No more PTP for me.

[IronFist]

Yeah, PTP rules for making you strong, but all I've been doing for the past couple years are things in multiples of 5 reps. Either strict PTP for strength, or Bear derivatives of like 10 sets of 5 reps with a minute or so rest.

No more, at least for a while.

Two days ago I went to do squats. I was trying to do 5 sets of 8 reps. I was going to do all 5 sets with around 60% of my old 5RM, and I could barely make it through the third set. For the fourth set I had to reduce the weight even further, and I couldn't even do a 5th set. My legs had cramped up so bad it was sad. For the past two days I've barely been able to walk up and down stairs. I'm almost as sore as the first time I did squats ever 4 years ago.

PTP completely kills your endurance. My body's like "hey, the first 5 reps are done, lets quit!."

I'm not blaming everything on PTP, as I have lost 8-10lbs in the past month or so from not training and not eating enough, which I'm sure has contributed somewhat to my current state of weakness, but I know that PTP also played a big role.

How do I know? Because at one point a while ago when I was benching 225 for 5 reps I decided to try 175 for 8 reps, and I couldn't do it. That's a pretty weird strength curve.

So, while being strong for my size (kind of, not really) has been fun, I need to get a little endurance (and size) back so I'm going to sadly quit training for strength for a while.

Which sucks, because strength training doesn't leave you as sore as bodybuilding and higher rep training.

IronFist

[abobo]

Originally posted by IronFist
Yeah, PTP rules for making you strong, but all I've been doing for the past couple years are things in multiples of 5 reps. Either strict PTP for strength, or Bear derivatives of like 10 sets of 5 reps with a minute or so rest.


Yeah, that sounds like me more or less. The only high volume workouts I've done in the past year have been along the lines of EDT, which isn't necessarily high rep sets.

As a result, 5x8 sounds like a lot to me.

I wonder how this varies with people who cycle PtP with high rep kettlebell stuff.

Good luck though, I'll keep this in mind because I'll probably phase in some bodybuilding type workouts when I get tired of PtP. Maybe along the lines of Charles Staley's "Periodization that Works"

[fa_jing]

too much specification, I agree - way back when I was doing a mix of bodybuilding and powerlifting workouts, I was doing 5 reps at 220 for BP- and I was able to do at least 12 reps straight at 185! for comparison purposes. You practice 5-rep sets, you get good at 5-rep sets.

[ewallace]

Sounds like you have a chi imbalance dude.

[Ford Prefect]

Same thing happenned to me a couple years ago which is why I gave up on PTP myself. I tried cycling in kettlebells, sandbags, and BWE's, but it really didn't help as much as when I went to a more varied weight training regimen.