Do We Really Need To Beat The Logbook (discussion)

Training
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… if we’re training to failure?
(Hypertrophy focus)

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I assume by beat the log book you are asking if strength progress is required to result in hypertrophy.

This could turn out to be a very interesting discussion point or fall apart pretty quickly depending on peoples moods.

From my experience some sort of progression is required to result in the adaption response required to create more muscle. For most the simple way of determining this progress is to log weights and reps and see the increase over time. But that isn’t the whole story. Its possible to lift more weight or more reps without actually being stronger, shorter ROM, more body movement, longer rest periods, more bodyweight etc. Will all get the numbers going up but may not give the adaption response required for more muscle.

You specifically mention training to failure as a pre requisite for effective training. I think it is largely accepted that we need to train near or at momentary muscle failure for the body to respond and grow some muscle. But whether we are really training in that zone or just perceive that we are, is where it gets tricky. How many posts do we see on here where a trainee tells us they are doing multiple sets to failure on multiple exercises for a body part, and then say they are not progressing. The body and mind is great at tricking us into thinking it’s hard and to stop, so sometimes training to perceived ‘failure’ doesn’t work.

For me, my best muscle gainz have been made whilst focusing on strength and effective training rather than training to failure and muscle pumps. So my short answer is YES WE DO.

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You can’t. You must.

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It’s a great question that I ponder as well…do we need to beat the log book if we are training to failure?

I think the likelihood of progress is much greater if you also beat the log book. I think beating the log book may be more important than training to failure as it signifies progress. On any given day you may fail a lot sooner than the last time you did the same work set.

Also training to failure means different things to different people and there seems to be a huge difference of training to failure on a squat vs a bicep curl.

You can always train to failure it just takes a lot of will power to do it. You can’t always beat the log book (beat log book >> training to failure).

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I think when I get older, I’ll never be worrying about beating the logbook, simply focusing on going to failure. Right now it’s a helpful tool to see how I’m progressing because I’m young and still have room to grow stronger and it’s cool watching that journey

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That’s interesting. I did all my failure training in my 20’s and now that I am older I focus more on programming and celebrating any log book wins that I can.

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If you go to failure and beat the log book every week you have to adjust the workouts a lot.

If you keep the workouts the same and beat the log book every week, you have to not go to failure.

If you go to failure, keep the workouts the same and beat the log book every week, you crash and burn super fast.

If you never beat the book, always change the workouts and never go to failure you don’t make progress.

There are a lot of possible wrong turns on the path to being jacked.

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I try to set things up so that after a period of time (say 4 weeks), I beat the log book. The first week might be 3 RIR, second week 2 RIR, third 1 RIR, 4th failure and beat the log book. Reset, and hopefully in 4 weeks I get another PR. Doesn’t always go as planned.

Part of the having a log book is knowing what weight to reset to. In the past, I’d kinda just always reset to the same weights as last month (185, 225, 275,… depending on the lift). Now I try to reset a bit heavier, or with sets that have one more rep, or with an extra set…

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For what it’s worth, I never used a logbook. I suppose I never saw the need. I had a fairly good memory and always tried to get stronger.

And for the most part, as I look back on my training, all my working sets had 1 RIR (as best I could estimate). [Note: Except squats and leg presses, where I just used a lot of weight for 10 reps]

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Now we’re getting somewhere! Forget nebulous “can we, should we” and give me a System to follow.

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This was me in my 20’s. If I was benching 275 for sets of 8, I usually remembered that last week I only got 6 on the last set and tried to beat it this week.

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I think this tends to get set up as an either/ or, with which I disagree. So it becomes:

  1. I plan my training and set conditions so I beat my specifically logged plan by a rep or another couple pounds every session, or
  2. I do whatever, haphazardly, pushing as hard as I can… which inevitably results in me always lifting exactly the same weights for exactly the same reps somehow

I personally think that if you’re pushing yourself and following some semblance of a plan, it’s pretty difficult to not accidentally beat your logbook over time.

I am at a point where I think I’d have to switch movements every week to consistently beat my logbook - basically gaming the system. Not because I’m so jacked, but because I’m (you pick an excuse). I think that would be silly. I also think it would be silly to be cool with just doing side raises until I feel like leaving (so, immediately). Being ok with beating the logbook, eventually, while working as hard as I can every session seems to solve the problem for me.

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