Bread & Butter
stalled.
the early days of Phase 1 are easy. you add weight to every exercise rather predictably. if you're consistent, you'll eventually stall. you can either run headfirst into the stall, or you can transition to Phase 2 prior to the stall. first, we'll unpack what running into the stall entails.
you're months into the program. you do (3×5)@265 for back squats on Monday. it was heavy. you barely got the reps. just about every session the past few weeks has worn you down; your joints are starting to ache.
you plan for (3×5)@270 on Wednesday, but you don't get all three sets of five. you nail your first set for five reps. on your second set, you fail on your fourth rep. on your third set, you only get two reps. you've officially missed your first scheduled workload, but you didn't stall… yet. after you miss a scheduled workload, you have a few options.
first, you can repeat the workload next training session and aim for the original volume. in the example above, you failed (3×5)@270, so you'd try (3×5)@270 again. if you hit all sets and reps, continue on with the normally scheduled increase next session. if you miss the workload two sessions in a row, then you can assume you're swimming near a stall… especially if your performance has decreased (example: you go 5, 5, 3 on Monday and 5, 3, 2 on Wednesday).
second, you can repeat the workload next training session and aim to add one additional rep to your failed volume until you build into the original volume. in the example above, you failed (3×5)@270 like this:
5@270
4@270
2@270
and so, your next training session, you'd do
5@270
5@270
2@270
and then the following session you'd do
5@270
5@270
3@270
and you'd keep adding one rep until you reached (3×5), at which point you'd add weight and continue on.
chances are, you'll be able to sustain progress for quite some time adding one rep to your workload every session. at some point, however, you'll have to recognize when you're too far removed from the roots of the program. for instance, if you aren't even hitting 5 reps on your first set, you've stalled (for all intents and purposes). you should think about deloading.
deloading.
once you stall, you should “deload.” deloading is temporarily reducing the weight you're lifting in an attempt to dissipate residual fatigue and give your body extra time to recover and adapt.
there are many ways to deload. for this program, subtract 10-15% from your work set weight and then redo the linear progression using the lesser (deload) weight as your starting weight.
say you stall on squats at 225 pounds. 10% of 225 pounds is around 20 pounds. so you go into the gym, throw 200 pounds on the bar, complete the workload, and then add 5 pounds next session.
Monday: (3×5)@200
Wednesday: (3×5)@205
Friday: (3×5)@210
deload don'ts.
deloads aren’t global. only deload the lifts that stall. if your bench press stalls, but you're still making linear progress on your squat, then only deload your bench press.
second stall.
the first stall is a byproduct of months and months of accumulated fatigue. after the deload, you’ll be able to surpass your stall point because you won’t be as fatigued as you were the first time around. if your squat initially stalled at 225, you should be able to sustain linear progress past 225 after the deload.
nevertheless, you will stall again. after your second stall, you should deload once again… but you shouldn't redo the progression. you should move onto Phase 2.
Phase 2.
you can transition into Phase 2 prior to the stall when your lifts start feeling heavier and you think you could use more time to recover and adapt between sessions. regardless of when you transition into Phase 2, you need to understand this: every exercise in the program has been built atop a progression precedent.
- Squat, deadlift, bench, overhead:
- +15 pounds every week
- Bridge row
- +4ish pounds every week
- Barbell curl
- +1ish pounds every week
remember, stalling is your body's way of saying: i can't keep the pace; i can't recover and/or adapt quickly enough. and so, Phase 2 is all about making the program more palatable by giving your body more time to recover and adapt without uprooting the foundation of the program. there are two (primary) ways to do this:
add less.
you can add less weight to the exercises every session. instead of adding 5 pounds to the bar for squats, maybe only add 2 pounds. or maybe only add 1 pound to the bench press and the overhead press.
you might scoff at adding only 1 pound to the bar, but consider this: this equates to adding 5 pounds to a lift every month at minimum. at this rate, you'd add 60 pounds to every lift in one year and 320 pounds to every lift in five years. and these numbers are added on top of the strength you already gained during Phase 1.
people train their entire lives and still can't press their body's weight overhead, let alone 320 pounds.
complementary exercises.
in addition to lowering the rate of progression, i also like adding complementary exercises into the program. complementary exercises share movement patterns, which means they tax similar muscles and structures. here are the four big movement patterns most barbell exercises fall into:
- Squatting:
- glutes, quads
- hips up and down
- knee extension
- hip extension
The back squat falls in the squat pattern, as does the front squat, overhead squat, leg press, split squat, etc…
- Hinging:
- glutes, hamstrings
- hips back and forth
- knee flexion
- hip extension
The deadlift falls in the hinge pattern, as does the power clean, the snatch deadlift, the good morning, the Romanian deadlift, etc…
- Pressing:
- chest, shoulders, triceps
- arm flexion
- elbow extension
The incline and overhead press fall into the press pattern, as does behind-the-neck presses, bench presses, push-ups, etc…
- Pulling:
- back, shoulders, biceps
- arm extension
- elbow flexion
The bodyweight row and the curl fall into the pull pattern, as does pull-ups, barbell rows, lat pulldowns, etc…
complementary impact.
adding a complementary exercise into the rotation lessens the adaptation demand (among other things). for instance, take a look at the initial program. the back squat is done three times per week, adding 5 pounds to the bar each session. this means you're gonna add 720 pounds to your squat in one year. this won't happen. you'll stall way before this. nevertheless, this number anchors the adaptation expectation.
now take a look at the incline press and the overhead press. these two exercises are complementary. you rotate between these two exercises every session during Phase 1. adding 5 pounds to each exercise every session, you'd only add 360 pounds to each press in one year.
when you rotate between two different exercises within the confines of this program, you automatically lower the progression pace, as the progression pace is tied to the frequency at which the lift is trained.
- squat expectation: 720 pounds / year
- presses expectation: 360 pounds / year
there's less adaptation expectation for both the incline press and the overhead press built into the program… and for good reason. remember, your upper body has less load potential than your lower body. if you trained inclines or overheads with the same frequency as squats, you'd stall early. your body wouldn't be able to adapt and recover. inclines are rotated with overheads to (hopefully) prolong linear progress on each exercise… but that's not all. rotating between two complementary exercises also:
keeps volume up.
in theory, you could rotate between two non-complementary exercises. the impact on the progression precedent would remain… but the volume wouldn't.
inclines hit (primarily) the chest, the anterior (front) shoulders, and the triceps. overheads hit (primarily) the shoulders (as a whole) and the triceps. in other words, some areas are getting stimulated both days, which makes their base volume across the week (9×5) — (3×5) multiplied by three.
if you rotated between inclines and squats, you wouldn't have cross-stimulation, which would change the fabric of the program.
train different parts.
by rotating between complementary exercises, you stress more structures, which has an aesthetic benefit. for instance if you did just inclines, your shoulders probably wouldn't grow as much as compared to rotating between inclines and overheads.
this spread of stress is another reason complementary exercises help with recovery. on your overhead press days, your chest has a chance to recover (chest isn't hit very hard during overheads). on your incline press days, your rear-delts have a chance to recover (rear-delts aren't hit very hard during inclines)…
complement choices.
choosing a complementary exercise isn't an exact science, but here are a few things to consider…
bottleneck.
consider bottlenecks. the bottleneck is an exercise's limiting factor, which may not be the muscles you intend on taxing. take a look at the overhead squat. the overhead squat is a squat. duh. squatting taxes the legs, of course. but, during an overhead squat, your bottleneck is your ability to support weight overhead. in other words, if you can't support a lot of weight overhead, you won't tax your legs much during an overhead squat.
effect.
consider filling voids (if they exist). for instance, if you want a bigger chest, then your complementary pressing exercise should tax your chest more than your shoulders. in other words, you'd be much better off doing parallel bar dips, as compared to behind-the-neck presses.
load potential.
consider load potential. remember, we're in this predicament because we're struggling to adapt and recover. you don't want your complementary exercises to be more taxing than the exercises currently in your program. thankfully, this isn't that big of a concern right now, as almost every complementary exercise will be light… at first.
choo choo.
once you pick a complementary exercise, treat it as you treated the initial exercises in the program: find your starting weight and add weight slowly, in an incremental and predictable fashion. starting light will automatically facilitate more time for recovery and adaptation.
here are some examples…
SQUAT –
front squats are an obvious complement to the back squat. front squats tax your upper back in a way back squats don't. your thoracic spine has to keep your torso upright, in order for the bar to be held in the correct position across your shoulders. this can be a bottleneck in the long run, but you'll get enough lower-body stimulation along the way. the standard (3×5) works, as does adding 5 pounds per session.
ORIGINAL:
MWF
Back squat (3×5){+5}
NEW:
MWF
Back squat (3×5){+5*}
alt w/ FSQ (3×5){+5}
*Think about decreasing the rate of progression for back squats as you approach the stall.
HINGE –
the power clean, the snatch-grip deadlift, and the Romanian deadlift are nice complements to the conventional deadlift.
power cleans can help your conventional deadlift strength. you should do them if you have any Olympic weightlifting ambitions. technique is important. they're best done for low reps. five sets of three reps (5×3) works well. you add 5 pounds per session initially, but, because of the technical component, you should switch to a lower rate of progress sooner rather than later.
the snatch-grip deadlift is a conventional deadlift done with a wider grip. using a wider grip puts more stress on the upper back, which is good if you want to build an x-physique. the wider grip also forces a lower hip position, so your glutes and your hamstrings will work harder.
with the increased range of motion and reliance on smaller muscles (upper-back), you won't be able to snatch deadlift nearly as much as you can conventional deadlift. using (3×5) is fine, as well as adding 5 pounds per session, for starters.
the Romanian deadlift is joint-friendly and strengthens your glutes and your hamstrings through a fuller range of motion. the standard (3×5) works, as does adding 5 pounds per session.
ORIGINAL:
MWF
Conventional deadlift (1×5){+5}
NEW:
MWF
CDL (3×5){+5*}
alt w/ PCL (5×3){+5}
or alt w/ SNDL (3×5){+5}
or alt w/ RDL (3×5){+5}
*Think about decreasing the rate of progression for conventional deadlifts as you approach the stall.
PRESS –
the flat bench press, the behind-the-neck press, and the parallel bar dip are good complements to the incline press.
the flat bench press is a standard gymbro exercise. personally, i see no reason to flat bench press, beyond establishing a pecking order in the gym without having to pull your pants down, but that's just me. the standard (3×5) works well. in the long run, you should be able to flat press more than you incline press, so you can add 5 pounds per session initially.
the behind-the-neck press is a good exercise for your shoulders if and only if you have the mobility to perform them correctly. the standard (3×5) and adding 2 pounds per session works.
the parallel bar dip is a great upper-body exercise, but it will grow your lower chest faster than your upper chest. if your lower chest already dominates your upper chest and you're not a fan, then you might not wanna do dips. if you can currently do more than 10 reps of parallel bar dips in one set (unweighted), you can begin to load them. the standard (3×5) and adding 2.5 pounds per session works.
ORIGINAL:
MWF
INC (3×5){+5}
alt w/ OP (3×5){+5}
NEW:
M
INC (3×5){+2*}
W
OP (3×5){+2*}
F
BP (3×5){+5}
or BTN (3×5){+2}
or DIPS (3×5){+2.5}
*Don't think about decreasing the rate of progression for inclines and overheads as you approach the stall. Just do it.
PULL –
both pulls in Phase 1 are stepping stones. in an ideal world, you would have done weighted chin-ups from day one. the pull-up is the king upper-body exercise for an x-physique. alas, i realize not many beginners can do unweighted chin-ups, let alone weighted chin-ups. and so, the bridge row was added to the program to build strength in a way that would transition to chin-ups.
if you can do more than 5 reps of chin-ups (unweighted), you can begin to load them. the standard (3×5) works, as does adding 2 pounds per session.
you should also think about playing around with barbell rows. i typically don't recommend the barbell row to soft-skinned noobs. you need some conventional deadlifting chops to help you maintain the bent-over body angle without trashing your lower back. the position mimics a deadlift and will tax your backside similar to deadlifts. your programming needs to respect this. the standard (3×5) works, as does adding 5 pounds per session (initially).
bench pulls are also a great back exercise. unfortunately, most gyms don't have proper equipment for them. if you can do bench pulls, you should consider doing them. the standard (3×5) works, as does adding 5 pounds per session (initially).
ORIGINAL:
MWF
BRIDGE ROW (3×8){+2.5}
alt w/ CURLS (3×8){+1}
NEW:
M
CHINS (3×5){+2.5}
W
CURLS (3×8){+1}
F
BBROW (3×5){+2.5}
or BN PULLS (3×5){+2.5}
example.
let's take a look at how these changes will look within the program. here's the base:
Session 1
A) Back squat (3×5){+5}
B) 30° Incline press (3×5){+5}
C) Conventional deadlift (1×5){+5}
D) Bridge row (3×8){+2.5}
Session 2
A) Back squat (3×5){+5}
B) Overhead press (3×5){+5}
C) Conventional deadlift (1×5){+5}
D) Biceps curl (3×8){+1}
now let's assume things are starting to get heavy and you're going to make some of the changes. you deload back squats and decrease their progression, and also add front squats. you alternate conventional deadlifts with Romanian deadlifts and power cleans (because you're cool). you decrease your pressing progression and add parallel bar dips. you're able to do pull-ups now, so you add them into the program.
WEEK 1 MONDAY: Session 1
A) Back squat (3×5){+2}
B) 30° Incline press (3×5){+2}
C) Conventional deadlift (1×5){+5}
D) Bridge row (3×8){+2.5}
WEEK 1 WEDNEDAY: Session 2
A) Front squat (3×5){+5}
B) Overhead press (3×5){+1}
C) Power cleans (5×3){+5}
D) Biceps curl (3×8){+1}
WEEK 1 FRIDAY: Session 3
A) Back squat (3×5){+2}
B) Parallel bar dips {+5}
C) Romanian deadlift (3×5){+5}
D) Weighted pull-ups (3×5){+2}
WEEK 2 MONDAY: Session 1
A) Front squat (3×5){+5}
B) 30° Incline press (3×5){+2}
C) Conventional deadlift (1×5){+5}
D) Bridge row (3×8){+2.5}
WEEK 2 WEDNEDAY: Session 2
A) Back squat (3×5){+2}
B) Overhead press (3×5){+1}
C) Power cleans (5×3){+5}
D) Biceps curl (3×8){+1}
WEEK 2 FRIDAY: Session 3
A) Front squat (3×5){+2}
B) Parallel bar dips {+5}
C) Romanian deadlift (3×5){+5}
D) Weighted pull-ups (3×5){+2}
hopefully this gives you a good idea on ways you can twist and turn this program into the futre.
infinite options?
above is a very limited look at how you can modify this program as you get stronger. there are HUNDREDS of exercises out there. good mornings are a great hinge exercise. floor presses are a great press exercise. many dumbbell exercises and calisthenics can also complement the upper body. i could go on…
my hope is that, by explaining the programming principles behind the program, you'll be able to modify things to best suit your needs.
pattern overload.
sprinkling complementary exercises into the program is a nice way to add variety and spice things up, but there's a point of diminishing returns. rotating between too many complementary exercises gets messy. i'd be wary about rotating between more than three exercises per pattern.
premature.
you can sustain progress for a looonnnggg time if you're smart and you use the strategies outlined above. add small amounts of weight regularly. add reps here and there. deload when things get too heavy. rinse and repeat.
few people that can
squat 2x bodyweight
chin-up 0.5x bodyweight
incline press 1x bodyweight
will be upset with their physique.
boring is boring.
even though you can sustain progress for a long time on this simple program, you'll probably get bored doing so. after you finish Phase 1 and experiment with Phase 2, you've “graduated” and you have a world of options ahead of you. you owe it to yourself to explore whatever interests you. you might be tired of full-body routines. you might want to try a split routine. you might be sick of 5's and ready to experiment with higher rep ranges. you might want to become a powerlifter. you might…
options are aplenty.