[quote]ALKoHoLiK wrote:
2-way split over 4 days[/quote]
Hmmm. You have a whole bunch of options here as far as set/rep schemes go.
I’d like to try something here though… Fast becoming a favorite of mine, but bear with me, it’s not very precise as far as rules go:
Say, you’re doing CGP.
Ok, you warm up first.
135x8
225x5-8
315x3-8 (you can semi-rush through these first warm-ups, 1 min rest or so only if you like, at most 2 before the last)
now, first work set after 3-4 mins of rest (rest depends on how many reps you did on your last warm-up, more reps = more rest)
405x6-10 or whatever.
Then you rest 4-5 minutes.
425x as many as possible (4-6 maybe?)
another 4-5 minutes or so.
435x as many as possible (might be 4-8, nervous system revved up)
If you want to go a bit heavier, you might do
405x6-10
445xamap
485xamap or so. But leave that for later. Basic idea is to just go heavier after your regular 8-10 RM or whatever. Often your 8RM is higher than you think or can do after your regular warm-ups.
Happened to me a lot recently that, after warming up, I did a weight x8 or x6 (the last one was non-failure, could have gotten 8 maybe) and then just decided to go heavier and see… So it went 6 reps, + 20lbs, 5-6 reps, and, oh surprise, + another 10lbs and suddenly I got 8 again.
The first work set doesn’t necessarily have to be to failure, and neither does the second.
The third should imo… If you have a spotter to help in case you get stuck, go all out there.
You can go to positive failure on all of them if you like. May have to in order to get PR’s.
Now, how do you progress with this stuff? You can pretty much keep adding 2.5-5 lbs to your heaviest set for a while, but especially on the first set you might want to work on reps more often, i.e. keep it at roughly 8-10 (or whatever range I gave below) or so or work up to 12 reps even. The middle set is really just a bridge to the last and to get you into heavier-lifting -mode.
How exactly you progress is up to you there…
Another thing: You might want to go heavy 3 out of 4 weeks, but on the fourth or whenever you have a bad day, just use a certain landmark weight and rep out (like, your last session was 405, 435, 465, and you don’t feel too great or it’s been 3 heavy weeks… Just do 315x as many as possible then or so and do improve on that as well.
If this is too complicated or anything, do a light + a heavy set, or just one top set, or 2 at the same weight or whatever.
Day 1
-CGP (shoulder wide grip or so, elbows tucked at the bottom, can flare on the way up) ← work up to 8-10, then 2 additional, consecutively heavier sets.
-Standing OHP (from the chin) ← You can use any overhead press here, and if it’s a seated high incline OHP in the smith, you can do it from the nose rather than from the chin if you want to… Anyway, work up to 8-10, then 1-2 heavier sets. Your call, I’d leave it at 2 total work sets at first, maybe.
-HS pulldowns or Rack Chins ← 2x12-15 (you have to decide for yourself what you want to use as your target number… If you hit that number, up the weight for the second set, if not, keep weight… Or use 15-30 DC Rest-Pause.
-HS low rows or Yates Rows or whatever (form = like getting into bottom position of PL bench, sort of, with less arching) ← If it’s yates rows, make it 2x15 (same format as above on backwidth… I.e. increase weight for second set if you got all reps of the first, otherwise keep weight for second set the same).
If it’s a machine row, your call… 10-12 followed by a heavier 6-8 perhaps.
-Some pullover/extension variant for the tris (2x15, same format as above, or 15-30DC RP)
Day 2
off
Day 3
-Alt. Offset Curls ← work up to 8-10 (per arm, i.e. 16-20 total reps) and do 2 consecutively heavier sets after that.
(-perhaps one-arm hammers) ← if you do those, then only 1x10-15 or so.
-Back Squats ← One week, work up to 10-12, then keep going heavier for 2 or so additional sets. You could end up at 12, 8, 4 or so, for example… Or just 12, 8, 8… The next week, we’re going to focus on deadlifts instead, so only do a set of 8-12.
-Deadlifts or SLDL or so? (one week you focus more on squats, the other on deads) ← When it’s squat-focus week, work up to a set of 8-10. When it’s deadlift week, either do a heavy 6-8 followed by a lighter 8-12 (4-5 mins rest between) or work up to 6-8 and keep going heavier for 2 additional sets.
-Ab and calf work, but ab work has priority (EZ rollouts or pulldown abs) ← if it’s weighted ab work, do 2x15 or 2x20, or just 2x8, depending on the exercise (usual protocol)
Day 4 off
Day 5
-Low-Incline Bench or flat bench ← work up to 8-10, then go heavier for 2 additional sets…
-Low-Incline DB bench or flat or HS machine or whatever ← 1x10-15, or 2x8-10, usual protocol.
-Kroc Rows ← 1 set of pure KROC! of course 
10-25 reps, but do get your technique right… Needs to hit backthickness. Elbow out to some degree. Use straps. Every other week you could work up to 6-8 heavy and then do another lighter 8-12, or the other way around. But it shouldn’t be necessary.
-HS high rows? ← 1-2 sets of 12-15.
-(Dead Stop Extensions, lying and behind the head) ← 2x15, usual protocol.
Day 6
-Pinwheel Curls with straps ← work up to 8-10 reps per arm, then 2 consecutively heavier sets.
(- perhaps one arm curls or HS machine curls) ← if you do them, just 1 working set for higher reps… 8-15. Perhaps 1 warmup before that at half working weight or so…
-Leg Presses or Hack squat machine ← Work up to a 10-12 rep set or so, or go 12-15.
-Leg Curl variant or reverse hyper machine or GH raises ← Higher reps here as well, 8-15, kind of depends on the exercise though. Might want to do 2 sets at either the same or increasing weight.
Day 7
off
If you decide to use this split or a similar one + the method I outlined above, make a log here and post the link so that I can keep tabs on your progress and see if anything needs to be modified…
Oh yeah, food (without it, nothing goes anywhere fast):
-1.5 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight MINIMUM, 2 grams not needed yet but can help quite a bit. 1.8 would probably be, roughly, were you want to end up at.
Don’t get most of it from powder either.
-cals depend… How much do you weigh and how tall are you? Might want to start with 3000 and go from there… Maybe you’ll need more for fast progress, but you can just add and substract as necessary.
Also: Technique is important. Scapular retraction on rows and on rack pulls etc (as long as you’re not working with your 1-3RM there… And only after each lockout in the case of deadlift variants), PL setup for presses (though how much you tuck your elbows depends) and keep shoulders on the bench at all times…
A lot of that you’ll have to figure out for yourself though…
