Lately I've been experimenting with not going to failure in my workouts.
Usually I'll do a predetermined amount of sets and reps.
ex: 70lb dumbbell incline bench 4x12
But often during my last set failure comes before the 12th rep. And this is where I move on to the next exercise.
Nowadays, instead of moving on, I'll stop a couple reps before failure on the last set, and add an additional set to make up the number of lost reps (as originally planned). And when I am able to do all four sets as planned, I'll add weight, but still plan on doing the same amount of reps. Inevitably I'll need to do an extra one or two extra sets to cover the reps. I keep track with pen and paper during all workouts.
I've been recovering a lot faster and am able to workout body parts multiple times a week. The only downsides are that the workouts have gotten considerably longer (extra sets + extra rest time + extra time admiring your gains).
But success with this has really just added to the snowball of challenged beliefs lately.
3 months ago I jumped onto IF and aside from beginning to see rips in my obliques, I'm able to go to wake up as early as I want so long as I plan my eating window to end earlier in the day. All this time I thought I had been an night owl, but really it was just when I ate.
4am wake time is now the norm, this coupled with clearer skin, lower bf, higher T, and greater gains in the gym; my ambition has inflated quite a bit.
Anyways this has been a bit off topic, but I'd like to pose a philosophical question. Do you guys think that not training to failure can be an idea that is helpful in other areas? For example, there is a lot of talk about how it's best to "push your limits," "work as hard as you can," "don't ever give up," but I'm wondering if this attitude has hurt more people than it has helped.
I'm a big fan of focusing on building one habit at a time, and cultivating it to the point that it's automatic. Once you get a few out of the way, you're in the habit of making new habits and have momentum like no other. But if you try to "go hard" everyday and try to take on too much at once, it will lead to burnout. Roosh's post on RSD inspired this thought. Having gone direct and chasing broads from behind in the beginning, I wonder how much further I'd be if I has simply tried to practice rambling everyday for a month. I know how to approach now but my conversation skills could be far better. I guess my point is we shouldn't accept common attitudes just because they stir emotions. Instead we should think a little longer about how we approach certain things before wasting our time, energy, and chance at properly cultivating a skill.
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, The Signal and The Noise by Nate Silver have been two books that really got me thinking about how much uncertainty there is in the world and how many blind spots we have.
Usually I'll do a predetermined amount of sets and reps.
ex: 70lb dumbbell incline bench 4x12
But often during my last set failure comes before the 12th rep. And this is where I move on to the next exercise.
Nowadays, instead of moving on, I'll stop a couple reps before failure on the last set, and add an additional set to make up the number of lost reps (as originally planned). And when I am able to do all four sets as planned, I'll add weight, but still plan on doing the same amount of reps. Inevitably I'll need to do an extra one or two extra sets to cover the reps. I keep track with pen and paper during all workouts.
I've been recovering a lot faster and am able to workout body parts multiple times a week. The only downsides are that the workouts have gotten considerably longer (extra sets + extra rest time + extra time admiring your gains).
But success with this has really just added to the snowball of challenged beliefs lately.
3 months ago I jumped onto IF and aside from beginning to see rips in my obliques, I'm able to go to wake up as early as I want so long as I plan my eating window to end earlier in the day. All this time I thought I had been an night owl, but really it was just when I ate.
4am wake time is now the norm, this coupled with clearer skin, lower bf, higher T, and greater gains in the gym; my ambition has inflated quite a bit.
Anyways this has been a bit off topic, but I'd like to pose a philosophical question. Do you guys think that not training to failure can be an idea that is helpful in other areas? For example, there is a lot of talk about how it's best to "push your limits," "work as hard as you can," "don't ever give up," but I'm wondering if this attitude has hurt more people than it has helped.
I'm a big fan of focusing on building one habit at a time, and cultivating it to the point that it's automatic. Once you get a few out of the way, you're in the habit of making new habits and have momentum like no other. But if you try to "go hard" everyday and try to take on too much at once, it will lead to burnout. Roosh's post on RSD inspired this thought. Having gone direct and chasing broads from behind in the beginning, I wonder how much further I'd be if I has simply tried to practice rambling everyday for a month. I know how to approach now but my conversation skills could be far better. I guess my point is we shouldn't accept common attitudes just because they stir emotions. Instead we should think a little longer about how we approach certain things before wasting our time, energy, and chance at properly cultivating a skill.
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, The Signal and The Noise by Nate Silver have been two books that really got me thinking about how much uncertainty there is in the world and how many blind spots we have.