On May 14 2012 02:06 Zafrumi wrote: yeah RPT seems to be good. do you by any chance have a link to an instruction of somekind? I dont really know what RPT exactly means, except that you just do one heavy set and lower the weights for the following sets.
The basic idea is that you do your heaviest set first, then the next set you do at a 10% lower weight but you add one rep, and then the last set you do 10% lighter again and another additional rep. That way you get to lift the heaviest weight when you still feel freshest and once your body gets tired, the weights decrease with it so that you can still maintain your technique.
The specifics of RPT are pretty much up to you. From what I understand, RPT simply refers to starting with your heaviest set and then decreasing the weight while increasing the reps afterwards. The exact exercises and rep-ranges depend on you. Personally, I've decided to keep it as close to my SS workout as possible, so I'm doing the normal SS exercises and my first set is 4 reps, my second set 5, and my third set 6.
It's really worked wonders for me. Before I started RPT I was stuck on 107kg 3x5 squats for a few weeks. I switched to RPT and managed to work myself up to 130kg first set (so 130kg x4, 118kg x5, 105kg x6) in about 3 weeks. After stopping my cut I've moved back to 3x5 and today I finished 120kg 3x5 with relative ease, so I'm definitely considerably stronger than I was before RPT. I actually like RPT so much for squats that I'm planning to stick with it even though I'm no longer on a strict cut. When I was doing SS, my technique would always be a bit shit on the last rep or two of the last sets as my body would just be too tired to keep everything tight. With RPT, the slight decrease in weight helps me to maintain my form even after my body gets tired.
thanks for this probably going with the layout of the advanced novice program and just do it RPT-style. except for deadlifts maybe? cant imagine doing another set of 5-6 reps after doing max effort...
On May 14 2012 02:06 Zafrumi wrote: yeah RPT seems to be good. do you by any chance have a link to an instruction of somekind? I dont really know what RPT exactly means, except that you just do one heavy set and lower the weights for the following sets.
The basic idea is that you do your heaviest set first, then the next set you do at a 10% lower weight but you add one rep, and then the last set you do 10% lighter again and another additional rep. That way you get to lift the heaviest weight when you still feel freshest and once your body gets tired, the weights decrease with it so that you can still maintain your technique.
The specifics of RPT are pretty much up to you. From what I understand, RPT simply refers to starting with your heaviest set and then decreasing the weight while increasing the reps afterwards. The exact exercises and rep-ranges depend on you. Personally, I've decided to keep it as close to my SS workout as possible, so I'm doing the normal SS exercises and my first set is 4 reps, my second set 5, and my third set 6.
It's really worked wonders for me. Before I started RPT I was stuck on 107kg 3x5 squats for a few weeks. I switched to RPT and managed to work myself up to 130kg first set (so 130kg x4, 118kg x5, 105kg x6) in about 3 weeks. After stopping my cut I've moved back to 3x5 and today I finished 120kg 3x5 with relative ease, so I'm definitely considerably stronger than I was before RPT. I actually like RPT so much for squats that I'm planning to stick with it even though I'm no longer on a strict cut. When I was doing SS, my technique would always be a bit shit on the last rep or two of the last sets as my body would just be too tired to keep everything tight. With RPT, the slight decrease in weight helps me to maintain my form even after my body gets tired.
thanks for this probably going with the layout of the advanced novice program and just do it RPT-style. except for deadlifts maybe? cant imagine doing another set of 5-6 reps after doing max effort...
Yeah, I just kept deadlifts on the normal 1x5 plan. No way in hell I'm doing three sets of deadlifts as well as squats on the same day :p
i'm benching 45kg atm and i've barely gone up 10kg~ in the past 2 months. i think i just put on too much weight too quickly and cheated on my reps. i ended up deloading like 2 -3 times.
anyways status update
been lifting weights for 2 1/2 months, starting strength (all 3x5 except deadlift, 1x5) squat - 86kg gained 43 kg
bench - 45kg up about 10kg dlift - 100kg failed gonna attempt again. up about 42kg pclean - 52kg but i failed today. up about 18kg since start press - 36kg up about 10 kg since i first started
i'm up like a solid 18 pounds since i started. 156lb now
my upper body is stupid weak. oh well, i've been happy with my consistency and my deadlift/squat gains.do assistance exercises for upper body help? chinups/dips?
You aren't particularly weak on your upper body. You are just weak in general although you've made pretty good progress.
Progressing on bench press and overhead presses can be a pain in the ass. How have you been increasing your weight between session on the bp / ohp? If you've been adding 5kg each session it comes as a no surprise that you've stalled out.
Keep eating more, lifting hard and most importantly keep recovering!
On May 14 2012 08:06 sJarl wrote: You aren't particularly weak on your upper body. You are just weak in general although you've made pretty good progress.
Progressing on bench press and overhead presses can be a pain in the ass. How have you been increasing your weight between session on the bp / ohp? If you've been adding 5kg each session it comes as a no surprise that you've stalled out.
Keep eating more, lifting hard and most importantly keep recovering!
You are in this for the long run.
i've been increasing 2.5kg per session for bp.
yeah i'll be fine for the long run it's just slightly discouraging seeing little results compared to other exercises. i've been turning it up quite a notch for my diet recently, doing 3k-3.5k calories a day.
On May 14 2012 08:06 sJarl wrote: You aren't particularly weak on your upper body. You are just weak in general although you've made pretty good progress.
Progressing on bench press and overhead presses can be a pain in the ass. How have you been increasing your weight between session on the bp / ohp? If you've been adding 5kg each session it comes as a no surprise that you've stalled out.
Keep eating more, lifting hard and most importantly keep recovering!
You are in this for the long run.
i've been increasing 2.5kg per session for bp.
yeah i'll be fine for the long run it's just slightly discouraging seeing little results compared to other exercises. i've been turning it up quite a notch for my diet recently, doing 3k-3.5k calories a day.
I would take a serious look at your form and find out what you're doing wrong. If you can get a video, guys here would be happy to give you advice.
Okay, I have a history of shoulder dislocations (3 major ones), which has lead to lesser injuries like rotator cuff tears and the like. I've not had a serious issue since... 2006? But my flexibility isn't the great in my right arm. I was supposed to get surgery a few years ago but didn't. Currently been out of the country for more than 2 years, and will be for 2 more or so. When I get back I'll have the surgery. (I get it for free in Canada)
Anyway... my question:
Power cleans. Is it "safe" for someone with should injuries to catch a bar on your shoulders like you should? I am up to 60 kg with power cleans but it feels like I'm... "catching" the bar at my chest and THEN raising the bar up into that slot behind my clavicle. Also, maybe my body's just not used to it (been trying to fix my form over the past couple weeks) but I've been practicing just resting the bar on my upper chest or whatever. I think my form while doing that is fine since I can take my hands away and the bar stays. But my... clavicle, I guess, hurts a lot after having the bar up there.
TL;DR: Should I be weary of doing power cleans if I've had serious shoulder issues in the past?
Still stuck on 80kg bench. Can't wait until I can see my abs so I can stop cutting and start bulking because this sucks.
Anyway, after having lost a bunch of weight already I went and recalculated my LG macros. Currently I'm eating around 2200kcal on work days and about 1600 on rest days. According to my calculations I ought to be eating about 500 kcal more on work days.
Thing is, I purposefully lowered my kcal on work days because I wasn't losing weight (with success, lost another kg already), which led me to believe my calculations were incorrect. I'm using 1.2 as activity level, which is basically sedentary. I mean, I'm working out three times a week, doing heavy compund lifts, surely I shouldn't go even lower?
Soooo obviously I'm eating too much if I'm not losing weight on a cut, but the math is lying. Should I maybe lower the kcal on both work and rest to make it even or is it OK to just lower on work days? Is it perhaps my choice of foods? Work is beef and potatoes, rest is beef and veggies and cheese. About a liter of skim milk every day.
Side note: Summer. It's official. Gone to the golf-range a couple times already and my shit is solid, gonna go out for my first real game of the year next weekend.
On May 14 2012 16:03 SoleSteeler wrote: Okay, I have a history of shoulder dislocations (3 major ones), which has lead to lesser injuries like rotator cuff tears and the like. I've not had a serious issue since... 2006? But my flexibility isn't the great in my right arm. I was supposed to get surgery a few years ago but didn't. Currently been out of the country for more than 2 years, and will be for 2 more or so. When I get back I'll have the surgery. (I get it for free in Canada)
Anyway... my question:
Power cleans. Is it "safe" for someone with should injuries to catch a bar on your shoulders like you should? I am up to 60 kg with power cleans but it feels like I'm... "catching" the bar at my chest and THEN raising the bar up into that slot behind my clavicle. Also, maybe my body's just not used to it (been trying to fix my form over the past couple weeks) but I've been practicing just resting the bar on my upper chest or whatever. I think my form while doing that is fine since I can take my hands away and the bar stays. But my... clavicle, I guess, hurts a lot after having the bar up there.
TL;DR: Should I be weary of doing power cleans if I've had serious shoulder issues in the past?
Try doing some front squats with the bar racked like you would catch it in a power clean. if it feels good than you should be alright, if you're referring to pain on your clavicle from normal bruising from catching the bar than i wouldn't worry about that, mine used to be bruised all the time. You get better at catching the bar and your body adapts. I've separated my ac joint and used to have pretty all around weak shoulders but clean and jerks/snatches have gone a long way in making it stronger and i don't have pain doing them any more. oh and flexibility work is important!!!
Off to my first day of work eeek. tryna get a lift in afterwards.
I had a terrible allergic reaction to some medication and so I missed 4 days of going to the gym. Just went and somehow made significant improvements. I guess my trainer was right that every few months its good to take a week off. That said, has anybody else had pain the outer side of their palm? After I do heavy lifts it almost feels like an isolated cramp. If I massage it a bit it goes away but it's starting to annoy me .
On May 14 2012 20:25 Velocirapture wrote: I had a terrible allergic reaction to some medication and so I missed 4 days of going to the gym. Just went and somehow made significant improvements. I guess my trainer was right that every few months its good to take a week off. That said, has anybody else had pain the outer side of their palm? After I do heavy lifts it almost feels like an isolated cramp. If I massage it a bit it goes away but it's starting to annoy me .
On May 14 2012 02:06 Zafrumi wrote: yeah RPT seems to be good. do you by any chance have a link to an instruction of somekind? I dont really know what RPT exactly means, except that you just do one heavy set and lower the weights for the following sets.
The basic idea is that you do your heaviest set first, then the next set you do at a 10% lower weight but you add one rep, and then the last set you do 10% lighter again and another additional rep. That way you get to lift the heaviest weight when you still feel freshest and once your body gets tired, the weights decrease with it so that you can still maintain your technique.
The specifics of RPT are pretty much up to you. From what I understand, RPT simply refers to starting with your heaviest set and then decreasing the weight while increasing the reps afterwards. The exact exercises and rep-ranges depend on you. Personally, I've decided to keep it as close to my SS workout as possible, so I'm doing the normal SS exercises and my first set is 4 reps, my second set 5, and my third set 6.
It's really worked wonders for me. Before I started RPT I was stuck on 107kg 3x5 squats for a few weeks. I switched to RPT and managed to work myself up to 130kg first set (so 130kg x4, 118kg x5, 105kg x6) in about 3 weeks. After stopping my cut I've moved back to 3x5 and today I finished 120kg 3x5 with relative ease, so I'm definitely considerably stronger than I was before RPT. I actually like RPT so much for squats that I'm planning to stick with it even though I'm no longer on a strict cut. When I was doing SS, my technique would always be a bit shit on the last rep or two of the last sets as my body would just be too tired to keep everything tight. With RPT, the slight decrease in weight helps me to maintain my form even after my body gets tired.
thanks for this probably going with the layout of the advanced novice program and just do it RPT-style. except for deadlifts maybe? cant imagine doing another set of 5-6 reps after doing max effort...
Yeah, I just kept deadlifts on the normal 1x5 plan. No way in hell I'm doing three sets of deadlifts as well as squats on the same day :p
first day of squatting RPT-style today. started relatively low with the first set (130kgx5) and only took short breaks (2-3 minutes) between sets. felt pretty good.
On May 14 2012 02:06 Zafrumi wrote: yeah RPT seems to be good. do you by any chance have a link to an instruction of somekind? I dont really know what RPT exactly means, except that you just do one heavy set and lower the weights for the following sets.
The basic idea is that you do your heaviest set first, then the next set you do at a 10% lower weight but you add one rep, and then the last set you do 10% lighter again and another additional rep. That way you get to lift the heaviest weight when you still feel freshest and once your body gets tired, the weights decrease with it so that you can still maintain your technique.
The specifics of RPT are pretty much up to you. From what I understand, RPT simply refers to starting with your heaviest set and then decreasing the weight while increasing the reps afterwards. The exact exercises and rep-ranges depend on you. Personally, I've decided to keep it as close to my SS workout as possible, so I'm doing the normal SS exercises and my first set is 4 reps, my second set 5, and my third set 6.
It's really worked wonders for me. Before I started RPT I was stuck on 107kg 3x5 squats for a few weeks. I switched to RPT and managed to work myself up to 130kg first set (so 130kg x4, 118kg x5, 105kg x6) in about 3 weeks. After stopping my cut I've moved back to 3x5 and today I finished 120kg 3x5 with relative ease, so I'm definitely considerably stronger than I was before RPT. I actually like RPT so much for squats that I'm planning to stick with it even though I'm no longer on a strict cut. When I was doing SS, my technique would always be a bit shit on the last rep or two of the last sets as my body would just be too tired to keep everything tight. With RPT, the slight decrease in weight helps me to maintain my form even after my body gets tired.
thanks for this probably going with the layout of the advanced novice program and just do it RPT-style. except for deadlifts maybe? cant imagine doing another set of 5-6 reps after doing max effort...
Yeah, I just kept deadlifts on the normal 1x5 plan. No way in hell I'm doing three sets of deadlifts as well as squats on the same day :p
first day of squatting RPT-style today. started relatively low with the first set (130kgx5) and only took short breaks (2-3 minutes) between sets. felt pretty good.
also broke my chin-up record: 3x5 bw(87)+22kg
Congrats! That's impressive
On May 14 2012 20:25 Velocirapture wrote: That said, has anybody else had pain the outer side of their palm? After I do heavy lifts it almost feels like an isolated cramp. If I massage it a bit it goes away but it's starting to annoy me .
Yes, this happens to me on occasion too. Just goes away after awhile.
Almost back to where I deloaded from on squats (270lb) but man was I struggling. Probably going to lower the number of warm-up reps now. Same thing for bench as well and my power cleans are solid enough now I think I can start adding 5lb each workout like the rest of my lifts.
Down to 166. My weight is progressing, but I'm starting IF (leangains) today. I only have till June 21st to get down to 10%, and I'm probably at about 14%
117.5kg 5/3/3, first fail in a long time, haven't been pushing myself, horrible form as expected 2x135kg seems that squats took all the energy
btw, I got this squat advice online that I should keep glutes tight when going down, but I tried it today and have no idea how to do that really. I can only squeeze ass tight in the lockout, like when doing shoulder press for example, but that's not possible when going down, what does it mean really?
edit: might as well post this form check vid from last Friday:
On May 14 2012 08:06 sJarl wrote: You aren't particularly weak on your upper body. You are just weak in general although you've made pretty good progress.
Progressing on bench press and overhead presses can be a pain in the ass. How have you been increasing your weight between session on the bp / ohp? If you've been adding 5kg each session it comes as a no surprise that you've stalled out.
Keep eating more, lifting hard and most importantly keep recovering!
You are in this for the long run.
i've been increasing 2.5kg per session for bp.
yeah i'll be fine for the long run it's just slightly discouraging seeing little results compared to other exercises. i've been turning it up quite a notch for my diet recently, doing 3k-3.5k calories a day.
Bench press and overhead press are going to need (much!) more frequent resets than squat and deadlift. As long as you're making solid progress on the latter two, it's fine to be resetting as many times as is necessary on BP and OHP.
On May 15 2012 03:39 rEiGN~ wrote: 117.5kg 5/3/3, first fail in a long time, haven't been pushing myself, horrible form as expected 2x135kg seems that squats took all the energy
btw, I got this squat advice online that I should keep glutes tight when going down, but I tried it today and have no idea how to do that really. I can only squeeze ass tight in the lockout, like when doing shoulder press for example, but that's not possible when going down, what does it mean really?
I think that probably refers to needing to keep everything tight on the way down. Effective mental cue is to think of the eccentric half as "pulling" the bar down to the bottom, then pushing it back up.
Hurt my left SI joint again I've been icing, doing daily extension exercises, and downing NSAIDS for it, but improvement is slowwww. Anything else I can do to speed recovery? I've been staying away from back squats, deadlift, and power clean under the assumption that stressing those low back muscle groups will just prolong the recovery process; does that seem like a valid line of reasoning? I've been front squatting though; just can't live with the loss of progress that would come from eliminating lower body training entirely. Are front squats supposed to be trained pretty much the same way as back squats, i.e. three sets of five? Approximately what percentage of my back squat weight should I be able to front squat?
EPT
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I've been icing, doing daily extension exercises, and downing NSAIDS for it, but improvement is slowwww. Anything else I can do to speed recovery? I've been staying away from back squats, deadlift, and power clean under the assumption that stressing those low back muscle groups will just prolong the recovery process; does that seem like a valid line of reasoning? I've been front squatting though; just can't live with the loss of progress that would come from eliminating lower body training entirely. Are front squats supposed to be trained pretty much the same way as back squats, i.e. three sets of five? Approximately what percentage of my back squat weight should I be able to front squat?
