Auto Regulation-Strength Training

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

i’m wondering about auto regulation in my training. After a year off I started training again in April, wanting to gain former strength back, I began by following 531, and things were comming back slow and steady, but when i switched my squat training to a smolov typ routine, my squat jumped forward, it seems by a 100Lbs in 3-5 weeeks.

The point being in my case I think I’m leaving lots of weight on the table using 531 and going up 10Lbs a month. My total is down 500Lbs from my best, and I feel by implementing some sort of autoreg, it could come back faster.

MattyXL had mentioned this to me in my log a couple months ago, but I brushed it off, thinking 531 was my best path, but my ears are open now Matty
This is what Im thinking, stick to the same routine Im on, but instead of having numbers written down for the day, just ramp up in 5s, or 3s, or 1s, so on 5s week ramp up till I cant get 5, fail on rep 3-4, then drop 10% and do my 3x5 at that weight, this will allow me to gain strength faster I hope.

My strength seems to be comming back in spurts, ands my squat has shot ahead since i took it off 531. looking for advice from anyone whos tried this type of training, or whos been strong, and then come back from a layoff Thanks jake

2

Ime and looking at what other lifters experienced, a high intensity/low-moderate volume/high frequency approach - think daily max+back off sets - for the big 3 works great to QUICKLY max out your dormant strength abilities (basically “peaking”). After several weeks, progress comes to a halt and you have to go back to more volume-based approaches.

Not quite what you had in mind I guess but…

3

SCREW YOU LOL!

I found Auto-regulation style great, it helped me not waste those few +10 days. I will mention however that Mike Turscherer did my programming in a way that I didnt kill myself. I ran it for about 21 weeks with excellent results…my problem was I did not do the recovery, prehab rehab movements that Mike Prescribed religiously and it led to my downfall.

What I am saying is if you do plan to do an auto-reg style, you should invest in buying some of Mike T.'s manuals or get him to do your programming.

I wont link it, because I know I cant…if need be ill give you my email.

4

Thanks Matty, alot of stuff’s comming back to me, after my injury, then i pissed around with BBing, and then kind of gave up on myself, and focused on getting my clients strong. Anyway the point is it’s not just strength, but the mental aspect of hard training has come back, I’ve found that extra gear that I’d lost for a decade. It allows me to go to another place when I train, got my diet back in order.

After 6mths it’s all comming back to me, and 531 is a great program, but i’m in a place where I need to set a goal (weight wise) and then kill myself working to get there, the weights, as well as everthing else seems to be comming in spurts. Even when I hit a new PR, it’s weird, it’s not like hitting a PR for the first time, there’s more there I can feel it, I guess because i’ve been there before. it’s weird regaining strength I’ve already had.

I work up to a heavy double at 365 in the squat, it’s a new max, but I feel like if i dug deeper, I cxould get 5 or even 10, it’s hard to explain I’m trying to rane myself in, but still get my strength back as fast as possible. i know I babble, it’s me, I just think auto reg will help me more at this point.

i’d love to here from someone else thats moved big numbers before (for real) and then for what ever reason had to stop lifting heavy for a decade :0 It’s a weird feeling, it’s there but it’s not there. Matty I’ll look up Mike T. latter
Oh and thanks Matty, even though I brushed you off the first time LOL

5

Thinking Wendler 5/3/1 doesn’t give you what you need?

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
just ramp up in 5s, or 3s, or 1s, so on 5s week ramp up till I can`t get 5…[/quote]…Jokers?

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
then drop 10% and do my 3x5 at that weight…[/quote]Sounds similar to First Set Last…

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
i’m wondering about auto regulation in my training. [/quote]
This is exactly why Wendler has set up his program low training maxes, Jokers, and First Set Last. If you’re having a good day, keep pushing up with Jokers. But even if you have a really bad day you should still have no problem completing the main 5/3/1 work since it’s strategically set at 90%

6

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
i’m wondering about auto regulation in my training. After a year off I started training again in April, wanting to gain former strength back, I began by following 531, and things were comming back slow and steady, but when i switched my squat training to a smolov typ routine, my squat jumped forward, it seems by a 100Lbs in 3-5 weeeks.

The point being in my case I think I’m leaving lots of weight on the table using 531 and going up 10Lbs a month. My total is down 500Lbs from my best, and I feel by implementing some sort of autoreg, it could come back faster.

MattyXL had mentioned this to me in my log a couple months ago, but I brushed it off, thinking 531 was my best path, but my ears are open now Matty
This is what Im thinking, stick to the same routine Im on, but instead of having numbers written down for the day, just ramp up in 5s, or 3s, or 1s, so on 5s week ramp up till I cant get 5, fail on rep 3-4, then drop 10% and do my 3x5 at that weight, this will allow me to gain strength faster I hope.

My strength seems to be comming back in spurts, ands my squat has shot ahead since i took it off 531. looking for advice from anyone whos tried this type of training, or whos been strong, and then come back from a layoff Thanks jake[/quote]

Have you looked into CT’s Layer System?

7

Was about to say Layers is like 100% autoregulated by it’s very nature. Ramp to a max (1, 2, or 3RM depending on the week) every day and work off a percentage of that max. Bad day = easier workout. Great day = workout from hell.

Not to mention the brilliance of load and volume parameters changing subtly all the time. You get GOOD at the exercises by simply having no other choice because the volume is up there, and numbers skyrocket. At least this is my experience, but a pretty common one from reading around.

8

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
Ime and looking at what other lifters experienced, a high intensity/low-moderate volume/high frequency approach - think daily max+back off sets - for the big 3 works great to QUICKLY max out your dormant strength abilities (basically “peaking”). After several weeks, progress comes to a halt and you have to go back to more volume-based approaches.

Not quite what you had in mind I guess but… [/quote]

I agree with this to a point. In the beginning especially, you surprise yourself because many other routines do not allow you to realize these strength gains so quickly. If laid out right however, you shouldn’t have the issue that you describe. You should never use auto regulation when you are going for a 9 or 10 RPE for 1 or 2 reps often, different rep ranges, different rep efforts will help stop the quick stalling in progress that some lifters face.

9

Thanks both you guys, I should really break down and buy Beyond, I bought original when it first came out, and have been usiing it with my kids for years, just cheap, I guess, and I figured from what I was hereing most of the changes were in line with the changes most of us were already doing, that had been playing with 531 for the last 5yrs, but it’s only 10 bucks, so i really should have a look at it. LOL CHEAP !

As far as the layering, I just started looking at it this week, because LoRez wanted my help with his training, and he’s doing layering. It apears to be a type of wave training, and I’ve had good luck with this in the past, years ago I did Dan john’s 5-3-2 wave, and thats what finaly got me a double body weight bench, back in 09 I believe, wasn’t training legs at that point though.

It does look like a really solid program, but honestly, as much as I’m sure it’s a great program I just find CT’s stuff to complicated for me, thats just me. I’ve been training for years, and I’m kind of a pick it up, and put it back down kind of guy. I’ve never been able to wrap my head around West side for the same reason, some guys thrive on this type of training, but for me when it becomes to complicated I loose interest.

I spent yesterday, pretty much all day reading Mike Tuchscherer’s stuff, his thought process on strength training is right in line with my own, though it’s a little complicated as well, he has scales to judge exersution, and fatigue, and I’ll have to figure this out a little bit, but I think his autoregulation will work real well with my 531 template, on upper body, and deadlift.

The squat I’m going to keep rotating the Smolov Jr, squatting every workout day for 3 weeks, and then taking a week off, along side my 531. haha it sounds funny, after I said I didn’t like complicated routines. I’m using 3 different programs stuffed togeather (smolov-531-autoregulation) but it all makes sense to me. i all ready wrote all this down in my log. Thanks for all the input, I’ll give it a 3 week spin (cycle) and post back here, what i think.

The rest will be in my log. Latter :slight_smile: