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- Thread starter Totentanz
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1. Don't over-stress trying to instill those attributes. As you note, he's about to hit puberty.
2. If he wants to be strong, he needs to work to be strong. I'd strongly encourage taking him to the gym with you on a regular, routine-basis. Discipline is about adhering to routine and tasks, until you don't need the routine because you've become ... disciplined.
Set 2 regular times a week when it won't clash with something else he enjoys doing. I think I recall that you've sold off your home weights and bars etc?
What does he like to do/hobbies/sporting interests etc?
Well, squats, deads and leg press are out for now. I had to move on my own, my girl couldn't help much because she is pregnant again. Apparently loading all my furniture, worldly possessions and etc into the truck, driving 120 miles then unloading all of it within a ten hour period aggravated my lower back. I'm going to find a dr around here to check it out. Still doing legs, just have to find stuff that doesn't bother me. ****ing back.
gbglifter
Member
I did my back in a few years ago at the gym. I did one set too many of squats and ended up pulling the lower back area: quadratus lumborum, upper glutes. I couldnt train for about a year! I visited both naprapat and physiotherapist for different type of treatments. I had quite a strong back then too apart from the lower area. I was invited to try out a "core-ball" workout and after the very first session I could feel I was improving strength i the affected area. It took about two weeks and I was able to start training properly again. I do those exercises now and again when I feel the strain. Just doing back extensions and the "superman" while lying on a pilates ball helps. It may seem a bit poncy but who cares if it gets rid of pain.
What was your back pain like? I feel fine almost all the time but sitting down for extended periods is irritating me, and it bugs me when I try to do leg presses, any deadlift variant and squats. I'll have to give those exercises a shot. I've tried foam rolling and it doesn't feel like it does anything at the time that I'm rolling it, but it does feel a little better afterward.
gbglifter
Member
Until I got rid of the pain, sitting down was the worst. Driving etc was a killer. Shooting pains that travelled down the glutes and right across the small of the back. The first few months when I came home from work I lay on the floor with my legs up on the sofa. But Id fasten there. It ached so bad when I tried straightening myself out.
Honestly, give those exercises a go. Loads of reps. Smooth, controlled movements.
Honestly, give those exercises a go. Loads of reps. Smooth, controlled movements.
HST_Rihad
Active Member
You only hit each muscle twice a week irrespective of current intensity (except for traps which are hit more often)? Right after SDing?
Then how long does each rep microcycle last, if you still do that kind of thing?..
HST_Rihad
Active Member
Aha, as per Wernbom. Good luck. A very strong decision to try something new, this is something I'm having a hard time with: making a change. Have you already tried am/pm splits while still maintaining 3/week frequency? The setup you're doing is more in line with Lyle's suggestions.
I can't do AM/PM splits due to my work schedule. I can manage four times in the gym a week though so an upper/lower split it is. I've already done upper/lower splits where I am getting 2x a week frequency with success. Really the only variable changing here is the volume which I am increasing.
The routine is heavily based off of discussions with mikeynov. I was already planning an upper/lower split and thought about changing some of the other parameters. He is the one who suggested just going with 12s and 8s instead. I'm still going to include negatives after the 8s and see how that goes. I am also incorporating his idea about a modification to SD to prevent strength loss.
Planning to run this setup for at least four or five months. Obviously I am eating a caloric excess during this trial.
The routine is heavily based off of discussions with mikeynov. I was already planning an upper/lower split and thought about changing some of the other parameters. He is the one who suggested just going with 12s and 8s instead. I'm still going to include negatives after the 8s and see how that goes. I am also incorporating his idea about a modification to SD to prevent strength loss.
Planning to run this setup for at least four or five months. Obviously I am eating a caloric excess during this trial.
HST_Rihad
Active Member
How far away from each specific rep RM will you start? If it's gonna be 5% steps starting from 75%, 2 times a week seems to be artificially slow, even considering 30/60 reps per MG, especially during 15s and lower 10s. Maybe they look like that to me with my maxes, your loads being a wholly different matter.
And yes, this is influenced by Wernbom's meta-analysis but also from my own experiences over the years which have been mirrored by others, such as mikeynov. I believe that HST possibly needs a bit of updating to match up with the current research. Most of HST is still solid, I believe in the principles. I just think it needs a bit of modification. Obviously Bryan already made recommendations about volume but they are too vague. Wernbom gives some solid numbers. I am going to try it out for a while and see how it works.
Might be worth noting that my legs are already at or above the projected genetic limits. I'm still working them anyway with 60 reps per muscle group so I guess we will see what happens. I feel like it would be more representative of the results this sort of change would bring if I work the entire body and note growth over the whole instead of specializing in upper body.
Might be worth noting that my legs are already at or above the projected genetic limits. I'm still working them anyway with 60 reps per muscle group so I guess we will see what happens. I feel like it would be more representative of the results this sort of change would bring if I work the entire body and note growth over the whole instead of specializing in upper body.
80%. I'm alternating exercises, so I'll be doing 80% for everything week 1, 90% week 2 and 100% week 3. There is a small amount of zig zag still between the 12 rm microcycle and the 8 rm. Negatives/5s are going to be a little different.
bringbackfreddy
New Member
Care to elaborate more on the first paragraph in terms of volume requirements and what needs updating?
Just basically the areas that mikeynov and I were discussing in another thread. Wernbom suggests that 30 reps per upperbody muscle group and 60 reps per lower is necessary each session.
I suspect that his requirements mostly are applying to the 8-12 rep range and that when you go heavier, you can drop the reps. This is what I am planning to test out.
I suspect that his requirements mostly are applying to the 8-12 rep range and that when you go heavier, you can drop the reps. This is what I am planning to test out.
AderynGlas
Member
Any link to the study, or is it in another link?
HST_Rihad
Active Member
How did you feel jumping right into 30-60 reps per MG after SD? That's heck of a volume.
Also, from Wernbom's study:
Am I the only one who thinks they ended up describing the classic lower to moderate volume HST setup after sufficient SD?..
What happened to the 30-60 reps?
I could email it to you.
It's been quite easy, actually. I've been experimenting with higher volume quite a lot over the last couple years albeit mostly in the form of added metabolic work, but this doesn't feel terribly taxing to me. I'm sure it will be a different story once the loads get heavier.
HST_Rihad
Active Member
Have you (or anyone) tried the following: work your way up in 15,10,5RM microcycles as you normally would, continue working on 5RM for a few more weeks, then when progress stops, instead of going off to SD in preparation for the lower 15s or 10s, you just drop the 5's loads to 75% 5RM and build up to 5RMs in 5% increments again? This would give CNS some time off to recover, and would make the tissues a bit more sensitive to 5RM loads again (although not as much as in a full-blown SD+start over).