Hi coach, I have started to run a Push/Pull/Legs program once a week the way you reccomended in my previous thread.
As far as volume and intensity are concerned, do you still reccomend such an approach where you keep volume low and increase intensity (that is, level of effort due to rest pauses/drop sets/ negatives/ISO holds) week to week?
Absolutely, in fact, that’s how I train at the moment.
My loading scheme looks like this:
Set 1 (warm-up): 10 reps with around 50-60% of the planned weight for my work set
Set 2 (feeler set): 6 reps with around 80-90% of the planned weight for my work set
Set 3 (work set): 5-8 reps to failure or special method
*Sometimes I do a second warm-up set (a bit heavier than the first one, if it’s on an exercise where I can ue lots of weight)
The special methods that I use can be added forced reps at the end of the set, added negatives at the end of a set, rest/pause, iso hold and even drop set.
Sometimes the special method requires adding another feeler set. For example, yesterday my training used the following special method on my work set:
This is one continuous set.
In that set I essentially do maximal work, concentric failure work, eccentric failure work, isometric failure work
I obviously don’t do that every week (like 1 week out of 4) and I only use machines for this method.
With this method I add a second feeler set to know what weight to use for the 1-2 reps part of the set and to be better psychologically prepared for the heavy load when jumping from 90% of my 6RM to like 90-95% of my 1RM.
So it will look like this:
Set 1 (warm up) 10 reps at 50-60% of my planned work set (6-8 portion)
Set 2 (feeler 1) 6 reps at 80-90% of my planned work set (6-8 portion)
Set 3 (feeler 2) 1 rep at around 90-95% of my planned 1-2 reps portion
Set 4 (work set) as described above
This is such a strong method that after the first 2 exercises (incline press machine, Viking press machine) I could have called it a day.
The whole workout was:
Incline machine press (as above)
Viking press machine (as above)
Dips machine (as above)
Pec deck 1 warm-up of 10 reps, 1 set to failure with 6-8
Machine lateral raises 1 warm-up of 10 reps, 1 set to failure with 6-8
Triceps extension machine 1 warm-up of 10 reps, 1 set to failure with 6-8
*NOTE: Typically I do quads on that day, but I was training with 2 friends to shoot videos and they had trained legs the day before.
Nice, very exhaustive. Thank you very much.
Just One last question: do you like to “rotate” exercises, like having a push A, push B workout, or to stick to the same exercises till stall occurs?
Honestly, I like to stick to the same exercises as long as I can. When I stop progressing for 2 consecutive weeks, I’ll change movements.
I like what my friend said: Pick the exercises that combine two things:
Normally, if an exercise has both conditions you’ll be able to progress for a long time on it. But yeah, if I stall on a movement, I change it.
There is one exception: I train in many gyms. And not all gyms have the same machines or equipment. Like this week I trained in 4 gyms, none of which had the same machines (I use mostly machines with this training approach). So I had more variation this week.
@Christian_Thibaudeau i like the way this workout looks. Do you do push, pull, legs?
I would like to try this setup
No. I mean, I did mention that…
a) I train 4 days a week (not a good option for a push/pull/leg split)
b) I typically do quads on push days ut didn’t this time because my friends trained legs the day prior
I do a modified push/pull split.
Push = quads/pecs/delts/triceps
Pull = Hamstrings and/or glutes/lats/upper back/biceps