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Strength gains...
- Thread starter Pocket_size
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Pocket_size
New member
Ok cool... started on bodybuilding regeme bout 6 years ago... mostly doing a lot of drop sets training to near failure (3 drops for single exercise)... love super sets too 
Approx 250 reps per workout. Hitting it from all angles combining free weights, bars and machines...
Approx 250 reps per workout. Hitting it from all angles combining free weights, bars and machines...
If you are primarily interested in pursueing maximal strength for a while and give no fuck for hypertrophy/size, do a block of Bulgarian Method or something along those lines. Search these forums there was a thread about it recently.
In my reading, opinion and experience (albeit relatively limited), you need to handle lots of weights at higher percentages for triples doubles and singles. This will develop technique, speed, confidence and maximal strength.
Worked very well for me when I decided to switch from generic bb'ing type stuff to Powerlifting. Did it for a few months, become a much more efficient and technical lifter, now back on 531 to work on base strength.
In my reading, opinion and experience (albeit relatively limited), you need to handle lots of weights at higher percentages for triples doubles and singles. This will develop technique, speed, confidence and maximal strength.
Worked very well for me when I decided to switch from generic bb'ing type stuff to Powerlifting. Did it for a few months, become a much more efficient and technical lifter, now back on 531 to work on base strength.
Pocket_size
New member
Cheers Chisholm...
Bench Polkov
SIR BENCHALOT
No. Not great advice especially when not a weightlifter. The Bulgarian squat program is very sports specific in that it is a squat specialisation routine and geared specifically towards oly lifting protocols. Furthermore it is a program that is meant to takes many months of use before it becomes truly efficient.
Maximal strength is not just built by low rep work, it is also developed through a lot of heavy assistance. You get strong from heavy volume, you get good at heavy maxes from triples to singles.
If you are an oly lifter or have a weak squat then maybe use the bulgarian system, but it an oly specific routine for a reason. Few PL'ers or Strongmen if any use it because they need more than just a super strong squat to succeed.
Bench Polkov
SIR BENCHALOT
0ni
Registered Rustler
A comment on the Bulgarian system.
It works very well, it can work for powerlifting. The key is following the training SYSTEM - it is not a 6 week routine.
Singles do not build strength, reps do. I don't think anyone ever built up a decent amount of strength with singles only and for every guy that has there are hundreds that used reps. Now despite what a load of people on the internet seem to think the Bulgarian system is not just a max single and go home.
You start with low volume and frequency, 3x a week. In these you can just work up to a max but you get in plenty of reps. 5x50%, 4x60%, 3x2x75%, 2x2x85%, 1x90% + singles to max - for example.
You add in sessions like this until you simply can not add sessions any more. Then the top single acts as a PRIMER for the rest of the workout. It is not the workout. Max singles are EASY, do not kid yourself. You work up to your max single, then drop 20kg and do triples until you're done. Then you add 10kg and do doubles until you're done. This will take about 30-45 minutes per exercise if you do it right. The idea is that you do a separate session for each exercise. If you're tight on time and can't do this (IE you have a life) then you train the main exercise hard with the downsets then ramp up to a quick max on the second exercise. The entire workout should only last 60 minutes doing this
Reps build strength, not singles. Why do you think bros in the gym have such good bench presses lol. There is a guy in my gym that 3/4 reps 160kg for sets of 10 after doing the stack on the shoulder press machine for sets of 10 lol. This is serious strength and he got there by doing lots of reps and often
It works very well, it can work for powerlifting. The key is following the training SYSTEM - it is not a 6 week routine.
Singles do not build strength, reps do. I don't think anyone ever built up a decent amount of strength with singles only and for every guy that has there are hundreds that used reps. Now despite what a load of people on the internet seem to think the Bulgarian system is not just a max single and go home.
You start with low volume and frequency, 3x a week. In these you can just work up to a max but you get in plenty of reps. 5x50%, 4x60%, 3x2x75%, 2x2x85%, 1x90% + singles to max - for example.
You add in sessions like this until you simply can not add sessions any more. Then the top single acts as a PRIMER for the rest of the workout. It is not the workout. Max singles are EASY, do not kid yourself. You work up to your max single, then drop 20kg and do triples until you're done. Then you add 10kg and do doubles until you're done. This will take about 30-45 minutes per exercise if you do it right. The idea is that you do a separate session for each exercise. If you're tight on time and can't do this (IE you have a life) then you train the main exercise hard with the downsets then ramp up to a quick max on the second exercise. The entire workout should only last 60 minutes doing this
Reps build strength, not singles. Why do you think bros in the gym have such good bench presses lol. There is a guy in my gym that 3/4 reps 160kg for sets of 10 after doing the stack on the shoulder press machine for sets of 10 lol. This is serious strength and he got there by doing lots of reps and often
I shoulda specified I did not mean the oly Bulgarian program, but rather adapting that methodology to powerlifting, which has been done by John Broz.
IMO for someone relatively lacking in technique, experience and confidence with maximal weights, doing a block of Bulgarian type training can deliver quite large improvements in a short time frame, much moreso than blasting assistance/volume where the inexperienced lifter is going to find recovery tougher, and be limited by technique and confidence @ higher %. On it I was frequently setting new PBs in small increments almost right off the bat, till I started stagnating after a few months (probably mainly because I was generally not in significant calorie surplus/weight gain).
And yes, Bulgarian method isn't about just doing singles and testing 1RM, the idea is to get in plenty of quality triples, then work up to doubles and eventually a heavy single or few to finish the session.
I don't profess to be an expert, just should it worth sharing my personal experience and 2C - in a block of a few months, Bulgarian style training gave me in quite a large increase in my maximal lifts, and that seems to be what the OP is interested in pursuing for the time being?
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Undercover
Kunce in training
You go to the Gym. You lift heavy as fuck for 1-2 hours. You don't walk out till your absolutely shagged. Leave your soul on the bench. You smash a shake when you walk out. Repeat infinity.
jj80
Member
This has pretty much been my program, changing my reps and/or adding sets when I stall. If I feel 'fucking sore' for days afterwards I drop a set. If I just feel 'sore' I guess I did a decent job. I make sure a few sets are at my absolute limit but I dont go to failure. Works so far.
But I am obsessive especially when it comes to optimising things so I tend to over-analyse / ask 100000 questions etc.
Undercover
Kunce in training
Some weeks I find it good to simply just go and workout with no plan (other then to target an area) just make sure you do at least min 3-8 exercises with 3-5 sets. I find these workouts the most beneficial. Listen to your body. Don't waste time or energy on pissy assistance and machine based weights. Worry about them at the end of a workout to make sure you leave exhausted. I also found going 5-6 days is a row it will lesson soreness, after a massive session the next day I will still go and do something, can be anything. Just light-med and enough to get some pump and blood flow. Works really well. Don't let your mind over work the 'lifting side of things' let your body do that and save your mind for working on your nutrition and hours out of the gym.
pumpiniron
New member
Uve plateud Because your body has probly been trained in the same intensity for a while now, training for str isnt the answer> you need to up the intensity of your workouts to make them more grueling to get that oxygen debt, str training will just make you go backwards for pysique gains. Also adding in functional exercises for added intensity will put a different stress on the the body that your muscles arent use to> Results= added growth.
You need to keep pushing urself hard, and that doesnt mean trying to lift more> it means adding more challenges to your muscles> to hammer the fuck out of your body so ur nervous system will be thinking holy fuck, what is happening, then you will start seeying improvements.
You need to keep pushing urself hard, and that doesnt mean trying to lift more> it means adding more challenges to your muscles> to hammer the fuck out of your body so ur nervous system will be thinking holy fuck, what is happening, then you will start seeying improvements.
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wingman
Super M0derator
This imo
Wrong. Keep the bro BB bullshit out of the strength section. Since we are in the strength section intensity means percentage of 1rm lifted.
When in doubt stronger is always the answer.
jj80
Member
Bazz/anyone you ever increased your progress by switching compound exercises? Focussing on front squats after doing back squats for ages? I know you switched off bench but that was more cause of injury... I'm wondering if anyone subscribes to the sometimes toted bodybuilding mantra of alternating your compound exercises.
I've been doing nothing much else but benching/chins/military for about 8 months since I started, I've just persevered, no swapping. If I do anything else it's just for assistance.
The Hamburgler
Spotter Loader
You'll build general strength that way, but not necessarily strength specific to back squats (if that is the end goal as example)
That is not to say front squats won't help build a back squat, but if you do them for 8 weeks or whatever, you probably wouldn't hit a back squat pb the first time you try them again (at least this is what I found when I first tried a Westside approach to rotating exercises)
That is not to say front squats won't help build a back squat, but if you do them for 8 weeks or whatever, you probably wouldn't hit a back squat pb the first time you try them again (at least this is what I found when I first tried a Westside approach to rotating exercises)
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