I’m starting QD next week. Anyone who’s done this have any feedback?
Did you take a week off after 3 weeks?
What did you think about explosive day 6?
Changes you’d make?
Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thx.
[quote]Tom Highway wrote:
I’m starting QD next week. Anyone who’s done this have any feedback?
Did you take a week off after 3 weeks?
[/quote]
Yes and no. I went through two 4-week blocks of QD a couple years back. The fourth weeks I did a substantial “back-off” where I hit the gym for two light full-body sessions. Believe me, after 3 weeks of QD you’ll need to back off the weights for a while.
To be honest, it felt great! My muscles didn’t ache or burn…and I didn’t feel run-down leaving the gym…the explosive day is refreshing and mentally recharging.
Nothing major. I think I ended up substituting a few exercises…I haven’t looked at the program in a long time but I do remember tweaking it slightly.
[quote]
Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thx. [/quote]
The repetition day (2nd day I think) is a bitch…I’m in pretty good cardiovascular shape but it had me struggling for air…plus by rep 15 or 20 your muscles are burning and your body is shaking. If you’re looking at the program thinking “oh, that’s the light weight day, it should be easy” don’t.
I’d be interested to hear your feedback.
Jeff
I liked QD did it after Bill starrs dual factor 5x5 program. Id say i gained about 3-4lbs, and leaned out a lil bit.
[quote]Tom Highway wrote:
I’m starting QD next week. Anyone who’s done this have any feedback?
Did you take a week off after 3 weeks?[/quote]
yes
nice change of pace, working on speed instead of weight
i was lazy and didnt keep up with the cardio, and id clean my diet up
the 25 rep squats were difficult after doing 5x5s and 3x3s , so that was tiring but overall i lked the program,
[quote]Tom Highway wrote:
Changes you’d make?
[/quote]
I subbed in box squats for lunges on the explosive day.
Thanks Jeff. Not looking forward to day 2 w/ 25 reps, I’m not used to high reps. Should be a nice wake-up call.
[quote]Bill F wrote:
Tom Highway wrote:
I’m starting QD next week. Anyone who’s done this have any feedback?
Did you take a week off after 3 weeks?
yes
What did you think about explosive day 6?
nice change of pace, working on speed instead of weight
Changes you’d make?
i was lazy and didnt keep up with the cardio, and id clean my diet up
the 25 rep squats were difficult after doing 5x5s and 3x3s , so that was tiring but overall i lked the program,
[/quote]
Tks. Looking forward to the change of pace, just finished 8 wks of Staley’s EDT, so the hi rep and explosive day will be quite a change.
I made my best gains on QD. It’s an awesome program. I plan on doing it again some time. Just make sure you get plenty of rest.
What did you think about explosive day 6?
To be honest, it felt great! My muscles didn’t ache or burn…and I didn’t feel run-down leaving the gym…the explosive day is refreshing and mentally recharging.
The repetition day (2nd day I think) is a bitch…I’m in pretty good cardiovascular shape but it had me struggling for air…plus by rep 15 or 20 your muscles are burning and your body is shaking. If you’re looking at the program thinking “oh, that’s the light weight day, it should be easy” don’t.
I’d be interested to hear your feedback.
Jeff[/quote]
Week 1 down!
Today was explosive day 6 for me. Went by quickly only doing 6x3 for 4 exercises. Although it put all my effort into the explosive lifts, still felt like a light day using 18rep max. Not even sure I really understand the reasoning for explosive day, but I won’t ask why, I’ll just do it. A welcome change of pace, though.
I’m doing Triple Total Training which also has a high rep day of 2x24. For QD, CW recommended using a 28RM for the 25 reps, which he estimated was about 50% of your 1RM. However, if you’ve been doing mostly low rep work, drop the weight down to 43% of your 1RM. Yes, the bar will look ridiculous with little weight plates on it but swallow your pride. The high rep day is tough but worth doing. After pounding your body with heavy weights, the high rep day will actually aid in recovery to a small extent, at least it does in TTT. CW really knows how to design intelligent programs.
[quote]Tom Highway wrote:
Week 1 down!
Today was explosive day 6 for me. Went by quickly only doing 6x3 for 4 exercises. Although it put all my effort into the explosive lifts, still felt like a light day using 18rep max. Not even sure I really understand the reasoning for explosive day, but I won’t ask why, I’ll just do it. A welcome change of pace, though.
[/quote]
Good feedback. I’ll be interested to hear your progress over the next few weeks. I think this is what the forums are all about.
On a side note, most will agree the explosive day is important because it develops “speed-power” and hits fast-twitch muscles differently than max effort lifts. Others argue its benefits are more because of neural adaptation and “finding the groove” in complex lifts. I’ve heard it explained in ways so complex it made my head spin…but the bottom line is that over the long haul it really makes a difference.
I have completed two cycles of Quattro Dynamo over the past year, and I recommend it. I think the duration of the program is too short to see marked results, but the program is a nice “refresher” when you are in between longer cycles. Also, maximal strength days made me feel awesome. I left the gym not feeling like I had torn my body down, but rather feeling energized.
My advice would be this:
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On the high rep day, don’t use too much weight on the military presses. I thought I had a ridiculously small amount of weight on the bar, yet I was unable to perform all 25 reps the first time I tried it. The second set you should drop the weight DRASTICALLY in order to complete it or you will not finish all 25.
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The 25 reps on the plate/front squats are fucking awesome. If you do it properly, you should leave the gym questioning life as you choke down vomit. Anyone here who says that they didn’t feel sick after those didn’t use enough weight on the bar or didn’t push themselves to the max. Period. So gear the fuck up for high rep days my friend.
Also, a foam roller and stretching should be incorporated into your plan to offset the stress your muscles are going to experience from the high volume of work.
Good luck.