Solid straw man. I did not advocate him training with RPE, I was simply using it as a common language so the more experienced people offering advice could grasp what I was saying. And I heartily lolled at "some people use it to great success" - it is a virtual hallmark for elite powerlifting programming these days.
In your progression example, he will still reach a point where the sets get hard (assuming he is linearly progressing properly). What then? A vital part of training is learning to push through hard reps. It almost always feels harder than it is, and it takes a lot of time to get around this. But it is where a lot of the gains come from. Quoting an esteemed alum:
Quote:
On the whole what does "weights get hard" mean thing: If you are a beginner/intermediate and you aren't failing squat/bench/press reps on the regular then the weights are not yet hard. I'll leave deadlift out because intermediate deadlift programming should probably avoid failing reps because of CNS fatigue and beginner deadlift programming should probably avoid failing reps because of injury concern.
I've talked about all this before, though maybe it was a year ago or longer. A big part of the beginner stage is learning how to grind through the tough reps. If you are a beginner/intermediate, especially one who lifts alone, you absolutely should be recording work sets every week to keep an eye on bar speed. Your perception of how close you are to failing is almost guaranteed to be wrong, and video evidence that the bar barely slowed down should be enough to convince you to slap another 5 lbs on the bar next time.
And there are a lot of threads where people say "I'm squatting 1-1.5x bodyweight and I'm about to stall, what should I do?" You should add 5 lbs and man the **** up. Prove that you're actually stalling with a video. Prove that you're missing reps because you are not strong enough and not because you quit mid rep. Get mad, get everything tight, unrack that bar with fury, and violently attack every rep. If you still fail, then rest 5 minutes and try it again. Until you've truly missed a significant number reps for 2-3 workouts in a row, you haven't earned a reset or a change in programming, so don't take what you haven't earned.
If you think there's a chance that you'll fail the 5th rep, then the weights aren't hard yet. When the weights are hard you are all but positive that you're going to fail the 3rd rep.
Jordan Feigenbaum on
mistakes made when running SS. Also a good read is
To Be a Beast.
Anyway, to some up what I think OP should keep doing:
- keep linearly progressing 3x5's at the programmed weight. If he fails, he fails. Finishe what reps he can.
- if he fails 3 workouts in a row, reset 10% and work back up
- rest 5 mins between sets. if its awkward, communicate with those around you to get them to work in.
- keep working on technique and mindset.
The three golden rules:
1. Everything works
2. Some things work better than others
3. Nothing works forever
With regard to submax training, I don't believe that it is optimal for a novice lifter, who needs to train their CNS to handle heavier weights. You just end up leaving gains on the table when it will never be easier to make that gain. The CNS effect of missing a 165lb bench is quite different than a 300lb bench, and a novice has the recovery capacity to go again in 2-3 days.
I'd personally advocate for picking one of the three goals to pour 70% of my energy into, one to pour 30% into and the other will just have to hold steady for a bit. There's only so much recovery capacity to go around, and there is a possibility you don't make enough progress in anyone direction to remain motivated.
End of the day, OP is already talking about modifying the program. At some point in the future, he'll have a conversation with someone about trying SS and "it not working that well". So it goes.
