Chinese System to GET STRONG

Chinese System to GET YOU STRONG!

PART 1 of 5

WARNING: This is a 5 part series. You might want to brew some coffee or tea. Or drink a
cold one. 

First things first:

a) I did not come up with this system. I’m not smart enough to do that.

b) I’m NOT an expert at this system. I was merely a guinea pig. Well, one of many, many
successful guinea pigs. I will share with you what I know with my little knowledge and
limited experience, and I will be honest if there is something I don’t know - I won’t Google
or rely on Wikipedia and come back pretending to be an expert. I have nothing to prove in
the e-world. 

c) This system is not meant to be the ‘Silver Bullet’ of all systems. There are many time-
proven systems in this world, and this is just another tool to add in your toolbox if you want
to do something different, or of you have been stuck for a while (like me). This is not meant
to bash other systems; it is meant to help you if you have a sticking point. And most
importantly, it is to introduce a system that other countries use. The internet should be
used to help each other out, and not to belittle one another just because we have differing
beliefs.

d) AND YES! THIS SYSTEM WILL and CAN HELP YOU regardless of your discipline.
Powerlifters, Strongmen, Bodybuilders, CrossFitters, you can use this system.

e) Remember this: FIND THE FEELING.

Background:

For the past month I had been following the Chinese Weightlifting System, under the
guidance of an experienced coach (who is also an e-coach), who himself was mentored and
trained by some of China’s elite coaches.

PART 2 of 5

WHAT IS THE CHINESE WEIGTHLIFTING SYSTEM?

Before I attempt (keyword ATTEMPT, cuz remember: I’m NO expert) to explain, you , the
reader, must have an open-mind and challenge current training dogmas and BELIEVE that:

a) High reps up to 50 can help make you strong. (For example, I set PRs because I included
50 air leg curls in my routine towards the end of most sessions, which allowed me to ‘wake
up’ my hammies, thereby making me faster under the bar on the snatch. There was another
Olyer who set PRs by doing 50 adductor exercise using a bath towel. I know.. I know.. Read
on..) 

b) Pauses will make you strong.

c) Partials will make you strong. (Yes, it’s ok to do 1000-lb one-eighth squats BUT ONLY if
you fully know and understand its purpose.)

d) Isolation exercises, cables and machines can help make you strong. (This is hard to
accept for strength athletes and coaches, including myself in the beginning. And if you’re a
strength athlete, practice diplomacy now because you might have to share the rear delt
machine and “work in” with bodybuilders at your gym. )

e) Vary your grip and feet stances. On the squats, for example, don’t just stick to one
stance. Vary your stances every once in a while – some days super wide, some days super
narrow – to target and strengthen different leg muscles.

f) MOST IMPORTANT THING: Everything really, really STARTS IN THE HEAD. (More on this
in Part 4 of 4)

And again: KEEP AN OPEN MIND, and FIND THE FEELING. 

System Explanation:

The system is based on strengthening weak movements and / or muscles (whether muscle
groups or individual muscles) on that particular day you train. You MUST LEARN TO TRUST
YOUR INSTINCTS, and be honest with yourself. (Hey InducedDrag, remember that thread
you made a month ago about “Instinctive Training” and I said I was gonna do a write up?
Here it is, bro.)

The program has 6 levels. We call them Movements A, B, C, D, E and F.

Definitions.

A: The main movement for that day

B: The secondary strength movement to assist the main weakness in “A”
C: The secondary power or technical movement, to assist weakness in “A”
D: The main ISOLATION assistance to weakness in “A”
E: The main isolation assistance muscular weakness
F: A bodyweight, unilateral, band assisted movement to address any imbalance

First, RPE – Rate of Perceived Exertion

- Rate of perceived exertion is very important. The higher your RPE, the less your volume.
The lower your RPE,
the higher your volume.
- It is actually far better if you can learn to tweak your RPE. In the sense, if I say, 88%, if
you can think 8.8 RPE
instead of actually using 88% 1RM, you can tweak your numbers far more effectively. Some
sets, you’ll feel like
it got lighter. Those sets are the sets where you increase the weight to ensure the RPE
maintains at 8.8 not
dropping down to 8.5 or 8.2RPE
- RPE’s are calculated to 10.0 as max effort (EG: 1RM squat) and 0.0 as minimum effort
(EG:lying down)
- Every rep and set range that’s prescribed has a (+- 1) range. So if I say, 5 reps, it can be
4 or 6 too.

More on the movements.

A: This movement should usually be worked to a 1RM with good form (40-50 minutes) (RPE
8-10)
- First work up to movement 1RM (RPE-10)
- Strength day is usually squats. WL day, snatch, CNJ.

Once 1RM for the day is achieved, back off the weight and

- Squats - 82-88% 1RM, 4-6 sets @ 2-3 reps (RPE-7.5-8.5)

- WL - 85-90% 1RM, 4-6 sets @ 2-3 (if strong) 75-85% 1RM, 5-7 sets @ 3 (If weak) –
(RPE-8-9)
- Usually, partial squats are used with full squats. Partial squats, could be, “A” or “B”

B: Main strength assistance to suckiness in “A” (15 -20 minutes) (RPE-7-9)

- If your first pull on that day sucked, you shall pull. If your jerk on that day sucked, you
could partial front squat.
If your back squat, you kept leaning over, do some extra range pulls.
- For pulls, go to 1RM (Would probably be between 130-150% of snatch and CNJ max)
- Then go down and do 4-6 sets @ 3-4 reps @ 85%-90% on a good day. 6-8 sets @ 3-4 @
70-80% on a bad day.
Always base upon your max of that day
- If doing overhead work, again go to 1RM of that overhead work (snatch balance, push
press, push jerk, etc) and
follow above guideline.
- If you choose to snatch and CNJ on this day, after the squats (actually a great idea), try to
stick for triples.

C: Main power or technical assistance (15 minutes tops) (RPE-5-8)

- To address technical or power deficiency in that day’s technique.
- 4-6 sets @ 2-3 reps for power
- 8-10 sets @ 3-5 reps for technique
- Percentages are difficult to explain on this day. Feeling, however should be comfortable
and in control.
- Example: Panda pulls, high hang snatch pulls, behind neck push press, rack jerk for reps,
The reps tell a better story. Always remember that.
D: Main Isolation (10 minutes) (RPE-3-6)
- At this point, you want to begin thinking “muscular” and “biomechanics”. You want to go
for 6-8 reps here
onwards if the movement has an eccentric portion. 15< reps if no eccentric. If your
hamstrings are weak, use
things like Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, good mornings with bands hanging
Kettlebell, extra range
deadlifts, back extensions, glute ham raises, kettlebell swings (high reps, no eccentric), ball
tossing
- 4 sets should be sufficient

E: Isolation Muscular Assistance (10 minutes) (RPE-1-5)

- You’re attacking another muscle group that is weak. If on that day, you feel your
hamstring truly is weakest,
move to a 1-3 RPE movement. Attack it with 20-30 reps. Up to 50 reps. 3 sets should be
enough.

F: Final assistance (10 minutes) (RPE1-4)

- About now, if you did it right, you should feel like a wet noodle. Some bodyweight,
isometric, band work,
bodybuilding; pre-hab work should be done at this point.
- Sprints, box jumps, broad jumps, some wrestling,

Extra Note
- ABC are all interchangeable
- DEF are also interchangeable
- ABC can also be done in DEF
- But DEF should not be done in ABC

To many strength athletes and coaches, building strength, METAPHORICALLY speaking, is a

one-sided wall. They do nothing but singles, doubles, and triples. If that hairy-ass, mean
wolf comes and huffs and puffs at that SINGLE wall, it will collapse. The Chinese, on the
other hand, believe in building four sided walls. And they worked on their system for so long
that their walls are actually octagon. You must build strength, power, balance and skill. AND
YOU MUST ALSO TRAIN ALL DIMENSIONS OF STRENGTH, AND NOT JUST ABSOLUTE
STRENGTH.

The Chinese believe that you should be good and strong at many, many various
movements, and not just 3 or 4. For example, let’s say you are strong in back
squats, deadlift and bench press. These three (3) are the foundation of your
pyramid. When you get to the top, you will have built a pyramid that has a
relatively weak and unstable base. Now, let’s say you have strong back squat,
deadlift, bench press PLUS strong overhead press, weighted pullups, front squats,
sumo deadlift, handstand pushups, and all kinds of unilateral DB moves, when you
get to the top, your pyramid strength will have been built on strong foundation.
This is the premise of the Chinese Weightlifting System. 

Exercise Selection to Build a Strong Foundation 

“Kung Fu” exercises are exercises that you have mastered and are comfortable doing.
These have huge transfer to your movements and will be preferred. They have huge
transfer to your lifting. You want the list to KEEP GROWING to establish a solid foundation
at the bottom of your pyramid. How?

“Kung Fool” exercises are the ones you suck at. Once you have mastered these
movements and you no longer hate them, they become your KungFu exercises. As a split
jerker, this is the reason why I had been doing squat jerks lately – to carry over to my
competition lift as a split jerker. 

Intensity versus Volume

If you look closely at the volume-intensity relationship and rep scheme, it will APPEAR as
though their system was influenced by many other systems combined. For example, 

a) They max out every day to 1RM. Appears to be BULGARIAN.

b) They train for doubles or triples at certain percentage (RPE). Appears to be
RUSSIAN/SOVIET (Prilepin Table)and other EASTERN BLOC.
c) They work on weak movements by isolating muscles and using high-rep isolation
exercises, much like bodybuilders ’pump’ weak muscles. They use a strength-training
version of the ‘instinctive principle’. They also do partials and pauses. Appears to be
AMERICAN BODYBUILDING.

The above is a pretty good summarized assumption, but borrowing from other systems was
really NOT the intent. In reality, they train based on FEELINGS (read again: INSTINCTS).
They do max out every training day until they achieve 1RM for that day. The 1RM may or
may not be a PR. They do not care about PR’s during training, as much as they care about
1RM with perfection. A PR with lousy technique is never acceptable. Besides, PRs in training
don’t mean jack to the Chinese. Competition is where it counts. Remember: THEY
DOMINATE OLY LIFTING IN THE OLYMPICS EVERY 4 YEARS AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
EVERY YEAR IN THE 85-KG AND BELOW WEIGHTCLASSES. (And the only reason why they
cannot compete at the higher weight class, 94-kg and above, is the fact that the Chinese
are a genetically smaller race compared to the Soviets / Russians, Slavics and Persians.) 

Moving on. As a side note, strength coaches overseas, particularly China, actually learned a
lot from pioneer American bodybuilders as far as USING COMMON SENSE. Guys like Vince
Gironda, Bill Pearl, and of course Arnold No-Last-Name-Necessary, just to name a few great
ones, were bodybuilding pioneers and geniuses. These bodybuilders used common sense to
do what they had to do to achieve what they achieved. They used common sense first to
produce results, then later on others researched the results of these gentlemen’s work. And
this mode of thinking was adopted by the Chinese: More common sense, less science; let’s
first produce results using common sense, and then research the results later. In contrast,
way too much research, and analyses, and more research and internet bickering and trolling
are wasted in North America. The Chinese are the 21st Century “Bro-Builders“ of Olympic
Weightlifting.

And, ironically, some strength coaches in North America like to poke at bodybuilders, but
the truth is that many strength coaches and athletes in Asia use bodybuilding principles –
hypertrophy, pauses, partials, etc. – to GET STRONG. 
If you look at Chinese weightlifters, they look like LIGHTWEIGHT bodybuilders because they
do do bodybuilding training towards the end of their session not only to strengthen weak
movements that day, but to also strengthen the supporting muscles of those weak
movements. The only thing they don’t do is curl in the squat rack, or they will be sent to
labor camps in North Korea.

PART 3 of 5

POWERLIFTERS & STRENGTH ATHLETES: THIS IS FOR YOU

I know what you’re thinking. You’re all, “Yeah, but Joel, you talked about Olympic lifting.
I’m a [pick one: powerlifter, strongman, bodybuilder, crossfitter, etc..] How will this system
help me get strong, brah?” 

Patience, brahs. Good question. Here’s the solution:

Replace snatch, clean & jerk with competitive powerlifting lifts like back squats, bench
press, and deadlift, or whatever strongman lifts you want to improve. Follow the same rules
and movement guidelines so that your template, as a powerlifter for instance, looks like
this:

A: Main movement. On heavy lower body, a pull or a squat variation to a 1RM.

B: A supporting movement to address the main movement’s weakness
C: A supporting movement, to address weaknesses in the hams, glutes, erectors
D: Any other muscle that is significantly weak
E: Any other muscle that is significantly weak
F: Any other muscle that is significantly weak

For example, let’s say you’re a powerlifter or a strength athlete and you are doing a lower
heavy day. Using the above template, let’s say it’s squats day:

A. MAIN MOVEMENT: Back Squats (go for RPE- 10)

Singles
225-lbs
245
265
275
285
305
315 [RPE-10]
320 (PR attempt – failed)

Felt weakness in movement at parallel, driving bar up.

Dropped the weight.

4 sets x 3 reps at 285-lbs [RPR -8]

B. Strength assistance to Movement A. Pause Squats above parallel.
1st Set – 325 lb x 5 reps [RPE – 9] Too high RPE, drop weight
2nd Set – 305 lb x 5 reps [RPE – 7]
3rd Set - 305 lb x 5 reps [RPE – 6] Too low, adjust next set
4th Set - 315 lb x 5 reps [RPE – 8]

C. DB Step ups on plyo, unilateral to independently train each leg. [RPE 1 – 5]

4 sets x 8 with DB overhead. 

D. E.F. Running our of time. Combined the three movements and did 3 giant sets of:
Lightweight RDL – x 20 reps [RPE 5]
Hamstings – Ball Leg curls x 40 [RPE 3]
Abs x 30 [RPE 1]

Remember: FIND THE FEELING, and adjust the weights so that you are within the
prescribed RPE.

And most importantly, TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS, BUT HIT THE GYM WITH A DEFINED GOAL
AND INTENT. If you are supposed to train legs, don’t go in the gym and test your
benchpress to impress the hot blonde on the treadmill. If you are supposed to work on
deadlift technique, do not attempt a squat PR. 
That’s the other thing. Using your feelings and instincts is NOT the same as going to the
gym without a plan and just doing whatever you feel like doing. NO. NO. NO. YOU STILL
HAVE TO HAVE A SKELETON GUIDELINE TO WORK WITH. For example,

Day 1- Squats to 1 RM, then go to movements B thru F. 

Day 2 – Benchpress to 1RM,and so on.. 
Day 3 – Sumo Deadlift Technique, and so on..,

BTW, my personal skeleton plan was:

Day 1 - Snatch
Day 2 – Clean & Jerk
Day 3 - Squats
Day 4 –Snatch and Clean & Jerk

PART 4 of 5

TRAINING PSYCHOLOGY

THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST PART of this lengthy write-up, because everything
really starts in our head.

Not only must you learn to trust your instincts, and be in tune with your body and study the
rhythm of your body, you must also train mentally. 

A lot of things that we do physically are affected by how we think mentally. This happens
more than we’d like to admit. On days you feel like a champ, remember that feeling and
understand it. Store this positive emotion. On bad days, jot down what you believe caused
it. AVOID THE MEDIA OR THE NEWS. They are filled with negativity. Be in tune with
happiness and not sadness or anger.

This is what I was taught, and this is what I learned the past month: “FIND THE FEELING.”

This is the reason why I stopped watching the news (Yup! Including Foxnews) and
participating in religion and politics discussion in the O-35 Misc Section. People are gonna
believe what they’re gonna believe. No sense in discussing senseless topics that add zero
value to our training and the way we pursue happiness. Let’s be honest, there is negative
energy that flows within us when we get our panties in a wad, tighter than a size-1 G-String
bikini on a 350-lb Jenny Craig dropout, every time we participate in R/P discussion. Positive
mental energy is a must, and 1000X more effective than Celtech, if you want to GET
STRONG

PART 5 of 5 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question 1. 

I have no idea what you talked about in Part 2 of 5. 

Answer. 

No problem. Here is a real life sample. 

Meet the Wolfgang Sisters. It was Clean max day yesterday. We trained to 1RM. Emily (the
older sis) happened to set a PR of 105-lbs as well. They both reached RPE of 10. BTW, these
girls are not newbies. So their PRs are not newbie gains. 

Then we dropped the intensity to roughly 80% of 1RM, then they did 3 -4 sets of doubles
and triples. The reason for this volume is because VOLUME MAKES YOU STRONG. Singles
and 1RM will tweak the CNS, volume is key to getting strong. 

When they were going for 1RM, I also identified the recover portion of the lift as the
‘weakest.’ So after doing cleans, I had them to 5 sets of 5 reps of front squats with pause at
parallel. Remember that pauses will make you strong. The fronts squats had an RPE if 6-7.

After front squats, I also had them do additional leg training at lower RPE but higher
volume. They did step ups up to 20 reps. 
I identified my weakness as lack of timing in the 3rd pull and also lack of aggressive lockout
in the receive position. So, I did the following to address my weaknesses: 

SN Triples with Pause at Knee [RPE 8-9]

60-kg
60
65
65

B. Panda Pulls Triples [RPE 8]

Picked this to work on pull.
4 sets @ 50-kg

C. Hip Snatch [RPE 5-6]

Picked this to work on speed under bar.
5 Sets x 5 reps @ 50-kg

Note the high reps in the following:

D. Snatch Grip RDL [RPE 5]

Picked this to work on hammies.
3 sets x 10 reps @ 60kg

E. One Arm Reverse Tri Pulldown [RPE3]

Picked this to work on lockout.
3 sets x 30 reps @ 2.5 kg

F. CLose Grip Pull Down [RPE 3]

I felt the need for balance, so I picked this.
3 sets x 20 reps @ 34 kg

QUESTION 2. Is this program scalable?

ANSWER. Yes it is. It could work 1, 2, 3, 4, 5x a week.

There is NO periodization. Every training session is basically going for 1RM at RPE10, then
reducing the intensity to increase the volume, but also decreasing the RPE all the way to
RPE 1. 

As far as deloads, the goal is to increase the total tonnage per week, until you 'feel' that you
need a break. At which time, you reduce your weekly tonnage by 50%. 

Real life example, 

Week 1 I lifted a total of 22,300 KG.

Week 2 I lifted a total of 27,00 KG. 

I just finished Day 2 of Week 3 this AM. So far I have lifted a total of 14,200 KG. My plan
for the rest of the week is to lift more than last week, as long as my body will tolerate it.

In all honesty, and I cannot speak for the rest of the O35 crew, but since starting this
program I thought I was training HARD. I was wrong. I was actually UNDERTRAINING.
Week 1 was difficult, especially with all the high volume. And by Week 2 I was sore as hell.
But this week, I FEEL GREAT. No muscle soreness.. I have also made "PRs in random
places" which I posted in cmoore's thread, and also my training log.

In some ways it has a lot of similarities and also differences to 531. 

531 is percent based, and it gives you flexibility to pick your accessory lifts. 

With this program, it is not quite percent-base. If you feel great, then go for broke. If you
feel lousy, then do the best you can. This AM's training was a great example. I only did
100KG clean and jerk, mainly because I was tired from the time change. Biologically, it was
only 2AM for me. And the 100KG CJ is typically a working weight for me, but this AM it had
an RPE of 10.

One thing about the relationships of Chinese coaches and their lifters is that the lifters have
a 'voice' in what they should do. You would think it's weird, especially China is a communist
country. But communism has NOTHING to do with their training, you see. For example, the
lifter might say to their coach, "Hey coach, I think I should do this today because I feel that
this is weak, or this is slow..." You get the idea. The coaches encourage the lifters to voice
their feeling because if you think about it, we as individuals and we alone are the only ones
who truly feel what we feel. 

That's one of the reason why my coach said "FIND THE FEELING." It's not just the feeling
physically, it is also the feeling mentally. 

The toughest part physically are movements A, B and C. By the time I get to D, E, and F,
the RPE is around 1 to 3, so they are pretty easy. But the challenging part is the reps up to
50. The thing also with high reps is they do not have to be strict. The are somewhat sloppy,
actually. Just enough to wake up the muscles.

My weekly framework in this system is as follows:

Day 1 – Snatch (and its variations)

Day 2 – Clean & Jerk (and its variations)
Day 3 – Strength
Day 4 – Snatch and Clean & Jerk (and their variations)

Today is Day 3 Strength. I wanted to document this morning’s training so that our
Powerlifting and Strength friends can better relate as to how the system works.

Just a recap:

Kung Fu exercises are lifts you are good at. In my case, Back Squats and Front Squats are
my Kung Fu strength lifts.

Kung Fool exercises are lifts you suck at, but want to make them your Kung Fu so that the
foundation of your pyramid will be wider and bigger. Sumo Deadlifts and Overhead Squats
are examples of my Kung Fool lifts. 

Rate of Perceived Exertion, aka RPE, more important than using percentages.

The plan is to vary the lifts every week, then go back to those same lifts in 3 to 4 weeks
with the goal of setting PRs. These non-competition lift PRs are commonly referred to as
“PRs in Random Places.” These will carryover to the competition lifts.

Reminder: “FIND THE FEELING”

The main strength lift I picked for today is a Clean Grip Overhead Squat, a Kung Fool lift.
Nothing was planned ahead. I did not know what I was going to do until I reached my 1RM
for the day. The only known information on my training plan was that today was Strength
Day, and I was gonna do OH squat. 

A. Clean Grip Overhead Squat

Singles
60-KG
70
75
80
83 (182-LBS - Baseline PR) [RPE 10]

WEAKNESSES IDENTIFIED AS FOLLOWS:

a) Upper Back (rhomboids and traps, mainly)

b) Core
c) Triceps

Triples
65 [RPE 9]
65 [RPE 9] My position overhead was wobbly due to lack of rhomboid and trap engagement.
65 [RPE 8] RPE dropped here since I was more aggressive with my upper back support
65 [RPE 8]

If you recall in initial explanation, after I reached today’s 1RM of 182-lbs, I dropped the
weight to approximately 80% and did several sets of triples. The reason for this is I have to
work the volume. Remember: Singles will fine tune the CNS, but it is the volume that will
make you strong. 

B. Block Snatch Triples (Guideline recommends RPE 7 – 9)

40kg [RPE 4] So I bumped the weight

50
60 [RPE 8]
65 [RPE 10] Only did 1 rep, so backed off weight
60 [RPE 9]

The only reason I did a variation of the snatch is because I still have to do them, for they
are my competition lifts. Movement B is the perfect place to do the Oly lifts on Strength
Days.

But if you are a powerlifter or a strength athlete, remember to do a main strength

assistance to suckiness in Movement A, here at Movement B. For example, let’s say you did
back squats in A. You felt that the weakness was the recovery portion, and you were getting
stuck at parallel. You can do partials or even pauses here at B. Let’s say your 1RM in A was
315-lbs. You can do partial quarter squats at 350-lbs or maybe a 300-lb pause at parallel
squats here at B. 

C. Sotts Press (Guideline recommends RPE 5 – 8)

43 kg x 3 [RPE 7]
43 x5
43 x5
43 x5

Remember I had mentioned in Movement A that I felt upper back was weak? My legs were
plenty strong in A, but the upper back was the limiting factor. So I did Sotts Press here.

As a side note, when it comes to Oly and when it comes to overhead strength in general,
BACK STRENGTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SHOULDER STRENGTH.

When it comes to isolation movements, as far as this system goes, it is perfectly acceptable
to have some sort of sloppiness in your movement. In other words, isolation exercises do
not have to be textbook perfect. The purpose of D, E, and F are to ‘WAKE UP’ the isolated
muscles, and not to elicit muscular growth. Although doing high reps of isolation exercises
will cause some sort of muscle growth.

D. One Arm DB Rows (Guideline recommends RPE 3 – 6)

23 kg x 8 [RPE 3]
27 x 8 [RPE 6]
27 x 8
27 x 8
I picked this exercise for several reasons: a) To further target my upper back; b) I felt a
need to pull since I have done a lot of pushing. Sometimes it’s good to listen to our bodies
and do things that will allow us to return to proper structural balance.

E. Incline Situps with Medicine Ball (Guideline recommends RPE 1 – 5)

3.5 KG x 20 [RPE 2] 

7 x 20 [RPE 4]
7 x 20 [RPE 4]
I picked this exercise because my core was one of the weak movements identified in A.

F. Reverse Grip Tri Pushdown (Guideline recommends RPE 1 -4)

4.5 KG X 40 [RPE 1]
9 X 40 [RPE 3]
9 X 40 

I picked this exercise because my triceps were also identified as weak.

I finished the whole workout in 1.5 hours and I lifted a total weight of roughly 7000-KG..

The fifty rep stuff is usually done in Movement F. And it does not have to be 50. It could be
anywhere from 30 to 50. The key is RPE. If you do an isolation exercise and it's still light by
the time you reach 30, then by all means go all the way to 40 or 50 to wake up the muscle.