What are your sets and reps on L and M?
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determining percentage offset for HLM
Hi Mr. Wolf,
I finished LP, switched to HLM for squats with:
H day at new 5 rm and then 2 back off sets at 95%
L day at 80% of H day's most recent rep max
M day at 90% of H days most recent max.
About a month ago I ran heavy day down to triples, and on Monday I achieved a long-term goal of doing deep squats with a full 3 plates. I have SS to thank for that.
The problem is that I'm reaching a point where I'm more likely to fail on the "medium" days are arguably harder than the "heavy" days. The "light" day squats aren't exactly shooting out of the hole either. I haven't failed or anything yet, but in my limited experience I feel like its coming.
Should I fiddle with the percentage offsets at all, or just finish running it down? If I switch to singles and do 90% of my singles max on medium day though I'm basically 100% sure I'll miss reps on medium days before I miss on the singles.
What do you thin I should do?
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What are your sets and reps on L and M?
Member
Tomorrow will be 284x5x3 for M
L day yesterday was 248x5x3
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Should have also asked: Are you still doing triples on heavy day? Your post makes it sound like 315 was a single, but you really didn't include enough info for me to know, or to answer your Q.
But I think what's getting your goat is relative intensity vs absolute intensity. Relative intensity being the % of xRM, absolute intensity being the % of 1RM.
Just for the sake of example, assume you did 315x3 and could do 340x1 if you went up to a 1RM. So 284 might be 96% of your 5RM (relative intensity) even if it's only 84% of your 1RM (absolute intensity). You're thinking, man, it shouldn't be so hard, it's only 84%! Not thinking that ya, it's 84% of your 1RM but 96% of your 5RM. Which is a damn hard number to repeat for 3x5, the same week as setting a new 3RM, especially if the 3RM was grindy and slow. You need to keep both in mind - you can't use 96% relative intensity for volume and add weight to the bar weekly for very long past the novice phase.
When you start everything off in HLM with sets of fahve, it's fairly simple - you can use a 10% offset on medium day and 20% on light day. But once you're using multiple rep ranges, whether running it out or rotating - especially if doing so with different rep ranges on different days of the week - you need to consider the offset in terms of relative intensity, too.
i.e. Heavy day might be 3, 3 week cycles: triples for 3 weeks at a relative intensity of 94, 97, and 101%, the doubles, and then singles at the same %, so you set a new PR every 3rd week, at a different rep range.
Medium day might be 5 sets of 5 @90% relative intensity on week 1, 4 sets of 5 @ 88% relative intensity on week 2, and 3 sets of 5 at 85% relative intensity on week 3. Since this is the harder volume driver, it's like a mini block where you start with higher and harder volume and taper a bit as you get to PR week.
Light day could be lots of things but again just for example, maybe you invert it with medium day, since it's light enough that it shouldn't bugger up heavy day too much even being done two days before, but heavy enough that it allows you to keep your volume high and not have to taper and peak in order to set those PRs. This is not a strategy you can use forever, but it works for a while.
So something like 2x7 @ 80% on week 1, 3x6 at 80% on week 2, and 4x5 @75% on week 3 - all relative intensity of real or approximate 7,6,5 RMs respectively.
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I see. Interesting.
And yes, I'm still doing triples for heavy day.
Member
Ok sorry to double post but I've got a follow up questions.
would you say that there is an advantage to working in three different rep ranges rather than two at my level of training advancement? Should I switch light days to something other than five?
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I think one of the goals of early intermediate training is to change the lifter's exposure from only fives to singles through fives. Understanding how singles, doubles, and triples work and are similar yet different from fives. Yes, a 1 or 2RM vs a 5RM but also: Understanding how a double at a higher absolute intensity but lower relative intensity than a set of five at lower absolute intensity but higher relative intensity challenges you different and requires different things from you and how to bring that focus and effort to bear on the set (i.e. for you, 320x2 vs 290x5).Originally Posted by hostile
If the program is designed well and the lifter executes it well, he will also get stronger. Getting stronger is, of course, our main goal and it can still happen relatively quickly at this stage. But part of that process is exposure to the different mental and skill demands of both heavy but submaximal singles, doubles, and triples, as well as maximal or near maximal exposures in that rep range. One of the reasons I like "running it out" the first time through is that this happens automatically. If you're not an idiot about volume, then the first week of moving from 5s to 3s should be relatively easy, compared to what you've been doing. You do that for a few weeks and it gets to be hard, so hard you almost fail. Then you move down to 2s, and it's relatively easy again for 2 weeks, hard for a week, and you almost fail the fourth week. So you move down to singles across and do it again. Going through that process gives you enough exposures to both the higher absolute and lower relative intensities, and vice versa, that you can start to form an opinion about them and know how to approach them, while also making you lift something heavier than you ever did before every single week.
To answer your Q directly, I think the primary goal here is to get exposure and good at 1-5 instead of just 5. You can do some expanding upward on light day - I gave you an example of how to do that above. But that's secondary and staying at fives there is just fine. Later on you'll expand the reps upward for sure in some cases, but for now that's secondary to reducing the reps down and learning how to do that.
Last edited by Michael Wolf; 10-19-2018 at 07:01 AM.
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Very thorough, thank you.
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NP. Hope it was helpful.
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What are the advantages and drawbacks of doing as you suggested vs the following:
w1 - triples 94%
w2 - doubles 94
w3 - singles 94
w4 - triples 97
...
w7 - triples 101
...
w9 - single 101
When would you prescribe one over the other?
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