307lbs on the 1″ vertical bar, before you can call it a PR- you need to know a few more things…
What is all this business about PRs??
It occurred to me I write about PR’s/PB’s (personal record, or Personal Best) but I never touch on WHY PR’s are important to me.
Exceeding A Personal Standard
So what is a PR all about? You exceed a personal standard. Maybe it was one more step, one more rep, and one more pound, for one more second, or in one second less. Going slightly farther some how in any direction you can.
I realize some people do not think breaking records is important. I believe this mentality is self defeating. With no reason to get better, you will fail to improve. This is not fitness training- this is a fact of life. If you believe you cannot be better than you are right now, you are mistaken. I do not want you to take a harsh look at yourself, I simply you to ask “is there room for a 1% increase in any area of my life?”
Progress: Quality Before Quantity
Looking back to your fitness, let’s examine what progress is. Any improvement to movement quality offers more quantity of movement. I will repeat myself. ANY improvement in quality of movement yields quantity of movement. What is movement quantity? Items you call strength, flexibility, endurance, stability, mobility, power, agility. Some people list those things as qualities of movement– but you are measuring them in quantities ie: pounds on the bar, how many reps you can do, how fast you move an object ect.
So as we seek improvement in quality movement we find more quantity. How do we find new PR’s? In terms of resistance training a simple method of mapping progress can be found in tracking Intensity, Volume, and Density.
Intensity
The working definition of intensity I use is the percentage of effort in a movement related to maximum effort. My max one arm clean and kettlebell press is 64kg, so 64kg is 100% intensity. If I am pressing a 32kg bell it is only 50% intensity. No matter how hard I make the set, no matter how tough I think I am working–it is 50% of my 1 repetition max. No grimace, no yelling, no backwards baseball cap–it is a simple math formula (thanks Jack Reape!)
Volume
Volume is the total poundage (kilos for the rest of the world) lifted in a set, exercise cluster, or workout. If I press a 32kg bell for 10 sets of 10 reps, my volume is 704 lbs per set, 7,040 lbs for the cluster.
Density
Density is the amount of weight lifted in a given unit of time. The unit of time you select is up to you. I use pounds lifted per minute, and pounds lifted per hour. Technically in my opinion it does not matter what unit of time you use- because we will compare this side by side. I believe this is a critical mistake many people fail to account for: Time. So simple. I know many people smirk when I make a suggestion to have a stop watch at the gym during the sets. “Is it really that big of a deal?”
“Yup” it is. I will win you over in the following paragraphs.
These are three basic elements- so where do we find the PR?
First, did you lift more weight related to your 1RM? For example, last week you deadlifted 90% of your 1RM for 3 sets of 2. This week you lifted 91% for 3 sets of 2. What would that be? For example a 500lbs dead lifter pulled 450 for 2 last workout, 455 for 2 this workout. No dispute, this is progress. Technically this is also more volume in total pounds lifted, but the number of barbell lifts was the same…6 pulls.
Let’s use the same lifter, but a different measurement. Our lifter hits 450 for 3 sets of 2 reps last workout, next workout lifts 4 sets of 2. Or what about 7 sets of 1? In both situations, the lifter moved more weight than last time, which means progress.
What about a different situation? Let’s say our lifter moved 450 for 3 sets of 2 reps in 12 minutes. 2,700lbs moved, 225 lbs per minute. This workout they move 450 for 3 sets of 2 in 10 minutes-2,700 total, but the rate of lifting is now 270lbs per minute. Once again, we are observing undisputable progress.
Naturally you will see various combinations of these factors. The goal is not to always lift more weight for more reps in less time; rather it is to find assorted packages of “better”
Two workouts
Workout A, I do strict axle presses for 15 sets of 3 reps with 205 in 47 minutes. Workout B, I do strict axle presses 5 sets of 8 reps with165 in 8 minutes.
Was workout B a success? Did I do better?
Workout A- 9,225lbs moved in 47 minutes- 197lbs per minute.
Workout B- 8,250lbs moved in 14 minutes- 590lbs moved per minute
Wow, workout B was a great improvement from a density perspective! The load rep to rep was not hard, but the compressed time made me feel every pound of it.
This concludes part I. Tune back in for the next installment, in which I will address other quantities of movement and measurements for them.
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