My original posts on the main board:
I've decided to play the SD by feel. When my body tells me it is time to stop and take a break, I'm going to. That may mean stopping certain muscle groups while letting the other continue. That said, at some point I'll definitely be taking a full 9-day SD.
Log starts with the next post.
I love the HST principles, and I am going to try a cycle using clustering. My plan was the following:
1) Use approximately 10 exercises (primarily compound minus arms) split up amongst the body parts
2) Frequency 3 days/week (possibly AM/PM splits when the weights get heavy)
3) Start all exercises with approximately 50% of 5rm
4) No prescribed rep max/set scheme (i.e. no 15/10/5/neg)
5) Linear progression of weights, increase every workout, no zigzagging
6) Consistent volume throughout cycle (20 reps per exercise per session)
7) Clustering sets when necessary to assure volume is achieved, all sets (initial and clusters) stop a rep or 2 short of failure
8) Increase weights until 5-reps for a first set can no longer be achieved (or 3 or 4, not sure if there is an opinion on this)
9) Decondition
10) Start over
Here is what I foresee happening...
I easily hit 20 reps with just one set early on with the exercises. As I increase the weight each workout, my first set reps will drop accordingly and I will need to use clusters to reach the 20 rep goal. I'm not sure how this will work when I get closer to my 5rm...I may have to do drop sets to reach that 20 rep goal, but hopefully with long enough breaks, and possibly doing AM/PM sessions I can still pull it off.
If anyone is reading this and confused by what I mean, let's take one exercise for now, like the bench press. Assuming my 5rm is 150 pounds, I'd work the progression like this:
75 lbs - 1x20
80 lbs - 1x20
..
..
assuming as the weights get heavier I can no longer do 20 reps in that first set
110 lbs - 1x15+5 (cluster set)
115 lbs - 1x14+6
120 lbs - 1x13+7
..
..
weights get heavier, so I need to do more cluster sets
135 lbs - 1x10+7+3
140 lbs - 1x8+6+5+1
..
..
until I reach a weight that I can no longer do for 5 reps that first set
150 lbs - 1x5+4+3+2+2+2+2
155 lbs - 1x4 (stop and start deconditioning phase)
My concern is that some body parts will lag others. Some will still be able to increase weights when others are peaked. If it were pheasible to decondition different muscle groups whenever they were ready to be deconditioned, you'd have a continuous totally auto-regulated workout.
----------1) Use approximately 10 exercises (primarily compound minus arms) split up amongst the body parts
2) Frequency 3 days/week (possibly AM/PM splits when the weights get heavy)
3) Start all exercises with approximately 50% of 5rm
4) No prescribed rep max/set scheme (i.e. no 15/10/5/neg)
5) Linear progression of weights, increase every workout, no zigzagging
6) Consistent volume throughout cycle (20 reps per exercise per session)
7) Clustering sets when necessary to assure volume is achieved, all sets (initial and clusters) stop a rep or 2 short of failure
8) Increase weights until 5-reps for a first set can no longer be achieved (or 3 or 4, not sure if there is an opinion on this)
9) Decondition
10) Start over
Here is what I foresee happening...
I easily hit 20 reps with just one set early on with the exercises. As I increase the weight each workout, my first set reps will drop accordingly and I will need to use clusters to reach the 20 rep goal. I'm not sure how this will work when I get closer to my 5rm...I may have to do drop sets to reach that 20 rep goal, but hopefully with long enough breaks, and possibly doing AM/PM sessions I can still pull it off.
If anyone is reading this and confused by what I mean, let's take one exercise for now, like the bench press. Assuming my 5rm is 150 pounds, I'd work the progression like this:
75 lbs - 1x20
80 lbs - 1x20
..
..
assuming as the weights get heavier I can no longer do 20 reps in that first set
110 lbs - 1x15+5 (cluster set)
115 lbs - 1x14+6
120 lbs - 1x13+7
..
..
weights get heavier, so I need to do more cluster sets
135 lbs - 1x10+7+3
140 lbs - 1x8+6+5+1
..
..
until I reach a weight that I can no longer do for 5 reps that first set
150 lbs - 1x5+4+3+2+2+2+2
155 lbs - 1x4 (stop and start deconditioning phase)
My concern is that some body parts will lag others. Some will still be able to increase weights when others are peaked. If it were pheasible to decondition different muscle groups whenever they were ready to be deconditioned, you'd have a continuous totally auto-regulated workout.
I've decided to play the SD by feel. When my body tells me it is time to stop and take a break, I'm going to. That may mean stopping certain muscle groups while letting the other continue. That said, at some point I'll definitely be taking a full 9-day SD.
Log starts with the next post.