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DEADn
11-01-08, 9:23 am
I have been noticing lately in my workouts that when I keep track of my reps and I begin to beat the logbook my self gets in the way and I stop when I actually have another rep or 2 in the tank. Anybody else have this happen to you?

I am trying to figure out how to deal with this? It would be easy to just do my reps and not count them and just go balls to the wall but then I want to log it all to see how I am progressing.

Yesterday I was doing front squats and I started out with 130lbs I did 12 of them but I think I could have done about 15 reps but I stopped at 12. I didn't want to do any higher reps than that. Then I went to 180 and then 200. My legs are pretty sore as a result but I did a widowmaker with 130lbs for 20 reps as well.

sanga
11-01-08, 12:47 pm
I have just written out my workouts for the forth coming DC Training I will be doing in the next 2 weeks, I have a diferent rep range from you as mine will be high reps but you can rest assured I will be pushing the weights / reps to the limit,if I can get more reps

DEADn
11-01-08, 2:46 pm
Sanga

I am doing higher reps as well. You have about 5 years on me. I am doing rest pause but lately my counting the reps is getting in the way of doing it totally to failure. Seems that if I stop counting I could just go to failure on every rep but then I would know how reps I have done and when to add weight.

Trying to figure out a way around this.

sanga
11-01-08, 3:30 pm
I`d spread the rep range then mate, maybe 15-25 or something, gives you more scope to play with, widowmaker 35 or 40.

pmug0000
11-01-08, 4:53 pm
Keeping a log works great for me. I go to the gym with certain goals in mind, maybe an extra rep or two than last week or an extra 5-10lbs. than last week, and then I hit those goals.
The log book shouldn't be limitation on what you can do - if you planned on getting 12 reps but want to get 15 instead then do it, that's what erasers are for. Don't hold yourself back.

sanga
11-01-08, 5:15 pm
Your logbook should be your best friend and your worse enemy, you love it and hate it, it can please you or piss you off, dominate it, always!

Ronnie Chop
11-01-08, 5:58 pm
I was the same way. So I just stopped using a log book. And I just increase my first working set by 5 - 10 pounds (depending on the lift) every workout. I then write down what I accomplished later on. I only write down the major lifts, shoulder press, squats, deads, etc...

Cstlfx
11-01-08, 9:39 pm
I never go by reps, I always go by weight. I should have the correct weight to be drained by the last reps I'm supposed to do. I'd know this by looking at my log book to see what I did last time, with notes on whether or not it was enough, too much, or not enough weight. In my training I dont believe in going to failure with every set. I get good form in, warm the muscle up really well, then my last set or two in each exercise is where failure kicks in.


Keep the log book. If you do want to go to failure on your sets, dont use the logbook before hand, just write down what you did after you've completed a set. Get to the gym with a blank sheet, write down your weights and reps once you've completed them.

Factory
11-02-08, 8:33 am
I just remember what I do and log it after the gym... sometimes you forget a set or rep range but you still have what you accomplished in general that day...
works out great for me cause I barely rest in between sets

ironshaolin
11-02-08, 9:34 am
if its distracting, just log it down after your workout instead of in between sets. The problem I had without a log book, I'd just start warming up, when I got to a weight that felt tough, I'd push to failure adn say wow what an awesome workout. Well, without realizing it, after having a day where I benched 185, I thought when did I first bench 185? I realized it was 3 months prior! Meaning, in 3 months, I had made ZERO progress, although I always left sore, changed my routine often, did all the latest "intensity" tricks to try and boost hypertrophy. So I started keeping track of my weights, and within 6 weeks I was benching 225. Thats when I realized how important it is to track progress.

Aggression
11-03-08, 11:26 am
While doing DC training, beating the logbook is imperative. If I got 12 reps the workout before, and I'm cruising past 12 this time around, I personally wanna push it as far as I can, just to see how much stronger I've gotten since the last workout. If that means I go from 12 reps to 19 reps, then so be it.