Any suggestions for a 4 day per week hypertrophy type progam? I travel frequently and can’t always get to a gym on the same days of the week. I have read several of the specific programs and was unable to find something that fit my schedule. The ABBH seems to involve supersets which are a little difficult to pull off at my gym. (all equipment is scattered throughout)
I would like to keep workouts short, 45 min-1hr. Mostly compound lifts. Thanks for any suggestions!
If you can’t make ABBH fit your schedule, then check into “Training Economy” by Joe DeFranco. Also, you may want to look into WSSB.
i was thinking of starting the ABBH as well… i found the first article and had a question if you could possily answer it? for example:
Sets per Muscle Group: Chest 10, Back 10
Movement Plane: Horizontal
Examples: Flat Barbell Bench, Barbell Rows, Seated Cable Row (both back movements using a pronated grip with the width the exact same as bench press)
Reps: 3
Load: 80% of 1RM
Rest: 60 seconds between supersets (i.e. train chest, rest 60 secs, train back, rest 60 secs, train chest, rest 60 seconds, etc)
maybe im a retard, but do you do 10 different exercise for each set at 3 reps each? or say 5 different exercise per muscle group. anything like this:
flat bench 3 reps
seated row 3 reps
flat bench 3 reps
seated row 3 reps
incl bench 3 reps
barbell row 3 reps
incl bench 3 reps
barbell row 3 reps…etc
thanks
You’re only doing a total of three exercises. One exercise for chest (flat barbell bench for 10 sets of three) and two exercises for back (barbell rows for five sets of three and seated rows for five sets of three).
So your workout would look like this:
The program is meant to use the same one exercise for each body part for all ten sets. In other words, perform one set of bench presses for 3 reps, rest 60 seconds, perform one set of barbell rows for 3 reps, rest 60 secs. then repeat the bench press, etc. for all ten sets. You don’t want to change exercises. Part of the idea is to gain strength also…so changing exercises so often won’t help. Hope this helps.
Why do a program at all?
I’d wager I haven’t done the same workout twice in six months. I emphasize lagging parts, and change up the machines/movements, and rep ranges every session.
The upshot is, I’ve never adapted to any one exercise, so I’m not particular strong in any of the major lifts. But I make more progress in size than I ever have with a set routine. And it keeps things interesting.
DI
thanks for the replies. For those of you that have done this program, how many different exercises do you usually do? meaning day1 flat bench, then day5 incl bench, then decline, flyes, etc before you perform the same exercise again?
sjf,
You can perform the ABBH program with all of the sets in a row, you don’t have to perform antagonist training. Trainees have had huge success with each method.
[quote]HULKSTAR wrote:
thanks for the replies. For those of you that have done this program, how many different exercises do you usually do? meaning day1 flat bench, then day5 incl bench, then decline, flyes, etc before you perform the same exercise again?[/quote]
Have you read the program? Do it as specified using the exercises listed.
Day 1: Flat barbell bench, barbell rows and seated rows (10x3)
Day 2: 15-20 minutes cardio
Day 3: Front Squats, hanging pikes, standing calf raises (5x10)
Day 4: 15-20 minutes cardio
Day 5: Dips, chinups (5x10)
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Deadlifts, Decline situps, seated calf raises (10x3)
Day 8: Off
Day 9: Repeat
U can try EDT too. Just searh for EDT
Thanks for the suggestions…I will look at those programs.
Natedogg
I agree that the literal interpretation of what CW has written is that you should be doing three exercises on the first day. (say bench, row and cable row). However, it would seem more logical to just have one exercise per muscle group, like on the day 5.
Tampa Terry also appears to agree with this interpretation and lists 2 exercises only for the first day on her template.
On another note, as CW is big on antagonistic movements, is the vertical opposite of the Chin on day 5 an overhead press, not a dip? The corresponding movement for a dip would seem to be a wide grip snatch of some sort.
Any thoughts or can Chad himself chime in?
Tin Tin
[quote]tin tin wrote:
Natedogg
I agree that the literal interpretation of what CW has written is that you should be doing three exercises on the first day. (say bench, row and cable row). However, it would seem more logical to just have one exercise per muscle group, like on the day 5.[/quote]
Sure, you can do that too. But you originally were talking about changing exercises too much (bench, incline, dips, etc.). I’m sure there is a reason three exercises were chosen for the first day. Part of it may be for variation.
Chin = Overhead press (equivalent)
Dip = Decline close-grip bench (equivalent)
So you could do overhead/military press and dips/decline close-grip bench.
Go with what you can do. If unable to do dips or chins, use their equivalent.
tin tin,
Yes, ABBH I should consist of only two exercises. I shouldn’t have given two back exercise examples because it made trainees think they should perform both exercises (but if they did, it’s no big deal since they’re similar).
I think a lot of the confusion for ABBH II can be cleared up by simply re-reading the program breakdown. Day 5 consists of two exercises for both pulling and pressing muscles. Upright rows are a perfect antagonist to dips; Military presses are a perfect antagonist to chin-ups.