III.
Programming
**A. The basics
**B. Stalling and Resetting
**C. What to do after Rippetoe
**D. General Questions, Part 1
*****1. How much weight should I use?
*****2. What about sets and reps?
General Questions, Part 1
Question - What is linear periodization? What is dual factor periodization? Which type does this program use?
This program relies on "linear progress", which means that you will track progress from workout to workout. You are untrained, so you can disrupt homeostasis and cause a "training effect" with very few sets (3, for example). The benefit of this is that you can recover quickly from only a few sets. What this means is that you can do an exercise today, "trash" yourself because of your poor conditioning with a pretty easy workload, then come back in a few days and be fully recovered. It simply doesn't take much to cause the necessary training/recovery stimulus when you're new to the weights. This is the benefit of being an absolute novice/beginner. As you progress in your conditioning, you might be able to add a set here or there or perhaps an extra exercise for a set or 2 (such as dips), and still progress from workout to workout.
Eventually, your strength and conditioning will be such that more than only a few sets will be required to disrupt homeostasis. You will be better conditioned, and you'll require higher volume and workload to get the training effect. Unfortunately, you won't be able to recover as rapidly, and as a result, a workout scheme slightly more complex than "add weight to the bar each time" will be required. Linear periodization is what the successful intermediate will use during this period. They are stuck halfway between the rock and the hard place. They have enough conditioning to recover pretty quickly between workouts, but they require far more stimulus to disrupt homeostasis and produce a training affect. Instead of progress being workout-to-workout, progress ends up being week to week. Interestingly, this is where the majority of trainees end up, toiling about in "intermediate-ville" for the majority of their training lives, because they can't use "anything" to grow, like they did when they were newbs, and they really aren't going to get a lot out of the typical professional bodybuilder's training regimen at this time either. Regardless, there will come a point when even linear periodization isn't going to be enough.
Dual factor periodization is an incredibly effective technique that can result in great strength and development advances for a very well-trained athlete who has hit the wall in their training progression after years of hard, consistent training. Not only can they not make incremental weight increases on their exercises from workout to workout, they can't even make increases from week to week, and a certain level of "down/backoff" time needs to be planned into what amounts to a semi-annual or possibly annual training cycle. The workouts aren't taken from day to day or even week-to-week, they will be taken in larger periods, such as a month or 6-week period. The workouts are organized to provide cumulative stress to the body over several weeks and many workouts.
If you are considering this program, then the need for such complexity is miles away. You need to do the basics, you need to practice the basics, and you need to add weight to the bar every workout, consistently, for as long as possible.
Once you have spent some time in the iron game and your training has progressed to the point where you can't reasonably add weight (or repetitions) to the bar without specific planning and workload manipulation, then you will require some form of periodization. That is beyond the scope of this program, and, for now, is unnecessary. It will be something to look forward to in the future, and hopefully for you, FAR in the future. The longer you can milk the "basic linear progress" (i.e. add weight to the bar every workout), the farther you'll get and the quicker you'll get there.
Question - Do I do all the exercises together, or do I do 1 set of squats, followed by a set of benches, etc?
You don't switch back and forth between exercises, which is circuit training. Circuit training is when you do a single set of squats, followed by a single set of bench presses, followed by a single set of deadlifts, then repeat this "circuit". That is not appropriate for this program.
You do ALL of your squats, followed by ALL of your benches, followed by ALL of your rows.
Circuit training can be used for the accessory work if you like, but your main work is done 1 exercise at a time. You completely finish all sets of one exercise before moving on to the next exercise.
Question - How do I determine my 1-RM and 5-RM (1 rep max and 5 rep max)?
Before progressing further, it is of importance to understand that the novice CANNOT and SHOULD NOT perform a 1-RM for any exercise.
1) Their technique cannot possibly be proper, and this opens the trainee to a host of potential injuries and mishaps (Train wreck waiting to happen)
2) From page 162,
Practical Programming Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Rippetoe
(Novices) lack the motor skill to perform a valid one-repetition maximum effort on any barbell exercise. They have only been performing the movements a short time, and have not had a chance to develop the motor pathway of the movement to the point where the effort can be the focus instead of the movement pattern.
In other words, a newb's 1-RM is useless for programming purposes. Nothing positive can be derived from performing a 1-RM. It is not indicative of the trainee's actual strength, and a 1-RM is not useful as a training stimulus because it lacks the necessary volume to cause any type of homeostatic disruption, which results in a training/adapatation response. A newb's 1-RM will be more indicative of how well he performs the movement, rather than how strong he is.
For this program, the way you deterine your 5-RM is to perform your 5-RM.
Let's say you "estimate" that you can probably do 200 lbs for a set of 5
You would do a warmup and slowly pyramid up to the max set as follows:
bar x 10
95 x 8
135 x 5
165 x 3
185 x 1
200 x 5
if that felt pretty easy, then shoot for 205 or 210 after a long (5 minute) rest.
For funsies, you can use the Brzycki equation to determine your 1-RM approximation.
1RM = Weight ÷ ( 1.0278 - ( 0.0278 × # of reps <5> ) )
You can use this info to:
1) Calculate intensity for whatever percentage of your 1RM you deem appropriate
2) Reverse the formula to back out your maximum weight with any number of reps
Weight = 1RM X ( 1.0278 - ( 0.0278 × Desired number of repetitions ) )
An alternative equation is as follows:
1RM = Weight × ( 1 + ( 0.033 × Number of repetitions ) )
The corresponding reversed equation is:
Weight = 1RM ÷ ( 1 + ( 0.033 × Desired number of repetitions ) )
This last information, regarding Brzycki, is only for fun. You won't need this, and I include this only to keep novices from attempting to do their 1-RM so they can brag to their buddies. It probably won't work, but hey, I tried.
Question - Can I take a week off without losing all my strength?
Generally, it is HIGHLY DISCOURAGED for beginners to take a day off of scheduled training, let alone a full week. The initial months of training are where you lay the foundation for strength development and conditioning. Usually there won't be a real reason to avoid training, the reasons end up being personal in nature. If you are dedicated to progress and you really want to get bigger and stronger, then don't blow off even 1 single workout, let alone an entire week. If you are making consistent (even if it is slow) progress in your training poundages while maintaining proper form/technique, do everything you can to NOT miss a workout.
Eventually you will get sore or tired, or progress will stop coming along, or your family will be coming up on a vacation or some such. If this is your situation and you know you won't be able to train for that week, then see the sections on "deloading" and overtraining for further information.