Table of Contents
Introduction
The Program
Sets, Reps and Percentages
W hat’s W ith the Plus Sign?
Choosing a Training M ax
Lift-Specific M odifications
Over W arm-ups
How to Progress
Full Sam ple Cycle
Dynamic Deloads
Optional 3s Cycle
Training Templates
3 Days a W eek
2 Days a W eek
M ain Lifts
Assistance W ork
Training Philosophy
Train w ith Subm axim al W eights
Practice Perfect Reps
Don’t Miss, Ever
Program for Sustainable Progress
Do More w ith Less
3 4 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 17 Introduction
In late spring of 2011 I was in need of a new training program. I was just coming off
of a 3 month long cut and was feeling weak. I wanted to find a way to get my
strength back up, but I didn’t want to rush it and end up crashing and burning like I
had in the past.
I was sick of hitting walls and accumulating nagging injuries. I was sick of looking at
what I had scheduled for a training session and being afraid of how goddamn heavy
the weight was going to feel. I wanted to find something where scheduled progress
was slow, but where I could run the program almost indefinitely without even
noticing that the weight was getting heavier.
One day I was reading through Chad Wesley Smith’s The Juggernaut Method for the
umpteenth time and noticed a brief mention of a 5x5, 3x5, 1x5 training cycle that
he had used in the past with success. I’d always been a big believer in periodizing
intensity over a cycle, but had never thought to do so by manipulating the number
of sets rather than the number of reps. Sounds like a pretty obvious thing to do
right? I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before, but at the time it opened up a
whole new world of ideas for me.
After a little bit of playing around, I came up with the template that I lay out in this
book. I ran it for 7 cycles without ever having to worry about the weight getting too
heavy or having to deload my training max. I had a competition in December and
PR’d every lift, setting a PR total by 150 pounds without ever lifting more than 85%
of those numbers in the gym.
A couple of people have asked about my programming and I’ve laid it out online a
few times in the past, but I figured it would be cool to package it up in a more
organized way. I don’t pretend to be an expert in strength training (and certainly
not in writing), but hopefully you’ll find something in here to take away and apply to
your own training.
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The Program
This isn’t really a full “program” as much as it is just a progression scheme that can
be applied to any main lift. It’s nothing terribly new or revolutionary and takes a lot
of inspiration from programs like 5/3/1 and The Juggernaut Method.
If you’re a complete beginner, you would probably be better off using a basic linear
progression where you can add weight every workout.
If you’re an advanced lifter, you already know what works for you and you’re
probably not reading this anyways.
If on the other hand you’ve already been lifting for a little while and are looking for
something where you can make some steady, long term progress, then this
program might be a good option for you.
So without further ado...
Sets, Reps and Percentages
The general idea is to work from higher volume/lower intensity to lower
volume/higher intensity over the course of a 4 week cycle, with the last week being
a deload.
Sets
Reps
% Of Training Max
Week 1
5
5+
75%
Week 2
3
5+
80%
Week 3
1
5+
85%
Week 4
3
5
60%
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What’s With the Plus Sign?
In weeks 1-3, the “+” indicates that the final set is done for the scheduled reps or
more. So 5 sets of 5+ reps really means 4 sets of 5 reps, followed by one set of 5 or
more reps. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s done to failure, but if you’re feeling up
to it, this is where you can put in the extra work.
I’ll usually take the reps pretty high on the upper body lifts (sometimes up to 15),
but I tend to cut the lower body lifts off at 10 reps. This helps to keep the reps clean
and also prevents some of the crippling soreness that usually follows squatting a
set of 15.
Shutting it down after the minimum reps is fine once in a while, but hitting the
minimum should always be pretty easy so bang out the extra reps whenever you
can.
Choosing a Training Max
Just like the programs that inspired this one, the percentages are based off of a
training max rather than a true one rep max.
I’ve always liked the 90% approach that Wendler recommends. Just take your
current 1RM for a lift (current as in what you could hit today, which might not be
your all-time best), then multiply it by 90% and that’s your training max.
If you don’t know your 1RM, you can use this formula to get a ballpark idea. Just
take a set of 10 or less that you’ve done in the last couple weeks and plug the
numbers in, where “w” is the weight lifted and “r” is the number of reps performed.
After you’ve got that number, multiply it by 90% and you’re in business.
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Lift-Specific Modifications
It would be wonderful if you could use the exact same sets, reps and percentages
for every lift and have everything just work out, but in my experience that’s usually
just wishful thinking.
I’ve found that the original template works great for squatting and pressing
movements, but some other lifts seem to respond better with a few modifications,
so I’ve included those here.
Deadlift Cycle
I don’t know what it is about the deadlift, but it always seems to be the lift that
needs its own special treatment. I’m guessing it has something to do with each rep
being completely deloaded to the floor and pulled from a dead stop since this
phenomenon seems to affect the Olympic lifts as well.
There’s a few differences here:
1. The number of sets is reduced to three in week 1 and two in week 2.
2. The rep range drops from 5+ to 3+.
3. The percentages all go up 5%.
Sets
Reps
% Of Training Max
Week 1
3
3+
80%
Week 2
2
3+
85%
Week 3
1
3+
90%
Week 4
1
3
65%
This is the lift where I’m most likely to only do the prescribed reps. If you’re going to
go all out, I would recommend leaving a couple more in the tank than usual. I find
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6
that grinding out slow deadlifts really messes up the rest of my training for the next
few days.
Pause Squat Cycle
Incorporating pause squats was seriously the most revolutionary thing I did for my
training since reading Starting Strength. If you struggle with your bar path, keeping
your knees out, or really any other technique issue at all, pause squats will fix it, I
swear.
The way I set them up is pretty similar to the deadlift cycle, with the only difference
being the number of sets in weeks 1 and 2. I like triples on these just because
anything more is really a special kind of torture.
Sets
Reps
% Of Training Max
Week 1
5
3+
80%
Week 2
3
3+
85%
Week 3
1
3+
90%
Week 4
1
3
65%
I use pause squats as an assistance movement, so I don’t usually do more than the
minimum reps. If you were going to use it as a main lift, I would probably push the
reps a little more but still leave a couple in the tank like I mentioned in the deadlift
cycle.
Over Warm-ups
On week 3, I like to warm up to a heavier single before my work set(s). This is
something Paul Carter from Lift-Run-Bang talks about a lot, and I think it’s a great
idea for two reasons:
1. It gets you primed for the actual work set. The weight feels lighter coming
down from the single than it would just going straight to the working
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weight. You feel more confident and can usually bang out more reps than
you would be able to without it.
2. You get some singles practice. I intentionally use the word “practice”
because these singles aren’t meant to create any sort of training effect.
Every athlete who competes in a sport trains, but they also practice. If you’re
a powerlifter, these singles are your practice.
The most important thing here is to make sure that these singles are never hard.
The whole point is to build confidence, not destroy it.
If you’re scheduled to bench 285 for 5+, your whole bench workout could look
something like this:
Bar x 10
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
260 x 1
290 x 1
320 x 1
285 x 9
I recommend warming up to a single that is at most 95-100% of your training max.
Never exceed the training max, save the hard singles for the platform. If you
actually miss one of these singles, you’ve missed the whole point.
How to Progress
After each 4 week cycle, just add some weight to your training max and start over. I
use 5 pound increments for upper body lifts and 10 pounds for lower body. If you
want to add weight slower, go for it.
If you get to a point where you can no longer hit the prescribed reps, just start the
whole thing over again using 90% of your new 1RM.
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Full Sample Cycle
Let’s pretend your current squat max is around 520. The first thing we need to do is
figure out your training max:
520 x 90% = 468
We round that to the nearest 5 pounds, giving us a 470 pound training max. Here’s
what a full cycle could look like:
Week 1
Warm-ups: 135 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 315 x 1
355 x 5
355 x 5
355 x 5
355 x 5
355 x 10
Here the last set was done for 5 or more reps, but cut off at 10, not taken to
absolute failure.
Week 2
Warm-ups: 135 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 315 x 1
375 x 5
375 x 5
375 x 7
Here you weren’t feeling 100% so you only banged out a couple extra reps on the
last set. Not a big deal because you still got the required work in.
Week 3
Warm-ups: 135 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 315 x 1, 365 x 1, 405 x 1, 455 x 1
400 x 9
Here you warmed up to an easy single at 455 first, and then went balls out on the
work set itself.
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Week 4 (Deload)
Warm-ups: 135 x 5, 225 x 5
280 x 5
280 x 5
280 x 5
From here, you would move your training max up to 475 or 480 and start over.
Dynamic Deloads
This is something I’ve only started experimenting with recently, but the idea is to
use the deload weeks to focus on dynamic effort work instead of doing the regular
3x5 @ 60% deload. This gives you a chance to really focus on being explosive, and
also makes the deload a little more interesting if you find the regular setup a little
boring.
Sets
Reps
% Of Training Max
Bench/Press/Squat
5-8
3
60%
Deadlift
12 - 15
1
60%
Some tips:
• Pause everything. Pause squats in the hole, benches on the chest, and
presses on the shoulders.
• Try doing the deadlifts on a 30 second timer.
• The goal is to make the last set faster than the first set. Don’t slack off on the
bar speed.
Bands & Chains
In equipped powerlifting, the idea is that bands and chains mimic the strength
curve in a bench shirt or squat suit, where the weight is lighter at the bottom and
heavier at the top. This doesn’t really make a lot of sense for a raw lifter, because
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when you’re lifting without equipment, the hardest part of the lift is generating that
momentum out of the bottom. Nobody has a weak lockout. If that were true,
nobody would be board pressing more than they press from their chest.
I look at it a bit differently though. The point of dynamic work is to train the body to
move the bar as fast as humanly possible. So what better way to do that than to
make the load get heavier as you lift it, forcing you to push with maximum velocity
out of the bottom in order to ride that momentum as the bar gets heavier on the
way up? I certainly don’t think you need bands or chains for dynamic work, but I
don’t think you’re going to be any worse off if you use them.
I prefer chains because they make a cooler sound.
Optional 3s Cycle
If you are looking to slow the progression down even more, or just like the idea of
playing around with some triples, you can tack this cycle onto the end of every 5s
cycle. This turns each cycle into an 8 week cycle instead of a 4 week cycle.
I always keep the training max the same for the whole 8 weeks on upper body lifts,
but on lower body lifts I like to add 5 pounds at the start of the 3s cycle, and then 5
pounds again when you move on to the next 5s cycle. So you are still adding 10
pounds total every 8 weeks but splitting it in the middle to make the transition a
little smoother.
Sets
Reps
% Of Training Max
Week 5
5
3+
80%
Week 6
3
3+
85%
Week 7
1
3+
90%
Week 8
3
5
60%
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Training Templates
If you’ve already got some ideas about how you’d like to incorporate this sort of
programming into your training, awesome.
If not though, here’s a couple of full templates that I really like. If one of these suits
your fancy, give it a shot.
3 Days a Week
This is my preferred way of training and is the program I used leading up to my last
meet.
Chin-ups
RDLs
Bench
Pause Squat
Rest Day
Assistance
Deadlift
Rest Day
Press
Squat
Day 3
Rest Day
Main Lifts
Day 2
Rest Day
Day 1
Dumbbell Rows
2 Days a Week
I’ve never actually used this setup, but if I only had 2 days per week to train, this is
what I would do.
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Chin-ups
Pause Squats
Rest Day
Dumbbell Rows
RDLs
Rest Day
Assistance
Bench
Deadlift
Rest Day
Press
Squat
Rest Day
Main Lifts
Day 2
Rest Day
Day 1
12
Main Lifts
•
The Press, Squat and Bench follow the base program from the previous
chapter.
•
The Deadlift is done using the modified Deadlift Cycle.
•
The Pause Squats are done using the modified Pause Squat Cycle when used
as a main lift. If you are doing them as assistance on the same day as
deadlifting, I would use the Deadlift Cycle instead so that there’s a little less
total volume.
Assistance Work
•
Chin-ups are done for 3 to 5 sets of 8 to 12 reps. If you can’t get this sort of
volume in using your bodyweight, substitute underhand inverted rows, lat
pull-downs or underhand rack chins.
•
RDLs are done for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. Use a double overhand grip and
no straps.
•
Dumbbell Rows are done for 3 to 5 sets of 10 to 20 reps. I like to pick 3
weights and pyramid up and down like this:
60 x 10
80 x 10
100 x 20
80 x 20
60 x 20
It’s pretty awful but it works really well. Make sure you rest between each set
and don’t use straps.
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Training Philosophy
When I first started lifting, it was all about:
“How strong can I get and how fast can I get there?”
If I’ve learned anything since then, it’s that the “I want it all, and I want it now!”
mindset is the absolute least productive way you can approach your training.
When it comes to actually getting stronger and making real progress, there’s a few
key ideas I believe in.
Train with Submaximal Weights
A lot of people will tell you that to get stronger, you have to focus on lifting in the 35 rep range. That might be one way to do it, but in my experience, it’s certainly not
the best way.
The biggest reason I say that is because of injuries. I can’t remember the number of
times I’ve trained at that 85-90% threshold and ended up with a lumbar strain, or a
bad bout of elbow tendonitis. I’m too lazy to look up the science behind it, but I
know that for me, my joints and tendons just can’t get stronger as fast as the rest of
me can.
The second reason is that when you’re training at that high intensity all of the time
and pushing against that wall, your technique falls apart. Everyone knows that a
max effort single is never going to be perfect. If it was perfect, it wasn’t a max effort
single.
I’ve always had the most success by pushing sets in the 70-80% range, and I believe
this is for a few reasons:
1. You can crush each rep with authority. This builds confidence and makes
training a hell of a lot easier psychologically.
2. If a rep goes bad, it’s a lot less likely to hurt you. If you get forward on a
squat at 90% and have to muscle it up with your lower back, there’s a good
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chance it’s going to set you back a week or two. Getting forward on a squat
at 75% is not nearly as big of a deal.
3. You perform a lot less ugly reps, and a lot more perfect ones. Which leads
me to my next point...
Practice Perfect Reps
When I was a kid, I would spend up to 8 hours a day practicing guitar. The most
important thing my dad ever taught me about playing an instrument was to never
practice anything faster than I could play it without making a mistake. I would never
be able to nail a guitar solo I was learning if I just tried to play along with the record
at full speed over and over again.
But if I slowed it down to half speed and played along without screwing up a single
note, and sped it up a little bit every day, eventually I’d be able to play it at full
speed no problem.
Lifting weights is no different. Spending your time in the gym performing ugly,
grinding reps only builds bad habits. There’s a great quote by Vince Lombardi that
applies here:
“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
You’re not going to become a better squatter by practicing bad squats. Keeping
your real work sets in the 70-80% range is a good way to keep the rep quality high.
Don’t Miss, Ever
The only thing worse than practicing bad lifts in the gym is missing lifts in the gym. If
you’re not going to become a better lifter by practicing bad lifts, you’re definitely not
going to become a better lifter by missing lifts completely.
Don’t attempt singles that you aren’t going to crush, and cut your sets off when you
know you aren’t going to make the next rep. There is no point in attempting a rep
that you know you are going to miss. You get stronger by making lifts, not missing
them.
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If the word “miss” isn’t even a part of your vocabulary, you’re a lot less likely to
worry about it on the platform, where it counts. Confidence is critical in this sport,
and you’re going to have a lot more of it if you didn’t waste any time in the gym
missing lifts.
Bottom line, you should never miss a lift in the gym, ever. If you are missing lifts,
then you are not programming correctly.
Program for Sustainable Progress
When I’m planning my programming, the most important thing I’m thinking is, “how
can I make this work for as long as humanly possible?”
I don’t like hopping from one program to another. I want to find something that I
enjoy, that works, and that will keep working for a long time.
With that in mind, there are a few rules I have when programming for sustainable
progress:
1. Program light. Guys like Jim Wendler, Chad Wesley Smith and Paul Carter
will all tell you the same thing. You need to give yourself some room to run
and build some momentum. You’re not wasting time by starting lighter
than necessary, you’re setting yourself up for success down the road.
2. Program slow. It’s a lot more productive to plan for a 20lb PR and hit a 25lb
PR than it is to plan for a 60lb PR and start missing reps in your second
cycle. You have to be patient and enjoy the ride. Think Tortoise & the Hare
here.
3. Cycle the intensity. The best way I’ve found to do this has been to
manipulate number of sets, rather than the rep range. A set of 5 at 85% one
week and a set of 3 at 90% the next week isn’t really cycling the intensity,
just the weight on the bar. 5 sets of 5 one week at 75% and 3 sets of 5 the
next week at 80% has worked much better for me.
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Do More with Less
I’ve always been a big believer in keeping things as simple as absolutely possible. If I
can accomplish the same goal by doing either less work, or doing it in a less
complicated way, then of course that’s the way I’m going to do it.
1. Focus on compound exercises. Choose the exercises that let you lift the
most weight through the greatest range of motion using the most muscle
mass. Nothing new here.
2. Limit your assistance work. A great quote I first heard from Mike
Tuchscherer: “If you want to squat more, squat more.” I’ve always had great
results sticking to a small number of movements. If I can drive my bench
and press up by benching and pressing, I’m not going to bother with
inclines, floor presses, or dumbbells.
3.
Don’t go heavier than you need to. I’m not saying don’t go heavy, but if
you can get stronger lifting at 70-80%, then why bother training at 90%+?
Always ask yourself, “what’s the least amount of work I can do and still get the
desired training effect?” You’ll suffer a lot less injuries and your recovery is
going to improve as well.
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