Reactive Training Systems

Mike Tuchscherer · Guru

RE: lift in equipment all year round?

Binford · Senior Member

I'm with ya, some good info Mike. Thanks.

Mike Tuchscherer · Guru

Cool. Hope it helps!

jamwithtupac · Veteran Member

Mike Tuchscherer wrote:

It depends on what you're trying to do with your overall intensity for the week. If you want "Hi Intensity", you can
do 90% for both
do 95% for one and 80-85% for the other (depending on how high is high)
do 100% for one and 80-85% for the other (again, depending)
and even possibly 85% for both, again depending on how high is high.

If you wanted very high intensity, you could forseeably do 95% for both, but at that point, you had better make some consessions to ensure you don't get too beat down (stress reduction, intensity reduction, or both).

wow those percentages still seems quite high to do raw and equipped lifting in the same week, but I guess you build up to it and if you recover well you can do it. Was looking at your youtube videos Mike, and noticed most of your lifting is in the 1-3 rep range, you ever do higher reps? like 5-8 rep stuff? this is what I was doing really in the early stages before my comp,

Mike Tuchscherer · Guru

I do my supplemental work from 4-10 reps. Those are the 3rd exercise in the template I'm currently running. Check out my training log and you'll see it. Other than that, I really don't train the competition lift for higher reps. I just don't see the point (yet).

jamwithtupac · Veteran Member

yeah I like high rep training early then gradually peak up over weeks and lower reps over time, but I can understand why you would say high reps isnt needed,

most of my sets and reps consist of 3 sets of 5 on the same weight, of 5 sets of 3 on deadlifts, Ill make a journal soon so you can see it

Andrew Hollenbeck · Senior Member

Mike Tuchscherer wrote:

I do my supplemental work from 4-10 reps. Those are the 3rd exercise in the template I'm currently running. Check out my training log and you'll see it. Other than that, I really don't train the competition lift for higher reps. I just don't see the point (yet).

Mike, I didn't see a point for it either, and still don't exactly see a big point. But take this info for what its worth. This is what an exercise physiologist told me about strength capacity.

She said that the bigger the muscle fibers are, the more neural ions and water are in that muscle. The more neural ions, the more potentional for strength output. Hypertrophy training specifically aims for increasing the size of the muscle fibers. While strength training will increase the size of the fibers, it does so at a much slower rate.

Just some food for thought. I'm pretty sure that is the reasoning behind the "Coan" periodization routines.

Andrew Hollenbeck · Senior Member

Mike, I also have a question about how much training you think I should be getting in gear.

I have 19 weeks before the Arnold. I'm going to have 5, 3 week blocks of training. My blocks consist of:

Monday.............Wednesday.............Friday..............Saturday
Heavy Squat.....Heavy Bench.........Sq Assistance......BP Assistance
Speed Bench.....Heavy Deadlift......BP Assistance......Speed Squat
Speed Deadlift...Bench Supplement....DL Assistance...BP Supplement

Consider I'm coming off an 8 week block of total raw training, and have only touched my gear one time (the day of the meet last Saturday) since last December, would you go gear from now until the Arnold? Not as my main lift, but as an assistance. Or possibly alternate the geared lift between heavy and assistance each 3 week block. I had great success with training raw for squat and deadlift, but not for bench. But I would think my geared lifts would benefit more from training them in gear as an assistance, rather than a raw move that focuses on the upper end.

Thanks Mike.

Mike Tuchscherer · Guru

Andrew Hollenbeck wrote:

Mike Tuchscherer wrote:

I do my supplemental work from 4-10 reps. Those are the 3rd exercise in the template I'm currently running. Check out my training log and you'll see it. Other than that, I really don't train the competition lift for higher reps. I just don't see the point (yet).

Mike, I didn't see a point for it either, and still don't exactly see a big point. But take this info for what its worth. This is what an exercise physiologist told me about strength capacity.
She said that the bigger the muscle fibers are, the more neural ions and water are in that muscle. The more neural ions, the more potentional for strength output. Hypertrophy training specifically aims for increasing the size of the muscle fibers. While strength training will increase the size of the fibers, it does so at a much slower rate.

Just some food for thought. I'm pretty sure that is the reasoning behind the "Coan" periodization routines.

http://www.dieselcrew.com/articles-pdf/functionalhypertrophy.pdf

This is what I'm really getting at. The size that you gain from doing higher rep sets may not be functional. I feel they can still be important developmentally, so I opt to do them in assistance exercises 1) because it's more interesting and 2) I can "spend" my competition lift volumes doing lower rep sets with heavier weight, which will also have a better impact on technique.

The Coan-style periodization programs (linear periodization) do exactly what you say. They have a period up-front for Hypertrophy, then transition to strength, then to "power" (a misnomer). The flaw here is that abilities are not maintained throughout the cycle. This is why linear periodization poses a problem to some folks. It's also why, in general, conjugate periodization (NOT Westside) is considered "better" than linear. Abilities have to be maintained. If you can hypertrophy a muscle, then develop it's work capacity, strength, and power... all at appropriate times of the training cycle and maintain some abilities while improving others... that's a highly effective training program.

Mike Tuchscherer · Guru

I'd agree that your geared lifts will be better aided by geared training. The way I do it now is I have my main work as my contest movement. I train assistance stuff raw and supplemental stuff for hypertrophy. But, then again, you had success going all-raw, so maybe putting it in the assistance slot would be just fine. My only concern would be that you are getting under heavy weights enough with it in the assistance slot. I'm not familiar enough with your program to be able to tell right off hand, but if you get plenty of 80 and 85 percent work with an occasional 90-95% set, I think you'll be fine.

Nick U · Senior Member

do you add wraps to kick up the intensity or to you have another reasoning for adding in wraps. I rarely add them in and am curious if this is an error.

Mike Tuchscherer · Guru

Wraps really slow the workout down, so I go without most of the time. That's the main reason.
I put them on when I get close to the meet for preparation purposes.
Just as with wearing a belt for raw work, this may or may not be "optimal", but who's training is?