I have read the articles 10+ times. I still don't understand what the main difference is between taking 10-12 days off of rest after a lifting cycle and Strategic Deconditioning? Also, why is it recommended to take time off after finding your maxes? I just took off two weeks after my last run before starting HST?
I'm still confused on SD
- Thread starter hah2110
- Start date
Greenlantern11B
New Member
ummm isnt the 10-12 days the strategic deconditioning. supposedly your muscles respond better(growth wise) after taking a break of about 9days. and it helps you recover from any joint problems that you may have ran into during your heavy lifts. At the end of your cycle the CNS is probably burned out and needs rest.
I don't understand what you are confused about. You take time off. Bryan calls this part of this program "strategic deconditioning" - it is just a name for the portion of your training plan when you take time off and do not train.
As for taking time off before you find your maxes - this is why you are supposed to find your maxes before taking time off. When you end a cycle, rather than start SD right away, you find your new maxes first (if it is even necessary - plan your cycle out right and it won't be) then you take your SD. If you SD, then find maxes, then SD again, you will be taking too much time off.
Also, the recommendation isn't 10 - 12 days off. You only have to take a minimum of 9 days off. You can take more if you want, but 9 is what I recommend due to the studies showing a spike in satellite cells on day 10, which is when you would return to training. In my experience, returning to training after 9 days off has helped me bust through plateaus many times.
To expand a bit on what I was saying about the rep maxes...
At the end of each cycle, I recommend at least a week, preferably two (or more if you can keep progressing) after you hit your tested 5 rep max. You should continue with the 5s and keep adding weight each session until you eventually hit failure on each lift - you do not have to hit failure on the same day for each lift, I will often find a new max on Monday for one or two lifts, a new max on Weds for a couple more then the rest on Friday, as an example. Write these numbers down and use those to plan out your next cycle. It is not necessary to find your 15 and 10 rep maxes again for each cycle. Just base the cycle off your new 5 rep maxes and either use a rep max calculator based on your new 5 RMs to estimate your new 10 and 15 RMs, or else figure out the percentage of increase between your old 5 RM and new 5 RM, and use that percentage to figure out what to add on to get your new 10 and 15 RMs.
This will save you a lot of time versus testing for new maxes at the end of each cycle.
Also keep in mind that since you are going to be taking an SD at the end of your cycle, hitting failure is ok during the last couple weeks. Also, it is acceptable (even encouraged depending on circumstances) to continue using your new 5 RMs once you've found them for another week or two. I like to keep pushing for more strength gains during this period - which also means that you might even increase your new 5 RMs even more prior to your next cycle.
At the end of each cycle, I recommend at least a week, preferably two (or more if you can keep progressing) after you hit your tested 5 rep max. You should continue with the 5s and keep adding weight each session until you eventually hit failure on each lift - you do not have to hit failure on the same day for each lift, I will often find a new max on Monday for one or two lifts, a new max on Weds for a couple more then the rest on Friday, as an example. Write these numbers down and use those to plan out your next cycle. It is not necessary to find your 15 and 10 rep maxes again for each cycle. Just base the cycle off your new 5 rep maxes and either use a rep max calculator based on your new 5 RMs to estimate your new 10 and 15 RMs, or else figure out the percentage of increase between your old 5 RM and new 5 RM, and use that percentage to figure out what to add on to get your new 10 and 15 RMs.
This will save you a lot of time versus testing for new maxes at the end of each cycle.
Also keep in mind that since you are going to be taking an SD at the end of your cycle, hitting failure is ok during the last couple weeks. Also, it is acceptable (even encouraged depending on circumstances) to continue using your new 5 RMs once you've found them for another week or two. I like to keep pushing for more strength gains during this period - which also means that you might even increase your new 5 RMs even more prior to your next cycle.