Skip to contentIf you’re a member of our gym or a fan of our page you probably know of Hector, the guy who keeps breaking his own strength records. Now, this isn’t to say that other people at our gym don’t get stronger. In fact, people at our gym get stronger every day and there are new personal bests being set every week; it’s just what we do :). But Hector, his case is a bit different.
Hector routinely sets new personal records month after month, and by a LARGE margin. For example, he set a new squat record for himself a couple of months back with 265 pounds only to break it the very next week by 35 pounds!
You think that’s freaky? Two weeks ago Hector had never deadlifted over 300 pounds in his life. He set a new record by pulling 305 pounds for one rep, only to shatter it the next week with a 365 pound pull!
I know what you’re thinking. Roidz.
But that’s not it.
There’s more than meets the eye..
The answer is “fatigue masks fitness”
What this means is that you can only show your true strength and fitness when the stresses that fatigue your body are removed. Elite athletes and coaches use this all the time to prep for a meet or competition. It’s called peaking.
In Hector’s programming we have weeks of hard work which build his strength and work capacity and I taper down the volume of work as the weeks progress. While I taper down the volume I increase the intensity. Both of these combined results in the removal of fatigue and the preparation of his body to handle heavier weights.
In the final week of his hard training he usually hits a heavy single or a near maximal attempt. The goal here is to not actually set a new record but to get used to training at that level of intensity. After he hits the appropriate volume for this range I take it easy on him for the rest of the workout to give his body and nervous system rest.
Deload week
This is a week planned as rest before starting a new phase of his program, but we sometimes aim for some new PRs here. This is the peak.
Now that his body has taken it easy on the volume for the last week and it’s primed to handle heavy weights, this is the time where the stress is pulled away and he can really put his strength on display.
Here’s an example of a month of programming for your main lift (squat, bench, deadlift variation):
Week 1: 3×5 reps (Moderate)
Week 2: 3×3 reps (Heavy)
Week 3: 3×1 reps (Very Heavy)
Week 4: Deload with an easy 3×5 or attempt a new 1 rep maximum
Just remember that the purpose of the first 3 weeks is not to set records, but to get quality work in with those weights.
Despite setting records in the 300’s, Hector never squatted or deadlifted any weight in the 300 range leading up to those records. Not even close.
More than meets the eye
If you’re training consistently you’re always in a state of fatigue and because of this you may not always be able to display your true strength. Approach your training with the mindset of putting in work and when you’re ready, pull off the chains of fatigue and let the beast go.
