My question is how do you all know you all hit your max weight that you can lift?

Let say you start lifting 2kg from the start of the year. So if you increase 2kg every week, by the year end you will be lifting 52 x 2kg = 104 kg, and in 2 years you will be lifting 208kg if you increase 2kg every week .

This may sound crazy or like impossible, so how do you all know you all hit ur max lifting weight?

Cause right now lifting dumbbells on flat bench at 35kg I already can feel the "pain".

Thanks in advance to all sifu/master here.

No numbers can go up linear forever. Once yoyr form is off, go back and review if your program is not making u recover. Red lining every week wont last you long.

Based on my experience:

1. Strength is not Linear.
2. Always evaluate your form at 3RM and 1RM. The moment your form starts failing, reduce your 1RM and slowly build strength again.
3. Your CNS plays a major role in Strength. So dont fry it all the time.

Strength will mature when you reach to a point where you can only increase 5lbs per year or lower for your lifts. You will feel like it takes forever to increase your lifts.

how long you have been lifting? are u on a bulk / maintenance / cut?

When you can't lift it anymore.

Or when your looks infront of mirror doesn't change anymore

Though the weights you lift is corelated to the muscle growth, that doesnt mean that the muscle growth will stop when your lifts plateau. I have a "friend" who puts on muscles with 90kg squats. He said to prevent injury. Thats my warm up.

Oh, great info you have there

"Strength gains are the basis of an increase in size. In effect, size is a side effect of strength, and an intelligently designed and applied program can drive strength. At any point in your training career, quantifiable progress must be your objective." - Lord Rippetoe

https://www.t-nation.com/training/texas-method

When I can't execute required rep with perfect form. That's the use of programming.

Read Stronglift 5x5. Beginner gain is fast, then one will stall and require different programming.

When I can't execute required rep with perfect form. Keep record of your lift and compare.

I feel the pain all the time. The question is if I able to hit a new personal record (PR) or not.

I'm not sifu, not a master but I'm sure of one thing when I lift, I do my required rep and set, try to break my PR. Increase training max ™ if I able to break PR, or repeat the same cycle at where I fail until I able to break PR.

I used to be stupid, luckily not for long.

I was there red lining every session every week. The progress is slow and it fries my CNS. I just broke my BP PR with some twitch. So alternate those methods once a while. Improvements comes in extra weight, extra reps, extra sets, reduce rest time, reduce total time in gym, super set, giant set, bar speed, and so many more. Though the weight is one measurement, just dont get too obsessed.

Couldn't me more agree with that. Plateau is sucks, physically and mentally challenging. I still remember when I'm hitting plateau on SL after the beginner gain, I frustrated and injured my joint. That really sucks! Then aunty Google directed me to 531 and thank the iron God, now I'm definitely better.

As for my current program, Wendler program is very efficient. Break the PR (5 solid last rep), increase TM. Unable to break the PR, repeat cycle or adjust TM. 2.5kg (overheadpress and benchpress) and 5kg (deadlift and squat) increment, and attempt to break PR only after 3 weeks, according to program percentage. Kinda slow but hey, even 2.5kg increment is still better than injured and unable to lift.

Anyway, what's the typical sign symptom of fried CNS?

This post has been edited by diaBoliQu3: Jul 31 2017, 08:24 PM

I have yet to try wendler. Looks like there is a lot to read. I am on L/P/P. Volume seems to be too much for my rest. Recover seem fine for everything. Lets see if I will scale down.

Fried CNS for me is not crispy. I can't seem to get enough sleep regardless how much you sleep, gf strip naked you say please wear clothes, you don't feel like going into the gym, even if you are in gym you look the bar you tell yourself you want to go back, you felt sluggish during rest, my appetite grow because I was disappointed in myself due to not performing to the max., your muscles are all fine no sore no pain but you just feel weak.

I had it twice. 4 months ago after I red line every session for 6 months. The first time was when I was following SS, and ate lesser than my 3 y/o daughter.

I believe a week of deloading after 6-8 weeks of hard work is very beneficial and a welcome relief for the body. I do take a whole week off or work out at 50-60% intensity for a day or 2 during that period.

Ah, that's bad. I guess I never fry mine then. Maybe because I lift lighter than you. Anyway, take a look at Jim's latest 531. The old 531 is good but the new 531 is better.

Old 531:
1st week: 5 reps x 3 sets
2nd week: 3 reps x 3 sets
3rd weel: 5 reps, 3 reps, 1 rep

New 531:
1st week: 5 reps x 3 sets
2nd week: 5 reps x 3 sets
3rd week: 5 reps x 3 sets (attempt to break PR)

In my opinion, the solid strong 5 RM is way better than try to break 1 RM. I'm not a powerlifter neither a bodybuilder, just training to be better than yesterday. I want to try Starting Strength but then my equipment sucks. Cheap China screw type of barbell, cheap squat rack and a cheap bench but I'm not gonna use that as an excuse to skip or give up lifting.

Hell, I started with a pair of dumbbell, books as rack and floor as my bench.

Me too. Deloading after 3 weeks seems like too "light" for me. I used to skip deloading, but then I try it for fun. And guess what, call it psychology placebo etc but I indeed perform better the following week. As for OP, it did help me with plateau.

Wendler 531 is a no nonsense program is u do the sets, and u get out of the gym. Hitting a pr on the main lifts every session if possible is by far more satisfying, knowing u give 110% in the gym. Currently off wendler n back to SS linear progression. Wanna milk the LP before moving back to 531

Let's say if I always fail at a new weight while doing a linear program like GSLP, but after a few deload I will be able to complete the reps, does that consider hitting a plateau? Right now whenever I progress to a new weight I will always fail at first but will succeed after a few deload

Not plateau. You are just progressing slow. But still progressing.

Yesterday I struggle during my last main lift after resting 3 minutes. However I perform better after I took a longer rest, 5 minutes. Seems like 3 minutes is too short for final lift after supersetting warming up and big lift with assistance exercise.

And few cycles ago, I also struggle with my last main lift. Able to hit required rep, perfect form but I'm kinda dissatisfied with my overall performance. The "hangover" is too much for me. However after one week of deload for all main lift, I able to perform better even with heavier sets. Sometimes my body just need to "rest", lift lighter to lift heavier. I think deload is the best way to rest, better than total rest without doing any activity. I can total rest when I'm injured or superbusy.

Also diet and rest play very important role. The heavier I lift the more I have to eat. I do count my macro requirement but then I just guestimate and use common sense because I'm lazy to track the macros. Because for me as long I don't binge on fast food etc and not too much calories surplus, I'm on the right track. Weighing scale shows my weight does increase but again mirror shows I lose my belly and chin fat. But of course the best would be tracking your calories requirement and slowly increase them and see if they affect your lift.

BTW the word I'm looking for deload is refresh, not rest. I only rest once a week, or maybe two if superbusy.