Furk wrote:
Muscleaddict wrote: When training very heavy for powerlifting working sets you should rest as long as you need to recover to nail the next heavy set. Even if that is more than 5 minutes. Less than 2 minutes is not enough for your nervous system to recover from say 90% of max for a triple. If you don't rest long enough your muscles might be ready but your CNS is not, and you will not get stronger as quickly. Training the CNS to handle heavy weight requires rest.
CNS is easily overlooked, and although I preach it to myself, it's the most challenging to rest (workout to workout) for me at least. Been trying to start serious meditation and breathing/yoga for a while, just never get the push to do it, but I know it brings a hosting of benefits.
Muscleaddict wrote: Coming from bodybuilding hypertrophy training, powerlifting training is very different and is hard to adjust to.
That's why if someone is interested in lifting, I'll setup them up with a routine aimed at strength first. Nothing hardcore, but Ripetoe's SS is a good reference. If you're used to hypertrophy training, powerlifting programs look weird, and easy. If it is easy, it's executed incorrectly I'll say.
Agree 100% with regards to CNS. I noticed it big time during my cycle.
I was eating really well and the energy I had (as well as mental focus), I felt amazing, strength kept on going up etc.
Then when I started to reach a bit of a plateau towards the end of the cycle it became very noticeable that I would be able to do a really good set of Deadlifts for example and leave the gym feeling good.
The very next day I will goto the gym feeling amazing but my squats suffer big time. I know I can do more, I have done more before and my eating is the same, rest is around 8 hours.
However if I break it up with a rest day inbetween then I do significantly better than I would have with squats - that one day difference for your CNS makes a huge difference!
You got me onto a more strength based program when I first joined this forum, I think it helped me out quite a bit. Got me doing the "big bad compounds" which quite a lot of people still do not do - especially the new guys and I am pretty content with the weights I am doing for someone who weighs as much (or little) as I do.
130KG for a
set of deadlifts during my bridge and I was weighing in at 60KG. Not too shabby IMO.
That is over twice my bodyweight, where as my gym partner has almost reached twice his bodyweight (he can do 180KG, but needs to do 190KG for 2x BW).
All that being said, when I first started the program it was very weird as I had to adjust to heavier weights and fewer reps and the concept of going soo heavy for fewer reps and not feeling as tired or pumped from a more common workout is very strange indeed.
I have really been enjoying Layne Norton's PHAT program though! I love the combination of the low reps for some exercises and higher reps for others.
Topic Author
