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Critique this program

dave

Anonymous User
If you would like to have a review and critique (rip into it i would like all opinions) please read on:

Program goes for 3 weeks then 1 week deload and repeat.

Program is designed for strength gain in Deadlift, Squat, Upper Pull and Upper Push. 4 day a week program, 1 day dedicated to each lift so substitute either squat, bench/military press or row/chins for deadlift to get the other days.

Accessory exercises are swapped to be different from the lift of focus for that day. ie lunge on deads day, hip thrusters or romanian deads on squat day etc. 2-3 reps are left in the tank for these exercises.

Days go: Mon: Deads Tue: Upper Push Thu: Squat Fri: Upper Pull

Example: Deadlift Day

Warmup: Mobility exercises

Core and Rehab Circuit: 2 sets of each 30 seconds rest between sets
Plank, Rev. DB Flye, Side Plank, External Rotations

Accessory Exercises: 3 sets of 10. 2-3 reps left in tank.
Lunge, Chins, DB Press

Main Lift: 3 week progression shown
Deadlift Week 1
Sets Reps Intensity
1 6 70.00%1RM
1 5 75.00%
1 4 80.00%
1 3 85.00%
1 2 90.00%

Deadlift Week 2
Sets Reps Intensity
1 5 75.00%1RM
1 4 80.00%
1 4 80.00%
1 3 85.00%
1 2 90.00%
1 2 90.00%

Deadlift Week 3
Sets Reps Intensity
1 5 80.00%1RM
1 4 85.00%
1 4 85.00%
1 3 90.00%
1 2 95.00%
1 1 95.00%
1 1 95.00%
 
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Hmmmm interesting. Many people (myself included) will question why you're not squatting in every session. Is this a program you put together yourself, with somebody? Saw & thought you'd run it?
 
My own program. Lunges would be swapped for single leg squats (which i used to be able to do but at the moment can not). I use lunges a knee stability exercise as well as an accessory lift. I would use squats more often but for now having more stable knees is an important goal for the next 6 months. Thanks for looking through it though. Any other thoughts.
 
What is your training xp? Are you novice(tri weekly progression) or an intermediate(weekly progression). If you're the former, that's way too much DL volume. Also, more squats.
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Post up your current 1rm on all lifts. Bench, squat, dead, overhead strict press. Your age, weight and time spent training.

Just quickly assistance work should be for the major lift done on the day, and it should be done after the major lift. Ie, lunges/front squats after squats, ect.
 
I think swapping the main lift for each session around with the accessory exercise is a good idea, for some reason did not think of hitting them first.

The accessory lifts are lower intensity with moderate volume and designed for more frequency of training. They are not technically 'assistance lifts' but I was thinking they may have too much overall volume for the entire week.

I might swap these for assistance work but I do not like training upper pull or push movements only once per week so I may have to add in some upper pulls with the dead and upper push work with the lifts. As I stated above I believe in frequency of lifting and once a week is too low.

This would then be core and rehab, then Deads with assistance work (hip thrusters, romanian deads, etc) plus row. Basically a pulling workout (lower body focus) followed by a pushing workout (upper body focus) and vice versa for the following two sessions.
 
Answer the questions in my post.

Your last post simply told me you're too into the theory. More lifting, less reading. A little knowledge is a dangerous things.

Answer my questions and Ill help with your program.
 
DL 160Kg, Sq 130Kg. bench and military dont know as i have been rehabbing a shoulder injury but i'm ready for them now so ill have to test them out, I can see an embarrassing result coming out.
 
Your still very much a novice lifter, not having achieved what I consider intermediate lifts of 180/140/100kg in the dead/sq/bp.

The sole purpose I set these numbers is to ensure a lifter trains correctly for his current status.

We have had great success using this system, we even have 5-6 lifters in the next stage of 220/180/140kg level, all lifts done raw.

Now what does that have to do with your program? In my opinion you will best be served by a full body 3xweek program until you have achieved these numbers.

Thats how I treat my lifters and its worked pretty good so far, with lifters weighing under 70kg managing this in very quick time using the full body workout.

With a 160 dead and 130 squat, you need not worry about assistance exercises yet, just squat and pull.

Thats the best advice I can give you Dave, unless you weigh 44kg, then you have done damn well.

You can see Nicks lift in his sig, same rules applied to him when he started at PTC, look at his lifts now. From memory he was doing 160/130/100 now its 260/220/150, so we know it works. Time frame is 2 years with some breaks for holidays and injuries.
 
This was kind of a theoretical program for design purposes. That's why I wanted some ripping into it, it was a draft and I was going to work on it for a few months till it's good, your obserations about bein into the theory were right NPR but that's because I am training otherways while working in this.. I am actually training full body at the moment 3 times a week. Deads, squats, rows. No Upper pushing due to the shoulder but that was going to start in about a months time. Thanks for the info though guys. If you want to rip into it thinking I can lift 180/140/100 or more (I don't mind pretending :) ) that would be great.
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Full body 3 times a week is the way to go

Squat, miltary press, deads or stiff leg deads, bench, chins, dips. Or break it into two workouts and train each twice a week, 4 workouts total.
 
Chuck in some rows to those exercises and that is basically what I an doing at moment. Anyways I was not asking for whether it suits me at the moment. It was a theoretical program creation for later. That's why I wanted anyone to go through it and come up with any flaws like how you pointed out the main lift being last instead of first. It was just a draft I am working on.
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Well if it aint broke......

Personally I like training 1-2 main lifts per session and then doing assistance exercises for that lift.

My training currently looks like this

Saturday
Squats
Good mornings
Speed bench with some heavy stuff when I start to loose speed
chins and dips, high reps

Monday
Squat
front squats, stiff leg deads
Military press

Wednesday
Deadlifts
Stiff leg deads
Heavy bench
chins and dips, high reps

Friday
Free session, whatever i like.
Usually powercleans, high pulls, hill sprints.
 
Still a novice by far. Listen to PTC and go do starting strength Until you exhaust novice linear progression. And yes, 20 reps for DL is toomich volume. Ss calls for 1 set of five three times a fortnight. That averages out to like 7.something reps per week. 20 is way too much and actually counter productive.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
20 reps is not too much volume for deads, as long as you can recover.

I have done 55 reps with 180kg in a single session.
 
If he was doing SS, which he should be, then anything over 1x5 would be counter productive. I do 1x5 and add 5kg a workout. When that slows, I won't increase volume- that's not the limiting factor- I'll break it up into rack pulls and to the knee DLs to improve my recov. Your statement is true but if he's doing a proper 3 day split then anything over 5 for 1 won't be optimal. Hope that clarified my point
Posted via Mobile Device
 
there's nothing magical about the practice of a single set of 5 reps. The deadlit is possibly the most taxing exercise since it's starting from a complete stand still, ending with the lowering of the weight safely to the ground. It works pretty much every muscle, the glutes, hamstrings, quads, delts, traps, triceps, biceps...your nut's if your really lifting hard!
 
Well, PTC is a tiny garage gym, and we deadlift a lot more than that, and we have 49 lifters pull 200kg raw, with a best of 273.5kg.

Starting Strength is a net based training forum, PTC is gym based, massive difference.

Rippetoe is a brilliant trainer, but his programs are generic, he cant monitor each lifter, I can, his lifters are off in internet land, mine are in my garage, so I have a massive advantage.

I dont speak on theories, just on real world results, not for one lifter (myself) but 100.

Most guys simply refer to their own experiences, I have the advantage on speaking on many.

Its like that little fag at Weaklifts, gets offended when somebody produces better results in 5% of the time, so he bans you so you cant spread the word.

Internet based training forums are crap. Results come from gym based, like elite fitness etc.

Nicks advice was spot on Dave.
 
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