The main reason I like high frequency weight training is that I like going to the gym. I enjoy every aspect of it and it covers two of the three requirements for contentment: Something to Do, and Something to Look Forward To. I also like it because intuitively, the concepts make sense to me. Since reading Matt Perryman’s Squat Every Day along with most of what wild man Jamie Lewis has written, I’ve toyed with training more often than even the most committed devotee of the iron game. I once had a stretch of 23 straight training days, which prompted a member of a Facebook group I was a part of to comment that rest was important, to which I quipped, “I agree. That’s why I rest 23 hours out of every day.”
More recently, Menno Henselmans’ writing, and more specifically his interpretation of the research has had the most influence on my thinking and I finally signed up for his heralded Bayesian Bodybuilding PT course. I know I can’t afford to have Menno coach me, so I figured the next best thing is to let him teach me to coach myself. I’ve tried to do it on the cheap; piecing together training and nutrition strategies from notes I’ve scribbled while watching YouTube interviews, listening to podcasts and reading his articles. But the only way to feel secure in the optimization of my training is to get the goods once and for all. I start May 19th.
In the interim, I’ve taken what I can find as I indicated above and put together a very high frequency program to get in the volume I need without having to do too much work in any one session. I seem to recover more easily from frequent low volume doses than infrequent high volume doses, so once I talked myself into full body training 5 times per week, I set about getting it done.
The plan for now is to incorporate different exercises each workout in different rep ranges and work on adding reps or weight every week when I repeat the workout. I’m using a combination of the best exercises for each muscle group and getting 10 hard sets per week per muscle group (two sets each day). I’m using one workout of 12+ reps to a 9 or 10 RPE using mostly isolation type movements to start the week. The next workout is a compound day with Squats, GM’s, Chin-up’s, Incline Bench and Overhead Press setting a target of 8 reps on the first set, and autoregulating the reps on the second set. After a day off, I do a 10-rep day, followed by a 12-rep day leading into the last workout of the week, which is also my heaviest doing 5-rep sets of Front Squats, Deadlifts, Pull-ups and Bench.
I’m only in second week, but I think the workouts are smartly assembled if I do say so my damned self, and the volume feels just right. I’m fatigued in the evenings, and slightly sore the next morning, but by the afternoon’s session, I feel ready to roll again. More importantly is that I’m setting a lot of rep PR’s in training which is a very good sign.
My weight is up to around 174 lbs from 169 when I started my buik back in November. So even my weight gain is pretty much right on track. I tweak my calories each week based on the change in my weight and I’m striving for a slow but steady increase in body weight. Diet remains relatively high carb, but I’ve increased the fat just a bit and dropped the protein to Menno’s suggested 1.8 grams per KG of body weight.
I look a lot fuller, which I assume is from the regular higher rep work along with the steady influx of carbs to keep myself full of glycogen and water, but it’s certainly possible I’m adding some muscle as well. I doubt all 5 lbs of my weight gain is fat, at least my Skulpt tells me it isn’t as I check body fat levels once a week as well. I’m still under 10% bodyfat, which may not be completely accurate, but as long as my measurement methods are consistent, I can monitor changes in reported body fat levels. So whether I’m really at 10% of 12% won’t matter as long as I keep using the Skulpt.
All in all, giving up on powerlifting training and taking a short break has allowed most of my nagging injuries to heal and I’m training essentially pain free now. The only thing still bothering me is some elbow tendinitis in my left arm, but I really only feel it when doing certain movements around the house. I never feel it when training. While I miss pursuing heavy singles, doubles and triples, I’m still challenged by 8-rep sets of high bar squats and 5-rep sets of front squats and deadlifts. I really like the added variety as it prevents the most pervasive of human maladies: boredom.
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