Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
SteelWeaver
New member
Yeah, that looks like quite high volume, but I say if you're handling it with 100% intensity, then don't stop. I don't think high volume NECESSARILY=low intensity. It depends what one can handle. Everyone's different.
Anyway, like I said in another thread, I'm reading Poliquin's "Reps and Sets" right now. He gives some GREAT rep and set variations for busting through plateus.
Like Arioch said, pick some other nice compound type movements in addition to squats, then play with the reps and sets. I did a routine with back squats, front squats, stationary lunges/split squats, finishing off with leg presses (did the W6 50-rep thing once overy 2 weeks on this). Hams were GM's, pull throughs, with hmstr curls too on heavy days, or days I felt like more. Calves I change up a lot, but I did the Poliquin routine that MS posted in spatts' hardgainer's calves thread. That was KILLER, but good. Sorry, I didn't measure, and was dieting at the time, so I can't tell you about progress.
Anyway, back to rep variations - Poliquin has this thing called the 4-5 percent solution. Magdelana, you might wanna try this for your bis, too. I know I'm gonna try it on various movements.
Basically, you increase the amount of resistance by 4-5% every workout whilst simultaneously doing one less rep per workout, so by the end of 6 workouts (the length of the programme), you'll have increased your strength (and thus your ability to increase hypertrophy through using higher resistance) by 10%!!
Choose a 3-rep wide bracket (3-5, 4-6, 6-8), then stick with that range for the 6 workouts. Time under tension should remain the same for the 6 workouts, too. For muscle mass, the average set should last 40 seconds, so you arrange the tempo of each rep to come out to that total, like 4 secs eccentric, 1 sec at the bottom, 2 secs concentric, 0 secs pause at top, repeat.
Rest for 3-4 mins between sets. Don't use the 4-5 percent solution for more than about 2 exercises. Use it on compound movements. I intend to try this on my initial exercise, always a compound move, for each bodypart, then probably range the reps higher for the other movements.
Here's a sample - you come back to the same rep number again in w/o 4.
W/O 1
4-5 setsx7 reps@100 lbs
W/O 2
Increase weight by 4-5 percent and do one less rep per set:
4-5 sets x 6 reps @ 105 lbs
W/O 3
Increase weight by 4-5 percent and do one less rep per set:
4-5 sets x 5 reps @ 110 lbs
W/O 4
Use the weight used in w/o 2 for the 1-rep target:
4-5 sets x 7 reps @ 105 lbs
W/O 5
Use the weight used in w/o 3 for the 2-rep target
4-5 sets x 6 reps @110 lbs
W/O 6
Increase weight by 4-5 percent and do one less rep per set:
4-5 sets x 5 reps @ 115 lbs
You might not be able to achieve the rep target in every set, but so long as you hit your goal on the first set of every workout, you're doing fine.
The 4-5 % solution as applied to squats:
When you squat, you lift the barbell plus 75% of your bodyweight, so you should adjust poundages accordingly. So, for a 200lb athlete squatting 350lbs for 5:
weight increase = 5% (load of barbell + (75% x bodyweight))
weight increase = 5% (350lbs + (75% x 200lbs))
weight increase = 5% (350 lbs + 150 lbs)
weight increase = 25 lbs
Seems complicated, but if you work it all out beforehand, when you're planning your workout, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle, and you'll have very concrete figures to aim for.
Let me know if you try this - I'm going to start tonight. Will let you know if I'm busting out of my pants in a few weeks!
Anyway, like I said in another thread, I'm reading Poliquin's "Reps and Sets" right now. He gives some GREAT rep and set variations for busting through plateus.
Like Arioch said, pick some other nice compound type movements in addition to squats, then play with the reps and sets. I did a routine with back squats, front squats, stationary lunges/split squats, finishing off with leg presses (did the W6 50-rep thing once overy 2 weeks on this). Hams were GM's, pull throughs, with hmstr curls too on heavy days, or days I felt like more. Calves I change up a lot, but I did the Poliquin routine that MS posted in spatts' hardgainer's calves thread. That was KILLER, but good. Sorry, I didn't measure, and was dieting at the time, so I can't tell you about progress.
Anyway, back to rep variations - Poliquin has this thing called the 4-5 percent solution. Magdelana, you might wanna try this for your bis, too. I know I'm gonna try it on various movements.
Basically, you increase the amount of resistance by 4-5% every workout whilst simultaneously doing one less rep per workout, so by the end of 6 workouts (the length of the programme), you'll have increased your strength (and thus your ability to increase hypertrophy through using higher resistance) by 10%!!
Choose a 3-rep wide bracket (3-5, 4-6, 6-8), then stick with that range for the 6 workouts. Time under tension should remain the same for the 6 workouts, too. For muscle mass, the average set should last 40 seconds, so you arrange the tempo of each rep to come out to that total, like 4 secs eccentric, 1 sec at the bottom, 2 secs concentric, 0 secs pause at top, repeat.
Rest for 3-4 mins between sets. Don't use the 4-5 percent solution for more than about 2 exercises. Use it on compound movements. I intend to try this on my initial exercise, always a compound move, for each bodypart, then probably range the reps higher for the other movements.
Here's a sample - you come back to the same rep number again in w/o 4.
W/O 1
4-5 setsx7 reps@100 lbs
W/O 2
Increase weight by 4-5 percent and do one less rep per set:
4-5 sets x 6 reps @ 105 lbs
W/O 3
Increase weight by 4-5 percent and do one less rep per set:
4-5 sets x 5 reps @ 110 lbs
W/O 4
Use the weight used in w/o 2 for the 1-rep target:
4-5 sets x 7 reps @ 105 lbs
W/O 5
Use the weight used in w/o 3 for the 2-rep target
4-5 sets x 6 reps @110 lbs
W/O 6
Increase weight by 4-5 percent and do one less rep per set:
4-5 sets x 5 reps @ 115 lbs
You might not be able to achieve the rep target in every set, but so long as you hit your goal on the first set of every workout, you're doing fine.
The 4-5 % solution as applied to squats:
When you squat, you lift the barbell plus 75% of your bodyweight, so you should adjust poundages accordingly. So, for a 200lb athlete squatting 350lbs for 5:
weight increase = 5% (load of barbell + (75% x bodyweight))
weight increase = 5% (350lbs + (75% x 200lbs))
weight increase = 5% (350 lbs + 150 lbs)
weight increase = 25 lbs
Seems complicated, but if you work it all out beforehand, when you're planning your workout, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle, and you'll have very concrete figures to aim for.
Let me know if you try this - I'm going to start tonight. Will let you know if I'm busting out of my pants in a few weeks!
