Originally Posted by
queerpunk
thanks bmont and quinn.
quinn, when you say linear progression, i assume you mean that each set, the weight goes up, and each workout, you start (and end) on a greater weight than previously. that correct?
and should the jumps be significant, to end on a near-max-capacity weight? or should they be smaller increases, clustered closer to the top of one's capacity?
i also assume that regardless, that's done after a lower-weight warmup, yeah?
i actually haven't felt much fatigue, but i haven't done much riding yet. after lifting saturday morning, though, i went on a two hour ride with a pal. wet, cold, gritty, and headwinds. it was pretty miserable and we were both pretty fried afterward. but that was definitely a combination of factors.
Read Starting Strength. It's not a long book. It's available via Amazon Kindle, too.
Linear Progression:
Let's take the Squat for this example. There are "warmup sets" and "working sets". The working sets are the goal for the day. So, let's say that my working weight (or Target weight) for the day is 215lbs. A normal workout would look like this:
MONDAY (Target Weight =
215#):
1 x 5 x BAR (1 set of 5 reps of just the bar on my shoulders)
1 x 5 x BAR
1 x 5 x (40% * 215#)
1 x 3 x (60% * 215#)
1 x 2 x (80% * 215#)
3 x 5 x 215#
(then you'd do other exercises)
And the rest of the week would look like this:
WEDNESDAY (Target Weight =
230#):
1 x 5 x BAR (1 set of 5 reps of just the bar on my shoulders)
1 x 5 x BAR
1 x 5 x (40% * 230#)
1 x 3 x (60% * 230#)
1 x 2 x (80% * 230#)
3 x 5 x 230#
FRIDAY (Target Weight =
240#):
1 x 5 x BAR (1 set of 5 reps of just the bar on my shoulders)
1 x 5 x BAR
1 x 5 x (40% * 240#)
1 x 3 x (60% * 240#)
1 x 2 x (80% * 240#)
3 x 5 x 240#
So, the linear in "Linear Progression" is the 215 to 230 to 240. When you plot your progress, it will be generally linear for most beginners.
I went from squatting 95# to 345# linearly in 4 months (October 2009 - January 2010), with a handful of resets. A "reset" is when you fail a target lift by either dropping the weight, not completing all 3 sets, or not getting the bar off the rack. There are a few ways to deal with the failure...but those are discussed in the book.
You should read the book. Seriously. It will answer questions that you don't even know to ask yet. The book can get wordy where he explains a lot of the "Why". But, just read the "What" and read the "Why" when you need more info.