Author Topic: What is progress and how do you measure it?  (Read 5275 times)

IroNat

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What is progress and how do you measure it?
« on: August 16, 2020, 09:51:03 AM »
How do you measure your progress?

I measure my progress generally by lifting more weight for a given number of reps.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2020, 11:33:05 AM »
Now I just lift for enjoyment and to keep myself in shape.  When I was younger I recorded every set and weight but I haven't done that in years.  I also used to have very set routines where as now I do whatever I feel like.  Every workout is different.  I usually stagger a low rep workout with a high rep workout next workout.

IroNat

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2020, 11:55:53 AM »
Hey, maybe other Getbiggers will reply now...

 ;)

Humble Narcissist

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2020, 12:13:57 PM »
Hey, maybe other Getbiggers will reply now...

 ;)
Not many come over here.

IroNat

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2020, 03:14:04 PM »
Not many come over here.

It is a scary place.

illuminati

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2020, 05:27:01 PM »
How do you measure your progress?

I measure my progress generally by lifting more weight for a given number of reps.

When younger & competing by increasing poundages in my powerlifting comps
& By getting bigger & better overall balance & winning bigger contests in Bodybuilding

Now at 60 I’m not as big or as strong as I was at my Best  - it’s declining Slowly . 😢
I still train & push myself as hard as I can to slow the decline - only Compared to
Previous I’m not progressing, and I find that very difficult to deal with.

IroNat

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2020, 05:37:40 PM »
When younger & competing by increasing poundages in my powerlifting comps
& By getting bigger & better overall balance & winning bigger contests in Bodybuilding

Now at 60 I’m not as big or as strong as I was at my Best  - it’s declining Slowly . 😢
I still train & push myself as hard as I can to slow the decline - only Compared to
Previous I’m not progressing, and I find that very difficult to deal with.

I know what you mean.  I'm 62 and the poundages used today are ridiculous compared to my youth.

Plus injuries and wear and tear. Still I try to get stronger in what I'm doing.

I've been doing isometrics and they have really worked to improve my lifts.  Did you ever try them?

illuminati

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2020, 05:44:08 PM »
I know what you mean.  I'm 62 and the poundages used today are ridiculous compared to my youth.

Plus injuries and wear and tear. Still I try to get stronger in what I'm doing.

I've been doing isometrics and they have really worked to improve my lifts.  Did you ever try them?


Ahh yes injuries - !!  Mind other than my damaged left pec & triceps from M/bike accident
I’m all good - other than the occasional niggle here & there.

I did use isometrics years ago - I must admit I haven’t now & will try to incorporate some into
My Training. Certainly worth a try again.

oldtimer1

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2020, 06:47:11 PM »
If we judged by poundage trainers would be lifting a 1000 pounds after lifting 20 years. We can't keep getting stronger. I think the key is longevity.  Keep training hard over a long period.  No one can start training and keep adding ten pounds to every exercise every week for years and decades.

In general here are some goals.

1. add weight
2  training consistency (Often a disregarded protocol. Too many take too many breaks when training.)
3  reducing the time it takes to complete the workout.
4  Using a greater range of motion. Moving a load a greater distance is more work so more of a stress to adapt to.
5. Slowing the cadence down for reps works great for some bodybuilding exercises
6 Along with number 4 doing an exercise in the hardest way possible instead of the easiest.
7 Adding sets. Yes, I said it. Robert Kennedy said this and I will paraphrase it. Two sets is better than one set. Three sets is better than two but increased sets past one set is only fractionally better and not equal to the first set. To contradict this Yates said if you go all out on a set there is no way you could do a second set with the same intensity.
8 Sometimes it's changing goals. Instead of being concerned with one rep max find out what you lift for 5 sets of 12. It gives you a new goal to pursue.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2020, 03:34:45 AM »
If we judged by poundage trainers would be lifting a 1000 pounds after lifting 20 years. We can't keep getting stronger. I think the key is longevity.  Keep training hard over a long period.  No one can start training and keep adding ten pounds to every exercise every week for years and decades.

In general here are some goals.

1. add weight
2  training consistency (Often a disregarded protocol. Too many take too many breaks when training.)
3  reducing the time it takes to complete the workout.
4  Using a greater range of motion. Moving a load a greater distance is more work so more of a stress to adapt to.
5. Slowing the cadence down for reps works great for some bodybuilding exercises
6 Along with number 4 doing an exercise in the hardest way possible instead of the easiest.
7 Adding sets. Yes, I said it. Robert Kennedy said this and I will paraphrase it. Two sets is better than one set. Three sets is better than two but increased sets past one set is only fractionally better and not equal to the first set. To contradict this Yates said if you go all out on a set there is no way you could do a second set with the same intensity.
8 Sometimes it's changing goals. Instead of being concerned with one rep max find out what you lift for 5 sets of 12. It gives you a new goal to pursue.
Exactly!  I doubled my bench in a month when I was 12.  If I made consistent gains I'd be benching planet Jupiter.  After a few years training naturally (for full grown adults) you've made most of the gains you will ever make.  It's the 80/20 principle.  20% of the work will produce 80% of your gains.  For most people that's enough.  For those competing in bodybuilding or powerlifting, they are spending 80% of the work to eek out that last 20%.

IroNat

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #10 on: August 21, 2020, 03:54:17 AM »
If we judged by poundage trainers would be lifting a 1000 pounds after lifting 20 years. We can't keep getting stronger. I think the key is longevity.  Keep training hard over a long period.  No one can start training and keep adding ten pounds to every exercise every week for years and decades.

In general here are some goals.

1. add weight
2  training consistency (Often a disregarded protocol. Too many take too many breaks when training.)
3  reducing the time it takes to complete the workout.
4  Using a greater range of motion. Moving a load a greater distance is more work so more of a stress to adapt to.
5. Slowing the cadence down for reps works great for some bodybuilding exercises
6 Along with number 4 doing an exercise in the hardest way possible instead of the easiest.
7 Adding sets. Yes, I said it. Robert Kennedy said this and I will paraphrase it. Two sets is better than one set. Three sets is better than two but increased sets past one set is only fractionally better and not equal to the first set. To contradict this Yates said if you go all out on a set there is no way you could do a second set with the same intensity.
8 Sometimes it's changing goals. Instead of being concerned with one rep max find out what you lift for 5 sets of 12. It gives you a new goal to pursue.

Good points.

If you hit the wall on an exercise you can change to a different exercise and improve on that.

Some ways of measuring progress are hard to define, more subjective.

The old time oly lifters (before steroids) like John Davis (1940s) improved their lifts by only 5-10 lbs a year.

This kind of snail like progress went on for years.

oldtimer1

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #11 on: August 21, 2020, 10:43:20 AM »
Good points.

If you hit the wall on an exercise you can change to a different exercise and improve on that.

Some ways of measuring progress are hard to define, more subjective.

The old time oly lifters (before steroids) like John Davis (1940s) improved their lifts by only 5-10 lbs a year.

This kind of snail like progress went on for years.

John Davis is a legend. 

oldtimer1

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #12 on: August 21, 2020, 10:53:23 AM »
Exactly!  I doubled my bench in a month when I was 12.  If I made consistent gains I'd be benching planet Jupiter.  After a few years training naturally (for full grown adults) you've made most of the gains you will ever make.  It's the 80/20 principle.  20% of the work will produce 80% of your gains.  For most people that's enough.  For those competing in bodybuilding or powerlifting, they are spending 80% of the work to eek out that last 20%.

I still push myself hard. I realize at this cycle of my life it's more like maintenance and in order to accomplish that I have to train really hard. I was talking to the owner of the commercial gym I went to before covid. He was a very good powerlifter and now he looks like an in shape natural gym rat. He said when he stopped competing due to injuries he continued to lift  but he stopped the heavy mentality. I never see him go above 185lbs in the bench and he doesn't deadlift though in his competitive years he pulled well over 600lbs for a guy that weighed about 200lbs.  To paraphrase what he said was lifting lighter won't take away anything from your physique and it might improve it. 

Humble Narcissist

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #13 on: August 21, 2020, 10:56:25 AM »
I still push myself hard. I realize at this cycle of my life it's more like maintenance and in order to accomplish that I have to train really hard. I was talking to the owner of the commercial gym I went to before covid. He was a very good powerlifter and now he looks like an in shape natural gym rat. He said when he stopped competing do to injuries he continued to life but lift but he stopped the heavy mentality. I never see him go above 185lbs in the bench and he doesn't deadlift though in his competitive years he pulled well over 600lbs for a guy that weighed about 200lbs.  To paraphrase what he said was lifting lighter won't take away anything from your physique and it might improve it.
I agree and going from 1 rep maxes to 20 rep maxes is a challenge in and of itself.  It took me awhile to get used to high rep sets but really enjoy them now.  I still go down to 5 reps now and then but prefer 12-20 reps.

oldtimer1

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #14 on: August 21, 2020, 06:05:16 PM »
I agree and going from 1 rep maxes to 20 rep maxes is a challenge in and of itself.  It took me awhile to get used to high rep sets but really enjoy them now.  I still go down to 5 reps now and then but prefer 12-20 reps.

How many sets do you do for an exercise with those high reps?

Humble Narcissist

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2020, 03:34:10 AM »
How many sets do you do for an exercise with those high reps?
When I do high reps only a couple sets.  Low reps, high sets.

oldtimer1

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2020, 06:05:37 AM »
Didn't Mohammed Benaziza do 3 sets of 15 reps an exercise?  I know Kai Greene frequently changes up his training but a couple of his video clips he recommended sets of three going from 20reps the first set. Second set add weight to 15 reps. One more weight increase for 12 reps. So 3 sets of 20-15-12.

Humble Narcissist

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #17 on: August 22, 2020, 11:03:23 AM »
Didn't Mohammed Benaziza do 3 sets of 15 reps an exercise?  I know Kai Greene frequently changes up his training but a couple of his video clips he recommended sets of three going from 20reps the first set. Second set add weight to 15 reps. One more weight increase for 12 reps. So 3 sets of 20-15-12.
I don't know but Johnny Fuller claimed he did 21 sets of 21 reps.  I think he was just bullshitting.  Vince Taylor trained lighter as well.

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #18 on: August 22, 2020, 11:35:05 AM »
I don't know but Johnny Fuller claimed he did 21 sets of 21 reps.  I think he was just bullshitting.  Vince Taylor trained lighter as well.

He claimed 32 reps per exercise with ten sets per exercise.  I just bought a a little book on him that someone wrote. Nothing really earth shattering except the  the rep range. Fuller claimed a lot of things like running a marathon in well under 3 hours. Maybe possible since he claimed to be a professional boxer at one point in his life. Maybe he weighed 150lbs then.  I don't for one minute believe ten sets of 32 reps. Was he using feather weights to accomplish that?  What I think is the truth is that he used high reps. Maybe he did a final set with 32 reps. Why 32 reps?  Why not 33 or 31?

Humble Narcissist

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #19 on: August 22, 2020, 01:03:05 PM »
He claimed 32 reps per exercise with ten sets per exercise.  I just bought a a little book on him that someone wrote. Nothing really earth shattering except the  the rep range. Fuller claimed a lot of things like running a marathon in well under 3 hours. Maybe possible since he claimed to be a professional boxer at one point in his life. Maybe he weighed 150lbs then.  I don't for one minute believe ten sets of 32 reps. Was he using feather weights to accomplish that?  What I think is the truth is that he used high reps. Maybe he did a final set with 32 reps. Why 32 reps?  Why not 33 or 31?
Fuller claimed all kinds of bullshit.  Too bad he's not on getbig but I think he's dead.  Those super high reps did him in.

oldtimer1

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #20 on: August 22, 2020, 01:07:13 PM »
Fuller claimed all kinds of bullshit.  Too bad he's not on getbig but I think he's dead.  Those super high reps did him in.

Died from cancer. Yes, I don't believe ten sets of 32 reps for a minute.

chaos

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Re: What is progress and how do you measure it?
« Reply #21 on: August 22, 2020, 03:24:34 PM »
Progress? When I was younger I measured it in another extra rep or a few extra pounds. Now? Hahaa!!!
Liar!!!!Filt!!!!