Rip And Tear Available FREE on the BoostCamp App
Rip And Tear Spreadsheet (Please Copy, Do Not Request Access)
Rip And Tear (RAT) is a 12 week program focused around high frequency, moderate volume,
high weight Squat, Bench and Deadlift. It is available for free on the BoostCamp app and is the
culmination of several years worth of running prior iterations of the program. This writeup
includes an introduction to the program, and a copy of the complete program guide/FAQ that is
linked on the BoostCamp page. Most of the information in the program guide/FAQ is redundant
with the information in the rest of the write up, but it serves as a better quick reference source if
you need it later, or a more condensed list of pertinent information if you do not want to read the
rest of the write up.
Features of the Program:
RAT is a 4-7 day/week program. It includes 3 bench days, 3 squat days, and 2 deadlift days per
week. It covers programming only for these three lifts. All accessory work and the bulk of the
hypertrophy work is up to the user. If you are not comfortable handling this aspect of your
training yet this program is not for you. This program also features work for the same body parts
on back to back days. If you do not have the work capacity or will to do that then this program is
not for you.
RAT is divided into 3 blocks of 4 weeks. Intensity ramps through each block then resets at the
beginning of the next block. The primary mechanism by which intensity is increased is by
increase in weight used. This is coupled with a lowering of reps and increase in sets in most
cases. Weights will reach as high as 90% of 1RM for working sets, and will go no lower than
70%. The highest rep range programmed is 7 reps, the lowest is 1. This is a program where you
will be working with heavy weight. Weights are based off of a true 1RM. Do not use a training
max, do not use an old PR single, pick a weight that you could confidently perform a single for
at the beginning of the program.
Every week, except for the first week each block, features an AMRAP (as many reps as
possible) set for each of the three lifts. These AMRAPs are not used to moderate progression,
progression is locked to your initial 1RM entries. These AMRAPs should be used to push
yourself without fear of inflating future week’s weights. At the same time they are ultimately
optional, all that is required on the final AMRAP set is the minimum reps. You are encouraged to
use your best judgment and regulate yourself as needed. Keyword needed, not wanted. The
final AMRAP of each block is dealer’s choice for weight. This is a chance for you to push for
specific PRs if you so desire.
Only 4 of the days each week include programmed lifts. The remaining 3 are listed as rest or
hypertrophy days. How these days are used is up to you. I recommend at least 1 of these days
be used for upper body hypertrophy work. Ideally a second one be used for extra work on small,
quickly recovering muscles (shoulders, calves, arms, etc). I would not recommend using all
three for lifting, save at least one for full rest. 3 of the programmed days include suggestions for
additional hypertrophy work. You can choose to skip these if wanted, or work a different area.
Again I want to stress that all accessory and hypertrophy work is up to you.
Who/What this Program is for:
This program is designed to give you a framework for your Squat Bench and Dead (SBD) while
leaving you room to still develop yourself through accessory/hypertrophy work. The high
frequency on the SBD lifts and heavier weights will improve your specific strength on heavy
SBD. If this is something you want, then this program might be for you. If you don’t care about
heavy SBD then I hope it goes without saying but this program might not be for you. You should
have a strong competency in these three lifts before attempting this program. If your technique
is inconsistent or if it puts stress on the body in an inappropriate way the high number of sets
will exacerbate these issues, potentially leading to injury. This is not a beginner program, this is
not an ‘intermediate’ program. This is a program for experienced and competent lifters with a
good handle on SBD mechanics.
This program is probably best suited for periods of weight gain. You could potentially run it while
cutting with appropriate moderation of your additional work but it goes against my philosophy on
cutting. I would not suggest running this program back to back. I run a program like this once a
year, and will probably continue to do so for the immediate future. It is a good opportunity to
improve your SBD technique, while still leaving enough room and energy for an effective bulk.
But it’s a very specific kind of stimulus and if you only train in this manner you are leaving a lot
on the table.
If you want to use an appropriate substitute for any of the three lifts you can. A trap bar deadlift
would be fine to swap with the barbell deadlifts. A floor press would be an appropriate swap for
the bench press. A leg press would not be an appropriate substitute for the squats. Etc. This lets
the program be customized for individual preferences and limitations. You do not need to lift
strictly barbell SBD to powerlifting standards for this program to be effective, but again use your
best judgment on substitutions. If you have to ask if something is a reasonable substitute it
probably is not.
Where the program came from:
This program is most heavily inspired by Layne Norton’s PH3. I ran PH3 at the end of 2019 and
2020. I ran it as written in 2019. I ran it with modifications in 2020. I had issues with how PH3
was written, despite being very interested in its core essence. In short, I felt that it was not
suitable as written for the majority of lifters. The only population I thought could effectively keep
up the loads and progression were those with substantial muscle and strength, but limited
experience with lower rep, high weight SBD. Basically a population that was physically equipped
for big lifts but missing the specific technical skill, leading to deflated 1RMs. Granted, this is
exactly who Layne wrote the program for, bodybuilders wanting to get stronger in the
powerlifting movements, so I can’t blame him for that. But I really liked the spirit of the program
and wanted to adapt it for myself and a wider population.
My first set of changes brought it into line a bit, I was not nearly as beaten up at the end of that
run as I was the first, but it still wasn’t quite there. It also did not click with my current philosophy
on bulk programming.
Instead of further tweaking I decided to just take the aspects that I wanted to preserve, high
frequency SBD with big weights, and rebuild from the floor up. I kept the core of the program
(the 3x4 week structure, the split, and the positioning of the AMRAPS) and dumped pretty much
everything else. I changed the percentages, the reps and sets, and removed the AMRAP based
progression scheme. I also drew significant inspiration from Greg Nuckols 28Free Program
Builder, with its weekly progression with more sets of lower reps, as I really enjoyed that set up.
I credit DOOM for the name of the program.
Breakdown of my Most Recent RAT Run:
Accessory/Hypertrophy: I ran 2 additional hypertrophy days, one Upper-body and one Arm
day, as well as a full rest day. I initially took days from John Meadows Gamma Bomb for
hypertrophy but quickly started just performing them how I wanted, using the GB workouts as
inspiration only. On programmed days my additional work would look something like this: 2-3
sets of 2-5 movements, usually super-setted or giant-setted. I did not keep movements
consistent week to week, I performed whatever I felt like each day.
Changes, Choices, and Modifications:
-I started with 585/405/785 S/B/D 1RMs.
-I cut the programmed squats on the squat only day pretty quickly. They did not really mesh well
with how I wanted to run the rest of my hypertrophy leg days and hypertrophy took the priority
over a bit of extra technical practice.
-I skipped the deads on the full SBD day as needed. Sometimes my back was just too fatigued
for my heavy forward lean low bar and deadlifts back to back. I don't really need the technical
practice on deadlifts, and saw little value in forcing uncomfortable clunky reps.
-I took AMRAP sets either to PR or attempted PR, or to the minimum. I reasoned that if I was
not in good enough shape to push for my best I was better off controlling my fatigue so I could
keep up my hypertrophy work.
-At one point I tweaked a knee on failing an off program lift. I skipped one session worth of squat
and dead, then used box squats to just above parallel for the remainder of the program.
-After a 415lb bench PR I felt a small pinch between my pec and my shoulder at the bottom of
heavier bench reps. I subbed in floor presses from this point onwards.
(I want to note that both of these injuries were basically gone in ~2 weeks and had a total impact
of making me use some variations. Stop being terrified of injuries folks. Shit happens when you
are trying hard).
-I did a lot of off program nonsense over the 12 weeks. This seems to have a pretty minimal
negative impact on my training
.
Additional Notes and Thoughts:
During this bulk I consumed ~6,000 calories a day. I cut out my daily 5k rows the first week due
to a head cold and never reintroduced them. I walked 6 miles with my dog most days, with that
being reduced to 3 or 0 miles on very cold days as I realized that I was barely gaining weight
regardless of all the food, so there was little reason to try and expend more energy.
I split my days between home and commercial gym, with the AMRAP days and the the full SBD
day being performed at home and the other three days at the commercial gym.
I felt that every day’s programmed weights were challenging, but doable. Even on a bad day I
could complete my reps if I put my mind to it. On the original program, near the end there was
stuff I just could not do. Even during the first week where I had some very stuffy sinuses and a
very dry throat I managed, including a squat PR.
I think that I did betray my bulk philosophy a bit. My goals should have been primarily on the
hypertrophy work, making sure that I left energy for these sets every day. But there were many
instances where I had the potential to set a squat or deadlift PR and taking that set took the
edge of my subsequent work. All the nonsense work also probably did not help. But ultimately I
wanted to do these things and that is what matters.
I was very happy with how well box squats and floor presses, two movements I had never done
before, slotted in when I needed them. The longer I workout the more I find that no specific
movement is really needed and that expanding your horizons to try new variants and movement
patterns ultimately pays off into similar lifts. I used to throw myself against barbell squat, bench
and deadlift, terrified of any back slide. I kept the same training style and focused on the same
accessory movements. This culminated in my least productive training year plus, where my SBD
total increased 15lbs, or maybe even 10lbs with an arbitrary chip of a squat PR.
It sucked, I was not excited to lift, I was not progressing, I worried that I was just done getting
better. Then I sucked it up and tried a totally different type of program. I was forced to make
more changes to how I worked out by the pandemic. I started trying other variants and goofing
around with nonsense lifts. I took breaks from focusing on barbell SBD and it massively paid off.
Since that plateau I have added almost 200lbs to my total and am confident I have room to
grow on all three of the lifts. I realize I have gone on a bit of a tangent here but I think it is a
valuable perspective. No matter what your goals are, or what you think that they are right now, a
wider scope of training style, movement selection and programming methodology will help you.
It’s good for your original goals, lets you experience new things you didn’t know that you liked
and helps with training longevity, both physically and mentally.
I don’t think anything needs to be changed before I run it next year, which I still plan to do. I am
comfortable changing things as necessary, which means I can adapt to my needs in the moment
anyways. Seeing as this program is directed to experienced lifters, I think that if you run it you
can probably make changes within reason as well. Just take ownership, if you want to change
something make sure you are confident about it. If you aren’t, you probably should not be
modifying your programming.
Results:
Here are all the PRs I set during the course of this run of RAT.
Squat: 465 x 12, 500 x 10, 405 x 20, 525 x 10 Box, 655lb Box
Bench Press: 365 x 4, 415 x 1
Deadlift: 700 x 10, 800 x 3.
Other: 805lb Deadlift 360, 2 x 405lb Deadlift, 330lb Double Steinborn Squat, 365lb Single Leg
Deadlift, 365lb Scott Lift
Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift sets are all (or at least almost all) on program. The other lifts
are side things I was able to do over the course of the program.
RIP AND TEAR
Welcome to the Program Guide for Rip And Tear. This document contains all the information
you need to know to successfully run this program.
Choosing A 1RM:
This program operates off of percentages of a true 1RM, not a Training Max. When choosing a
1RM for this program, pick a 1RM you can confidently hit at the beginning of the program.
Do not choose an all time 1RM PR, do not calculate a 1RM based on a high rep PR set. Pick a
number you could go to the gym right now and do for 1 rep. If you have to choose between a
conservative guess or not, err conservative. The most important sets in this program are
AMRAPs, so a slightly lower 1RM will just result in a few more reps.
Weekly Structure:
This program features 4 days where your main lifts are programmed. The remaining three days,
and what you do after the main lifts, is left up to the user.
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Day 1 - Squat, Bench, Deadlift
Day 2 - Rest or Hypertrophy
Day 3 - Squat, Bench, Lower Body Hypertrophy
Day 4 - Rest or Hypertrophy
Day 5 - Squat, Bench, Upper Body Hypertrophy
Day 6 - Squat, Lower Body Hypertrophy
Day 7- Rest or Hypertrophy
I recommend using at least one of the three days for Upper Body Hypertrophy work.
If you feel this is too much and wish to limit this program to four days you can either add upper
body hypertrophy work to Day 1, or turn one of the two Lower Body Hypertrophy days into a full
body hypertrophy day.
If you wish to run this program for 6 days a week I suggest limiting the sixth day to small, fast
recovering muscles only (calves, shoulders, arms, etc), and avoiding any kind of heavy
compound work, sticking to direct isolation movements.
You can also deviate from the suggested hypertrophy days on the above schedule if you have a
specific reason to do so. All work outside the main Squat, Bench and Deadlift sets is at the
user's discretion.
Who Should Run This Program:
This program will work best for those who do not specifically focus on low rep Squat, Bench and
Deadlift (SBD) full time. It is not an ideal program for a powerlifter. It is designed for those who
primarily train for other disciplines, or those who periodize with different areas in mind each
time, to spend some time with SBD and push for PRs before moving onto other things.
This program does not have a strict strength requirement, but users should have at least
technical consistency with SBD, and be reasonably advanced. Layne Norton suggests at least a
350 Wilks score for your SBD total before starting PH3, which is a major inspiration for this
program, so that is probably a good benchmark.
This program is recommended for use when eating at a caloric surplus or maintenance, but can
be worked into a period of deficit if the 1RMs are kept very conservative and the work on top of
the main lifts is reigned in.
Substituting Movements:
This program will work with any kind of Squat, Bench and Deadlift. If you want to use something
besides Barbell Back Squat, Barbell Bench Press and Barbell Deadlift go for it. All you need is
something in the general family. Squats with a specialty bar are fine, box squats are fine, front
squats are fine, ect. Bench press can be close grip, use a different bar, or even be an overhead
press if you really want. Deadlift could use a trap bar, be off blocks, whatever. Just dont sub in a
lighter weight, more isolation focused movement. Squats should not be replaced with something
like Brazilian Split Squats for example.
How To Choose Accessory/Hypertrophy Work:
As this program is designed for experienced lifters, it assumes a certain level of self awareness
about how you like to handle this area/what works for you. That said, here are some general
suggestions:
Choose additional work that complements your technique on the main lifts. You should identify
what areas are the limiting factor in your main lifts and avoid those on the accessory work. They
are already gassed out, put your energy into the areas that have not been worked to
exhaustion. For example, if you are a posterior chain dominant low bar squatter you probably do
not need to work something like RDLs after your squats, but leg extensions or leg press for your
quads might be a good option. Consider what areas your main lifts are not effectively working
and target those, and do not add more fatigue to those areas most heavily worked by the main
lifts.
Start on the low end of volume. It is very easy to try and add a half dozen exercises after your
main lifts, but this kind of load might catch up with you halfway through the program. The
intensity and difficulty of the main lifts ramps throughout the 12 weeks. Just because your 6
accessory lifts are fine the first week does not mean that they will be fine the 10th. I would start
with 3 movements after the main lifts, and only add more work slowly if you feel you need to. If
you choose to work hypertrophy on days besides the 4 programmed days you could bump this
up to 5 movements on those days.
Try to stick with isolations instead of compounds. If you want to work in heavier compound
accessories limit them to one a day.
Dropping Squat and Dead Volume:
Some users, particularly those with very heavy squats and or deads, might find the loads
prescribed to be overly fatiguing. If you feel that you fall into this category, you can consider
removing the deads on Day 1 and or the squats on Day 6. If you are unsure if you fall into this
category, you probably do not.
Judging AMRAP Intensity:
This program features many AMRAP sets. These AMRAP sets are ultimately at the users
discretion. If you feel the need to hit the minimum on some of them, or otherwise keep the reps
below a true AMRAP, you are free to do so. Again, as an advanced program there is a level of
agency assumed in this regard. You know your body, you know when its time to push on the gas
and when it’s time to tap the breaks a bit. You should push yourself, but some days it is just not
going to be there, and that’s okay.
Injury Risk Mitigation:
Due to the high intensity nature of this program, there is a non-negligible risk of injury. If you feel
like an area is injured, or nearing injury, it is strongly recommended that you reign in any lifts
that aggravate the area. It is acceptable to swap in a SBD variation if it works around the issue,
or to just drop some movements if the problem is unavoidable. You have explicit permission to
take steps to ensure your health, you are not ‘failing’ the program if you do so.
How To Work Rip And Tear Into Long Term Programming:
Rip And Tear can be run as a one off program, or worked into a longer training calendar. I
believe that Rip And Tear is best used as a once a year program if you want to repeat it. This
allows for sufficient time to build up general strength and muscle so that repeat runs can deliver
improvement. Honing your technique won’t do much if you aren't working with more force
production potential than you had last time. At a minimum I would not run Rip And Tear back to
back, place a block of at least 12 weeks in between runs. Optimally, this block would not include
heavy SBD.
Program Costs:
This program is offered for free and will always be free. The app gives the option for tipping on
sessions. Any tips I receive will go directly to a charity of my choice, which is currently my local
Humane Society.
Additional Questions and Concerns:
If there is anything not covered here that you wish to ask about you can feel free to contact me
through Reddit (/u/The_Fatalist) or Instagram (@deadliestlift). Also, if you have feedback on the
program I would very much appreciate it.