[quote]Abkol wrote:
Hi Stu!
I think You are one of the most experienced Users on T-Nation 
I like to take advices from āoldestā people than from 20 years old conselors from other boards
I have question to You. What do You think about train by intuition? I mean for example not schedule rest/off days ( when iām feelling very well, very regenerated i will go to the gym, when iām feelling tired i will stay in home ), one day train with heavy weights becouse iām feelling power, sometimes do 3 sets per exercises, sometimes 6 sets, sometimes train 10 days in a row, sometimes only 2 days etc. I think You know what i mean.
I have my favourite routine ( Chest + Bic, Back, Shoulders + Tri, Legs ) and detail ( my first exercises is always heavy lift; SQ, BP, DL, Military Press in less reps but more sets and i try to add weights every time ). I always stick to that. Other things iām changing Iām the most enjoying from doing it.
So, do You prefer stick 100% to any train program or basic on Your intuition?[/quote]
PWolves really hit the main point with his reply. When youāre at a certain point in your training (beginner to intermediate), you may be the smartest guy in the gym, but not only might you not be able to fully read your body yet, but your development is usually so limited that you canāt really make broad assumptions about how your physique may react to certain approaches.
When I first read your question, I immediately remember an old Flex article ābyā Paul Dillet. In it he went on and on about how he trained āinstinctively.ā Of course to any relatively inexperienced gym rat, this is probably the worst type of article to read. Some type of structure is an absolute necessity when youāre first building a foundation. Later on though, as you physically develop, you will be in a much better position to ascertain what areas are lagging and need more, or possible just different, work, and what areas are responding well to what youāve been doing.
In my own case, while I used to plan off days, or even entire weeks off simply because everyone training in the 90ās was obsessed with recovery (usually too obsessed, and missing out a bit on possible gains IMO), I hardly ever took any rest days the last 8 years or so, and during contest preps, aside from 2 days over several years when I was truly in bed barely conscious from fever, there were no off days at all.
Now, that Iām not sporting the crushed velvet posing trunks again anytime soon, I find myself taking rest days for one of two reasons. 1- I truly need it. Iām 40, and Iād be lying if I said my joints didnāt ache a bit at times, or that I just felt a bit run down. 2- Life gets in the way. If I had non-gym commitments during a prep, Iād always find a way to train at 4am or something crazy. Now, if Iāve been up on a workday since 5, and Iām getting home after 10 at night, thereās no reason to kill myself trying to āfit in at least a short session.ā In the long run, I have no doubt that the rest after stressing my body mentally all day is the better call.
In terms of what I do at the gymā¦ like you, some days I like to do a lot of different exercises for a few sets each, while others I may just do one or two selections, but for plenty of sets. Currently training around my shoulder, there are days where I had planned to do x,y and z, but for whatever reason, y caused me a ton of pain. Simple fix, just pound away with x and z. I know that some people will hold firm to the stance that you can build a more complete physique by training every muscle from unlimited angles and positions. Others will swear that doing so is solely a way to thwart boredom and isnāt really needed.
Dorian Yates didnāt really change much of his exercise selections from the time he was an amateur all the way until he was a 6x Mr.Olympia winner. Then again, you will always find some people that just wonāt respond as well as our obviously gifted Mr. Yates to a similar approach.
My advice to you is to keep doing what youāre doing, but only as long as itās actually yielding you the results youāre after. Go heavy and hard on those days that youāre feeling great, and backing off on the days youāre a bit less than 100% (push the volume on those days instead). Always be mindful of what youāre physique is looking like. You may not be after a contest ready build, but I think itās safe to say that everyone who goes to the gym has some image in their mind that theyād like to eventually resemble.
S
I have 3 kids, my wife has 4 