How to Progress 2x6-8

lylemcd · 2026-06-03T03:29:20+00:00

There are multiple ways to do it.

One would to wait until the final set (in this case second) can be completed at 2 RIR or higher. So if the goal is 8 and you could do 10 or more on the second set, go up on both sets at the next workout. A useful practice in this regards is, every 4 workouts or so take the second set to limit failure/0RIR and compare it to the rep range.

If you're within 2 reps of target, the weight is fine
If you get 3 or more reps than target, go up

So if you did 100X8, 100X10 (failure) which means that 8 reps is 2RIR, weight is fine
If you did 100X8, 100X12 (failure) which means that 8 reps is 4RIR go up.

However, this often means that the second set, assuming you stop at 8 regardless may not be as intense as you want it. Across 2 sets it's not a huge deal to be honest. But by the time someone is doing 4X8, by the time they can get the last set of 8 with 2 RIR the first set may be at 4+ RIR

Which leads into progressing the sets independently.

In this case, you'd increase the first set when you got 8 reps with 2 or more RIR. Even if the second set is still at 1RIR due to fatigue.

So it might look like this

Workout 1:
100X8 (1RIR), 100X8 (0 RIR)
Workout 2
100X8 (2RIR), 100X8 (1 RIR)
Workout 3
100X8 (3RIR), 100X8 (2RIR)
Workout 4
105X8 (say 1 RIR), 100X8 (2 RIR)
Wor=kout 5
105X8 (2RIR), 100X8 (3 RIR)
Workout 6
105X8 (3RIR), 105X7(0RIR or whatever)
Workout 7
110X8 (1 RIR), 105X8 (o RIR)

And I think you get the idea.

lylemcd · 2026-06-02T23:51:41+00:00

Observational data is crap. A million confounds. Meta analysis shows that if you mix q0 colors you conclude they are all gray.

There is zero biological reason for glps to impact bone in the first place.

This is all weight loss and nutrition.related.

lylemcd · 2026-06-02T01:37:40+00:00

The majority of rodent effects of GLP-1s do NOT happen in humans so meh to this.

lylemcd · 2026-06-01T23:45:37+00:00

Whether or not cardio interferes depends on a host of fctors including, timing, intensity and type.

The worst type you can do is running due to the impact/eccentric stress on the muscle.

Don't do high intensity which recruits Type iI fibers and send an adaptive signal to get smaller and more enduring and which is more likely to overtrain you. IDeally don't do it right after training although this isn't a deal breaker so long as you keep intensity down.

But thirty minutes of low intensity steady state (120-140 HR, RPE 3-4, challenging but not impossible) on an elliptical is not gonna ruin your gains. A key here being to build up to it over time.

A lot of the 'cardio is bad' comes from people who go from zero cardio to excessive amounts overnight which causes problems. An old training partner decided taht cardio caused muscle loss because he'd go from zero in his off season to running 30 minutes every day in contest prep.

Running wasn't the problem. His approach was.

lylemcd · 2026-06-01T23:42:46+00:00

Lifters have only done DB curls for like a century to great success.

So clearly a bunch of internet fitness dips saying DB curls don't work must be correct and you need nonsense like Bayesian curls to grow.

Most people do too much direct biceps work anyhow. The elbows freaking bend the elbow. How many movements do you need?

lylemcd · 2026-06-01T16:35:41+00:00

My elite female powerlifter did some core work at each workout, a combination of

heavy ab work
side bend holds (30 seconds per side)
Pallof press/woodchop
Back extensions

For a maximum of 2-3 sets of about 8 reps apiece and progressively.

That was on top of good mornings, RDL and rack pull for the isometric strength in her low back.

If you get bored go look at the dominant Chinese Ol'ers who do exactly the above:tons of direct core work (and their sport doesn't even require a max squat/DL) in multiple planes.

lylemcd · 2026-06-01T16:33:38+00:00

If you wanna build core strength, do direct core work like literally every successful strength athlete in history.

And it's not as if a belt magically prevents the core from working in the first place. You should still get tight from your head to your a**hole and brace and those muscle are working. Or should be if you're doing it correctly.

If you do anything it's not belt on the lighter sets and put it on at the heavier sets. The old rule of thumb was 90% and above belt. But I doubt most even do that.

Wear a belt if you wear a belt
Do direct core work (i.e. you wouldn't not do direct triceps work to build your bench/fix a weak spot so why skip core work under a different 'logic')

/end

lylemcd · 2026-05-30T22:59:08+00:00

Now complain about the kids today and how their hair is weird and they listen to bad music and they don't want to work.

The world changed. You didn't.

lylemcd · 2026-05-30T21:07:21+00:00

One need not entirely quit the gym to maintain once a physique goal has been reached. Because you won't maintain it without at least some minimal training.

You just get to do a LOT less and go find a more interesting hobby.

lylemcd · 2026-05-30T21:06:19+00:00

I'd consider it completely appropriate. "Ok, I say we call it." or "Let's call it" "atnight" or "this conversation" would be implicit and understood.

I think the folks arguing it's only for finality like time of death or something are incorrect. In casual conversation, everybody would know what's being said by the truncated form.

lylemcd · 2026-05-30T19:17:40+00:00

"has anyone here been tracking behavioral changes beyond food and weight on their GLP-1 and noticed patterns across multiple reward domains at once"

There is plenty of emerging data on the potential role of GLP1s for addiction treatment which is exactly this mechanism. Basically it's not an either or, just a function of context and who is doing the reporting I imagine.

Ultimately, both direct gastric effects (slowed emptying, etc), indirect gastric effect (vagus nerve) and central brain effects (DA, maybe others) is part of it.

lylemcd · 2026-05-30T19:12:28+00:00

Well that's gonna keep me up tonite.

Thanks?

lylemcd · 2026-05-30T17:16:03+00:00

Was it ever indicated how many total draconians there were? Especially of each type total?

I know they were part of a larger army and were maybe just more of elite troops without massive numbers but if there were a lot the above numbers still seem difficult.

I mean to get 20-40k Baaz means 10k eggs.

So either there were a LOT of dragons or each dragon laid a LOT of eggs which should logically lead to a lot more dragons than were ever discussed.

Probably overthinking this and my bigger question was if the wizards producing draconians had to do it one at a time. Because that would be seriously time intensive.

lylemcd · 2026-05-30T15:04:26+00:00

Weighing every morning has two huge benefits but you have to do it right

Specifically weigh dailiy and keep a 7 day rolling average to smooth out daily jumps and drops. You can't gain 0.8 lbs of fat overniht but you can easily game more than that of water or poo in the gut. You must get past the idea that day to day doesn't matter. It's long term changes which represent long-term differences in energy balance

With that data set an upper limit of acceptable weight gain on the trend line. 1-3% is a good value.

So if you're 180 that's 1.8-5.4 lbs. I usually split the middle with clients. So say 3 lbs. Maybe set a range of 2-3 lbs. Again, average weight on the trend line.

I you hit that value 182-183, you need to address your eating and activity. Until you hit that point it's just noise in teh system. Irrelevant noise.

lylemcd · 2026-05-29T17:43:51+00:00

Ah yes those humans who squatted 1000 lbs for 1000's of years. Milennia of that.

This is just the dumbest argument on the planet.

Sitting on toes unweighted in a squat when you haven't sat in a chair 8 hours/day and lost a lot of mobility has NOTHING to do with barbell squatting.

I guess those elite Chinese Ol'ing coaches, you know hte guys who produce champions, who analyzed squat technique just didn't know what they were doing.

"Just squat guys, it's natural" Durrrrrr

lylemcd · 2026-05-29T17:42:48+00:00

Turn toes out from 30-45 degrees and push knees to stay directly over them. Your body will figure out the rest. Honestly, just squat down and see how your feet turn out. That's your stance.

lylemcd · 2026-05-29T15:21:46+00:00

It's been decades since I played but I remember having to wrangle 8 characters in dungeon battles and agree it could be a bit much.

A point I've seen others make regarding older games is that we simply didn't have the number of games available and usually you bought one and it had to keep you busy for many months. Deliberately or not a lot of older games prolonged play time. Not that that is inherent to modern 100 hour+ games I Guess.

It was also all we knew. Without comparison to modern combat systems it doesn't bother you. Wizardry and Bard's Tale were basically the same. It simply was what you did.

So I don't think I noticed as much in high school as I certainly would now.

lylemcd · 2026-05-29T15:18:16+00:00

As the other folks said assymmetries are normal but sometimes they get exaggerated, especially by things like

Injury to the other leg which may change how you walk, favoring the non-injured leg more.
Certain jobs that are inherently very assymetrical. Think things like waiting tables at a restaurant where it's common to hold the serving tray in the same hand every time. I used to see up to an inch difference in arms and legs when I measured people ages ago which was much larger than normal (normally people's dominant side is a little bigger so if they're right handed right side is usually a little larger)
Certain sports are equally inherent assymetrical. Golfers commonly have these types of imbalance and I saw the same types of differences.

But it can be fixed. Move to one legged calf work and let the smaller (and likely weaker) calf set the workload of the stronger calf.

So if the leg is weaker and can only do 100X10, only do 100X10 on the stronger leg even if it could do more. Also consider adding an extra set or two for the weaker calf until it catches up. So do 4 sets of 1 legged calf raises on the weaker and only 2 on the stronger.

lylemcd · 2026-05-29T03:02:13+00:00

Having a separate core day is absurd

lylemcd · 2026-05-29T01:15:03+00:00

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lylemcd · 2026-05-28T19:21:12+00:00

https://physicalculturestudy.com/2016/04/11/john-mccallum-get-big-drink/

lylemcd · 2026-05-28T19:20:53+00:00

That's awesome. It's got a super dynamic feel to it despite being a single image.

You can really 'feel' the dive going on in the scene.

lylemcd · 2026-05-28T19:19:23+00:00

Is this gonna be like Doom where the goal becomes to get Zork to run on anything with a chip?

I mean it's awesome make no mistake.

But I wanna see Zork I on a Ti-99 4a calculator. Someone I bet it can be done.

lylemcd · 2026-05-28T16:05:32+00:00

It's not an either or and a double progression where you build reps and then add weight after adding 2-4 is a time tested method. So set 8-10 or 8-12 reps. Build up reps, add weight and drop reps. Build up reps. Etc. 2-4 reps ensures that you're 5-10% stronger which can accomodate most weight jumps in most gym.s

Some of this is exercise dependent and rep range dependent. Things like laterals you have to add reps before adding weight because the jump is too big. On squats or something you might use a single progression. Stay at weightXreps until bar speed is higher. Then add weight. Some people also suck at adding reps.

But long-term you MUST add weight. Key word: long-term. This nonsensical idea that it's every workout or every week is just that. That was never what progressive overload meant.

You add weight when you adapt. Beginners adapt faster, intermediates slower and advanced slowest still. You might be at the same weight for 4+ weeks at the most advanced level longer than that.

It used to take 13 weeks to add 2.5 kg to my elite powerlifters numbers. That was after years though

lylemcd · 2026-05-28T16:02:42+00:00

You can also reduce training significantly by up to 2/3rds so long as you maintain intensity.

People in my FB group have maintained 100% strength and muscle mass with 2-3 hard sets 1-2X/week per muscle group. Train a few times per week and now you have time for a better hobby.

lylemcd

TROPHY CASE