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Hey guys,

So I'm on my second block of operator since doing BB earlier this year.

I've run into a problem where I think that I went too hard on my 1RM testing. I can't meet the required weight and reps in the 90% week. I've just finished the 90% week where I had so shed 5kg off my front squat, 17.5kg off my dead and 5kg off my OHP in order to meet the number of required reps.

I'm getting plenty of sleep and definitely eating enough, but I'm wondering where to go from here?

I'm thinking I should just stick it out for the last 3 weeks doing what I can and then retest and use a 90% training max going forward. But I'm keen to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

In general, I would say that it's never a bad idea to use a training max. I know that you are in the middle of a six-week cycle, but if I were you and I couldn't meet the required reps/sets on the 90% week, I think that I would do one of 2 things:

1. Either take a few days off, retest, and then setup your next cycle based upon a 90% training max or
2. Don't take any time off, but take your previous 1-rep maxes from before this cycle, use a 90% training max, and then start this cycle over. I don't think that I would go into weeks 4-6 without knowing for sure that I could hit the prescribed weights.

Just my $.02, but, in general, I really enjoy the Op I/A percentages that never exceed 90%. So what I do is that I will take a 1RM test, get a 90% training max, and then run as many cycles of Op I/A as I can increasing my lower body training max by 10 pounds and my upper body training max by 5 pounds each cycle until I can't hit my required reps and sets anymore. Than I take several days off and retest to see how far I have progressed.

yoda wrote:Hey guys,

So I'm on my second block of operator since doing BB earlier this year.

I've run into a problem where I think that I went too hard on my 1RM testing. I can't meet the required weight and reps in the 90% week. I've just finished the 90% week where I had so shed 5kg off my front squat, 17.5kg off my dead and 5kg off my OHP in order to meet the number of required reps.

I'm getting plenty of sleep and definitely eating enough, but I'm wondering where to go from here?

I'm thinking I should just stick it out for the last 3 weeks doing what I can and then retest and use a 90% training max going forward. But I'm keen to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

What kind of rest interval are you using between sets?

What cluster are you using?

What does the rest of your week look like in terms of conditioning or other (non-lifting) activity?

Thanks for the advice mikhou. I'm leaning towards the second option at this stage.

TangoZero wrote:
What kind of rest interval are you using between sets?

What cluster are you using?

What does the rest of your week look like in terms of conditioning or other (non-lifting) activity?

Rest interval is at it's max at 5 minutes.

My cluster is Front Squat, Overhead Press, Weighted Pull-ups and Deadlift once per week.

So I'm doing OP Mon, Wed, Fri followed by HIC. Tues, Thurs, Sat is LSS runs between 30-60mins followed by some core and grip work. Throughout the week I'm at the Police Academy and am just sitting in classrooms all day more or less with 1 PT session per week (pretty basic and easy).

yoda wrote:Thanks for the advice mikhou. I'm leaning towards the second option at this stage.

TangoZero wrote:
What kind of rest interval are you using between sets?

What cluster are you using?

What does the rest of your week look like in terms of conditioning or other (non-lifting) activity?

Rest interval is at it's max at 5 minutes.

My cluster is Front Squat, Overhead Press, Weighted Pull-ups and Deadlift once per week.

So I'm doing OP Mon, Wed, Fri followed by HIC. Tues, Thurs, Sat is LSS runs between 30-60mins followed by some core and grip work. Throughout the week I'm at the Police Academy and am just sitting in classrooms all day more or less with 1 PT session per week (pretty basic and easy).

Ok, couple suggestions;

Don't be afraid to extend the rest intervals for those stubborn sets. Even up to 10 minutes if necessary.

Cut down on the HIC. Cut some of the sessions down or cut them in half/do the "easy" version. You're doing 6 conditioning sessions per week, no surprise your lifting's being affected.

Keep everything the same until the block is over. Use a tm for the next block.

I find that sometimes it takes a while for your body to get used to the weight...so the first week (wk 3) of 90% can feel difficult and am barely able to finish, but when it rolls around again during week 6 I've got it under control. Sometimes it might even take more than one block. That's what it's all about...slowly getting used to the loads over time.

Thanks for the advice Tango! I appreciate it

All good advice above.

Some of us have battled the "should I use a Training Max or not" question for quite some time, and done experiments over 12-18 months.

I have concluded that for me, I'll never go without a training max again. With a reasonable conditioning load, not doing so just runs me into the ground, and the same thing happens with my lifting buddy who is 22 years younger than me.

I also agree with Tango that your conditioning load is very high. Black Professional has 2 HIC and 1 E, and you're doing twice that. An easy experiment would be to drop it down to 2 HIC and 2 E. Looking at your schedule, I'd probably drop the HIC on deadlift day, and drop the E on Tuesday or Thursday.

$0.02