I’ve come around to the view that max effort work for ‘large’ barbell exercises; deadlift, squat, good morning, bench, press and then 8-12 rep range for backoffs or accessories is probably ideal. Rotate when an accessory stagnates/plateau and come back when the next one likewise does.
As much as I love triples, and 5s are incredibly effective for novices (or 4-6 range), my general feeling now is that the RTS-driven high-specificity and RPE structured model probably only suits very specific strength pursuits, i.e. powerlifting. And only for a (relatively) short time.
When we look at how strongmen train, and what happens when they periodise a specific lift, it seems clear to me at least that high variation of exercises (which is really about joint angles and a wider range of load exposure) for moderate volumes builds so much more baseline strength and general size than 1@8, 2-3x2-4 back offs.
I’d also venture that of the big 3, only the squat is a good general hypertrophy exercise. Deadlifting is so leverage specific that it’s a coin flip for the person at hand, and benching has become a game of arching. Flat back benching has some utility, granted.
I hit a weekly volume on deads of 12-20 reps above 90%, and 20-25 reps above 80% (remember, per week) for a year and hypertrophy gains were borderline nonexistent. Slap 3-4x8-10 for 2-3 exercises for rowing in, progress the load and evoila, I’m now buying 3XL shirts.
TLDR; highly specific, minimalist-exercise selection style training such as RTS derivatives makes you highly effective at the big 3 for a short while, maybe a year? Overuse injuries beckon, as does psychological stagnation and a plateau in size.
, all the best for the brand new year!