I’m a relative noob (SBDO 1RMs of 315/210/415/170), and I want to become as big, strong, and conditioned as I possibly can. Goal physique is something like a linebacker. I have no competitive aspirations. I just love training and the idea of making myself as powerful as possible. If you guys were to provide a roadmap for me for the next 15+ years of training, what would you suggest?
I would pick up the Tactical Barbell series of books (book 1, 2 and Mass Protocol), start with base building, then move on to 2 cycles of Operator, 2 cycles of General Mass, 2 cycles of Specificity, then perpetually run the OMS block (Operator-Mass-Specificity) outlined in Mass Protocol.
Alternatively, I would purchase 5/3/1 Forever and just run through all 50 programs in the book.
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I feel like running DC training with the recommended cardio and diet would be the perfect way to increase your strength, build muscle and improve conditioning. It’s so easy to apply the principles and it’s a system that’s worked well for many gym rats and professional and amateur bodybuilders alike. I think it is an awesome blend of a pure bodybuilding and strength building program. Big emphasis on progressive overload and building size via strength gain in the traditional bodybuilding rep ranges. If my goals mirrored yours, that would be the route I’d take.
Alternatively, if you like more volume, you can progress through the different levels of training in Arnold’s Bodybuilding Encyclopedia. They have an emphasis on power training in addition to aesthetic improvement
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What makes you think you will last 15 years consistently? Not being an ass, I just rarely see this. As a newb, do what you enjoy and makes you motivated to continue. There is no secret recipe. What works well for others may not work well for you and vice versa.
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Not possible… only thing that might not change will be the basic priciples you might follow. How you utilize those principles will be fluent. In a nut shell your programming will evolve to better suit your needs and goals as you progress during the mentioned time frame.
Whatever your doing now wont look exactly the same in 15 years.
Over simple advice… keep doing what your doing. Once progress stalls do a minor tweak to stimulate progress. Rinse and repeat.
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I think I’ll last because the importance of physical fitness and strength is kind of baked into my mind from seeing family members die of easily preventable illnesses and also just having never been very strong or athletic. I’m also on the autism spectrum and get obsessions that last for 10+ years at a time, but never really go away either.
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I’ve heard of Tactical Barbell, and it sounds really interesting. My only concern is that its focus is on building a very “low drag high speed” athlete while I’m more focused on pushing myself to be the biggest and strongest possible version of myself. Do you think the programming in the books will help me do that?
Do you think the programming in the books will help me do that?
I would not have brought it up if I felt otherwise.
Excellent, thank you. My lifetime goal is to deadlift 700 naturally. Not sure if it’s possible, but I’m going to try. I’ll buy the books right now.
Fantastic. Keep in mind that you included the goal of being as CONDITIONED as possible, along with big and strong, which lead me toward Tactical Barbell and 5/3/1. If, now, the goal has changed to ONLY being as big and strong as possible, I’d implement a different approach.
No, I definitely want to be conditioned too lol. I don’t merely have a history of heart disease in my family. My family IS the history of heart disease. Given the choice between being a wheezing 300 lbs with a 750 deadlift and being 210 lbs with a 635 deadlift, I’ll always pick the latter. Thanks for your help!
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What is your height ? Your current age and how long have you been actively lifting?
My only Nephew is also .
6 feet, 19 years old, have been lifting for 3 years but it’s all been just going hard on random machines and barbell movements.
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Solid reasoning. While you’re young you need to take advantage of your metabolism but also your ability to recover quickly. Heavy squats put size on me more so than any other exercise. Now in middle age I can’t do the weight / volume like I could when young but I digress. Take advantage of your youth.
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Start with Phraks Greyskull LP. Run this program until you are not progressing with it anymore. You can do any other kind of GPP work alongside this; cardio, manual labor, crossfit, etc.
You should be fairly well into the 1,000lb club by the time this happens… anticipate 12 months or more until this program has run its course.
From there, consider Westside Conjugate for strength purposes.
If not, consider DoggCrapp as @davemccright suggested, or TBJP (which is a simpler (not easier) alternative). They aren’t powerlifter programs, but I promise you’ll get big and strong on either.
Westside Conjugate, DC training, and TBJP would all be great recommendations that you can run for years or even decades.
Add whatever GPP you need to meet your conditioning goals.
Dont neglect your diet.
Dont neglect your recovery.
Start a training log if you want to ramp it up to a higher level.
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Does DC work for natural lifters?
You state that your vision (or mission) is “you want to be Big, Strong, and Conditioned.”
At this stage in your life you need some short term goals and not a 15 year roadmap. You need some goals to help hold you accountable and that provides rewards. Since you mention the Big Lifts (plus overhead press), I would recommend competitive powerlifting.
I know that you feel that you are not interested in competition. IMO, you should venture a little out of your comfort zone. Powerlifting is one of the most friendly competitive environments you will ever experience. Apart from the trophies awarded, you are really only competing against yourself. Fellow lifters will cheer you on to succeed.
This was a significant aspect in my journey to excel. If you just want to get big and strong, weight classes mean nothing to you. You get there, weigh-in and they will tell you what weight class you will be competing in.
Between meets you will be focused on improving your PR’s in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total over the last meet. That is a specific, clearly .defined goal.
You can add the conditioning to touch on coordination and agility. Do it enough to “get in shape.”
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All these dudes gave great advice. If your goal is to become linebacker ready I think you should get off of those machines and focus on driving numbers on the basic barbell lifts. Chase some new strength numbers for awhile while filling in the blanks with bodybuilding movements and cardio.
Training is the same whether natural or enhanced.
Steroids aren’t magic, they just make everything you do more effective.
Short answer: yes
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Why do people say some routines work only for enhanced though?