Can you make linear progress forever?

[Stewart14]

OK, for average strength trainers like most of us on this board, not elite lifters, can we just make linear progress forever, why play with advanced techniques if we really don't need them?

If you work your way up in a certain rep range for example, and you get to the point where you stall, you can go back a bit in weight and use a different rep range (or up in weight), and then once you stall with the new rep parameters, you can go back and adjust them again.

seems to me you can endlessly change the variables to keep it going indefinitely. Why would we need to bother with periodization?

 

[sassy69]

I don't see how you can make linear progress forever. There's a point where the weight you're talking about continues to introduce more stress and wear & tear on your joints, and as you increase from there, you're putting more weight on already stressed joints. The other reason periodization is important is to deal w/ CNS overload.

It'd be great if it was just about spending the time building up strength in your muscles, but there are so many other things involved - you're dealing repetitive motion, aging, wear & tear, and degrees of ongoing stress w/o a deload period.

 

[PushAndPull]

I agree with Sassy. As far as progress goes, a variable rep/set approach should be enough to continually make gains in muscle/strength. I use periodization for the other reasons. Repetitive motion injuries are going to happen, but you can minimize these by changing up your exercises. Not to mention it gets awfully boring doing the same exercises all of the time.

 

[Stewart14]

so you guys call changing exercises periodization? I wasn't factoring for the changing of exercises, but still, even if you followed a plan like I mentioned and changed up the exercises after x amount of time, it would still be linear progress right? That wouldn't be true periodization, would it?

 

[PushAndPull]

Maybe I read your original post wrong. What are the advanced techniques you're referring too? What do you think true periodization is?

 

[Stewart14]

Maybe I read your original post wrong. What are the advanced techniques you're referring too? What do you think true periodization is?

Advanced techniques as far as programming for a routine as opposed to more simpler linear set/rep manipulations.

for example, the widely popularized Madcow Starr 5x5 advanced vs intermediate. advanced using a 4-6 week block to induce a single increment of progress, vs the intermediate where you are using linear progress to advance by a small amount every week. I would call the advanced routine a definite example of periodization, and I would argue that non-elite lifters like us would never need to do that type of training. There is a ton of volume in the "volume" phase that might be overkill for normal people. This program has its built in deload and a peaking phase if you chose to run it. I think a good example of a deload on a linear program would be when you reset the weights. If you are doing a top set of 200 for 5 reps one week, and then next week you do a top set of 150 for 7 reps, I think you can consider that a deload, and still a linear program.

I'm not saying to abandon common sense on a routine, I just don't think we need to play with predetermined "phases" and "deloads" when it can all be accomplished in a much more straightforward manner.

i hope that made some sense!

 

[Phineas]

It can be simpler. It just depends how far you want to go.

Olympic sprinters don't just perform the same sprints all the time in their training.

 

[PushAndPull]

Advanced techniques as far as programming for a routine as opposed to more simpler linear set/rep manipulations.

for example, the widely popularized Madcow Starr 5x5 advanced vs intermediate. advanced using a 4-6 week block to induce a single increment of progress, vs the intermediate where you are using linear progress to advance by a small amount every week. I would call the advanced routine a definite example of periodization, and I would argue that non-elite lifters like us would never need to do that type of training. There is a ton of volume in the "volume" phase that might be overkill for normal people. This program has its built in deload and a peaking phase if you chose to run it. I think a good example of a deload on a linear program would be when you reset the weights. If you are doing a top set of 200 for 5 reps one week, and then next week you do a top set of 150 for 7 reps, I think you can consider that a deload, and still a linear program.

I'm not saying to abandon common sense on a routine, I just don't think we need to play with predetermined "phases" and "deloads" when it can all be accomplished in a much more straightforward manner.

i hope that made some sense!

Makes sense to me now that i'm clear on what you're saying. I think most people here, when they refer to periodization, it's linear periodization. Gaz summed them up nicely as:

Volume - add sets, add reps, add exercises.

Intensity - increase weight, change to a heavier rep range.

Density - reduce the time it takes to do a workout, do more work in the same amount of time.

Tension Time - increase the length of each rep by exagerrating aspects of tempo/cadence.

Personally I would add Exercises(even though it's not linear) since these should be varied as well, not really for increased gains in strength/muscles, but for reducing repetitive motion injuries while continually making gains.

I completely agree, that unless you are a power lifter/olympic aspirations, thoughtful manipulation of these variables should be able to keep you busy for a lifetime.

 

[Gazhole]

I think you'll eventually get to a point where you simply can't add any more weight, like others have said. Using microloading (0.25-0.5lbs plates) drastically increases the length of time you can keep going though.

A lot of the old strongmen used fixed (non plate loaded) barbells and dumbells, and the ends were filled with metal shot. They way they used progressive resistance was adding a few shot to each side and planning for the longterm (years down the line).

Thats a great example of tiny tiny increments of progressive overload over a period of a decade or something. Those guys were incredibly strong. I think the human body can respond to increments smaller than we'd think. Microloading plates are a pretty good investment if you want to bridge the gap between the smallest gym plates.

Instead of adding 2lb or 5lb plates, keep adding microplates untill you can add a regular gym plate, then keep going. Your body will adapt to those tiny plates easier, and your strength will crawl higher and higher.

Other than that, i've seen much greater success from non-linear programs like westside variations.