Consolidated Volume Training

The following blog post is actually an e-mail from a friend of mine here in Tuscaloosa—Jared Smith—who sent me this workout, and wanted to know what I thought about it. He calls it "consolidated volume training". I kind of like that title. Wish I would have thought of it myself.

Check it out:

I was reading some of Mentzer's writing and though I think that training balls to the wall heavy all the time will inevitably lead to injury. However, I do agree with his ideas on consolidated training. Using only a handful of key compound exercises which will sufficiently stimulate all muscles of the body to their fullest. The program I have in mind is a 3 day a week program. Each muscle will get trained 3 times over the course of each week which is a significant difference from the once a week programs that most people do. But if people notice, successful lifters train major lifts several times a week. The rep ranges will differ each workout for the sake of making sure all muscle fibers are stimulated and we all know that you can only drive a vehicle full throttle for so long before it brakes.

Day 1

Incline Barbell Presses 5x10-12

Underhand grip barbell rows 5x 10-12

Standing calf raises 5 x 10-12

Squats 5x10-12

Note: Some may question the rational for doing arguably the most difficult bodypart last. The reason being is that it is the most draining and if done first I feel that it may take away from the amount of intensity and focus that you could give your other bodyparts.

Day 2 Rest

Day 3

Flat dumbell presses 5x6-8

Palms in Chins 5x as many as u can

Front Squats 5x6-8

Note: Notice calves aren't trained on each day that you train since they're doing thousands of reps each day as you walk.

Day 4 Rest

Day 5

Flat Bench Presses 5x 4-6

Squats 5x 4-6

Deadlifts 5x4-6

Day 6 Rest

Day 7

Dips 5x as many as u can

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder presses 5x8-10

Dumbbell Pullovers 5x8-10

Take 2-3 days off then repeat the cycle.

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