What does everyone consider to be progress in your weigh training regiman? I mean, what makes you feel like you have really gotten stronger. Lately, for me, it seems like if I can get one rep more per set, I’m thrilled, but this at the same time angers me, since I am not dieting, and want to be making better gains. Am I asking too much of myself? I want two reps more per workout, per exercise, assuming normal rep ranges
1-5lbs extra per week depending on exercise, for same number of reps. That’s 50-250lbs per year. You really think anyone can get more than this? Add 2.5lbs/week to your squat for 2 years. That’s up 250lbs. The difference between a 300-350lbs squat (beginner weight) and a 550-600lbs squat is unreal. It’s all you can ask for. Most people can’t add 250lbs to a squat in 10 years.
Greg
If you think about it, 1 extra rep on a 10-rep set is a 10% increase in workload, which is a lot! I don’t think you should ever be upset with a 1-rep increase.
training age has a LOT to do with this. Early in your lifting life, two additional reps isn’t too uncommon. But if you’ve been at it for a few years, and you’re pushing for PRs, then just getting an extra rep can be a BIG step.
Progress: 1 extra rep, 1 extra pound, 1 extra cut, 1 extra bulge, 1 extra vein, 1 extra smile from a cute girl
It’s seeing muscles ‘grow’ out of your skin. (yes, I know it’s really the fat going away…but this way sounds better) It’s looking in the mirror and suddenly seeing definition were you are SURE there wasn’t any yesterday. It’s seeing someone for the first time in months and haveing them say ‘wow, you’ve lost a ton of weight’ It’s realizing you can fit in pants that were skin tight at Christmas. You can’t always measure it in your workout log, I’m happy to see any changes. If you want better gains, try switching up your workout, that helps sometimes.
Anything. An extra 5 lbs, an extra rep, workout done in less time, better form (especially on Olympic lifts), etc. As long as something improves from workout to workout I’m happy.
linear proggression, as indicated doesn’t work. Maybe for a while it will, but then you are doomed to get hurt.
I log my workouts and try to do a little bit more volume then b4. Its difficult to increase in volume in every bodypart of your routine unless you are on good recovery drugs. Since my goal is hypertrophy i measure my body eight and fat %. What are your goals: Hypertophy, fat loss, power? As long as you can be improve upon your goal then you should be satisfied. laters pk
Princess, I have seen some professional bodybuilders who add washers to their previous workout’s weight because of their advanced training age and the fact that they ALWAYS want to see an improvement…no matter how small it may seem to others. Any improvement…reps, weight, tempo, whatever…is going in the right direction and is cause for celebration.
Out of every twelve week program I do, I almost always end with 3 weeks of low rep, powerlifter style training. One of the great things about training journals is that you can see your progress very vividly. At first I expected 25lbs on the core lifts at least every twelve weeks of training, but after maybe two of these 12 week cycles this became unrealistic. Now I would usually expect about 10-15lbs on the core lifts, and a 5lb increase in muscle mass if not cutting. This is not overly dramatic in only one twelve week period, but string this together over a few years, and then you can talk about gains of 30 or 40 lbs of muscle and increases of a hundred pounds on the bench and so forth. Consistency is the key to success.
You ARE being hard on yourself. My method, I of coarse use a notebook and if my progress stops for two successive workouts, I change the load, (6 rep sets to 4 or 3 rep sets) the tempo, or dump the exercise altogether or at least change the order.
When guys ask me what I’m training for. Which is happening more often since John Davies came aboard.