When a lift stalls, throwing more volume at that lifts doesn’t always help. In this week’s blog I want to use a real case study, one that I have used with many novice and some intermediate lifters, where we actually lower volume to get a lift progressing.
Understanding the context of the lifter’s career is always mandatory. That being said, when it comes to novice lifters who have not done much strength-focused lifting, they probably don’t need a ton of volume to progress so here is a possible solution for you when you see a lifter like this plateau.
Popular training Periodization uses mid-low rep ranges (4 to 6) for strength and high rep ranges (10 to 15) for hypertrophy. This is a perfect combination for building strength and more importantly muscle mass which is critical for novices. After the initial 6-12 months of training where progress comes easily, adaptation rates start to slow and plateaus often occur. For natural lifters, this is right about that point when muscular gains come so slow that our only measurable way of quantifying progress is getting stronger on a lift. This is when quarterly periodization becomes essential.
In the above example, the blocks of training or what are called “mesocycles” might look something like this (with a setup of benching twice per week).
| Bench press Week 1 | Bench Press Week 2 | Bench Press Week 3 | Bench Press Week 4 |
| Day 1 – 135 x 10,10,10 | Day 1 – 135 x 12,12,12 | Day 1 – 135 x 15,15,15 | Day 1 – 140 x 10,10,10 |
| Day 2 – 185 x 6,6,6 | Day 2 – 190 x 4,4,4 | Day 2 – 190 x 6,6,6 | Day 2 – 195 x 4,4,4 |
Typically, what novice lifters experience is that at a certain point they are unable to reach the upper end of the rep ranges and as a result, can’t add weight to the bar if they are following a progression plan whereby load is increased once you hit the top end of a rep range. Even the most patient of lifters will get burned out and tired of always lifting the same weight. Now this is where we must use the strength that has been built up and as I stated in the video, race the motor.
Doing so is as simple as changing the rep ranges for a month or so. Referencing the above chart, decrease the rep ranges on strength from 4-6 to 1-3. Naturally one would not want to use 195lbs for this new rep range as the weight is too light. An increase to perhaps 200lbs or even 205lbs would be appropriate. We’d make the same change in our hypertrophy rep ranges and decrease them from 10 – 15 down to 6-10. Once again, is 140lbs the appropriate weight for doing sets of 6? No, a similar increase in load will need to happen that is appropriate for this new rep target. With these new changes, the block might look something like this.
| Bench press Week 1 | Bench Press Week 2 | Bench Press Week 3 | Bench Press Week 4 |
| Day 1 – 150 x 6,6,6 | Day 1 – 150 x 8,8,8 | Day 1 – 150 x 10,10,10 | Day 1 – 160 x 6,6,6 |
| Day 2 – 205lbs x 1,1,1 | Day 2 – 205lbs x 2,2,2 | Day 2 – 205lbs x 3,3,3 | Day 2 – 210lbs x 1,1,1 |
While there is an obvious drop in volume (load x total number of reps) it’s only temporary. Plus some of that drop is offset by the increase in intensity. However, once a mesocycle or two is completed with these heavier loads and lower rep targets, high rep targets can be added back in after a few months. Also, once you go back to higher rep ranges you will usually be able to use heavier loads. This is what that future mesocycle might look like.
| Bench press Week 1 | Bench Press Week 2 | Bench Press Week 3 | Bench Press Week 4 |
| Day 1 – 145 x 10,10,10 | Day 1 – 145 x 12,12,12 | Day 1 – 145 x 15,15,15 | Day 1 – 150 x 10,10,10 |
| Day 2 – 195 x 6,6,6 | Day 2 – 200 x 4,4,4 | Day 2 – 200 x 5,5,5 | Day 2 – 200 x 6,6,6 |
This methodology of “quarterly periodization” can be used with pretty much any compound movement to help increase strength and get a particular lift progressing. At a certain point, it’s not enough to just work in a heavy day or week of training to see continual progress. Rather, an entire mesocycle is needed for further adaptation.
Awesome!!