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Other/Mixed DeFranco's Training Rules for Washed-up Meatheads

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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No thanks, he's still doing meathead BB stuff, LGN is good and all but how much training time do want to devote to 'sit on your butt' exercises?
I'll take strength work geared toward all-terrain use with a little 'vanity' work sprinkled in.
If he incorporated even a little bit of KB work it would be much better, washed up guys have wrecked joints and I don't see much relief for them in this format. JMO
 
No thanks, he's still doing meathead BB stuff, LGN is good and all but how much training time do want to devote to 'sit on your butt' exercises?
I'll take strength work geared toward all-terrain use with a little 'vanity' work sprinkled in.
If he incorporated even a little bit of KB work it would be much better, washed up guys have wrecked joints and I don't see much relief for them in this format. JMO

I would say it's not the tool but the exercise, and on the whole the exercise selection, and at the most important how you train the exercise.
 
If you take the spirit of the program and use the exercise selection and template as a guide it is solid to me. I am biased though because it is similar to how I train.

I don’t know the author but I like Joe DeFranco. Bad a#@ Bicep Builder, Three Way Shoulder Shocker, Three Weeks to a Jacked Upper Back, Agile 8, Limber 11, Westside for Skinny Bastards, etc. Great stuff.
 
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I would say it's not the tool but the exercise, and on the whole the exercise selection, and at the most important how you train the exercise.
Agreed, having been down the BB road a ways I learned quickly (if 10 years is quick) that it wasn't for me, between the roid heads (I experimented too, but was very apprehensive) and wrecked joints I was turned off completely (almost). I have no quarrel with the barbell work, the high rep BB stuff isn't my cup of tea anymore (never was).

My knees and shoulders just got continually worse (in the 80's) so I quit bodybuilding and started MA while maintaining with dumbbell work. Eventually the dumbbells irritated my joints too, and I'm a stickler for proper form. It wasn't until I started with KB work that my joints reversed course, now they feel better than ever, so hence my bias toward them. No disrespect meant to any barbell guys.

It seems as this program is Meathead V 2.0 as it contains many movements geared solely to puffing up muscle, and it's almost exactly the 3 day/wk schedule I followed for years while MA training for 3 days/wk.

Now I'm a kettlebell guy probably for life, maybe some deadlifting in the future but as they say 'to each his own'..
Frankly with my mileage I'm stoked to be where I'm at, not many hard trainers from my era around who aren't physical wrecks.

Edit: There's no mention of LED work either, just a timed 1 mile run on Wed every week.. I don't get it, half these guys are perfect heart attack candidates
 
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It seems as this program is Meathead V 2.0 as it contains many movements geared solely to puffing up muscle, and it's almost exactly the 3 day/wk schedule I followed for years while MA training for 3 days/wk.

That was my impression as well. Dumbell work is a nice transition. Honestly no matter what the age or background you have to ID what you want from the routine and go from there.

Most older lifters have plenty of myonuclei from being bigger in the past than they are now, it doesn't take a lot of high intensity to recharge the old muscles.

I can't argue with the BB tone of it, but old joints often don't need more barbell work and they don't need a ton of limit strength work either. Hit the midrange but be mindful of the volume and do more mobility work between. Work the high tension stuff once a week on a rotating basis.

I'd also lean more toward simplified HIT and just concentrate on high quality reps at controlled smooth cadence. Chasing numbers is for people on their first climb up the hill. You've been at it long enough you know when you're getting stronger or not, its more important to feel good.

That said all in all it isn't a bad program frame but I'm not sure if it is really geared toward older meatheads.
 
That said all in all it isn't a bad program frame but I'm not sure if it is really geared toward older meatheads.
Aren't most of us washed up meatheads? I mean, if you've been at it for decades you 're going to be washed up somewhere along the line. Ballistics and pulls have saved me lots of pain, the push part of training is what I think hurts me the most, that's why it constitutes only 20% of what I do, quickly glancing thru the article's training section it struck me as much more pushing than I want to do.
 
It was just the title that got to me. Here's some of my take but actually it could be a good program for somebody.

Agile 8 - Do your frigging foam rolling at home.

Monday finisher - I've done enough complexes, you're always stuck with the weight that's your worst move. Most guys would be lucky to finish that with just the bar.

Wed Max Effort - Squat or deadlift, I don't like deadlifts or cleans over 5 reps. Too much can go wrong. Not that I haven't done 15 rep DL's.
Finisher - timed one mile run. I know what Bret's saying about the heart attack. Most of those guys are gone. Either they're six feet under, haven't seen the gym in a couple decades, or did well and had the money to get the medical work they needed and can do it. I'm thinking of maybe a Tom Platz here.

I don't have a problem really with the Fri. plan other than the order of the exercises.

Most of us could most likely take any program and find something we disagree with. My biased would come from a well know strength coach who's fundamentals I still cling to. If someone used the program and used some humility I think you'd be fine. I mean once you reach washed-up age you should have some humility shouldn't ya? Like I said, I take anything from T-Nation with a grain of salt.
 
@banzaiengr,
I always check in on T Nation to see what's up. My only complaint is that a lot of the articles are about as helpful as reading through a copy of muscle and fitness at the grocery check-out.

Some of them are on a whole other level though, definitely some talent over there.
 
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