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My Breakthroughs
With professor Urban.
After an injury that has decimated my deadlift
numbers I have had to re-tool. I fixed
my squat form and have taken a routine Carnal Salvation gave me and applied
it with great results. Recently Dave
Tate called the attainment of this kind of understanding a breakthrough
moment. Here are some of the things
I've learned over 16 weeks after two years of sloppy
lifting practices:
- Make progress every
week. Do more reps per set, more weight and/or more volume. If you
strive to do more each week (even if it's only by 5 more lbs, 1 more
rep in a couple of the sets, or another set or two) you will be
alarmed at how fast you progress. I do this on all my exercises from
deadlifts to overhead presses to squats. If you use progressively
heavier weight each set (like I do on squats and deads), next week try
to add five lbs to each weight you used last week.
- Keep a physical
log. Keeping one online is not nearly as useful as having one you can
take to the gym. Mine looks like this:
each entry is formatted as follows -
Quote:
I use commas if all I do is change weight at a set number of reps or reps
at a set weight. So 5 reps on squats
at 135, then 5 at 185, etc. A semicolon
shows a change in things, so the snatches stalled at 135 but I didn’t want
to lower the weight. Sometimes I’ll
just write the same weight in twice cause it’s
easier for me (see 170 on overhead shrugs).
A brace is something I use to show something was supersetted. My bodyweight is written in the margin,
and the workout day number is written in big bold print so I can reference
what I did last week easily. You can
use my system or come up with your own.
BUT KEEP A LOG! Get a
mechanical pencil that will fit in the spiral so you always have something
to write with and you're good to go. You're going to rest in between sets
anyways, do something useful with that time and write shit down.
- Forget about
percentages. I have been lifting with high sets and low reps and it's
been working wonderfully. On squats and lower body work I work with
progressively harder weights for triples (so like 3@135, 155, 175,
195, 215, 225, 235, 240) until I miss a triple (maybe only 2 @ 250)
then I lower the weight to something I can triple and work back up for
a couple more sets (3@225, 230, 235 if I'm really not feeling it, or I
may work up to another attempt at 250). I never think about
percentages of my one rep max any more. On incline presses I do 6 x 3,
so I'll use the first two to build up (3@ 135, 145) and the last four
sets at a set weight (4x3 @ 150). If I don't fail on any sets I
increase the weight next time.
- Set goals small
and big. I want to strict military press 200 lbs, that's a big goal of
mine. However, I also want to hit 10x3 @ 120 in under 15 minutes
before I increase the weight I'm using on day 1 of my routine, that's
a more short term goal of mine, something I can achieve in less than a
month. You need tangible long term goals (a total you want, a lift you
want, whatever, something quantifiable), but more importantly you need
goals you can achieve this month (another 10 lbs on an exercise, a rep
goal inside a time limit, etc.). These short term goals will keep you
really motivated and really moving.
- Frequency will fix
your shitty lifts. I deadlifted three times a week last semester, and not surprisingly, I did really
well with my deadlifts (which btw are a lift that will often progress
despite neglect). What I didn't do well on were my squats and presses.
However, this time around I've greatly increased my time under a bar
(squatting or pressing) and have been making good gains. Got an
exercise that sucks? I think much of the time you can solve this by
performing it or its variants more often, adding more volume and
avoiding extensive exposure to failure. This is particularly true for
overhead lifts, which need some special attention throughout the week.
- Failure is not the
enemy; it's just not your friend. I fail all the time in what I do
now, but it's not something I strive for. If I fail on a set I lower
the weight on the next set, but it's these sets where you're finding
your limits. I don't "rep out" on anything and just keep
cranking our reps until I can't. I have a rep goal each set, and I
strive for that and based upon my success or failure with that goal, I
adjust my weight accordingly for the next set or next week. Failing on
more than 10-20% of your sets is too much.
- Don't just go
through the motions. Get psyched up! Focus on the movement. There's a
lot of mental work that goes into progressing each week. If you get
under the bar with a doubt you will fail this set.
- Work hard. Unknown
to me there were veterans on the board who suspected my shitty results
were the result of shitty effort. I am sure that I thought I was
working plenty hard, and that I would explain my reasoning for my
latest paradigm shift and how this was going to work great... but then
didn't. In any event, if you work hard, push yourself and strive to
get better on a regular basis, you will get stronger. I promise.
- When you find
something that works, stick with it until it doesn't. Sure, read about
all the latest crazes and whatnot, but stay away from them until what
you're doing now stops working. For me, and my recovering abilities
low reps high set work has been fantastic, but even with all the shit
I've learned I'm tempted to go onto some
"goofy shit" (as carnal would call it). Complex training
DOES sound good, but I want to go as far as I can with what I'm doing
now before I change. So complex training gets put on hold until I'm
ready.
Some specifics:
- Squatting is all in
the hips. We all know to sit back and not down, but most people forget
that the concentric portion of the movement is just the opposite. Push
your hips forward (this is hip extension) and it will right your back
position and stand you up right all in one fell swoop. Drive your head
back and thrust your hips forward to squat.
- Overhead presses
require practice throughout the week. They respond well to greater
frequency and avoiding failure better than most lifts. I’ve also
notice that the additional time under the bar has changed (for the
better) how well I do narrow grip and incline presses and I’m
convinced it will have great carryover to my flat bench (should I
concern myself with it again some time at a later date).
- Unilateral
exercises are still an area of debate for me. I know they did not help
my squats for shit when I was doing them, but everyone I know who
plays a sport (field or combat) says they work well for them. Perhaps
I’ll look into them when I go back to trying some goofy shit.
Last Updated 1/24/06
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