I’ve been pretty strictly following the BBB program so far and am in the first week of the 3rd cycle right now.
During the 1st cycle, the 5 x 10 sets felt easy. In the 2nd cycle, they became challenging. But now I am failing. I can’t complete set 4 and 5 without cheating in some kind of way, like longer rest periots or pauses during the set.
So the question is: which parameter is the best to cheat on?
Longer rest periods, but keep weight, reps and sets the same
less reps per set, but keep weight, rest and number of sets the same
Lighter weight, but keep everything else according to schedule
One of the purposes of BBB is to increase the assistance volume in order to illicit growth. If you miss a rep or two on the last sets, don’t fret. Just make sure you are training the muscle, not the movement. Keep your training dense, meaning don’t increase your rest periods. You want your muscles to fatigue and break down so you can build them back bigger and stronger.
And finally, make sure you are eating like a motherfucker (as clean as you can), stretching and sleeping to recover properly. Make recovery as big of a priority as training. No recovery = no growth and a wasted BBB cycle.
You are doing 50% of your training max right? So that’s only 2.5# and 5# jumps on the BBB work per cycle. If you are on your third cycle, that means the upper body work is only 5 lbs heavier and lower is 10 lbs heavier than when you started 1-2 months ago. You shouldn’t be struggling with this, unless you’re doing 3 month challenge.
DAVE 101: No, in the third cycle, its 5 x 10 @ 70 % of your TM, which has already increased. So its more than a linear incline. And 50 reps @ 70 % is really not that easy.
Eat more. It’s called a “challenge” for a reason. It’s supposed to be difficult and when a man decides to conquer a challenge he does what he needs to in order to win.
[quote]The Tie wrote:
DAVE 101: No, in the third cycle, its 5 x 10 @ 70 % of your TM, which has already increased. So its more than a linear incline. And 50 reps @ 70 % is really not that easy.[/quote]
Hence why I asked if you were actually doing the 3 month challenge, BBB assistance work does not automatically imply this.
Well, at the moment I’m trying not to exceed 300 calories over maintenance too often. I’ve tried eating more earlier this year, but most of what I gained was fat.
[quote]The Tie wrote:
Well, at the moment I’m trying not to exceed 300 calories over maintenance too often. I’ve tried eating more earlier this year, but most of what I gained was fat. [/quote]
[quote]The Tie wrote:
Well, at the moment I’m trying not to exceed 300 calories over maintenance too often. I’ve tried eating more earlier this year, but most of what I gained was fat. [/quote]
then dont bother[/quote]
Exactly. You were given the solution and won’t accept it. And wont follow the program as laid out. Not sure what you expected.