Staying with the same numbers

[Barkadion]

Just want to ask you to share your personal experience if you've done Option#3 from "Decision Time" chapter:

"Stay with the same numbers for another block or until you feel you’ve mastered a particular load."

Why did you make the decision?
How long did you stay with the same numbers?
How did you benefit form it (or not)?

I am thinking about running my next block with the same numbers. Hope your experience can help me to make a right decision.

Thank you!

[K.B.]

When you strip it down to the core, strength training is essentially about getting used to handling an amount of weight. Then you add a little more and get used to it again. As your loads get heavier and the human body starts approaching it's limits - it stands to reason it'll take you longer to get used to that weight.

So take longer to get used to that weight.

Beginners and early-intermediates can generally expect increases every 6-9 weeks with little issue.
A 35 year old trainee with years of lifting behind him + respectable numbers can't.

Your body doesn't care that your program progresses in neat little 6 week blocks. If you keep adding weight before you own the previous weight you're going to stall. It might feel good mentally to force progression every 6 weeks - but in reality you're not going to get much farther in cold hard numbers if you're over-reaching.

So, take 6 weeks, take 12, take 18 - or longer if necessary, and own the weight. Then force progression. Do it all over again. This isn't across the board. You might be able to progress your squat every 6 and your bench every 12.

Factors that might require you to stay with the weight longer:

- Doing heavy conditioning on the side. You're not a powerlifter training to peak for one particular event on one particular day.
- External stressors such as lack of sleep due to operations, poor diet, medical issues or injuries.
- Inconsistency. You miss a bunch of training days during a block due to the holidays, operations, or higher priorities.

Start thinking in terms of months and years, not blocks. One training session, one block - isn't going to make or break you.

[Barkadion]

When you strip it down to the core, strength training is essentially about getting used to handling an amount of weight. Then you add a little more and get used to it again. As your loads get heavier and the human body starts approaching it's limits - it stands to reason it'll take you longer to get used to that weight.

So take longer to get used to that weight.

Beginners and early-intermediates can generally expect increases every 6-9 weeks with little issue.
A 35 year old trainee with years of lifting behind him + respectable numbers can't.

Your body doesn't care that your program progresses in neat little 6 week blocks. If you keep adding weight before you own the previous weight you're going to stall. It might feel good mentally to force progression every 6 weeks - but in reality you're not going to get much farther in cold hard numbers if you're over-reaching.

So, take 6 weeks, take 12, take 18 - or longer if necessary, and own the weight. Then force progression. Do it all over again. This isn't across the board. You might be able to progress your squat every 6 and your bench every 12.

Factors that might require you to stay with the weight longer:

- Doing heavy conditioning on the side. You're not a powerlifter training to peak for one particular event on one particular day.
- External stressors such as lack of sleep due to operations, poor diet, medical issues or injuries.
- Inconsistency. You miss a bunch of training days during a block due to the holidays, operations, or higher priorities.

Start thinking in terms of months and years, not blocks. One training session, one block - isn't going to make or break you.

Thank you KB. It does help a lot.

[J-Madd]

I don't have anything substantive to add to KB's great post, but here's a way to think about it. Dave Tate said once that whenever he sees a new trainee adding weight to the bar, he asks "Have you gotten everything you can out of 135 yet? If not, stick with that weight." His point is that there is no reason to add weight until you have really mastered the weight you are currently using. Otherwise you are just adding unnecessary wear-and-tear, when you could have made progress with less weight. A lot times I won't even do a modest forced progression, because I don't feel like I have achieved complete technical master at my current training max.

[Barkadion]

I don't have anything substantive to add to KB's great post, but here's a way to think about it. Dave Tate said once that whenever he sees a new trainee adding weight to the bar, he asks "Have you gotten everything you can out of 135 yet? If not, stick with that weight." His point is that there is no reason to add weight until you have really mastered the weight you are currently using. Otherwise you are just adding unnecessary wear-and-tear, when you could have made progress with less weight. A lot times I won't even do a modest forced progression, because I don't feel like I have achieved complete technical master at my current training max.

Thank you J-MADD.

[Green2Blue]

A 35 year old trainee with years of lifting behind him + respectable numbers can't.

This statement is exactly what keeps me up late at night crying into my ice cream.

[Barkadion]

A 35 year old trainee with years of lifting behind him + respectable numbers can't.

This statement is exactly what keeps me up late at night crying into my ice cream.

Sounds like Haagen-Dazs to me

[Maxrip13]

I usually do it following a traditional basebuild as outlined in the TB book. I use the 3 week strength end part as a refamiliarisation to barbells and then use that progression for a full 9 weeks. I also do similar if I take time away from the barbells.

I am considering progressing my back squat but sticking with my current benchpress training max for my next OP I/A progression. Pullups I can't really decide at this time, but I may just stick with current weights for them also.

Another option is sticking with the same weights, but progress the amounts of sets. I have been sticking to the minimum 3 sets for my last cycle of OP I/A , but I may choose to do 4 or 5 sets for my upper body if I stick with the same weights. This gives me some progression and definitely allows me to own that weight.

[Barkadion]

I usually do it following a traditional basebuild as outlined in the TB book. I use the 3 week strength end part as a refamiliarisation to barbells and then use that progression for a full 9 weeks. I also do similar if I take time away from the barbells.

I am considering progressing my back squat but sticking with my current benchpress training max for my next OP I/A progression. Pullups I can't really decide at this time, but I may just stick with current weights for them also.

Another option is sticking with the same weights, but progress the amounts of sets. I have been sticking to the minimum 3 sets for my last cycle of OP I/A , but I may choose to do 4 or 5 sets for my upper body if I stick with the same weights. This gives me some progression and definitely allows me to own that weight.

Thanks Max.

[K.B.]

I usually do it following a traditional basebuild as outlined in the TB book. I use the 3 week strength end part as a refamiliarisation to barbells and then use that progression for a full 9 weeks. I also do similar if I take time away from the barbells.

Bang on. This is another good use for a shorter block. Getting back to barbells after a long layoff (Base, vacation etc.) - do a short block to get back to your latest baseline, retest or force progression - and then follow up with a longer 12 week block.

Another option is sticking with the same weights, but progress the amounts of sets.

Smart - this is a great approach. Even slight changes to volume (like consistently doing 4 sets instead of 3) can make a tremendous difference to the final outcome.