They feel awesome because the volume drops.
Yup the 5 x 8 rep days really sucks.
the last week on 5x5 was hard, but it didn’t suck like the 8’s
Awesome lifting man, well done.
But you have the last week of 8’s left right? MUHAHAHA They will crush you, eat, sleep and recover
1 Like
SGSS - WEEK 3 - DAY 1
Back Squat
365x8
365x8
365x8
Front Squat
305x8
305x8
305x8
Deadlift
385x8
385x8
385x8
RDL
335x8
335x8
335x8
Farmers Walk (Trap Bar)
315 @ 60 meters (3 trips)
3 Likes
Back squat, front squat, deadlift, RDL, and farmer’s walk in the same session… I don’t know how you keep doing these workouts! How long do these workouts take you?
2 Likes
Just wait til you read next lower body session, it’s the same, but with 5 sets not 3.
SGSS is brutal at least for the first part.
@isdatnutty well done my friend,you push some serious weight.
1 Like
The 3 set days take me about 50-60 minutes, the 5 set days take me about 75-90 minutes depending on my pace and if I lift at home or the gym. I’m only taking like 60-90 seconds between each work set for the most part. Sometimes I’ll go up to like 2-3 minutes if I am just gassed. And for the 2nd movement (front squat, rdl) I don’t need any warm up weight (maybe 1-2 sets at the most) so I can for the most part jump right into working weights.
It’s probably been for the past 9-12 months that I’ve gone into the 30 second to 90 second rest periods exclusively and in doing that I’ve been able to lift heavy with minimal rest. One technique I’ve used that I really like:
1st Set - 30 sec rest
2nd Set - 1 min rest
3rd Set - 1 min 30 sec rest
4th Set - 2 min rest
5th Set - 2 min 30 sec rest
This allows you to keep the rest times low, but with enough rest to hit that last set with purpose!
5 Likes
Thanks man! Yeah bro these workouts are fucking tough. I mean you are just using 3-4 big barbell lifts for a lot of sets and reps. I think this is the program I would recommend for a lot of beginners. It’s so simple but I know this will bring big results for anyone.
1 Like
I’ve been using 60 seconds as my rest for over 10 years. I was at a NSCA National Conference and one of the speakers mentioned a research study in their presentation. It stated that doing 3 x 10 with 60 seconds rest was the best way to stimulate the body’s natural testosterone production. That’s all I needed to hear!
On SGSS I tried to stick to 60 seconds of rest but I bumped it to 90 seconds on squats and deads when things got tough.
My body has adapted to my rest interval. I can have my HR maxed out and I’m always in a recovered range in 60 seconds or less. I consider myself recovered once I’m below 120 bpm. I used that as my guide for rest on some basketball conditioning during my internship at the Olympic Training Center and I always felt ready to go for the next sprint so I tend to use that as my measuring stick for recovery.
1 Like
I don’t know if it’s true or not, but the short rest periods definitely make you reach deep down inside to continue!
1 Like
So a pretty cool story. I wrote a program for a friend months ago and it was a simple 5 day split. He REALLY wanted to focus on his legs and hit the gym M-F to make it a lifestyle.
Monday - Back Squat, Assitance
Tuesday - Bench Press, Assistance
Wednesay - Deadlift, Front Squat, NO assistance
Thursday - OH Press, Assistance
Friday - Back Squat (higher rep day), BW ONLY assistance
I haven’t seen him in 3.5 months and DAMN dude looks WAY more muscular now! He used double progression (5x3-5, 5x8-10 as his two primary ones) and all his lifts have gone up.
It’s good to remember SIMPLE progression trumps all. If you start off with a squat of 135 @ 5x5 and get it to 5x10 you’ve gotten stronger. Add 10 lbs and restart again. I’m really happy for him though because he seems to got it quickly to get the physique he wants, he needs 5-10 years in the game unless he has some crazy genetics.
I think CT talked about “milking the weight” and I feel like double progression or fixed weights allow you to do that.
5 Likes
SGSS - WEEK 3 - DAY 2
OH PRESS (ss: Chin-Ups 5x10)
135x8
155x8
175 @ 3x8
BENCH PRESS (ss: BB Row - 265 @ 6x8)
225x8
245x8
265 @ 3x8
BB CURL
105 @ 4x15
CONDITION
10 Min KB Swings + Push Ups
NOTES
I’m 3 weeks into a program. I think this is a new record (minus BTM) lol.
5 Likes
9 weeks to go! Actually 6-7 working weeks and then peaking. Surely you can ride it out to the end. The change from 8s to 5s and then from 5s to 3s helps with boredom too.
1 Like
I can definitely ride this one out! I can’t wait to be done with the 8’s lol. I got a feeling at the end of this program I’ll take like a 2 week deload and just get after it again. But with some of my own tweaks. I’m really enjoying the simplicity of this program.
1 Like
I was reading an article on elitefts.
This part of the article I think is something anyone who is starting the journey should do! The only thing I would add is a squat stand as well lol. Bench is optional.
A Barbell, Plates, and a Pull-Up Bar for the First Three Years
One of the biggest mistakes I made as a beginner lifter was believing I should train like the pros. I think a lot of beginner lifters make this same mistake. The amount of knowledge and equipment available to most lifters nowadays is unlike anything available previously, which unfortunately muddies the waters of progress a bit. I believe people forget that great physiques and impressive lifts have been built for decades before us, by people who didn’t have nearly the amount of equipment and knowledge that we have.
Limiting everyone to just a barbell, plates, and a pull-up bar would accomplish two things. First, it would force people to really learn how to program and listen to their bodies. When you limit the variables that someone can adjust to, they are forced to learn how the other variables affect the outcome, and in turn they will gain a better understanding of how to manipulate them. Now people can use a different piece of equipment every day and do a different program every couple months. The result is that we have lifters with years of experience but no real level of knowledge of how to program. I believe limiting lifters to a barbell, plates, and a pull-up bar for their first three years would help them build a better foundation for learning.
The second thing it would accomplish is helping lifters gain perspective. I have written in that past about how lifters tend to chase “unicorns.” We want to believe that there is some secret formula for success — that if I just have this piece of equipment, if I just follow this program, or if I just do this secret set and rep scheme, I’ll see some dramatic jump in results. We tend to think this way, even more, when we have hit a plateau. Limiting the number of choices a lifter has will allow them to develop perspective. Instead of chasing unicorns they will learn that progress comes in small—sometimes erratic but overall consistent—amounts. This will allow them to focus on the important big picture items instead of getting bogged down by smaller items that distract them. Taking away that distraction early in a lifter’s career will help them learn to better handle it later on.
4 Likes
SGSS - WEEK 3 - DAY 3
Back Squat
365x8
365x8
365x8
365x8
365x8
Front Squat
305x8
305x8
305x8
305x6
305x6
Deadlift
385x8
385x8
385x8
385x8
385x8
RDL
335x8
335x8
335x8
335x5
335x5
Farmers Walk (Trap Bar)
315 @ 60 meters (3 trips)
NOTES
Missed some reps today on the FS and RDL, but not too worried about it. Ate like only 1000 calories yesterday so I think I just didn’t have the energy to push through. Glad to switching to 5’s next week!
4 Likes
I think it’s okay to miss 4 reps of front squats after 40 reps of 365 back squats and 24 reps of 305 front squats.
2 Likes
Lol, I just hate missing reps man! But I never try to push if my form is breaking down.
On a side note after working out and getting out the shower my wife has noticed that my erectors/ass have already gotten bigger in 3 weeks. She was like “looks like you have thick steel cables going down your back”. Feels goooood man!
4 Likes
This is like, the most masculating thing you could ever hear.
3 Likes
How much weight did you plan to add for 5s week on FS and RDL?