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Many books on strength training contain chapters on intensity and their meaning. They describe 100% intensity as the weight of which you can only do one repetition in a given exercise. If you can do more than one repetition of the exercise, its intensity is lower. The more repetitions you can do, the lower the intensity of the weight.

This discussion then inevitably leads to how high the maximum repetitions will be at certain intensities, Any trainee who has reached the intermediate level will be interested because he wants to make sure that he works with the right intensity for the repetitions he does.

They don't want to work with too low an intensity and they don't want to work with too heavy an intensity either. Many trainees become a little too ambitious and are wrong on the side of the serious. The lazybones or Timider does the opposite. Therefore, knowing the repetition intensity diagram is critical.

The relationship between intensity and 5×5

For newer advanced trainees it can be decided that they follow one of the standard strength development programs, in which they go through five sets of five (5×5) each. This is prescribed by Berry, Starr, Ripp and many others – because 5×5 works.

So they take the appropriate percentage for 5 reps for the athlete. This is about 89% give or take, often rounded to 90% on average to simplify the math (as I will do here). They can start at 85% if they want to familiarize themselves with a new program – and that's fine because the improvement will happen quickly.

Then the trainee does 5×5 for the squat, bench and other strength exercises. However, 5×5 doesn't work as well with deadlifts as it can be tiring, but 5×5 works fine for most other lifts.

After about a week, the trainee consumes a full 90%. But it doesn't always run as smoothly. For example, the fifth iteration may fail on the last sentence. What happened? Are they getting weaker now?

The answer is no. Everything is fine, even if the last repetition is missing. It is indeed a good sign. Why? Because it means that their intensity is at the ideal point, How is it so you have been taught that you always do your full five reps.

What happens is that the repetition intensity graphs are based on only one set, not on multiple sets. Her creators have forgotten the important concept of fatigue. We only have so much in the tank for a particular workout or a day before we need to rest. We cannot work 100% indefinitely. We are all intuitively aware of this.

A sprinter can't keep up with a marathon runner for long. Even the marathon runner has to save his speed for the end of the race. This also applies to intensities of less than 100%. The 90% repetitions cannot continue indefinitely either because the trainee eventually shows signs of fatigue. At the last sentence he runs out of gas.

Actual, relative and perceived intensity

This is especially true when the sets have just gained weight. Suppose the PR squat was 300 pounds and he did 270 for 5X5 as recommended and all 25 reps were completed. You can then have tested their maximum and found that they can now make 320. In this case, the trainee dutifully adds £ 18 to his work sets (the £ 20 increase x 90%).

With renewed enthusiasm for squats, they find that the last set may have consisted of only 3-4 repetitions, while the fourth set consisted of only 4. The trainee is not weaker, instead they are not yet used to working with the extra pounds.

On their next workout, they often do a full 4th set and 4 reps on the 5th set. Finally they can do the full 5×5. With that extra weight, they actually got stronger. It only takes a little adjustment time,

Most trainees will be familiar with this pattern when they gain experience. What may require more awareness is what happens within a single sentence. It should be noted that the fatigue factor is effective from the very first sentence. Let's look at the first set of a 5×5. The above trainee takes £ 270 for five as this is the mandatory 90% of his 1RM.

On the first repetition, 270 feel like 90%. This repetition takes a little time for the trainee, so that the second repetition feels like 275. Not a jump big enough to notice a 300 squatter. Then the 3rd repetition may feel like 287. Number 4 will feel like 296 and the last iteration will feel like 300. Further repetitions are by definition impossible because it is a 5RM.

Only one set behaves at 5 rpm. Things get hairier when we go to multiple sets in a 5×5. Depending on the fitness of the individual, the effects of fatigue appear in the last sentences. On the 5th or even the 4th set, 270 first repetitions feel more like 285. Subsequent repetitions feel 300 closer and closer until at some point the perceived intensity is greater than 300. These repetitions fail.

All of this means that if you say 90% sentences about yourself, for example, you have to realize that not all sentences or even all repetitions feel like 90% to your organism. You will actually work with a slightly higher perceived intensity, As such, you have to take that into account when programming. But how can you counteract these factors when planning a training session?

One way is to try the full 90% for all sentences, knowing that the last one or two sentences may fail. At this point, you can continue with the next exercise and hope that your strength will improve in the next session. Alternatively, you can take a 6th set and make up for the missing repetitions if you don't add one or two additional repetitions. This leaves you in a better mood after making mistakes.

Another way, especially if you are compulsive to do all 25, is to start at less than 90%, so repetition 25 is just about successful. This is a more conservative method, in which the perceived intensity is lower at the beginning but higher at the end.

Regardless of the exact method, the working weights are only increased when the trainee can do all 25 repetitions with the prescribed weight – this keeps everyone honest,

Use the drop set

Another way is the drop set method, which was borrowed from bodybuilding, If you feel the last reps are failing, the bar can be lowered 5 to 10 pounds to ensure successful reps. You will still feel like maximum repetitions so little is lost.

The only problem is that the lifter has to stop in the middle of the set to change the weight. This can be avoided if there are two wizards who can quickly remove the unnecessary plates before the last repetitions. In such cases, these plates should only swim outside the collar. Finally, the entire last sentence can be removed if no help is available.

Think of the 3 forms of intensity

This whole article is about the trainee making the difference between the actual intensity (actual resistance), the relative intensity (% of 1rpm) and the perceived intensity (i.e. how heavy the weight is for the organism actually feels).

When programming, the latter is most relevant in terms of customization and recovery considerations,