Until about a month ago I was out of the gym for more than two yrs. I was training strong man and power lifting back then. Does anyone have any program or routine advice. I only know what I was doing before and it worked but I was working with a group of people that had a lot of experience with it all. My strength and size are back up but I just don’t really know what I am doing here. I just lift what I can with no real direction.
I have been taught about drop sets and rack runs and 1RM and all that but I just do not really know how to use and apply all that to get what I want. As big and strong as I possibly can get. Some tell me I am getting too old to be worrying about such things but I know I have a lot potential. I don’t want to compete or anything I just want to be strong for me… and well bragging rights too but who don’t if you are doing this. Thanks
Lots to choose from. What do your current numbers for bench/squat/dl look like, and what’s your height/weight? How long were you lifting before the two year hiatus? Any general description you can give about what you were doing before – if that was working well may want to have a program or philosophy that is similar but which you can follow on your own.
A very simple routine that works for a lot of people is 5/3/1, but it isn’t really geared towards strongman. One edition is geared towards powerlifting though.
The Cube by Brandon Lilly has a variation for sale called The Cube Method For Strongman by Josh Thigpen.
I have a weak squat do to surgery and a bone condition. My bench is somewhere around 315 and DL is about 365 squat is about 275. I know I can get more on dl and squats â?¦. I just havenâ??t tried more yet. I am 5’6’’ 180 lbs. I only lifted then for about 6 months but I put on a lot of muscle and strength in that time. People thought I was juicing but I wasnâ??t. I was in the gym 5 days a week about 5 hrs a day working with at least 5 to 7 people. I am taking the same supplements now that I was taking then. I have made some big gains in the month I have been back but I think that has a lot to do with muscle memory. Now I go 3 to 4 times a week and about 3 hours max in a day. I know how to do the sets and work outs but I just donâ??t know what to work with what. I need a full body workout that I can do in 3 to 4 days. This pic was then and I am not much smaller now but I am not near as strong as then.
I am not really looking for one particular style. I just want to be all I can. I have increased by bench by 90 lbs in 3 weeks thus far using 10/8/6. Today I was doing 5/3/1 and I really didn’t feel like I was getting as much out of it as I usually do. I hardly work my legs due to pain but I DL as much as I can. I was do lift offs at knee level the other day with 455. I paid for that with two days on the couch because my knee was killing me. i guess it all depends on how bad I want to hurt as to how hard I push my legs. I give everything else ALL I got.
You are alot bigger and stronger than I am, so feel free to disregard my tip.
But I would go with what BCP27 suggested, namely 5/3/1. Its simple, flexible and idiot proof. Wich means
you can set it up the way you like( fullbody, Upper/Lower, 4 split etc ) and still being able to reap the buildt in progress of the 5/3/1 system.
^That article explains the 5/3/1 set, reps and % and how to start and progress with it.
As mentioned allready, you can set it up in many different ways, so if you dont like the sample template in the article, you can do it differently.
A simple Upper/Lower template would be this:
Upper days:
Bench or OHP: 5/3/1.
A pressing excercise: a total of 50 reps.
Lats: a total of 50 reps.
Traps/Rear delts: a total of 50 reps.
Biceps/Triceps: a total of 50 reps each.
Lowerbody days:
Squat or DL: 5/3/1.
Quads: a total of 50 reps.
Hams/Lowback: a total of 50 reps.
Abs/Core: A total of 50 reps.
For assistance you can use everything from barbells, Dumbells, Kettlebells, Machines etc, whatever floats your
boat and whatever helps you reach your goals faster.
Just an Idea and I wish you good luck regardless of how you set up your training.
Thanks florelius and bcp27 for the incite on 5/3/1, I think I am gonna give it a try. I think that any real routine that I do is going to give me gains regardless. I dont think I will ever look like a pro body builder but I know I can get stronger than some of them. For some reason it is easy for me to build and gain strength, I just need a plan to go by.
[quote]csulli wrote:
Never noticed how big 180lbs looks on someone 5’6".[/quote]
Yeah. I was listening to a radio show about powerlifting where the hosts kept giving another host a hard time about his bulk for the Arnold. His sleep apnea got a fair amount worse, his breathing was super audible at all times, they kept pointing out his bloat, saying he jumped one of the hosts in the death pool (that host is 275 lbs at 5’8), etc…
He was only at 220 I think. I balked a bit, then remembered he is 5’5. They started calling him the lightest super heavyweight they had ever seen. It was a hilarious time, but he’s back down to 185 now.
In that picture I had 18 1/2 inch arms. My brother helped to measure them today and they are 17. The problem I have is my chest and stomach. I have never had a big chest and never had a small stomach. So no matter how big I get I still look fat. I am a mesomorph body type. Building muscle and strength has not been a big problem for me but losing belly has always been. I have a really big appetite to diet and I eat a lot of meat too. I think I am just gonna have to worry about strength for now and then maybe later work on the rest.
