Matt, nice response. Thanks for providing all of the details. Throw in a few pictures and diagrams and you could have turned it into an article for T-mag.
I thought I just did give a reason for training people differently. People have different weaknesses, living situations, injuries, and goals (as in fat loss, muscle gain, strength gain, general health, injury prevention, flexibility, reactive strength, quickness, etc…) Sometimes people want a few of these goals exclusively, and oftentimes people, like yourself I assume, seek many of the above concurrently. So why would someone with different goals train differently you ask? Because your body responds to the training stimulus! It responds to diet too, but that doesn’t imply that diet is the only factor. I guess the simplest way I can put this to you is to say that improving your weakest link will always lead to the fastest improvements. A powerlifter with weak rhomboids will find his bench suffering due to insufficient retraction of the scapula close to lockout. A tennis player looking to improve his reactive, on court speed needs to focus on certain areas of the posterior chain with plyometrics to meet these specific goals. Training him on nautilus machines or using slow cadences simply aren’t specific to his desired training effect. How else can I put it? Training everyone the same leaves their weaknesses to become weaker, their injuries to magnify, and their imbalances to become more severe and lead to more injuries. By the way, I don’t take this personally either bro, and I don’t mind debating. Maybe we’ll all learn something. And thanks for the kudos Joey and Tek.
Buster: Thanks for the kudos. Re: writing an article for t-mag, you may have just given me an idea… 
For anyone who is interested, here is the theory behind my training. I have just completed a 3-month anatomical adaptation and hypertrophy program after a lengthy lay off from lifting due to a shoulder injury. My strength and hypertrophy levels are still below where they were three years ago (at my peak). Since I have just completed a hypertrophy phase (peaking at 5 rm), it is now time to push the strength levels up – thus the 4 weeks of WSB training. Immediately following this, I will cycle through 2-a-days for 2 weeks followed by HIT training for 2 weeks – performing this twice. The 2-a-days will be performed 5 days per week (3 on 1 off 2 on 1 off) with 18 sets in both the a.m. and p.m. workouts (36 sets total per day). No sets will be taken to failure. The theory behind this is to intentionally overtrain so that I will see supercompensation during the 2 weeks of HIT training (2x per week, full body training, 5 exercises total, 2 sets per exercise to concentric failure – defined as the break down of proper form). This will help increase work capacity and help to rapidly regain the muscle I lost during my lay off. The additional hypertrophy (hopefully I will get back to my previous weight of 167-168) will help in the subsequent strength phase (and with any luck I will see a modest increase in strength over the 8 week period). Additionally I will improve ligament and tendon strength for the upcoming strength phase.
After my 8 week volume/HIT cycle, it is time to train the CNS to recruit my (hopefully) new found muscle. Thus, 4 more weeks on a WSB program. I will only be pushing myself to my 3 rm at most -- the 1 rm will wait until my ligament and tendon strength is up to par.
Now that my strength will have improved, it is time to go into a GVT/HIT cycle (repeated twice). The GVT cycle will use 10 sets, but will use lower reps (5 reps at a weight approx. equal to my estimated 10 rm). The focus will be on using GVT for the main PL lifts. Another modification will be that I will (as always) lift explosively during the concentric portion of the lift instead of a 2 sec concentric as advocated by CP. The HIT cycles are again for the purpose of supercompensation during the high volume periods and to “re-set” the system for the subsequent higher volume phases.
Finally, I will venture into a prolonged 8 week WSB system. Again I will likely only push up to a 3 rm unless I feel that I am progressing faster than expected. I will also add 1-2 extra workouts per week (interval training, light workouts, sled dragging, wheelbarrow pushing, etc. – although not all at the same time) to this in order to speed recovery and increase work capacity.
After this point it will be time to reevaluate my progress and develop a concrete plan for the next several months. Tentatively, however, I plan to work in 13 week blocks. The first 4 weeks will be a hypertrophy phase designed to address my lagging bodyparts (strength and power are my main goals, but I would like to be symmetrical and maintain a low BFP), whether it be calves and forearms or fat loss. The following 8 weeks will consist of strength and power training -- PL, OL or combination training, though primarily concerned with limit stength during the next year. The 13th week will be maxing.
During the year following my detailed 34 week program, I will begin incorporating very light OL into my program primarily as an extra workout aimed at perfecting form. Only after I have got my form down will I venture to a true OL workout phase. After about 1 and 1/2 years I will progress to a modified Husker Power Program. I will still use 13 week phases (the final week being a maxing week). The first 3 weeks will address hypertrophy for my weak points, the next 3 weeks will be strength training followed by 3 weeks of mixed stength/power training (i.e., OL and plyometrics) followed by 3 weeks of power training. I intend to follow such a program for approx. 1-1.5 years.
Of course none of this is chiseled in stone. I will reassess my progress and needs throughout the training. My focus will remain primarily on the main lifts and their variations throughout and I will add GPP training as I progress. At any rate, I suppose my post has gone a wee bit off topic and may not be of interest to anyone at this point. But, as they say, “thanks for sharing”
Sincerely,
Matthew A. Levy
“I say “yes, sir,” check my ego at the door of the gym & obediently hit the weights as best I can.” - T-Rev, that is beautiful. I’m printing it out to hang on my fridge and I’m writing it on the cover of my workout log. As for the rest of this thread…will you guys please just settle down??? give me a freekin break! and men accuse women of being ‘catty’!! you know what? if something is working for you then great! keep doing it! and just because i don’t do it doesn’t mean i’m wrong. I just read every word of every post on this thread and with very few exceptions there is little actual information being shared…many of you are slinging mud. Just chill guys, ok? I let people who know more than me design my programs then I go lift until I’m ready to drop. Then I go back for more. If you are an expert and know everything about lifting, diet and training please write a book, make a video or hold a seminar to teach the rest of us - the uneducated masses, while you’re doing that the rest of us will continue to challenge ourselves and push beyond the limits we have set in our own minds.
Ain’t ya sweet! I take back what I said on the other thread about being merciless.