The One-Lift-Per-Day Program

Every week, I receive emails from folks who count their calories, know the exact percentage of macronutrients they are consuming, weigh their food, and train with apps full of charts, graphs, and whatever other things those apps track. They also keep meticulous journals, and can tell you the exact repetition tempo performed for all of their machine work at the gym. I only mention this because just yesterday - while I was relaxing at home, drinking a Coors light, and grilling out for Juneteenth - I checked my email, only to see that I had received an email from a reader who explained to me he is having trouble getting "psyched up" for his workouts - despite taking a pre-workout pill, wearing his state-of-the-art lycra pants and mesh "cooling" tank top, along with his brand new, brand name workout shoes. So he wanted to know what I did pre-workout to prepare for my training sessions, and what I wear. I told him I try to remember to wear some shorts, and then I decide if I want to workout barefoot or in my flip-flops. Oh, and sometimes I drink some coffee for a pre-workout drink.

I say all of this just to point out how much we overcomplicate things. From what I can see in the current workout "scene" (at least here in the U.S.) is that people seem to go for overcomplicated and easy instead of simple and hard! But simple and hard will always be best.

Marvin Eder knew the power of simple but hard workouts.

There are several simple but not easy workouts programs. For instance, if you're new to powerlifting, and don't know what sort of workout you should follow because you have been reading about Westside Barbell's methods, Sheiko programs, and Bill Starr workouts - there's no need for all of that confusion, so here's a simple workout program if you're in this boat:

Monday: squat and bench press for 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps each

Thursday: deadlift and bench press for 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps each

That's right: just 5 sets of 5 reps on each exercise, and make sure the last set is ALL-OUT. On your off days, rest a lot, go for a walk just to help you recover, and see how much food you can eat. You'll be strong in no time.

Here's another program that fits the simple but not easy mantra to a T: The one-lift-per-day program. Here is how this program works:

1. Do one-lift-per-day

2. Train at least 4 days per week

That's it!

But, of course, if I stop right here then I will also receive all sorts of emails wanting me to fill in the details. So here are the details.

First off, utilize the Big 4. I write about this all the time because it's so important, and because NO ONE seems to utilize it. The Big 4 are:

1. Squat something heavy.

2. Pick heavy stuff off the ground.

3. Press heavy stuff overhead.

4. Drag or carry stuff for distance or time.

So a very basic OLPD program would look like this:

Monday: Squats

Tuesday: One-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Presses

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: Power Cleans

Friday: Farmer's Walks

Weekends: Off

If you wanted to add a couple of "pretty-boy" exercises to the program, it could look something such as this:

Monday: Front Squats

Tuesday: Bench Presses

Wednesday: Deadlifts

Thursday: Sandbag Carries

Friday: Push Presses

Saturday: Barbell Curls

Now for sets and reps. And the form your sets and reps take should depend on your goal. Want to primarily get strong as hell, with muscle mass as more of a "back-up" to your strength-building? Then keep your reps under 5 (for the most part) and your sets HIGH - I have in mind a 10 sets of 3 reps program, for instance. Want to get big AND strong? Then you can't go wrong with an 8 sets of 5 program. Or you could "surf" your rep ranges, working up to something heavy, and then back down for a lot of reps.

The beauty of the OLPD program is that you can do all sorts of set and rep ranges since you will only be working on one exercise at each session. Just keep it simple... but not easy!

Marvin Eder’s Mass-Building Methods

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C.S. Sloan's Integral Strength

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