I’ve been reading a lot about Mike Israetel’s RIR methodology and I still can’t wrap my head around how one progresses on it.
So let’s say, my personal best is 10 reps of 100kg on a bench press. I’ve just begun a new bulking program and bench press is the first exercise in workout 1. I also want to implement 3 RIR in week 1.
Week 1 = 7 reps of 100kg BP with 3 RIR
Week 2 = 8 reps of 100kg BP with 2 RIR
Week 3 = 9 reps of 100kg BP with 1 RIR
Week 4 = 10 reps of 100kg BP with 0 RIR
How the hell have I gotten stronger or progressed when I was literally just doing less than what I was capable of in Week 1, in which I could have easily just done 10 reps of 100kg, and then in week 4 I performed the reps that I would fail on.
I can’t seem to reconcile how doing fewer reps than what you can do, and then ramping up to your max reps is true progression, when you could have done your max reps from week 1 and just attempted to beat your max week on week.
You do more than 1 set of bench press per week, so you’re Accumulating a bunch of good reps to grow on.
Like in week one, you do 7 reps when you maybe could do 10. By “saving” that little bit of energy on the 1st set, you allow yourself to get another set of 6-7. So now you’ve done 3 or 4 “extra” reps. By week 3 your sets my go like 9 reps then 8 reps for 7 “extras.”
These “extra” reps add up over the course of the training cycle to drive your progress.
Then, you gotta have some confidence and know you got stronger! On week 4 don’t tie your old number, do 11 reps!
Israetel believes in volume accumulation. Simply put if your max is 100, then doing 5sets of 10 @ 50% is more than doing 1 set of 1 rep of 100. Also you can do endless sets of 50% accumulating almost endless amounts of volume while you cant accumulate any by doing 100%…
I used to believe the same. I then worked with a powerlifting coach, and he had me do lots of sub maximal sets. I’d often do a main lift with two variations on it. Squat day might be: Squats, paused squats, then banded squats. I’d follow that up with stuff like leg presses, extensions… I was often doing weight that seemed too easy. However, after about 6 months of doing that, I was significantly stronger.
The thing is doing that 0 RIR set taxes my body quite a bit. I may be able to go in and do 8-10 sets on the main and variations one day a week, but I can’t do that 4 days a week if doing 0 RIR sets.
I think for it to work well, most people have to do more total work since they aren’t going to failure.
I think adding reps and or adding sets is a good way for many to progress after they struggle with adding weight each week.
I’d also like to add that in theory on week 1 you are still growing because you are getting some effective reps or growth reps in. Maybe on 1 though, then each week you are progressing the amount of effective reps you doing, so maybe 2 reps in week 2 etc
Is this how his programmes are written or are you just taking his trading philosophy are using it yourself? Just wondering.
I have been running JuggernautAI recently, and it follows the same principles. I was highly, highly skeptical. but it works. All my lifts have gone up, as I dropped bodyweight.
Look, i studied politics in college, I am NOT the guy to discuss why it works, but it does. give it a shot and see how it works for you