As some may have noticed, I have lately been posting about problems with my back and it’s forcing me to rethink lifting. People have suggested pre-exhaustion and not just to me either. I’m not big on the whole mind-muscle thing and hound for ever heavier weights.
For example, I have been lately repping out for a dozen in the high 200’s (steadily nearing 300) in the bent over row, but I’m not going to try that anytime soon as it could be murder for my back. Even more puzzling is the whole posterior chain/legs department.
So thereotically speaking, let’s say I make a massive drop in the weights I’m rowing, for example, and start my upper back workout with several sets of lat pulldowns, followed by rows. Exactly what does the body ‘think’ about moving to far lesser weight in a given exercise, relative to the past, but in the presence of the pre-exhaustion and somewhat more strict form?
I suppose that in the long run, being careful, I could reach and top my former ‘fresh’ max in a pre-exhausted state of being and be generally a lot stronger than before but exactly how realistic is this?
Is it possible for the max in the former primary lift to keep increasing steady despite the use of lesser weight or does it necessarily take a plunge only to be reached again some unidentified time in the future?
What are the consequences hypertrophy wise?
When it comes to movements like squatting (say you burn out the quads in the leg press first or something) or the above mentioned row, I would expect the erectors would initially atrophy (in the absence of specific work) as they would have to bear/stabilize far less weight.