Whoa... Slow Down!

[quote]jsbrook wrote:
I think less regimented plans are fine when maintatining size and just working on strength or training for fitness. When either gaining muscle or losing fat, more planning will yield better results for almost everyone in my opinion.[/quote]

I only “plan” when dieting. When gaining, my adjustments are based on the scale. If my weight isn’t increasing, I increase my food intake. I rarely get too specific about where each calorie is coming from (aside from just making sure the meals “revolve around” protein) and focus much more on strength increases.

I think planning your training works great, if used properly. I know I like to go into the gym with a plan because I don’t want to be in the gym sitting around thinking about what weight I used last week or trying to calculate what 75% of my 1RM is. Usually about an hour before I go to the gym I sit down and write what I’d like to accomplish when I get to the gym. I think what Tate is getting at, and other guys such as James Smith have discussed, is the concept of auto-regulation. This is a big part of DB Hammer’s training system as well. Your work capacity is different day to day and week to week.

Say for example that your work capacity for that day is 30 total reps of bench press at X amount of weight. Well then you would best be served doing as close to 30 reps as possible. If your plan calls for 3 x 10, that is great- you hit the nail on the head. But what if your capacity for that day was only 22 reps? Then you’re setting yourself up for overtraining (which might not be a bad thing in the short term). Or what if your work capacity is 40 reps? Then you’re going to wind up with stagnated growth.

I think it is a good idea for beginners to follow a structured plan, but they also have to be thinking about WHY they are doing what they are doing and using that to learn.

Every one is different and they are going to do what works for them.

I have been training for many years and I still keep a workout journal. The main reason I keep the journal is when I go up in weight. I record the weight I want to lift BEFORE I go lift. Its a way to see my progress.

To me its all about focus. I put on my headphones and get “in the zone”. I love it. I like the way it makes me feel. Just me and the weight. No bullshit, just my goal for that day. Relief of all the stress and other shit that I worry about. It is my quality time. It kind of reminds me of the article that TC posted last week, the “VISION QUEST”.

I didn’t mean to get of base there but I think you get the picture.

Lift Heavy,

JW

[quote]IHateGymMorons wrote:
gibberish[/quote]

You really are a fucking idiot. You totally lack the brain to comprehend what people say; not what you think they say with the very little brain power that has been bestowed upon you. No one was taking it too far on that thread except you.

Now go run along and try to be a John Berardi among 4 year olds. They just may listen to you and respect you.

For me, recording everything is anal.
I have occasionally kept a training journal, and I make the athletes I coach do so. But I don’t need one to tell you my bench press max, or how many chin-ups I did last Thursday. I can remember that. And if I want to slightly deviate from some program by some coach who has never met me, why shouldn’t I? I’ve been inhabiting my own body for 35 years. I have an idea what works, and what doesn’t.

I don’t weigh my food or count my calories either. Do I know what I should be eating? Yes. Do I know roughly how much I need to eat to maintain/lose/grow? Hmm- probably. And like training, it’s broad strokes, general principles that determine your progress. If you want to walk around with your food log and your workout journal, with 6 pens in your pocket protector, that’s your perogative. But I don’t want to do it.

[quote]deanosumo wrote:
For me, recording everything is anal.
I have occasionally kept a training journal, and I make the athletes I coach do so. But I don’t need one to tell you my bench press max, or how many chin-ups I did last Thursday. I can remember that. And if I want to slightly deviate from some program by some coach who has never met me, why shouldn’t I? I’ve been inhabiting my own body for 35 years. I have an idea what works, and what doesn’t.

I don’t weigh my food or count my calories either. Do I know what I should be eating? Yes. Do I know roughly how much I need to eat to maintain/lose/grow? Hmm- probably. And like training, it’s broad strokes, general principles that determine your progress. If you want to walk around with your food log and your workout journal, with 6 pens in your pocket protector, that’s your perogative. But I don’t want to do it.[/quote]

Deano, what do you coach over in Japan?

[quote]JWpushheavy wrote:
deanosumo wrote:
For me, recording everything is anal.
I have occasionally kept a training journal, and I make the athletes I coach do so. But I don’t need one to tell you my bench press max, or how many chin-ups I did last Thursday. I can remember that. And if I want to slightly deviate from some program by some coach who has never met me, why shouldn’t I? I’ve been inhabiting my own body for 35 years. I have an idea what works, and what doesn’t.

I don’t weigh my food or count my calories either. Do I know what I should be eating? Yes. Do I know roughly how much I need to eat to maintain/lose/grow? Hmm- probably. And like training, it’s broad strokes, general principles that determine your progress. If you want to walk around with your food log and your workout journal, with 6 pens in your pocket protector, that’s your perogative. But I don’t want to do it.

Deano, what do you coach over in Japan?

[/quote]

Rugby.