Exodus Strength

timelinex wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 2:57 pm Well I've gotten back into the swing of things after a few year lay off (original thread). As mentioned in the original thread, I've decided to make things "more enjoyable and tolerable". Part of that was cutting wait time from like 5min+ to 3min, and accepting whatever strength losses that entailed.

I've mostly finished LP'ing my core lifts, and transition more to a 1@8, 3-4 sets of 5@80ish% as the lifts reach their end.

As mentioned earlier, I used to take like 5+ min on hard sets and 3+ minutes on volume sets. This time I've gotten used to LP'ing at 3 min. As I started transitioning and added volume, I tried lowering my wait times to continue being able to finish within ~1 hour. Shockingly, I've been able to go down to like 1.5 minutes on almost everything. The bigger lifts are 1.5 minutes too, but I Would say by the time I react, put on my belt, get under the weight, we are looking at more like 2.25 - 2.5 minutes.

I'm shocked and pleasantly surprised, as anything under 5 minutes used to be a huge struggle.

The only issue is I wonder if I'm just handicapping my lifts now? Have I gotten too soft? Am I just using a weight that's too light to be able to do sets of 5 squats every 2 min and "wasting my time". The "hardcore" voice in my heads from years past is making me doubt my new ways.

timelinex wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 2:57 pm Well I've gotten back into the swing of things after a few year lay off (original thread). As mentioned in the original thread, I've decided to make things "more enjoyable and tolerable". Part of that was cutting wait time from like 5min+ to 3min, and accepting whatever strength losses that entailed.

I've mostly finished LP'ing my core lifts, and transition more to a 1@8, 3-4 sets of 5@80ish% as the lifts reach their end.

As mentioned earlier, I used to take like 5+ min on hard sets and 3+ minutes on volume sets. This time I've gotten used to LP'ing at 3 min. As I started transitioning and added volume, I tried lowering my wait times to continue being able to finish within ~1 hour. Shockingly, I've been able to go down to like 1.5 minutes on almost everything. The bigger lifts are 1.5 minutes too, but I Would say by the time I react, put on my belt, get under the weight, we are looking at more like 2.25 - 2.5 minutes.

I'm shocked and pleasantly surprised, as anything under 5 minutes used to be a huge struggle.

The only issue is I wonder if I'm just handicapping my lifts now? Have I gotten too soft? Am I just using a weight that's too light to be able to do sets of 5 squats every 2 min and "wasting my time". The "hardcore" voice in my heads from years past is making me doubt my new ways.

timelinex wrote: ↑Sat Mar 11, 2023 4:35 pm Thanks for the encouragement guys. I wasn't sure if I was just lying to myself for an "easier" time!

dw wrote: ↑Sat Mar 11, 2023 6:46 pm I think that calling rest times a training variable is a good way to put it but that implies that they can in fact be too short. Which has been true in my experience.

I had two movements (neck curls and the adductor machine) where progress seemed too slow but adding volume caused regression and reducing it caused stagnation. In both cases adding 30s to my rest time (from 1m and 1.5m respectively) seemed to do the trick.

MarkKO wrote: ↑Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:19 pm I've said it many times: time is the most underused training variable

CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 4:17 pm Time and training density are so important, I fully agree.

There's a cascading effect that goes like:
- you get in shape
- so you can rest less
- so you work more per unit of time
- so your muscles get bigger
- so you get stronger

perman wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 2:28 am The above is true, but I do think training for 3 hours per session works too. This just isn't probably a smart long-term strategy, since life tends to get in the way of doing that all the time, but I do think long training sessions work well in absense of that conditioning (which disappears quickly when life gets in the way of that too).

MarkKO wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:18 pm The whole idea that you *must* rest a certain amount of time between sets is mostly BS. There are absolutely certain occasions where you do need to, but usually that's where you're working over 85 per cent and generally that's infrequent like during a peak. Outside of that, your body is usually able to adapt to shorter rests pretty fast.

Bliss wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:02 am A suggestion:
Instead of tracking and timing each rest period, give the E "X" MOM approach a go.

Let a stopclock go just as you are about to begin your work set (with chalk, belt etc. pretty much ready to go), and whilst resting, plan to start your next work set so that you are ready at the right time.

I'm using this anywhere from actual EMOM for bro work up to E4MOM for squat/deadlift sets.

Bliss wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:02 am give the E "X" MOM approach a go.
...
I'm using this anywhere from actual EMOM for bro work up to E4MOM for squat/deadlift sets.

CaptainAwesome wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:10 am

MarkKO wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:18 pm The whole idea that you *must* rest a certain amount of time between sets is mostly BS. There are absolutely certain occasions where you do need to, but usually that's where you're working over 85 per cent and generally that's infrequent like during a peak. Outside of that, your body is usually able to adapt to shorter rests pretty fast.

I have not found this to be the case at all with squats. I managed to train upper body lifts to be able to do this, but the squat always seems to turn a corner where exhaustion leads to form breakdown if I don't take some long ass rests. This definitely happens south of 85%.

Bliss wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:02 am A suggestion:
Instead of tracking and timing each rest period, give the E "X" MOM approach a go.

Let a stopclock go just as you are about to begin your work set (with chalk, belt etc. pretty much ready to go), and whilst resting, plan to start your next work set so that you are ready at the right time.

I'm using this anywhere from actual EMOM for bro work up to E4MOM for squat/deadlift sets.

CaptainAwesome wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:10 am

MarkKO wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:18 pm The whole idea that you *must* rest a certain amount of time between sets is mostly BS. There are absolutely certain occasions where you do need to, but usually that's where you're working over 85 per cent and generally that's infrequent like during a peak. Outside of that, your body is usually able to adapt to shorter rests pretty fast.

I have not found this to be the case at all with squats. I managed to train upper body lifts to be able to do this, but the squat always seems to turn a corner where exhaustion leads to form breakdown if I don't take some long ass rests. This definitely happens south of 85%.

CaptainAwesome wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:10 am

MarkKO wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 3:18 pm The whole idea that you *must* rest a certain amount of time between sets is mostly BS. There are absolutely certain occasions where you do need to, but usually that's where you're working over 85 per cent and generally that's infrequent like during a peak. Outside of that, your body is usually able to adapt to shorter rests pretty fast.

I have not found this to be the case at all with squats. I managed to train upper body lifts to be able to do this, but the squat always seems to turn a corner where exhaustion leads to form breakdown if I don't take some long ass rests. This definitely happens south of 85%.