How do I chose an effective starting weight?

[a.s.arghmatey]

The faq on choosing increments says that what is more important than increments, is the width between your effective starting weight, and your finishing weight. So how do I know the minimum weight that will be effective?

 

[Jester]

You find the maximum load you can do 5, 10, and 15 reps, and the decrement backwards.

 

[a.s.arghmatey]

I get that, but how do I know how much to decrement by?

 

[mickc1965]

Generally the set up would be 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% and 100% of each rep range but really it would be up to you just don't start below 75% - this range will mean the loads will zig zag (load in 1st week of 10s will be lower / similar to 2nd week of 15s and same with 5s).

 

[Jester]

I'm not a massive fan of trying to increment by set %'s. By advice would be to increment/decrement by whatever load you normally add.

i.e. if your 5RM bench is 1005kgs, you're probably looking at 2.5kg increments

If you 5RM deadlift is 200kg, you're looking at 5kg increments.

Just my thoughts.

 

[a.s.arghmatey]

Sounds like the same thing to me. Except you are recommending a 2.5% increment instead of a 5% increment. Am I missing something?

 

[mickc1965]

a.s.arghmatey - I think what Jester is saying is that he prefers to increment in kgs rather than based on a %, it just so happens with his examples that the figure is around 2.5% (if he had chosen 150kgs and added 5kgs that would have been 3.33%). If you achieve your 5 rm you would then increase the load by either 2.5 kgs, 5 kgs or even 10 kgs depending on which body part etc, say your best for 5 rm on flat bench is 120 kgs and you would generally increase this by 2.5 kgs on your next workout then increment backwards by 2.5 kgs, if you would normally add 5kgs then increment backwards by 5 kgs.

I personally do not follow what I stated previously but that is what the general set up would look like.

I do not zig zag, at the end of each cycle I work out a new 1 rm on all exercises and then for the 15's I work at 52.5%, 57.5%, 62.5% & 67.5% of that figure, 10's are 70%, 72.5%, 75% & 77.5% , 5's are 80%, 82.5%, 85% with the final session at 88/89% of the new 1 rm, then a few weeks of working at increasing my 5 rm - all these %'s are approximate and generally I work to the nearest 2.5 kgs - this method is probably over complicated (I have to use a spreadsheet) but is what works for me, as how Jester does it is what works for him.

To be honest the easiest way is how Jester proposes.

 

[Jester]

@mick - correct.

My max row for a triple is 145kg. My incrementation is 2.5kg. My max squat for a triple is also 145kg (yeh ... I know). My incrementation for that lift is 5kg.

Suit your incrementation to the lift.