whats your views on effort per set?

[callan]

this came up in joels "who really trains" thread...
talk about going 100% effort (for example) 3 sets of 5, where the weight remains at that 100%
do you start lower and increase?
or do you do one, 100% effort set, then drop it down?

whats your views on towards "effort percentage per set"?

(i am aware this is in the strength section, but i feel it applies to both sides of lifting, so everyone feel free to comment)

discuss.

 

[bradsky]

If you look at 531, the program is set out for the last set to give it more effort than the first 2, in that you perform maximum reps.

Blood and guts for body-builders is light sets and then 1 heavy set.

cbf looking any up.

But I have tried to go 3 sets to fail (100% effort) with like 5-6 movements, too much rest time/ energy loss = unsustainable

 

[walt]

leave 1 rep in tank

 

[DREADLIFT]

On strength days (3 sets of 5) the first two working sets are only done to 5 reps.
If i can do more reps i wont, but im usually using a weight withing my 5rm anyway.
The goal with strength for me is the total load lifted as apposed to working the muscles to failure for hypertrophy.

If i take my first set to failure and say do 8 reps with total 100% effort, by my next set i might only be able to get 4, and 3 on subsequent sets due to muscle fatigue.

So i save to 100% suicide death lift effort to only the last set, once ive done my 3 sets of 5 reps anything else on that last set is a bonus, and therefore all my focus can be put into that last set. LIKE A FREAKING LAZZZEERRR BEEEAAAMM

 

[Skalatharx]

I just keep training an excercise until I hit failure (8reps atm) then move onto the next one. This may take as many as 3-5 sets depending on the weight.

 

[bradsky]

On strength days (3 sets of 5) the first two working sets are only done to 5 reps.
If i can do more reps i wont, but im usually using a weight withing my 5rm anyway.
The goal with strength for me is the total load lifted as apposed to working the muscles to failure for hypertrophy.

If i take my first set to failure and say do 8 reps with total 100% effort, by my next set i might only be able to get 4, and 3 on subsequent sets due to muscle fatigue.

So i save to 100% suicide death lift effort to only the last set, once ive done my 3 sets of 5 reps anything else on that last set is a bonus, and therefore all my focus can be put into that last set. LIKE A FREAKING LAZZZEERRR BEEEAAAMM

what he said.

 

[DKD]

I understand for strength training you do things like 3x5 and maybe leave a rep in the tank if necessary to help you progressively increase weight in future workouts, however I don't follow this approach. I prefer going to failure in most sets. I read on thread on bb.com where several over 40s blokes said they got their best results (physique wise) when they switched over to training to failure.

I find it odd when I read guy's logs that say

Chins 3 x 5
Dips 3 x 5 (or say 5x5)

Clearly they could be doing more reps in the earlier sets, but they're sticking to their plan. I'm not sure if it's the best plan, but obviously I'm no coach.

 

[callan]

On strength days (3 sets of 5) the first two working sets are only done to 5 reps.
If i can do more reps i wont, but im usually using a weight withing my 5rm anyway.
The goal with strength for me is the total load lifted as apposed to working the muscles to failure for hypertrophy.

If i take my first set to failure and say do 8 reps with total 100% effort, by my next set i might only be able to get 4, and 3 on subsequent sets due to muscle fatigue.

So i save to 100% suicide death lift effort to only the last set, once ive done my 3 sets of 5 reps anything else on that last set is a bonus, and therefore all my focus can be put into that last set. LIKE A FREAKING LAZZZEERRR BEEEAAAMM

when i run a periodisation program, as i get closer to a comp, ill do 3 weeks of 3 sets of 5, the last week is generally 100% effort, for each set. hoping to JUST make the last rep on the last set.

so when my training gets close to comp ill end up doing 3 sets of 5 at 100% effort but saying that this last week of 5's may have 15-20 mins rests between sets lol so muscle fatigue doesnt really play a role, each set i should feel fresh and ready to go.


when this topic came up in the thread it got me interested is what people actually aim to do in effort for their training

 

[callan]

I understand for strength training you do things like 3x5 and maybe leave a rep in the tank if necessary to help you progressively increase weight in future workouts, however I don't follow this approach. I prefer going to failure in most sets. I read on thread on bb.com where several over 40s blokes said they got their best results (physique wise) when they switched over to training to failure.

I find it odd when I read guy's logs that say

Chins 3 x 5
Dips 3 x 5 (or say 5x5)

Clearly they could be doing more reps in the earlier sets, but they're sticking to their plan. I'm not sure if it's the best plan, but obviously I'm no coach.

lol when guys have the ability to do many reps but only do like what you said would be a joke, if they were to do 3x5 i would hope that they are weighted lol (unless they are like me and can only squeeze out 4 or 5 wide grip chins hahahahaha)

 

[callan]

If you look at 531, the program is set out for the last set to give it more effort than the first 2, in that you perform maximum reps.

Blood and guts for body-builders is light sets and then 1 heavy set.

cbf looking any up.

But I have tried to go 3 sets to fail (100% effort) with like 5-6 movements, too much rest time/ energy loss = unsustainable

tbh iv never really looked into the 531 program... might have a read to gain a better understanding of how it works

 

[DREADLIFT]

Either way, you must reach total failure in some way or another, in order for your body to go "OH SHIT, THIS IS HARD, I BETTER ADAPT BY GETTING BIGGER/STRONGER/FASTER" and make significant progress. Then afterwards you rape your mouth with as much food as possible.

 

[callan]

Either way, you must reach total failure in some way or another, in order for your body to go "OH SHIT, THIS IS HARD, I BETTER ADAPT BY GETTING BIGGER/STRONGER/FASTER" and make significant progress. Then afterwards you rape your mouth with as much food as possible.

lol this is why i love the periodisation programming... one week 130 kgs can feel fkn heavy, then the next 140 can feel like a feather

 

[Rambodian]

On strength days (3 sets of 5) the first two working sets are only done to 5 reps.
If i can do more reps i wont, but im usually using a weight withing my 5rm anyway.
The goal with strength for me is the total load lifted as apposed to working the muscles to failure for hypertrophy.

If i take my first set to failure and say do 8 reps with total 100% effort, by my next set i might only be able to get 4, and 3 on subsequent sets due to muscle fatigue.

So i save to 100% suicide death lift effort to only the last set, once ive done my 3 sets of 5 reps anything else on that last set is a bonus, and therefore all my focus can be put into that last set. LIKE A FREAKING LAZZZEERRR BEEEAAAMM

Pretty much this ^^^^

I never lift a weight in a work set that is less than 80% of my 1rm, than I basically hit the first couple of sets by number of reps (say 5 reps if I'm doing 3x5 etc) than I make sure the last set is 100% effort to failure or near failure (usualy between 3-5reps anyway), some days I leave 1 rep in the tank others I go totally nuts just depends on the day. I can achieve this level of intensity in only 2 sets if I want, but usually the weight is heavy enough to be within my prescribed amount of reps anyway.

I don't do a weight that I can rep out 15 reps and only do 5, that's pointless in my opinion. I always work heavy enough to only just get the last rep in my prescribed rep scheme anyway.

 

[Rugby88]

2-3 warm up sets x 6-10 (weight ramping up) - 1 working set x 3-6 (to failure)

 

[Bazza20]

Either way, you must reach total failure in some way or another, in order for your body to go "OH SHIT, THIS IS HARD, I BETTER ADAPT BY GETTING BIGGER/STRONGER/FASTER" and make significant progress. Then afterwards you rape your mouth with as much food as possible.

You don't have to reach failure in some way to keep progressing.

 

[wingman]

I like a mixture, this is what I liked about GSLP (Greyskull LP) back when I was following it, it had a mix of a bit of both.

Looked a little like this from memory:

Monday:
3 sets 5 reps Press
3 sets 5 reps Squat

Wed:
3 sets 5 reps Bench
1 set 5 reps Dead

Fri:
3 sets 5 reps Press
3 sets 5 reps Squat

Then the 2nd week would swap the press and bench around (but keep the squat and deads as is). Between the 2 lifts each day you could insert whatever you wanted, such as weighted chinups or whatever.

After warming up however you like, all 3 sets of the exercise were at the same weight. The 3rd set (or only in the case of deadlifts), however, was an all out til failure set. Then add like 2.5kg each week or whatever it was to each lift.

The fun part came when you stalled on one of the lifts, sounds ironic. Say if you could only get out 4 reps of dead instead of 5 at 200kg 2 weeks in a row you'd reset it down 10% to 180kg. From then onwards progress back up as normal, except because it's now 20kg lighter your final max reps set are going through the roof.

 

[callan]

Either way, you must reach total failure in some way or another, in order for your body to go "OH SHIT, THIS IS HARD, I BETTER ADAPT BY GETTING BIGGER/STRONGER/FASTER" and make significant progress. Then afterwards you rape your mouth with as much food as possible.

You don't have to reach failure in some way to keep progressing.

yeah you dont have to, but you can, i wouldnt recommend it for squat or deadlift, but on bench i have done a supercompensation program where each session you push yourself to total failure with assisted reps. i hated it hahaha every set was hell hahaha but it worked (but saying that my bench is that shit anything would work LOL )

 

[Rambodian]

If you ain't scared of it, it ain't heavy enough LOL

 

[callan]

If you ain't scared of it, it ain't heavy enough LOL

LOL good one

 

[Rugby88]

If you ain't scared of it, it ain't heavy enough LOL

That is so true...if your training and you dont have to put total focus into the exercise/weight at hand then its not hard enough...