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Weight Training

# My question has to do with adjusting the weight in a program. I am in…

The question

My question has to do with adjusting the weight in a program. I am in week two of the 4-day Bodybuilding Program. The weeks cycle from moderate to hard to medium hard etc. If I am adjusting the weights in my program to be able to just make the specified number of reps won't this, in effect, make each workout hard or very hard? I do understand the instruction about not increasing the weight for the very easy week but what about the other weeks?.\
Also, I really like the program. This is a great way to get variety in my workouts. I was getting into a 4-set with 8-12 reps rut. The change provided by your program is noticable even after only two weeks. Great web-site\! Thanks.

Dan's answer

Dan Wirth, MA, CSCS

Get ready for some technical info. One of the major factors in controlling volumes and intensities in order to gear a workout towards being hard or easy is dependent upon the the total number of sets in the workout. Also, the total number of sets is determined by the total number of exercises prescribed for any given workout. So, while I may have a pretty good bench routine on week 3, there won't be as much supplemental exercise work such as Incline benching or dumbbell bench etc. as there will be on a week 4 program for example. Thus making the workout medium hard instead of very hard. So, even though you may increase the weight of a particular exercise, it may or may not occur in the next workout or it may have more or less sets and a higher or lower intensity range than a previous workout.

Finally, don't increase the weight of any exercise unless you can complete all the sets and reps required for that exercise. And, you should only do negative reps on Weeks 4 and Weeks 9. These workout weeks are followed by the very easy weeks 5 and 10 so overtraining is minimized.

Dan designed the periodization models the Wave Engine runs.

See how the Wave Engine turns his programming rules into your workouts.

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