Big_King
03-08-2006, 17:39
This one's for any resident PT studs. First off so this isn't completely out of place, some history. I've recently submitted my package for SF and soon I'll be training specifically for the entrance tests. For now though I'm doing the same long-term muscle endurance PT that I've been doing for the last two years. However, the stories of guys failing to do their best on PT tests because the PSP staff administering them were nazis on form has left me at an impasse.
Like I said my PT focuses on long-term muscle endurance. It currently involves circuits of push-ups, pull-ups and abs. Over two years I've tried other workouts from Cross-fit to USAF special tactics routines and everything in between including pyramids, upper-body supersets, etc, etc.. but I've found the simple push-up, abs, pull-up circuit to be best kick in the nuts.
Here's my problem. I've gotten to the point where I can do sets of 20-35 reps for upper body parts till the cows come home. I'm talking 20+ sets.
Fine.
The problem though, is that it's hard to maintain interest doing this over the course of an hour or more. My solution was to up the reps and lower the sets.
Simple enough.
What I'm experiencing now once I reach my last 5 sets is extreme muscle failure. I find myself doing partial reps just to get through to the end. This has me wondering what the benefits (if any) partial reps have, or am I really just burning myself out and not properly training myself for selection (creating bad habits)?
My solutions are;
-Cut back the number of sets to the amount I can perform proper form for. Sure this works, but I don't feel the achievement associated with really pushing myself like the next workout:
-Keep the current # of sets, and continue to perform partial reps on the last few circuits. I like the 'gut check' feeling of this type of workout forcing myself to complete the set regardless of how crappy my form is. I'd like to think there is some sort of long-term endurance benefit to this, but I'm not sure. Am i just wasting my time doing useless shi**y reps and overtraining?
-Stop during a set, rest a few seconds, carry on... Cross-fit recommends this if you can't reach the recommended number of reps for a given set although it feels bit like quitting in the middle of a set to me.
-Rest more between sets - Of course this helps, but I don't like standing around, letting my heart rate go down, and I don't like that 'fresh feeling' that comes with too much rest.
That's as condensed as I could make it. I'm not sure If I'm over-analyzing it, but I think another perspective might help. Thanks.
Like I said my PT focuses on long-term muscle endurance. It currently involves circuits of push-ups, pull-ups and abs. Over two years I've tried other workouts from Cross-fit to USAF special tactics routines and everything in between including pyramids, upper-body supersets, etc, etc.. but I've found the simple push-up, abs, pull-up circuit to be best kick in the nuts.
Here's my problem. I've gotten to the point where I can do sets of 20-35 reps for upper body parts till the cows come home. I'm talking 20+ sets.
Fine.
The problem though, is that it's hard to maintain interest doing this over the course of an hour or more. My solution was to up the reps and lower the sets.
Simple enough.
What I'm experiencing now once I reach my last 5 sets is extreme muscle failure. I find myself doing partial reps just to get through to the end. This has me wondering what the benefits (if any) partial reps have, or am I really just burning myself out and not properly training myself for selection (creating bad habits)?
My solutions are;
-Cut back the number of sets to the amount I can perform proper form for. Sure this works, but I don't feel the achievement associated with really pushing myself like the next workout:
-Keep the current # of sets, and continue to perform partial reps on the last few circuits. I like the 'gut check' feeling of this type of workout forcing myself to complete the set regardless of how crappy my form is. I'd like to think there is some sort of long-term endurance benefit to this, but I'm not sure. Am i just wasting my time doing useless shi**y reps and overtraining?
-Stop during a set, rest a few seconds, carry on... Cross-fit recommends this if you can't reach the recommended number of reps for a given set although it feels bit like quitting in the middle of a set to me.
-Rest more between sets - Of course this helps, but I don't like standing around, letting my heart rate go down, and I don't like that 'fresh feeling' that comes with too much rest.
That's as condensed as I could make it. I'm not sure If I'm over-analyzing it, but I think another perspective might help. Thanks.