Thanks for all the input.
Fletch- Im very quad dominant right now. Quads and glutes grow a lot faster than my hams but ive been working to correct that. Back never bothers me with squats.
I did 5/3/1 for a while. Started with the stronglifts 5x5 way back. Then I got hooked on strongman style lifts and workouts.
Ive prioritized strength for the past few years. Want to put a bit of focus on size for a bit.
Im 6’3" 235lbs at the moment and probably sitting at between 15 and 18% bf (by my estimate. Could be off)
Want to sculpt a bit and maybe not be built like a cupboard lol
Markko- The program you outlined looks much more refined than my attempt. ill probably run with what you outlined.
Maybe I’m alone on this, but I feel like the best plan is not to have one. All of these exact rep and set ranges with specific body parts on specific days don’t equate to maximum intensity. Some will say I’m oversimplifying it, but do what your body tells you. The number of reps will be whenever muscle failure happens.
Hypertrophy…strength…really how do you know those rep and set numbers will equal those things?
This works, but generally only for very experienced lifters who know themselves inside out. If OP is asking about his training ideas he very probably does not fit in that group.
Why is maximum intensity a good idea? It is important, certainly, but not a great idea applied to every lift every session. That just burns you out.
Size and strength come from consistency. A plan is a huge help in achieving consistency. So, a plan devoted to size and strength consistently followed will usually produce size and strength over time. The better the plan, the better the results - but how consistently it is followed is more important than how good the plan is (within reason, a truly idiotic plan won’t do much good no matter what).
Ive tried instinctual training before. It can be very fun and effective for short periods of time I think. But Like Marrko said, consistency is key.
I know my body pretty well and have been doing this for a while. That said I will ALWAYS have more to learn. To me that keeps it interesting. The day I know everything ill quit and do something else.
On a side note Markko, Your program tweaks have worked pretty dam well. Pushing it pretty hard and enjoying the higher volume.
Must say though that I will be avoiding stairs and calling for evac to escape the porcelain throne today after the squats and Snatch DLs lol.
Ill touch base again after ive got a few weeks under my belt.
So far so good.
Ive always been a very pull dominant lifter with the other programs I followed. Trying to bring up some lagging body parts.
Also I generally add one or two assistance exercises as a finisher for the day no matter how beat I am while I wait for my wife to finish up (her program takes her forever). Straight arm pull downs, face pulls, forearm work etc. (whatever I can manage on an empty gas tank at the end of the session)
So far this program is working great for me. BF has dropped a bit and all my lifts are making slight increases.
Not used to the higher volume but im responding well to it so far. It can be a pretty brutal grind some days and recovery is a tad slower than Im used to but im surviving.
Made some big diet changes as well which I contribute the BF progress too.
I was 245 at the beginning of the year and am now down to 228 with increase in lifts so I guess im doing something right.
new PRs are
Squat 395 (just below parallel)
DL 485 (I dont have someone watching to confirm but I have a feeling there might be a bit of rounding going on here so maybe I should drop that # until corrected)
Bench 325
Push Press 245