Bench Programming after a layoff

[Hanley]

Thought I'd share an incredibly simple bench program I like to use coming back from a layoff. Like most folks, I've experimented with all sorts of session and cycle design and have discarded most. This is one of the few keepers.

I use about 50-55% of a recent (within past year) tested-1RM for the following wave of sets of reps: 3,6,4,8,5,10. If I hit an RPE 10 grinder anywhere in the wave, I restart and proceed again with the wave until I hit RPE 10.

Two rules define my "session": 1) If I hit a second @10 rep in the second wave, I'm done; that's my session. 2) If I make it through twice without an @10, I'm done...that's my session.

If I fail to make two complete waves, I'll try again next session. I keep the load fixed and simply work my way through the waves again, following the rules above.

If I successfully make it through two complete waves, I introduce a new wave, using the same initial load. The new wave is simply: 4,8,5,10,6,12. Same rules apply to this wave as above.

Once I successfully have a session of [starting load x 4,8,5,10,6,12, 4,8,5,10,6,12], I know I'm ready for more complicated programming.

Progressive overload is achieved via volume, not load (load is fixed the entire time) and is entirely autoregulated.

This very simple scheme could probably carry you through the initial 2-4 weeks coming off a layoff.

Note on rest times: I take about 1-2 minutes before the easy sets and 2-2:30 for the high-rep sets.


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Bonus reading. ^ this approach comes from @mgil take on Sheiko's jagged sets session-design. He used the format for "dualing competencies"...in which he used contrasting variations in the low-volume and high-volume sets.

I adopted this for use with a single motor program and it worked quite well. By "worked" I mean work capacity increased quickly/dramatically and I got jacked (as much as I can at least).

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Why I think it works:

I actually think this format achieves the recruitment effect that "myo rep" formats aim to achieve. But I think this format is much, much better.

[conjecture warning]:

The initial set is glorified warmup. The second set is the first legit workset and it pre-fatigues so that the third (and subsequent) sets are all stimulating and effective.

{conjecture over]

The session is eminently doable. The sets of 8,10,12 are quite difficult...you're working at the threshold of exhaustion...but the follow-on easy sets are such a nice relief. Motivation stays high throughout a session. And session-to-session motivation is also high, as improvement is obvious. and there's the background goal of future improvement on the completed volume.

I love it.

As the classic aphorism goes: "get your 4,8,5,10,6,12,4,8,5,10,6,12 to 250 pounds and YOU WILL bench 405."

[Hanley]

Below is my real-time implementation of the above. I've taken a couple months off benching for a bunch of reasons...but motivation to hit 200kg @ 100kg TnG is back.

First session back after layoff:

105/232 x 3,6,4,8,5,10,3,6,4,8,5 (pecs absolutely died here)

I'm simply going to keep using 232 until I hit 4,8,5,10,6,12,4,8,5,10,6,12 per the above. Then I'll progress load about a kilo per session until I'm bored...then it's time for "real" programming.

On load selection: 105/232 was ballparky close enough to 55% of my old 1RM...and I'm pretty confident I could roll out of bed at 2am and hit 232 for 10 reps. So, that's the load I went with. Because this format is entirely autoregulated...error margins are enormous and the progression is very forgiving. Just start with a load you're pretty confident you could do for 8-10 reps..and things should shake out fine over the coming weeks.

[BigE]

Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.

[mgil]

One other thing I will weigh in on...

When I was doing the low rep sets I was doing a tad slower eccentrics with a pause at the bottom. Mainly to keep some focus on form.

[Paul]

Not sure how I missed this... seeing it mentioned in the HVLF thread is perfect timing though.

Took a some time off, started back with some bodybuilding type stuff. No main lifts.

I'm not liking it this time around, though, and I was just going to go back on HVLF with variations.

I was thinking, as "core" movements: reverse grip bench, add the press back in, sumo deads, front squats.

Is this still beneficial to run using variations if I'm trying to be as "off season" as possible?

[JohnHelton]

Pretty crazy stuff. I would just work up to 5@9 and go from there. But I'm boring...and I have never benched 405.

[Hanley]

Is this still beneficial to run using variations if I'm trying to be as "off season" as possible?[/b][/i]

Yeah, sure

[Hanley]

I would just work up to 5@9 and go from there.

Well, I've done that many times too. I think I prefer the weird-ass sets.

[Kregna]

This seems a little complex for returning from a layoff. Since you'll regain strength faster than gaining it the first time, couldn't you do pretty much anything (or ideally what you did the first time)?

[Hanley]

This seems a little complex for returning from a layoff.

It's really not. It actually removes the complexity of needing to accurately increment load session to session (which can be pretty weird/dynamic coming back from a layoff...and RPE meters tend to be junk after a layoff).

couldn't you do pretty much anything

Yeah, getting back to a 1RM level (say a 1RM from within the past 2-3 years) should be pretty damned easy.

or ideally what you did the first time)?

I don't think so. And in practice I've seen it happen all the time where people rocket back up to their lifetime 1RM...and then plateau all over again. I've personally done this...oh Jesus...literally a dozen times (technically, I was stuck at 385 on bench for almost 20 years). Novel lifetime 1RMs are really fucking hard to come by if you've been lifting for a while.

I think this approach has a couple of benefits:

- it offers a fuckton of practice (I did 71 reps with 115kg today). It's heavy enough the it feels very useful for refining technique, but it's light enough that you avoid lingering fatigue (though acute fatigue is high).

- work capacity builds tremendously

- I think the format offers a high "hypertrophy : fatigue" ratio (I really like low fatigue hypertrophy).

So....when I get back to my lifetime 1RM (the easy part), I'm 1) using very refined technique, 2) able to do an absolute fuckton of work, 3) hopefully carrying a novel amount of muscle mass while and carrying minimal residual fatigue. All of which makes that novel 1RM more attainable (the extremely hard part).

[lehman906]

@Hanley, have you done this with squat or dead, or just bench so far?

[Hanley]

have you done this with squat or dead

Gross. No. I doubt I'll ever do this sort of session rep-total (72-96) with squats or deads. The mechanical work/calorie expenditure seems like it'd be brutal. And that's...a lot of lumbar fatigue.

[lehman906]

have you done this with squat or dead

Gross. No. I doubt I'll ever do this sort of session rep-total (72-96) with squats or deads. The mechanical work/calorie expenditure seems like it'd be brutal. And that's...a lot of lumbar fatigue.

Thank god. I didn’t wanna try it, but also didn’t want to feel like I’m skipping something that might really work.

[Kregna]

This seems a little complex for returning from a layoff.

It's really not. It actually removes the complexity of needing to accurately increment load session to session (which can be pretty weird/dynamic coming back from a layoff...and RPE meters tend to be junk after a layoff).

couldn't you do pretty much anything

Yeah, getting back to a 1RM level (say a 1RM from within the past 2-3 years) should be pretty damned easy.

or ideally what you did the first time)?

I don't think so. And in practice I've seen it happen all the time where people rocket back up to their lifetime 1RM...and then plateau all over again. I've personally done this...oh Jesus...literally a dozen times (technically, I was stuck at 385 on bench for almost 20 years). Novel lifetime 1RMs are really fucking hard to come by if you've been lifting for a while.

I think this approach has a couple of benefits:

- it offers a fuckton of practice (I did 71 reps with 115kg today). It's heavy enough the it feels very useful for refining technique, but it's light enough that you avoid lingering fatigue (though acute fatigue is high).

- work capacity builds tremendously

- I think the format offers a high "hypertrophy : fatigue" ratio (I really like low fatigue hypertrophy).

So....when I get back to my lifetime 1RM (the easy part), I'm 1) using very refined technique, 2) able to do an absolute fuckton of work, 3) hopefully carrying a novel amount of muscle mass while and carrying minimal residual fatigue. All of which makes that novel 1RM more attainable (the extremely hard part).

Thanks for the detailed reply

[PatrickDB]

have you done this with squat or dead

Gross. No. I doubt I'll ever do this sort of session rep-total (72-96) with squats or deads. The mechanical work/calorie expenditure seems like it'd be brutal. And that's...a lot of lumbar fatigue.

1. Are you doing the bench thing three times per week?

2. I think the same basic principle (do a lot of a low intensity reps) would be good for high bar/front squat. At least for me, keeping the (imo fairly complicated, though it may be the long femurs) squatting motor pattern well-practiced is crucial. I recently tried a time-efficient routine that had one lower body compound lift per sessions, alternating deadlift and high bar. It was 3x/week and then 2x for various reasons. The sparse deadlifting wasn't so bad, but I stalled/regressed hard squatting once or 1.5x a week. Absolutely not enough practice with the movement to keep things going.

I'd cap the wave sets at 10 reps though and use less volume.

3. The flip side of point 2 is that I think this would be awful for deadlift. Dead simple motor pattern and the bracing/mechanics at high intensity reps is all different, so it seems like it takes less volume to keep going. Also, there's the grip issue for those of us who DOH/hook grip (I'm trying hard to ditch the straps). A slightly higher intensity wave in sets of 3-6 seems more appropriate?

[Hanley]

1. Are you doing the bench thing three times per week?

I'm "autoregulating frequency". Which - translated for truth- means I'm being slack. I'm aiming for 2 sessions a week right now. I seem to be fully recovered in 48 hours though, so I could/should increase to 3x/week.

2. I think the same basic principle (do a lot of a low intensity reps) would be good for high bar/front squat. At least for me, keeping the (imo fairly complicated, though it may be the long femurs) squatting motor pattern well-practiced is crucial. I recently tried a time-efficient routine that had one lower body compound lift per sessions, alternating deadlift and high bar. It was 3x/week and then 2x for various reasons. The sparse deadlifting wasn't so bad, but I stalled/regressed hard squatting once or 1.5x a week. Absolutely not enough practice with the movement to keep things going.

Yeah, I could definitely see the benefits. That's just...So. Much. Squatting.

A slightly higher intensity wave in sets of 3-6 seems more appropriate?

Yup.

You could maybe choose your own sessions from these "wave segments"

70% (or 12RM) for 5-6,2,2,2
75% (or 10RM) for 4,1,1
80% (or 7-8RM) for 3,1,1
85% (5RM) for 2,1,1
90% x 1,1,1

So, a low-intensity session might be 75% x4,1,1,1, rest, 70% x5,2,2,2

A mixed intensity session might be: 90%x1,1,1 75% x 4,1,1,1

Just spitballing.

[iamsmu]

have you done this with squat or dead

Gross. No. I doubt I'll ever do this sort of session rep-total (72-96) with squats or deads. The mechanical work/calorie expenditure seems like it'd be brutal. And that's...a lot of lumbar fatigue.

New challenge: 2 waves of deadlifts at 55% in under 10 minutes (or 12 doing a set EMOM).

[tdood]

I’m gonna quit lifting just so I can come back and try this

[Chebass88]

have you done this with squat or dead

Gross. No. I doubt I'll ever do this sort of session rep-total (72-96) with squats or deads. The mechanical work/calorie expenditure seems like it'd be brutal. And that's...a lot of lumbar fatigue.

I was jonesing for some lower intensity work, so I pinched my nose and jumped in to this program. It has worked nicely for presses and curls - they are ready to go in a couple of days.

It is brutal with deadlifts. I only got 57 reps when I did it last Saturday, and got 72 reps at 50% e1RM yesterday. I ended up doing a set of 15 for the last set so I could just be done. It is light enough that the weight moves really fast. The key is to maintain excellent mechanics (I.e., perfect), otherwise it is very easy to get sloppy. I used straps, with only a minute rest between sets.

Squats were much better, done at 50% e1RM. They all moved nicely. I’ve never had quite that much soreness in my quads - a good thing, as that will help me to use my legs a little more when starting a deadlift.

I’ll report back in a few weeks.

[Allentown]

I’ve never had quite that much soreness in my quads - a good thing,

If someone sees you coming out of the handicap stall, just say "leg day" and they will understand, even if they don't know what leg day actually consists of.