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Even Easier Strength: Switching Exercises Every Two Weeks?

Bauer

Bauer

Level 8 Valued Member
Hi there,
Upon rereading Dan Johns article I noticed his emphasis on switching exercise variations every two weeks.

For example:
Press Movement: Change the lifts every two weeks, “Same, but Different.” So flat bench press, incline bench press, and military press can be exchanged for each other after every two-week block
Click to expand...
Source: https://danjohnuniversity.com/essays/even-easier-strength

Does anyone around here acutally do this? I was under the impression that most people just pick 5 lifts and keep going for some time.
 
Bauer said:
Hi there,
Upon rereading Dan Johns article I noticed his emphasis on switching exercise variations every two weeks.

For example:

Source: https://danjohnuniversity.com/essays/even-easier-strength

Does anyone around here acutally do this? I was under the impression that most people just pick 5 lifts and keep going for some time.
Click to expand...
I have just to try it out. I started with standing press, switched to high incline press, low incline press, and finally flat press. For hinging, I started with paused deficit, then deficit, then normal, and finally block pulls.

I honestly have no idea if it actually made a difference in strength. But it did make the sessions more interesting. Since I knew I’d only be doing the lift for 2 weeks, I increased the weight I was using faster than if I had just stuck with the same lift for 4 to 8 weeks.
 
Bauer said:
Hi there,
Upon rereading Dan Johns article I noticed his emphasis on switching exercise variations every two weeks.

For example:

Source: https://danjohnuniversity.com/essays/even-easier-strength

Does anyone around here acutally do this? I was under the impression that most people just pick 5 lifts and keep going for some time.
Click to expand...
I have always preferred to keep the exercises the same to get as much practice as possible. I’ve never been a fan of rotating exercises frequently.

I always preferred changing set and rep schemes first.
 
Bauer said:
Hi there,
Upon rereading Dan Johns article I noticed his emphasis on switching exercise variations every two weeks.

For example:

Source: https://danjohnuniversity.com/essays/even-easier-strength

Does anyone around here acutally do this? I was under the impression that most people just pick 5 lifts and keep going for some time.
Click to expand...
My most used Easy Strength template follows either a two-week rotation (provided I train five days a week) or a three-week one (if I train three times a week, using heavier loads).

Generally speaking, I always combine a lower body exercise, switching back and forth between knee bend and hip hinge variations, plus an upper body push & pull.

Week 1 & 2
  • Back squat.
  • 45ª bent over row.
  • Overhead press.
Week 3 & 4
  • Sumo deadlift.
  • Incline bench press. .
  • Curl (yes, curls).
Week 5 & 6
  • Front squat.
  • Pull up.
  • Bench press.
Week 7 & 8
  • Back squat.
  • Horizontal row.
  • Overhead press.
It goes without saying, this is not intended to be a peaking program. You are not trying to improve your PRs in any particular lift, but to become generally stronger all over.

And it works wonderfully.
 
Bauer said:
Does anyone around here acutally do this? I was under the impression that most people just pick 5 lifts and keep going for some time.
Click to expand...

This might work really well if you had lots of different bars. You could do a lot of very similar lifts that compliment each other well. I think it would work for those people who like to push themselves more.

Some of Dan's followers kind of work out in the RPE of 5-6and the 40 days on the same exercises works great. Others like to RPE of say 7-9 and find themselves getting up near their 5 rep max after 2 weeks.

Swapping bars could keep you going indefinitely. Drop down to 1 plate each fortnight. Then slowly work back up to your normal weight a little at a time or push beyond over 2 weeks. Repeat.
 
Bauer said:
Does anyone around here acutally do this? I was under the impression that most people just pick 5 lifts and keep going for some time.
Click to expand...
I do different squat variants frequently - box squats, Manta Ray squat, wide stance w. safety squat bar or manta ray, squat w. chains, box squat w. chains, overhead squats, etc

This is a meme I made years ago:
gump squats.jpg
 
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