matter most who were benching 300 (for example) at some point of being experienced, aren’t benching 820 raw 10 years later thanks to adding even 1 lb per week.

And yes the microloading has benefit.

There are ways to program things where weight increases DO correspond to what the body can do.

But the typical recommendation does not match up with, other than beginner gains, what is possible. Sorry you ain’t adding 5 lb strength every week to your bench for years on end, particularly not from an already-decent point.
[/quote]

Your post made me think about my current training scheme. On the 5/3/1 if you think about it, it’s only adding 5-10 pounds per month to submaximal rep work. That seems pretty reasonable, especially since one week a month is a deload.

58

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
kylec72 wrote:
LiveFromThe781 wrote:
i love how the people who disagree with it are not even big.

Seriously. How are these people in a position to argue with those, like Modok, who clearly show the results behind the concept? .

Common sense?
or the fact that Professor X has agreed to a similar position.

I’m not saying that one shouldn’t be progressing, it’s obviously the cornerstone of seeing results. However, I never understood how people up the weight every workout :shrug:

sure, you may up it one week and meet your goal reps, you may up it another week and fall a rep short, that’s cool. But to consitently week after week “beat the log book” doesn’t sound right to me.
At least in my experience I tend to suffer on my form to the point that I don’t feel it as good as I should.

And yes, MODOK, my strength is nothing great, so I’m not saying that I shouldn’t be increasing my weights frequently, but every workout seems like a stretch.

For example, I can get on a lat pulldown 225x5.
If I stick with this for let’s say 12 weeks. I should be up to 285 for 5 at the end… That seems like one hell of an increase in 12 weeks. Thoughts?[/quote]

I wasn’t calling you or anyone out specifically. I just mean in general. LankyMofo, Scott M, and others, in my opinion, have explained it very succinctly how you continue to beat the logbook from week-to-week. It sure as hell isn’t easy, though, as everyone knows.

I don’t want to step out of my limit of knowledge or experience, but let’s say this week you can only do 225x5 on a lat pulldown. Well, maybe take a step back and go down to 185x12 or 205x10 (whatever) and in 12 or however many weeks (or until progress plateaus swap out the exercise for something similar, say, close-grip pulldowns) work your way up to 285x5 by either adding weight or reps to bar each week. Of course it won’t be a linear progression, and in some weeks you may notice a larger increase than in others. The point isn’t necessarily what you are doing today but what you are doing in X weeks/months–progressive overload. It’s similar principles, from what I understand, explained in Wendler’s 5-3-1, DC training, and other programs; each with their own variants.

59

[quote]MODOK wrote:
Where in the fuck did you folks get “5 or 10 lbs per week”? Yeah, no shit. No one is going to add 5 or 10 lbs a week for 52 weeks if you aren’t a rank beginner. I’m just not believing folks are that low-brow in their thinking.

But I’m sure you’ve heard of fractional plates. 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 1.25 lb plates. You bust your ass on say, bench press and hit 300 x 10. Next week are you going to try 310x 10? No. You aren’t going to gain that kinda strength that fast. But you CAN and WILL be able to get 301 or 302. So while bodybuilder A gets 300 x 10 and the next week throws 310 on the bar and it buries him, and he says “I can’t jump up every week”. Bodybuilder B does 301 x 10, then 302 x 10, etc. In 10 WEEKS worth of hard training later, he will bust through 310, because he’s had 9 more strength building workouts than bodybuilder A. [/quote]

That’s it.

60

[quote]matko5 wrote:
MODOK wrote:
Where in the fuck did you folks get “5 or 10 lbs per week”? Yeah, no shit. No one is going to add 5 or 10 lbs a week for 52 weeks if you aren’t a rank beginner. I’m just not believing folks are that low-brow in their thinking.

But I’m sure you’ve heard of fractional plates. 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 1.25 lb plates. You bust your ass on say, bench press and hit 300 x 10. Next week are you going to try 310x 10? No. You aren’t going to gain that kinda strength that fast. But you CAN and WILL be able to get 301 or 302. So while bodybuilder A gets 300 x 10 and the next week throws 310 on the bar and it buries him, and he says “I can’t jump up every week”. Bodybuilder B does 301 x 10, then 302 x 10, etc. In 10 WEEKS worth of hard training later, he will bust through 310, because he’s had 9 more strength building workouts than bodybuilder A.

That’s it.[/quote]

Or just be a beginner like me and Matko and jump 10-20lbs on the Compounds every week :stuck_out_tongue:

I’ll be catching up to all ye training a few years soon- some training a few years still not got:

300lbs (135kg) Bench - Currently on 85kg
400 (180kg) Squat - Currently on 120kg -hopefully 140kg tomorrow
500 Deadlift (225kg) - Currently on 140kg

I promise i will get come the 18 week end of Big Beyond Belief program with videos. I’ll revive this when it ends just so every beginner knows everything is possible once you work your ass off.