PDA

View Full Version : How-To Program



DGymn
08-28-15, 3:13 pm
How did you 'discover' what works for you, how did you change your program accordingly, and most of all what works for you?

Cellardweller
08-30-15, 11:49 am
The title of your thread is kind of misleading. I thought you were asking how to program.

I think everyone's training is constantly evolving. You find something that works for you and you stick to that split/program until your body adapts to that training and the size and/or strength gains stop. Then you try something else. I find that pretty much anything will work if you stick with it. Program hopping ever 4 weeks is counterproductive though. Milk everything you can out of a program or make sure you finish its a prescribed 12 or 16 week program before moving on. Don't half ass anything.

Personally, when I was younger I did more bodybuilding stuff, but I was one of those jackasses who bench 2x a week and squatted 1x a month. I did push ups all the time too. ALL the time. I quit the gym and when I came back I worked sets of 10 for a bit until I got some kind of strenght back. I ran Animal routine #5 several times and it's still something I like to go back to when I'm in a rut. 5x5 for like 18 months having great success with that. 5/3/1 about the time almost everyone on the FORVM was doing it. That was awesome since there was alot of support and input for it then. The Cube. I took Matt Krock's simple deadlift program and applied it to all of my lifts, not just the one. That was so crazy and challenging that I've done it a few times now. Right now I'm not locked into anything. Just training by feel while I recover from a knee injury. I may have forgot something, but that pretty much sums up my last 5-6 years of training.

D-NUTZ
08-30-15, 1:10 pm
Some may not agree with me, but I am a believer that most things will work for most people AS LONG as you put in the work. Of course there are certain styles geared for certain goals (i.e. powerlifting vs hypertrophy) but within those goals, I believe that no matter what you do, bust ass and give it everything you have and you will make progress.

From a hypertrophy/bodybuilding standpoint:
After 20 years (assuming your training balls to the wall), do you really think there is going to be a huge difference in your physique if you hang around the 5-8 range vs the 8-12 range? IMO, the difference will be minimal.

Exercise selection is a different story to me. Find things that personally fit your body and mechanics that give you a good feel for the movement. If you feel a certain movement in your joints and not the muscle being worked, then maybe that exercise isn't the best fit for you.

Find something that you enjoy doing. Something that keeps you coming back and having fun. Stay away from gimmicks. Bust ass.

Powerlifting, strongman, crosstraining....I will refrain from comment because I am pretty unfamiliar with those styles.

DGymn
08-31-15, 7:57 am
The title of your thread is kind of misleading. I thought you were asking how to program.

Actually that's exactly what I am doing. But I don't want a copy/paste theoretically scientifically straight out of a book answer. I wanna know personal experience. Because after all, thats what got you to where you are, if you found something in a book that helped you: Great! Let me know.. If you found something while smashing weights that worked, well that's even better!

Great input by the way!

Cellardweller
08-31-15, 9:06 pm
Actually that's exactly what I am doing. But I don't want a copy/paste theoretically scientifically straight out of a book answer. I wanna know personal experience. Because after all, thats what got you to where you are, if you found something in a book that helped you: Great! Let me know.. If you found something while smashing weights that worked, well that's even better!

Great input by the way!

It's hard to say what I got from any one program, book or article. You get something from everything. And like I said, it has to be experienced. What works for me may not work for you. Success doesn't always come from what you do in the gym. It's not all sets and reps or certain percentages. Sometimes its recovery, diet and rest. Most of the time its a killer mindset and drive. If you're not hungry for it, you ain't gonna get it. No training book, log or blog is gonna give you that desire. That's what's behind everything here. Stick to the basics and want it more than the guy next to you. That's the secret.

Rex
09-01-15, 10:22 am
Keep a detailed log book:
-nutrition (exact daily macro nutrient intake)
-training (exercises, sets, reps, weight...)
-rest
-body weight fluctuations
...

You have to approach your training like one big long experiment.

DGymn
09-02-15, 4:51 pm
Well the first 3years I made incredible progress just pushing myself, with minimal programing or focussing on nutrition. Got stronger from week to week. The last 3years have been so hard to make any progress at all.
I keep track of training and nutrition but if progress doesn't occur what's there to track, I can't say something worked or not, because it all pretty much just keeps me at my current level.

Feel like I should start from scrach, start with a certain plan, stick to it, make small adjustments from there.
Opinions?