Two week training plan

[Iain]

After reading Pendulum training articles by Christian Thibadeau I have started a five week training cycle summarised as follows:

Week 1 - Hypertrophy
Week 2 - Functional (80-90% of 1RM) and dynamic
Week 3 - Functional (90-100% of 1RM)
Week 4 - as week two but with variations
Week 5 - as week one but variations.

I noted that he suggested that you can also just follow a two week plan alternating hypertrophy with functional strength which got me thinking about how I would do this.

Rough thoughts at the moment would be to:

Week 1 (aim - hypertrophy) - Monday
Squats - 1x20
Push press - 3x6
Pull-ups - however many sets until 40reps are achieved
Calf raises - 2x8-15

Wednesday
Bench - 3x6 using isometric-dynamic contrast reps
Hyperextensions - 3x6-10
Close-grip bench - 2x8-12
Barbell curls - 2x8-12
Abs

Friday
Squats - 1x20
Romanian Deadlifts - 3x6-10
Bent-over rows - 3x6-10
Dips - 2x6-10

Week 2 (aim - strength) - Monday
Squats - 8x3 with approx 4RM weight
DE squat - 8x2 (45%-55% of 1RM)
Military press - 3x3-6

Wednesday
Bench - 5x5
DE Bench - 8x2 (45-55% of 1RM)
Bent-over rows - 4x3-6
Calf raises - 2x6-10

Friday
Deadlift - 6x1
DE deadlift - 8x2 (45-55% of 1RM)
Shrug - 4x3-6

Then back to week 1.

It's rough, straighten me out.

[Iain]

No-one got any thoughts?

[Grey Ghost]

I think everyone's body is different from each other. Certain workout method might work for one and it might not work out for others. If it works for you, stick with it. But if it doesn't, try to tweak the workout to concentrate on your weak points (i.e. if you lack shoulders, try to work out your shoulders twice a week).

[DaRkAnGel]

Originally Posted by Iain

After reading Pendulum training articles by Christian Thibadeau I have started a five week training cycle summarised as follows:

Week 1 - Hypertrophy
Week 2 - Functional (80-90% of 1RM) and dynamic
Week 3 - Functional (90-100% of 1RM)
Week 4 - as week two but with variations
Week 5 - as week one but variations.

I noted that he suggested that you can also just follow a two week plan alternating hypertrophy with functional strength which got me thinking about how I would do this.

Rough thoughts at the moment would be to:

Week 1 (aim - hypertrophy) - Monday
Squats - 1x20
Push press - 3x6
Pull-ups - however many sets until 40reps are achieved
Calf raises - 2x8-15

Wednesday
Bench - 3x6 using isometric-dynamic contrast reps
Hyperextensions - 3x6-10
Close-grip bench - 2x8-12
Barbell curls - 2x8-12
Abs

Friday
Squats - 1x20
Romanian Deadlifts - 3x6-10
Bent-over rows - 3x6-10
Dips - 2x6-10

Week 2 (aim - strength) - Monday
Squats - 8x3 with approx 4RM weight
DE squat - 8x2 (45%-55% of 1RM)
Military press - 3x3-6

Wednesday
Bench - 5x5
DE Bench - 8x2 (45-55% of 1RM)
Bent-over rows - 4x3-6
Calf raises - 2x6-10

Friday
Deadlift - 6x1
DE deadlift - 8x2 (45-55% of 1RM)
Shrug - 4x3-6

Then back to week 1.

It's rough, straighten me out.

One set of squats won't due. On friday concentrate on deadlifts. 5 x 5 on your strength phase for bench is more volume than your hypertrophy phase. (doesn't make too much sense... 5 x 5 is basically a bodybuilding scheme) Shrugging for 3 - 6 reps i'm not sure is going to do much good. If you are trying to build strength in that area try clean high pulls or powercleans or something of the sort. For bench try to do 3 reps on DE days and do not concentrate so much on percent, find what weight you need to still keep your speed. (if you are relatively new 45% of your max will be too low, so will 55% most likely)

[Iain]

Thanks Dark.

The idea of twenty rep squats came from the supersquats programme. This recommends training 20rep squats 3x a week. That's just too much for me so I figured twice a week with a bench day on hypertrophy weeks.

I'm a decent deadlifter and a poor squatter so I figured I'd up the squats and only train deadlifts heavy every other week (I trained heavy deadlifts weekly for a while and began to suffer from constant soreness in the lower back)

What if I did twenty rep squats on Monday's and 2 sets of 6-10 on Friday with 3 sets of power cleans (this would be week 1)?

I've also been thinking and there appears to be no way to do hyperextensions in my gym without someone to hold the legs down, probably the only thing lacking. What instead?

[DaRkAnGel]

Originally Posted by Iain

Thanks Dark.

The idea of twenty rep squats came from the supersquats programme. This recommends training 20rep squats 3x a week. That's just too much for me so I figured twice a week with a bench day on hypertrophy weeks.

I'm a decent deadlifter and a poor squatter so I figured I'd up the squats and only train deadlifts heavy every other week (I trained heavy deadlifts weekly for a while and began to suffer from constant soreness in the lower back)

What if I did twenty rep squats on Monday's and 2 sets of 6-10 on Friday with 3 sets of power cleans (this would be week 1)?

I've also been thinking and there appears to be no way to do hyperextensions in my gym without someone to hold the legs down, probably the only thing lacking. What instead?

The squat rep scheme that you mentioned sounds fine... for me if i am trying to build muscle i need a little more volume than what you are doing. I am not sure what has worked for you, but if it is enough volume than that sounds fine. Put the powercleans for three sets in on your strength training phase, put the bb shrugs on your hypertrophy phase. Try substituting good mornings for hyperextensions, very close movement except your hams get involved to a larger degree.

Also, the pendulum training (i'm sure you read this) has some alterations that you can make to make the program either geared towards strength or hypertrophy. What you are doing(with only the 2 cycles) sounds a little to me more like the priming hypertrophy phase with the realization block theory as made by Christian once again. As a short explanation in the first phase you train for strength and you build "potential hypertrophy" followed by the realization block where you drop the percents and redeem the benefits during your strength training(the thing that's cool about this is it also works as a great deload mechanism for your CNS).

I think i just went off an a tangent and so i'll stop while im behind...

[Iain]

No that's cool Dark, keep rambling I need to learn.

I have read Thibadeau's articles on pendulum training. He goes into detail on four and five phase cycles and then says in a throwaway comment that two stage pendulums can be done if you want to get there faster. Which of course I do, like almost everyone else. At the moment I am doing a five week pendulum and will stick to it giving me three weeks or so to work out a new scheme.

This present cycle ends with a hypertrophy week so the new one can begin with a strength week. I do like the idea of training in these short cycles, it changes things up preventing stagnation and weeks of heavy training does hit my CNS hard and I begin to show psychological symptoms - disillusionment with training, frustration etc, I'm sure many people are the same.

So taking your advice - I'll do powercleans on the strength phase (3x?) and drop the dynamic effort deadlifts. I'll move shrugs to the hypertrophy phase and put 3 sets, 6-10 reps? What rep scheme would you recommend for the bench day in the strength phase, I had said 5x5 but maybe sets of triples - how many sets?

Loads of questions I know. I really appreciate the help, I need to get a scheme I am happy with and then get down to some really hard training.

Ta. Iain.