WAVE LOADING: AN ALTERNATIVE FOR VOLUME DAY

You have been training for quite a while now, and your volume day numbers have started to stagnate. No matter how many times you keep repeating the same rep range (e.g. sets of five), the needle just won't move.

Time for a change?

Possibly so.

One of the key things for you to stick to your training long-term is that you find new challenges frequently. If a certain type of set/rep scheme runs you mentally dry, it's time to act.

I have recently discovered wave loading to be a new stimulus for making progress on my bench volume day.

Below is an example how it I set my wave loading of 6-5-4 up:

Wave 1:

Set 1: 6 reps

Set 2: 5 reps

Set 3: 4 reps

Wave 2:

Set 4: 6 reps

Set 5: 5 reps

Set 6: 4 reps

You start with a weight you can (comfortably) do for six reps - meaning you leave one or two reps in the tank. The same applies to set 2 and 3. In fact, in your first wave of the two, you want to choose a weight where you don't grind on the bar as this would make it all but impossible to increase the weight in the second wave.

In wave two, you repeat the same 6-5-4 structure, this time adding weight to the bar. If you do this type of training for the first time, I suggest you don't push all the way to a 6RM, 5RM or 4RM even in your second wave. Load the bar conservatively first time round as this leaves space for progress.

Several reasons why I like this approach:

-Different rep ranges give a different mental stimulus. With six reps, you have to keep up a good rhythm for longer, which develops your mental work capacity. In contrast, four reps will feel quite a bit shorter than six reps, so you have a less time and fewer reps to 'make things count'.

-The first wave I use as a build-up to the second one. The goal in wave one is to accumulate volume without killing myself under the bar. The second wave is more like an 'actualisation' of the first wave where I push myself harder. Again, a different mental stimulus between 'gradual' work and 'intensified' work.

-Six reps allow me to test how far I can push the weight towards my 5RM. If I get close or manage to beat it, this will automatically move my weights for five reps as well as four reps up.

-Four reps allow me train at a slightly higher intensity on my volume day compared to five reps. I am not a fan of doing volume work just for the sake of accumulating reps. I still like to train with some sort of intensity on my volume day, and the fact that the wave-loading reduces the number of sets to two (of four reps) stops it from being a classic intensity workout.

-Through the variation in rep ranges, I don't exhaust one certain rep range by doing multiple sets thereof (e.g. 5x5). With a consistent rep range, you'd have to pick a top-set, and then back off the other sets as you very likely can't keep the intensity up for sets across. So instead of shaving weight off the bar, I feel I'm training in a more dedicated and intense way on a 6-5-4 wave.

-Running two waves on a 6-5-4 scheme will give you 30 reps in total, which is decent for a volume day. You may have been doing 5x5 for a while, so the wave loading will not just give you a different training stimulus but will add five reps to your workout (i.e. 30 vs 25), which increases overall stress.

For the sake of simplicity, I suggest you stick to two waves of 6-5-4 in the beginning, and look to beat each one by a small increment in your consecutive workouts.

Give it a try, let me know how much progress you're making - and how you like it!

Oliver

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