CYCLING INTENSITY AND WHY YOU SHOULD DO IT!
Working out can be an addiction. We love the way it makes us feel. We love the way it makes us look. We love the increase in strength, speed, flexibility, etc. But unfortunately like any addiction, we can often push too hard for too long a period of time. And doing this can lead to burnout and overtraining, the complete opposite of why you started!
One thing I'll always be grateful for is the training I had in Powerlifting. In Powerlifting we understand that you can't train all out all the time. That's why we train in cycles. Typically these are about 12 weeks long but can be shorter or longer. The idea is to start a cycle with perhaps 60 to 70% of your current max. Then build up slowly, blow past your previous max, and set new records in time for contest day. For the several days before a contest its best to not train. That way you'll be stronger at the meet. Training in this way is excellent because it not only allows the body to recover from hard training, but also the mind.
As far as reps go, don't train in ultra low reps if your goal is overall fitness or bodybuilding. Very low reps are only for lifting competition and even then we only hit the really low reps later in the cycle. 5 reps or higher should be good for a max effort and overall fitness gains.
So what would a 12 week cycle look like? One training schedule I used to increase a lot of strength and muscle mass was a 3 day a week program. Monday was Squat, assistance exercises, arm and shoulder exercises and core. Wednesday was Bench Press, Deadlift, assistance exercises, and core. Friday was a repeat of Monday and the following Monday was a repeat of Wedneday. And it keeps going. So this means you train one workout twice in one week and once the following week.
Taking the Squat as an example, this is how a cycle could look taking a 200 lbs for 5 reps current max. Note that even if you can do more reps, particularly in the early parts of a cycle, don't do it. The whole idea is to allow yourself to recover to prepare for the heavier stuff in the later weeks. Note that warmup sets aren't included here. You need to warm up with a few lighter sets. These are only the effort working sets.
WEEK 1
140 lbs for 3 sets of 10
150 lbs for 3 sets of 10
WEEK 2
160 lbs for 3 sets of 10
WEEK 3
165 lbs for 3 sets of 10
170 lbs for 3 sets of 10
WEEK 4
175 lbs for 3 sets of 8
WEEK 5
180 lbs for 2 sets of 8
185 lbs for 2 sets of 8
WEEK 6
190 lbs for 2 sets of 8
WEEK 7
195 lbs for 2 sets of 6
200 lbs for 2 sets of 6
WEEK 8
205 lbs for 1 set of 5
WEEK 9
210 lbs for 1 set of 5
WEEK 10
215 lbs for 1 set of 5
220 lbs for 1 set of 5
WEEK 11
225 lbs for 1 set of 5
WEEK 12
230 lbs for 1 set of 5
235 lbs for 1 set of 5
This may be an optimistic cycle with a 35 lbs gain but it's been done before. I've done it! Give it a shot!