Look, it’s something that is figure-outable, it just takes a while. Plus the more different aspects you want to work on, the more difficult it gets to get everything to fall into line together.
That’s where Louie did a great job, he essentially came up with a system that lets you develop almost everything at the same time.
I think it’s going to come down to figuring out exactly what you want to work on and then fitting that into two sessions a week. I know when I was trying to fit more than two aspects into training it just got painful.
I’d go @simo74 route: find a program that’s suited to your needs and follow that.
Thanks for the input guys. Essentially my goals are too unfocused?
My vague outline of a plan was to spend next year focussing on one thing at a time, and leaving the other 2 on maintenance, is that something that makes sense and is achievable? I’m definitely not smart enough to make wave periodisation or conjugate fit into 2 day a week programming.
When you say one at a time, do you mean focus on bench for a while and then squat for a while and then deadlift ??
I think you can still focus on all three at the same time using block periodisation, 2 days a week. At least that’s what I did until May this year when I found an extra day and went to 3 days a week.
If you are really bored and look back over my log you will see the old 2 day a week stuff. My training cycled between hypertrophy, volume and intensity blocks. Basically the rep ranges were different depending on the block but the progression across the block was similar. The basic idea was to start light and add volume (sets or reps or both) and also add weight across a 4 or 6 week block. The end game being you finish the block with a weight that is a little heavier than the last block, or the weight is the same but the reps / sets are greater. Then you reset and start again. It’s slow but it’s reliable and kept me injury free.
No, all 4 main lifts would be approached with (roughly) the same approach in each block. By different things I mean:
6 months of getting bigger, 3 months of moving heavier weight, 3 months of conditioning. Not in that order. While I’m focussing on one thing, the other 2 go to basic maintenance level. Calories to support training.
How would you define the difference between these two? I think of the two almost interchangeably.
In my training blocks the hypertrophy had slightly higher rep ranges and more volume but the weight was slightly lower. When I do volume blocks the rep ranges are a little lower and alternate each 2 week. So for example when doing hypertrophy,
Squats looked like : week 1 - 87.5kg - 3 x 10, week 2 - 90kg - 4 x 10, week 3 - 92.5kg 5 x 10, week 4 - 95kg - 6 x 10.
For volume squats were:
Week 1 - 100kg - 4 x 5, week 3 - 102.5kg 5 x 5, week 5 107.5kg 6 x 5, week 7 110kg 5 x 4, week 9 112.5kg - 5 x 3
Week 2 - 90kg 3 x 8, week 4 - 92.5kg - 4 x 8, week 6 - 95kg 4 x 8, week 8 - 97.5kg, week 10 - 100kg - 4 x 7
So the odd weeks are lower reps and the evens a little higher but not as high as when doing hypertrophy.
What you are saying regarding focusing on strength, hypertrophy at different times can definitely be achieved with block periodisation.
Or you could go down the same route As @MarkKO and train them all together !!
Ok, now we’re cooking with charcoal. This is pretty prime conjugate territory (which should actually be called concurrent, but whatever).
Getting bigger - repetition method
Getting stronger - maximal effort and dynamic effort methods
Conditioning - extra workouts
So you have two days a week, and you need to basically have a DE and and ME day each week. The repetition work and conditioning can fit on those days too.
So you do this
Week One
Day 1, ME lower
Work up to one top single that has you strain like hell. Change exercises every one to three weeks. Probably not a bad idea to wave it as squat variation for three weeks, deadlift variation for three weeks. You could pick progressively harder kinds of each lift as the wave progresses (for example, squat off high box, squat off parallel box, squat off low box)
A supplemental lift to make your lower body lifts stronger for a reasonably heavy 3x5 or so, usually a squat or deadlift variation that you find hard
Bodybuilding work. Pick a single leg exercise, a lower back exercise, a row and an ab exercise. Change them out every couple of weeks, same with the set and rep scheme
Conditioning. Push a sled, pull some shit, push a wheelbarrow, do some sprints, something on the airdyne.
Day 2, DE upper
Whatever pressing movement you pick. Again, probably wave it over three weeks in load and then switch movement. Wave would be week one, 55 per cent; two 60 per cent; three 65 per cent. Work in sets of one to five reps to a total of 15 to 25 reps
Supplemental work, pick a reasonable but not heavy load and do a press variation for three to five sets of five to eight
Bodybuilding assistance. Pick a tricep exercise, a delt exercise and a couple of rows. Change them out every couple of weeks and vary the set and reps.
Conditioning. Same as day one.
Week two
Same as week one, except its ME upper and then DE lower.
Week three
DE and ME switch again, back to ME lower and DE upper
Every fourth week work up to a relatively heavy triple of your squat on one day and your bench the other. No supplemental, and go easy on the assistance. Conditioning remains. What you should be looking for is your squat and bench to improve. If they don’t, switch your supplemental and assistance work next three weeks to reflect what needs fixing. The main lifts are more about straining and being fast, so just be sure to keep them changing regularly but don’t worry too much about whether they build your squat and bench because that’s not their job; that’s up to the supplemental and assistance.
Next cycle start with ME upper and DE lower so over seven weeks you get three ME upper, three ME lower and three DE upper and three DE lower.
This why you get tagged in on any questions like this, the passion for your sport just spills out of the pages. Thank you very much for your detailed response, it’s very much appreciated.
I’ll mull both options over in the next 2 months to see which is more viable. See if I can conjure up enough variations with the equipment available in my commercial gym for one thing.
@simo74, that makes a lot of sense. Your volume phase looks a mix of hypertrophy and strength for me. Seems like a smart way to transition.
Low bar - wide, medium, close
High bar - wide, medium, close
There’s six variations
Then add in heels elevated or flat, and you get 12 if my maths isn’t wrong.
Then there is off pins. I think that takes it to 18 or 24, not sure which. Then you can start looking at position of the pins.
Bench is similar, except you change grip width. A foam roller cut in half will hold onto the bar with minimal work, you’ve got what’s effectively one one-board. You’ve got pins for too.
Grip width and pins also work for press, and you can add all those to a Z press.
For deadlifts, sumo and conventional; in the rack off pins; from a deficit (use smaller plates for sumo); then snatch grip.
No, doesn’t include bands. Bands and chains add another level of complexity, and I’m very unfamiliar with how to use them.
It kind of puts DE upper and ME lower back to back, but because it’s twice a week training there still is a fair gap in between. If you integrate into what you’re doing currently I figure it should be fine too, though. So doing it across two days in a row would probably work. The only double up would be rows, and that’s always fine.
Work for today:
Powerclean and press: 3-3-3-3-4 @60kg
Deadlift: 5 x 1 @ 127.5kg
Seated press: 52.5kg x 10 then 2 x drop sets
Seated BtN press: 2 x 10 @ 20kg
Wendler rows: 3 x 20
Chest flies: 7 x 12
Walking lunges: 5 x 10
Notes:
new PR on press, equalled last week’s PR set with an extra 2.5kg on the bar.
Everything felt pretty solid and uneventful
starting to realise what a confused mess this program is. I’m trying to hit everything multiple times, from every part of the strength curve and all in 2 sessions a week, no wonder it’s confused. Eyeing up ideas for January and realising how freeing it is to be able to just focus on one thing with minimal thought on balance. I foresee some hideous amounts of volume and some pretty serious grocery bills.
Bench: worked up to 85kg x 5
Then: 5 x 10 @ 60kg SS db rows
Kroc rows: 1 x 20
Partial lateral raises: 3 x 20
Y-raises 3 x 12
Cable raises 3 x 12
Squat: 8 x 3 @ 100kg
Notes:
Not been able to breathe well all week (hence no conditioning sessions, although work also interfered with that) so wasn’t expecting great things today.
Bench was a 2 rep PR, albeit one that’s nearly 4 months old.
Went back to old fashioned BBB supplemental for bench. Still within the parameters of my original post so I’m not cheating @Frank_C. I really like this set up (even if I got the weights wrong for the rows), get some volume in on the rows while I pump up my chest, then finish with one final set of Kroc Rows to the death. I reckon that’s a full upper body session done in ~20mins just by cutting the crap out.
Havig said “cut the crap out”, really starting to feel the shoulder work in the right places. Actually quite looking forward to keeping these up until January.
Squats felt ok. Not as smooth as I’d like. Will definitely not miss these 8 x 3’s. Although I actually have something far more unpleasant planned.