Amount of sets?

I start every mesocycle at 75% of my RM for that mesocycle and use 5% increments each session. At the later sessions of 10s and 5s I doubt I'll get all the reps in on the 2nd set (or 3rd set on 5s)
So suppose I can't make it to the end of said set, what do I do? Stop just short of failure and call it a day, stop short of failure and cluster by resuming the set a minute later or go to failure?

Sorry for my repeating questions but I'd just like a conclusive answer so I get the most out of my first cycle.
 
I doubt you'll get a conclusive answer but I expect everyone will agree NOT to go to failure.

For my money I repeat what I said before, cluster.

So if you're planning on 2 sets in the 10s and 3 in the 5s, just ensure you get 20 reps in the 10s and 15 reps in the 5s.

I don't think you doing a set of 10 then a set of 8 versus a set of 10, then a set of 8, then 2 more is going to make a discernible difference though.

Cheers

Rob
 
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(robefc @ Aug. 12 2007,15:36)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I don't think you doing a set of 10 then a set of 8 versus a set of 10, then a set of 8, then 2 more is going to make a discernible difference though.

Cheers

Rob</div>
AGREED- I think the OP MAY be experiencing a touch of analysis paralysis ( no offense - we've all done our own versions of it). I've yet to have &quot;the perfect cycle&quot; - where I don't for example miss friday , make it up saturday thereby shortening my &quot;recovery weekend&quot; by a day to be back on schedule monday. OR adjust weight up or down on at least one exersize where what the rep calculator thought I could do and what my muscles thought I could do may have differed by 8 lbs. or so. I've had unforseen trips where I had to miss 5-7 days mid cycle more than once. I've gotten sick , impulsively decided to &quot;show off&quot; a 1RM to a motherinlaw while in the first week of 10's ect.ect.ect.
Like explaining to/re-assuring a child you are trying to teach to swim , there comes a point when they just need to go for it - they'll &quot;get&quot; it real quick in a way that explanation can't really surpass.

If you want to cluster and feel it necessary go ahead. At this point you may be best served by the board to ask for observations + tips &quot;while in progress&quot; so to speak.


· Posted on Aug. 12 2007,15:13
I start every mesocycle at 75% of my RM for that mesocycle and use 5% increments each session. At the later sessions of 10s and 5s I doubt I'll get all the reps in on the 2nd set (or 3rd set on 5s)-Zepphire


What you may not be realizing is that when you get to your w/o's you keep expressing doubt about completing volume on - you will be STRONGER then , by just about enough to complete the sets!


Good luck - maybe a workout journal/log?
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Your goal should be to traumatize the muscle.

I use 2 sets in the 15s, because I can't get the burn in the muscle I need to feel without it. I'm way under appx 75 to 80% of my previous 5s so I'm reall hard to get a great burn only.

I use 2 sets in the 10s, because I've got to traumatize the muscles enough to stimulate growth.

I use 3 sets in the 5s, but I don't really care if I don't do 3 sets. Sometimes, if I was close to failure I may do my third set with the same weight, but I don't care if I can't do a full set of 5s. If I start to fail going up with the weight I usually just back down slowly and really feel the weight coming down.

I need 3 sets in the 5s, because I can walk away from some exercises not feeling zip in the muscles worked. I'm not looking for pump. I want those muscle to be telling me... no more of that exercise.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I start every mesocycle at 75% of my RM for that mesocycle and use 5% increments each session. At the later sessions of 10s and 5s I doubt I'll get all the reps in on the 2nd set (or 3rd set on 5s)
So suppose I can't make it to the end of said set, what do I do? Stop just short of failure and call it a day, stop short of failure and cluster by resuming the set a minute later or go to failure?

Sorry for my repeating questions but I'd just like a conclusive answer so I get the most out of my first cycle.</div>

nah good on ya for tryin to find out hey! ;) seriously i know it's confusing certain methods but i guess i takes a bit of research as to WHY certain things are done.

robefc was right on the money with what he said, just making sure you get all the designated reps, whilst trying not to hit failure. If this means clustering, then that's the best thing to do, Max-Stim style.

i MYSELF do 2 sets of 10s, and in my last cycle i couldn't make all 10 reps on the second set, only could make about 8. so what i did was not reach failure, say for bench press, when i started to REALLY slow down and KNOW that i couldn't make the next rep, i racked the bar, waited about 10 SECONDS, picked the bar back up and did my last two reps.

i'm not sure what was meant by RUSS here, if you'd like to clarify: <div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">What I'm advocating is setting up your first cycle correctly so you don't NEED to cluster - if you NEED this to complete your first cycle the loads where not calculated properly IMHO.
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Because ok, say I get my 10RM calculated, if i do a second set not too long after my first (with my 10RM) it's sometimes almost impossible to actually get that 10 reps IF that was actually my true 10RM. This is due to FATIGUE, unless that is i waited maybe 3-4 minutes between sets, and i MIGHT then be recovered. just a thought
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So i would suggest that on your second set, if you can't make 10 reps and your rep speed has CONSIDERABLY slowed down, rack the bar wait a certain amount of time enough for you (not too long though) and do the rest of the reps.

hope that helped ;)
 
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(_Simon_ @ Aug. 12 2007,20:38)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">i'm not sure what was meant by RUSS here, if you'd like to clarify: <div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">What I'm advocating is setting up your first cycle correctly so you don't NEED to cluster - if you NEED  this to complete your first cycle the loads where not calculated properly IMHO.
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You should only be lifting your 10rm at the VERY last w/o of 10's -prior to this it is sub-max work . In fact the first week is submax enough that failing the second set would indicate incorrect Original RM assessment - by the time you get to your 10 RM @ the final w/o - it shouldn't be your 10 RM anymore , as you've gotten some gains in the interim (this would apply less and less only after a fairly advanced stage of progress was reached- I assumed this was not the case here). Some (myself included) allow for dropping a set when necessary during the last two w/o's of a rep range to avoid working too close to failure.I may have erronously assumed that the OP is a noob to lifting and not just HST and if I have made that mistake I apologize. It IS my firm opinion that until a certain point of advancement in ones lifting experience, this would be unnecessary and NEEDING to resort to clustering in order to finish two sets of 10 anytime before at LEAST the last two w/o's of 10's if at all in the fledgling stages of lifting would indicate perhaps adjusting the load so that two full sets of ten CAN be performed would be in order.
LATER , when one reaches certain strength levels I could see this as a viable option. Really not a make or break a cycle point though - and of course just my opinion . Theres a lot to be said for &quot;conditioning&quot; and especially at the beginner stages (IMHO) it is important enough to worry if you can't do a second set at submax loads fatigue just shouldn't be so much of an issue until (as I said) perhaps the last w/o MAYBE two. If as Simon says he experienced - you find an inability to complete the sets ( on a vanilla progression as a noob) you may want to assess conditioning with an eye to improving it - just a thought...
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AHHH ok yeah thanks for that russ!
i guess i was talking about mainly the last two workouts where I would use my RMs. but for military press i tend to not get to 10 reps in the second set for i think the 3rd or 4th workout in the 10s (in which i'm NOT using my RM), but this IS due to fatigue, and i stop before failure. i don't want to reduce the sets to 1, i don't know if that's enough... lol but yeah

thanks for the input ay
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