April 2024
Programs
Power Training
My first introduction to ExRx - though I didn’t know the source at the time - my high school strength training program was a bit chaotic. That said, it left room for lots of exploration, and I had a lot of fun doing it.
These same resources were also used in my early college fitness course, so I suspect it’s somewhat of a pillar for physical education instructors. ExRx certainly taught me a lot later on.
- Core lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift), followed by various accessory movements assigned by our instructor
- 8-12 rep range targets
- Monthly progression
- Documented in an ExRx template
HIST
3 day, full body, high intensity strength training (HIST).
This program was developed by Bob Pagoria to reintroduce me to strength training, with an emphasis on full body hypertrophy.
Cycle:
- 1 set per exercise, near/to failure, with minimal rest in between.
- In theory, multiple cycles could be completed, though it would be with diminishing returns.
| Exercise | Notes |
|---|---|
| Leg Extensions | |
| Back Squat | Smith machine |
| Lying Neck Press | Smith machine; forearms parallel with my ears |
| DB Incline Bench | |
| Seated Pulldowns | |
| Seated Rows | |
| DB Seated OHP | |
| DB Lateral Raises | |
| Lying Narrow Grip Bench | |
| Tricep Pushdowns | |
| DB Seated Curls | |
| Cable Curls | |
| Crunches (2 sets) | |
| Walk | 10 minutes of light cardio |
Anecdote: I remember nearly vomiting near the end of the first session. It was a stark reminder of the atrophy my body experienced over the years. But I was able to finish the cycle later that week, and I experienced physical gains and strength progression week-to-week, which was very motivating.
Summary: This program is a good introduction to bodybuilding and cardio training. It’s effective, efficient, and intense, but it was ultimately unsustainable (for me).
nSuns
4 day, linear progression, with an emphasis on hypertrophy volume.
While I started with this program, it was inspired by 5/3/1. You can read more about it here: Lift Vault: Nsuns 531 Program Guide.
If you happen to be reading this with the intent of starting to lift, I highly recommend starting with 5/3/1. This program emphasizes additional volume, supplementary movements, accessories, and resistance band training to expedite powerlifting progression (weekly rather than monthly progression), increase muscle size, and strengthen stabilizers. While effective for new lifters, it has a higher learning curve and requires a stronger understanding of form, nutrition, and recovery in order to sustain it and avoid burnout or injuries.
Cycle:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench press Overhead press |
Back squat Sumo deadlift |
Bench press Close grip bench press |
Conventional deadlift Front squat |
- Week 1: 9 sets of primary lift, followed by 8 sets of supplementary lift
- Days 2-4 have a 1+ set used to gauge progression readiness (do 1 or more reps)
- Assistance worka
- Week 2: Update weight and repeat
Anecdote: There were days when I would wake up full of stress about whether or not I would be able to lift my goal weight later that day. That was an import signal for me that this program was not compatible with my lifestyle and ultimately sustainable for my training.
Summary: Building on the foundation of 5/3/1, this weekly-progression powerbuilding program is highly effective short-term, but I found it very difficult to recover from, especially as my lift weights (1RM) increased. Depending on your energy and efficiency, each session can also take a long time to complete (1-2+ hours).
5/3/1
4 day, linear progression, with an emphasis on slow and stready powerlifting progression.
I used this program to reach my goal of lifting 1,000lbs across squat, bench press, and deadlift. You can read more about it here: T-Nation | 5/3/1: How to Build Pure Strength. There are also many variations of this program to meet different goals. Here are some examples:
- Boring But Big to add hypertrophy to 531.
- Building The Monolith if you hate yourself.
- First Set Last if you want additional volume, similar to nSuns.
The program uses percentages of the lifter’s 1 repetition maximum (1RM) weight for a given lift. Each week, the lifter uses different weight based on those percentages and attempts to lift more than the prescribed number of reps on the final set, which serves as an indicator for whether they are ready to increase that weight at the end of the cycle (linear progression).
Cycle:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead press | Back squat | Bench press | Deadlift |
- Each day starts with warmup sets of 5 at 40%, 50%, and 60%
- Week 1: 3 sets of 5 reps at 70%, 80%, and 90% of 1RM
- Trying to do 5 or more reps on the final set (5+)
- Week 2: 3 sets of 3 reps at 75%, 85%, and 95% of 1RM
- Trying to do 3 or more reps on the final set (3+)
- Week 3: 3 sets of 5, 3, and 1 reps at 80%, 90%, and 100% of 1RM
- Trying to do 1 or more reps on the final set (1+)
- Week 4: Deload/warmup sets of 5 at 40%, 50%, and 60%
- If a deload isn’t necessary, you can restart the cycle at Week 1 and increase weight if the Week 3 final set was exceeded in the cycle prior.
Summary: This is a simple and effective monthly-progression powerlifting program with many different variations to keep things fresh and tack on additional goals, like size, athleticism, etc. It’s also efficient, targeting effective working sets with minimal “junk” volume, if any (though that also depends on the 531 variation you choose to use).
Powerbuilding Exploration
After reaching my 1k goal, I started exploring new ways to train. We’d recently had our first child, and my training regimen was difficult to maintain admidst the lack of sleep and competing priorities for my time and energy. I was also approaching 30 and recovery was starting to become a limiting factor day-to-day and week-to-week.
The concept of powerbuilding appealed to me - combining powerlifting movements with bodybuilding training structures and additional movements to target aesthetic goals. I also wanted to explore goals beyond strength and hypertrophy training, such as athleticism and aerobics, to help me keep up with my kid(s). I tried various 5/3/1 variations and then tried a few new programs:
- ExRx
- This site taught me a lot about the muscles I was trying to train
- Their exercise and muscle directories served as excellent resources when I eventually started designing my own programs
- PHAT
- Reddit PPL
Ultimately I decided to build my own program to fit my lifestyle and goals. This took over a year, and my progression was definitely impacted by the program bouncing and goal-switching, but I am so happy with where I landed, as its allowed me to steadily improve my strength, size, and leaves me recovered to work on other goals, like weight loss, cardio, work, home projects, and playtime with my family.
5/8/10
4 Day Double Progression, with an emphasis on variation and recovery.
This is my current program, a culmination of various attempts to incorporate my previous powerlifting goals with higher-rep strength training and hypertrophy. It’s simple, flexible, and - I believe - effective. I would not argue that it’s more effective than a more focused program with fixed movements week-to-week, but the fluidity of the movements, the weight, and the repetition ranges, has allowed me to stay more consistent and recover better than I have with any other program. My goal was to develop a parent-friendly strength training program, and I think I accomplished it with this.
Rather than using percentage-based ARMRAP progression, this program just uses basic double progression. I target 3 different rep ranges based on the goal of the movement (power (1x5), strength (2x8), and hypertrophy), and I try to mix up those movements and targets week-to-week. Accessory movements are also rotated through.
| Category | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Legs | Central Chest | Upper back | Shoulders |
| Supplementary Accessory |
Back | Upper Chest Shoulders |
Biceps | Triceps |
| Passive | Core | Triceps | Lower Back | Chest |
Cycle: This program is very flexible, but I try to stick with somewhat consistent primary movements so that I can track and support progression. Here is an example of what an average week looks like:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat (1x5) | Bench press (1x8) | Chin-up (1x5) | Overhead press (1x5) |
| Deadlift (1x5) | Incline bench (1x8) | Row (3x10) | BTN press (3x10) |
| Nothing | Dip (1x8) | Curl (3x10) | Push-down (3x10) |
Tracking: I use a spreadsheet to track progress across all lifts, and I structure it like this, where W = weight and R = repetitions:
| Exercise | 1x5 | WxR | 2x8 | WxR | 3x10 | WxR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 300 | 4 | 200 | 6 | 100 | 9 |
When I reach the rep range ceiling for a given lift / target, I will increase the weight by 5 lbs. So For back squat, when I lift 300lbs 5 times, I will up the weight to 305lbs and then start over. This ensures progressive overload, but it allows for a lot more granular progression week-to-week as the focus is more on increasing reps than weight, at least until that target is met.