THREE COMPONENTS THAT ARE KEY TO MAKING PROGRESS: DELOADING, TAPERING, WAVING (PART 2)

THREE COMPONENTS THAT ARE KEY TO MAKING PROGRESS: DELOADING, TAPERING, WAVING (PART 2)

EXAMPLE OF A TAPERING MODEL 

SQUAT 

 1x1 @ 65% 60% 2x5

 1x1 @ 65% 60% 2x5 

 1x1 @ 65% 60% 2x5

 1x1 @ 65% 60% 2x5

 1x1 @ 70% 60% 2x5

 1x1 @ 70% 60% 2x5

 1x1 @ 75% 70% 2x4 

 1x1 @ 75% 70% 2x4

 1x1 @ 80% 70% 2x4

 1x1 @ 85% 80% 2x3

DEADLIFTS

 1x3 @ 77% 

 1x3 @ 77% 

 1x3 @ 77%

 1x3 @ 80%

 1x3 @ 80%

 1x3 @ 80%

 1x3 @ 83%

 1x3 @ 83%

 1x3 @ 85%

 1x3 @ 85%

BENCH - ALL REPS PAUSED 

1x1 @ 85% 1x8 or AMAP @ 75%

1x1 @ 85% 1x8 or AMAP @ 75%

1x1 @ 85% 1x8 or AMAP @ 75% 

1x1 @ 85% 1x8 or AMAP @ 75% 

1x1 @ 85% 1x8 or AMAP @ 75%

1x1 @ 85% 1x8 or AMAP @ 75%

1x1 @ 90% 1x3 @ 85% 1xamap @ 75% 

1x1 @ 90% 1x3 @ 85% 1xamap @ 75% 

1x1 @ 90% 1x3 @ 85% 1xamap @ 75% 

1x1 @ 90% 1x3 @ 85% 1xamap @ 75%

TAPERING FREQUENCY

 The other part of tapering is training frequency. Drop training back to twice a week. Squat and pull on one day, bench and incline/overhead press on the other with a row for 4x10 light.

That’s it, nothing else.

De-loading is a “no-de-load, de-load”. In the traditional sense of de-loading, you do something similar to tapering but you cut the intensity in half and stay in the gym the same number of days that week. Tapering is to allow for more recovery days, but keep the working intensity equal, so that the body has more time to climb out of fatigue but training stays at the same intensity level. You might say that is splitting hairs; however, I believe that tapering is a better option than the traditional de-load. The “no de-load, de-load” is where you get out of the gym completely. No lifting, nothing light, just out of the gym for a physical and mental break.

Take a break until you feel that hunger to train hard return. That may be 3 days or 10 days. In the grand scheme of things, 10 days off is nothing and often times it will do you more good than continuing to train. After you taper, you have a few options. If you still feel tired, or your mental enthusiasm is lacking for weeks on end, do the no-de-load de-load. If I had to guess, more often than not, you’ll need to take the time off.

WAVING 

 One of the most common methods that guys use to program is to run a cycle for a certain period of time, then start over at a higher weight than they had programmed for in the previous cycle.

It is certainly an option, and a viable one yes and so is running the same programming cycle back to back. If you finished the first cycle with a triple or set of five that was tough as nails to grind out, but the second time you run said cycle you destroy that triple or set of 5 with a speed that is bordering on violent, did you not get stronger? One of the basic principles of the base building model is to move heavier and heavier weights with greater and greater speed. I unknowingly used to use this method when I was younger with great results. I would set a certain weight in my head, and work towards that weight. However I would make a deal with myself that I would not move past that weight until I “owned” it, i.e. I could rep it effortlessly.

Lots of lifters get lost in the weight on the bar mentality, or “weight on the bar at all costs!” Listen, I’m all for getting more weight on the bar, and at some point, you have to load the bar. Generally, you want those times to be on the platform, or nearing the end of a peaking cycle. However, during the in-between times, a solid idea is to set “owned” weight goals where you destroy weights at certain rep ranges.

Don’t be afraid to repeat cycles, or “backtrack” a cycle a few weeks and work back up to whatever you hit near the end of it again but with greater speed. There are many ways to gauge the strength and access to PRs. Don’t fall into the dogma of thinking just making a certain weight for X reps is the only way to do that. Weight X reps @ speed Z is also a way to set new “PRs”. De-load if you start feeling better, increase the volume back the normal base building standard or

WAVING OPTIONS 

For waves, there are two options.

 • Reprogram at a lesser weight and then over time work back up to where you were currently programmed at. You simply reprogram down by 5% and continue.

 • Wave the weeks. If you were slow on your triples in the latter phase, then wave back to the 5’s (for squat) or 8’s (bench) for a week. The next week, come back to the 3’s.    If it still feels heavy, wave back into the 8’s again. If you still feel like progress is not happening, then reprogram and wave back to the first week.