Been thinking about your program today…
Full body every other day or MWF…it sure would make MetCons easier to build since I wouldn’t have to worry about upper/lower days…
Actually, the thought came to me because I keep doing my usual amount of leg training and I’m trying to cut back to give my upper body a chance to grow…when I get healthy.
I am a simple kinda guy and my friend who writes my programs is the same. For me 3 days (Mon, Thur, Friday) fits into my work and family requirements well. By varying the load on bench and squat I am able to do both movements 3 days a week and progress in terms of strength (which is the main goal) and I would guess also build a little muscle along the way (its hard to tell when you are also adding a little fluff weight like I am at the moment).
I think I read somewhere on here that training a muscle 1.5-2 times a week is optimal but given one of my days is more like an active recovery day in that it is lighter and just pumps the muscle. The 3 days works.
This program is base don strength building but you could easily tailor the loads (%'s) and the reps and sets to make it more hypertrophy or conditioning based.
Thursday 12th September week 2
Bench
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 5
97.5 x 4 x 4 sets (215 lbs) RPE 8, 8, 9, 8
Solid pauses. Loving bench tonight
Squat
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 5
102.5 x 8 x 3 sets (226 lbs) RPE- 5, 6, 6
Very nice indeed !!
Bent row
85 x 7 x 4 sets
Pull ups
7 x 3 sets
SS hanging knee raise
12 x 3 sets
I knew tonight was going to be good. I was excited going in and the weights felt lighter than last week. Quality.
Love it when a plan comes together
I bet you do you crazy fool !!
I think the conclusion is that it’s just as effective as three times per week. The optimal part comes into play because the argument is “If less gets the same results then why do more?”
But, that’s for hypertrophy. Strength is a skill and needs to be practiced frequently. Hypertrophy relies on muscle fatigue, but strength is built by accumulating volume in the 80-87% 1RM range.
Your program is solid. Don’t worry about all that optimal crap.
Bench is looking solid! You’ll be repping two plates in your regular workouts soon.
Quality sessions Simo, I should just have followed you for the past year or more, you’ve passed me by miles.
Thankyou for your kind words Mort. I think with you will surprise yourself with the new program you are following. You spend a lot of time doing more hypertrophy based training in a deficit to stay lean, which is different to my eating loose and training for strength. I am certain you will improve quickly on the new program and be back past your old best soon.
Next weeks program has 5 sets of 100 x 4 reps, so getting pretty close to 5 x 5 with 100. I’m still a fair way back from where I was in my 20’s-30’s but starting to feel like I can turn back the clock!!
As if you didn’t round up bench to 1hundo/two biscuits
lol not me mate I always stick with the program !!!
Maybe Simo maybe, it’s early days, weights are light. In about a month I’m going for a 5RM, looking forward to that. That would be the first indicator.
Friday 13th September - week 2
Deadlift
Bar x 10
65 x 5
105 x 3
Belt on
135 x 3
147.5 x 6 x 4 sets. (325 lbs) RPE 6, 6, 6, 7
Felt a little slow on the first set, second was a little better, 3 and 4 were ok
Squat
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 5
105 x 6 x 3 sets RPE 6, 7, 7
Solid but felt a little fatigued. I kept the rest shorter here so that didn’t help.
Bench
Bar x 10
65 x 8
82.5 x 8 x 3 sets RPE 8, 8, 8
No pause just moved fast-ish
Pull ups
Max x 3 sets - 10, 6, 4
SS machine row
3 sets
Short rest
Preacher curl machine - just to pump the guns.
Great little Friday night session. Bring on week 3
Third set of deadlift from tonight’s session
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2WSFgpgWhk/?igshid=1qv05btsw4d6c
Woke feeling pretty good today. Got a decent amount of sleep last night, the misses said I snored like a pig so must have been good.
Upper back is a little tight but the positive is my lower back seems really good.
Smash it Simo! Put the effort in and you’ll be stronger now than in your 20’s
Been a pretty good day today. Gymnastics with the kids this morning, walk to the beach with the kids this arvo and my eldest daughter has a karate grading this evening. I love watching her focus and effort when she has a grading. It’s really motivating for me to see her working hard. Makes me want to be better.
Week 3 of this peaking block. This is the last week before I start some singles and lower rep work. The weight goes up again this week and the volume increases too. This is going to be fun !!!
I have been having some issues with my left hand for a couple of weeks and now my left wrist for about a week. I haven’t wanted to post about it as I figured if I don’t acknowledge it then it might go away (I know… dumb). My fingers have been sore in the knuckles and feel swollen, when I make a fist it is hard to make it really tight. It’s like I am holding an imaginary piece of foam that stops me getting my fingers really tight. The wrist pain which I have had before is just chronic pain. It aches all the time and it’s not worse when pressing or pulling. I am guessing both are some sort of RSI or just middle age.
On a plus note. By me worrying about my fingers and wrist my lower back pain has complete gone away.!!! #winning
Monday 16th week 3
Squat
Bar x 10.
65 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 3
115 x 2
122.5 x 5 x 5 sets (270 lbs)
RPE 8, 8, 9, 9.5, 9 (kept tighter on last set and was better.)
First set was a little slow but still ok. The rest were fine, Got it done but there were a few good mornings towards the end !!
Bench
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 5
92.5 x 7 x 5 sets (204 lbs)
RPE 8, 10 (too long pause on last rep), 8, 9, 10 (last rep went 1/2 way up stopped and then came down !!!
Slight pause getting slighter as the sets went on !!
Bulgarians
25kg (each hand) x 8 x 5 sets
Really wanted to quit these after 2 sets but had coach in my ear saying “do your job”
I fken hate these.
Db bench
35 x 8 x 5 sets (77 lbs)
Ss Db Row
35 x 10 x 3 sets
Moved ok, nice little pump. These gave my wrist a little bit of agro but nothing to cry about.
What a session. I knew this would be tough but I just did 1 set and a time and then 1 rep at a time. Really happy with myself tonight. Not bad for a soft, middle aged dad of three !!
I misread the squats as 5x5x5 and thought shit mate that’s a lot of volume