Creating My Own Program

Training Bodybuilding
41

[quote]Phill wrote:
Phill’s total body plan:

Ok here is what I have planned out. Trying to stick to mainly compound movements (ATLEAST 4 of the six prescribed exercises) with exception of Day E.

Loads.
I have roughly figured that I use 40-50% on the 20 rep days, 70-80% on the 10 rep days, and from 85-95% on 5 rep days. This is at the start. There are some outliers, but this has been close with most exersises.

The goal on the first two days is to complete each and every set with the prescribed reps (not failing), but it should be a hell of a challenge. Also progressing by adding a few % to the load with each repeat.

The 5x5 day however will be done to Failure (if NEEDED) where you do the usual 5x5 prescribed routine. Choose a weight you can do 5rm. Then try and get 5 sets of said load. Only progressing to a new load when you are able to complete all sets for all reps. This day is followed by 2 days of rest as opposed to the one day following the others

Example.
Day 1 = 3 sets 20 reps 120 seconds rest
Day 2 = off
Day 3 = 4 sets 10 reps 90 seconds rest
Day 4 = off
Day 5 = 5 sets 5 reps 60 seconds rest ( same as above for progression)
Day 6&7 off…

Just another way for me to mix it up a bit.
Throw me some feedback.

Later,
Phill[/quote]
Just curious Phill. That routine looks almost exactly like the 3 day format from the Big Beyond Belief System. Is that somewhere in your past? I used the full version (6 days/week split upper/lower) as my first routine after finally giving up on the Heavy Duty system and I made the best improvement of my life, but it would be too much volume now, so I had thought about a three day, total body version.

In that program, I settled on gunning for a 20 rep max on the first workout for a body part, a 10 rep max for the second and a 5 rep max for the third.

One added variable was that you tried to add a set to each exercise each week for 3 weeks, (like 3 sets week 1, 4 sets week 2 and 5 sets week 3) and then drop back down to 2-3 sets (2 worked best) for weeks 4-6 but pushed the sets to the max.

42

[quote]bg100 wrote:
Well, I finally started my strength-focused program today. The 10x3 exercise was deadlifts and I got through it OK. I felt really good leaving the gym and 6-7 hours later my muscles haven’t stiffened up, I can feel though that I have done a good, hard workout. Things might feel different tomorrow morning though…lol!

[/quote]

Yep, I feel different this morning, muscles are hurting…

However I got myself to the pool to go for a swim this morning, that should help work out some of the soreness.

43

Well, Week 1 has been completed and I must say that I am very happy with the program so far. I love the 10x3 (yes, even after doing the squats this morning!) and the fact that I am throwing really heavy weights around for the entire workout. I have never done a near-max strength program before and am really enjoying it. After doing the 10x3 squats followed by 3x5 good mornings my glutes were destroyed, I had to walk up a steep hill later on and struggled…lol!

I was very happy with the way I was able to maintain the same weight on bench press, which has been a weakness of mine, so I can’t wait until the end of next week when I do bench again to see if I can cope with extra weight.

The funny thing is that despite doing very heavy weights for the main exercises the exercise which hurt the most was the Saxon side bends with only 4kg dumbells! It was the first time that I had done them, and I soon realised I need to do a lot more! The day afterwards I played some golf, needless to say it took a few holes before my swing felt somewhat normal and my obliques could actually stretch!

I’ll post again at the end of next week, hopefully reporting improvements in my numbers.

Ben

44

bg,

Great all is going well for you.

I just wanted to chime in due to this being the last day I am doing on the program I listed. All went GREAT!! well for the most part. bench didnt move how I wanted it to but all other upper body and lower body movements skyrocketd. Wish I had taken befor pic and afters but I think I added a little mass as well.

The high rep work did help a LOT with some aching joints and getting my endurance/wind up and didnt have a bad effect on strength gains that much.

So went well and will use it again.

I am now excited to finally get the chance to start a new training cycle that I use the bands I bought from Ironwoody’s. I have messed with them a little but not much. Going to take the next week to get aquainted with them and then start a new Total body training program in which I use the bands on speed work and heavy 10 x 3 work. Should be neat I suppose.

I cant wait to try them out. From what I have done with them so far they are awesome. I’ll chime in on a new thread and let you know what I think of them.

Oh I am also going to fiannly use the adjustable kettle grip I bought along with the bands as well. Going to use it mainly for some extra recovery type w/o’s and maybe to do some focused over head pressing and such. It looks like an awesome way to get to do some more outdoors training. We’ll see.

Just been crazy round here getting back to Grad studies and with mom and such I am getting everything settled and can knock the dust off this new stuff I got over a month ago. I’ll let you know how that goes as well.

Hope you all are having the progress I did on your programs, keep it up and keep us informed.

Phill

45

Well done Phill, good to hear you made great progress. I am definitely getting stronger on this program, even though I have only just started Week 2. I have done some lifts which I have not done for some time and the numbers are way up on what I used to do. For example, when I did TBT last Nov-Dec I did barbell hack squats for the first time on the 2x8 day in week 5-6. From memory I was only lifting about 60-70kg. Yesterday I did 3x5 with 100kg and still felt like I could do more, so things are definitely improving. I’m very interested to see how I go at bench press this Sunday as it has been my weak point. I’ll keep you posted.

Ben

[quote]Phill wrote:
bg,

Great all is going well for you.

I just wanted to chime in due to this being the last day I am doing on the program I listed. All went GREAT!! well for the most part. bench didnt move how I wanted it to but all other upper body and lower body movements skyrocketd. Wish I had taken befor pic and afters but I think I added a little mass as well.

The high rep work did help a LOT with some aching joints and getting my endurance/wind up and didnt have a bad effect on strength gains that much.

So went well and will use it again.

I am now excited to finally get the chance to start a new training cycle that I use the bands I bought from Ironwoody’s. I have messed with them a little but not much. Going to take the next week to get aquainted with them and then start a new Total body training program in which I use the bands on speed work and heavy 10 x 3 work. Should be neat I suppose.

I cant wait to try them out. From what I have done with them so far they are awesome. I’ll chime in on a new thread and let you know what I think of them.

Oh I am also going to fiannly use the adjustable kettle grip I bought along with the bands as well. Going to use it mainly for some extra recovery type w/o’s and maybe to do some focused over head pressing and such. It looks like an awesome way to get to do some more outdoors training. We’ll see.

Just been crazy round here getting back to Grad studies and with mom and such I am getting everything settled and can knock the dust off this new stuff I got over a month ago. I’ll let you know how that goes as well.

Hope you all are having the progress I did on your programs, keep it up and keep us informed.

Phill[/quote]

46

Well, I’ve finally made it to the end of the program, with the exception of one workout to go, but I thought that I would post the results anyway.

This program has been a real success and my lifts have gone up in a nice steady progression. I was able to do it whilst remaining the same bodyweight (94-95 kg) which was my main aim.

The last two weeks of the workout have really taken about 3 weeks to complete due to various reasons stopping me from getting to the gym. This could have affected the amount that I lifted slightly in the last few workouts due to the long breaks in between, but the good thing is that I still made progress.

Below is a summary of the lifts I did. Please note that all the weights are in kilograms, I can’t be bothered doing the conversions at the moment!

WEEK 1

Workout 1:

  • Deadlift (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    95kg all sets

  • Front Squat (3x5, 120s rest)
    70 kg all sets

  • Pull-ups (pronated grip) (3x5, 120s rest)
    Bodyweight all sets

  • Seated DB Military Press (3x5, 120s rest)
    20,25,25 kg dumbells

Workout 2:

  • Bench Press (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    90 kg all sets

  • Seated Cable Row (pronated grip) (3x5, 120s rest)
    85 kg all sets

  • Step-ups (3x5, 120s rest)
    70 kg all sets

  • Glute-ham raise (3x5, 120s rest)
    5,10,10 kg plate held to chest

Workout 3:

  • Back Squat (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    95 kg all sets

  • Good Mornings (3x5, 120s rest)
    60 kg all sets

  • Rack Pulls (3x5, 120s rest)
    110 kg all sets

  • Decline DB Bench Press (3x5, 120s rest)
    35 kg dumbells all sets

WEEK 2

Workout 1:

  • Chin-ups (supinated grip) (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    6 kg all sets

  • Dips (3x5, 120s rest)
    10 kg all sets

  • Romanian Deadlift (3x5, 120s rest)
    70,80,80 kg

  • Barbell Hack Squat (3x5, 120s rest)
    80,100,100 kg

Workout 2:

  • Sumo Deadlift (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    100 kg all sets

  • Back Squat (3x5, 120s rest)
    90 kg all sets

  • Snatch high pull from blocks (3x5, 120s rest)
    40 kg all sets (first time doing this exercise

  • Standing BB Military Press (3x5, 120s rest)
    50 kg all sets

Workout 3:

  • Bench Press (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    95 kg all sets

  • BB Bent Over Row (3x5, 120s rest)
    80,70,70 kg (too ambitious first set)

  • Lunges (3x5, 120s rest)
    60 kg all sets

  • Back Extensions (3x5, 120s rest)
    10,20,20 kg plate held to chest

WEEK 3

Workout 1:

  • Deadlift (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    100 kg all sets

  • Front Squat (3x5, 120s rest)
    75 kg all sets

  • Pull-ups (pronated grip) (3x5, 120s rest)
    4 kg all sets

  • Seated DB Military Press (3x5, 120s rest)
    25,25,25 kg dumbells (felt really tired at this point, based on last time should have been able to do 27.5kg)

Workout 2:

  • Bench Press (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    97.5 kg all sets

  • Seated Cable Row (pronated grip) (3x5, 120s rest)
    87.5 kg all sets

  • Step-ups (3x5, 120s rest)
    70 kg all sets (concentrated on form rather than increasing weight. I was a bit wobbly last time!)

  • Glute-ham raise (3x5, 120s rest)
    10,10,10 kg plate held to chest

Workout 3:

  • Back Squat (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    100 kg for first 7 sets. 90 kg for last three after getting a bit of a twinge in lower left back)

  • Good Mornings (3x5, 120s rest)
    60 kg all sets (Concentrating on form as this is a relatively new exercise for me, didn’t feel the same twinge as in squats but don’t want to risk upping the weight)

  • Rack Pulls (3x5, 120s rest)
    112.5 kg all sets

  • Decline DB Bench Press (3x5, 120s rest)
    40 kg dumbells all sets (big increase from last time)

WEEK 4

Workout 1:

  • Chin-ups (supinated grip) (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    6 kg all sets

  • Dips (3x5, 120s rest)
    12.5 kg all sets

  • Romanian Deadlift (3x5, 120s rest)
    82.5 kg all sets

  • Barbell Hack Squat (3x5, 120s rest)
    102.5 kg all sets

Workout 2:

  • Sumo Deadlift (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    102.5 kg all sets

  • Back Squat (3x5, 120s rest)
    95 kg all sets

  • Snatch high pull from blocks (3x5, 120s rest)
    45 kg all sets

  • Standing BB Military Press (3x5, 120s rest)
    55 kg all sets

Workout 3:

  • Bench Press (10x3, 60-70s rest)
    100 kg all sets (Finally I do two plates each side for a significant number of reps! This has been a goal of mine for years. I was getting close to it before I stopped working out for about 2.5 years. I know it is nothing significant (only 225lb) compared to most guys on T-nation but I feel that I am over a mental barrier that will make increases a lot easier.)

  • BB Bent Over Row (3x5, 120s rest)
    72.5 kg all sets kg (concentrated on form rather than weight this time around)

  • Lunges (3x5, 120s rest)
    62.5 kg all sets

  • Back Extensions (3x5, 120s rest)
    10,20,20 kg plate held to chest

WEEK 5 (“Shock” week)

Workout 1:

  • Push Jerk (5x3, 120s rest)
    50 kg all sets (just getting into Oly-style lifts and working on technique)

  • Deadlift (5/3/2/5/3/2 wave load with an increase of weight on second wave, 120s rest)
    105,110,115 for first wave 107.5,112.5,117.5 kg for second wave

  • Front Squat (5/4/3/2/1 pyramid load increase, 120s rest)
    75,77.5,77.5,80,85 kg

Workout 2:

  • Power Clean (5x3, 120s rest)
    50 kg all sets

  • Bench Press (5/3/2/5/3/2 wave load with an increase of weight on second wave, 120s rest)
    100,105,110 for first wave 102.5,107.5,112.5 kg for second wave (needed a spot for the last rep on last two sets)

  • BB Bent Over Row (5/4/3/2/1 pyramid load increase, 120s rest)
    75,77.5,80,82.5,85 kg

Workout 3:

  • Back Squat (5/3/2/5/3/2 wave load with an increase of weight on second wave, 120s rest)
  • Romanian Deadlift (5/4/3/2/1 pyramid load increase, 120s rest)
  • Power Snatch from blocks/hang (5x3, 120s rest)

Workout 3 on Monday.

So that’s it, I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made, now I need to think up what to do next. I’ve been reading a lot of Dan John’s stuff lately and think I might have a go at a hybrid of some of his Oly lift workouts with the workout I have just done. I’ll be having a week off after the last workout and will be doing some brainstorming in the meantime.

Cheers Ben

47

Well I finally got around to doing the final workout of the program tonight. I’ve been a bit inconsistent with getting to the gym for the last two weeks of the program, which has taken more like 3 and a half weeks to complete, but that little thing called life has been getting in the way recently! However there has probably been some benefit in letting me get over a few muscle niggles by having more rest days included. It probably means I don’t need a back off week now and can just get straight into a new program. The results of the final workout are below:

Workout 3:

  • Power Snatches (5x3, 120s rest)
    50 kg all sets

  • Back Squat (5/3/2/5/3/2 wave load with an increase of weight on second wave, 120s rest)
    100,105,110 for first wave
    105,110,115 kg for second wave

  • Romanian Deadlift (5/4/3/2/1 pyramid load increase, 120s rest)
    80,80,85,90,95 kg (My grip really started failing on me with this exercise, might need to work on forearms a little)

Tonight was the first time I have ever done power snatches. I absolutely loved them, and found that they were easier than I thought they would be. I got the usual funny looks from the guys doing nothing but curls, actually I got funny looks from everyone because I don’t think they had seen someone toss weight up over their head before! I can feel the workout my upper back has done a few hours later and my posterior chain is just trashed after snatches, squats and RDLs.

Doing the snatches has confirmed that I am definitely going to focus on the oly lifts for a while. I like the added benefit of getting a real cardio workout as well using these lifts as I haven’t been very consistent with doing any cardio of late and I need to lose some “love handles” on my abs.

I think that the strength test of the last week has confirmed the benefits of 10x3 as well. I have been able to significantly increase my lifts without trashing my body. I know that it is geared towards hypertrophy as well as strength, but as I was looking to gain strength and not size at the moment it still seems to have worked.

Also, I’m wondering if Phill and Vroom have gone back for a second attempt of the programs that they posted earlier in this thread?

Ben