So it happened … Your progress in training in the gym has stalled. Sooner or later this happens to everyone who is engaged in natural practice. What to do, what to change in your training scheme? The answer is - to make it easier!
You need to start macro periodization. In all exercises, you need to reduce the weight so that 40% of the original 100% remains. For example: if you squatted with a weight of 120 kg in 4 working approaches, and the bench press worked with a weight of 80 kg, then this means that you need to drop in squats to 48 kg (40% of 120), and in the bench press lying up to 32 kg (40% of 80 kg).
First, we remove the warm-up sets completely (the weight is too light already). But we increase the number of "working approaches" by one and a half to two times (we do 6-8 approaches in each exercise, against 4 usual ones). We do 10-15 repetitions at the beginning.
There were (in heavy training) 4 sets of 100% weight for 6-10 reps per exercise. It became (on light workouts) 6-8 approaches with 40% weight for 10-15 repetitions per exercise. But what "became" is only the first training session. Then, from training to training, we gradually do the following in all exercises:
- add working weights (of course, we can do much more, but deliberately do not do this, because our task is to "gain inertia of growth" to overcome the old highs);
- the closer we get to our maximum working weight in exercises, the smaller "step" we use in increasing the weights (we add less and less);
- the longer we stretch the process of approaching the maximum in training weights, the longer we can progress in them after passing it;
- the less weight gain on the apparatus, the further we can do them after reaching the previous maximum
Approximate scheme of percentage increases
- Workout 1: 40% of working weight
- Workout 2: 60% of working weight
- Workout 3: 70% of working weight
- Workout 4: 80% of working weight
- Workout 5: 85% of working weight
- Workout 6: 90% of working weight
- Workout 7: 95% of Working Weight
- Workout 8: 100% Working Weight (Our Old High)
- Workout 9: 102.5% of working weight (reduce progression to 2.5% to extend it)
- Workout 10: 105% of working weight
- Workout 11: 107.5% Working Weight
- Workout 12: 110% of working weight
- Workout 13: 112.5% Working Weight
The number of rest days between workouts varies depending on the severity of the load. When the load is 40% -60%, you can train the muscle group more often (for example, twice a week). But as the load increases, the number of rest days also increases until it reaches the usual 100% workout (the one in which you will work with the previously reached maximum of 6-10 repetitions).
I cannot write you the exact weight on a training apparatus, because I do not know what your maximum is (it is constantly changing as it grows). Take the time to grab a calculator, training diary and a pen in order to schedule your training weights for training for several months in advance. The easiest way to do this is using a table. Above (horizontally) write the number of the workout or the date when it will take place. On the left (vertically) write a list of exercises. After that, fill in the cells with numbers indicating what weight you will be working with. Learn to plan for your accomplishments. After all, it’s very important to be able to do more than just the gym.
What to do if a workout is missed (out of schedule)? Nothing wrong! Consider there was one extra day of rest (this is only good) and continue from where you left off.
I really hope that you will do everything right and your progress will last for several months. However, one should not hope that it will continue indefinitely. Our body is not rubber, so without anabolic steroids, progress will always slow down over time and, most likely, stop. In order to push this moment as far as possible, we will start using another trick called microperiodization.
Suppose, after "overclocking" from 40%, you broke the previous "achievement ceiling" (100%) and reached 110% within a month or two. Now is the time to turn on microperiodization. To do this, we will put an easy week after the usual "hard" week. Those. our diagram will look like this.
- Heavy week 100%
- Easy week 40%
- Heavy week 100%
- Easy week 40%
- Heavy week 100%
- Easy week 40%
As you can see, the easy week, in fact, is what we used in the 1st (lightest) workout, when we gained momentum as part of macroperiodization. Now we do this workout all the time, giving our muscles extra time to actively grow.
Well, actually, that's all I wanted to tell you about the periodization of training. The general tactics are not that difficult.
- Regular workouts (hard), while there is progress (while adding weight on the apparatus)
- As soon as there is a "stopper", we lose weight to 40% (macroperiodization) and slowly return to the usual 100% for a couple of months
- Then another 1-2 months "we break through the achievement" (we reach 110%, for example). If you do it before, it won't get any worse.
- Then we turn on the "alternation of light and hard training" (microperiodization), in order to maintain the "growth momentum" gained during two months of macroperiodization.
- We achieve a complete stop of progress (the later this happens, the better, and this will happen the later, the less there will be an increase from training to training on the barbell)
- After that, again for 2 months we lose weight (macroperiodization) and gain "growth momentum", but in this case our initial 40% will be more than the last time (because we have progressed).
Thus, we move (grow). One step back (two months) and two steps forward (several months). This is the main secret of natural progress.
