Barbell PTTP five pound or ten pound every second workout jumps?

[guardian7]

I am following the PTTP program in the SF barbell user course right now. You add five pounds per workout, two sets of five. One upper and one lower body lift. I am doing bench and DL. If you feel like you are going to fail a set, you take a day off, reduce the weight 10-15 percent and then restart the cycle. More experienced lifters are advised to take of 20 percent.

My gym only has 2.5 KB plates, so I an increasing by 5KG every 2-3 workouts. In addition, the new reload book makes the case for big jumps in weight. Zonin opens with the story of Jack Reape painting the 2.5 KG plates pink in his US army gym.

Based on Reload and the good results I am having, it would seem like adding 5 KG every 2-3 workouts for DL or Squat would be a better way to go. However, one of the very few problems I have with the workout, is that adding press and bench weight should be done at a different rate than DL and squat. This would equalize the cycles better. When I did 5/3/1 same problem, I found the press hard to progress and made good gains on the DL. I don't mean total weight of course but percentage improvement.

The SFL manual says that PTTP can be used from beginner to intermediate, so it does not seem like it is a total beginner program like starting strength. I am making good gains with a doublebodyweight DL PR. My doubleoverhand working sets of five are where I used to have grip failure before where I would have to switch to a mixed grip, so I don't think it is an issue of a beginner only program.

5 pounds per workout or ten pounds every second or third workout. What do you think? I am thinking the latter is better for Squat and DL.

 

[ShawnM]

Add weight to the press when you feel like you are ready to add weight, I wouldn’t stick to a hard and fast rule there. Make your larger jumps with the deadlift. I looked at the press as a secondary lift with the deadlift getting more of the attention.

 

[guardian7]

Add weight to the press when you feel like you are ready to add weight, I wouldn’t stick to a hard and fast rule there. Make your larger jumps with the deadlift. I looked at the press as a secondary lift with the deadlift getting more of the attention.

I agree. I am taking a bit more of an intuitive approach now that the weight is getting heavier. Trying to own the weight before jumping into hyperspace so to speak. Right now every second workout for the DL and every third workout for the bench seems to be working (5KG). I have failed twice for each so far but still exceeded the previous cycle, so I haven't had to back off to the ladders yet. Very pleased with the program so far.

 

[Timo Keskitalo]

Well, it's really about the percentages... I'll be finishing my experiment this week:

Cycle: (PttP-type slow style lifting in every move except warm up high pull +snatch; 5x"max" + 5x90% for the three big)
1. Mon: SQ +assistance: good mornings and javelin press
2. Tue: BP + DL
3. Thu: SQ + BP
4. Fri: DL +assistance: standing row with db, 1hand and reverse hypers

After some trial and being sick I ended up starting with bench 68% and squat 69%. My squat and especially the bench didn't like at all of this slow movement, but my aim was to build up my body tension. That't why I had to start this low. And I calculate bench from the slow style 110 and not from the two months earlier 115kg "normal style".

I left the deadlift start at around 76% because a 2,5kg raise wasn't going to get me anywhere... and I wanted to focus on deadlift. It's my seventh week in the half way now and the final workouts will be at SQ 86%, BP 86%, DL 85%; which for me seems quite remarkable considering the slow style.. But I'll have to say that I'm not sure I'm going to hit 5 reps anymore.

I can now say that the program works pretty well. I just did some catching up after having a little cold for a week, and then I got caught up by my daughter's birthday party so I had to do 12 workouts in 16 days, finishing 4 workouts in a row. EDIT: All of these workouts were done at minimum of 76% of max./END Another quite remarkable feature of this program. But in the long run this cycle done in 7 days seems to work fine for me.

The right percentage would be around 2%. My deadlift training was a little bit too hard and I had to take the second downstep way down to 76% and take 5kg raises from there, I'll finish with a 2,5kg raise. For squat and bench only one 5kg downstep. But I bummed my 95kg in bench (the program was going to 100 kg which would have been a huge 91%) which means that the last week is another round of 92,5 and 95. I suspect that one reason (but not the only) for the bum is that it was on the third day, after squat.

The optimal starting weight would be somewhere in the region 70-75% depending on how long you want to do this.

To my point: it's about the percentages, to work around 70 - 80+ % of max. In my experience a raise of 2 % works best.

If you have to use the same weight for longer periods I think you'll have to apply a deeper step down at some point. It really helped my deadlift.