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[u2pride]

Hi all!

I'm finishing Meadows Creeping Death 2 (week 11) and planning an U/L split with moderate volume, high intensity and high frequency.

The goal is to do 8 weeks focus on strenght with compound movements.

Intensity:

Week 1 70%

Week 2 75%

Week 3 80%

Week 4 85%

Week 5 Deload 50%

Week 6 as week 1 and so on...

Lower Quads Focus

Squat 3x6

RDL 3x8

Lunge 3x12

Seated Leg Curl 3x10

Seated Calf Press 4x12

Lateral Raise 3x12

Upper Chest Focus

Incline Bench Press 3x6

Lat Pulldown 3x10

Dumbbell Bench Press 3x8

Pulley 3x10

Rear Delt Raise 3x12

Triceps Pushdown 3x10

Hammer Curl 3x8

Lower Hamstrings Focus

Deadlift 3x6

Leg Press 3x8

Standing Leg Curl 3x10

Front Squat 3x10

Standing Calf Press 4x12

Lateral Raise 3x12

Upper Back Focus

Chin Up 3x6

Incline Dumbbell Press 3x10

Barbell Row 3x8

Smith Machine Overhead Press 3x8

Rear Delt Raise 3x12

Barbell Curl 3x12

Close Grip Bench Press 3x8



What did you think? Advise?

Did you think that Wendler 5/3/1 should be a waste of time on main lifts?

Thanks!

 

[StoneMountain]

I don't know much about the program that you are finishing so I can't really help with the first part I hate to say. However, about Wendler's 5/3/1, I can. I can pretty much guarantee that it would not be a waste of time for your main lifts. If you follow the program, eat a lot and recover properly, I can promise from personal experience that you will gain strength. People react differently, so I'd say try it for a couple cycles (about 3-6 weeks per "cycle", depending on how you run the program).
If you have any questions about the 5/3/1, I would be willing to help out. I'm not the strongest guy out there, and there are definitely those way more experienced than me, but I've been using 5/3/1 for a while and it's still working for me. Good luck!

 

[u2pride]

I don't know much about the program that you are finishing so I can't really help with the first part I hate to say. However, about Wendler's 5/3/1, I can. I can pretty much guarantee that it would not be a waste of time for your main lifts. If you follow the program, eat a lot and recover properly, I can promise from personal experience that you will gain strength. People react differently, so I'd say try it for a couple cycles (about 3-6 weeks per "cycle", depending on how you run the program).
If you have any questions about the 5/3/1, I would be willing to help out. I'm not the strongest guy out there, and there are definitely those way more experienced than me, but I've been using 5/3/1 for a while and it's still working for me. Good luck!

First thanks.

Creeping Death 2 is a high frequency, high volume and moderate intensity program by John Meadows.
It's an hypertrophy program as well.

As volume as far high I would change on strenght focus program and Wendler was an option.

I ran 5/3/1 one year ago but only for one cycle and now I could try to stick with it for more time.

 

[BarryScott]

If you're older/stronger I'd maybe lean towards Wendler, if you're younger/weaker I'd be more inclined to do Texas Method.

 

[u2pride]

If you're older/stronger I'd maybe lean towards Wendler, if you're younger/weaker I'd be more inclined to do Texas Method.

Hi BarryScott,

I'm older but no stronger :09:

As I said, I won't to pass to powerlifting, I would like to build some strenght (Intensification block) and come back to hypertrophy (Accumulation block).

I just know Texas Method but I think it is more powerlifting oriented, this is the reason why I was confident about Wendler.

Thanks

 

[BarryScott]

Nah, TM and 531 are both just general strength programs that can be adapted to powerlifting. A true powerlifting program would have more emphasis on a triples, doubles and singles and a peaking phase. TM just use sets of 5 and a weekly mesocycle that you rinse and repeat indefinitely.

There's definitely reasons to favour 531 though, it's not as brutal, the sessions don't take as long, and it has a built in deload to dissipate fatigue. That's why older/chronically injured guys like it a lot. That said I've seen 70+ year old women do fine on TM and deadlift over 300lbs with the proper adjustments.

 

[u2pride]

Nah, TM and 531 are both just general strength programs that can be adapted to powerlifting. A true powerlifting program would have more emphasis on a triples, doubles and singles and a peaking phase. TM just use sets of 5 and a weekly mesocycle that you rinse and repeat indefinitely.

There's definitely reasons to favour 531 though, it's not as brutal, the sessions don't take as long, and it has a built in deload to dissipate fatigue. That's why older/chronically injured guys like it a lot. That said I've seen 70+ year old women do fine on TM and deadlift over 300lbs with the proper adjustments.

Ok now I can stop to train...

I'll get a deep look to TM. Could you give me any template example?

Thanks BarryScott

 

[BarryScott]

You said you wanted to do 4 days a week so you could do either an upper lower split, or the conventional volume/recovery/intensity split with an added assistance (bodybuilding) day where you do light stuff like pullups, curls, etc. in between your volume and revovery days. If you want to do the latter then it's pretty easy to just copy the default template then add your own day with your pet isolation exercises or stuff you want to focus on.

If you want to do upper lower then you forget about a recovery day and instead so something like this:

Day 1, upper volume - 5x5 bench press at 80-90% of your 5RM, 3x8 OHP or dumbell incline or similar then some isolation stuff.

Day 2, Off

Day 3, lower volume - 5x5 squats plus assistance exercises (hypers, reverse hypers, RDLs, etc.)

Day 4, off

Day 5, upper intensity - work up to a new bench press 5RM, 3x8 of your assistance press again then accessories.

Day 6, lower intensity - Same as above for your squat and deadlift.

Day 7, off.

Obviously you would change what works and what doesn't. You could remove the day off between your volume days and add a second day off after your intensity days if that helped and fit into your schedule better. You could move the deadlift 5RM to your lower volume day after squats if you find it easier that way. Numerous ways to tweak it.

 

[u2pride]

You said you wanted to do 4 days a week so you could do either an upper lower split, or the conventional volume/recovery/intensity split with an added assistance (bodybuilding) day where you do light stuff like pullups, curls, etc. in between your volume and revovery days. If you want to do the latter then it's pretty easy to just copy the default template then add your own day with your pet isolation exercises or stuff you want to focus on.

If you want to do upper lower then you forget about a recovery day and instead so something like this:

Day 1, upper volume - 5x5 bench press at 80-90% of your 5RM, 3x8 OHP or dumbell incline or similar then some isolation stuff.

Day 2, Off

Day 3, lower volume - 5x5 squats plus assistance exercises (hypers, reverse hypers, RDLs, etc.)

Day 4, off

Day 5, upper intensity - work up to a new bench press 5RM, 3x8 of your assistance press again then accessories.

Day 6, lower intensity - Same as above for your squat and deadlift.

Day 7, off.

Obviously you would change what works and what doesn't. You could remove the day off between your volume days and add a second day off after your intensity days if that helped and fit into your schedule better. You could move the deadlift 5RM to your lower volume day after squats if you find it easier that way. Numerous ways to tweak it.

Mmm I get some doubt with TM (Squat and Dead same day, too long workouts, ecc...), I'll stick with 5/3/1 and template could be:

Monday: Squat 5/3/1 + FLS; RDL 3x8; Lunge 3x10; Leg Curl 3x8; Calf Press 4x12.

Tuesday: Bench 5/3/1 + FLS; Lat Pulldown 3x8; DB Incline Press 3x8; Pulley 3x8; DB Curl 3x8; Triceps Pushdown 3x10.

Thursday: Dead 5/3/1 + FLS; Leg Press 3x8; Leg Curl 3x8; Front Squat 3x8; Calf Press 4x12.

Friday: OHP 5/3/1 + FLS; Chin Up 3x6; BB Incline Bench 3x8; Bent Over Rows 3x8; DB OHP 3x8; CGBP 3x8; EZ Curl 3x10.

 

[BarryScott]

By FLS you mean first set last (FSL), right? Looks solid enough routine to me.

 

[u2pride]

By FLS you mean first set last (FSL), right? Looks solid enough routine to me.

Yes sorry.

6 weeks straight of it and deload, after I could do another 6 weeks and deload. In this period I'll study new hypertrophy workout