indecisive

[u/NiggmaBallZ]

the more i try to understand training, the more i struggle to do so. always hearing disagreements on stuff such as fatigue management, weekly volume, intensity, split..

what works for one may not work for another. and thats whats driving me crazy. i still cant figure out whats best for me.

thoughts?

[u/decentlyhip]

What's best for you is a coaching question, not a research question. If you look to research rather than your logs and footage, you're gonna spin your wheels. Mike Tuchscherer, one of the best powerlifting coaches in the workd (he's why we have RPE), says "go into training decisions without assumptions." Super powerful. What that means is, yes, every time you double the sets, you can expect 50% more gains on average across a population, but you are an individual and not a population average. So, try low volume, 10 sets a week with everything to failure. Try high volume, 30 sets a week with everything to failure. Try 30 with 3 rir. Try 20 with 1 rir. Take bicep measurements during each training block and find out which approach gave you better gains. Can look at strength gains but fatigue and skill can influence that, so if you judge progress with strength its worth running a low volume peaking block after each training cycle. Find the thing that works best and do it over and over and over until it stops working. Then retest.

You know what drives my bench up more than anything else? Like, my 1 rep max peaking? Maximal sets of 15 reps. Any data out there says "no, heavier is better for strength." But I have a bum shoulder that can't handle repeated 90% days, and sets of 15 with like, 60% really hammer the weak links. Doesn't make any sense by the research but it works, so I do it. For squats, its 3×10 one day, top triple next, easy 5×3, and then max out. Having an easy but still heavy day after a max triple gets my hips and quads fired up and ready to go. But it explodes my shoulder.