Mapped out routines slow your progress?

I was watching a video of Elliott Hulse on youtube last night and in his video he was saying he believes a set routine with percentages can actually slow your progress, he believes that you should go all out and not stick to the percentage set as that could be below what you actually could do on that given day which slows your progress. So if on that day your feeling good go for more if your feeling tired cut back a little etc.

whats your opinions on this?

do you think its best to have a routine set with percentages? or have the principles of lets say a 5/3/1 routine but go on how you feel?

No reason why you can't have your pre-planned work at a fixed percentage and then, if you're feeling good, either work-up from your training max and do some additional singles, or do some drop-sets and hit some rep maxes, or do a combination of the two.

I sometimes go for a daily max single or if im not feeling as good Ill try and hit a rep max

I think having a plan is important, its needed to provide structure and guidance. Training is pretty simple when you think about it, all you have to do is to systematically improve over time and you will get stronger, more conditioned, etc.

Having a plan in place allows you to observe how things work for you over time, so you can make judgements about how you improve as an individual. But past a certain point, I do think that having a rigid template may constrain your progress,or, be unmanageable depending on any number of things that goes on in your life.

So, the trick is to have a sufficient structure in place to allow things to be quantifiable for you, but also be flexible enough to accommodate for those awesome and s**t training days that you get.

I quite like having training minimums that I need to hit. Could be a percentage or a particular weight or whatever, but a number that you can hit in order for your session to be successful. Having a number like this means you have a minimum in case you are s**t that day, or, have a platform to build on and add to.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

A look through my journal and its depressing lack of progress will highlight the folly (for me anyway) of not following a plan.

If I stick with a baby-steps routine like 5/3/1 I will make better progress because I think having a set goal each day works for me.

Hes is both right and wrong.

If he honesty said you should go 'all out' every session then hes a retard.

However having a plan whilst making adjustments for you daily condition is a good thing.

this is the same for me

more true for hypertrophy/bodybuilding i think.

Didn't seem to hold back many of the best pwoerlifts of all time, Eddy Coan, Kirk Kowarski etc.

I guess that s**t doesnt get you hits on the youtubes though.

I do a max day for lower and upper once per week. The other day is speed work for squats and deads with bands. The other day is used as conditioning/BB and then an events session at weekend.

That's 3 days a week going by "feel", one day strict with % so I can judge volume process over time and then a day of dossing around (sort of).

thinking about this again i think the reason i chose the you the 5/3/1 was it was setad and continued progress, and i felt that this method would be best to progress back towards where is was prior to my glass back issues. But now looking at how far i have progressed over the last year going from a 200kg deadlift to a 250 again then has it worked and i would say yes its has.

So given that i have progressed this way usingthe 5/3/1 there is no reason why i could use the method that Vinny has stated to progress as an alternative to the 5/3/1 plan and a way to mix things up to try and progress further.

If 5/3/1 is still working, why change?

I can recommend Beyond 5/3/1. It addresses the issue of adjusting intensity to how you feel on a given day without compromising the core progression.

why not change even just as a break from the 5/3/1. sometimes continued use of a plan can me monotinus and change even for a short time can be good.

"Everything works, not everything works forever, some things work better than others" Mark Rippetoe

I pretty much take this line with everything I do. I think of economy in the gym these days as I have a demanding job and a young family. My programme just gives me that flexibility to take a day off and not worry about not hitting my 3x5+ that week like I did when I ran 5/3/1.

Equally if I feel appalling I don't need to hit a 1RM... I can go for a 3/5RM and that's still progress in my book.

I basically follow a Westside style routine. Best gains I have ever had.

Slow your progress compared to what, some mythical skyrocket progress from "training harder" than the program entails? Some people are greedy and look for a magical exercise/routine/philosophy to somehow trump the next guy's steady work ethic.