Twice a Week Lifting, Questions

Training
22

Barbell prescription had two schemes for none straight sets: 1 is ramping sets of 5 (or whatever) and when you hit 5 on your top set you put the weight up. Or, the one I prefer is do your top set (once I get 6 I put the weight up) drop 5-10% and do 4 sets of 5. If acheived, weight goes up.

This gives me two ways to measure performance, had the reps on the top set gone up and/or the drop sets improved i.e. less sets or more reps on the last set.

I’m guessing you can alter this for your rep range. Also 531 had many ways of doing this. I.e BBB etc etc etc

As I said, I’m fairly new so I’m happy for this to be shot down.

23

Still waiting on that second reply! :stuck_out_tongue:

Thanks for the tip! This is actually something I was thinking of doing, but don’t know how to implement it very well. With more days to train it’s easier to spread out.

I also like the fact that you said ‘dumbbell’ presses instead of barbell. I always have issues doing barbel exercises with my wrist/elbows/shoulders. No matter what I try, it always bothers me, whereas dumbbells seem to be a lot more comfortable on my joints. But isn’t it harder to progress on a dumbbell only program (as far as pressing goes)?

I also like the idea of the deadlift progression scheme. The rowing part was always accounted for in my training. I always did an equal amount of rowing (compared to pressing) at shoulder height on top of normal rowing like bb rows/cable rows.

One thing that also worked for my delts a lot recently (since pressing was out), was lateral raises. First 3 heavy sets (bit of swinging but really controlling the eccentric), each set I’d do another set right after with a weight I could control without swinging for another 10 reps. Then finishing it of with a pair of 5lbs dumbbells doing 1 and a half reps for as many reps as I could. Noticed a huge difference in my physique after a month.

I would love to see how I could put all of this together in a 2 day program.

Also, how do you progress on those db chest/shoulder presses with ramping sets? Same as deadlifts? Once you hit 4x10 move each dumbbell up in weight to the next?

24

Like @flipcollar said, if full body appeals to you then do it. I prefer a split because I like something somewhat heavy and then pump up what I just worked afterwards. If I was a beginner trying to get stronger, I’d bench/pull one day and bench/squat the second day. It really just depends on what you prefer and what your goals are.

25

Ok I’ve given this a bit of thought and have come up with a possible split with the parameters you’ve stated.

Day 1

Warm-up: superset 2 x 15 face pulls w/ 2 x 15-20 back raises, light stretching

Deadlift: 1 x 10, 1 x 7, 4 x 2-3, 1 x AMRAP, Rest 120-180 seconds between working sets.
Notes - Add 15-30 pounds between the work sets. Start light. When you’re able to do 4x3, increase each work set 10-20 pounds.

Incline dumbbell bench press: 1 x 10 very light, 1 x 8 light, 3 x 6-8, 1xAMRAP pushups for burnout. For DB weights, use ramping, reverse pyramid, or medium-heavy-medium pyramid, if the first two warm-up sets weren’t enough.
For example, this could be 10x30, 8x40, 8x45, 8x50, 6x55.
Notes - If you only get 6 reps at one weight, drop 5 pounds for the next set. Gains from dumbbell bench press come from volume more than weight. You’ve made good progress if your three working sets go from 8,7,6 reps to 10,9,8.

Rows (your choice): 5 x 6-8, 1xAMRAP light dumbbell row for burnout.
Notes - increase weights 10 pounds per set if cable or plate-loaded machine rows or 5 pounds/dumbbell if dumbbell rows. On the AMRAP burnout, choose a light weight. When you do 20 reps/arm, increase by 5 pounds.

Lunges and delt flyes: 3 x 12-15 lunges, 3 x 15-20 flyes, 3 supersets w/ 60 seconds rest between rounds.
Notes - do whichever type of lunge you like best; my knees feel best with reverse or walking lunges. When you do 3x15, add enough weight so you’re back to 3x12. With flyes, do Paul Carter’s 3 x 50 method, keeping count of total reps for the three sets, aiming to get 50 then increasing the weight.

Barbell curls and triceps cable pressdowns: 3 x 6-8 curls, 3 x 15-20 cable pressdowns, same as lunges and flyes.

If you need to cut down exercises/volume/save time, drop one set from each of the assistance lifts or superset the rows and incline presses, resting 60 seconds between each exercise.

Day 2

Warm-up: 5 minutes bike, 10 light reps DB curls/extensions/flyes/OH press, 10-12 band pull-aparts between each dumbbell set.

Squats: 1 x 15 w/ bar, 1 x 12, 1 x 8, 4 x 6, ramping each set 10-20 pounds.
Notes - it sounds like you know how to squat effectively, so go for it. A final burnout set of something light (aim for 20 reps) builds stamina and, I believe, indirectly stimulates full-body muscle growth.

Shoulder press: 4 x 8-12, dumbbells, 1 arm at a time, neutral grip.
Notes - increase each set 5-10 pounds. When you can do 12 reps for all 4 sets, increase each set by 5 pounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if your shoulders get feeling better from these.

Pullups or pulldowns: 4 x 8-10. It sounds like you’re well-versed in back exercises.

Pushups and rear delt flyes: 3 x 15+ pushups, 3 x 12-15 rear delt flyes, body weight pushups, superset with 60 seconds between rounds.

Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts: 3 x 15-20, Paul Carter’s 3x50 method.

Dumbbell curls: 3 x 10.

For all 3x50 exercises, use the same weight for all three sets of that exercise, ie 10 pounds on the delt raise for all three sets.

3 Likes
26

That actually looks pretty awesome! Never met anyone that asked specific questions to tailor a program to my likings and needs.

I will definitely try out this program and I like the different progression methods, this has always been something that I’ve never been sure of. The 50 rep thing is new to me, rather than just doing a simple double progression which made me plateau. The ramping sets also appeal to me and I wasn’t sure on how to execute them.

My PT advised me to lay off from the shoulder exercises, bit I’ve heard that doing shoulder exercises (the right way) might actually help my shoulder.

The only thing I’m unsure of is the push-ups, these tend to bother my shoulder more than anything. Any tips on those?

27

Hey man, just wanted to let you know I tried the first workout today. I like how it was put together, all of it. It made me realise that my posterior chain has two very weak links, my glutes and my upper back. And that my hamstrings and lower back are very tight. The trap bar DL will certainly help strengthen that, aswel as the lunges… They kicked my ass today, quite literally actually.

Other than that, looking forward to the second workout. Also liking the 50 rep scheme, those exercises really lend themselves for higher reps, my triceps have never felt this pumped and my elbow was very grateful. Thanks again!

1 Like
28

Paul Carter’s 350 is not 3 sets of 50.
It’s “Three sets of as many as possible with 2 minutes rest between sets, until you get 50 reps”. Per Paul Carter “Lift, Run, Bang”, January 2, 2013.
Just so you know.

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29

Yes, I knew since he mentioned 15-20 reps/set

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30

Yep, I explained that in the workout schedule. Thanks for clarifying.

31

You’re welcome, and I’m glad to help!

You asked about pushups, since they bother your shoulders. You can drop them and do decline, flat, or low incline bench dumbbell presses instead, 3 x 12-15. I wrote in pushups because they’re the upper body pushing exercise that bothers my shoulder the least. Doing DB presses at a different angle and for higher reps provides a slightly different chest stimulus. You could also do incline DB presses again, but for higher reps.

I’m glad you’re able to identify areas of weakness and bring them up! That’ll help you build muscle and increase total strength.

32

You mentionedned identifying posterior chain weakness. The 3x50 dumbbell Romanian deadlifts will help with that, and especially so if you’re using the right form.

For years, I would do RDLs mostly as a forward bend from the waist, overly using my lower back. I didn’t understand proper hinge movement until I read an article from Dan John here on T-Nation that explains the hinge and how to groove the pattern. From the article, here’s his method to teach yourself how to hinge:

"So, first we pattern using the wall drill:

  1. Stand next to a wall facing away. Hinge so your butt touches the wall. Step about six inches from the wall and repeat the butt touch.
  2. Now, simply move an inch or two more and repeat. Keep doing this: touch the wall and scoot out a little more."

By “hinge”, he means push your butt back so it touches the wall behind you, while keeping your shoulders from moving too far forward past your knees. Think of turning a door hinge so the hinge part itself is parallel to the floor. Move the hinge back so the edges of the top and bottom pieces are nearly aligned if you were to draw a straight line up and down between them. The hinge moves backwards - that’s the equivalent of your hips moving back.

After reading that article and using Dan John’s method, my hinging radically improved. I recommend doing the patterning test before your next workout, so the RDLs properly work your posterior chain and don’t overly tax your lower back.

Here’s a link to the article:

33

Sorry, fellas, I missed that part.

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34

No worries! There’s a HUGE difference between 3x50 and 3 for 50 total, so your concern was justified.

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35

You should definitely listen to them over random internet people, but things you should avoid now, may not be things you need to avoid forever. Not sure on exactly how your shoulder is f-ed up, but it’s worth going back to try things every 3 or 6 months sometimes to see what you can handle as you recover. I don’t think it’s ever worth pushing through on these, just coming back from time to time as your shoulder structure is sort of recalibrated.

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36

Have you tried plate raises? These tend to be easy on shoulders compared to vertical barbell pressing. Something like 5x10 with a 45 lb bumper plate works well. Super set them with band pull aparts or face pulls, and you get a nice shoulder/upper back workout that also seems to help with healing the shoulders.

If push ups bother your shoulder, I’d lay off them. What I’ve found is that even if the pain is fairly minimal and you push through, the tendency is to over-compensate elsewhere and you end with another issue. That said, you might want to try push up stands, which change your grip but also the movement itself to some extent. For some reason, when I’ve had nagging shoulder or wrist pains, push ups on these were often still pain-free.