george_97

Hello Rip i need some advice on my rep range for the Press and your thoughts on my progress im still following your shoulder case rehab and i warm up according to practical programming under warmup in the novice chapter. i start the warmup with 5x10 on an empty bar (20 kg) and then i increment evenly in 3-5 sets to 45 kg and i do 5 reps at that weight for 3-5 sets depending on how the shoulders feel. I do this twice a week. i started with a 15 kg bar last year eccentrically like in the youtube video for "shoulder case study". This has been going on a few months now. i still have some nagging shoulder pain that refuses to go away. i tried doing some bench press (small and wide grip) and some wide chins and the shoulder did not like that at ALL. i can manage close grip supinated lat pulldown though. I deadlift and squat. That's about what i can do. Bench press hurts too much right now, and it's only the bar.. it's anterior shoulder pain i'm currently experiencing. MR showed no injury when i did it 6 months ago. It is going forward but it's really slow progress.. i'm wondering if higher rep range can benefit me in some way or perhaps supplementation like fish oil or something...

I still have pain in my left shoulder. Can you recommend me to increase the repetitions for more blood circulation if i have some sort of irritation/inflammation or what would you change in my situation?

Mark Rippetoe

Maybe a diagnosis is in order.

george_97

Do you recommend me to visit an orthopedist for another MRI?

Mark Rippetoe

I see no diagnosis. "Pain" is not a diagnosis.

Nockian

I carried out an ad hoc bit of experimentation on a few very experienced, advanced lifters in my gym. One of them knew what RPE was and considered it useful, though he didn't actually use it.

On the second set of the working set, I asked them to rate their RPE. They all estimated 7 or 8 which means they had 2-3 reps left in the tank. After a short rest I asked them to see how many reps they could actually achieve. The results were surprising, but in hindsight perhaps they weren't surprising at all.

How many additional reps do you think they did ?

Mark Rippetoe

Probably 5. Maybe 1. But not 2-3.

Nockian

Zero.

None of them could add a single rep, so their RPE was well out of whack. I suspect that this is why experienced lifter will say RPE works for them. By underestimating the RPE, perhaps they mentally prepare to perform at their upper limits. It's the old adage of positive thinking.

Conversely, from my own personal experience, novices over estimate their RPE, as I suspect would those who were mot as focused on progress.

RPE seems to be mental trickery for focused, high achieving lifters to push their limits, whilst it is an excuse for everybody else not to do that last heavy rep. In other words they are always actively imagining they are capable of far more than they actually are.

Of course this was only a tiny number of lifters, it would be interesting to see how it applied to larger groups. Funny that no one had actually thought to check this out after all the arguments.

Ivan Stepic

Will this be a new 11 page thread about how Rip is an old fool that is set in his ways and how he's unwilling to embrace this new technology we have called RPE?

Nockian is my favorite guy for amusement.

Mark Rippetoe

Technology! Goddamn! How did these kids get to be so full of shit? They seem to just believe anything that reaffirms their self-satisfaction. And it will not be an 11-page thread, I assure you.