Overtrained: need help with SD and routine

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XFatMan

New Member
I have been training to the Max-OT principles for quite some time. Five weeks ago then, my spine made “click” during a lift and I really felt that the “Go heavy or go home” principle is a good way to ruin your health. Without SD, I jumped into HST and loved it; especially the 15’s rep range brought some super amazing gains in size and strength.

I was about to go for the 5’s rep range a week ago when I got a cold. Hmm, I then noticed that I had been training heavily without any break at all since May, which prompted me to SD immediately for one week. I’m not sure this is sufficient, but I don’t want to be off for much longer. My thought is to do 2 cycles with 2 weeks of 10’s, then 2 weeks of 5’s and SD again. After that, I’d start afresh with a complete cycle, i.e. 2 weeks for the 15’s, 10’s, and 5’s. How does that sound to you?

My current routine is quite a standard thing. Do you think it’s okay or is it perhaps a bit too much? I have put the number of sets in parentheses.

Squat (1)
Hamstring Curls (2)
Leg Press Calf Raises (2)
Dumbbell Inclined Bench Press (2)
Chest Dips (1)
Chin Ups (2)
Bent-Over Barbell Rows (2)
Dumbbell Overhead Presses (1)
Lateral Raises (1)
Barbell Curls (2)
Barbell Shrugs (1)
Lying Triceps Extensions (2)
Decline Crunches (2)
 
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(XFatMan @ Sep. 30 2007,09:32)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Without SD, I jumped into HST and loved it; especially the 15’s rep range brought some super amazing gains in size and strength.</div>
I think the 15s gave you a brake and took advantage of the deep overreaching state you were in. This is why you had gains during the 15s.

In other words. The 15s did not give you that much strength or size. It helped you recuperate from the previous hard training and realize the benefits from it.

I don't understand why people want to skip 15s. I enjoyed them. They would not be there if they did not serve a purpose.
 
Xfatman

You're on the right track, I'm going to overhaul your program a little just for kicks, it will represent my opinion of what it should be, but it is not written in stone, you are the master of your own destiny!

A
Squat/Leg Press Calf Raises/Dumbbell Inclined Bench Press/Chin Ups/Dumbbell Overhead Presses/Incline curls/Lying Triceps Extensions/Hanging leg raises

B
Deadlifts/Chest Dips/Bent-Over Barbell Rows/Lateral Raises/ Barbell Curls/Tricep pushdowns/Decline Crunches

I've included and took away what I found necessary.

My recommendation is that you do:
1 x 15/2 or 1.5 (1 set 10 + 1 set 5) x 10/3 x 5

Arms isolation training I'd keep at 1 set of each, preferably as a superset right through (with progression of course, just use % instead of Lb or Kgs.) as I normally do not recommend them, but I have chosen to leave as much of your footprint as possible.
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Thanks for the help, guys. I went back to training this morning without having read your replies. So I started with the normal 10’s workout and I must tell you that although I started at 75% of my 10 RM, I thought the weights were killing me. To my reading, that is real SD.

bobpit, I do enjoy the 15’s as well, and what you said about recuperation makes absolute sense to me.

quadancer, that’s a cool link indeed, thanks. I guess I will do two short cycles, each with one week SD. After that, I’ll take two weeks off from everything and see what’s going to happen.

Fausto, reducing the number of exercises as you suggest makes sense to me as well. I’ll give it a shot.

Thanks, that should help me.
 
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