Joe Rogan Experience #1399 - Pavel Tsatsouline

Stay at the same load for several weeks until it goes from hard to easy, then make a bigger jump; this stabilizes adaptations in tissues like tendons and ligaments and leads to more durable strength gains than adding 5 lbs every week.

Wave/cycling methods ramp intensity over weeks and only allow about two truly heavy weeks out of four; top powerlifters may only truly max twice a year, saving their “Eye of the Tiger” for competition instead of every workout.

Soviet data showed that with 70–90% loads, doing roughly one-third to two-thirds of your possible reps (e.g., 3–6 with a 10RM) produces strength gains without excessive fatigue, technical breakdown, or injury risk.

Swings safely train fast-twitch fibers, hips, back, and conditioning in one movement, are forgiving for older or “banged up” bodies, and often improve unrelated lifts—the “what-the-hell effect”—without destroying the joints.

For slow fibers, work just below anaerobic threshold (you barely pass the talk test); for fast fibers, use repeat efforts (short sprints, swings, etc.) stopped just before burning, repeated for up to ~40 minutes to increase oxidative capacity without huge acid buildup.