10x3 Program ?'s - Thanks!

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I’m going to be switching from training at home and joining a gym this week. I’m designing my own program and I have a few questions…

by the way I’m currently 163 around 8.5 to 9% bf (estimated) and want to put on 10 lbs of muscle. I eat right around maintenance level now but I will begin significantly upping my calories and training intensity to accomplish this.

  1. If I am training alone, will I be able to go heavy enough to make 10x3 effective?

  2. If I am using heavy weights and 10x3 should I wait 2 minutes in between sets? and if so, with 3 exercises that’s a whole hour of resting! Is that normal?

3a. On an exercise like dips and chins - would it be better to do weighted versions and try to stick with the 10x3 or just do a few sets to near failure

3b. what’s the easiest way to perform weighted dips/chins - hold a DB between my feet?

Here’s a description of what I was thinking so far

  1. I was thinking of alternating 10x3 and 5x5 with week 1 having 10x3 lower and week 2 with 10x3 upper - is this good or should I stick with one set/rep scheme for a month and then switch

Monday - quad dominant leg day (all the frat boys will be benching on monday)

back squats,standing calf raise,leg press + ab exercise of choice

Tues- off

Wed- horizontal uppper body day

flat bench, bent over bb row, standing bb curl + ab exercise of choice

Thurs- ham/glute dominant leg day

romanian DL,seated calf raise, good mornings+ ab exercise of choice

Fri- OFF

Sat- vertical upper day

chins, dips, seated military press + ab exercise of choice

Sun- OFF

any comments or suggestions are welcome!

Thanks

2

[quote]davidtower wrote:
…

  1. If I am training alone, will I be able to go heavy enough to make 10x3 effective?
    [/quote]

Why not? You can always ask a spot if you’re unsure about the following set. However, with 10x3 you should be near failure only in last 1-2 sets. If your gym has a rack, that is even better.

Is is customary to alternate between antagonist exercises, resting just 1 minute between sets, like this: Bench Press, 1 min, Row, 1 min, Bench Press, 1 min, Row, 1 min etc. That saves time, but also increases the density of work tremendously, so start lighter.

With big leg exercises like Squats and DL, which are very demanding by themselves, alternate with some smaller exercise and for more reps, eg. Squat 1x3, 1 min, Calf Raise 1x10, 1 min, Squat 1x3, 1 min…

If you’re new to this kind of training, stick just to 1-2 compound exercises done with 10x3. In the workout you proposed, for instance, after alternating Bench and Rows for 10x3, just do a few straight sets of curls and abs, like 3x8-10.

I personally don’t like going low reps on Dips, but have no problem with Weighted Chins. For starters, you can do a few simple sets of 3-4x8-10 reps, and after a few months, switch them to 10x3 as well.

Using a weight belt is the most comortable, since with DBs you have to find someone to place the DB between your legs, while you’re in position.

Your exercise selection seems fine to me. Since you’re new to 10x3, doing it for all workouts in a week might be too much. I would also opt for 4x6 instead of 5x5, since the former is sublty lighter, at least in my expirience.

Anyway, you can experiment in a number of ways, with your exercise selection being fixed, and using just two main set/rep schemes:

Option 1
Week 1 - 10x3
Week 2 - 4x6, about 10-15kg less
Week 3 - 10x3, try more than week 1
Week 4 - 4x6, try more than week 2
etc.

Option 2
Week 1 - 10x3 for lower body, 4x6 for upper body
Week 2 - 4x6 for lower body, 10x3 for upper body
Week 3 - same as week 1
etc.

Option 3
Week 1 - 4x6
Week 2 - 5x5, add some weight
Week 3 - 10x3, add some weight
Week 4 - 4x6, more then week 1
Week 5 - 5x5, more then week 2
Week 6 - 10x3, more then week 3
etc.

Good luck.

3

No, the usual recommended rest time for a 10rm set is about 1 minute. As other posters have recommended, you can also save time by doing alternating exercises in a super-set, i.e. Bench, Row, 1 minute rest, repeat. Your chest will be forced to relax when you row, and you’ll be able to put more power into the next set.

[quote]davidtower wrote:
4. I was thinking of alternating 10x3 and 5x5 with week 1 having 10x3 lower and week 2 with 10x3 upper - is this good or should I stick with one set/rep scheme for a month and then switch
[/quote]

Yes, mixing-up the rep schemes is a fine idea. If you’re going for hypertrophy, (i.e. growth), you might even want to mix-in 15x3 weeks. I.e.
week 1: 10x3
week 2: 15x3
week 3: 5x5

This type of weekly periodization will make it harder for your body to adapt, and will “force” it to grow bigger muscles.

4

ok, so if that’s how one is supposed to do 10x3, then what’s wrong with my program

Fri
Deadlifts/Dead variation 10x3
4X10 ATG squats
Close Grip Bench 3x10
Rom Deads 5x5
Step Ups-3x10
Hammer Dumbell 4x8
AB/Core/Calf Work

Wed-
10x3 Bench
B-rows-5x5
GM-4x6
Military Press-3x10
Pull ups
Hack Squat-3x10
AB/Core/Calf

Mon-
10x3 Squats
Wide Grip Pause Bench-6x3
Stiff Leg Dead-4x6
Depth Push ups
Lunges-3x10
AB/Core/Calf

5

[quote]WolBarret wrote:
ok, so if that’s how one is supposed to do 10x3, then what’s wrong with my program

[/quote]

There is no one way to do 10x3, or any other rep scheme. The main point of 10x3 is to do a reasonable amount of volume (30 reps total) with a heavy weight (5-6RM). Those parameters simply seem to work well. Some other schemes that seem to work well are 5x5, multiple singles or 20 rep rest-pause squats.

How much volume exactly and how exactly to set up days and exercises is largely up to personal work capacity and preferences.

[quote]

Fri
Deadlifts/Dead variation 10x3
4X10 ATG squats
Close Grip Bench 3x10
Rom Deads 5x5
Step Ups-3x10
Hammer Dumbell 4x8
AB/Core/Calf Work

Wed-
10x3 Bench
B-rows-5x5
GM-4x6
Military Press-3x10
Pull ups
Hack Squat-3x10
AB/Core/Calf

Mon-
10x3 Squats
Wide Grip Pause Bench-6x3
Stiff Leg Dead-4x6
Depth Push ups
Lunges-3x10
AB/Core/Calf

-[/quote]

The way I see your routine is this:

  1. During the week, for major exercises/movement planes, you have heavy (10x3) and medium (4x6) parameters: say 10x3 Squats on Monday and 4x10 Squats on Friday. That is good.

  2. Each workout, additional volume is supplied through 3x10 or 4x8. Chosen exercises are good, and chosen rep/set scheme is common for assistance work. Challenging to make you work, but not as heavy to overtrain you quickly.

  3. RDL on Friday and SLDL on Monday are too much in my opinion. You alredy have 10x3 DL on Monday and 4x6 GM on Wednesday. That is enough for posterior chain.

However, it is very important to periodize in some way. You can just expect you would be able to improve indefinetly. At least, one light or off week after 3-4 weeks of hard work.

6

Banging, thanks, Slotan

High five

7

[quote]WolBarret wrote:
Banging, thanks, Slotan

High five[/quote]

You’re welcome.

8

Great responses.

What about this example

wk1: chest 10x3, back 5x5
wk2: do the opposite

that way not so much time spent in the rest periods of 10x3

9

[quote]Magarhe wrote:
Great responses.

What about this example

wk1: chest 10x3, back 5x5
wk2: do the opposite

that way not so much time spent in the rest periods of 10x3

[/quote]

Sure. Why not?

Here’s the thing:

“Everything Works. But nothing works forever.” – Alwyn Cosgrove

One could debate endlessly about the perfect set/rep scheme to use, but in reality, as long as you’re getting to muscle-overload, you’re going to get some progress. Sure, you’re 10x3 5x5 program will get you results, but eventually you will start to platue. Change it up ever 8-12 weeks.

10

[quote]john3103 wrote:

Sure. Why not?

Here’s the thing:

“Everything Works. But nothing works forever.” – Alwyn Cosgrove

One could debate endlessly about the perfect set/rep scheme to use, but in reality, as long as you’re getting to muscle-overload, you’re going to get some progress. Sure, you’re 10x3 5x5 program will get you results, but eventually you will start to platue. Change it up ever 8-12 weeks.[/quote]

Yeah, I know all that, and I especially know that setup works because I have used it.

I was suggesting it as a way of shortening the length of the workout. If you are doing 10x3 for every exercise, and resting 2 mins between each set in the 10x3, that is shaping up as one loooong workout.

Nobody is trying to find a “perfect setup” just a workable one in the timeframes allowed. There’s no point writing out your next 12 weeks of workout and then when you do it, realise every session takes 2 hours.

Another thing I’ve done that worked nicely was 10x3 in the morning, one movement only, then in the afternoon, something else like 5x5 or volume training or whatever aimed less at strength and more at size. That also worked really well. e.g deadlifts in the morning, and then rows etc… at night. You can maybe squeeze a single exercise 10x3 in the morning before work if you get up early, it might take say 25mins or so to do it. Then another 30-45 minutes at night doing all the showey stuff. Note you are really primed for doing that by the end of the day. Not always easy to fit that in though.

11

Ok so today was my first day at the gym and I’ve got a couple questions…

my day was like this:

ATG back squat 1x3, no rest, standing calf raise 1x10, rest one minute
(repeat 5 times)

do another 5 sets replacing calf raise with weighted decline sit ups

ended with 10x3 leg press (full ROM)

I have 2 questions:

  1. my hammies feel very worked but my quads don’t so much. I wanted this to be quad dominant day. Should I just trust in the exercise selection and know that my quads got a good workout?

  2. what is the preferred way to do standing calf raises? On a machine? on a step holding a weight? I did use CW’s “dissipate for big calves” technique while standing on the edge of my squat rack (yes i was squatting there too) but it felt like i was slipping off the metal “step”

thanks again for all the replies

-DT