Hello All…What do you think is the best way to add weight to the bar: every workout until you can’t or slow progression every couple of weeks? I am pretty much just doing compound lifts with a little isolation.
I like something like double or triple progression - when you’re blowing away the top end of your rep range, add some weight.
I personally don’t like the specifically pre-planned progressions; it just takes away all the fun for me and really adds a ton of unrealistic “training is performance” kind of pressure/ frustration. I think that’s all pretty individual, though.
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I like these when I’m trying to put on muscle, mainly because it vectors me. I think “Ok, I need to eat and rest well enough so that I CAN do X on Y date”. It’s a similar effect to when I have a strongman competition I am training for: I know when the deadline is and I know what the expectation is, so I have to do what it takes to get there.
But in periods of fat loss or maintenance? Exactly: too much pressure, and it doesn’t conform to a chaotic lifestyle. For that, I much prefer some autoregulation.
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If you try to add weight every workout, you might burn out or risk injury faster. Progressing gradually gives your body time to adapt and recover, which is key for long-term gains. It’s like that “slow and steady wins the race” vibe, you know? Just make sure you’re hitting proper form, too, don’t just add weight for the sake of it. Small, consistent jumps every couple of weeks will keep you on track without overloading too quickly.
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Could you please give an example of autoregulation?
I aim to progress in some form every session, whether it is in weight or reps.
Even in a deficit that is my goal. I know that the longer I am in a deficit the less chance of progress there is but, I do not want to go into a session thinking it is ok to be weaker simply because I am in a caloric deficit.
That’s a fancy way of saying “go by feel”
Oh,Got it..lol thanks
I used to try and add weight to the bar every workout, 90%+ for months on end. Deload? Didn’t know what that was.
This style actually got me really far. I progressed faster and got stronger faster FOR sure doing it this way. Was it reckless? Also yes.
I had a much higher instances of small “petty” injuries as I kept progressing, little tweaks that’d set me back 2-3 weeks at a time. These added up. Had a lot more walls I kept hitting and a lot more frustration. But I did get results.
Now and days though I do a lot of Submax Work. I like Sheiko alot (I don’t run his programs though) and Pavel also talks about it in his podcast with Joe, Yury Belkin, Malanichev and Konstantin even. Staying with the same weight for a few weeks before bumping it up another 10-20lbs and repeat. I add reps instead of weight. Or sets instead of weight and reps.
This is much more sustainable for me. I also enjoy it. It weeds out the impatient individuals and it allows me to practice. Strength is a skill like anything else.
At first I thought I wasn’t getting stronger but then I realized if I started off with, let’s say, 200 on the bench for 3 reps, which felt heavy as shit and was slow, then 3 weeks later I do 200 for sets of 3 and it feels like a feather in my hands and I can smile while doing it… Well. If that isn’t getting stronger I don’t know what is.
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This sounds good to me. Thank you !
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Back when I first started training, bodybuilding.com was around. There was a program I liked that I found there called Allpro, named by the guy who made it.
Three days per week. M,W,F. Fullbody with Squat, Bench, RDL, BB Rows, BB curls, BB calf raises being the lifts.
Monday was heavy, Wednesday was Medium and Friday was light.
Done in 5 week blocks where your top sets each week added a rep with max at 12 reps for 2 sets. Week 1 was 8 reps for 2 sets. Week 2 would be 9 reps, etc.
On week 5 if you hit 12 reps on both sets, add 10 percent and go back to 8s.
Great for linear progression while on a diet.
I don’t do it anymore, but I never see anyone mention it and I thought it was pretty slick.
Only thing I would and did add was a lat pull.
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I really like your approach to training. Setting clear, deadline driven goals gives you a concrete focus and helps guide your nutrition and rest, which is key for making the most progress.
How do you balance the challenge of progressing in weight or reps while staying in a caloric deficit, especially when you know that prolonged periods of being in a deficit can affect strength and performance?
It is not an issue until deep in a fat loss phase and I do not do it often. When in that phase pre-wo, peri-wo nutrition, what I ate the day before (glycogen stores) is considered much more.
Natural BB’s are making progress and maintaining their strength up until a few weeks out from competition.
For most people it should not be an issue. They should be making progress even in a deficit but, they think “I am in a deficit, I am dieting, therefore I am going to lose muscle and/or strength”. I avoid that mentality.
Many people also start at too big of a deficit which does not support proper training.
Whats your opinion of using density as a way to progressive overload? As an older (54) lifter going heavier or higher reps isnt always in the cards. I have been playing with timing my sets.
Dan John is a big fan of a density based approach. His book “The Armor Building Formula” talks to that. In addition, one of the most effective programs I’ve ever run was based on density. Jon Andersen’s “Deep Water” beginner program has you go from 4 minutes of rest between sets to 2 minutes of rest with 10x10 squats, deadlifts, pressing and push pressing. His intermediate program has you go from 10x10 to 100 reps in 9 sets and then 100 reps in 8 sets. To this day, it’s the hardest program I’ve ever run in my life, and also the most effective.
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Gonna look them both up. With an older back a density type approach might be a good choice for summer. Thanks
I would definitely lean more towards Dan John’s work if the concern is an older back. Deep Water is going to demand a LOT out of you.
That was the one I was leaning toward
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Not to steer you away from it because Dan’s stuff is great but, you could also check out CT’s layer system. You can search for write ups on here. It would be easy to make slight tweaks as needed.
You ramp up to a daily 2-5RM max based on autoregulation take a percentage of that and perform clusters.
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