There is still the same opinion - whatever is based on subjective evaluation is non-systemic and very risky. Although the study revealed the small benefits for RPE, the article states that it is also appropriate to use a percentage of the maximum… I must have a system in my training plan. I will continue to keep strictly written training schedule.
I was intrigued by Tuchscherer’s testing TRAC, when you measure the heart rate per minute every morning (lying and standing) to measure fatigue. I think if a lifter is able to use this test perfectly, it’s very beneficial for his the training plan.
Does TRAC still include heart rate measurements? I tried using it for a while about a year ago and the heart rate part was optional, I also signed up for one of his experimental programs (which I didn’t actually do because I didn’t like the program) and we were advised to use TRAC but skip the HR part. He said at some point that they were going to use some other measurement instead. Other than that, TRAC (when I used it) was just a couple of questions about how sore your upper and lower body are, how fatigued you feel, and how motivated you are to train. It seemed like common sense stuff, if you are always sore, tired, and unmotivated then you are probably not recovering well.
As far as using RPE, Mike recently posted something on Facebook where he was talking about another way to apply RPE, basically you would look at this week’s RPE and then plan next week’s weights based on that. That is pretty much what I started doing on my own.
If I’m not mistaken, TRAC = heart rate measurement.
"TRAC consists of three tests: The Orthostatic Test, the Reaction Time test, and the Tap Test.All tests are performed in that order first thing when you wake up in the morning. The first test we’ll discuss is the Orthostatic Test. This test seems to be the most difficult, but it’s really not hard once you get the hang of it. There are two versions of the test; the test for those with a heart rate monitor and a test for those without a heart rate monitor.
The Orthostatic Test (with a HR monitor) I suggest that if you have a HR monitor, you spend some time with it to familiarize yourself with the basic functions of your particular monitor. You will need the following capabilities to perform the TRAC orthostatic test: Average HR over a period of time Current HR Time elapsed (a stopwatch feature)
After you have familiarized yourself with how your heart rate monitor works, try performing the test once or twice to get used to the procedure. This way, it’s no big deal when you perform it for real. You want to be relaxed when performing the actual test. To perform the Orthostatic test, first lay on the floor on your back for 1 minute. This is to allow your heart rate to damp out a bit. After the first minute, as you lie there start your HR Monitor.Lay still and try to think of nothing. You stay here for 2 more minutes – use the stopwatch feature on your HR monitor to watch the time. At the end of this 2 minute period, you find your average heart rate. This is HR1 and you need to remember this number. Start your watch recording again. Now stand up. Watch your current HR after you are standing. It will climb up to a peak. Note the peak number – This is HR2. After it peaks, it will fall steadily for a short period of time. Note the lowest point that it falls to before it begins to climb back up – This is HR3. At this point, you should switch back to your stopwatch view. For most people, HR2 and HR3 will occur within 20-45 seconds of standing. So continue to watch the stopwatch until it reaches 1 minute. Now stop the watch and start it again as you remain standing. Allow it to record for one full minute and note the Average HR over that minute. This is HR4. The reason you stop it and start it again is so you don’t include the HR2/HR3 minute in HR4. At this point, the test is complete and you enter the values in the TRAC data entry page.
Orthostatic Test (without HR monitor) If you don’t have a HR monitor, you can still perform the orthostatic test. The report it generates is still reliable, it will just include somewhat less information. If you don’t have a HR monitor, you will not be able to get HR2 or HR3 readings. Thus your test will be solely for HR1 and HR4. In this test, you lie on the floor on your back for two minutes. This is to allow your heart rate to damp out a bit before the reading begins. At the end of two minutes, you need to find your pulse (on the wrist is preferable) and count the number of heartbeats for one minute. This number is HR1. At this point stand up and remain standing for 1 minute. After this minute has elapsed, find your pulse again. Count the number of heartbeats for another minute. This is HR4. Now your test is complete. Put your HR1 and HR4 numbers in the appropriate spaces in the TRAC data entry page.
Subjective Tests These are pretty self-explanatory. Just go through each question and select the answer that most describes you right now. Soreness questions are divided up by grouping (legs, upper body “push” muscles, upper body “pull” muscles). There is really nothing more to explain with these questions since they are so simple."
That was part of it, yes, but like I said we were advised to skip the HR part. This may be an old article that you are quoting here, I know that there was a “tap test” at one time but they had taken that out by the time that I tried TRAC. All that we were told to do was the subjective tests.
In my opinion, Mike Israetel’s MRV concept makes more sense - basically if your performance is down for several sessions in a row you have exceeded your ability to recover, either due to excessive training volume or stresses outside of the gym. I haven’t seen any of Mike T’s more recent programs but in the past he seemed to keep people in a perpetual state of overtraining. Have you read his article “You Are NOT Overtrained!”? That was his mentality for a long time and it got him to the point where he can no longer deadlift or back squat. There is plenty to be learned from him still, but he’s a “trial and error” kind of guy.
I’m pretty sure he got banned. It sounds like “glaber” was his second account, all the stuff in that training log must have been fake. Gaelic probably can’t even bench the unimpressive 141kg he claims, he is just some bullshit internet troll. My guess is that he was trying to impress up with his “knowledge” so that people would pay him for coaching, he claimed to be coaching this glaber character and said that several people contact him each week to write programs for him.
if the second account to get people for his coaching thing is true, he actually is a right out dick lol. His lifts weren’t even that impressive for a 105kg (i think he was) lifter…
That’s what I assume was going on. There were some posts that got deleted where both of them were starting some shit with me and then glaber started replying to his own posts as though he were gaelic, like he forgot to log out of one account before posting with the other one. It seemed like a pretty idiotic scheme, probably he is unemployed. Glaber’s supposed lifts weren’t incredible but they were decent, if you can coach someone to that level then it shows that you aren’t incompetent but there was nothing special about the program that he was supposed to be doing, just the competition lifts with undulating intensity.
I wouldn’t have imagined that he (or anyone) would try something like that, but there are all kinds of scams on the internet these days.
About Big Ray in gear… he’d be world class, for sure, but at some point, the soft tissues in the knee and bones can only handle so much. Vlad Alhazov destroyed his knee in multi-ply when he was squatting 1250. He now competes raw and has successfully squatted 505 kg (1111 lbs) raw in knee wraps.
Yeah, but first of all what exactly happened when Vlad busted up his knee? Did his knees go in a direction they aren’t meant to or what? And the other thing is that knee wraps provide some protection against acute injury, despite the fact that they increase compressive forces and overusing them can lead to cartilage degeneration.
What happens in gear is that eventually the suit reaches a limit where it wont allow any more hip flexion and the knee will move forward. Watch knee injury videos (Mark Bell, Ed Coan, etc.) and you’ll see the knee move forward slightly before collapse. Yes, the gear does protect but the increased weight it allows the lifetr to handle cancels pout any protection the gear affords.
Whats good about keeping the walkout in the squat is it limits the squat poundage to what the lifter can walk with.
I am personally split on the sheiko routines. I have used them and i feel like they contributed greatly to my deadlift and somewhat to my squat, but not much to my bench. I think perhaps the lack of accessory really plays out with bench at least in my case. Still experimenting and figuring it out though.
