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Barbell Ideas For New Training Schedule

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WhiskyTango

WhiskyTango

Level 2 Valued Member
Hello All-
So some of you might remember me from a few months back. I was looking for help with a training schedule with my temporary schedule. Thanks again to all of you that took the time to give me your input, especially you Anna. I have made incredible progress since February and want to keep excelling.
I am back to my normal schedule of 24 hours at work, 48 hours off work. I am a firefighter. I need a program that lets me hit my compound barbell movements every 3rd day and lets me focus on kettlebells, hiking, hills, etc. on my days off of work. The barbell compound movements I do are the low bar squat, the military press, deadlift, and the bench press. I have been staying in the 5 sets of 3-5 reps and working a linear progression with a wavy style. My body tells me when it's time to deload with the weight or volume and it has worked well. I would like some thoughts on a schedule that allows me to hit the big movements every 3rd day and do something like a S&S or RoP on my days off. My goal is to keep getting stronger and also building endurance. I am 50 yrs. old, 5'11 and 212lbs. I have lost 15 lbs since February and that is with running a linear progression so I am feeling good. I would like to lose another 15 lbs. Anyway, thanks for listening and I look forward to your feedback.

My 1RM PRs
DL- 298
SQ- 197
MP- 120
BP- 168 (wasn't consistent with this lift) more focused now.
 
Obviously my concern is over training and 72 hours between lifts. Although I think the recovery time may be beneficial.??
 
Two lifts per lifting day? In the classic split, you would do each lift once a week, or at least only hit each lift heavy once a week.

-S-
 
I'm 48 years old and have found lifting every third day (ie two rest days) to be optimal balance of recovery/frequency if the goal is hypertrophy. I favoured full body workouts alternating different exercises on an A/B/A/B... pattern.

For strength, lifting every second day or even daily produced better results for me but every third day is better than less frequency.
 
Steve Freides said:
Two lifts per lifting day? In the classic split, you would do each lift once a week, or at least only hit each lift heavy once a week.

-S-
Click to expand...

Steve- I would be doing Squats, DL, OHP, and BP every third day, in one workout. On my off days I would be doing something like S&S, hikes, farmers carries, swimming. Does this sound productive?
 
LukeV said:
I'm 48 years old and have found lifting every third day (ie two rest days) to be optimal balance of recovery/frequency if the goal is hypertrophy. I favoured full body workouts alternating different exercises on an A/B/A/B... pattern.

For strength, lifting every second day or even daily produced better results for me but every third day is better than less frequency.
Click to expand...

Luke- I'm keeping the reps at 5 or less and the sets at 5. Never going to failure, so more strength based I believe. I'm planning on doing the same movements that I have been, just all in one workout with 2 days recovery in between. Deadlift, low bar squats, OHP, and BP. on my days out of the gym, kb swings, Turkish Get ups, swimming, hiking, farmers carries, etc. Ya think this can work?
 
I'm trying to find the right combo between strength training every 3rd day and conditioning and recovery on the alternate days.
 
Stronglifts 5x5 (probably the most popular 5x5 program) has six workouts every 14 days and you're looking at six every 18 days. So while that difference is significant I don't think it's significant enough to say your program won't work. You may just need to have more modest expectations.

5x5 is usually presented as a hybrid strength/hypertrophy program and I've known plenty of guys to build plenty of muscle on it. Stronglifts uses alternating workouts A/B/A, B/A/B so maybe just keep an eye on your recovery if doing the same exercises each session but your lower frequency and staying away from failure may take care of that.

Good luck!
 
Something I have used for a long time (and still use sort of) is
A.
1)press 3×5
2)pullup 3×5-10
3)squat 3x5

B.
1)bench 3x5
2)one arm row 3x10-15
3)deadlift 1x5

Just alternate every third day with s&s on the second day. 5 sets of 5 on 4 big lifts sounds very difficult and time consuming.
 
I realize that you are still somewhat in the beginning stage and that basic linear periodization is still working for you, but nevertheless I would recommend you take a serious look at Wendler's 5/3/1. My main reason for this is that I noticed you want to add some conditioning to your program. You have a stressful job and you are 50 (don't worry, so am I, so I feel your pain). I would be concerned with recovery ability. The 5/3/1 plan assumes that regular conditioning will be part of the plan. It relies a lot on autoregulation - that's just a fancy word that means you need to listen to your body. You are already familiar with listening to your body. You can make a 5/3/1 training day as hard or as easy as you want depending on how you feel that day.
 
Garage Guerrilla said:
Sorry, I meant alternate every 4th day with s&s on the 3rd. Something like this- A, rest, s&s, B, rest, s&s, A, rest......
Click to expand...

This is the training schedule I have in mind. I like the idea of trying a Wendler protocol that Mike mentioned with the S&S on one of my off days exactly like you laid out.
What do you guys think of doing all 4 of my moves on the same lifting day and just repeating that workout every time? Just low bar squats, DL, OHP, and BP? I feel like 72 hours of recovery should be enough and S&S should compliment the program well....pepper in some hikes, hills, swimming, etc?? Whaddya all think???
 
MikeTheBear said:
I realize that you are still somewhat in the beginning stage and that basic linear periodization is still working for you, but nevertheless I would recommend you take a serious look at Wendler's 5/3/1. My main reason for this is that I noticed you want to add some conditioning to your program. You have a stressful job and you are 50 (don't worry, so am I, so I feel your pain). I would be concerned with recovery ability. The 5/3/1 plan assumes that regular conditioning will be part of the plan. It relies a lot on autoregulation - that's just a fancy word that means you need to listen to your body. You are already familiar with listening to your body. You can make a 5/3/1 training day as hard or as easy as you want depending on how you feel that day.
Click to expand...

I really like the sound of this Mike, thank you. Looks like the perfect fit for me.
 
Oh also, I have been using an app called Strong to log my workout and I really love it. Tracks everything- volume PRs, 1 rep max calculations, awesome graphs and charts. Very motivating watching that bar go up! It's not free but I feel it is money well spent. I also copy my workouts in a logbook by hand just in case that app crashes! It would really suck losing all of my data, lol.
Anyway, just wanted to share. Thanks again everyone.
 
WT,

Instead of starting a new thread I'll just post in this one that I just noticed. Now, you are going to get tons of advice and some probably much better than I can give, but I'll tell you what I've had the best success with as of the last 3-4 years a far as program setup.

I won a push pull meet at the prison that I work at 2 years ago following this program. Its a 2 days per week program. I pretty much just worked up to 1 top heavy set with maybe a back off set or two. I just stuck with the same weight until I got it for the reps I wanted, no cycling here or there. If I didn't feel my oats, I'd just hit the weight a few singles and call it a day instead of pushing for the PR. I think I would have done much better if I would have followed what I knew at the time, and that is I do much better pushing only 2 big lifts at a time. I should have just kept the squats and military presses light the entire time since I was doing this for a push/pull meet. Not everything has to be progressed at the same time. Just maintain it and when you shift focus you'll be fine.

Week 1

Day 1
Bench Press- Heavy
Squat- Light
assistance work

Day 2
Military Press- Light
Squat- light
Deadlift- Heavy
assistance work

Week 2

Day 1
Bench Press- Light
Squat- Heavy
assistance work

Day 2
Military Press- Heavy
Squat- Light(usually Pause Squats)
assistance work

I've found that I do best with only 2 heavy lifts per week. You can see I also squatted 2x per week. I chose to squat light on my heavy deadlift days because it always seems that I pull much better when I squat before I deadlift. Don't know why and can't explain it, I just know it. I kept the light squats at around 75%of my 1RM for 2-3 sets of 2 reps. I'm someone that does much better deadlifting once every 2 weeks and I usually just worked up to one top heavy set of 3-5 reps on the deadlift once every 2 week. I ended up pulling 500x3 before I switched training gears and ended this program.

Here are some of the lifts that resulted from 3 months of this plan. The close grip bench ended up being a top set of 5 at 300 and 320x3. Didn't film them for whatever reason(too lazy).







 
I should note that I was doing BJJ 2x per week with the program and aerobics 2x per week also. And several of these lifts were done with a nice broke toe hahaha!

 
Jeff Roark said:
WT,

Instead of starting a new thread I'll just post in this one that I just noticed. Now, you are going to get tons of advice and some probably much better than I can give, but I'll tell you what I've had the best success with as of the last 3-4 years a far as program setup.

I won a push pull meet at the prison that I work at 2 years ago following this program. Its a 2 days per week program. I pretty much just worked up to 1 top heavy set with maybe a back off set or two. I just stuck with the same weight until I got it for the reps I wanted, no cycling here or there. If I didn't feel my oats, I'd just hit the weight a few singles and call it a day instead of pushing for the PR. I think I would have done much better if I would have followed what I knew at the time, and that is I do much better pushing only 2 big lifts at a time. I should have just kept the squats and military presses light the entire time since I was doing this for a push/pull meet. Not everything has to be progressed at the same time. Just maintain it and when you shift focus you'll be fine.

Week 1

Day 1
Bench Press- Heavy
Squat- Light
assistance work

Day 2
Military Press- Light
Squat- light
Deadlift- Heavy
assistance work

Week 2

Day 1
Bench Press- Light
Squat- Heavy
assistance work

Day 2
Military Press- Heavy
Squat- Light(usually Pause Squats)
assistance work

I've found that I do best with only 2 heavy lifts per week. You can see I also squatted 2x per week. I chose to squat light on my heavy deadlift days because it always seems that I pull much better when I squat before I deadlift. Don't know why and can't explain it, I just know it. I kept the light squats at around 75%of my 1RM for 2-3 sets of 2 reps. I'm someone that does much better deadlifting once every 2 weeks and I usually just worked up to one top heavy set of 3-5 reps on the deadlift once every 2 week. I ended up pulling 500x3 before I switched training gears and ended this program.

Here are some of the lifts that resulted from 3 months of this plan. The close grip bench ended up being a top set of 5 at 300 and 320x3. Didn't film them for whatever reason(too lazy).







Click to expand...


Jeff- Thank you for taking the time to lay out your program for me. Very solid. I greatly appreciate your feedback. I am going to give this a shot. It sounds great. You have definitely inspired me my friend.
 
WhiskyTango said:
Jeff- Thank you for taking the time to lay out your program for me. Very solid. I greatly appreciate your feedback. I am going to give this a shot. It sounds great. You have definitely inspired me my friend.
Click to expand...

I think it could fit really good with what you do. Also realize that I was doing this to sort of somewhat peak for that push/pull event. You could do whatever you choose as far as reps and sets. Now, yes I did work with sets up to 5 reps on this, but I have to be honest, I absolutely despise 5 reps! and let me assure you I've done enough of them. But for muscle growth and strength, in a normal plan, I get much better gains using 2-3 sets of 6-9 reps total. When I was a kid I found Ted Arcidi's address in and old PowerliftingUSA magazine and I wrote him a letter and he sent me his program and wrote me a nice letter along with and autographed picture. Most of the work was done for 3 sets of 6 reps. It took me from benching around 180lbs to 240lbs in no time. I probably weighed around 135-140lbs at that time and it gave me my first set of stretch marks.

This could also be worked really good with a Bryce Lane type plan. I think I was one of the first to use Bryce Lanes "Have it All" program, and log it online. I'm also the one that coined it the 50/20 program if you may be familiar with that. Steve Freides may have some access to some of old logs as we were on that old board years and years ago. I worked up to some pretty amazing things with it. Time has faded some things memory wise but I think I ended up benching 225lbs for 108 reps in 20 minutes. Some people were pretty stunned with that and asked how I managed it and what reps and sets I used. I told them how I started with 5s and then as I fatigued I started doing 5-2-3 to keep counting easy. Dan John was also on that board and he posted how he loved that idea and that he was going to use it. He has done some really good stuff with it and the folks he trains using other methods.

There is no way I could do it now like I did it then, but in a setup like this I've been thinking how I may start using it again focusing on 2 main lifts and doing a lose version of S&S for the assistance work since I'm getting ready to start training BJJ again after a 3 month lay off due to a knee injury.

Something like this.

Day 1
Clean and Press- 50 reps in 20 minutes- (barbell, dumbbell, or Kettlebell)
S&S

Day 2
Bottom Position Squat- 50 reps in 20 minutes
S&S

You can pick and choose your lifts. The only caveat for me would be the deadlift, I'd do it a bit different and if I chose a heavier pull for day 2 I would probably do Goblet Squats instead of Swings for assistance work. Don't forget that Clean or Snatch Grip High pulls would work great with a 50/20 program too.
 
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