Serge Nubret Pump Training

Bigger Stronger Leaner
381

StrengthSeeker welcome ! We build up many valuable posts so reading this thread is an option. Maybe every 2 weeks i edit the OP to help newcomers like you if they are looking for a shortcut to info from Serge.

With high volume repeating WO weekly, Serge suggested we vary grips, feet positions, angles and/or exercices to avoid overuse problems. So focussing on suggested exercises is not necessairy. I was doing low volume when i read the article Bradley wrote about 6 weeks ago. Now i do high volume for me but most would likely say medium volume. I kept my exercises, my split but i never reach physical failure, use light weights, short rest periods all principals from Serge and i get results.

I am lighter than you and lifting way less. Maybe you can try around 40% of your max. Trust that volume work for us. Forget your previous # and you will progress. We use TUT so remember not to lock elbows nor knees. Instead of finding ways to unload we search for ways to increase loads.

About mixing things many have their way. I just started using the reps Gazz is using and i really like it (previous page).

Well it was my opinion. All the best !

382

[quote]Mutu wrote:
Bradley- What is your diet like? You donā€™t have to be overly specificā€¦[/quote]

I keep it old school in this regard too, I eat enough protein to grow, carbs to stay fueled and fats to keep my hormone levels the way I need. I never count calories or macros, just keep it basic and train hard. I am lucky in the regard that I do not crave sugar, like chocolate or much fried foods. My only cheat food is pizza which I normally eat Sunday ( my rest day) because after a cheat meal I always come back Monday more refreshed and fueled to lift Secunia of the higher fat, carbs , sodium ect.

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Have you found this style of training works better with certain bodyparts than others?

384

[quote]StrengthSeeker wrote:
Hi everybody. I will give the Nubret PumP PRINCIPLES a try. I said principles and not routine as IMHO the original routine have a lot of flaws. One question that keep coming up in my mind is the sheer volume of it And the fact that me not being that strong (310 DL -12 bw pull ups- 125 OH press @156lbs) I would have to do push ups for the chest as 6 x 12 with <60s seems quite brutal.

Would like your feedback on this. I did a ā€œfeeling workoutā€ and honestly, would have to use bodyweigth in most upper body movements.
Have any of you has encounter this problem?

The modifications apart from exercise selection, frequency is adding at least 1 set x 5 a week of the following reps of the OH press, DL / Squat (alternating) and heavy chin up. Just to make sure i dont lose strength.

Any thoughts and insights on the loading question would be appreciated.

Once I start i will follow it for at least 8 weeks. Will measure progress on physique (pictures/measurement) and strength (dead lift-squat-OH press-chin up) .

Lets se what happen ;)[/quote]

you are not that strong, but you are not weak either.
I think its a misconception that you canā€™t build maximal strength doing rep workā€¦
here is an article at Jim wendlers website saying just the opposite

what iā€™ve done with the nubret template is basically, I still work up to a heavy set with the first compound movement for each muscle group. and then do the rest of the program as written.

for example on chest and quads day, I will work up to a heavy set of bench press and go for a ā€œrep recordā€ much like in jimā€™s 5/3/1. and then for the rest of the sets i will do a lower weight and go for 4-6 sets of 12 repsā€¦ much like jims boring but big template - but i make sure to focus on achieving and maintaining ā€œthe pumpā€. after that i do all the assistance exercises exactly as outlined in serge nubrets program. I will do the same thing with squats, work up to a heavy working set, and then a ā€œboring but bigā€ 4-6 sets of 8-12, and then follow with all the assistance as outlined in nubretā€™s program.

Its almost identical to nubrets original program, and its not that far off from 5/3/1 either.

385

Bhappy thanks man! I look into Gazz post and look very similar of what I will do. Will change exercises grip angles and reps. But keep them in the ā€œHighā€ range. Thanks for the support man appreciate it.

question what is OP?
ā€œMaybe every 2 weeks i edit the OP to help newcomers like youā€

386

as for pushups 6 x 12 isnā€™t that much. i mean your body adapts to pushups really fast (especially if you are a lower bodyweight).

I started doing pushups last spring to prepare for my job (we do alot of pushups) and it only took me about a a month before i could crank out sets of 50 and in another month i could do sets of 75.

387

Brad I have never tried the wide grip bench press. Honestly for all the bad rap that it gets for disrupting the shoulder integrity. Any tips on them? I want to emphasize more upper chest. Thanks for everything man.

388

[quote]StrengthSeeker wrote:
Hi everybody. I will give the Nubret PumP PRINCIPLES a try. I said principles and not routine as IMHO the original routine have a lot of flaws. One question that keep coming up in my mind is the sheer volume of it And the fact that me not being that strong (310 DL -12 bw pull ups- 125 OH press @156lbs) I would have to do push ups for the chest as 6 x 12 with <60s seems quite brutal.

Would like your feedback on this. I did a ā€œfeeling workoutā€ and honestly, would have to use bodyweigth in most upper body movements.
Have any of you has encounter this problem?

The modifications apart from exercise selection, frequency is adding at least 1 set x 5 a week of the following reps of the OH press, DL / Squat (alternating) and heavy chin up. Just to make sure i dont lose strength.

Any thoughts and insights on the loading question would be appreciated.

Once I start i will follow it for at least 8 weeks. Will measure progress on physique (pictures/measurement) and strength (dead lift-squat-OH press-chin up) .

Lets se what happen ;)[/quote]

The routine is not flawed, but I agree it is more principles since with anything you have to adapt it to yourself. You might want to do a strength based routine first since you seem largely concerned with strength.

And saying you are not that strong is just negative, I do not think you should paint yourself rainbow roads but you need to be positive. Your dead lift is double body weight, you can do 12 pullups , and almost military press body weight? That is good.

When I started I was 120 lbs getting over chronic sickness and benched 100 lbs , couldnā€™t dead lift 225 and couldnā€™t do a pull up. But I never went online so never had that feeling of " wow I am weak" I just trained. In 9 months of training my bench went to 300lbs from 100lbs training upper body every other day and lower body every other day( I never heard of over training either) . My other lifts shot up as well, but I just really remember bench press.

The point is you are strong, you are taking your time to read topics like these and my article so you will get stronger and I wish you good luck in your training. Use programs you enjoy, what works for you, and fits your goals. Sergeā€™s program may not fit your goals now and I will not say everyone should do it , but It will work if believed in and followed correctly.

389

zenontheterrible- Thanks for the input. You are right about the push ups. It happens to me once doing a HFT bodyweigth and in about 3 weeks I hit the 50 rep mark. I was planning on something similar with the heavy first set nut leaving it at 5 reps and just increase weigth next time.

If you are training same body part 2 x week and using 5-3-1 in the first set what do you do the second day? just omit the 5-3-1 set and go straight to 6 x 12?

390

[quote]StrengthSeeker wrote:
Brad I have never tried the wide grip bench press. Honestly for all the bad rap that it gets for disrupting the shoulder integrity. Any tips on them? I want to emphasize more upper chest. Thanks for everything man. [/quote]

Anytime buddy, I know you are going to get everything you want out of training becuase you take time to read and ask questions. On the wide grip bench press you have to play it by year , If you take care of your shoulders otherwise with proper form, mobility work and train the rotator cuff they should never cause a problem. If you get a slight pain while doing them , figure out the issue before continuing, and train smart.

Emphasizing upper chest is a lot of peoples goal ( even most of pro bodybuilders )because it simply develops slower then the rest. But to try to emphasize it as best as you can start chest training off on a slight incline, and just keep training hard for overall development.

391

Brad thanks a lot for your words and insights man. You said you wanted to help and motivate people and brother you are very proficient doing that!

Maybe the word ā€œflawedā€ was not appropriate.Like you notice I need to make some changes (mostly exercise selection) to made it fit foe me right now.

I donā€™t think myself as weak but not as overly strong either.

I come from the 531 template and now i want to focus on physique thatā€™s why I looking into this. And I has been training in strength for a time now and really like the pump so thats why I want to follow this program.

thanks for the reply and the energy

392

[quote]StrengthSeeker wrote:
Brad thanks a lot for your words and insights man. You said you wanted to help and motivate people and brother you are very proficient doing that!

Maybe the word ā€œflawedā€ was not appropriate.Like you notice I need to make some changes (mostly exercise selection) to made it fit foe me right now.

I donā€™t think myself as weak but not as overly strong either.

I come from the 531 template and now i want to focus on physique thatā€™s why I looking into this. And I has been training in strength for a time now and really like the pump so thats why I want to follow this program.

thanks for the reply and the energy[/quote]

Thanks man.

Good luck in what ever you choose to do and just make sure it works for you and you enjoy it. If applying Sergeā€™s concepts be very careful on blending it with strength principles like 5 3 1 . Serges routine minimizes stress on the central nervous system and allows higher frequency, that is a reason it shines. A lot of strength protocols go the opposite route and do lower frequency ( 3 -4 days a week)and high intensity.

All these methods can work but be sure you know what you are doing and why before changing variables.

393

[quote]StrengthSeeker wrote:
now i want to focus on physique [/quote]

Then train for physique.

Strength would then be a secondary consideration and your goal would be more along the line of strength maintenance. Itā€™s already been said that youā€™d be surprised that the high volume training may also enhance strength, but you just wonā€™t be able demonstrate it within your workouts, as the fast pace high rep sets severely restrict your ability to use heavy weights. If you need reassurance, slot in a rotation of 5X5ā€™s once a month or so just to pacify your doubts. I think you may be pleasantly surprised.

Personally I wouldnā€™t be trying to mix up two goals within one workout of such opposite extremes, but thatā€™s me: you need to decide on your priorities and go with them.

Good luck.

Gazz

394

StrengthSeeker, i just figured out lately. If i am right OP can mean the Original Poster or the Original Post. I meant the Original Post, so you can read it at the top of the first page. I guess many use abbreviations to keep the amount of pages at a reasonable level, like i try to use links to avoid using too much space. It was obvious you come from a totally different frame of mind. I did too. Luckily we can reach our goals faster by helping each other.

395

Forgot to add something important

Brad, thanks so much for putting the original article out there. Iā€™ve had severe problems with joint issues over the last couple of years which have restricted my training and have been getting inside my head. My training has been so sporadic and Iā€™ve suffered for it.

By applying the underlying principles within the article, combined with common sense adjustments to meet limitations which I KNOW I have, iā€™ve been able to train more consistantly over the last 5 weeks or so than I have all year. My joint pains are still there, donā€™t get me wrong Iā€™ve trained long enough now not to be taken in by the ā€œ4 weeks toā€ peddlers, but the pain is managable.

Some may say itā€™s coincidence. It may be, but Iā€™ll take it anyway. Iā€™m moving forward again, enjoying my workouts and looking for improvements, a great feeling.

Sincere thanks
Gazz

396

[quote]Gazz wrote:
Forgot to add something important

Brad, thanks so much for putting the original article out there. Iā€™ve had severe problems with joint issues over the last couple of years which have restricted my training and have been getting inside my head. My training has been so sporadic and Iā€™ve suffered for it.

By applying the underlying principles within the article, combined with common sense adjustments to meet limitations which I KNOW I have, iā€™ve been able to train more consistantly over the last 5 weeks or so than I have all year. My joint pains are still there, donā€™t get me wrong Iā€™ve trained long enough now not to be taken in by the ā€œ4 weeks toā€ peddlers, but the pain is managable.

Some may say itā€™s coincidence. It may be, but Iā€™ll take it anyway. Iā€™m moving forward again, enjoying my workouts and looking for improvements, a great feeling.

Sincere thanks
Gazz

[/quote]

Anytime .

That does make sense physiologically though. If a physical therapist is trying to help a patient overcome a naggimg issue like rotator cuff problems they get them using bands for high reps and low weight. It supplies the area with a good flow of blood and thus nutrients

397

[quote]StrengthSeeker wrote:
zenontheterrible- Thanks for the input. You are right about the push ups. It happens to me once doing a HFT bodyweigth and in about 3 weeks I hit the 50 rep mark. I was planning on something similar with the heavy first set nut leaving it at 5 reps and just increase weigth next time.

If you are training same body part 2 x week and using 5-3-1 in the first set what do you do the second day? just omit the 5-3-1 set and go straight to 6 x 12?[/quote]

Yes thats a good idea.

Iā€™ve only been on this program for 2 weeks - so take all my advice with that in mind. but basically what iā€™ve done isā€¦ I basically do the whole thing as written, with the exception of maybe 2 sets per body part.

For example, to do 6 sets of 12 on bench press iā€™ve been using a really light weight like 135 lbs.
so the serge style for me would look like 135 x 6 x 12
instead on one day i did
135 x 12
145 x 12
165 x as many as possible with good form (with this weight ended up being around 20)
then
135 x 8-12 for the remaining three sets.

Its actually not a lot of extra work. but just makes it a little more interesting, and slightly more strength focused. maybe the weights iā€™m using are just too light? After that i do the rest of the workout as written. so iā€™m still doing 6 sets of 12, but just with a little pyramid in the middle.

what i personally did on the other workouts was 175 x amap on the second workout, and 185 x amap on the third workout. and the fourth one a really light deload (all six sets at 115). However the next 4 weeks iā€™m going to try it your way. with basically a ā€œdeloadā€ after every one since we are working each body part 2 times a week (or more).

Sorry for my rambling, apparently iā€™m not great at explaining stuff.

Iā€™ve actually made pretty noticeable progress on this program so far, although my bench numbers have been going down a little, i know this is not because i am getting weaker, its because my muscles are still tired from doing triceps the day before! and bench only 3 days earlier! Iā€™ve measured a gain of 1/8 of an inch on my upper arms - which i havenā€™t mentioned as of yet because iā€™m sure many people will say its just water or swelling or whateverā€¦ but its consistently there (when cold) so iā€™m happy about it.

anyways good luck with the program!

398

[quote]Bradley Joe Kelly wrote:

[quote]StrengthSeeker wrote:
Brad I have never tried the wide grip bench press. Honestly for all the bad rap that it gets for disrupting the shoulder integrity. Any tips on them? I want to emphasize more upper chest. Thanks for everything man. [/quote]

Anytime buddy, I know you are going to get everything you want out of training becuase you take time to read and ask questions. On the wide grip bench press you have to play it by year , If you take care of your shoulders otherwise with proper form, mobility work and train the rotator cuff they should never cause a problem. If you get a slight pain while doing them , figure out the issue before continuing, and train smart.

Emphasizing upper chest is a lot of peoples goal ( even most of pro bodybuilders )because it simply develops slower then the rest. But to try to emphasize it as best as you can start chest training off on a slight incline, and just keep training hard for overall development.[/quote]

Hey brad just wanted to say thanks again for the original article, and for all the help and advice youā€™ve offered on the forum!

399

[quote]zenontheterrible wrote:

[quote]Bradley Joe Kelly wrote:

[quote]StrengthSeeker wrote:
Brad I have never tried the wide grip bench press. Honestly for all the bad rap that it gets for disrupting the shoulder integrity. Any tips on them? I want to emphasize more upper chest. Thanks for everything man. [/quote]

Anytime buddy, I know you are going to get everything you want out of training becuase you take time to read and ask questions. On the wide grip bench press you have to play it by year , If you take care of your shoulders otherwise with proper form, mobility work and train the rotator cuff they should never cause a problem. If you get a slight pain while doing them , figure out the issue before continuing, and train smart.

Emphasizing upper chest is a lot of peoples goal ( even most of pro bodybuilders )because it simply develops slower then the rest. But to try to emphasize it as best as you can start chest training off on a slight incline, and just keep training hard for overall development.[/quote]

Hey brad just wanted to say thanks again for the original article, and for all the help and advice youā€™ve offered on the forum!
[/quote]

No thank you for taking the time to read my article and supply feedback.
I am glad you are having a positive experience so far and wish you luck in your training. I took up writing with one goal : To help as many people as I can. Articles like this one gives people a new look at training and is really effective for people with injuries , achey joints ect.

400

About wide grip pressing- I have had shoulder pain in the past, and I find that since I am doing wide grip its gone away. Obviously this is also due to the decrease in the weight I use. My last few chest work outs have been:

Machine dips 6 sets of 10, 1 set of 8
Machine flyes 6 sets of 10
Cable flyes/presses 3 sets of 10 high pulley, 3 sets of 10 medium pulley, then 2 sets of 10 low pulley
Hammer strength bench wide grip 6 sets 10 reps
Hammer strength seated chest press with fat grip 8 sets 10

I started doing my presses at the end when my chest is already tired and pumped, I can feel my chest working better this way, as I usually felt my shoulders doing more work than they should. Also, I need to use lower weight than I would use if I had pressed at the beginningā€¦

Also sometimes I superset some of the chest movements with bent over laterals or face pulls or something to hit the post delt/rhomboids/teres/mid traps. Helps with shoulder pain also in the long run.