Sure, there’s some of that. But every program you just mentioned works.
Which is why ‘paralysis by analysis’ ends up just being a shitty excuse. Because we all know that doing something is better than nothing, right? Like even IF it were true (and it isn’t) that there is truly a best program, doing the 3rd or 4th best program in the world may not be ‘optimal’, but it would be far better than ‘paralysis’, doing nothing. So the man who chooses not to pick any program rather than at least choosing SOMETHING is either a fool or lazy. Period.
… which is why this is definitively not true. The primary culprit for people not getting big and strong is a lack of effort, not the inability to ascertain the right information. Making the ‘wrong’ decision between any of the programs you listed still yields a big strong person. Eating like shit and not lifting yields a weak, small person.
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I don’t disagree that poor training effort and poor nutrition are also major culprits of lack of results for a trainee, but analysis paralysis is also a culprit for lack of results for many people. The mental angst of not being able to make a decision is strong in people prone to overanalyzing things. It’s not a matter of being lazy, as the person is often aware of the fact that most programs are effective.
What has helped me the last few months is focusing primarily on a consistent habit (2-3x/week strength, 1-2x/week cardio) and pushing hard on a core set of movements that are kept consistent, regardless of how closely I was following a program. I’ve also found it useful to track max effort or amrap sets in a table.
change this out for tracking SetsxReps and weight, and you’ve uncovered the secret to gains. RPE is too subjective IMO and AMRAP varies considerably pending prior training intensity.
I track sets, reps and weight along with exercises in Sheets on my phone during training sessions. You can’t adjust course if you dont know what course you’ve been following 
I have it set up as shown below. Only amrap sets or sets worked up to a 3-5 rep max are entered.
| Deadlift |
|
|
|
| date |
weight |
reps completed |
est. 1RM |
| 9/29/2021 |
175 |
8 |
222 |
| 10/10/2021 |
170 |
11 |
232 |
| 10/17/2021 |
180 |
9 |
234 |
| 11/7/2021 |
190 |
10 |
253 |
|  |
|
|
| Barbell bench press |
|
|
|
| date |
weight |
reps completed |
est. 1RM |
| 8/17/2021 |
155 |
2 |
165 |
| 8/24/2021 |
135 |
8 |
171 |
| 8/30/2021 |
140 |
6 |
168 |
| 9/17/2021 |
155 |
4 |
176 |
| 9/29/2021 |
125 |
10 |
167 |
| 10/12/2021 |
140 |
5 |
163 |
| 10/21/2021 |
125 |
12 |
175 |
| 10/27/2021 |
132.5 |
10 |
177 |
| 11/1/2021 |
140 |
7 |
173 |
| 11/19/2021 |
135 |
8 |
171 |
| 11/28/2021 |
165 |
3 |
181 |
|  |
|
|
Not bad, but it might be more beneficial to have sets and reps in there, unless you are doing only one set of these weights…?
reason being is i could deadlift say 500lbs 20 times but it took me 20 sets and 4 hours to do, or i could just do something like 425lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps.
just an example, but the two are pretty different
That is not my mentality. That was my fear behind the creation of DW. I can’t speak for other people, but in my opinion DW would require more time for training and eating that I currently can prioritize. Yes I’ve read it - and a fascinating read/program it is.
These sets are worked up to a top amrap. I also have a workout notebook where I record all sets and weights for each exercise.
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It looks like a decent way to push yourself to higher weights, but i’m a little hesitant regarding tonnage progression (total weight lifted, 165x3 = 495). it looks alright for improving 1RM but the training load is all over the place. I’m not one to focus on strength training, so there’s probably better people to ask regarding this - but in terms of hypertrophy, this is a bit too inconsistent for my liking.
I like to focus progress on squats, deadlifts, incline bench by doing 5x5 ramping. If this works for you though - dont let me downplay it.
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