A Different Kind of Heavy/Light Training

 

A Total-Body, High-Frequency Training Program for Building Strength, Gaining Mass, and Conditioning Your Body

     As regular readers of this blog, and my writing in general, probably know, I’m a big fan of high-frequency training (HFT for short).  I believe that HFT is the best form of lifting for the vast majority of trainees, especially the natural lifter.  Here at Integral Strength, I have a wide range of different HFT programs, from my popular 30-Rep Program (along with quite a few other easy strength regimens) to the 3-to-5 Method to Bill Starr-style H-L-M workouts to John McCallum’s High-Protein, High-Set Program—and everything in between.  In fact, most of my training programs fall under the umbrella of HFT.

     Although it’s not always the case, HFT is usually combined with full-body workouts.  Many times, this is out of necessity.  If, for instance, you want to use a HFT program but you can only make it to the gym 3 times a week, it only makes sense to train your entire body at each session.  Conversely, if you’re going to use an easy strength method where you train each lift (or muscle group) 5 to 6 times in a week, it’s hard to do that on a split program unless you’re going to use a double-split method of working out twice per day—which, if you have the time, I’m certainly not opposed to.  Necessity aside, full-body workouts simply build more muscle and strength than most split programs.  Now, I won’t get into it here, but if you want some of the reasons why I believe full-body workouts are generally superior to split workouts, I suggest reading my recent article “Muscle-Building Made Easy.”

     One of the reasons that I write so many different HFT programs is because we need variety in our training, not just for our bodies but for our minds.  Even if I could get great results from doing the exact same program year in and year out, I would still want to use a variety of different workout regimens if for nothing more than to keep me sane.

     The following program is yet another HFT routine, but one that is a bit different from some of the other workouts I’ve created.  It uses HFT and full-body sessions along with rotating between “heavy” and “light” workouts.  It’s a different kind of heavy/light program because it also uses barbell training, kettlebell workouts, and bodyweight-only “density” sessions.  And if you’re looking for something new and varied that isn’t the “same ol’, same ol’” routine, this might be just what the lifting doctor ordered!

     On this program, you will train 4 days per week.  I have the days written here as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with the weekends off—as I have a feeling those are the days most lifters will want to choose—but train on whatever days you want as long as it follows a 2-on, 1-off, 2-on, 2-off schedule.

Monday - Heavy Barbell Session

     For the first training day of the week, you will do 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps on 5 different barbell movements.  The only exception is for the deadlift where you will do 5 progressively heavier sets of triples.  If you’re familiar with Bill Starr’s H-L-M workouts, this day is essentially the same as his “heavy” day.  Only the last set should be “all-out.”  You may not get 5 reps on the last set—you should use a weight where you know that 5 reps will be a real struggle.  If you don’t get 5 reps on your final set, then you will attempt to get it at the next Monday workout.  If you do get it, then add weight on the next heavy day.

1. Barbell squats: 5x5

2. Bench presses: 5x5

3. Deadlifts: 5x3

4. Military presses: 5x5

5. Barbell curls: 5x5

Tuesday - High-Rep Kettlebell Session

     For the 2nd training day of the week, you will be doing a kettlebell-only session.  For each movement below, you will do 1 set of 20-30 reps.  Select a weight that will be hard but not all-out on each set.  You may want to warm up, as well, with 1 light set before your 1 work set.  If you’re unsure about the exact weight to utilize, always err on the side of too light.  It’s better to use too light of a kettlebell than one that is too heavy.  When you first start this program, you might want to intentionally begin with a light weight.  After all, you will be sore after the Monday session, at least until your body adapts to the frequent training.

     Train relatively fast for this workout.  In fact, you might be finished in only 10 minutes or so.  As you may know, assuming you’ve read some of my past material, I don’t give “blanket” recommendations for rest between sets.  Simply move to the next set before your oxygen debt has completely recovered.  For some lifters, this might be around a minute or a little more.  If you’re well-conditioned, it could be as little as 20 to 30 seconds.

     Move to heavier kettlebells as often as possible.  At the very least, this should be every other week.  As you progress on the program, it should be every week.

1. Double kettlebell front squats: 1x20-30

2. Double kettlebell cleans: 1x20-30

3. Double kettlebell overhead presses: 1x20-30

4. Single kettlebell curls: 1x20-30

Thursday - “Light” Barbell Session

     For this training day, you will repeat the Monday workout, but you will only do 3 progressively heavier sets per movement instead of 5.  Work up to the weight used on the 3rd set from Monday and stop there.  This should be the easiest session of the week.

1. Barbell squats: 3x5

2. Bench presses: 3x5

3. Deadlifts: 3x3

4. Military presses: 3x5

5. Barbell curls: 3x5

Friday - Bodyweight-Only “Density” Session

     The final workout of the week will only consist of 3 different bodyweight movements: bodyweight squats, pushups, and chins.  Don’t count sets but just reps.  On each of the sets, however, stop before you are completely fatigued.  Let’s say you are going to attempt 100 reps on the bodyweight squats.  If you do 50 on your first set, you may be too fatigued to get even 15 or 20 reps on your next set and it might take you too long to get 100 reps compared to doing 5 sets of 20, which you might be able to do with relative ease and in a faster time.  Whatever rep range you decide for each movement, move as fast as possible between sets but stop before each set gets “hard.”  As you progress, instead of adding reps—at least, at first—try to decrease the length of the workout.  If it takes you 30 minutes to complete the entire workout when you start, this should naturally decrease so that you are eventually, say, completing the workout in 15 minutes.  This is the meaning of density training.

1. Bodyweight squats: 100-300 reps

2. Pushups: 50-100 reps

3. Chins: 20-50 reps

     Obviously, the reps you choose on each exercise will depend on your strength and conditioning level.

Some Thoughts, Tips, and Pointers

     If you’re new to HFT, you may want to do a week, or even 2, of “break-in” workouts.  If you’ve only been training your muscle groups, for instance, just once-per-week, then you will, in all likelihood, be really sore after the Monday session, which means that you could even be at risk of pulling a muscle on the Tuesday session.  If this is you, then for the first week, do 5 really easy, light sets on all of the barbell movements.  On the 2nd week, add a little weight but still keep it light, then, on the 3rd week you can begin the program “outright.”

     Once you’re conditioned to do the program as written, you will still be sore on several, or all, of your training days.  This is perfectly fine.  You will adapt to it by training through the soreness.  It’s at this point that lifters start to see big gains and, after a few weeks, you will hardly be sore at all from the training.

     This is a program that can be used, oddly enough, for either mass-building or fat loss.  It will come down to dietary choices more than anything else.  If you’re trying to gain mass, then eat plenty of calories and protein each-and-every day.  Eat 25 times your bodyweight in calories, or more, on a daily basis and get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily.  If it’s fat loss you’re chasing, then still get the same amount of protein but reduce either carbs or fat to below 10% of your total caloric intake and get around 10 times your bodyweight in calories daily.  Also, for fat loss, consider going for a 30 minute to an hour-long walk or hike as soon as you finish each session.

     You can also add some loaded carries to the end of the Monday and Thursday workout.  If you opt to do this, then do 1 or 2 sets of farmer walks, sandbag carries, or something similar for either time or distance.  Don’t go all-out, however, but stop once the set(s) get really difficult.

     In addition, you can add 1 or 2 sets of abdominal work to any or all of the workouts.  I like weighted incline sit-ups, the ab wheel, or hanging leg raises.  As with the loaded carries, these sets should be hard but not all-out.

     Stick with the program as written for 6-8 weeks.  If you are still getting good gains at the 8-week mark and want to continue to use it, then don’t make any changes for another 3 to 4 weeks.  At that point, however, you probably will need to make some slight modifications by rotating to some new exercises.

     If you’re looking for something new, different, and challenging then give this program a try.  It will develop a strong, rugged, and all-around athletic physique.