Reactive Training Systems

Mike Tuchscherer wrote:

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No, stress is basically equated to how long it will take you to recover, so both volume and intensity should have a good mix of 3, 5, and 7% stress weeks. Your RPE's can stay 8-9 the whole time if you like. I would only venture to 9-10 once in a while. Intensity will involve increasing the percent of 1RM you're using.

For the most part, yes I would wave reps around every week.

Keep your exercises for 6 weeks at first. If you want to switch them sooner after you've got a cycle or two under your belt, that's fine too. At first, keep them the same, though.

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Ok perfect. I think I will alter things just a bit. I will prob do 1 week of fatigue stops mostly because its going to be the week after a contest anyways then go to 5 % fatigue drop then 7 for my volume block then when my intensity block comes I will do 9% then 7% then 9 % again and see how that works.

So you are saying to alter the rep range from week to week from exercise to exercise correct? Would it be wiser to go one week all exercises 3 reps then next week 4 reps then next 5 reps something of that nature or would you mix each exercise up in terms of reps?

Also what is a good easy way without a calculator to figure out the percentages to drop on the fly? I think you mentioned in another post a table but I am unsure which one?

In terms of the volume block how would you do shirted bench? If I use a weight I can get 3-4 reps then have atleast 1 left in the tank there is no way I can touch the weight. Would you advice ditching the shirt in volume week and going for a rev band bench or something similar

 

Hey mike if you are a long way out from a contest would it make more sense to put the bench shirt down and work without it for a little while. I dont plan on doing a contest till july so I have a while. Plus shirts cost alot and single ply stretches like crazy. If I were to use a shirt every week I would be bying a new shirt every 3 months


Also when you are using the cycle planner is this just so that I know what I am going to do in the gym?

I am looking to fill in the intensity for each exercise in the cycle planner which is easy but then the volume, what do I write if I am doing fatigue stops of using a fatigue percentage to regulate volume, do I write that in the volume. As for the RPE is it just a guidline so what you hope do do? I am sure there are going to be many times when I write 8-9 but then I hit 10, im guessing that doesnt matter. I just dont get how you properly would write it down for each exercise. Lets say I was doing suited squats in a volume block and I was doing 3 rep sets with a 5% fatigue drop at 8-9 rpe. How or in which order would i put that information down?

also when it comes to the long term planner how does everybody fill that it? How do you know what you will do in 8 weeks , 10 weeks. I dont even know past 3 weeks. I can see myself logging down an volume block but as for the intensity block thats a different story. Do you guys just enter it then go back and change it if something happens or do you fill it in as you are going along?

thanks for the help guys. I am really not used to logging everything like this but it seems to make sense that way its alot easier to analyse whats going on if you stagnate. The most I am used to doing is bringing a logbook to the gym

-- Edited by Nick Morneau at 05:50, 2009-01-09

-- Edited by Nick Morneau at 05:55, 2009-01-09