Instinctual Training vs. Set Programmed Training?

[Primal]

Hello CBB! I see a lot of people at the gym with notebooks, pieces of paper and sometimes phones. Usually on their notebook or paper will be what they plan on doing, they have their exercises, rep ranges and sets all laid out already. I do this sometimes too, I have made a plan on my phone based around what you guys said that, on some days I follow. Most of the time however, I like to go by how I'm feeling on that certain day. The reason I'm talking about this is because two days ago, I was in the gym and had thought I was done training. I cleaned off the machine and went to get a drink of water. After the drink, I felt I could push out one more set so I went back and got on it. Out of nowhere some woman comes up to me and says that she was going to start using it... blah blah blah. She basically told me off because I had looked like I was done. I just simply told her that I felt I could do one more set and she asked if my program told me I should do more sets than I should? I told her that I was going by the feeling and she rolled her eyes and went off.

What do you guys do? Do you follow a set program or do you go by the feeling (or do you do both)?

-Primal

[Praetorian]

There is no such thing as instinctual training...thats called training without a plan...when you fail to plan...you know what happens...you plan to fail!

There are times when you feel like pushing a PR or adding an additional set, or maybe doing a drop set...or even maybe changing an exercise....this is NOT instinctual training...this is just a slight variation of your program that is the exception to the rule and not the rule itself. Go back and read the article from Tnation about changing your program every few weeks....this directly correlates into why you need to have a specific program and adhere to it. If you are finishing your training and feel like you can do a lot more then your training is severely lacking in intensity and probably volume as well. Do some reading on how Dorian structured hi s routine and you will find how methodical he was about EVERYTHING not just training....everything is planned. When i train going to the gym I know exactly what exercises, what weight, what reps etc I wil be doing...the same goes for nutrition....if somebody asks me how much protein i ate today I can tell you specifically to the gram. Why...because these things I can control and put them in my favour...some things like genetics we cannot control...so take the things you can control and execute on them.

Follow a plan...or plan to fail...up to you!

P

[Primal]

There is no such thing as instinctual training...thats called training without a plan...when you fail to plan...you know what happens...you plan to fail!

There are times when you feel like pushing a PR or adding an additional set, or maybe doing a drop set...or even maybe changing an exercise....this is NOT instinctual training...this is just a slight variation of your program that is the exception to the rule and not the rule itself. Go back and read the article from Tnation about changing your program every few weeks....this directly correlates into why you need to have a specific program and adhere to it. If you are finishing your training and feel like you can do a lot more then your training is severely lacking in intensity and probably volume as well. Do some reading on how Dorian structured hi s routine and you will find how methodical he was about EVERYTHING not just training....everything is planned. When i train going to the gym I know exactly what exercises, what weight, what reps etc I wil be doing...the same goes for nutrition....if somebody asks me how much protein i ate today I can tell you specifically to the gram. Why...because these things I can control and put them in my favour...some things like genetics we cannot control...so take the things you can control and execute on them.

Follow a plan...or plan to fail...up to you!

P

Wow great way to put it Prae! Got to keep everything I can control, in control! Got it! Thanks a lot for this one! I'll stick to my program always.

-Primal

[TT Eric]

That's funny, me too this week I had something similar, I was sitting on a bench with my DBs and a guy came to be and told me : 'Hey I was planning to use this bench!' hahaha, that would be nice to say that every time I need a machine, bench, set of DBs, lol. I usually offer to share since we have so few equipments for the number of people here.

Eric

[Primal]

That's funny, me too this week I had something similar, I was sitting on a bench with my DBs and a guy came to be and told me : 'Hey I was planning to use this bench!' hahaha, that would be nice to say that every time I need a machine, bench, set of DBs, lol. I usually offer to share since we have so few equipments for the number of people here.

Eric

Yeah thank god we don't have as many people as the states does! I remember when I went down to California, the gyms looked like boxing day up here and apparently it is like that every day!

-Primal