Other/Mixed My BuiltStrong Minimalist Experience!

[renegadenate]

Oh, the other thing that I'm positive carried over to my "conditioning" is the fact that I perform my BuiltStrong Minimalist sessions as a Circuit with shorter rest breaks (30-75 seconds) than the plan recommends.

Even with heavy weights, I've been able to do this with no more than 90 seconds of rest.

It definitely pushes your heart and lungs!

Sure, it may not follow StrongFirst recommendations, but I know from experience with myself and my previous coaching clients for 15 years that it works.

 

[renegadenate]

I'm currently on week 3 of my fourth BuiltStrong Minimalist cycle.

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After today's session (Double Kettlebell Presses, Double Kettlebell Front Squats, Weighted Chin-ups), I decided to test my Double Kettlebell Press.

I had a 5RM with double 24kg's at the start of this 8-week cycle.

I did double 26kg's for a 3RM and double 28kg's for a 1RM.

That's 87% of my current body-weight!

I've noticed that BuiltStrong doesn't really increase my 1RM's (I believe the volume is too low on the Heavy lifts to do so).

However, it has increased my 7-15RM's on my Medium and Light exercises.

For example, at the beginning of my first cycle of BuiltStrong Minimalist, I could only perform 10 body-weight Chin-ups. At the end of those 8 weeks, I could do 12.

By the beginning of my third cycle, I was doing Chin-ups with 15lbs of body armor for Ladders of 3-4-7 (now 3-5-8).

Same with Dips. Body-weight for a 15RM for my first cycle to body-weight plus 15lbs of body armor for 15RM for my 3rd and fourth cycles.

 

[mar2safety]

Oh, the other thing that I'm positive carried over to my "conditioning" is the fact that I perform my BuiltStrong Minimalist sessions as a Circuit with shorter rest breaks (30-75 seconds) than the plan recommends.

Even with heavy weights, I've been able to do this with no more than 90 seconds of rest.

I've noticed this too. I just finished week 8 of BTS4 (this is 12 weeks vs. 8 for BTS3). I've been structuring the rest cycles very liberally, giving myself lots of rest between sets. This past week, I was naturally starting some sets with 30 sec less rest than previous weeks.

 

[renegadenate]

I've noticed this too. I just finished week 8 of BTS4 (this is 12 weeks vs. 8 for BTS3). I've been structuring the rest cycles very liberally, giving myself lots of rest between sets. This past week, I was naturally starting some sets with 30 sec less rest than previous weeks.

Niiiiiccceee!

The shorter rest breaks definitely increase your "conditioning" and can lead to more hypertrophy since you need Heavy-ish weights, a lot of Volume, and Density (race the clock!).

 

[mar2safety]

I've noticed that BuiltStrong doesn't really increase my 1RM's (I believe the volume is too low on the Heavy lifts to do so).

However, it has increased my 7-15RM's on my Medium and Light exercises.

If you consider running BTS4 or BTS6, there is another factor to consider. In those programs, with the hinge included, your upper body push and pull are coupled for the three days of the week.
For BTS4 - Sessions A/B/C - the upper body push and pull are A-medium, B-heavy, and C-light
Some sessions are pretty challenging, if the volume of lifts is high for both Push and Pull with 8-11 RM load.

 

[Bauer]

I've noticed that BuiltStrong doesn't really increase my 1RM's (I believe the volume is too low on the Heavy lifts to do so).

However, it has increased my 7-15RM's on my Medium and Light exercises.

Fabio has mentioned somewhere that the heavy volume is more for maintaining than building max strength. Although you will also improve your max reps in the heaviest training zone (although probably more slowly).

 

[renegadenate]

If you consider running BTS4 or BTS6, there is another factor to consider. In those programs, with the hinge included, your upper body push and pull are coupled for the three days of the week.
For BTS4 - Sessions A/B/C - the upper body push and pull are A-medium, B-heavy, and C-light
Some sessions are pretty challenging, if the volume of lifts is high for both Push and Pull with 8-11 RM load.

Yeah, I was looking at that.

I'll be running BTS4, and I'm playing around with what to use for my Medium and Light exercises so I don't get destroyed!

 

[renegadenate]

Fabio has mentioned somewhere that the heavy volume is more for maintaining than building max strength. Although you will also improve your max reps in the heaviest training zone (although probably more slowly).

Definitely more slowly which is why I've routinely increased the volume on my Heavy lifts to get some extra strength work in.

 

[mar2safety]

Fabio has mentioned somewhere that the heavy volume is more for maintaining than building max strength. Although you will also improve your max reps in the heaviest training zone (although probably more slowly).

This may be the case, but in the test week of BTS3 (and BTS4 or BTS6 for that matter), you only test your heavy exercise. I was surprised by this when reading the program pdf. I'm considering adding a 13th week, and using that to test the medium load movements.

The thought being you've at least maintained strength in those heavy lifts. I'm hoping for at least one more rep on each of those heavy movements when I test.

 

[renegadenate]

This may be the case, but in the test week of BTS3 (and BTS4 or BTS6 for that matter), you only test your heavy exercise. I was surprised by this when reading the program pdf. I'm considering adding a 13th week, and using that to test the medium load movements.

The thought being you've at least maintained strength in those heavy lifts. I'm hoping for at least one more rep on each of those heavy movements when I test.

I have used the 9th week of BTS3 to test my Medium and Light exercise RM's before starting a new cycle.

 

[Adachi]

The Step-ups absolutely carried over to work capacity and helped me crush the obstacle course despite ZERO conditioning work in my training for the last few cycles of BuiltStrong Minimalist.

Those step up protocols are no joke. And they're an especially big help for a guy like me with an ankle injury that precludes running.

 

[renegadenate]

Those step up protocols are no joke. And they're an especially big help for a guy like me with an ankle injury that precludes running.

I was definitely surprised!

I'm keep them in my programming for sure.

I've seen them recommended by Mountain Tactical Institute (MTI) in many of their programs for years.

However, the key for me was wearing the body armor and holding a 50lbs Sandbag!

 

[3letterslong]

I was definitely surprised!

I'm keep them in my programming for sure.

I've seen them recommended by Mountain Tactical Institute (MTI) in many of their programs for years.

However, the key for me was wearing the body armor and holding a 50lbs Sandbag!

Those are intense step-ups -- dang! Were you alternating legs or doing them all on one side and then the other?

 

[renegadenate]

Those are intense step-ups -- dang! Were you alternating legs or doing them all on one side and then the other?

The first couple times I did all one leg and then the other (this actually felt easier).

But I wanted it to mimic real-world situations where I'm actually holding a load and stepping up. So I switched to alternating legs. That made it harder from a conditioning perspective.

 

[3letterslong]

The first couple times I did all one leg and then the other (this actually felt easier).

But I wanted it to mimic real-world situations where I'm actually holding a load and stepping up. So I switched to alternating legs. That made it harder from a conditioning perspective.

lol I never would have expected alternating legs would make them harder. I've learned a lot from this thread as I prepare to start some BuiltStrong action!

 

[renegadenate]

Good grief!

Today's session was rough (Week 3, Day 3).

Between the time change (I'm now waking up just before 4am) and testing out a few 20-minute AXE sessions (what else am I going to do at 5am when I'm up at 4am and have to leave for work at 6:30am?), today's BuiltStrong Minimalist session caught up to me (and I'm off today and was able to do it later this morning).

Week 3 is also slightly lower volume in some of my lifts, but that still didn't help.

I had to greatly extend my rest breaks today (highly rare for me).

And my elbows started barking at me after all the weighted Dips on Tuesday.

The 12+ weeks of Dips (body-weight + 15lbs body armor) on the Tough schedule may finally be catching up to me as well.

I picked up BuiltStrong Maximum, so I'm considering moving to that since it offers more variability in volume and I can switch up a few exercises (time to take out the Dips).

So I'm not sure if I'll complete my fourth week of my current 4th cycle of BuiltStrong Minimalist or use next week as a test week for what I would be doing on BTS4.

 

[Bauer]

Week 3 is also slightly lower volume in some of my lifts, but that still didn't help.

Week 3 is very tough in terms of squats, IIRC. High volume early in the process. I remember that it hit me harder than week 7.

 

[renegadenate]

Week 3 is very tough in terms of squats, IIRC. High volume early in the process. I remember that it hit me harder than week 7.

I remember Week 3 hitting me like this during my first cycle but still not as bad as Weeks 6 and 7.

Today was just GRUELING with Weighted Pull-ups, 1-Arm Presses, and those freaking Step-ups with body armor and the Sandbag (and the volume was high today)!

Luckily, I've kept my Squats between the Minimal and Regular schedule, but they are still hard for Ladders of 3-4-7.

Hopefully, I'll be good after 1-2 rest days.

My training weeks begin on Sunday, so I'll figure out whether to complete Week 4 or start testing for BTS4.

 

[mar2safety]

So I'm not sure if I'll complete my fourth week of my current 4th cycle of BuiltStrong Minimalist or use next week as a test week for what I would be doing on BTS4.

I took two full weeks to test for my BTS4 cycle. First week was testing out Heavy exercises, followed by some light work with what I approximated for Medium/Light exercises. Second week I test Medium and Light exercises spread over 4 sessions, 1 session for each movement. BTS4 programming has upper body push/pull coupled together from a H/M/L standpoint, which is different from BTS3. So I wanted to have push/pull tested on separate days.

 

[renegadenate]

I took two full weeks to test for my BTS4 cycle. First week was testing out Heavy exercises, followed by some light work with what I approximated for Medium/Light exercises. Second week I test Medium and Light exercises spread over 4 sessions, 1 session for each movement. BTS4 programming has upper body push/pull coupled together from a H/M/L standpoint, which is different from BTS3. So I wanted to have push/pull tested on separate days.

I'm too impatient to stretch it out over two weeks.

And I'm a glutton for punishment.

I usually test 2-3 exercises in the same session (H, M, L). I'll probably do that over 4 sessions in a week.

I'm still playing around with the BTS4 spreadsheet to see where I want each exercise to fall so the schedule fits my liking.

If I do a H, M, L exercise for all four movement patterns (Press, Pull, Squat, Hinge), then I'll use the Minimal schedule for my first 12-week cycle.

I am also looking at only choosing two exercises (H, L) for the Squat (DKFS, Step-ups) and Hinge (Trap Bar Deadlifts, Glute-Ham Raises) movements to keep my sessions shorter like BuiltStrong Minimalist.