[quote]flipcollar wrote:
[quote]erik_carlson wrote:
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
hey man. just one comment for now.
That squat set got way too grindy for my taste. If you’re seeing the progress you want to see, disregard this, but in my opinion, that’s too heavy. You’re waiting way too long between reps. That’s almost 5 sets of 1. Your average training session probably shouldn’t look like this, particularly if hypertrophy is a priority. I would also suggest working in a variety of rep ranges on the squat. Do sets of 10, and even 20 from time to time. These are awesome for growth. And even if strength is your priority, I still find sets at higher reps to be of tremendous value.
For me, when I do a 5x5, I want at least my first couple sets to be piston-like. I want to be able to knock the reps out continuously. Even by the last set I wouldn’t be pausing that long between reps. Just something to consider. At the end of the day, you need to do what works best for you, these are just some options to explore.[/quote]
Dude, that’s actually some really great input. I’ve been wondering if my sets are taking too long and also have been considering varying rep-ranges. I’ve found that I’m getting stronger incrementally each week, but I never get a leg pump and my legs aren’t growing like I have been hoping. I think that doing what you said and throwing in some high-rep squats and trying to keep my 5x5 work sets at a quicker pace will definitely help.
What’s the best way to implement the high rep sets? Should I do a couple weeks of 5x5, then maybe a couple weeks of 4x10, then do a week where I do maybe 3x8 w/ a 20 rep set tacked on at the end as kind of a “finisher”? Thanks so much for your reply!
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To me, lifting weights is lifting weights. A zillion ways this can work. I like to do high and low rep sets every week. For a long time, I would work up to 1 or 2 heavy sets, in the 1-5 rep range, depending on how I was feeling that day. Then I might drop to 50 or 60% and knock out 5 sets of 10, or something along those lines.
These days I have 2 squat days a week, where I’m basically splitting that work up. So on my heavy day, I’ll work up to a heavy single, double, or triple. On my light day, I’ll do much more volume, completely avoiding grinders. Even if a big set (10+ reps) ends up very taxing by the end of it, you shouldn’t be forcing out reps that cause form breakdown. [/quote]
Right on. What I’ve decided to try is instead of 5x5 for Bench, Squat, and Press, I’m going to do 3x5 with the third set being heavy and if I feel good I will shoot for a 5rm, then I will knock out 3x10 with shorter rest at like 60%. Pull-ups will be similar, 3x5 heavy, then 3 sets of as many reps as possible unweighted. I’m keeping deadlift at 5x5, I’ve found that to be my “sweet spot”, and I do not like high rep deadlifts.
For assistance work I’ve been doing the Double Progression model that CT recommends. 4 sets of 6-8 or 8-10 reps, stay at same weight until I can knock out all sets at the top end of the rep range, then increase weight next workout.