Strength in the Time of Quarantine

[Wilhelm]

My default is "triples are better." but i am kind of wanting to do ladders today.

Do the ladders, dude. I think "ladder-y formats" are - indeed - more fun and [hand wave] sort of help with maintaining focus and detecting/correcting mechanical errors.

A single just seems like it's different enough from a triple that going on autopilot is undermined.

Thank you.

I may start applying this to some of the other days as well.
Seems like an easier way to increase my total rep count.

**
This worked out nicely.
Little tired, and could feel a small stitch in my back.
Really minor, but not how i usually start a session.

Having the single and double as kind of more warm up worked well.

Did a full on long pause squat w/ the second single.
May just make a habit out of that.

Got my full total rep count too.

[DPriest442]

I ask because I did the week 2 day 1 squats, ~20 reps @ 80% and deadlifts the next day felt horrible. Triples @ 77% felt way worse than triples @ 80% the previous friday. After two sets I felt like I was maxing out

You're loads are probably too high.

Here's how I calculated the loads I'm using for this program.

I ran Average to Savage reps to failure a few times, until I was hitting the rep out targets each workout.

This gave me a mapping of a percentage to a performance. For example the load I can hit 3-3-3-3-6 with is my 80% for training. I plugged the performance percentages from A2S and they work nicely with this program. For example on an A2S 80% day 3-3-3-3-6 becomes an easy 3-3-3-3-3-3-2.

One more controversial tip. I add 70% of my bodyweight to my squat load, calculate my percentages, and then remove the bodyweight to calculate bar weight. I find this maps better to reality for high rep sets than a straight percentage.

I'm not really sure what you mean. At the end of the previous cycle I maxed out, so I know what my max was. If anything I had a bit more in the tank so the "80%" was actually slightly under that

[DPriest442]

Is it normal to easy get max reps on any bench protocol but not squat or deadlift?

[michael]

Is it normal to easy get max reps on any bench protocol but not squat or deadlift?

Cardiovascular fitness can limit squats and deadlifts.

[michael]

I'm not really sure what you mean. At the end of the previous cycle I maxed out, so I know what my max was. If anything I had a bit more in the tank so the "80%" was actually slightly under that

The percentages are just a guideline. The reps possible at a percentage of 1RM vary wildly from person to person.

What I described above will let you find the loads for you that are correct for the given percentage.

You could try adjusting your lower body work for bodyweight. When you squat and deadlift ~70% of your bodyweight is included in the lift. This will make lower percentage sets too heavy more-so if you have a low 1RM or high bodyweight.

[augeleven]

This will make lower percentage sets too heavy more-so if you have a low 1RM or high bodyweight.

Huh. Fat and weak guy here-that changes my 70% number by 50 pounds!
I’m roughly 230 with a 340 high bar squat

[Hanley]

Is it normal to easy get max reps on any bench protocol but not squat or deadlift?

Sure. There's some significant overlap in primary movers/stabilizers in squat and deads, so it'll be harder to achieve max target reps (even the target itself is largely arbitrary).

I've tried to mitigate "shared fatigue" between squats and deads in the program format...but you'll have to customize session volumes to scale to your own recovery potential.

[michael]

@Hanley, could I substitute bench bench press with dips on the 65-72% sessions?

My shoulder doesn't like benching more than twice per week.

[Hanley]

@Hanley, could I substitute bench bench press with dips on the 65-72% sessions?

My shoulder doesn't like benching more than twice per week.

Yeah.

Or just add in a bunch of rest days for bench & turn frequency to 2X a week.

[DPriest442]

For work capacity and hypertrophy do you tend to keep “the big 3” in there? I don’t recall a sustained period of training where I’ve NOT done LBBS/flat bench/conventional DL so I was planning to keep them as the primary moves plus supplementaries/accessories to suit.

I don't think it makes much difference, really.

For what it's worth, my favorite "hypertrophy variations" are

squat: high bar, SSB, front squat
bench: very wide grip, partial ROM bench (I only come halfway up off chest)
deads: deficits and SGDL

So you increase ROM for lower body and decrease it for upper?

[Hanley]

For work capacity and hypertrophy do you tend to keep “the big 3” in there? I don’t recall a sustained period of training where I’ve NOT done LBBS/flat bench/conventional DL so I was planning to keep them as the primary moves plus supplementaries/accessories to suit.

I don't think it makes much difference, really.

For what it's worth, my favorite "hypertrophy variations" are

squat: high bar, SSB, front squat
bench: very wide grip, partial ROM bench (I only come halfway up off chest)
deads: deficits and SGDL

So you increase ROM for lower body and decrease it for upper?

I don't really use that as a rule. I just like biasing the stimulus (and "fatigue cost") of bench hypertrophy to the pecs. It's super easy to work triceps in a home gym...not sure super easy to get pec work.

[Wilhelm]

Eights rhymes with hates.

[Hanley]

Eights rhymes with hates.

doin' eights
gets mates

[Wilhelm]

Been committing to the top total rep Rx each day. (doing just the squat portion on this template)
Lost track today and did only 42 reps vs 45, but it was bad enough at 42.

This better fucking work lol.


I don't doubt it will work.
Thanks for the template, Hanley

[DPriest442]

Been committing to the top total rep Rx each day. (doing just the squat portion on this template)
Lost track today and did only 42 reps vs 45, but it was bad enough at 42.

This better fucking work lol.


I don't doubt it will work.
Thanks for the template, Hanley

For me it sucks that the hardest day is the first for this template. That squat session is always rough

[Wilhelm]

Been committing to the top total rep Rx each day. (doing just the squat portion on this template)
Lost track today and did only 42 reps vs 45, but it was bad enough at 42.

This better fucking work lol.


I don't doubt it will work.
Thanks for the template, Hanley

For me it sucks that the hardest day is the first for this template. That squat session is always rough

Not that it really makes any day easier per se, but i've fit the squat portion of this template together w/ the DL portion of the MM 2 week, and "day 1" squats actually are the end of my training week, since they fall on Sunday, and Mon/Tues are off days except for 5 sets of weighted dips Monday.
I moved squats one day closer together as well.

Friday/ Sunday squats pack all the pain together, but then i'm off lower stuff till Wednesday heavy DL.
Sunday is squat only for me as well, so that helps some too.

[alphagamma]

The gym's closed again and my home gym only has weights up to 70% of my squat E1RM. Probably less for DLs.

Is there any way to still "peak" on the SQ/DL on W3D5? Or is it better to just do HVLF?

[Hanley]

The gym's closed again and my home gym only has weights up to 70% of my squat E1RM. Probably less for DLs.

Is there any way to still "peak" on the SQ/DL on W3D5? Or is it better to just do HVLF?

Eh, not really. You could go for a "power PR" I suppose...just literally max wattage at 65-70% 1RM...but that'd be easier with a device to measure speed/power.

I'd probably just do HVLF. Or...if you'll necessarily be working in the 60-70% range for the foreseeable future, you could do more traditional bro sets of 8-15 reps.

[mgil]

The gym's closed again and my home gym only has weights up to 70% of my squat E1RM. Probably less for DLs.

Is there any way to still "peak" on the SQ/DL on W3D5? Or is it better to just do HVLF?

Eh, not really. You could go for a "power PR" I suppose...just literally max wattage at 65-70% 1RM...but that'd be easier with a device to measure speed/power.

I'd probably just do HVLF. Or...if you'll necessarily be working in the 60-70% range for the foreseeable future, you could do more traditional bro sets of 8-15 reps.

Given the lack of weights (although some smaller companies are coming online with plates between $1.60 and $1.80 per pound), is there a way you might compensate with chains or bands? I don't assume to go full Westside, but I wonder if something like this may work okay in a pinch since chain can be found. Bands are a little trickier, since they need a tie-down. But maybe a day in there where one does some work with 70% on the bar and possibly the other 20% in chain might help preserve peak output?

I dunno.

[Hanley]

Given the lack of weights (although some smaller companies are coming online with plates between $1.60 and $1.80 per pound), is there a way you might compensate with chains or bands? I don't assume to go full Westside, but I wonder if something like this may work okay in a pinch since chain can be found. Bands are a little trickier, since they need a tie-down. But maybe a day in there where one does some work with 70% on the bar and possibly the other 20% in chain might help preserve peak output?

Oh, that's a really good idea. I love chains.

And when Coronapocolypse is over, you're set up for a great secondary/tertiary squat movement