Squat
5 x 5
Bench
3 x 5
2 x 6 (90% of the weight I used for the 3 x 5 sets)
1 x 8 (80% of the weight I used for the 3 x 5 sets)
Assistance work:
Barbell Row
5 x 5
DB Curls
Adductor Machine
Tuesday
Assistance work:
Power Cleans
singles, still need to nail the technique, I'm getting there
Dips
Three week cycle;
in week 1: work up to 3 x 8
in week 2: work up to a top set of 5
in week 3: work up to a top set of 3
The cycle is good because it allows me to get strong in different rep ranges. If you're just starting out with weighted dips better to stick to 3x5 first until that stops working. I'll explain the cycle in more detail at the end of the post.
Wednesday
Light Front Squat (80% of the 5x5 squat weight on Monday)
3 x 3
Incline Bench Press
Might be with a barbell or dumbbells, depends how I feel, the point is to keep it light
Pull-ups
Three week cycle;
in week 1: work up to 3 x 8
in week 2: work up to a top set of 5
in week 3: work up to a top set of 3
The cycle is good because it allows me to get strong in different rep ranges. If you're just starting out with weighted pull-ups better to stick to 3x5 first until that stops working.
Friday
Squat
1 x 3
Press
6 x 3
Deadlift
2 x 4
2 x 5 (90% of the weight I used on the 2 x 4 sets)
2 x 6 (80% of the weight I used on the 2 x 4 sets)
Saturday
Conditioning (not too intense, but enough to maintain a good level of conditioning for general health)
There isn't really a right or wrong when making a routine, however its the principles behind the program which make it effective.
- Are the staple movements the main compound lifts (squat, bench, press, deadlift)?
- Does it aim to make you stronger?
- Is there enough volume?
- Is the workload stressful enough? Can you recover from it?
- Will it help you achieve your goals?
- Is it easy to modify if an aspect of it does not work well for you?
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Why is Monday's squat 5x5, Wednesday's squat light and Friday's squat 1 x 3?
It's based on a template known as the Texas Method which is an intermediate program. Monday is your volume day (5x5), Wednesday is your light day and Friday is your Intensity day (you start out with 1 x 5 but I've exhausted that so I'm doing 1 x 3 now). The point is to handle a medium weight on Monday that is stressful enough (that you can still recover from it) and be able to handle heavy weights on Friday. For example last week I squatted 147.5kg for 5 x 5 on Monday and 185kg x 3 on Friday. The light day on Wednesday gives you a mental and physical break, and should leave you feeling refreshed and ready for Friday's Intensity day session. It's a good way of training if SL5x5 or Starting Strength doesn't work for you anymore, because you can no longer recover from squatting heavy every session (because the weights stress your body too much). You will need to experiment as to how much volume on Monday is enough however. A good way to treat Monday's session is to keep the weight the same for three weeks before increasing the weight. This ensures that volume day doesn't get too demanding too quickly.
Why do you only bench and press once a week?
If I followed the Texas method for the pressing movements also, it would go:
Week 1:
Monday
Bench 5 x 5
Wednesday
Light Press
Friday
Bench 1 x 5
Week 2:
Monday
Press 5 x 5
Wednesday
Light Bench
Friday Press 1 x 5
I don't like the idea of only benching or pressing heavy every 2 weeks since it alternates in the Texas Method. And I respond well to volume anyway so the way I've set it up should work well for me. Bare in mind I'm also doing dips and the light incline bench, so I'm really doing a press movement 4 times a week.
Why so many sets for the deadlift?
I've reached a stage where that's simply how much volume I need in order to make progress. 1 x 5 like in SL5x5 or Starting Strength just wasn't enough anymore. The higher volume is awesome, my back is dense as hell now and more muscular.
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The three week cycle:
Week 1:
25% x 8
45% x 8
55% 3 x 8
Week 2:
25% x 5
50% x 5
60% x 5
70% x 5
80% x 5
Week 3:
25% x 5
50% x 5
75% x 3
90% x 3
100% x 3
Basically you pick a weight you want to hit for 3 reps in the third week, then back-calculate all the other weights. You might aim too high the first time but after doing 1 cycle you'll know how to pick a suitable number. You should only train this way if you can do pullups with 40kg or do dips with 40kg strapped on, its a good way to keep making progress as well as get strong in different rep ranges.
