Calculating Intensity at the Novice Level

[ricepounder]

So I know that folks don't usually (or can't accurately) vary intensity at the novice level because you can't really test your 1RM. However there are some situations where it could be helpful to aim at a ballpark %, for instance, while recovering from an injury, so you can still lift but have a consistent intensity level workout-to-workout.

I'm curious if anyone knows or can tell what the intended intensity level is during SSLP. Since in each workout you are setting new PRs, is your 5RM pretty much the weight you are trying to lift at your next workout? My suspicion would be that it is higher than that, because you are doing sets across. But for example if that was so, then according to my math (based on Rip's formulas in PP and extrapolating from the 5RM), the intensity level would always be somewhere around 64%, assuming sets of 5 reps at or near your 5RM.

Again, reason I ask is that I am currently recovering from a strain or sprain and I wanted to keep lifting for maybe a week, still adding weight, but at the same lower "intensity"--still assuming my 5RM is going up--until I can step it back up again. I realize a simpler way to do it would be just to back off by a certain # of pounds, but that would not really be mathematically consistent.

Yes, I am a math nerd.

[Brent Carter]

So even if it were productive to calculate intensity based off of 1RM (which it is decidedly not) 64% is way too low. 64% of a 1rm is something that you could in theory do for close to 12 or 15 reps or maybe more because the further you get away from a true 1RM (which again we have no idea what this number actually is because we are working with a novice) the less accurate these formulas become.

A 5RM is supposed to be around 85% of your 1RM. Granted the novice is doing it for sets across so it's not a true RM as you indicated but it aint that far off either!

Ultimately you should let your recovery and tolerance dictate the amount of load used during recovery from an injury not an arbitrary %.

math-nerd-meme-59d928d642a9e.jpg

[ricepounder]

So even if it were productive to calculate intensity based off of 1RM (which it is decidedly not) 64% is way too low. 64% of a 1rm is something that you could in theory do for close to 12 or 15 reps or maybe more because the further you get away from a true 1RM (which again we have no idea what this number actually is because we are working with a novice) the less accurate these formulas become.

A 5RM is supposed to be around 85% of your 1RM. Granted the novice is doing it for sets across so it's not a true RM as you indicated but it aint that far off either!

Ultimately you should let your recovery and tolerance dictate the amount of load used during recovery from an injury not an arbitrary %.

math-nerd-meme-59d928d642a9e.jpg

I am still sorta confused about that last sentence in general. I'm pretty much back to normal progression now (still some pain but doesn't affect form, and now feels better with work), and I'm noticing that I am recovering faster than I "want" to--i.e. I am not nearly as sore the next day as I used to be, sometimes not at all, which makes me feel I am not lifting enough. But while I am lifting a new PR my last reps feel reaallly hard. I am resting about 2-3 minutes between work sets. Maybe this is dumb, but I don't have a gym membership and I don't have a spotter, so I'm pretty careful about not failing totally on my last reps, especially with BP. I've failed before, and it wasn't dangerous, I just had to "roll" the bar down my chest until I could sit up--ha. A little painful and hard but no harm done. I could also dump the weight (and piss off the downstairs neighbors) since I don't use collars, but from what I read I shouldn't fail anyway, because the idea is finishing the set.

[Brent Carter]

Which part of the last sentence was confusing?

You are correct in not wanting to fail. That said it will eventually happen. For BP it would be more advisable to dump the weight to either side.

Soreness is not an indication of progress. Weight on the bar is.

[ricepounder]

Which part of the last sentence was confusing?

You are correct in not wanting to fail. That said it will eventually happen. For BP it would be more advisable to dump the weight to either side.

Soreness is not an indication of progress. Weight on the bar is.

Ok that makes sense. I was just confused on whether you meant recovery from injury or from just regular muscle fatigue. If muscle fatigue, then it would seem if I recovered faster (i.e. didn't feel sore or weak) then I should lift more or sooner. But I think you meant the former.

[Brent Carter]

Recovery from injury has to be done on a case by case basis. (how bad was the injury, what was the mechanism of injury, does the damaged tissue have good circulation, how long ago was it) All of these questions help formulate the approach.

In regards to muscle fatigue basing your training on how you are feeling is the realm of exercise not training. Your program should already take into account fatigue and program accordingly.