Do you stop at 6 weeks or do 8?

T

The Fruitarian One

New Member
What do you do and why?

I may just carry on with my 5's for another two weeks, which would suit me because I'm on vacation in a couple of weeks and may not have access to my/any weights, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do but I got a day or so to decide.
 
If I'm still gaining and able to increment the loads I will carry on until progress halts and then stick with those loads for a further couple of weeks. That may take as long as 12 weeks in total.

The only reason I would stop sooner would be if I had sustained an injury, had joint trouble, felt very fatigued or if I had lifted some PBs already and felt it was better to take a a 9 day SD and start over.
 
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(Lol @ Jun. 02 2007,21:30)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">If I'm still gaining and able to increment the loads I will carry on until progress halts and then stick with those loads for a further couple of weeks. That may take as long as 12 weeks in total.

The only reason I would stop sooner would be if I had sustained an injury, had joint trouble, felt very fatigued or if I had lifted some PBs already and felt it was better to take a a 9 day SD and start over.</div>
What rep ranges are you doing...15,12,10,8.5,2?
 
That may be a bit close. I did one at 15, 12, 9, 6 and should have added 3's.
I see no point in going below 3 unless you're in competition. Why suffer the injuries?

Lol was probably doing stock HST...many go for weeks on end in the fives, followed by negs.
 
Fruitarian,

I'm on my first cycle atm, but I'd definitely say keep going as long as you can still progress and don't feel fatigued. The reason a vanilla cycle ends after 8, is the average person probably starts to hit the wall at around 8, but there is no reason to hold yourself back if you can still chug along after 8. Then again, if you are dying after your workouts at 6 weeks, then you might want to consider stopping then. Just listen to your body and ask yourself if you really should stop or keep going.

Instead of figuring out my maxes, I simply decided what I WANTED my maxes to be at the end of the cycle. So using a linear progression, if I can make it, I will be end at the weights I set as goals for my new maxes. Going back to your question, whenever I start to feel burnt out whether it's next week or 5 more weeks, is when I still stop. So I could actually end up going beyond my goals.

Hope that wasn't too much rambling and helped out some.
 
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(UFGatorDude30 @ Jun. 03 2007,17:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Fruitarian,

I'm on my first cycle atm, but I'd definitely say keep going as long as you can still progress and don't feel fatigued.  The reason a vanilla cycle ends after 8, is the average person probably starts to hit the wall at around 8, but there is no reason to hold yourself back if you can still chug along after 8.  Then again, if you are dying after your workouts at 6 weeks, then you might want to consider stopping then.  Just listen to your body and ask yourself if you really should stop or keep going.

Instead of figuring out my maxes, I simply decided what I WANTED my maxes to be at the end of the cycle.    So using a linear progression, if I can make it, I will be end at the weights I set as goals for my new maxes.  Going back to your question, whenever I start to feel burnt out whether it's next week or 5 more weeks, is when I still stop.  So I could actually end up going beyond my goals.

Hope that wasn't too much rambling and helped out some.</div>
No that was great, so do you mean keep doing your 5's until you can't progress anymore, then take your 9-14 days SD?
 
That's right. Like I said, this is my first cycle too but from what I've been reading over the last month or so that seems to be the right game plan. It kind of follows, &quot;If it's not broken, why fix it?&quot;.
 
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(UFGatorDude30 @ Jun. 03 2007,20:34)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">That's right.  Like I said, this is my first cycle too but from what I've been reading over the last month or so that seems to be the right game plan.  It kind of follows, &quot;If it's not broken, why fix it?&quot;.</div>
Kinda makes sense, what stuff have you been reading, I'd be interested in reading it, I've got weeks 7/8 to finish and I'll see how I go, the good news is that I'm on the brink of a PB on the chins, the most I've done is 88lbs, I should beat that next week.

Thanks for your advice!
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(Fausto @ Jun. 05 2007,06:22)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Always try to &quot;milk&quot; the 5's for what they're worth, mate!
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Is there a reason for this, or is it just a habit that people got into?

Thanks man.
 
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(faz @ Jun. 05 2007,08:56)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">i take my cycles to 10 or 12wks</div>
That sounds like some serious progress.
 
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(Fausto @ Jun. 05 2007,06:22)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Always try to &quot;milk&quot; the 5's for what they're worth, mate!
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Yup, I switch to Max-Stim 20-rep &quot;sets&quot; during the 5's weeks.

I find that I am able to keep going well past my sixth week and keep incrementing my maxes well past what I had initially planned.

It's not just that I can lift more than my 5 rep max, but that I can do it 20 times...!
 
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(TunnelRat @ Jun. 05 2007,12:29)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(Fausto @ Jun. 05 2007,06:22)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Always try to &quot;milk&quot; the 5's for what they're worth, mate!
wink.gif
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Yup, I switch to Max-Stim 20-rep &quot;sets&quot; during the 5's weeks.

I find that I am able to keep going well past my sixth week and keep incrementing my maxes well past what I had initially planned.

It's not just that I can lift more than my 5 rep max, but that I can do it 20 times...!</div>
What's this Max-Stim thing?

Is it HST...and where can I read up on it?

Thanks.
 
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(TunnelRat @ Jun. 05 2007,12:45)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(The Fruitarian One @ Jun. 05 2007,12:31)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">What's this Max-Stim thing?

Is it HST...and where can I read up on it?</div>

Yup, it's HST in spades!

http://hypertrophy-research.com/phpBB1....f314053</div>
Checked it out and it makes sense, I may do that after a couple more cycles!

So the idea is basically to do a rep then put the weight down for various reast periods the do another rep?

Thanks for the link!!!
 
Hey F1, I know that you had previously been doing a lot of your workouts at the park (or I'm assuming from the pics you posted), what were you able to do to get some weights over there. I might go out of town this summer during a cycle and all there is around there is the neighborhood park.
 
I go as long as I can (till load is just plain not going to progress further) dropping to 3's, 2's , 1's - I know getting that 1rm as high as I can is laying the best groundwork for the NEXT cycle. I do all the rep ranges of course but really enjoy 5 and under most and always feel a slight bit of depression when forced to admit that the cycle has gone as far as it can.
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(UFGatorDude30 @ Jun. 05 2007,14:34)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Hey F1, I know that you had previously been doing a lot of your workouts at the park (or I'm assuming from the pics you posted), what were you able to do to get some weights over there.  I might go out of town this summer during a cycle and all there is around there is the neighborhood park.</div>
Yeah I did virtually all my training at the park but I always did bodyweight stuff.

Now I do my weights in the garage where I have a dips/chins stand and I use a dipping belt that I made myself!

Before that I sometimes went to the park with the car and took the kids &quot;radio&quot; cart and loaded the weights in that then used the exercise stations at the part to do my weighted dips/chins but the weights got too heavy to be carting around.


Hope it helped.
 
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(RUSS @ Jun. 05 2007,15:02)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I go as long as I can (till load is just plain not going to progress further) dropping to 3's, 2's , 1's - I know getting that 1rm as high as I can is laying the best groundwork for the NEXT cycle. I do all the rep ranges of course but really enjoy 5 and under most and always feel a slight bit of depression when forced to admit that the cycle has gone as far as it can.
smile.gif
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Yeah that makes sense!
 
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