When starting endurance week.

[RasPlasch]

So tomorrow I am starting my endurance week. I just finished my strength training week and in almost all my lifts I went up 10lbs. But what am I to expect to get better in during endurance week. I get that my endurance will go up. But will my strength stay the same? Go up? Or go down?

 

[Witchblade]

Whatever you want of course. Why on earth are you doing an endurance week if you don't know what you want?

 

[assassin]

down..

 

[P-funk]

depends on what you are defining as "endurance" training and length of time this phase will last.

 

[The Monkey Man]

Why not do endurance days, intersperced with your strength work days???...

Wouldnt this provide a more stable schedule and easier to monitor results?

 

[P-funk]

Why not do endurance days, intersperced with your strength work days???...

Wouldnt this provide a more stable schedule and easier to monitor results?

It could, again it depends on the amount of each and which quality is being prioritized when.

the other thing is that doing a short higher rep phase (2 weeks) is good for allowing the joints and soft tissue to recover when finishing a period of very intense training.

it all really depends on goals and what the individual did lsat week, the week before, the month before, etc...

 

[The Monkey Man]

I know my endurance would suffer severely in the short term if I were to work week to week...

I could probably beneift from a light-heavy, or high-low intensity week-to-week shift though... That would be all experimental though, as I have never done it

 

[The Monkey Man]

these are all solid ideas

 

[Plateau_Max]

The way I see it is like when I do rep range for two weeks. I find the endurance gains from doing slightly lower weight and much higher repetition is not only easier on my joints but it also works the muscles in it's own way. All forms of fatigue trigger the metabolism for hypertrophy, it's just that what kind of fatigue determines what type of hypertrophy... make sense?

It's like when I run for 2 hours, I am definitely strengthening all the muscles used in running, and it's a great improvement factor in my running ability but it's not going to help me with sprinting very much.

Honestly I wouldn't be so concerned with your strength abilities. You're not going to come out of two weeks of endurance lifting lower weight at higher reps, and not be able to use the weight you were before hand. If you were say bench pressing 250lbs on the flat bench in an 8 rep set, and you do two weeks of endurance using 200lbs with 12 rep sets... you'll still be able to come back to lifting 250 lbs. Muscles have good memory and you're still training so atrophy isn't going to affect you enough to deplete your abilities in only a couple weeks.

Don't forget to keep your diet on point also, feeding your muscles what they need before and after every workout is essential to maintaining and growing.

 

[RasPlasch]

Whatever you want of course. Why on earth are you doing an endurance week if you don't know what you want?

See thats my problem. I was told to change my workout every two weeks. From endurance to hypertrophy then to stength. But to be honest I'm not really looking for endurance gains. Im more looking for mass and strength gains. So should I just switch off between 2 weeks of 8 reps and then 2 weeks of heavy weights and 5 reps?

depends on what you are defining as "endurance" training and length of time this phase will last.

I mean like...like 2 sets of 12 reps with lighter weights and shorter resting period. And for 2 weeks.

 

[Plateau_Max]

Don't forget what funk and I are saying about the benefits on your joints as well as your metabolism from a couple weeks of shorter higher rep workouts.

 

[RasPlasch]

Alright, the thing I was most worried about was losing gains in strength. And you're saying that when Im done with endurance week I will still be able to lift the same amount as before?

 

[Plateau_Max]

Well yeah you'd pretty much have to eat junk and not lift a single weight to lose your strength in only two weeks.

When it comes to strength think of an endurance period as "maintenance" you're not going to lose strength but you probably won't gain any either.

 

[Witchblade]

If you're not looking for endurance, you don't have to do endurance phases that often. 2 weeks strength, 2 weeks hyperthrophy, 2 weeks endurance will do you well though. Not because you'll have more endurance, but because those two weeks serve as a deloading week for your CNS. You could limit it to one week too if you prefer that, but keep in mind that 12-20 reps still trigger some strength and hyperthrophy.

 

[P-funk]

12 reps is hardly endurance.

 

[Witchblade]

Yeah, I'd say real endurance work is 16+ reps.

 

[Duncans Donuts]

Tension time is as important as number of reps.

 

[Witchblade]

Definitely, eventhough most people don't stick to a certain tempo when doing endurance work.

 

[Blooming Lotus]

I know my endurance would suffer severely in the short term if I were to work week to week...

I could probably beneift from a light-heavy, or high-low intensity week-to-week shift though... That would be all experimental though, as I have never done it

Similar to how I myself attack it. When I go heavy, I usually drop off to low impact, am/ pm splits and back my low impact up with pilates.
The only thing you might give away by doing it is some of your hypertrpohy gains but you'd gain strength in it's place. I guess it'd depend on what your goals were.

 

[Blooming Lotus]

The way I see it is like when I do rep range for two weeks. I find the endurance gains from doing slightly lower weight and much higher repetition is not only easier on my joints but it also works the muscles in it's own way. All forms of fatigue trigger the metabolism for hypertrophy, it's just that what kind of fatigue determines what type of hypertrophy... make sense?

QUOTE]

Obviously you haven't seen JC's gyno recently then??.. endurance ( high vol lower weight ) = ^ strength + - local mass but not per pound + ^ density and strength... is thaat what you mean?

 

[Plateau_Max]

Use words instead of symbols and I'll get back to you. I'm not down with internet shorthand.

 

[Blooming Lotus]

Then Ii'll get back to yoU.