Anyone successful with not tracking workouts?

Retroguy2000

springlering62 wrote: »

My question, however, is….and TIA to you knowledgeable folks….if the goal is to keep increasing weights, at some point you’re going to max out, right? How do you know when you have, and where do you go from there? What would do you do differently?

At that point, you'd probably switch programs. Or put more focus on periodization. Or you could focus on strength training more.

You'll get similar muscle gains at any rep range, assuming enough volume to near failure. With the caveat that lower rep ranges which favor strength gains (1-5 reps) will build more fatigue and may be more likely to injure you, which could be a headwind to muscle gain. That's certainly a consideration for us older folks. I have zero interest in finding out what my 1RM is on anything. If I'm curious I'll use a calculator to estimate it. If you do build more strength though, that will in turn lead to more volume in your higher rep sessions.

I'm still progressing with simple linear periodization (adding reps then weight when I feel able), and this double dynamic progression method which is described well in this video from Sean Nalewany is far more useful than a simple, "Increase the weight after every set gets to X reps", method. You can maybe figure it out from the thumbnail too. If you're at the high end of your rep range for some set, increase the weight for that set next session, and also increase the weight for your next set this session. If you're at the low end of your rep range on some set, decrease the weight for your next set this session.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEEyH6JtCqQ

springlering62

Thanks @Retroguy2000 I was just curious.

I had to Google periodization and this had an excellent explanation;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/#:~:text=Periodization is defined as the,the onset of overtraining syndrome.

My eyes are still rolling around like marbles.

I’m happy with how my squats are progressing. Bench not so much, due to shoulder pain but mostly fear of not having a spotter. I do not like the benches at this gym at all. They have hooks to rack, which catch the bar, and I slide badly on the bench. I just don’t feel as confident on this rig as I did on the old-school beater of a bench at the old gym. I guess I could use the Smith machine to try increasing.

As a relatively new “lifter” (just sounds precocious to even say) at 61 and only doing it for my own pleasure, I don’t know if it’s worth pursuing. But the buzz when you do a PB is sorta like crack.

Retroguy2000

springlering62 wrote: »

Thanks @Retroguy2000 I was just curious.

I had to Google periodization and this had an excellent explanation;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/#:~:text=Periodization is defined as the,the onset of overtraining syndrome.

My eyes are still rolling around like marbles.

I’m happy with how my squats are progressing. Bench not so much, due to shoulder pain but mostly fear of not having a spotter. I do not like the benches at this gym at all. They have hooks to rack, which catch the bar, and I slide badly on the bench. I just don’t feel as confident on this rig as I did on the old-school beater of a bench at the old gym. I guess I could use the Smith machine to try increasing.

As a relatively new “lifter” (just sounds precocious to even say) at 61 and only doing it for my own pleasure, I don’t know if it’s worth pursuing. But the buzz when you do a PB is sorta like crack.

Re bench, doesn't the rack have safety hooks? Does a towel on the bench help with slipping? You can also try gripping the bench with your knees too. You can also not use collars, so the weight slides off easily if you have a problem. Yeah, it'll be noisy and messy, but better that than you struggling with the weight on your neck.

sheacummings

Fitbod is my go-to app. Free trial, then paid sub. But totally worth it! Makes tracking super intuitive and simple.

springlering62

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

springlering62 wrote: »

Thanks @Retroguy2000 I was just curious.

I had to Google periodization and this had an excellent explanation;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/#:~:text=Periodization is defined as the,the onset of overtraining syndrome.

My eyes are still rolling around like marbles.

I’m happy with how my squats are progressing. Bench not so much, due to shoulder pain but mostly fear of not having a spotter. I do not like the benches at this gym at all. They have hooks to rack, which catch the bar, and I slide badly on the bench. I just don’t feel as confident on this rig as I did on the old-school beater of a bench at the old gym. I guess I could use the Smith machine to try increasing.

As a relatively new “lifter” (just sounds precocious to even say) at 61 and only doing it for my own pleasure, I don’t know if it’s worth pursuing. But the buzz when you do a PB is sorta like crack.

Re bench, doesn't the rack have safety hooks? Does a towel on the bench help with slipping? You can also try gripping the bench with your knees too. You can also not use collars, so the weight slides off easily if you have a problem. Yeah, it'll be noisy and messy, but better that than you struggling with the weight on your neck.

Thanks for the tips!

My old trainer was an old school power lifting person. Tbh I thought she used the towel because she was a clean freak. It never occurred to me she set it down to prevent slipping. 🤦🏻‍♀️

She taught me to press with my heels pulled back and press hips up with each lift, so I don’t think hugging knees would work, but I’ll certainly try tomorrow.

The old gym had old school benches with Y-cradles to rack, and safety bars on the sides. I absolutely loved those benches. They also had incline and decline benches, which I loved doing.

The new gym has only flat benches with two or three hooks, and they’re sort of angled towards the bench. There are no safety bars whatsoever on their benches, and nothing about the benches is adjustable. The hooks just always seem to be in the way, even though I touch below the breastbone and push up and out like I was taught. It’s nice equipment, and they replace it every three years or so.

The old gym had some awesome squat machines that had big ole chains and pulleys and cranks that the big lifters used, and they’d often (not for me, of course) have a spotter on either end of the bar and one in back, too . It was always exciting and an honor to get to use one of those. The new gym has routine squat cage type racks.

I miss the old gym. 😢

Retroguy2000

springlering62 wrote: »

She taught me to press with my heels pulled back and press hips up with each lift, so I don’t think hugging knees would work, but I’ll certainly try tomorrow.

I miss the old gym. 😢

That style enables you to press more weight. However, that's not allowed in powerlifting competitions these days. It reduces the range of motion, by raising your chest a little. If you keep your butt on the bench, more ROM, which is good for muscle growth. And you'd then be able to grip the bench with your knees if needed. It's fine to keep doing it the way you were shown, I'm just explaining the difference.

We strive to do the best we can with the tools available. It was good enough for Rocky in Rocky IV I make do with dumbbell bench press and barbell hack squat at home because I don't have a rack. Speaking of, I just added another 10 pounds to that barbell hack squat an hour ago, so I'm pleased with that. I've ordered a Captains of Crush gripper too, to hopefully help increase grip strength which I'm finding isn't quite where I need it to be.

springlering62

@Retroguy2000 thanks for the towel tip. I feel like such a dolt. That never even occurred to me.

I was able to stay on the end of the bench I wanted, and realized I’d been sliding back so badly that my head was hanging off the other end.

I tried not arching and hugging in my knees, but that may be a hard habit to break.

This is our bench setup: