Hypertrophy Mesocycle Progression

[jp82]

@cherish616 I think that the optimal way to train is too often seen as the only way to train. Their training might not be optimal/hard enough to make 100% of the Progress they could make, but is still good enough to provide a Stimuls strong enough to cause hypertrophy/ make gains.

 

[kimberly412]

@jp82 This is so true. There's too many people out there chasing the optimal and all the chase is doing is making their training less optimal.

 

[braveheart0547]

@cherish616 What do you mean early mesocycles? This question is too long of a sentence to really get a grasp of.

 

[cherish616]

@braveheart0547 sorry. mesocycles 1-4.

for us fans but not competitors, we prioritize work, family and etc and so that's why we don't compete. i wonder if we don't push ourselves for said reasons but there is a benefit to it as acute fatigue never quite overtakes stimulus. also, less need for deload since we never hit that threshold. so just cycling through mesocycles 1-4 as best we can making as much gains as that allows.

/at work, need to look deeper at home. all bro science in this message

 

[braveheart0547]

@cherish616 That's what I figured, but I had to be absolutely sure. My personal take on it, based on what I have read, seen, experienced, etc, is that unless you are staying at the same weight on purpose (like on a cut) then you will always run into that metaphorical wall of fatigue that requires a deload for your body to climb over.

Even if you are on a cut, and sticking to the same workload (like I am now for most lifts) then the weeks you spend in the gym will still create that wall of fatigue, but upping the intensity/volume may accelerate that process, as noted by strength blocks and programming that have you deload every few weeks or so, whereas a standard bodybuilding routine will let you do that every 10-12 weeks. It's much harder to add weight to a 10 rep bench than a 3 rep because of the accumulation of fatigue in each set, so you rely on low rest times and time under tension to drive the gains.

 

[malikinam]

@samamph Can someone tell me how the long the micro and macro cycles are he’s referring to?

 

[maidenvoyage1]

@malikinam probably weeklong microcycles here.

 

[keekjaci]

@maidenvoyage1 That is exactly right.

 

[malikinam]

@maidenvoyage1 Gotchya, thanks

 

[biblereader7]

@malikinam The RP programs are set up as 4 weekly cycles with the 5th being a deload

 

[dawn16]

@samamph Okay. So essentially. You should spend once every 4 weeks slowing down and focusing on form under lighter weight.

 

[dawn16]

Or you could do no training at all for one week, doesn't really matter.

 

[dawn16]

@samamph Interesting. I made the best gains I ever did on Dorian Yates's training principles and this seems to explain in graph form why!

 

[dawn16]

@samamph Another case for listening to your body folks. The body knows best.

 

[foxmulder]

@samamph How many weeks is a mesocycle?

 

[samamph]

@foxmulder In the graphic, 6 weeks. 5 weeks on, 1 week deload

 

[nightoftheangels]

@foxmulder likely from 4 to 6 weeks of accumulation + one week dedicated for deload, depending on the level of your advancement (the more advanced you are the more fatique from accumulation thus the less you can handle in one take)

 

[thepcwife]

@samamph There isn’t really much evidence for “there is a delayed growth effect and muscle recovery actually occurs/adaptive systems are no longer burdened with acute demands” ... muscle is very plastic and MPS fluctuates every 48-72 hours so from a systemic fatigue deloads could help, but even then there isn’t much evidence for that. We don’t even have good measurements for systemic fatigue. I fully support deloads but more for injury prevention on ligaments and tendons or mental breaks.

 

[dawn16]

@samamph I just take 3-4 days off quite frequently because my recuperation isnt the best one