Urban’s Soapbox

Places to Go

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