Programming Strength

Some Advice for Choosing a Training Program

     I have, over the years, occasionally received emails from readers who are confused over what training program to use (or how to design one of their own).  Most of them discover my blog, but then are confused due, not just the overwhelming number of training programs that I write, but the seemingly disparate methods present.  I do, after all, write full-body programs, split training routines (of all kinds), low-rep programs, high-rep regimens, high-set programs, low-set routines, and everything in between.  Of course, if you were to really read over the whole of my material, you would find a “string” of training theory running throughout all of them.  But I also understand the confusion.  I received just such an email this morning from a reader who, with the New Year upon us, was looking for a workout program, but then wasn’t sure what to select after reading through a lot my material.

     First, let’s cover the points that all training programs should adhere to, whether you’re after strength, hypertrophy, or a combination of both.

The Big 4

     I don’t care whether you want to simply look good with your clothes off, want to win a physique competition, or want to enter a strongman contest, or whether you are male or female, all lifters need to do what I call the “big 4.”  What are the big 4?  Unless this is your first time visiting my site, then you probably know them.  But if you’re not familiar, here they are:

1. You must do some sort of squat with heavy weights.

2. You must pick heavy weights off the ground.

3. You must press heavy weights overhead.

4. You must drag or carry heavy weights or implements.

     “Heavy” is relative to your goals.  If it’s strength you’re after, then you should use weights in the 1-5 repetition range.  If it’s hypertrophy, then 6-10 is most likely ideal (there are bodybuilders who do well with slightly lower or higher reps).  If you want both mass and strength, then (obviously) you must do reps in both ranges.  Now, “heavy” means heavy for you.  Don’t worry about what others are lifting.  Leave your ego at the gym door.  Also, the reps should be performed with “good” form.

To Fail or Not to Fail

     Generally, I’m not a fan of “failure” training.  I think the main problem with the mainstream gym mentality—outside of the fact that very few lifters do all 4 of the above things—is that gym-goers believe the “harder the better.”  They believe that a workout is “good” if they are extremely tired or fatigued when the workout is over or if they’re drenching in a pool of sweat when it’s finished.  I say, not so fast.  There might be a time and a place for such training, but usually not.  When you train in that manner, you are often letting the means determine the end.  But, as the saying goes, the end (your goal) must justify the means (your workouts).

     I’m fond of the well-known quote by the Russian strength coach Vladimir Zatsiorsky: “Train as often as possible, as heavy as possible, while being as fresh as possible.”  If you train all-out all the time, you simply won’t be following the famous coach’s famous dictum.

     When you leave a couple of reps “in the tank” at the end of a set, and leave your workout(s) feeling refreshed and invigorated instead of “beat up,” you’ll also be able to take advantage of what I believe is the best method for most lifters, especially natural lifters: high-frequency training (HFT).

HFT

     The more frequently you can train the better.  Notice that I did NOT write that the more frequently you train the better.  You should, first and foremost, decide how frequently you want to train.  Then you can select or design a program with that frequency in mind.  When I discuss HFT, I mean training programs where you train each muscle group/lift at least 3 days per week.  In fact, 3 days is where you should start.  As you get more advanced, you can either stick with 3 days and add workload to those muscles/lifts or you can increase the number of days that you train.

     You might start with a 3 day per week program then, once you’re advanced, move to more training days but you would still keep training each muscle/lift only 3 days.  For example, you might decide to use a full-body program to begin with—that is the correct choice, by the way—but once your workouts are lasting a couple of hours, you might then move to a 6 day training plan but a 2-way split.  But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Full-Body Workouts

     In addition to HFT, if you’re looking to gain plenty of muscle mass, you’re going to get the best results by utilizing full-body workouts.  When you train your entire body at one time, there is just something that happens to your body.  Training multiple muscle groups at one time, especially all of your muscles, almost forces your body to gain muscle.  On the flip side of that, the reason many lifters don’t see gains with “bro splits” where they only train one muscle at each workout is that, when you are only training one muscle group, your body, really, has no reason to gain muscle.  It doesn’t “see” that kind of training as any “threat” to its homeostasis, so it simply remains the same body that it has been.

     Now, when it comes to full body training, you have a few options.  To start with, I would select from two.  Your first option is that you can use a heavy-light-medium system a la Bill Starr.  I have many workouts on the blog that use this principle.  In fact, probably ⅔ of the full-body programs here utilize it.  Your 2nd option is to go with an “everything moderate” approach.  Basically, all of the sessions are “medium.”  In this 2nd approach, you treat your training more like a “practice” or a skill you are developing—that is, in fact, exactly what you’re doing—rather than a workout.  The rest of my full-body workouts on the blog use this method.

     Both options can work exceedingly well.  The one you select should depend entirely upon what you enjoy doing and the one that you believe will garner the best results for you.  If you haven’t been training for very long, then you might not know which one would work well for you.  In that case, select the one that you think you will enjoy doing more than the other.  If you enjoy your workouts, you will stick with them.  Consistency is the most important factor for success, so pick the one that you think you will stay with.

     Some lifters just love training hard.  When I suggest that they will be better following workouts where they don’t take everything to failure, even if they discover that it brings them good results, they are still disappointed, simply because they miss the “feel” of hard workouts.  If that describes you, then I suggest selecting a heavy-light-medium program, especially if you follow it in the manner that Bill Starr prescribed.  That way, you can do one hard workout each week, since, on the heavy day, you will be working up to one all-out set on your core lifts.

     You may be the kind of lifter, however, that doesn’t like hard, gut-busting training.  Heck, that might be the reason you keep quitting your workouts.  Well, in that case, you would do great by going with an everything moderate approach.  You still have to train relatively hard, don’t get me wrong, and, no matter the workout you select, you still have to train with the “big” lifts—squats, benches, overhead work, heavy pulls—but this approach would probably best suit you.  If you want to know what this kind of workout might look like, then I suggest reading my “Full Body Big & Strong” article and following that workout program.

     There is, however, a 3rd option for full-body workouts and HFT.  If you’ve read much of my material, you may have wondered why I haven’t brought it up yet.  Well, here you go.  I’m talking about easy strength.  Now, “easy strength” is not, at least most of the time, meant for 3 days per week training.  But it is what you want to do if you want to train more than 3 days per week while still using full-body workouts.

     If you like to train frequently but also like to use full-body workouts, then easy strength methods are tailor made for you.  If there is an “issue” with 3 days per week, full-body lifting it is the fact that, well, you can “only” train 3 days per week.  Some lifters just love being in the gym and want to go at least 5 days per week.  Fine, I say.  In fact, 5 days of training is probably ideal for easy strength.

     If you want to know more about easy strength, I think the best place to start is my “30 Rep Program.”  Click on the link and you can read all about it on Dragon Door’s website.  If you’re an older lifter, then you may be better going with another one of my programs, aptly titled “Easy Strength for the Older Lifter.” (More program suggestions below.)

Summing it Up

     What about split training, you ask?  If there’s interest, then I’ll write a follow-up to this article and we’ll discuss it there.  In the meantime, if you’re still not sure exactly what workout you want to follow, then here are some more links to some various programs.  Some are H-L-M routines, others are “everything moderate” approaches, and there are also some easy strength regimens in there, as well.

The High-Frequency Training Manifesto

Size and Strength Simplicity

Old-School, Full-Body Mass Building

The Full-Body Big Barbell 5 Program

How to Design a Heavy/Light/Medium Program

Hybrid Easy Strength

Full-Body Blast

The Pure Power Program

A Different Kind of Heavy/Light Training

The 5x10x5 Program