Yeah as I said above... it takes a lot of eating and intensity in training to make big progress, and it has to be consistent. The next big thing is sleep. Better and more sleep is key
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Many thanks!
My current program has me start out at 68% and at the end of the training cycle at 80% or so. It's sets of 3 until the last 3 weeks it drops down to doubles. For me personally, my posterior chain gives out with heavier reps so I figure I'd stick with this programming. I also switched to Romanian DL's as they really hammer my glutes/hams better than stiff legs.
Should I possibly add some lighter drop sets for higher reps?
I agree 100%! Drinking enough water, eating all throughout the day and getting in 7-8 hours a night is the toughest part. Training is easy!
Hey Dan,
Thanks for the reply. Yeah sorry the program is structured primarily for gaining strength as that is my end goal, the accessory exercises are there more for personal preference as I like to do the odd bodybuilding stuff. I will admit though that there is a fair amount of volume involved (more than I thought). Do you suggest reducing the volume in the case of the bodybuilding stuff and adding in a deload week to balance out the periods of the high training frequency etc.?
And I agree with the eating enough point.
Thanks,
Will
For the stiff leg deads, I started doing them as sets of 10 from a 4" deficit. I believe initially these were at 40-50% which I HIGHLY recommend. The program was from ELITEFTS, an old program I think titled Finnish Deadlifting.... or something like that. These have been a staple of mine ever since.
I'm personally not a big fan of deload weeks, it kinda says you're training too sloppy. Too many reps with compromised form really, or your recovery isn't being prioritized--read: eating, sleeping. I wouldn't reduce the bodybuilding stuff. Being able to pump up is important I think. It should help more than hurt. Especially if the BB exercises are ones you like since that probably implies that those are ones where you've figured out how to make those exercises work well for you and that's such a big key. If you can figure out which of the main strength exercises you can make work for you, then focus on mastering those exercises and they will work for you for a long time. Don't worry about doing all the variations, just the 4-5 or so that you have a good feel for and a good sense that they're helping you get strong. An exercise on paper can be done many different ways by different people. For example, when I do paused deadlifts, I understand the context for them so I utilize them for massive gains in muscle mass. I use them for hypertrophy, not power, so I know the key is time under tension. And I understand the additional bodybuilding tenet that a stretched muscle will grow the most, so when I pause, I allow my back to gradually stretch and I never rush the 3 second count--time under tension in the stretch position--builds a ton of mass! But if you think they're for something else, you might just focus on being powerful, or being too tight in the pause, or rushing and not appreciating the time under tension factor. Like I said, you need to master the exercises and make them make you strong. And trust me there are plenty of exercises that I can't get a good feel for so I just move on...
LOL! Sounds absolutely awful but doable. I've got 3" of mats setup with with screws in them to hold em all together, I'll use that for sure!
I hit the heavier RDL's on Mondays and hit higher rep/lighter weight RDL's on Saturdays after Squats. What percentage range/rep range would you recommend for an 8 week period? My training cycles are 9 weeks and the 9th week is for setting PR's or I just start a new training cycle and slightly increase my training maxes; just to give you an idea how I structure things.
I don't do them based on percent just always 3-5 sets up to a top set (depending on the number of warmups) and I don't do a light/heavy just stick to a certain rep range. I'd recommend first month sets of 8 then second month sets of 6. Twice a week is great, you'll see really good progress
Hi!
I wonder what you trained before you start "powerlifting" or training to become strong in the 3 big ones?
Because I think I need more mass and like Efferding and Coan I read that you had a "bodybuilding"-style of training before.
The other quesiton is. When you do a Hypertrophy or Strength Phase. Do you "hunt" Rep PRs like repping to out. Or how do you progress from week to week?
Thanks man! I am a huge fan of yours. Hope you do well in the cage.
What would you recommend to relieve SI joint pain beside stretching psoas and glutes ? Cant squat or deadlift right now..... Thanks a lot Boss that would help immensely
Thanks again for the awesome opportunity yesterday man. You and your wife were both great to meet.
Must have been an awesome experience man, I'm jealous! Wish I woulda done a 1 on 1 AND the seminar bc was so great.
The NC seminar last weekend was great Boss, I had a great time thanks to you and Sparkle for the experience! I unfortunately couldn't do any lifting as I have a pretty seriously strained psoas (takes a long time to warm up nowadays) that affects pretty much every lift in one way or another, but the knowledge I gained was incredible. I started implementing your programming, and paid super close attention to the corrections you made on other peoples lifting to apply to myself and it's been great so far.
Your knowledge on programming and your corrections of people's technique were pretty mind-blowing, obviously we know that you know your stuff but to see it in action is inspiring... Do you have any books/articles you would reccomend reading on programming and technique?
It was awesome for sure. Every lift now I'm trying to think about the advice I was given and it's working well. I really wanted to come to the seminar as well (and even got crap from Sparkle for not, lol) but it just would have been a nightmare with the 2 boys and 3 hour drive each way.
Yeah I don't remember where in the thread it is, but I laid it out before... basically
Bench 3x8
Incline DB Bench 4x(10-12)
Incline DB Flyes 3x8
Dips BW 3xAMRAP
Squats 3x(8-12)
Lunges/leg press/step-ups 3x10 (choose 1)
Leg Ext/Leg Curl (superset) 3x25 each
Skull Crushers 7x10-15 + drop sets
Tri Cable Pressdowns 4x10 up to heaviest then strip set
Dips BW 3xAMRAP
Deadlifts 3x(8-10)
Bent Rows 4x(12-15)
Pullups 50
Preacher or Standing Curls 4x(8-12)
DB or cable conc. curls 3x8
Power Cleans 5x5 plus heavier sets if I felt like it
Seated DB Presses (3-4)x(8-12)
Front/Side/Bent Lateral Raises (4-6)x(10-12)
Machine or DB Shrugs 3x20
As far as the other Question I do like to rep to max reps kinda like Dorian...It's pretty powerful stuff I just do NOT encourage going to failure either in missing reps or in form breakdowns as this isn't productive for strength. I'm usually able to maintain my form to the end so I can grind pretty hard, but I do have to check myself... It hurt me on bench (not as in injuries but in stalled progress)
As far as how to progress there's a million ways... add weight, add reps, add sets, decrease time (density)... okay there are at least 4 ways
That can definitely suck. See a chiro if you can. Rest. Avoid deep squats or whatever aggravates it and use alternatives that don't like maybe a hack squat with a narrow stance... You'll have to figure out what allows you to train around it. Maybe sumo instead of conv or vice versa
For a book I'd recommend Josh Bryant's Built to the Hilt.
For technique I like that seminar format so the differences for different people help to illustrate good forms that are different, but fundamental mistakes can be addressed and separated from correct idiosyncracies