​Copyright Notice

No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic or
mechanical including photocopying or recording or by any informational storage or system
without expressed written, dated and signed permission from the author. All copyrights are
reserved.

Disclaimer and legal notices

The information provided in this book is for educational purposes only. We are not doctors and
this is not meant to be taken as medical advice. The information provided in this eBook is based
on our experience and our interpretation of current studies available on training and nutrition.

The advice and tips provided in this eBook are for primarily for healthy individuals. You should
consult your physician before applying any of the tips provided here and ensure they suit your
current physical health and individual state.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION​………………………………………………………………………………………….5

STRENGTH VS POWER​……………………………………………………………………………….. 6

HYPERTROPHY VS STRENGTH​……………………………………………………………………... 8
STRENGTH SUPPORTS MUSCLE GROWTH​………………………………………………….. 9
CNS ADAPTATION​………………………………………………………………………………... 11
HYPERTROPHY SUPPORTS STRENGTH​…………………………………………………….. 12

HYPERTROPHY BASICS​…………………………………………………………………………….. 14

NUTRITION FOR MAXIMIZING STRENGTH PROGRESS​………………………………………. 20

NUTRITION BASICS​………………………………………………………………………………. 25

RECOVERY AND SUPPLEMENTS​…………………………………………………………………..33

PROGRESS TRACKING​…………………………………………………………………………....... 43

STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES AND LEVERS​……………………………………………………..45

MUSCLE FIBERS DISTRIBUTION VS STRENGTH POTENTIAL​………………………………..55

THREE MAJOR SKELETAL MUSCLE TYPES​………………………………………………….55

MAN VS WOMAN DIFFERENCES IN TRAINING​…………………………………………………..59

NATURAL VS ENHANCED LIFTERS STRENGTH SPECIFIC TRAINING​……………………...61

RAW VS EQUIPPED LIFTING​………………………………………………………………………...63

TECHNIQUE AND MECHANICS BEHIND BASIC COMPOUND MOVES​……………………....64

LIFTING EQUIPMENT​………………………………………………………………………………….78

MOBILITY WORK​……………………………………………………………………………………....83

HOW TO DEAL WITH INJURIES​……………………………………………………………………..89

STRENGTH PLATEAUS​……………………………………………………………………………….94

OVERREACHING AND OVERTRAINING​…………………………………………………………...99

CORE TRAINING VS STRENGTH​…………………………………………………………………. 101

GRIP STRENGTH​……………………………………………………………………………………..104

STRENGTH TRANSFERABILITY BETWEEN THE MOVEMENTS DEBATE​………………....107

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STRENGTH TRAINING MYTHS​……………………………………………………………………. 108

PERIODIZATION​……………………………………………………………………………………...​112
TYPES OF PERIODIZATION​…………………………………………………………………… 113

STRENGTHROPHY TRAINING APPROACH​…………………………………………………….. 115

BEGINNERS STRENGTHROPHY PROGRAM​…………………………………………………....116

INTERMEDIATES STRENGTHROPHY PROGRAM​……………………………………………... 129

ADVANCED STRENGTHROPHY PROGRAM​…………………………………………………….182

STRENGTH STANDARDS AND TRAINING EXPERIENCE​……………………………………..242

FINAL WORDS​……………………………………………………………………………………….. 246

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 INTRODUCTION

This ebook won’t be another cookie cutter program without explanation why and how things
work and it won’t be a simple guide which revolves around one type of training, diet or method.
This ebook is here to explain and simplify major strength and hypertrophy training concepts but
above everything else it’s here to teach you how to apply those concepts in your own training
and customize different training methods to your own needs based on your unique genetic
make up.

If you want to get stronger but also look the part this ebook got it covered! In these pages you’ll
learn everything you really need to know about strength specific training but also how strength
progress impacts muscle hypertrophy and how those two go hand in hand.

You’ll learn first and then you’ll get opportunity and option to apply since we’ll also give you
carefully designed programs for different strength and experience levels but you’ll also get a
knowledge and means on how to customize those routines to your own needs.

Reason why we named the ebook “strengthrophy” is because we wanted to combine general
concepts of strength and hypertrophy and teach people how they both work separately and
together.

We’re also aware there is a thing called “powerbuilding” which is a flawed and fundamentally
inaccurate term since strength and power are two completely different things and have a
different meaning. So “strengthrophy” isn’t just a combination of two words as a product of our
imagination but rather more accurate representation of the whole concept.

Anyways what this ebook contains is a summarized knowledge on strength and hypertrophy
which will bring the reader a step closer to his goal! We’d even go so far and say it will provide
all the necessary tools to make a long term progress, both strength and muscle wise.

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 STRENGTH VS POWER

Although people are using these terms interchangeably almost like they’re the same thing this
couldn’t be further from the truth and we’d just like to kill the confusion in this chapter.

Strength is the amount of force a muscle or group of muscles can exert against and
external load.

Power is defined as the ability to generate as much force as fast as possible.

What does this mean in a concrete example?

If we have two lifters who weight approximately the same and both can lift 140 kg on the squat
as their 1RM but the first lifter needs 2 seconds to finish the lift and the other needs 5 seconds
to lift the weight, we can conclude that both trainees are equally strong because they overcame
the same load during contraction.

But who is more powerful?

Answer is probably obvious! The first lifter is more powerful because it took him less time to
move the weight from point A to point B.

How do we know how strong or powerful we are?

It's quite simple when it comes to strength.

One repetition maximum test is performed where a lifter assesses the greatest weight they can
lift with proper form. Speed of the movement is not important when testing strength​.

But power is different story!

The load or resistance must be heavy enough for maximal force to be applied but not so heavy
that the exercise is performed slow. If the load is just right the individual should be able to lift the
weights as fast as possible with proper form. And then we can measure the time it took him to
finish the lift.

Strength + speed = power

Considering the difference between strength and power on mechanical level it is important to
understand which one is more beneficial to your needs.

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Olympic weightlifter would want to focus more on power while a powerlifter would focus mostly
on strength but considering the strength is part of the equation needed for maximal power
production, getting stronger would benefit pretty much any kind of athlete.

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 HYPERTROPHY VS STRENGTH

Recent social media rise resulted in more confusion then useful content especially when it
comes to training. “Hypertrophy rep range vs strength rep range”, “how to train for hypertrophy”
and a bunch of other similar stuff which indicate that these two require completely different
training approach and to someone who is not into lifting for a long time this might even sound
like they are mutually exclusive which couldn’t be further from the truth.

I can totally understand that you’re confused but here’s a little science for you!

Multiple studies found that muscle hypertrophy can be triggered in virtually every rep range as
long as those sets are brought to contractile(or technical) failure(or at least near failure).
Your muscles react to “forced adaptation” which is basically a fancy term for putting your
muscles under more external stress/resistance over time.

I admit those studies used only limited intensity range (30-80% of 1RM) but it’s safe to assume
that training near failure will force synergistic activation of all muscle fibers and lead to
exhaustion of the same. Tapping into highest amount of muscle fibers(activation and
exhaustion) is key for triggering muscle growth.

Primary driver of muscle growth is total increase in training volume (volume can be explained
with simple formula: sets x reps x resistance). If you’re making progress in terms of total working
volume you’re triggering the “forced adaptation” which initiates the muscle growth process.

There is a bunch of ways to increase total working volume like increasing reps, sets, reducing
rest periods but most common is simply increasing the resistance. Yeah, putting on more weight
on the bar!

Total increase in working volume is simply called Progressive overload!

If you understand the basic principles explained above than you should also understand by now
that muscle growth and strength are tightly linked and even have proportional connections to a
certain extent.

If you get stronger and if total working volume is sufficient you’re also going to gain muscle!

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STRENGTH SUPPORTS MUSCLE GROWTH

Getting stronger supports progressive overload

Even most “anti-strength zealots” at a certain point have to realize that getting stronger isn’t just
one of the ways to achieve progressive overload but getting stronger also supports progressive
overload on every other intensity level (every other rep range).

If you get stronger you’ll be able to move heavier weights in the higher rep range which
automatically results in more total working volume. Just remember the magical formula I
mentioned in a previous chapter: sets x reps x RESISTANCE.

Avoiding strength specific training will limit your ability to achieve progressive overload because
let’s face it; there is a limited number of sets and reps you can do in one training session or over
the course of one week and I highly doubt that you want to spend 10 hours a day in the gym just
to achieve more volume.

Getting stronger supports progressive overload on all intensity levels and in all rep ranges!

Strength specific training creates highest levels of mechanical tension

One of the primary mechanical triggers for muscle growth is mechanical tension.

Mechanical tension is creating maximal force through full range of motion of the particular
movement and full active range of motion of the particular muscle. Mechanical tension is
combining passive and active muscle activation since muscle resists the external force with
contraction during both concentric and eccentric portion of the ROM.

In layman’s terms this means lifting heavy in lower(to moderate) rep range and exerting maximal
amount of force to stimulate the highest threshold motor units and therefore activating highest
amount of muscle fibers.

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Heavy lifting in combination with controlled eccentric motion causes higher levels of
muscle damage

Moving heavy weights is not just about concentric motion but also handling the load during the
eccentric action(negatives).

Muscle damage occurs as a response to negative/eccentric portion of the movement under the
load while resisting the external force with muscle contraction. During the negative; miniature
“ruptures” create in the muscle fibers and that automatically triggers the muscle repair process.
If you’re providing your body with enough nutrients through diet it won’t only repair the muscle
damage but also increase the size of the fibers as an adaptive response.

Studies found that highest levels of muscle damage occurs during eccentric action under a
heavy loads primarily because heavy resistance activates highest amount of muscle fibers.

More muscle fibers activated throughout the eccentric motion means more muscle damage.

As muscle damage is one of the primary mechanical triggers for muscle growth (alongside
mechanical tension and metabolic stress) this is a crucial mechanism for maximizing your
hypertrophy potential.

Getting stronger increases neuromuscular efficiency

Heavy compound lifts performed at high intensity will force not only massive synergistic muscle
activation but due to high demands on your nervous system it will automatically recruit most
muscle fibers.

Neuromuscular efficiency is a simple ability to fire up as many muscle fibers as possible

throughout the specific motion.

If you improve neuromuscular efficiency you'll improve your ability to engage/activate more
muscle fibers during any exercise and this results in higher muscle hypertrophy stimulus.

If you improve your strength you'll improve your ability to recruit as many muscle fibers as
possible simultaneously to handle the external force.

Few studies even found that specific strength/power work can increase muscle fibers activation
up to 10-15% in the long run. (strength and power are not the same though)

Studies clearly indicate that strength and hypertrophy are proportional to an extent and this
proportional relationship is crucial if you’re a natural lifter.

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If you’re getting stronger under condition you’re eating enough calories and protein to support
the growth you’re also going to get bigger.

Interesting thing is that research indicates that the importance of that proportional link grows the
more experienced and stronger lifter is.

Strength isn’t just a product of contractile force of the muscle fibers but also nervous system
efficiency and movement/technical efficiency. As a beginner you’re not only increasing your
muscle fibers contractile force production but also building the movement efficiency and
mastering each movement as a skill which can greatly impact the amount of weight you can
handle throughout the range of motion.

The longer you train the more efficient you become in performing those movements which is a
product of improved CNS(central nervous system) efficiency and technical mastery.

So at a certain point where both CNS efficiency and technical mastery are at a high level your
strength will start depending more and more on muscular contraction.

Anyways, it’s safe to say that strength and hypertrophy are tightly linked and even mutually
inclusive and this is crucial if you’re a natural lifter.

CNS ADAPTATION

CNS (Central Nervous System) is basically a fancy term for portion of the nervous system which
consists primarily of your brain and the spinal cord.

How CNS and its adaptation impacts your strength and muscle gains?

CNS integrates received information and coordinates/influences activity of all body parts.

Opposed to popular belief CNS has higher impact on strength/force production than muscular
system itself.

When you overload your muscles/body with some kind of external resistance your CNS receives
the signal which activates high threshold motor units and initiates the adaptation process.

CNS adaptation process is basically improving the ability to activate more motor units at the
same time which leads to better coordination and efficiency on a specific movement pattern.

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 ● More efficient CNS equals higher force production
● Higher force production equals higher overloading capacity
● Higher overloading capacity equals greater ability to increase volume
● Increase in total working volume equals muscle hypertrophy

While getting stronger and more muscular depends on multiple things like; muscle satellite cells
responsiveness, muscle bellies size, bone structure, levers... your CNS efficiency plays a crucial
role in activating high threshold motor units which means it massively affects your ability to
produce force and progressively overload the muscles.

Same exercises that are most taxing on your CNS are the same that trigger the greatest amount
of CNS adaptation: big basic compound lifts!

HYPERTROPHY SUPPORTS STRENGTH

More muscle equals greater contractile force capacity

While strength supports muscle growth in the long run this proportional link goes both ways.

I mentioned in the previous chapter how strength is a product of multiple things but one of the
major contributors to your ability to produce force is synergistic contraction of the muscle fibers.

Now let’s use a simple logic for a moment! If muscle fibers fire up to exert force against external
resistance what happens if you have more muscle fibers available?

The more muscle mass means you have greater cross-sectional area covered with muscle
fibers and this means you have more muscle fibers available for producing the contractile force.

As the contractile capability of the muscle is one of the major contributors to force production
throughout the range of motion than I believe you understand how important is to build decent
muscle mass base to support the strength gain process.

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More muscle equals better levers

When it comes to lifting; term “levers” is used to describe the relationship between the bone
length, joints as a pivot points and muscle that is moving the weight/load through contraction at
the other end of the “lever”.

If you can visualize some kind of a lever(those old school scales will give you a pretty good
analogy) than just visualize what will happen if you increase the weight on one side of the lever.

Let’s put it this way;

Muscle is on one end of the lever(bone) while external resistance/load is on the other side while
your joint acts as a pivot point.

If the muscle gets bigger and heavier it will automatically improve “lever balance” against the
opposite side(external load).

This means that the bigger muscle gives you better “lever effect” and allows you to move
heavier weights on the opposite side of that lever(bone).

This is crucial when it comes to heavy compound lifts so even if you couldn’t care less about
size; gaining some size/weight will definitely help you move heavier weights.

On top of that gaining some muscle size/volume has the potential to reduce active joint range of
motion on some lifts and if your goal is moving the heaviest amount of weight possible this can
make a major difference.

Whether you’re focused on size only or just getting stronger focusing on both in the long run will
deliver the best results because these two have tight proportional links and support each other.

Gaining strength increases potential for muscle growth!

Gaining muscle increases potential for strength gain!

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 HYPERTROPHY BASICS

I don’t want to distract your from primary purpose of this guide but I still think it’s important you
understand muscle growth process and basic mechanisms behind it!

There are three primary mechanical triggers for muscle growth and I already explained two of
them in the previous chapter.

● MECHANICAL TENSION
● MUSCLE DAMAGE
● METABOLIC STRESS

Both mechanical tension and muscle damage are crucial for muscle growth process but
metabolic stress is basically optional since your body can create “forced adaptation” strictly
based on the first two.

Metabolic stress means few things: veins occlusion traps blood inside the muscle, oxygen
restriction to the muscle, metabolites accumulation(lactates, fluids and hormonal surge) inside
the muscle cells and cell swelling due to massive blood accumulation.

Metabolic stress is basically getting a pump everyone loves so much!

Lifting in moderate to higher rep range with shorter rest periods and constant tension/time under
tension is what creates metabolic stress.

While you can definitely trigger hypertrophy without a pump some “metabolic stress specific
work” will definitely increase the hypertrophy stimulus and aid in muscle growth process.

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Training volume

Primary driver of muscle growth is training volume. More accurately the driver itself is increase
in total training volume over time.

Training volume is a term used to describe total workload used and it can be described with
simple formula: sets x reps x resistance/weight.

Muscle growth is the process of “forced adaptation” where you’re overloading your muscle,
putting it under more stress/volume over time which initiates adaptation process.

Your goal is to increase training volume over time either by adding more weight or reps or
sets(there are other ways to achieve progressive overload though) in order to “force” your
muscles into growth.

Progressive overload

Fancy term for progressive increase of training volume is progressive overload.

Progressive overload is basically a tool to increase volume and trigger forced adaptation.

You can achieve progressive overload multiple ways and here are some of the most common
examples:

Ex. 1

Week 1: 5 x 5 x 100kg = 2500kg

Week 2: 5 x 5 x 105kg = 2625kg

In this example you’ve used the same number of sets and reps but you increased the weight.
This means you achieved progressive overload by adding weight.

Ex. 2

Week 1: 5 x 5 x 100kg (you get 5, 5, 4, 3, 2)

Week 2: 5 x 5 x 100kg (you get 5, 5, 5, 4, 3)

In this example you increased total number of reps while keeping sets and weight the same
which means you achieved progressive overload by adding reps.

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Ex. 3

Week 1: 5 x 5 x 100kg
Week 2: 6 x 5 x 100kg

In this example you added one additional set while keeping reps and weight the same which
means you achieved progressive overload by adding set/s.

Ex. 3

Week 1: 5 x 5 x 100kg with 3 minutes rest between sets

Week 2: 5 x 5 x 100kg with 2 minutes rest between sets

In this example you reduced rest periods between sets which means you increased amount of
work done in the unit of time. You achieved progressive overload by reducing the rest periods.

These are the most common examples of progressive overload but there is certainly more!

Training frequency

Training frequency is a term used for the number of times each muscle group(or movement) has
been trained over the course of one week. In some cases training frequency means number of
training sessions on a weekly basis but the first one is more common use of the term and the
one we’ll use in this guide.

Science indicates that training each muscle group more than once a week is advantageous for
stimulating muscle growth especially in natural lifters.

The reason lies in a fact that training induced localized MPS (Muscle Protein Synthesis) stays
elevated anywhere from 24-48h after training the muscle which means even after high
volume/high intensity session MPS levels will go back to baseline after which training that
muscle again makes perfect sense to trigger MPS again.

Other part of the equation is MPB (Muscle Protein Breakdown) which is another cellular process
(muscle repair and “remodeling”) but compared to MPS, MPB process can last a little bit longer
depending on the amount of volume muscle is trained with. More training volume usually results
in more muscle damage which means it’ll take longer for that muscle to fully repair/recover.

The process of muscle growth depends on positive net balance between MPS and MPB which
mean MPS must surpass levels of MPB in order for “positive cellular adaptation” to occur.

16
The reason why I’m explaining this is because you should understand that for a natural lifter
doing too much volume can be a waste of time or even counter-productive because there is only
a certain level of MPS individual can trigger in one training session while MPB can progressively
increase with more training volume which can negatively impact training adaptation.

That is why training frequency is a great tool for natural lifter to increase volume on a weekly
basis while at the same time keeping total training volume of one session under “recoverable
limit”.

Major thing you have to keep in mind is that training volume and training frequency are
inversely proportional!

If training volume goes up training frequency should go down!

If training volume is lower training frequency should be higher!

This is the key to optimizing training routine to your needs and adapting it to your recovery
capacity.

Another reason why training frequency matters is related to the strength itself and strength
requires building a movement efficiency.

The more often you perform the movement the more efficient you’ll become in it which is
initiated by positive CNS (Central Nervous System) and neuromuscular adaptation. All this in
combination leads to improved technique and improving the particular movement as a skill
which plays a major role in terms of the amount of weight you can handle.

Training Intensity

Training intensity is a term which has two meanings!

More common use of a term is where intensity simply refers to the amount of resistance used.
When someone says “training intensity” in this context he usually means how heavy are you
going on particular exercise/movement or on particular session.

“High intensity” would usually mean someone is using heavier loads for fewer reps.

Another way to use the term is when we’re talking about the amount of effort put into set or how
close to failure you’re bringing your sets.

It’s important to understand the difference because very often you’ll have to focus on contextual
meaning of the term when reading something potentially important related to training structure.

17
Training for hypertrophy

I explained in the previous chapters that strength and hypertrophy are tightly linked and
complement each other on multiple levels but muscle hypertrophy as a cellular process
triggered by simple “forced adaptation” can be achieved on multiple intensity levels.

You can see all over social media those posts and articles where “experts” are comparing
strength and hypertrophy rep ranges and implying some difference between the two which just
isn’t there.

Studies found that muscle hypertrophy can be triggered on different ends of the intensity level
as long as the sets are brought to contractile failure(or near failure).

Although those studies only tested the hypertrophy response in controlled range (30% of 1RM
all the way to 80% of 1RM) if you analyze the meta-analysis of the studies and even real life
examples that same hypertrophy response can be expected even below 30% of 1RM and
above 80% of 1RM if sets are brought to contractile/technical failure.

If you lift heavy in lower rep range and leaving reps in a tank you stimulate primarily type 2a and
type 2x fibers(fast-twitch fibers). Think; heavy lifting and strength specific training.

If you use lighter resistance in higher rep range but still leaving reps in a tank you stimulate
mostly type 1 fibers(slow-twitch).

Maximal force exertion requires synergistic work of all muscle fibers. Once again I’m talking
about heavy sets, lower rep range and more strength oriented training.

Even if you use lighter weights; after slow-twitch fibers exhaust; fast-twitch fibers will kick in to
compensate.

Different methods always result in different hypertrophy response but training to failure leads to
maximal MPS and maximal hypertrophy irrelevant of the resistance used.

Training to failure is definitely not necessary but it is also one of the most powerful hypertrophy
"methods" in existence.

Of course training to failure all the time would be overkill but not because your muscles can't
recover but because it would affect your connective tissue and CNS recovery. So tactical
"failure" is what brings results but using it all the time is what makes it "counter-productive".

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This is the key point because progress in terms of strength requires balance between muscular
adaptation, CNS adaptation and general recovery. This means training to failure is definitely not
the smartest option for optimizing strength progression since it can have a negative impact on
general recovery.

I just want you to understand how “hypertrophy specific training” works but in reality hypertrophy
can be triggered without ever reaching failure which is more specific to this whole guide where
we’re focusing on strength specific training.

I’m gonna repeat again one of my initial statements from this chapter which is: “hypertrophy is a
response to forced external adaptation”. If you increase the total working volume as you
advance through specific strength periodization scheme (and you will) hypertrophy will occur as
a simple response to forced adaptation.

Training specifically for strength, under condition there is sufficient amount of quality volume
and if the volume is increasing over time that “strength specific training” will still result in
hypertrophy response.

So opposed to everything you were lead to believe properly structured training for
strength can and will result in muscle growth.

19
 NUTRITION FOR MAXIMIZING STRENGTH PROGRESS

A lot of “fat powerlifters” tend to leave an impression like nutrition is an afterthought when
primary goal is strength but even despite their “aesthetically unpleasing” look the body fat they
accumulate serves the purpose. The heavier(and bigger) you are the better leverage you have
but it also creates more advantageous levers and reduces range of motion on certain exercises
which makes it easier to move heavier loads.

While I can understand why some of them get overly fat I know most people reading this guide
also want to look good and have the physique that looks just as good as it performs.

In terms of body composition nutrition is an essential component and it probably dictates the
way you look more so than actual training. Focusing only on training can get you only so far but
taking care of your nutrition will give you power to manipulate both your body composition and
body weight which can play a major role in your ability to gain strength.

I’ll use here one of my favourite quotes:

“Bigger muscle is stronger muscle!”

While it’s absolutely possible to gain strength while maintaining the weight and even while losing
weight, gaining weight will provide ideal environment for progress in terms of strength.

While you’re in caloric surplus your muscles have steady energy supply to perform at their best,
additional nutrient supply makes fatigue accumulation less prominent and caloric surplus is ideal
for muscle gain which as I explained supports strength gain.

For “gym bros” bulking periods are ideal opportunity to also improve their lifts and get stronger.
Gaining weight too fast and accumulating too much fat is not necessary though (opposed to
example some of the heavyweight powerlifters set).

I won’t lie to you and say that gaining weight at a faster rate won’t help you gain strength faster
because any additional weight can impact levers, range of motion and create advantageous
leverage compared to the weight you’re lifting. Yes putting on weight fast will help you move
heavier loads faster but ask yourself; do you really want to turn into a “walking burger” just for
the sake of lifting heavier weights or increasing your strength “faster”?!

I believe in balance and I believe you can gain the same amount of strength while keeping those
calories in check while simultaneously keeping yourself decently lean and looking like you
actually lift throughout the process.

20
Why caloric surplus provides ideal environment for strength gains?

There is a ton of factors which will impact your progress rate in terms of strength but gaining
weight and preferably muscle can make a major difference on your force production.

If you’re in caloric surplus under condition your macros are customized to your needs which
includes sufficient protein intake and also if your overall training structure is properly dialed in
you will gain muscle. If you’re gaining muscle you’re increasing the amount of available muscle
fibers which can produce force.

More muscle = More contractile force

More contractile force = More strength

Gain more muscle and you’ll increase your strength potential.

Gaining weight in the form of muscle and even fat will improve your levers.

Putting more overall size and mass especially on your limbs decreases the resistance on your
side of the “lever” compared to the pivot point(joints) which means you’ll be able to handle more
load on the opposite side of the lever(weights/external resistance).

Adding mass to your frame can result in decreased range of motion on particular
movements.

Good example would be increasing the size of your chest and back. Increasing the size of your
chest would mean barbell has to travel a shorter distance from the top of the movement all the
way down to your chest to achieve technical full range of motion.

Although visually this still looks like the same range of motion, actual range of motion happening
in your pivot joints would be reduced. Reducing the range of motion just a little bit can make a
drastic difference on total amount of weight you can move.

So the goal isn’t to reduce range of motion from a visual perspective but rather from mechanical
perspective and no that wouldn’t be a cheating since adding size to your chest or any other
muscle would basically make this your new full range of motion.

It’s important to notice that gaining too much weight can result in hip, stomach and thighs size
increase to the point where it creates disadvantageous levers for hip hinge motion particularly
deadlift.

21
What really happens is that lifters with excessive amount of size in those areas are forced to
use wider hand placement on bar which can make “scapular lock” and therefore keeping neutral
spine position (lumbar spine) much harder.

Even if you’re primarily focused on strength, gaining excessive amounts of weight/size in short
amount of time(aka. dirty bulk) makes sense only in first 1-2 years of training when you have the
greatest growth potential and muscle growth rate occurs at a faster rate.

Even the heaviest strength athletes at a certain point realize gaining more weight/body fat can
become counter-productive for their goal including changes in levers and even impacting insulin
sensitivity(body’s ability to partition nutrients and use them for muscle building process).

In modern strongman circles top athletes realized that improving body composition(gaining
muscle/reducing body fat aka. recomposition) can have massive impact on their performance(so
called “vertical diet approach”).

Gaining strength in caloric deficit

Most people automatically correlate caloric deficit and cutting with strength and muscle loss and
now let me explain to you why they’re wrong and why gaining strength even in caloric deficit is
still possible.

In one study advanced lifters were given a pill and told it was an anabolic steroid with short term
performance boost effect. In reality the pill was filled with artificial sweeteners (placebo pill).

This study was done on experienced powerlifters and this little "test" resulted in breaking their
PRs by 5-7% on average over the course of one training session(at this level it would take them
months of structured programming to increase their PRs that much).

Actually there were 2 more studies I found with similar outcome but in those studies they used
less experienced lifters/subjects.

What this has to do with gaining strength during cut?

These studies are proof that the mental state massively impacts your physical performance and
this also proves my next statement which I like to repeat fairly often;

"The reason why people lose strength during cut is because they're basically expecting it!"
Instead of properly dialing in volume, intensity and frequency and following a structured
progression model they start acting like they're losing muscle and strength each subsequent
session.

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Whether you’re in surplus, deficit or simply maintaining your weight if you want to gain strength
you have to prepare yourself for it both mentally and structurally. If you want to gain strength in
caloric deficit training structure has to be perfectly adapted to your recovery capacity, muscle
responsiveness and your ability to handle intensity. While gaining muscle in deficit will be
definitely much harder it’s not impossible and you’ll have to structure your training almost to
perfection.

The real issue is that in calorie deficit your glycogen stores will get depleted more often
therefore energy output will be lower and also the fact you're losing body weight means you're
"losing" advantageous levers but if protein intake is on point and if training intensity and
structure are on point it's most likely you'll retain most(if not all) of your muscle.

If you retain most of your muscle it means you'll retain most of your muscle contractile force too
therefore your macronutrient intake has to be optimized and properly structured to ensure you’re
getting enough protein to retain muscle(or gain), enough fats to optimize hormonal regulation
and plenty of carbs to keep energy levels and gym performance on point.

While beginners can probably even gain muscle in caloric deficit for most lifters primary focus
should be on retaining as much muscle as possible and this automatically supports your goal of
maintaining or even gaining strength.

If you combine this with the fact strength is a skill; improving movement efficiency can also
improve your performance.

If you improve your movement efficiency and technical mastery you’ll be able to gain strength
under condition your retain muscle. Working on your technique, form and mastering the specific
movement motion is one of the major reasons why gaining strength is possible even during fat
loss phase.

If you manage to optimize your nutrition (balanced macronutrient intake) to ensure muscle
retention and if you improve specific movement from a mechanical standpoint (skill) you’ll most
likely gain strength under condition other factors like recovery and training structure are taken
care of.

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Gaining strength in caloric maintenance

If gaining strength is possible while being in caloric deficit and losing weight than it’s definitely
doable while eating your maintenance calories.

Eating around maintenance is from evolutionary standpoint exactly what your body prefers
(homeostasis) and this means your body should function optimally for performance under
condition your macronutrient intake is optimized to your needs. Eating calorie maintenance still
requires sufficient protein intake to ensure muscle retention/repair from training, enough fats to
aid in hormonal regulation and of course carbs to provide fuel for your training but also daily
non-exercise activities.

Maintaining the weight is still not comparable to being in surplus and gaining weight primarily
because you most likely won’t gain any appreciable amount of size which means there will be
no significant change in levers, range of motion and “leverage”.

Still being in maintenance is definitely superior to caloric deficit where you’re losing weight and
basically fighting against muscle loss and energy deprivation. Not to mention in deficit you’ll
have to deal with loss of advantageous levers.

Unless you’re a beginner it’s highly unlikely you’ll gain muscle while being in calorie
maintenance which means strength gain will primarily depend on neuromuscular efficiency and
movement efficiency (building the skill).

So just like the case when you’re in deficit primary focus should be on technical mastery,
learning how to initiate synergistic muscular force production and developing the skill of
performing the movement with the bonus of sufficient energy supply since in maintenance your
body gets (or at least it should) enough fuel to perform at its maximal capacity.

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NUTRITION BASICS

Whether your goal is muscle gain, fat loss or even maximizing your performance in the gym and
supporting the strength progress, taking care of your nutrition is crucial and for that exact reason
I want to make sure you understand the basics which will help you to manipulate your
weight/body composition in desired direction.

As stated in the previous chapter if the goal is strength, gaining quality weight (muscle) is ideal,
which means being in moderate caloric surplus and ensuring most of the weight you gain is lean
mass should be your goal.

If you’re a beginner spending most of your first few initial years in caloric surplus focusing on
gaining muscle and getting stronger should be the top priority because due to initial “adaptive
shock” newbies have the greatest potential to make progress in terms of both strength and
muscle (aka. newbie gains).

Even if you’re experienced lifter spending periods when you’re focusing on getting stronger in
caloric surplus are ideal because you’ll be able to gain muscle, increase your bodyweight,
improve levers and ultimately create an environment where you’re able to make continual
strength progress.

Anyways, let’s get down to basics!

Tracking calories and finding caloric maintenance

I assume you’re reading this guide because you want to get stronger but also want to look the
part. Body composition is largely determined by your nutrition and if you’re serious about
making steady progress in any direction tracking calories and macronutrients is an absolute
must.

We’ll leave guessing for “gym bros” who lift the same weights month after month, year after year
and not to mention they look pretty much the same.

If you want to make progress you need structure in your nutrition just as much (if not more) as in
training.

Tracking calories is easy and I don’t want to waste your time here by teaching you how to track
calories because you can learn that in about 2 minutes on the internet but it’s time you adopt
this habit and start doing things the right way.

25
Even if your primary goal is pure strength you still need to get your caloric intake in check in
order to manipulate your body weight in the right direction and support your goal.

There is a ton of online calculators out there which are based on average BMR(Basal Metabolic
Rate) or TDEE(Total Daily Energy Expenditure) but we use them only to find a starting point
primarily because they tend to be inaccurate in some cases. Once you get a starting point from
one of those calculators it’s time you find your actual calorie maintenance.

This is how you’re going to do it:

Eat the same amount of food/calories every day for a period of time(2 weeks at least)!

● If your weight stays roughly the same that is your caloric maintenance
● If you lose weight you're in caloric deficit
● If you gain weight you're in caloric surplus

Once you know your approximate caloric maintenance than everything else is simple because it
comes down to tactically increasing(or decreasing) calories based on your goal.

Muscle/weight gain

If your goal is gaining muscle and body weight you’ll have to be in caloric surplus.

While this of course depends on individual goal and other metabolic factors I usually advise
surplus of 300-500 calories (individuals with higher metabolic rate and faster metabolism can
aim for 500-1000kcal) above maintenance for optimal weight gain rate. That is just enough to
stimulate muscle gain while keeping fat accumulation under control.

For example; if we assume your calorie maintenance is around 3000 calories you would have to
eat roughly 3500 calories on a daily basis to gain weight on a weekly basis.

Here are in my opinion optimal weight gain rate numbers for different levels:

● Beginners(1st 1-2 years of lifting): 2-4 pounds per month/0.5-1 pound per week
● Intermediate and Advanced lifters: 1-2 pounds per month/0.25-0.5 pounds per week

Gaining weight any faster will simply result in gaining more body fat in the process so if you
want to keep yourself relatively lean and look good throughout the process I wouldn’t
recommend going any faster.

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If you don’t care about gaining more body fat in the process, well ultimately that is your choice
and you can do whatever you want!

Fat/weight loss

If you want to lose weight and strip off body fat you’ll have to of course be in caloric deficit.

Caloric deficit should be under control if the goal is retaining as much muscle as possible while
still losing fat so I would advise to eat only 300-500 calories below your maintenance.
In some cases going faster is an option but considering here we’re focusing on both retaining
muscle and strength(or gaining strength) I wouldn’t advise it!

In example it would look like this;

If your approximate calorie maintenance is 3000 calories; you would have to eat 2500 calories
on a daily basis to lose approximately 0.5kg(1lbs) of fat per week. That is a deficit of 3500
calories per week which is the rough amount of calories in 0.5kg/1 pound of fat.

Ideal weight loss rate would be anywhere between 0.5-1kg(1-2lbs) per week and in some cases
it’s possible to go faster but for the sake of muscle retention and performance(energy levels) I
wouldn’t advise it.

Exceptions are of course situations where individual has to drop the weight aggressively to
make it in weight category but that is primarily related to water weight and manipulation of the
same.

Maintaining the weight

I believe you understand that if your goal is maintaining the weight that you should eat roughly
around your maintenance calories so let’s not make a science out of it!

So if your approximate maintenance is 3000 calories that is the amount of calories you should
consume on a daily basis on average to maintain your weight!

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Macronutrients and macronutrient structure

Calories are the most important factor in weight management but when it comes to body
composition macronutrients play a major role since ​they dictate tissue growth and repair,
regulate bodily processes and are also important for energy supply.

Three major macronutrients are protein, fats and carbohydrates.

Protein

1g of protein has 4 calories.

The primary role of protein in the body is of structural nature. Protein is used for structuring of
tissue like smooth and cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, nails, hair and skin. Also, protein is
used for the creation of certain hormones like catecholamines, insulin, growth hormone,
glucagon and albumin.

Although your body can actually use protein for fuel through a process called gluconeogenesis,
this happens in rare and extreme conditions where there’s severe restriction of more efficient
energy sources like carbohydrates and fats.

Protein is a building block for your muscle cells. Through the process of muscle protein
synthesis your body separates individual amino-acids chains and uses them to repair and build
muscle tissue.

Sufficient protein intake is a vital part of the equation when you are building and retaining
muscle. This means protein intake is equally important for your progress in terms of strength.

Protein intake recommendations:

● If you’re trying to lose weight/fat I’d aim for 1.6 - 2.5g per kg of body weight in order to
maintain as much muscle as possible(or gain) while in caloric deficit. (I’d lean toward
higher end if you’re leaner individual or have faster metabolism)
● If you’re trying to gain muscle(bulking) approximate intake "should be" 1.2 - 2.5g per kg
of bodyweight.

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Dietary fat

1g of fat has 9 calories.

Fat is also mainly a structural nutrient since it’s a vital building block for particular cells in your
body. But it also provides energy, sets the stage to build hormonal levels while you are asleep
and makes sure that fat soluble vitamins can do what they are supposed to do.

Every healthy diet should contain sufficient amount of fats because there’s a reason these
omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids are called “essential”. Your body is unable to
produce these very particular macronutrients on its own, so we need to get them through food.

Fat intake recommendations:

● I would suggest to keep your fat intake around 20-25% of your total caloric intake in
order to provide your body with just enough to ensure optimal hormonal regulation and
vitamins solubility.

Carbohydrates

1g of carbohydrates has 4 calories.

Carbohydrates are the most direct (and thus preferred) source of energy. ​Your body converts
carbs into glucose and uses them as a primary energy source. This energy​ can be used
instantly or stored for future use in your muscles and liver in the form of glycogen or in fat cells.
The latter when it needs to be stored for longer periods of time.

Since carbs aren’t of structural value whatsoever, they aren’t essential nutrient. Stil, since carbs
are the most efficient source of energy available, your performance in the gym will depend on
their availability.

Carbs intake recommendations:

● In most cases I would suggest that after you set up your protein and fat intake you
reserve rest of the calories for carbs. Under condition you optimized protein and fat
intake to your needs you should get sufficient amount of carbs to help you with gym
performance and regulate your energy levels.

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Ultimately macronutrient structure comes down to individual needs and what works for you so I
suggest experimenting with different macro structures/ratios and observe how your body reacts
in terms of body composition, energy levels, lifting performance…

I’m going to remind you once again that the most important factor is overall caloric intake when
it comes to weight manipulation so I strongly suggest you visualize this through next
“hierarchical” order:

1. Calories
2. Protein
3. Fats/carbs

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are essential nutrients your body needs in smaller quantities in order to regulate
physiological and structural functions, ​signaling functions, hormone and enzyme secretion….

We can categorize micronutrients in two groups which are minerals and vitamins!

Minerals

Minerals are inorganic compounds and some of them are calcium, potassium, sodium,
magnesium, iron, zinc…

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic molecules which are divided in fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins.

Fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, K and water-soluble vitamins are 8, 9, B vitamins and vitamin
C.

Micronutrients play the important role in nutrition and general health but always keep in mind
that body composition changes primarily depends on calories and macronutrients intake.

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Dietary Fiber

Fibers play a crucial role in digestion and gut health.

When you’re eating for muscle gain or fat loss it’s even more crucial to keep the digestion track
running and healthy.

Fiber is basically a micronutrient which your body can't absorb or digest.

2 type of fibers are:

● Soluble fibers: type of fiber which dissolves in water and creates a gel-like material which
deliberately slows down the nutrient absorption and bowel movement called gastric
emptying.
● Insoluble fibers:​ ​those fibers will move nutrients and waste movement along the
digestive system. They create "stool bulk" which is beneficial for people with
constipation.

Sodium

Sodium is a mineral which is essential to your body because it regulates blood pressure and
creates balance between intracellular and extracellular water by means of osmosis. In this
process there’s a​ net movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable
membrane into a region of higher solute concentration. So, ​sodium particles pull water into your
cells which is essential for your body in order to uptake nutrients in the first place.

Low intracellular water levels will result in a lack of gradients across the muscle cell membranes.
This will result in poor muscle contraction leaving you unable to contract muscle to its full
potential and produce maximal force and/or get a ‘pump’.

It’s absolutely crucial to get sufficient amount of sodium through your diet to ensure “cellular
hydration” which will optimize muscle contraction and force production which of course will
translate to your performance.

What about subcutaneous water retention and sodium intake?!

Retaining water can make you look bloated and I bet you think that sodium is to blame for that
right? Opposed to what most people think; excessive sodium intake can't cause extracellular
water retention on its own. Imbalance between sodium and potassium is what causes water
retention so if your potassium intake is on point there is nothing to worry about.

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Keeping subcutaneous water levels relatively low is important during fat loss phase in order to
be able to track weight fluctuations and trends. If you’re constantly retaining water weight your
weight will be all over the place and make the process of tracking much harder.. Water retention
might trick you into believing you’re not losing fat at all.

Ultimately your primary focus should be on caloric intake and macronutrients if you want to
properly manage your weight and point it in the right direction. If your goal is building great
physique and getting stronger taking care of your caloric intake and structuring your macros
according to your needs is absolutely crucial.

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 RECOVERY AND SUPPLEMENTS

I can’t even stress enough the importance of recovery and role it has on your progression rate.
For strength and muscle gain making sure all recovery variables are properly dialed in will play a
major role.

If you can’t recover you can’t progress. Simple as that!

One of those variables is dialing in training structure/routine in relation to your recovery

capacity. You simply need to have balance between training volume, intensity and frequency in
order to recover and progress but this whole guide revolves around it so explaining it all over
again would be redundant. Just make sure you’re listening to your body and observe your
energy levels throughout the day, training performance and progress rate.

In this chapter we’d like to focus more on some other variables which can impact your overall
recovery and progress!

Optimizing sleep for recovery

Lack of sleep has a major effect on your performance, reaction time and cognitive skills. This of
course has a direct link to your gym performance and it can affect the overall amount of training
volume you’ll be able to achieve during your training sessions.

Sleep deprivation also affects coordination which can result in poor exercise execution and
possible injuries.

Interesting thing is that based on studies lack of sleep doesn’t affect peak performance and
maximal intensity training but sleep deprivation affects your body’s ability to metabolize glucose
for energy which means you'll get tired easily (lower fatigue resistance).

The major detriment lack of sleep has on recovery is negative effect on anabolic hormones
release. Studies have shown lack of sleep or sleep disruption negatively affects testosterone
release during sleep (release rate and amount) which of course has negative effects on muscle
recovery and muscle growth.

Sleep deprived people (and people who sleep less in general) have lower testosterone levels on
average.

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While cortisol ain't a bad thing on its own; chronically elevated levels can affect your muscle
recovery/gains due to its catabolic effects. Lack of sleep not only increases cortisol levels but it
also prevents cortisol drop.

Based on multiple studies people who get optimal amount of sleep (7-8h) also have much better
fat loss rate compared to sleep deprived people and they also have higher levels of muscle
retention (studies concentrated specifically on fat loss though). This most likely has something
to do with increased levels of leptin (appetite regulation hormone).

How much sleep do you need?

Unfortunately the only way to know is to find your own "sweet spot" because even based on
studies some people can get away with less or more sleep. In most cases anywhere from 6-9h
is optimal. It’s highly likely; the more intense your lifting sessions are, the higher overall training
volume is and the more stress you're dealing with; the more sleep you'll need.

Managing stress to recover better

Few studies have shown that subjects which were under high amounts of mental stress
achieved less progress in the same time period. I'm talking about statistically significant
negative results in terms of strength gain and muscle hypertrophy. (Most of these studies were
based on 12 week period)

Few studies indicate that stress has a massive impact on recovery. If we pull out the numbers
the stressed subjects needed approximately 96+ hours to achieve full recovery while low stress
groups needed only 24 hours on average.

The reason is that high levels of mental stress massively increase cortisol release which has
negative impact on muscle recovery. Also mental stress suppresses release of serotonin and
endorphins which are hormones linked with satisfaction, happiness and calmness.

All those studies have shown that mental stress can increase muscle soreness duration, affect
energy levels and lead to chronic fatigue.

One explanation is that our body has stressor reserves and your body reacts to external factors.
If your body constantly feeds those "stressors" with negative physical and mental "feedback" it
eventually becomes unable to react to the positive "feedback" that comes with training. It's like
you're killing your own gains and progress by feeding of "negative".

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How to deal with stress?

Try to eliminate external stressors. Alcohol and bad eating habits have negative effects on
mental health so keep them to a minimum. Also avoid people which feed of your happiness
(yeah they're everywhere). Avoid stressful situations, stop overthinking.

Build productive and efficient daily routine. Some believe meditation and yoga help in relieving
stress so give that a go. Follow structured and sustainable training plan and find a sustainable
way to eat while reaching your goal. Get enough sleep.

Massages for recovery?

There are few things which dictate post-workout muscle recovery like protein synthesis
efficiency, blood flow speed (nutrient delivery) and blood lactate levels.

Massage is basically just external pressure on muscle tissue so there is not a single mechanism
through which massage can affect your MPS levels.

But massage promotes blood flow right? Well based on studies massage won't affect blood flow
to any significant degree since blood flow requires also aerobic output and you're just basically
laying there.

Some fitness experts claim that reducing the blood lactate levels is one of the most important
things when it comes to post-workout recovery but based on studies there is virtually no
difference in blood lactate levels in subjects who used massage and subjects who had
passive/non-active recovery.

So massages are useless when it comes to recovery? Well if we're talking strictly about cellular
level of recovery than massage won't do much but based on some studies it seems massage
can have psychological positive effect.

Few studies indicate that people who believe massage helps them with recovery had lower
degree of muscle soreness. Still that is quite inconclusive and we need more evidence but it
seems that placebo works in this case.

While there is not a single clear evidence that massage can aid or speed up muscle recovery,
there is still a chance they might help reducing DOMS in post-workout period due to specific
psychological impact. It probably won't make any major difference to your muscle recovery,
growth and performance.

I’d say this one is optional but definitely not a bad idea!

35
If training routine is tailored to your needs and recovery capacity, if you’re getting sufficient
amount of sleep and you’re successfully managing your stress levels than another major factor
in recovery equation left is your nutrition.

As explained in nutrition chapter your nutrition will dictate in which direction your body
composition and body weight are going but balanced nutrition is also crucial for performance
and optimizing recovery. If your diet is not on point so will be your energy levels, performance
and even cellular recovery.

I won’t explain nutrition all over again but I just want to address the importance of a balanced
diet for the sake of optimizing your recovery and maximizing your performance.

In certain cases reaching your daily macronutrient target (or calories) and even filling out
nutritional gaps will be really hard without supplementation and that’s why they’re here. I want
you to understand that supplements aren’t necessary and they won’t make or break your
progress but some of them are indeed useful and they’re here to “supplement” your nutrition
nothing else.

If you can meet all your daily macro and micronutrient needs through diet only than awesome. If
not, perhaps you should consider using supplements that are actually helpful.

Also there are certain supplements which can help you with performance and energy levels so
considering those is a good option too!

What are the supplements that actually work and they’re supported by science?

Protein Powder

Whey, caseine, isolate, hydrolysate.., they’ll all do the job! Protein supplementation is a great
and convenient way to help you meet your daily protein requirement/target in case you’re not
able to get all the protein from food or you’re in a rush. Protein powders have very high
biological value and different powders have different absorption rate (whey vs casein for
example) but ultimately they’re all great alternative to animal protein sources. The reason why
I’m saying “animal protein sources” is because they have complete amino acid profile necessary
for the process of muscle protein synthesis.

Keep in mind there is nothing magical about it and protein you’ll get from protein
supplementation is the same one you’ll get from animal based foods so it’s here only to
supplement your regular nutrition.

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Creatine

Let’s use a bit of science for this one!

Creatine is nitrogenous acid and its primary role is to recycle ATP (muscle and brain cells
energy output). ATP-PCr system is responsible for energy output created in the first 10-15
seconds (intense anaerobic physical activity). If your primary concern is strength and
maximizing your performance than you probably understand how creatine could help you.

Creatine is the most studied supplement in existence which means we have a ton of data which
can tell us how useful creatine actually is!

Based on almost all studies there is no doubt creatine helps increasing performance through
increased ATP reserves and output. Once your body saturates muscle cells with creatine it
results in higher energy output and more force production.

Improved performance usually results in more total training volume which creates an ideal
environment for maximizing MPS and stimulating muscle growth.

Main purpose of creatine is increasing energy levels, increasing strength output and to help you
add more training volume so creatine can potentially help with both strength and muscle growth.
Creatine won't make your muscle fibers grow on its own though.

Creatine pulls water molecules inside the cells so creatine will make you gain water weight but
inside the muscle cells (intracellular water retention). This might make your muscles look fuller
and hypothetically help increasing MPS through cell swelling.

Some studies indicate creatine can inhibit myostatin (not enough evidence though).

Creatine helps in anaerobic short-burst output but there is no evidence it helps with
aerobic/endurance performance

There is not a single study which states there are any side-effects of taking creatine on your
liver or kidney health. Simply put; that is a debunked myth!

Studies also shown loading phase is unnecessary so you don’t need to load with creatine. You
can take 3-5g daily and anytime throughout the day although studies found taking it directly post
workout resulted in greater strength and muscle gains (statistically insignificant though).

Optimal dose for most individuals is approximately 5g per day in order to reap the maximal
benefits of it. Taking more won’t increase its benefits or effect!

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Caffeine

Caffeine is one of the most used "stimulants" in the world!

Caffeine indeed can have a positive effect on both strength and muscle growth since caffeine
increases calcium mobilization inside the muscle cells which results in better muscle contraction
and higher anaerobic output which in combination results in more potential working volume
(more reps).

Multiple studies have shown subjects who used caffeine achieved more total volume (more total
reps) in the same rep range compared to "non-caffeine" groups.

Studies also proven caffeine in combination with physical activity can temporarily increase
metabolic rate which results in more calories burned over the same period of time. Of course fat
loss is still dependant on caloric deficit but if there is a chance your body will be able to
utilize/burn more fat and allow you to eat more while staying in a deficit I bet you would take it!

The problem is that caffeine consumption over time forces your body to build a tolerance to it so
you either have to cycle off for a period of time and start with the consumption from the scratch
to reap the potential benefits again or you simply have to increase daily dose over time which
will eventually lead to overconsumption and possible negative side effects.

Based on studies it was virtually impossible to find the amount of caffeine individual needs to
consume to find a "sweet spot" and reap all those potential benefits so it’s safe to say amount
you need on daily is an individual thing.

Keep in mind those same studies indicate that anything over 500mg for most people would start
turning things around and possibly bringing in some negative side effects (approx. 5 cups of
coffee per day).

If you think you need a little additional “boost” for performance or even just general energy
levels you might consider caffeine supplementation or simply drinking black coffee.

38
Pre-workout supplements

Usually pre-workouts contain a bunch of different substances like Beta alanine, Trymethyglicine,
Citrulline, Arginine and some form of Creatine.

All these in combination might aid in performance by increasing the power output, increasing
aerobic capacity, help you get a better pump (NO booster) and increased energy.

Also there are some ingredients like Glutamine and CLA's which are proven to be no better than
placebo.

Most important component of pre-workout supps are stimulants like Yohimbine, Ephedrine,
DMAA, Theobromine, Theophylline and Paraxanthine.

These in combination affect heart rate, blood flow and cause adrenaline elevation, might help in
fat metabolization and increase reaction time and alertness.

Keep in mind those are all minor potential effects not "steroid-like" effects.

Based on studies pre-workout supplements indeed have significant positive impact on

performance compared to controlled groups but studies have also shown that certain people
don't have major reaction to it due to high tolerance to caffeine.

It seems that pre-workout consumption progressively leads to tolerance so cycling off and on or
simply increasing dosages is solution which makes sense since most important
substance/stimulant in pre-workout is of course caffeine

Studies also shown that taking pre-workout directly before training or taking it anytime
throughout the day (with consistent consumption) absolutely makes no difference!

It also seems pre-workout has stronger effect on empty stomach (low insulin levels).

While studies debunked direct links of preworkout with stroke, heart attack etc., overdosing can
definitely lead to certain side effects (tingly feeling, high blood pressure, uncontrolled heart rate
etc.) so be smart about it and stick to recommended daily dose.

If you feel you need a little "boost" for your workouts and daily activities than pre-workout might
help you there but keep in mind that you don't really need it and basic cup of coffee and/or
caffeine supplementation can also do the trick.

39
As previously mentioned if you’re on some type of calorie restriction diet to lose fat or body
weight, micronutrient deficiencies are quite common and it’s usually hard to get all the
necessary nutrients strictly through diet.

Beside certain body cues nutritional deficiencies can be tracked through blood work so if you
believe you’re deficient in some nutrients blood check will give you feedback.

In case you’re indeed deficient in certain micronutrients and your diet is obviously not providing
you with all those nutrients in sufficient amounts, I suggest supplementing with minerals and/or
vitamins in which you’re deficient and might help you to regulate your hormonal profile.

While we’re at hormonal picture and balance you have to understand that nutritional balance will
largely impact how your body produces and regulates hormones.

Here are a few suggestions!

Fish oil

Fish oil consists of two primary and active omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA. Your body can't
produce these on its own, so the only way to get it is through food or supplementation.

Some of the proven benefits of fish oil are: reduction in blood triglycerides, lowering blood
pressure, reducing inflammations, improving cognitive functions and memory, aiding in bone
health even diabetes reduction.

This alone is reason as good as any to get sufficient amount of fish oil in your diet (or through
supplementation)

The issue is that a lot of those studies are statistically insignificant or inconclusive.

Increased MPS occured only for untrained and obese individuals and increased fat mobilization
only happened with obese subjects.

Still some studies indicate fish oil might suppress myostatin to a degree (muscle growth
inhibitor) but we don't have clear evidence to back it up (yet).

Few studies indeed have shown fish oil can reduce soreness and even increase fat loss rate but
in amounts much higher than daily recommended dosages.

There is not a single study which can confirm that fish oil has any effect on performance or
strength.

40
Usual daily recommended dose is 250mg but more accurate beneficial intake based on studies
would be 500mg of DHA and 1000mg of EPA.

While we don't have clear evidence fish oil will affect muscle gain or fat loss to any significant
degree; number of potential health benefits is so huge that getting a fish oil through diet or
supplementation is a no brainer.

While we’re at supplements beneficial for overall health there is one more I’d suggest!

Curcumin

Curcumin is diarylheptanoid and principal curcuminoid of turmeric.

There is aton of studies done on curcumin and here is what one might conclude based on them:

● It is one of the strongest anti-inflammatory compounds in nature

● It aids in blood cholesterol regulation
● Promotes cardiac system health
● Has positive impact on brain/cognitive function
● It decreases growth of cancerous cells
● Increases anti-oxidants capacity

There’s an issue though!

Ton of those studies are inconclusive or we simply need more evidence but one thing is for
sure; anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin is undeniable.

Studies confirm it but even without them we have a ton of people who are relying on curcumin to
help them alleviate inflammations.

People tend to ask; "can't I just eat turmeric spice?"... well no!

Curcumin compound inside turmeric has extremely poor absorption on its own and it requires
combination with compound called "piperine" to increase absorption capacity.

Simply put, you should go with curcumin supplement!

Recommended daily dose is 500-1000mg daily to get the strong anti-inflammatory response

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I’m going to repeat it again! Supplements are here just to supplement your regular nutrition and
fill out nutritional “gaps” but they won’t make or break your progress! You can progress just fine
without them but as explained in this chapter certain supplements have their use and can be
helpful. Most important of all suggested supplements are backed by science!

Whether you’re gonna use them or not is up to you but I hope this chapter will help you with the
selection!

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 PROGRESS TRACKING

Essential part of the process is tracking the progress. Tracking both training progress and your
nutrition is what will ensure you’re on the right track and give you feedback on what you’re doing
wrong and how it can be fixed.

Tracking training progress

Following a structured training progression model is only possible if you’re putting your weights,
sets and reps on paper which will give you a clear insight on where you at, what you’ve done
previous week or month and what you should do upcoming training session.

I suggest you track your training progress in some spreadsheet, piece of paper (yeah it’s old
school but it does the job) or you can use some smartphone application which allows you to put
in your training data and keeps you accountable.

Tracking training progress is absolutely crucial especially when it comes to strength and
performance. You simply have to know what you’ve done previous sessions in order to stick
with the progression pattern.

Tracking calories and macros

Whether your goal is gaining muscle, losing fat or just getting stronger tracking your calories
and macros is crucial in order to know how much you need to eat to achieve the desired look
and point yourself in the right direction. Even if you’re just concerned with strength, tracking
calories/macros will help you to manipulate your body weight in the right direction.

I suggest using “myfitnesspal” app or any other food/calorie tracker which does all the
calculations for you! You just have to put in the food/meals you’re eating and application will tell
you exactly how many calories, protein, fats or carbs you’ve been eating. Of course you should
know how much you need to maintain, lose or gain bodyweight and the app will keep you
accountable.

I think you understand you also need a kitchen scale to weigh your food before putting the
portion size into app.

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Tracking your weight

Scale is absolutely not a measurement of progress, especially if you’re a beginner but it helps
you to track the progress and whether you’re going in the right direction.

If you’re losing weight you’re obviously in caloric deficit. If you’re gaining weight you’re in caloric
surplus. If your weight is staying roughly the same you’re obviously maintaining.

You should focus on weekly average and lowest and highest points and that is why you should
weigh yourself every day first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This is your real weight
since you haven’t ate and there will be no any additional water weight or undigested food. Aim
to weigh yourself approximately at the same time every day. If not at the same time at least
make sure you step on a scale first thing in the morning before you eat.

This is why you need a scale and track your body weight on a consistent basis, to give you an
insight on where you at in terms of overall caloric intake and to know how and when you should
adjust/change your intake based on the current need.

Tracking your body weight is also important if you’re a competitive athlete who needs to make
his weight category! Both tracking your food intake and weighing yourself consistently will
matter in this case.

Personally I’m not a big fan of taking measurements (except waist measurement during a fat
loss phase) because your measurements will fluctuate all the time due to glycogen, water
weight, pump etc. Taking measurements will satisfy your ego if you’re in a muscle gain pursuit
but keep in mind those measurements can’t tell you how much actual muscle (and how much
fat) you gained.

If you’re concerned with improving body composition (gaining muscle, losing fat) I suggest you
focus on visual improvements and use a mirror as your “tracking device”. After all at the end of
the day you want to look muscular or leaner and no one cares how big is your biceps or how
small is your waist if you look jacked.

Tracking your training progress, calories/macros and your weight are those variables that really
matter and will give you both a valuable insight on where you are at the moment and a cue
when it’s time to change or adjust certain variables.

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 STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES AND LEVERS

Have you ever wondered why one individual can squat “ass to grass” while making it look
effortlessly like a chinese olympic lifter while someone else can’t break the parallel without some
kind of overcompensation in a form of excessive “butt wink”, forward lean, knee cave in or some
other “technical monstrosity”?!

There are certain genetically determined structural differences which can make the same
mechanical motion look completely different on two differently built individuals.

While resistance line stays the same; the way those individuals have to travel from point A to
point B are mechanically different. I believe you’ll understand this better on more specific
examples so let’s dive in!

Let’s analyze the structural difference through almighty back squat.

Squat

There are 3 major anatomically determined factors that will decide how your squat is going to
look like:

1. Hip “ball and socket” placement

2. Femur length
3. Dorsal flexion

Hip “ball and socket” placement

The pivotal differences in ball/socket placement in relation to squatting motion is that in case of
advantageous so called “open hips” the individual can artificially reduce hip to femur length
compared to resistance line by forcing external hip/knee rotation which reduces the possibility of
“butt winking” or excessive lumbar spine flexion, maintaining upright torso position becomes
much easier and repetitive deep squatting with hip opening has the potential to transfer to other
hip dominant moves in a form of improving initial position particularly in floor pulls(ex. Sumo
deadlift) by improving your adductors mobility and even strengthening them as antagonistic
support.

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In individuals with “closed hips” there is a much greater chance of excessive lumbar spine
flexion, forward lean, mechanical increase of range of motion(which from a strength standpoint
is disadvantage) and it requires greater ankle mobility to hit the proper depth. In large amount of
cases it results in “back dominant squat”.

CLOSED VS OPENED “HIP SOCKET” ANGLE

CLOSED VS OPENED “FEMUR BALL” ANGLE

Femur length

With all possible factors and anatomical differences taken into consideration this is arguably the
most important reason for visual and technical differences in squatting motion.

Whether you like it or not short femurs are absolute advantage when it comes to having a
favorable squatting levers. Let’s see how femur length impacts squatting mechanics and force
production in practice?!

You probably got to the conclusion after reading previous chapter that mechanically reduced
range of motion increases the strength potential but some people are just gifted with genetically
short femurs which reduces the range of motion on its own but it also greatly increases the
potential for achieving greater working capacity. It’s pure logic really; if your joints and muscles
have shorter distance to travel from point A to B it means overall amount of work is decreased
which automatically allows you to perform more reps and achieve greater total volume.

The fact that short femurs equal shorter range of motion automatically means more efficient
movement which is less demanding on your CNS. This plays a major role in managing recovery.

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Since short femurs will go through shorter range of motion it also reduces the knee flexion
(range of motion is determined by motion in the hips and knees) which makes it so much easier
to hit the depth.

Someone with longer femurs will “lose” all those benefits that come with short femurs and
shortened range of motion.

Someone with longer femurs will travel through greater range of motion to visually hit the same
depth. This places more stress on the knee joints (excessive knee flexion) and connective
tissue but primarily increases the total amount of “stress” compared to total workload which
means that person usually just won’t be able to handle the same amount of volume as
someone with a shorter femurs.

All this also comes with comparatively lower “movement efficiency” which puts greater stress on
CNS and prolongs total time individual needs for maximal recovery.

Here is a good example of two guys of approximately the same height in squatting position have
different femur length which basically changes their knee to ankle angle and requires slightly
different squatting mechanics:

LONG(TOP) VS SHORT(BOTTOM) FEMURS

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Dorsal flexion

Although it’s not strictly anatomically determined dorsal flexion is important factor which affects
squatting range of motion. The reason why it’s not “strictly anatomical” is because it is
something individual can improve through ankle mobility work.

Degree of dorsal flexion will directly impact the range of motion in the knee joint. Greater dorsal
flexion allows hitting the proper depth without any kind of compensation coming from other
joints.

Greater dorsal flexion reduces “forward knee travel” which automatically reduces stress on
connective tissue of the knee joint.

Solid dorsal flexion can actually make some other anatomical disadvantages less prominent
since the individual will be able to distribute the resistance across the joints without “mechanical
compensation” of some sort.

Limited dorsal flexion will mechanically demand compensation of the other joints where
resistance line stays the same but in order to do so you’ll have to lean forward and there is even
a chance of excessive spinal flexion which will put a lot of pressure on your back and spine.
This will make much harder for you to hit the depth and you’ll also create “artificial sticking point”
where due to back overcompensation it’ll be really hard to push yourself out of the “hole”.

This isn’t just a downside for the sake of maximal force production but since it decreases
overloading capacity it will also negatively impact your ability to handle sufficient volume to
stimulate hypertrophy in the long run.

Another drawback is that this basically forces individual to squat against his natural levers which
puts much greater demand on CNS.

There is a way to artificially reduce the requirement for optimal dorsal flexion either by using
lifting shoes(elevated heels) or placing your heels on something elevated like a weight plate.
These are great alternatives while you’re working on improving your ankle mobility which we’ll
cover in depth in later chapters.

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 LESSER(LEFT) AND GREATER(RIGHT) DEGREE OF DORSAL FLEXION

Deadlift

Although deadlift is praised as an ultimate test of strength there are still certain anatomical
differences which dictate the way you should deadlift to maximize force production and achieve
maximal movement efficiency but also there are few key structural differences which can impact
overall potential for pulling maximal weights on individual level.

What are those anatomical features which will impact your deadlift?

1. Limbs/torso length
2. Hip “ball and socket” placement

Limbs/torso length

Probably the most advantageous thing you can have for a solid pulling base are long arms
because it allows you to keep your torso more upright which allows you to equally distribute
resistance between all posterior chain muscles and optimizes the link between levers. Since
long arms allow you to stay more upright it means you’ll have shorter range of motion to pull the
weight off the ground(distance between initial pulling phase and full upright position is shorter).

Body is often designed in somewhat balanced/symmetrical fashion in relation to height so in

cases where an individual has a long torso more often than not he’ll have shorter legs and arms.

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Individuals with longer torso and shorter arms are usually forced to lean forward which
automatically enforces lower hip placement in order to stay close to the bar and above the
midline of imaginary resistance line. This increases the range of motion from floor pull to full
upright position and also puts a lot of stress on the back which makes the movement itself less
mechanically efficient. This will logically put much more stress on CNS and individuals with
those kind of “unfavourable” levers have to approach to the whole training structure in much
more tactical fashion in order to find optimal balance between recovery and progression rate.

Individuals with shorter torso and longer legs in majority of cases will also have relatively long
arms. People with that kind of structure very often have “opened hip angle” in relation to torso
which automatically reduces “lever resistance” since the distance between pivot points(torso
length/distance between hips and top of the torso) is shorter(shorter lever means less
resistance).

Since that kind of structure would allow you to stay more upright during the initial position it will
be less demanding on your back and posterior chain musculature but also less taxing on your
CNS. This would mean individual with those favourable levers would have potential for
achieving more volume, greater work capacity and would probably need less time to recover
from intense deadlift session.

SHORTER(LEFT) VS LONGER(RIGHT) TORSO

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 LONGER(LEFT) VS SHORTER(RIGHT) ARMS
(keep in mind we’re both basically same height)

Hip “ball and socket” placement

This one is crucial for hardcore sumo pullers!

Anatomically there is a particular hip structure which is advantageous for sumo position which is
basically combination of opened hips(pelvis socket points out) and more horizontal ball to femur
angle. These individuals find it easier to put themselves into starting sumo position where you
have to open the hips.

This type of structure will result in shorter distance between the barbell and hips which
automatically puts the torso in more upright position. This means range of motion will be shorter.
It’s important to mention that ability to open the hips and achieve proper external rotation also
depends on individual hip mobility which is definitely something you can improve.

When an individual has the pelvis which points more in(closed hips) and on top of it his ball to
femur angle is more vertical, it basically reduces the active joint range of motion and ability to
achieve proper external rotation which is necessary for stable sumo position.

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This anatomical feature isn’t a major determining factor when it comes to conventional deadlift
though.

As previously explained external hip rotation is generally more useful and advantageous
for movement and lifting especially for “sumo pullers”!

Bench Press

Have you ever wondered why guys with short “alligator” arms have no problem increasing their
bench while lanky individuals find it really hard to add any significant weight to their bench and
presses in general?! It has to do something with certain anatomical features and the way they
impact lifting levers.

Two major factors which can impact your maximal force production potential on bench press
are:

1. Arms length
2. Rib cage girth/thickness

Arms length

If you just scratched the surface and you know just basics about lifting you understand that the
longer arms will automatically mean longer range of motion and this automatically increases
total workload compared to someone who would also technically go through full range of motion

52
but has much shorter arms/range of motion. Although both individuals would go through full
range of motion distance between point A (chest in contact with the bar) and point B (full elbow
lockout) is different.

In a case of a bench press shorter range of motion would of course mean less workload to
move same weight through full ROM but this would automatically allow the individual to move
more weight, do more reps and/or even sets which translates to more total working volume and
“superior” ability to increase both absolute weight and volume in the long run.

Under condition number of reps/sets and resistance are matching and taking total workload into
consideration, someone with shorter arms would recover faster since overall stress on the
muscles and CNS is reduced.

So you probably understand by now why longer arms and ultimately longer range of motion
would come as a disadvantage in a case of a bench press.

Rib cage girth/thickness

Range of motion is a simple distance from point A (in this case your chest) to point B (full elbow
lockout) so what happens if you have greater chest girth which is a product of genetically thicker
rib cage? Yep once again range of motion is reduced!

Genetically bigger rib cage in most cases means greater potential for putting on more muscle
mass on chest and back which can additionally increase the overall chest girth.

Interesting thing is that “arch” can be greatly increased if a person has a thicker rib cage which
will also reduce range of motion and increase the amount of weight that person will be able to
move.

If you combine these two factors; someone with shorter arms and thicker rib cage would be a
perfect suit for a strong bench press since the range of motion would be greatly reduced and
elbow angle(angle between humerus and ulna) is increased. Individual in this case has
favorable “off the chest” position which consequently leads to easier lockout.

There are also cases where individual has smaller rib cage in combination with longer arms and
this won’t just result in prolonged range of motion but also these individuals tend to compensate
with internal shoulder rotation which can lead to shoulder issues and potential injury.

53
It’s important to notice that more anatomically suitable individual is for the particular lift it also
means that due to certain structural and mechanical “compatibility”, stress on connective tissue
and joints is much smaller which greatly reduces the risk of injury during that particular exercise.
For that particular reason it’s important to perform the movement in a way which suits your
structure the best, not to mention that performing the movement according to your mechanical
advantages increases the force production potential and overall overloading capacity.

THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF DIFFERENT RIB CAGE SIZE WE MENTIONED

PREVIOUSLY (FROM SMALLER(LEFT) TO LARGER(RIGHT) RIB CAGE)

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MUSCLE FIBERS DISTRIBUTION VS STRENGTH POTENTIAL

We’re all genetically different which means we all have different muscle building and strength
potential. Recognizing those genetic differences is crucial to know how you’re going to
customize your routine to your needs to maximize the progression rate.

Beside bone structure, levers, muscle insertion points, muscle satellite cells responsiveness..,
one thing that can play a major role in your ability to gain strength is muscle fibers distribution.
It’s important to recognize your muscle fibers type and distribution in order to put all those
variables together and adjust the training approach to your own needs.

THREE MAJOR SKELETAL MUSCLE TYPES

TYPE 1 (SLOW-TWITCH) FIBERS

● They're the smallest muscle fibers with slow contraction speed and relatively small force
production potential.
● Their primary source of energy is oxygen since they have high amount of mitochondria in
the cells.
● Although their force potential is low their fatigue resistance is the highest out of all
muscle fibers which means they enable all long duration/low intensity activities like
walking, jogging and other aerobic activities.

TYPE 2A (MODERATE FAST-TWITCH) FIBERS

● Slightly bigger fibers compared to type 1 and have the slightly higher force output but
much lower fatigue resistance.
● Their fuel source is the combination of oxygen and glucose.
● These fibers are usually activated in anaerobic activities which don't require full muscle
exertion and are relatively short in duration like cycling, swimming etc.

TYPE 2x (FAST-TWITCH) FIBERS

● Absolutely largest muscle fibers with the highest force output and extremely low fatigue
resistance (they "burn out" after 15-30 seconds in average).
● They have very low oxygen capacity so their primary fuel source is glucose (glycogen).
● These fibers are activated during high intensity anaerobic activities like lifting weights
and sprinting.

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We all have slightly different muscle fiber content which also differentiates in each muscle
group. This is one of the major things which impacts our muscle gain, strength and endurance
potential (genetically predetermined).

While "Henneman's size principle" says fibers activate based on contractile force/fatigue
resistance (TYPE 1 > TYPE 2a > TYPE 2x) if we're talking strictly about lifting situations it is
exactly the opposite. TYPE 2x activate first followed by TYPE 2a and TYPE 1 as "last resort"
due to highest fatigue resistance.

One of the myths related to muscle fibers is that type of training can increase (decrease)
amount of certain muscle fibers in your body which is absolutely incorrect. Muscle fibers can
increase in size and you can improve their contractile potential but you can't change the muscle
fibers ratio.

If you're able to recognize which muscle fiber type is dominant in your body you'll be also able to
roughly determine how to approach to training or at least objectively deal with your muscle gain
and strength potential.

Genetic outliers/genome types

ACTN3 gene which is limited to skeletal muscle is actin-binding protein which affects cell
structure. It helps to "anchor myofibrillar actin filaments".

ACTN3 primarily determines the type of muscle fibers you have but also different features of the
muscle tissue.

Two main types of ACTN3 are R and X.

ACNT3 RR type

● Much greater ratio of fast-twitch muscle fibers

● Very high mTOR activation which means higher levels of protein synthesis
● Low levels of muscle damage in a response to lifting
● Very high recovery capacity
● Powerful stretch reflex and high levels of explosiveness.

Approximately 5-10% of the population falls into this group and they're what we would call
"genetically gifted". They have insane muscle responsiveness and they're naturally stronger,
faster and more explosive than majority. Their very high fast-twitch fibers ratio gives them
extremely high muscle building potential.

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This also explains why a lot of jacked dudes are ignorant in terms of training and nutrition and
they still look amazing and they’re able to get to an impressive level of strength.

While most of us bare mortals have the average genetics those genetic freaks are among us
and usually they're top pro bodybuilders or athletes (strength or explosive sports) or even fitness
influencers selling their cookie cutter programs and telling you that "hard work is the key" and
that there is no science behind training or nutrition.

ACTN3 XX type

● Much greater ratio of slow-twitch fibers

● Very low mTOR activation which means low levels of protein synthesis
● High levels of muscle damage in a response to lifting
● Very low recovery capacity
● Powerful muscle lengthening factor (extensibility) but poor stretch reflex

Approximately 10% of the population belongs to this group and usually those people label
themselves as "hardgainers". They have really low mTOR activation and slow muscle damage
repair (poor recovery capacity) which results in low(er) muscle building and strength potential.
On the other hand due to their slow-twitch fibers ratio they're extremely efficient in endurance
type of performance.

This type can still build a decent amount of muscle and strength it'll just take them longer and it'll
require more structured approach and properly dialed volume, intensity and frequency in order
to maximize recovery. They'll never be world-class bodybuilders or strength athletes but they
can still build a decent amount of muscle and strength..

Most people using the "hardgainer" label as an excuse don't belong to this group it's just that
their training and nutrition are poorly structured and they don't have consistent approach to
lifting.

It's most likely you are ACTN3 RX, Rx and rX type.

ACTN3 RX, Rx and rX type

Majority of people is somewhere in between and they have approximately the same ratio of fast
and slow twitch fibers with some minor fluctuations in one direction or the other. Those are
people with average genetics and average muscle building and strength potential.

Whatever your muscle fiber ratio is you can still build great physique and solid amount of
strength but even science confirms that we all have different muscle building and strength
potential so stop comparing yourself to others because it doesn't make any sense and it can
lead to a lot of disappointment in the long run.

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Experiment, observe and find what works for you! That is why we wrote this guide after all, to
help you recognize your own genetic make up and structure your training in order to maximize
your strength and muscle potential.

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 MAN VS WOMAN DIFFERENCES IN TRAINING

There is a ton of assumptions and mainstream belief which says women should train differently
compared to men due to certain physiological differences but how about we put beliefs aside
and use a little bit of science?!

Metabolically men and women are pretty similar and difference in calorie expenditure can be
explained by differences in sheer body size and amount of lean mass not a gender.

Men on average have more muscle mass to start with due to much higher levels of
testosterone.

Women on average carry 2/3 of muscle mass of men and they have a greater distribution of
muscle in their lower body.

Women carry 2x more body fat on average.

Contrary to popular belief, studies have shown that muscle growth rate in both women and men
is virtually the same.

The reason why girls tend to look less muscular or it seems it takes longer for them to gain
muscle is because they have less muscle mass to start with and this also means their absolute
muscle growth and strength potential/capacity is lower.

Studies also found that women have slightly better relative strength gains rate compared to
men.

Women have superior recovery rate to men too! Few studies found that if men and women are
under similar training protocol girls have the ability to recover in as little as 4-8 hours (just for a
comparison; full recovery for average man takes 24-36h on average)

Major difference is in average muscle fiber type distribution.

Girls have much greater number of slow-twitch fibers (type I) which makes them more efficient
in endurance performance and even studies have shown that girls are able to do more reps at
any intensity compared to men.

Women of course have more estrogen hormones and one particularly dominant being estradiol
which plays a role in fat oxidation and it also reduces levels of muscle damage and inflammation
(that explains why girls have better recovery capacity).

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Studies have shown that menstrual cycle can massively affect women performance due to
fluctuations in emotional state and energy levels (follicular phase where performance is up and
luteal phase where performance is affected by a previously mentioned symptoms).

On a grand scale of things approach to lifting between women and men shouldn't be all that
different.

Girls are able to recover faster and tolerate more volume but still due to their slow-twitch fiber
dominance most girls will find increasing volume through reps and sets is more effective than
just through sheer intensity (increasing intensity is also of course necessary).

Taking menstrual cycles and hormonal fluctuations into consideration is also important but all in
all depending on individual goal differences in training structure shouldn't be all that drastic.

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 NATURAL VS ENHANCED LIFTERS STRENGTH SPECIFIC
TRAINING

We’re all bombarded with fitness industry newest standards and most of us realize at a certain
point that a lot of our idols are using PEDs (Performance Enhancement Drugs) which are giving
them massive edge in terms of muscle building and strength potential.

PEDs will massively increase MPS levels, increase muscle satellite cells responsiveness,
skyrocket anabolic hormones and this all results in much greater muscle growth and strength
progress rate, not to mention their recovery will be improved and they’re able to handle more
volume without running into recovery issues or any kind of fatigue accumulation.

How effective are steroids

I want to share with you one particular study which clearly show what kind of edge will PEDs
give and also I want to give you a perspective and reason why you simply can’t train like lifters
on gear.

In this particular cross-over study they used 43 healthy adult man (untrained though) and put
them on controlled dietary regimen while splitting them into 4 groups:

1.No exercise, placebo

2.No exercise, 600 mg Testosterone Enanthate weekly
3.Resistance exercise 3 times/week, placebo
4.Resistance exercise 3 times/week, 600 mg Testosterone Enanthate weekly

They took their LBM (Lean Body Mass), body fat and strength measurements prior to study and
then again after 10 weeks and here are the results in terms of LBM gained:

1. +0.8 kg(lack of methodological control over this group tho')

2. +3.2 kg
3. +2.0 kg
4. +6.1 kg

No training group on test E gained more muscle than training group on placebo (aka. natties)
which shows us just how powerful steroids are for muscle gain.

I don’t want to bore you with additional numbers but difference in terms of strength was drastic.

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Group which wasn’t training at all but was on steroids gained same (actually slightly more but
it’s statistically insignificant) strength (measured lifts were bench press and leg press) which is
just ridiculous.

Group 4 (training + AAS) gained almost 3 times more strength in the same time period
compared to group 3 (training + placebo).

This shows that even mild testosterone cycle causes skeletal muscle hypertrophy and strength
improvements even in the absence of training! 3.2 kgs of muscle in 10 weeks with no exercise I
mean c'mon.

In a comparison; most natural lifters will gain 15-20kg of muscle on average throughout their
whole lifting career.

And also in a comparison 600mg of test E weekly is basically a mild cycle in serious
bodybuilding (and powerlifting) circles. Just imagine what kind of edge lifters using higher
dosages and combining different anabolics will get.

There are more recent studies which are showing even more drastic results.

Properly dosed even mild AAS cycle will give its user advantage over a natural lifter who does
everything right in terms of training and nutrition.

With that being said, if you’re a natural lifter and your goal is maximizing strength progress you’ll
have to put more focus on customizing training structure and variables to your own needs and in
relation to recovery capacity.

With this chapter I just wanted to give you a perspective on why you can’t copy enhanced lifters
routine (and expect to recover or make progress) and why you simply have to pay attention to
details if you want to make steady progress as a natural lifter. This guide is aimed toward
natural lifters but enhanced lifters would benefit from it for sure they’ll just probably make much
faster progress.

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 RAW VS EQUIPPED LIFTING

There are many different powerlifting federations and all these federations have somewhat
different rules which also includes what lifting equipment is allowed.

There are 4 major powerlifting equipment categories:

● Raw (belt, knee sleeves, wrist wraps)

● Raw with wraps (belt, wrist wraps, knee wraps, knee sleeves (considering you’re allowed
to use knee wraps this would put you in the “handicape” compared to knee wrap users)
● Single-ply (belt, wrist wraps, knee wraps, single-ply shirts)
● Multiply (belt, wrist wraps, knee wraps, multiply shirts)

In reality training differences between raw and raw with wraps aren’t all that significant but there
are certain technical differences related to squatting in wraps compared to raw.

On the other hand there is a major difference in training approach between single-ply and
multiply.

Equipped lifting (specifically single-ply and multiply) requires more focus on technique work,
working on sticking points through partial reps, speed work (which we’ll explain in separate
chapter).

Wraps on their own can give you a serious advantage in terms of weight you can move
especially if you dial in “wraps technique” and this advantage grows proportionally with
resistance/amount of weight due to so called “spring effect”. Just to give you a little reference,
wraps allow lifters to lift 20-60kg more compared to raw.

Let’s face it if you’re reading this guide you’re most likely concerned with raw lifting and raw
lifting puts more emphasis on full range of motion movements. You have to take your
anatomical structure into consideration to maximize the efficiency and progress especially
compared to equipped lifting which prioritizes equipment and a technique related to it.

This is by no means rant against lifters who use equipment because in essence those are still
strong lifters (they usually competed in raw category at one point) and using equipment
efficiently still requires quite a bit of technical efficiency.

Still this guide is aimed toward raw lifters and people who want to get stronger in general
whether they’re competing or not so that’s what we’ll focus on but we just wanted to give you a
little perspective on some major differences between raw and equipped lifters.

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 TECHNIQUE AND MECHANICS BEHIND BASIC COMPOUND
MOVES

What is the lifting technique and what’s the purpose behind movement efficiency?

Lifting technique is all about utilizing your levers with the purpose of creating the most efficient
resistance line/path from point A to point B or simply put maximizing force production through
full range of motion.

Besides maximizing performance and strength potential, proper lifting technique is crucial for
injury prevention and usually becoming more efficient on particular movement translates to
improved mechanical motion which will ensure you’re able to progress on that exercise for a
long time without risk of injury, discomfort or any kind of pain that comes with it.

We’re gonna focus on most important compound moves with highest overloading capacity but
also most technically demanding exercises which you just can’t perform without proper
technique and hope to make serious progress or even avoid injury once you’re able to move
some serious weights.

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Squatting technique

Here we’re talking about the good ol’ back squat and two major variations of back squat are low
bar and high bar. Although visually they might appear similar there are some major mechanical
differences between the two.

Low bar squat

On low bar variation bar should be placed on top of your rear delts which automatically forces
your back to lean forward and mechanically that makes perfect sense since your body needs to
distribute the weight according to the center of the resistance line.

1. First step would be to properly place the bar on the so called “back shelf”. In a case of a
low bar squat you should retract the shoulder blades but you’ll achieve that by first
positioning yourself under the bar and placing it on top of the rear delts. Once you’re
under, find a place where the bar can rest and feels stable and then drive the elbows
in(push them forward) through external shoulder rotation (this should automatically pull
the shoulder blades back and result in trapezius elevation and contraction which will lock
the bar between the rear delts and trapezius).

2. It’s extremely important the rack height (bar pins) is properly adjusted to your height
otherwise you’ll have to compensate with either your back (bar too low) or your calves
(bar is too high and this can create massive instability during unracking). You’ll know the
rack bar placement is properly adjusted to your height if your hips to torso angle is
approximately 140-160 degree angle once your feet are directly under the bar. This step
is extremely important the heavier weight you’re using!

3. Most people unrack the weight through knee extension or even worse case with their
back. Please don’t do that! If you took proper stance under the bar knees should be
slightly bent. You’re gonna unrack the bar by simultaneously extending the hips and
extending the knees while keeping the back in neutral position through isometric
contraction/tension.

4. Once you unracked the weight you should take a few steps backwards (for some lifters 2
solid steps will do while some people need 3-4 to find their optimal foot placement).

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5. Proper foot placement is an individual thing based on hip structure and femur length (in
most cases lifters with longer femurs will need wider stance and more external rotation).
Either way your knees should point/align with the toes direction and pointing them
slightly out makes sense to achieve a degree of external hip rotation (this creates more
space for the hips once you’re in the “hole” which will prevent forward lean).
Squeezing/contracting your glutes will additionally help with external rotation and
keeping the pelvis in a neutral position.

6. Next important thing is proper bracing (inhaling air into diaphragm/stomach). The main
thing is to inhale the air into your stomach which most individuals do wrong. Simply
inhaling air into lungs which is what most lifters do is insufficient because the whole point
of inhale and bracing is creating intra-abdominal pressure which increases spinal
stabilization that automatically reduces the chance of excessive lumbar spine flexion and
potential injury. Once you take the sharp inhale (inhale just enough to feel a certain
amount of pressure but still comfortable) it’s important you contract your abs like you’re
going to get punched in your stomach but make sure you keep your pelvis in neutral
alignment with the torso (if your pelvis is properly aligned you won’t even be able to
brace your core and you’re going to feel it in a form of instability once you start
descending and it’s highly likely weight will feel even heavier since your weaker
stabilization muscles will be forced to compensate).

7. After proper bracing it’s time for descending phase. You’ll start by simultaneously
pushing the hips backwards and “breaking” in the knees (push the knees out). Since
we’re talking about low bar squat you torso will be tilted slightly forward already.
Eccentric/negative phase should be controlled (individuals with longer femurs will find
that slower negative will help them keep the proper form while guys more suitable for
squatting (shorter femurs) can probably pull off a little bit faster descending because
they’ll be able to use the “bounce” to fire up back from “hole”. This will help them to get
faster to their “sticking point” with less effort while reserving more energy to push through
it.

8. What is the proper depth? Just break the damn parallel! At least if you want your lift to be
considered “meet legal” or to ensure you’re reaping all the benefits of the exercise.

9. In order to maintain the form during concentric phase you should simultaneously do next
few things: push the knees out, push the hips forward and press the back against the
bar(this should help to get out of the “hole” faster). Make sure you visualize “bending the
bar across the back” to prevent bar from bouncing through last quarter of concentric
phase (this can throw you out of balance at the top). If you’re a competitive powerlifter
bar bouncing at the top can force you to make a step backward to keep your balance
which is automatically “no lift”.

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 10. After you re-rack the weight give yourself a clap for successfully completed rep or repeat
all steps and get onto the next rep (in case you’ve chosen a second option I wouldn’t
advise re-racking the weight between each rep).

Now you got yours 10 squatting commandments!

High bar squat

As previously explained the major difference between the low bar and high bar squat is in the
bar placement. On high bar squat, bar is usually placed on top of the traps (interesting thing is
that people with longer torso will find that placing the bar closer to the neck will work better for
them while someone with shorter or average torso length could place the bar on the back of the
upper traps) which automatically requires of you to have more upright torso position.

Compared to the low bar variation on high bar squat you start by breaking in the knees first
which consequently optimally “pulls” hips backwards in relation to your structure (some people
will push hips backwards a bit more in case where femur is longer compared to torso).

Since torso will be more upright and forward knee travel will be more prominent (greater knee
flexion) this results in greater quads engagement compared to low bar squat where glutes are
taking a little bit more resistance.

High bar squats usually require better dorsal flexion but in case you decide to go with the high
bar and you lack the necessary ankle mobility it would be good if you buy yourself a pair of
weightlifting shoes or use something elevated to plant it under the heels (like a plate). In the
meantime working on improving your ankle mobility would be smart.

One cue that can help you with keeping upright torso position is keeping the neck/head straight.
Since the bar is placed higher (resistance is further away from the center of the axis line)
compensation in a form of forward lean is not uncommon so to prevent this keeping the head
upright will help you keep the whole torso upright.

Beside those few major technical differences, pretty much the same cues we explained for the
low bar will be used on the high bar variation.

In terms of muscle activation difference between high and low bar squat is rather minor so you
should choose variation which suits your structure (optimal for maximal force production) or
according to your goal (if you find one variation allows you to engage particular muscle group
better).

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Deadlift technique

It’s time we focus on two major hip hinge variations! There are some major technical differences
between conventional and sumo deadlift and it’s important you understand the mechanics of
both before you decide which one you’ll use as your main lift.

Conventional deadlift

1. First thing I’d focus on is placing the bar approximately above the midline of your feet
which will align the bar with the axis line. This is important for proper resistance
distribution. I strongly suggest pointing toes slightly out since it will enforce external
rotation and give you stable pulling surface.

2. Your arms should fall perfectly vertical to the bar. This means arm line from your
shoulder to the bar should be vertical as possible. This also reduces the path bar has to
travel to the full hip extension. This isn’t only applied to grip width but also the line
looking from the side angle. Your arms should be vertical to the bar from the side too
which means your scapulas are vertically in line with the bar. In case you have a longer
femurs since your hips should be placed higher this could push your shoulders slightly in
front of the bar which is mechanically logical since it will once again ensure equal
distribution of the weight in relation to resistance line. If you take stance which is too
wide it will force you to lose vertical arm position (wider grip) which will make keeping the
back tight much harder (thoracic spine flexion) and put you in suboptimal starting
position.

3. Once you take proper foot placement and grip on the bar you should ensure your neck,
spine and pelvis are aligned for optimal air passage. Take one sharp inhale but pull the
air in stomach (diaphragm). Inhale enough to feel the pressure in the stomach but not
too much to feel discomfort (most lifters inhale air just in lungs which basically leaves the
core/lumbar spine unstable). Proper inhale/bracing will create intra-abdominal pressure
and minimize the chance of excessive flexion in the lumbar spine.

4. Next thing would be contracting your hip flexors (most people have the issue with this
one so here is a mental cue; visualize you have a tennis ball placed between your thigh
and pelvis and squeeze the hell out of it but make sure your knees are pointing straight
forward. If you do it right from the side it’ll look like you’re pushing your butt backwards).
If you properly contract hip flexors it will automatically straighten your lower back and it
will feel like the whole pelvic area is tight.

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 5. In order to tighten up upper back you should “pull the slack”. You’ll achieve this by
externally rotating your elbows which will automatically activate your lats, mid traps and
rhomboids but don’t intentionally retract your shoulder blades but rather keep the neutral
scapular position to ensure so called “long arm position”. You should create “pre-pull
tension” by leaning backwards and using your own bodyweight to pull the bar toward
yourself. It basically feels like you’re tearing the bar apart. It should almost feel like the
weight is elevating from the ground by itself (while in reality your own bodyweight is used
as a counter lever).

6. When you start pulling make sure you’re pulling the bar close to shins (if the bar is too
far from the shins you’re losing the advantageous lever), force the back backwards, push
the hips forward and simultaneously start extending the knees(hip and knee motion
should occur in a synergistic fashion). You should also press the feet into the ground to
utilize quads for increasing maximal force production off the floor.

7. Once the bar gets above the knee level it’s extremely important to push the hips forward
by squeezing the glutes. This results in stronger lockout.

8. Eccentric portion of the deadlift is quite debatable. If you’re a beginner and still learning
how to execute the exercise properly you should definitely control the weight on the way
down (going too slow is not necessary though). If you’re going to do controlled or even
slower negative make sure you push the hips back and make sure you keep the
tightness and proper postural alignment. If you’re more experienced lifter and you’re able
to move heavier weights dropping the weight down between each rep could help you
reserve more energy for the concentric part. Ultimately it comes down to you and of
course whether or not your gym allows it.

Sumo deadlift

Compared to mechanically small but obvious differences between basic squatting variations
sumo is technically much different than conventional deadlift which means technical cues are
different too.

1. Foot placement once again depends on individual hip structure and mobility. External
rotation is absolute must with this variation. Degree of rotation will depend on how
comfortable you are in position of maximal stability.

2. In order to achieve the most favourable pulling lever you should take the shoulder width
grip (or even slightly inside the shoulders width) where arms are falling vertically to the
bar.

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 3. This cue is linked to the previous external rotation cue. Push the knees out and be
mindful of this cue throughout the whole range of motion! This is important because your
body will naturally aim to close the hips (especially if you lack the necessary mobility)
and it will cause internal hip rotation which will push the bar path away from the body
and from the midline of the resistance line which basically weakens your lever and
reduces the amount of force you’re able to produce.

4. Since your body is more upright compared to conventional deadlift you should do slight
shoulder depression which puts you in the “long arm position”.

5. On sumo “pulling the slack” will be achieved by external elbow rotation and leaning
backwards.

6. Press the feet in the ground, push the knees out and push the hips forward. It’s
extremely important that knee and hip motion are synchronized in order to reach lockout
at the same time (if one of the two reaches the lockout faster it will massively decrease
lever balance which can throw you out of balance entirely).

7. Whether you choose to control the negative or drop the weight, it would be smart to
rotate the toes in to avoid dropping the weight on them. If you’re going to perform
controlled or possibly slower negative make sure you keep the postural alignment and
knee direction.

Bench press technique

Let’s focus on basic variation of the bench press and most “gym bros” measurement of
manhood.

First thing you should understand is that performing a bench press with the purpose of maximal
force production is different than bench pressing with muscle activation as the main goal.
Visually it might look similar but people often put certain muscles in position of mechanical
disadvantage to engage one muscle over another. If your want to move the heaviest loads
possible your goal is to create synergistic muscle activation but at the same time put yourself
into mechanically advantageous position by utilizing the power of your levers.

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1. In order to get into proper starting position you should first lay down on the bench and
grip the barbell with the width which suits your individual structure (as a point of
reference you should set up the grip in relation to the “rings” on the barbell, under
condition the barbell has them which it should. If you’re focusing on strength you should
use the adequate equipment anyway). Everyone will find different grip width works better
for them and allows them to create more force so perhaps you should experiment with
different grips throughout your training cycle. Make sure you don’t make drastic changes
in grip width because you want to build strength in a specific joint range of motion.

2. It’s time you get into proper position and the first thing you should do is create amount of
thoracic spine extension or so called “arch”. This will ensure you have a solid
antagonistic support and stabilization. You’re going to do this by first retracting your
shoulder blades and driving your upper traps into bench (pushing yourself against the
bench pad). Although visually it looks like your extended your lumbar spine (lower back)
real extension is happening throughout thoracic area. This will push your chest out/up
and decrease active joint range of motion while going through full technical range of
motion.

3. Next thing is foot placement which is important to achieve proper leg drive and it will help
you to maintain the set up as a whole throughout the set. Where you’re going to plant
your feet will be limited by your hip flexors mobility/flexibility but the goal is to push the
feet closer to the traps or simply closer to the center of the resistance line. Proper foot
placement is important for optimal leg drive which aids in so called “slingshot effect” for
producing the counter force. There are multiple ways to position your feet. One way
would be to bring in the legs through small “walk-ins” after arching or you can put your
feet on the bench, set up your arch and then do the “walk in” and plant the feet (if you do
it this way this step goes before the “arching”).

4. It’s time you unrack the weight! Preferably you would have a spotter to unrack it for you
because this way you won’t risk losing the retraction/arch during unracking but in case
you don’t the best way would be to first make sure the pin is properly adjusted to your
arm length. Unracking the bar should happen by simply driving traps into pad with arms
fully extended to avoid excessive use of energy (particularly triceps).

5. Before you start eccentric phase you should take a sharp and deep inhale (into
diaphragm). It’s important to remember that there is no complete exhale during the rep
or even set because keeping the breath will help you keep the chest line on the level you
achieved with the initial set up/arch. You’re going to keep the breath throughout the
whole eccentric/lowering phase.

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 6. Before lowering the bar you should do small elbow external rotation. Keep in mind bar
path isn’t perfectly vertical but rather slightly diagonal (in the top position you should feel
stable and bar should be in the gravitational center which is line vertical to the shoulder
joint). Lowering the bar under controlled is crucial and you should aim to lower the bar to
nipple line or slightly below. If you lower the bar too high there’s a high chance it’ll mess
up the overall resistance line and press you against the pad which will make keeping the
arch much harder. As you’re lowering the bar simultaneously use your legs to press
yourself into the pad (push backwards horizontally with the pad to counter the force
which is coming from your antagonistic muscles (traps) to create counter force which
help you to maintain the proper set up).

7. Whether you’ll do the paused reps or “touch’n’go” is your choice but if you’re a
competitive powerlifter paused reps definitely make more sense at least for main lift and
competition press (certain variations will require touch’n’go).

8. Now it’s time to press that weight up! Drive the traps into pad, drive the legs into floor
(keep the glutes on the pad) and press the bar backwards (the bar path is basically
reverse to eccentric line where you’re diagonally pushing bar back to the gravitational
center (to the shoulder joints line). Do the sharp exhale only at the last quarter of the rep
and make sure you reach full elbow extension/lockout.

Strict standing overhead press (OHP)

The reason why we’re covering this one is because this is not just a powerlifting manual and
both of us agree that OHP is important upper body pressing compound which is probably more
functional movement than the bench press itself (plus the fact it’s vertical pressing compound
opposed to horizontal movement such as bench press).

1. First important thing is to place the barbell in the rack (or from wherever you intend to
grip the bar) on proper height so you can comfortably get it out of rack/from the pins.
Good rule of thumb would be 2 inches below the top of your shoulder height.

2. Grip width depends on individual structure but for most people shoulder grip width works
the best because it allows you to create the most force (synergistic muscle activation)
and it’s easy to keep the proper postural alignment. Gripping the bar too narrow or too
wide will create mechanical disadvantage for your triceps and poor antagonistic
stabilization which will decrease the amount of weight you’re able to move.

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3. Unracking the barbell can be done a few different ways! Most people would step in with
one leg and unrack the barbell with partial lunging but you can also step directly under
the bar with both feet in the same line and “squat it out” of the rack. I wouldn’t advise
making more than two steps backwards (one step with each leg) to reserve energy and
keep the “tightness”.

4. I strongly suggest shoulder width stance for maximal stability (here we’re talking about
most basic strict press not military press where stance and the whole set up is different).

5. Here is the tricky part! While bar will and should rest on the upper chest or clavicle level
for most people, some individuals have disproportionately long forearms which would
mean they would have to lose vertical forearm position (and probably internally rotate
their shoulders) to keep the bar at the same level so in their case starting bar position is
usually somewhere on the neck level (right under the chin).

6. Proper set up and postural alignment are crucial. Retract your scapulas (push shoulder
blades back and down), tuck your elbows (if you do it right you should feel like your
upper arm is resting on your lats) and tighten up your lats. Keep the head/neck in neutral
position.

7. Before you start pressing you should create whole body tension and you’re going to do
that by contracting your quads, glutes and abs. First you’re going to take one sharp
inhale (breathe in through diaphragm and close your mouth) and then contract your abs
like you’re going to get punched in the stomach. All this in combination will increase the
core stability and prevent excessive spinal flexion plus it will create a solid pressing
surface and allow you to exert maximal force.

8. Once you start pressing keep the straight line until you reach the top of the forehead
(most people will slightly lean backwards automatically but make sure you don’t overdo it
to protect the lower back). Once the barbell reaches the top of the forehead push the
torso forward and press the barbell backwards (the sooner you get back the barbell in
vertical line with the torso the better since you’ll be able to produce more force). Start
slowly releasing the air at the last quarter of the range of motion (if you start releasing
the air too soon it could decrease overall stability). Make sure you fully extend the
elbows at the top (full lockout).

9. When performing negative/lowering the bar you should keep the whole body tension and
set up. Lower the bar under control to the starting position whether it’s upper chest,
clavicle level or right under the chin.

10. Repeat or re-rack the barbell!

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Pull ups

It’s no secret I love pull ups but the real reason why I want to “dissect” the technique is because
pull ups are crucial compound move to balance out all the pressing you’re doing and increasing
pull ups strength increases both back and shoulder strength and stability which will transfer to
all your lifts.

Although there are obvious visual differences between pronated (overhand), supinated
(underhand) and neutral grip the major mechanical cues are pretty similar or same. For the sake
of simplicity I’ll focus on my favourite variation which is overhand/pronated pull up variation.

1. I suggest you use slightly outside of the shoulder width grip (or shoulder width) primarily
because you’ll get a full range of motion and ability to create synergistic muscle
activation through mechanical advantage. Grip too narrow and you’ll overemphasize
elbow flexion (biceps will take over too much load), grip too wide and you’ll both reduce
range of motion (counter-productive for hypertrophy) and create mechanical
disadvantage for posterior muscles which will result in poor muscle activation and less
force production.

2. Ideally the bar would be high enough so you can hang with your legs straight but in case
it isn’t don’t cross the legs (people often tend to start kicking the legs up and down if one
leg is supporting the other) but just keep them together and slightly bend the knees.
Hang with arms fully extended and keep the legs/thighs slightly in front (this is a major
cue to avoid using some kind of kip and keeping your core engaged at the same time)

3. Once you’re hanging depress your scapulas (usual cue is to retract shoulder blades but
it’s actually easier to do so if you visualize like you’re pushing yourself away from the bar
by contracting the lats) and engage your lats. From the side it should look like you’re
slightly behind the bar not directly under it. You should feel the tension throughout your
whole upper back.

4. Pull yourself up by visualizing you’re bringing the elbows down. Keep the chest up and
imagine you’re trying to bring the chest to the bar. Don’t use any kind of swing,
momentum or kipping.

5. End of the concentric motion is once your lats reach full peak contraction and for most
people that is once the chin clears the bar. I know some people recommend bringing the
chest all the way to the bar but if you have average or long forearms this is virtually
impossible without losing the vertical forearm position and internally rotating your
shoulders. I think I don’t even have to mention to keep the scapulas retracted (shoulder
blades squeezed together) throughout the full range of motion.

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 6. Lower yourself under control until the elbows are fully extended (elbow lockout) but don’t
lose the “scapular lock” (upper back contraction). If you’re going to do more than one rep
you should lower each rep without dropping to the full “dead hang” where you’re
basically hanging on your connective tissue without any muscular contraction. If you’re
doing it right it’ll look like you’re slightly behind the bar (just revisit the cue number 3).

7. Repeat!

In case you decide to use chin ups or neutral grip; whether your goal is maximal force
production or maximizing muscle activation I advise you go with the shoulder width grip since
this will create the longest range of motion and the most optimal position for both intentional and
synergistic muscle activation.

If you have poor shoulder joint mobility or joint issues/pain going with ring pull ups is a good
solution since they allow you to rotate wrists and adjust joint angle throughout the range of
motion.

Barbell row

We covered all major mechanical planes of compound motions and realized there’s one left and
definitely not any less important than the others. We’re talking about horizontal upper body pull
and powerhouse in that department is good ol’ barbell row. Well at least when it comes to
overall strength and balanced development.

First thing I’d like to mention is that you can perform barbell rows with both overhand and
underhand grip and I usually suggest going with the one you find more comfortable and the one
which allows you to focus on a specific purpose of the exercise (why you’re using it in the first
place).

It’s a no brainer really that supinated grip will engage biceps more but supination also forces the
elbows in/closer to the torso which is usually better for lats activation due to their muscle fibers
to insertion points angle.

Flaring out elbows will engage your mid traps and rear delts more but overall any grip and grip
width will engage all of those muscles to a certain extent.

Even when it comes to force production on barbell rows preferable form, angle and grip depend
on individual preference, structure and ability to engage certain muscles to produce maximal
force.

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Anyway let’s get to form cues:

1. As stated previously preferred grip is up to you but from my experience with clients most
people are able to handle more weight with overhand/pronated grip. I suggest you grab
the bar with a shoulder width grip or just slightly wider because this will put your lats in
mechanical advantage and force surrounding muscles to aid through synergistic action.

2. I suggest leaning forward so your torso is in diagonal position not horizontal. There are
two reasons why this position works better. One is the fact that lats muscle fibers run
diagonally not horizontally and this will both increase lats activation and put them in
mechanical advantage. This automatically leads to the second reason which is maximal
force production. If your strongest muscle in the chain is put directly in mechanical
advantage this automatically increases synergistic force production therefore it increases
your overall overloading capacity.

3. Slightly bend the knees, rotate them outwards (point the toes slightly out) and plant the
feet in to ground so you create a solid and stable pulling surface and base for even
weight distribution.

4. Before you start pulling, your scapula/shoulder blades shouldn’t be retracted but rather
in slight protraction to stretch the lats at the bottom and even increase the total range of
motion your muscles have to go through.

5. First retract your shoulder blades then start pulling the weight. Pull the barbell toward
mid line of the stomach and visualize bringing your elbows toward ceiling. Flaring them
out too much or keeping them too close to the body will reduce your force production
potential so I suggest you go with 45-75 degree elbow angle through range of motion.

6. If you can pause when barbell is in contact with your abdomen that’s great but it’s not
really necessary and in most cases once you progress to heavier loads it won’t even be
feasible. You should definitely aim that barbell makes contact with mid abdomen each
rep though!

7. Lower the weight under control and keep it close to your thighs. Make sure you fully
extend the elbows at the bottom and once the arms are fully extended go from retraction
to protraction under control once again to put your lats through full range of motion.

8. Repeat!

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We won’t turn this into biomechanics class and start analyzing curls and calf raises but we want
to simplify for you what in our opinion are 5 most effective and powerful compound moves. As
explained at the start of this chapter building movement efficiency and using proper technique is
crucial for increasing overloading capacity, maximizing force production throughout the range of
motion, increasing neuromuscular efficiency (synergistic muscle fibers activation) and of course
preventing injuries in the long run.

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 LIFTING EQUIPMENT

There are certain lifting accessories which can help you during heavy compounds and heavy
lifting in general. They’re here to help you minimize the risk of injuries (joints, spine, connective
tissue) and to aid in movement efficiency by increasing the sense of self-movement and body
position. Certain equipment also can decrease involvement of certain muscles or joints and
allow you to focus on something specific.

Equipment we’d like to mention are lifting belt, lifting straps, wrist wraps, knee sleeves, lifting
shoes and fractional plates.

Lifting belt

Real question is; should you use lifting belt during heavy lifts and is it helpful?

Based on studies it seems that using a belt on heavy lifts indeed results in higher force
production.

The reason is because belt increases "intra-abdominal pressure" which means it creates
additional stabilization base/support for your spine and this automatically creates mechanical
advantage (improved base for force production).

Will using belt decrease core activation?

Although there are only few studies focused on the matter; it seems that using belt still elicits the
same amount of overall core activation as a “beltless" lifting so it's safe to say that belt won't
negatively impact your core strength.

Still studies were testing only core activation during conventional and sumo deadlift so we can't
know for sure will the belt impact core activation during some other exercises like squats, rows,
OHP etc.

So should you use belt? Well that depends on you and whether you believe you’ll benefit from
using it.

While using lifting belt can be definitely beneficial for most people on exercises which require
high degree of spinal stabilization it is absolutely not necessary.

Ultimately the choice is yours but if you’re a competitive powerlifter you should keep in mind
there’s a chance using a belt will allow you to maximize your competition lifts potential.

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Lifting straps

If​ you're going to use straps for basic bodyweight pull ups or 100kg deadlift you're going to build
decent strength in torso/arm muscles over time and disproportionately weak grip which will limit
you in the future.

On the other hand straps definitely have their purpose and once you build a solid foundation
using straps can help you focus more on isolating specific muscle groups while minimizing grip
involvement or preventing grip endurance/strength to be a limitation on high rep/volume focused
sets.

Also once the individual is on a serious strength level straps make perfect sense for heavy
deadlifts or even rows because at a certain point grip strength simply can't follow the compound
strength of the larger muscle groups.

Few studies found deadlift 1RM, 3RM and 5RM of "straps users" is much higher on average
compared to "raw" pullers (overhand, mixed or hook grip) but in all honesty I believe we didn't
need studies to know that.

Straps massively reduce resistance on grip so it's only logical you'll be able to pull/hold more
weight while using them.

If you're going seriously heavy on your deadlifts and rows or if you're trying to focus on particular
muscle groups (usually back and legs/hamstrings) without the distraction of a potential grip
failure than straps will definitely help.

Using them all the time is probably not necessary especially if you're not going very heavy or if
you're not going into higher rep range/volume work but using them when "necessary" is
definitely something you should consider for the sake of maximizing specific muscle groups
development and improving compound movement efficiency and working capacity through
volume work.

Knee sleeves

Knee sleeves can be useful during squatting to keep the working temperature of the knee joints
and surrounding connective tissue, to help with stabilization and it’s also a great “passive” lifting
cue.

One of the major benefits of knee sleeves is that due to elastic pressure which creates “spring
effect” and “material build up” which artificially improves your levers, it’ll be easier to “bounce out
of hole”.

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Due to specific material knee sleeves will prevent loss of working temperature specifically in the
knee area which will keep you fresh between the sets and considering knee joint can be quite
delicate due to quite a bit of pressure it underwents through range of motion it may also help to
minimize risk of injury.

Under condition you’re using knee sleeves appropriate for your knee joint size it will create just
enough pressure to increase overall stability.

Since sleeves will create a certain amount of pressure using them usually keeps the lifter aware
of mechanical cues in which they’re indirectly helping them in the first place. This is beneficial
primarily because lifter doesn’t have to focus on the technique itself as much as in case where
he doesn’t use knee sleeves.

Wrist wraps

Wrist wraps will logically help you stabilize your wrists under resistance and prevent them from
excessive extension or flexion. This isn’t just important for injury prevention but also to provide a
solid and consistent pressing base by aligning your wrist with forearms.

Having a straight forearm/wrist line basically makes it easier to utilize more force through the
range of motion and even just handling the weight will feel easier due to increased stabilization
of the connective tissue.

One of the major benefits of using wrist wraps is that due to increased wrist stabilization you
won’t have to focus on intentional stabilization throughout eccentric portion of exercise which
will make it easier to focus on pressing line itself. Having a consistent pressing line (hitting the
same spots and line throughout the range of motion) is a great way to improve your mechanical
efficiency. This will definitely have a positive impact on your ability to handle heavier loads and
perform repetitions.

Lifting shoes

In cases where individual has limited or simply poor ankle mobility/dorsal flexion lifting shoes
can make all the difference during squats since they have elevated heels and this artificially
improves his levers. This means less forward knee travel, more upright torso position (usually
this is more prominent on high bar variation compared to the low bar where torso is leaning
forward anyway and hips are forced backwards) and simply much smaller range of motion in the
ankles.

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Usually quality lifting shoes are quite stern and they’ll improve stability which will additionally
help especially if you’re handling heavy weights and allow you to focus more on simple force
production.

Due to their “tightness” they allow you to focus more on even resistance distribution (usually
focusing on three points on the foot which are heel, big toe and pinky) and to really drive the
feet in to ground for additional stabilization, pre-activation and even final force production
throughout the range of motion.

Fractional plates

Fractional plates are measured in grams and usually gyms don’t have them! We’re talking about
plates of 0.125g, 0.250g, 0.500g, 0.750g and 1kg.

These smaller plates are ideal for smaller/lighter individuals because their total overloading
capacity is somewhat lower and adding 2.5kg and 5kg to their lifts all the time won’t be feasible
so increasing their lifts through smaller increments will allow them to push the progress further
without reaching plateau.

Lighter/smaller individuals would have to make huge “jumps” in loading and total volume by
adding 2.5kg or more on their lifts all the time compared to someone much heavier who is
handling absolutely heavier weights in relation to his weight and size.

They become very useful on movements with smaller overloading capacity such as upper body
presses. At a certain point your ability to progress might even depend on your ability to add
weight and considering the overloading capacity, adding too much weight too fast may backfire
in terms of progress.

Chalk/Magnesium

Chalk will dry out your palms and increase friction between the hand and the bar which will
massively improve the grip and gripping ability. This one is especially beneficial for heavy
deadlifts.

Two common chalks are solid and liquid!

While solid chalk is more convenient some gym owners don’t allow it since powder will be all
over the equipment so liquid chalk is a good alternative. Still after applying liquid chalk you have
to wait a bit longer until it dries out on the skin/palms.

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If you have the opportunity to use solid chalk we advise going with it because you’ll be able to
apply it to greater surface, much faster and you can even put it on clothes which can be
beneficial for squat and even a bench.

It’s important to notice that none of this equipment is exactly required or necessary but they can
definitely help with injury prevention, stabilization, movement mechanics and ultimately have a
positive impact on your progress.

Which ones you’ll use and why is up to you to decide and that’s why we explained what they are
for and in which situations they’re beneficial!

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 MOBILITY WORK

First important thing to understand is that mobility depends on both joints (connective tissue)
and surrounding muscle tissue. As explained in previous chapters mobility can be detrimental
factor which determines your ability to achieve full range of motion on particular movements,
maintain proper technique/form and even maximize the mechanical efficiency and produce
force.

Flexibility and mobility although tightly linked aren’t exactly the same!

Flexibility is the capacity for extension or range of motion particular joints (or links between
joints) and tissue can achieve.

Mobility is flexibility through dynamic range of motion or amount of extension your joints and
tissue can achieve during movement without breaking the required technique/form.

Static stretching for improving mobility

Studies found that static stretching can even have a negative impact on muscle contraction and
therefore force production and performance so I strongly advise to avoid static stretching before
your training/lifting session and do it rather after the training session or as a separate session
from your regular training.

Still static stretching done separately can be a useful tool to improve muscle tightness and
improve mobility in particular joints and therefore improve your ability to perform specific
movements more efficiently.

Studies indicate that ideal "sweet spot" for static stretch is 30-60 seconds in order to reap the
maximal benefits.

Studies also indicate 5-10 minutes of specific static stretching throughout the week is just
enough to improve the mobility.

So if we sum up this; it would be ideal to give each "tight muscle group or joint" 5-10 sets of
static stretches spread throughout the week and each stretching set should last approximately
30-60 seconds.

So why stretching and mobility work are important again?

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Improving stretching capability of tight muscle groups and range of motion of the joints
increases your capacity for achieving full range of motion, mechanical efficiency and maximizing
force production. Full range of motion is absolutely crucial for maximizing both strength progress
and muscle hypertrophy.

It’s important to mention that studies clearly indicate that static stretching won’t reduce
soreness, speed up recovery or even prevent injuries directly but improving your mobility will
definitely go a long way in terms of other important things such as mechanical efficiency and
performance.

The real question is; what are those crucial pivot points and muscles you should stretch and
improve their mobility which will positively reflect on major compound movements and their
mechanical efficiency?!

In terms of lifting efficiency three major pivot points/joints are ankles, hips and shoulders!

Ankle joint

Ankle joint mobility can literally make or break your squatting mechanics and although it’s
possible to artificially reduce requirement for ankle joint mobility (lifting shoes, heel elevation
etc.) improving your ankle mobility will go a long way in terms of “hitting the depth”, optimizing
levers and maximizing force production.

So how can you work on improving your ankle mobility?

Putting a board, plate or anything elevated from the ground under your toes while squatting will
increase the stretch in ankle joint, achilles tendon and tibia/fibula musculature as a whole so
that is a great way to work on mechanical efficiency while simultaneously stretching those under
resistance. If you perform “deep squats” with the board under toes this also becomes beneficial
for the hip joint mobility.

This one you should probably do with a training partner. First you should start by pressing your
back against the wall and try to be as upright as possible. Putting your feet as close as possible
to the wall without elevating your heel is the next step. You should slide down into squatting
position while simultaneously pressing the back against the wall. This part is where your gym
partner comes in! He should place barbell on top of your knees where you’ll hold it in order to
create pressure on your ankle joints and stretch it! Your goal is to create as much forward knee
travel as possible to really stretch those ankle joints. You’ll progress on these by simply adding
more weight to the barbell!

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Another good variation would be basically narrow stance split squat where you press the
backward leg knee in the ground while simultaneously creating pressure on the forward leg
knee and pushing it forward to create that deep stretch in the Achilles tendon. Make sure you do
these on both legs in balance! Additionally you can attach resistance band to your ankle which
will pull it backwards and create additional pressure/stretch.

Keep in mind those are just our favourites ankle joint stretches but there is literally a bunch of
other good variations which will work just as fine. Pick a few and apply guidelines from the
beginning of this chapter.

Hip joint mobility

Hip mobility can be a major factor in mechanical efficiency during squats and sumo deadlift so
once again improving hip joint mobility can help you with optimal technique and force
production,

First good stretch for your hips would be basically the one where you use resistance band to
force external hip rotation. Start by kneeling down on one leg while the other leg should be in
crouching position on foot but place it in a slight external hip rotation (femur angle). Resistance
band should be attached close to the hip joint and should point directly behind your torso. Torso
should be upright as possible and aligned with pelvis in neutral position. Key to the stretch is
slightly leaning the torso forward while keeping the posture in neutral position. You should feel
deep stretch in the hip if you do it right!

If you have access to the bench (possibly low bench) place one leg on the bench so your femur
and tibia are approximately at 90 degree angle but your outer portion of the thigh should rest on
the bench. Your other leg should be in kneeling position on the floor. Torso has to stay upright
as possible. You can force external hip rotation two ways; first way would be to push your torso
away from the legs (pressing the arm against the bench) and second way would be to
open/push your tibia (lower leg) forward and slowly opening the angle between humerus and
tibia. Also this one is a great stretch for glutes.

Here’s a good one for people who are pulling sumo! You should take some weight (dumbbell,
kettlebell or a plate (at least 10kg)), stand in your regular sumo starting position (knees bent,
torso upright as possible) and simply force external rotation by pushing the knees out. This is a
great way not just to improve hip mobility but also to improve mechanical “knees out” cue.

Most of your hip stretching and mobility work should revolve around external hip rotation.

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Once again there are a lot of great hip stretches beside the ones we just mentioned and also
some passive static stretches which will definitely help so consider those too! Passive stretching
randomly throughout the day can be a great way to improve the mobility without thinking too
much about it!

Shoulder joint mobility

Shoulders are one of the most delicate joints in the body and a lot of lifters had shoulder injury
at one point, one of the reasons is definitely poor shoulder joint mobility. Good shoulder mobility
will not just minimize the risk of injury during presses but it’s virtually crucial variable during
vertical pressing and achieving optimal pressing line.

Great dynamic stretching variation for shoulder joints is basically forward/backwards stick
rotation. Grab the stick at approximately 2x wider than your shoulder width for starters. Make
sure your pelvis is in the neutral position and contract your abs to prevent spinal extension.
Bring the stick backwards by simply externally rotating your shoulders (external scapular
motion). Bring it back forward by reversing the scapular motion. Make sure you don’t lose
neutral spine position while performing these. You should progress by simply gripping the stick
narrower over time!

Great way to learn how to keep the shoulder joints in neutral position is to simply hang from the
bar in vertical line. It’s important you also keep the pelvis in a neutral position by contracting the
abs.

Rotator cuffs work for improved shoulders mobility

It’s important to understand that your shoulder joint motion is directly linked to rotator cuff health
which is once again directly linked to scapular movement.

Rotator cuff consists of four separate muscles (Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor and
Subscapularis) and strengthening those inner stabilization muscles creates structural balance
which "helps" in keeping the proper posture which will positively reflect on shoulder joint mobility
too.

Science has shown over and over again that "muscle tightness" can’t impact muscle position or
affect postural line in the relaxed state but people still believe that "postural correction
exercises" will make them magically fix their posture.

In reality those exercises force neural adaptation and "teach" you how to keep proper posture
but strengthening actual muscles won't improve your posture directly.

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Simply put; reason why you have poor posture is because you got used to being in that position
(nervous system adaptation).

Training external shoulder rotation will strengthen rotator cuff muscles and fight off possible
muscle imbalance (most people have stronger chest and front delts compared to pulling
muscles) but even more important, it'll teach you to pull the shoulder blades back and down
(retraction) and keep the chest up which will translate to training performance.

Training external shoulder rotation is simple!

High frequency works fine in combination with high reps and low intensity (don't perform to
failure).

You can do this basically every day if you stay away from contractile failure and considering
rotator cuff exercises are usually dynamic movements they’re a great way to warm up for a
lifting session too.

Exercises like face pulls, cable external rotation, resistance band pull aparts are great options.

“Loosening up” muscles and improving tissue mobility

Ankles, hips, shoulders mobility and overall health are very important when it comes to
movement and strength specific training but don’t neglect stretching your muscles too.

Muscles are basically tissue connections between the joints and sometimes your technical full
range of motion can be limited by active range of motion of particular muscle group. For that
reason stretching that muscle and improving its mobility is absolutely crucial.

Some of those problematic and often “limitational” muscle groups are hamstrings, calves, hip
flexors, chest, lats and thoracic spine musculature so pay special attention to those but
stretching all your muscles from time to time and working on overall mobility is probably the
smartest solution.

Find a few stretches and mobility drills you like or prefer for each muscle group and pivot joints
we mentioned and apply the information related to stretching volume and frequency mentioned
in the beginning of this chapter!

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Is foam rolling useful for improving mobility?

It seems for some reason people think there is something magical to foam rolling when it comes
to muscle recovery so lets see, is there any truth to it?!

Some studies suggest that foam rolling done in a pre-workout period stimulates "natural muscle
fascia lengthening/loosening which results in increased muscle range of motion. Also those
studies shown that foam rolling doesn't have any negative impact on performance so foam
rolling is definitely better warm up option compared to static stretching.

Studies also indicate foam rolling might have a positive impact on muscle recovery and reducing
muscle soreness by increasing blood flow in the area (increased nutrient drive) which speeds up
the process of recovery.

Now a little disappointment for you!

Results of those studies are statistically insignificant (if we analyze cellular processes and actual
difference on blood/nutrient delivery speed) and most people feel better after foam rolling due to
simple placebo effect (they think they'll feel better so they do).

There is a chance foam rolling might help you with muscle recovery but there is nothing magical
about it and it won't mean a lot if important things like nutrition, sleep and optimized training
volume aren't on point.

We would advise you to prioritize static stretching and mobility drills when it comes to improving
mobility!

As explained mobility is a crucial variable in mechanical efficiency so don’t neglect mobility work
especially if you find you’re lacking necessary mobility to perform basic compound lifts with full
range of motion. Improving your mobility goes a long way when it comes to your strength
progression rate and lifting longevity.

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 HOW TO DEAL WITH INJURIES

Even if your technique is flawless and every recovery variable is on point there is still a chance
of occasional injury since heavy lifting can be quite taxing and sometimes smallest technical
mistake or lack of proper warm up of the joints, connective tissue and muscles can lead to
injury.

Injuries can be caused by sudden short burst movement against the external resistance
(fractions, breaks, tears, sprains...) or they can basically turn into inflammation after
accumulation of miniature ruptures in connective tissue (ex. Golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow,
shoulder impingement…)

Lifting vs general joint health

Usual concern is that lifting will lead to injuries or some kind of joint issues but if we're going to
believe the studies exactly the opposite is the case.

Studies are indicating that consistent lifting is progressively increasing the bones and
connective tissue mineral density which automatically builds up the resilience and ability to
handle external resistance.

This results in reduced risk of injuries and fractures/ruptures.

Few studies even found links between lifting and release in chronic back pain.

Lifting increases skeletal muscle cross-sectional area and progressively increases demands on
the same through progressive increase in external resistance which automatically requires
proportional adaptation of the surrounding connective tissue.

Lifting is basically dynamic motion/stretch under resistance so your connective tissue has to
adapt to that motion too.

Of course risk of injury will always be present but that is why properly dialed in volume, intensity,
recovery and obtaining necessary mobility to meet the dynamic range of motion demands are
important.

If we analyze the studies it turns out that lifting has lower risk of injury compared to other
dynamic sports.

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As previously mentioned injuries happen and your progress depends on how efficiently you deal
with the injury and how you structure your training around it!

Sometimes decreasing overall physical activity and minimizing movement in the injured area is
unavoidable and necessary.

First question is: is there any way I can speed up the recovery process?

If we analyze the studies certain things definitely affect recovery process to significant extent
and here is the list of things you should consider.

● Get enough(more) sleep

Sleep is crucial for muscle repair and growth but it is also crucial for CNS
recovery/adaptation and relevant for this case; connective tissue recovery. Most of the
recovery process occurs in a state of complete physical inactivity.
● Get enough(more) protein
Protein isn't only muscle building nutrient but it is primary tissue repair/building nutrient.
This means higher protein intake will also aid in connective tissue recovery process.
● Get enough calories
We're all afraid we'll get fat if we can't train or be active for a period of time but being in
caloric deficit is suboptimal state for maximizing recovery. You have to provide your body
with enough "fuel" for structural repair process. Being in caloric maintenance is usually
the best option to avoid unnecessary fat gain.
● Prevent micronutrient deficiencies
Get a blood check and find out if you're deficient in any micronutrient. Fix that deficiency
either through nutrition or with supplementation. Micronutrients aid in macronutrients
absorption and hormonal regulation. If those two aren't in place recovery rate will be
somewhat impaired.
● Consider heat treatment(infrared and ultrasound)
These will increase blood flow in the injured area and improve nutrient delivery which is
crucial for maximizing recovery
● Consider PRP injections
If you can afford it go with PRP injection. Platelet Rich Plasma therapy is basically using
a person’s own platelets and injecting them in the specific area to speed up the recovery
and healing of surrounding connective tissue(tendons, ligaments), muscles and joints.

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Here’s the list of things to avoid:

● Don't use anti-inflammatory drugs

Inflammation is a signaling response to injury and inflammation initiates recovery
process. Reducing inflammation masks the pain but it doesn't help with recovery.
Here I’m talking about anti-inflammatory steroid based drugs such as ibuprofen or even
cortisone injections. Beside ton of potential side effects they also can impair surrounding
connective tissue and slow down overall recovery rate.
● Don't "ice" the area
Icing once again temporary reduces inflammation/pain but it also reduces blood flow in
the area (nutrient delivery) which means it negatively impacts the recovery process.

In most cases there is a way to train around injuries!

Training around injuries

In most cases injuries are specific to one area, body part or limb so more often than not training
around them is possible!

Let’s face it; if your shoulder, chest or biceps got injured you can train legs and abs, same goes
for case when you injure your leg where you’d be able to train your upper body and core.

The point is; you should first summarize the list of movements which affect and aggravate the
injured area and avoid them! If the movement doesn’t cause you pain or discomfort in injured
area it’s most likely you can perform it while giving a break to the injured body part.

Here are some smart options for training while injured!

People often completely take time off during an injury and risking losing some muscle mass and
strength in the process while in reality there are multiple ways to train around injuries and even
make progress.

If you got injured you can still build muscle and even get stronger!

Going into super high rep range can and will trigger muscle growth if you bring your muscles to
their full exhaustion and if training volume and frequency are properly structured.

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BFR training

One of the common techniques that can potentially speed up recovery is "Blood Flow
Restriction" training with occlusion bands.

By restricting the blood flow in the trained muscle you maximize the cell swelling and also
improve the blood flow into area after taking off the bands (this helps increasing nutrient drive to
the surrounding connective tissue and muscles). This technique is usually performed on
isolation exercises and in high reps (chasing maximal pump).

Studies indicate that when it comes to strictly muscle hypertrophy, BFR training elicits the same
results as regular heavy training (70-80%+ of 1RM) with emphasis on progressive overload but
of course heavy training still delivers better results in terms of strength.

Simply put; mTor signalling, levels of MPS and growth hormone release after BFR training can
match the regular heavy lifting but heavy training creates much greater CNS motor recruitment
and skill development.

BFR isn't superior to regular heavy lifting but in time of need it can replace it (during injuries) or
it can be used as additional muscle growth technique on top of regular lifting.

Training uninjured limb to minimize the strength/muscle loss

Studies found something called "cross-education" which basically supports the theory that
neuromuscular signalling is transferable (to a degree) to untrained limb.

This means that training your uninjured side will transfer some of the mechanical efficiency and
strength (up to 30-40% even) through neuromuscular links to mobilized untrained limb.

Simply put; training your uninjured side in the meantime might help you save some of those
precious gains.

Studies aren't that clear on muscle mass (non-contractile components of the muscle will
definitely "shrink") so don't expect miracles and think you'll keep all visual gains but if there is a
chance training uninjured side will help you keep some of the strength and even muscle why
wouldn't you take it?!

This is definitely better than completely "flattening out" while waiting for your injured limb to
recover.

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Under condition full recovery won't take more than 1-2 months this won't lead to major muscle
imbalances between the sides but if it takes longer than I advise you to skip this method rather
than developing drastic imbalance between the sides and increase the risk of injury in the
future.

Going into most common and specific injuries wouldn’t make sense since we could write a
whole book about it but hopefully you’ll find this chapter helpful for dealing with injuries in
general and I’m sure you’ll find some of the suggestions helpful for your particular injury or case.

Best possible scenario; stay injury free but we all know they sometimes happen!

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 STRENGTH PLATEAUS

Strength plateaus are actually more specific to newbie lifters since they’re using linear
periodization/progression model and considering they’re able to progress and increase their lifts
at a much faster rate, chances they’re gonna hit a plateau at one point or the other are much
greater.

If more experienced lifter hits a plateau in terms of strength that clearly indicates training
structure isn’t properly dialed in and for that particular reason they should use carefully planned
periodization system which will ensure the long term progress.

The real question is what are the most common plateaus and how to overcome them?!

Insufficient training volume

First and most common reason why lifters hit a plateau is insufficient training volume. As
explained in previous chapters whole point of the progress is increasing total volume and
workload and if volume isn’t sufficient to start with or it doesn’t increase at an optimal rate, body
will adapt to total volume and it simply won’t have a reason to progress any further.

Insufficient training intensity

Another common reason is when lifters are using weights which are too light or too easy for the
required rep range which basically doesn’t impose sufficient stress on muscle fibers and
nervous system to force adaptation. Simply put; beside progressive increase in volume, weights
have to be heavy enough to engage maximal amount of motor units, muscle fibers and impose
demand on CNS. Even simpler; use weight/resistance which is challenging enough to trigger
adaptation.

Lack of variation

Basic lifts should always be “bread and butter” of your training routine but your body has
extremely good ability to adapt and if you stick only with basic variations of the lift it will only get
you so far before you run into some kind of plateau or develop prominent sticking points, weak
body parts etc. Besides overcoming sticking points, bringing weaker muscle groups and
developing mechanical efficiency in same/similar plane of motion adding more variation will help
you add more volume which will help with both hypertrophy and strength.

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Poor recovery

If your training routine is not optimized to your recovery capacity and generally dialed in
(balance between volume, intensity and frequency) you’ll start overreaching (often the product
of accumulated fatigue) too soon and you can expect not just plateau but even regression. Even
in cases where your training routine is properly dialed in if your nutrition, sleep and general
recovery aren’t on point your body just won’t be able to recover from all the damage caused by
intense lifting sessions. Make sure you optimize all variables to maximize your progression rate
and avoid hitting plateaus.

Program hoping

This is the issue a lot of recreational lifters are dealing with! The purpose of properly structured
training program is to ensure long term progress but most gym goers become bored too soon
and start jumping from one program to another without even giving the progression model a
chance to work. Don’t be a “program hopper” and stick with the training routine if you’re serious
about making progress. The time for switching the training routine/program is when you “milk
out” every ounce of progress from the current one. You’re training with the purpose not to
amuse yourself so stay consistent and true to the program.

Using the same program for too long

As much as hopping from one program to another can be detrimental to your progress, sticking
with a program for too long can also negatively impact the progress and lead to plateau. Your
body will eventually fully adapt to the training volume and intensity of the routine and there is
only a limited amount of volume/intensity you can increase, handle and body can recover from
so ultimately you’ll have to change the routine at one point to continue making progress.

Not taking the training seriously

Most people are having too much fun in the gym and that’s a fact! If getting stronger and gaining
muscle is the goal you’ll have to prioritize actual training in the gym. Leave socializing, and
updating your social media status for some other time. When you enter the gym leave your
problems outside, clear your mind and focus on your mission!

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Bad technique = getting injured

If you’re getting injured too often you won’t be able to stick with the program for sure! Major
cause of injuries is poor technique and trying to progress while having the same. Also
inadequate warm up and not taking care of your recovery play a role. Avoid getting injured and
you won’t have to deal with constant plateaus and even regression.

Not to mention that poor/incorrect technique can massively limit your overloading capacity on
the particular movement and therefore progression potential.

Inadequate gyms/lack of lifting equipment

Not having all the required equipment will limit you in the start. Here I’m talking about the lack of
basic equipment such as good barbells, weight plates, bench, squat rack…

Beginners might have to deal with plates too small for optimal deadlifting height (small plates
will force them to pull from a deficit which can put them in compromising position), more
advanced lifters won’t be able to optimally progress or handle weight if gym doesn’t have
olympic or power bars (some of those regular gym bars are too thin, don’t have “mark rings”,
knurlings and they usually “wobble” under heavier resistance which can throw the lifter out of
balance and even increase resistance).

Some gyms don’t even have smaller plates (2.5kg, 1.25kg…) and this will force you to add
weight at a faster rate which will negatively impact adaptation process and lead to plateau
faster. Faster is not always better, especially when it comes to strength progress.

Very strong lifters sometimes won’t even have enough weight to progress any further or the bar
they’re using isn’t adequate for adding more plates.

If you’re going to the commercial gym where using chalk is forbidden or gym personnel is
annoying you for dropping the weight on the ground and being too loud please find a new gym.

Those definitely aren’t all possible reasons why you’ll hit a plateau but they’re major ones.

Let’s assume your training routine is properly dialed, recovery is on point and you solved all the
previously mentioned potential difficulties or issues, there is still a high chance you’ll eventually
hit a plateau because you can’t run the same program forever and increasing volume and
intensity over time will eventually lead to overreaching and even accumulated fatigue. After all
there is only a limited amount of volume from which muscles can recover.

So what to do in case when you hit a plateau and it seems your lifts are not progressing
anymore?

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Deloads

Deloads are simply put; short planned periods designed for recovery!

If you're following a properly structured training program which requires progressive increase in
working volume and intensity than after some time your body will hit a plateau in terms of
muscle and strength gains (or even regress). Also you might notice sudden drop of energy or
even some form of injury or inflammation (connective tissue).

That is how you know it’s time for a deload! Deloads can be planned up ahead (tactical deload)
but very often deloads are done based on feeling.

Common deload methods:

● Reducing intensity/weights you're using (usually reduction to 40-60% of regular weights

you're using)
● Reducing volume (reducing the number of reps per set, reducing the number of sets)
● Doing something else entirely (light cardio etc.)
● Changing exercise selection (still with reduction in overall volume and intensity)
● Taking a full week off from training
....

While we don't have a specific studies on deloads we have some which might indicate on
importance of deloads!

Few studies found that there was no difference in terms of muscle and strength gains between
subjects who trained 12 weeks straight and subjects who took 3 week breaks in between during
12 week period. Same results were found between athletes who trained 6 months continuously
and subjects who were taking 3 week breaks (every 6 weeks) during those 6 months.

If we consider that taking 3 week breaks didn't impact progress rate; in theory taking less
frequent shorter breaks (1 week deload) might even be beneficial for increasing the progression
rate in the long run.

When you should deload depends on your training program but more intense program requires
more frequent deloads but usually deload should be done every 8, 12 or 16 weeks.

Also complete newbies might not need deloads that often due to much greater progression
capacity and ability to adapt more aggressively and even faster in the start (aka. newbie gains).

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Plateau breaker day

Progressive overload as explained is dependant on progressive increase in total working

volume and intensity so if you've been increasing weights, reps, sets consistently over a period
of time that also takes a toll on your energy levels.

In reality as your "fitness level" goes up it also simultaneously results in increased fatigue.
That process is called "fatigue accumulation" and it is perfectly normal occurrence.

What will happen in that case?

Suddenly you're unable to progress in terms of volume or intensity. It gets even worse; because
every subsequent session you feel like your strength is dropping on particular lifts!

People who stumble on some form of plateau due to fatigue accumulation often assume they
"drained out" the particular training split so logical solution is to do some form of a deload and
change the split right?

Sometimes fact your strength progress has stalled doesn't mean your body completely adapted
to current split but rather it's just a bi-product of accumulated fatigue. In that case you don't need
a whole deload week or changing a split. What you need is a single "plateau breaker day"!

It is basically a deload day where you drop your regular working weights for 10-15% and
perform the same amount of sets/reps.

After your strength progress has “hit a wall” for 2-4 training sessions in a row simply do one
deload/lighter session.

After that lighter session get back to regular working weight and see how that affects your
performance.

Whole point of this day is to partially reverse "accumulated fatigue levels" and allow you to
continue making progress on your current split.

If your performance "hits the wall" give this a shot before you decide to do a weekly deload or
changing a split!

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 OVERREACHING AND OVERTRAINING

Overreaching

While in theory overreaching sounds like something bad; it’s actually useful for increasing
hypertrophy, strength or general performance in the long run (especially for intermediate and
advanced lifters).

Overreaching is a sudden short period in which your performance starts suffering and
decreasing due to previously intentional and excessive overload in overall training volume,
forced progressive overload and "inadequate recovery".

Key thing is the fact that usually overreaching is something lifters chase intentionally in order to
create forced adaptation which eventually results in increased muscle hypertrophy, strength or
performance.

Sounds familiar? Yeah; overreaching is an essential component of all specialization programs.

Individual tactically increases overall training volume or intensity for a period of time (2-4 weeks)
in order to trigger forced muscle adaptation but after that initial phase (usually on the last week)
your performance and energy levels will start suffering since your muscles simply weren't able
to recover from all the volume and overload.

Once you recognize those signs of "overreaching" its time to decrease the training volume and
intensity (either for whole body or a specific muscle group you specialized) in order to allow for
supercompensation to kick in.

Supercompensation is a period where you allow your muscles to fully recover and performance
should get back to a baseline but it doesn't end there! Once you get back to regular balanced
training volume you should notice sudden increase in performance, strength and even muscle
mass due to forced muscle adaptation. That’s the magic of two combined processes:
overreaching and supercompensation.

Supercompensation (recovery period through reduced volume and intensity) lasts usually 1-2
weeks.

While overreaching isn't always necessary, tactical specialization periods can bring rapid results
in terms of strength and muscle gains.

If you're a beginner than balanced training program with emphasis on progressive overload is all
you need but after those initial few years you'll have to prioritize more specific goals and
specialization methods and block periodization are ways to do it!

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Overtraining

Based on studies overtraining really does exist. Scientific literature explains it as "not allowing
your body to enter the “supercompensation".

If you're training with volume and intensity natural progress eventually slows down and
completely stalls. During that "plateau period" your performance drops where only logical
solution is deload or complete rest to allow your body to “supercompensate”. During
supercompensation your body should recover, re-compensate and get stronger (muscle growth
and performance improvement).

If you don't allow your body to supercompensate you'll enter completely opposite "zone" which
we all know as overtraining.

What leads to overtraining?

● Poor recovery is the primary suspect (poor nutrition, poor sleep and mental stress).
● Excessive training volume and intensity.
● Poor program structure (inadequate for your fitness level).

Overtraining symptoms?

Massive performance drop, state of chronic fatigue (low energy), insomnia, sudden mood
changes, appetite loss, excessive sweating...

Still science also shown that overtraining for regular lifters/gym goers is virtually impossible (if
volume, intensity and program structure are optimized according to individual needs and
recovery capacity). Almost all cases of overtraining are found in competitive professional
athletes (training multiple times per day/4-8h daily training sessions). If you're a regular lifter
(training 5-10h per week) than overtraining should be the last on your list of worries.

How to prevent overtraining?

As science confirmed; most of us have nothing to worry about since chances for regular lifter to
overtrain are close to none.

Still ensuring optimal recovery (proper nutrition, sleep and dealing with stress) and following a
structured training program (optimal volume and intensity) will not only prevent overtraining but
ensure you're making steady progress.

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 ​CORE TRAINING VS STRENGTH

When it comes to direct core training there is a lot of debate in both strength and lifting circles.
Lifters who prioritize heavy compound work often believe core strength will proportionally
increase to support the heavy loading on spine and since core musculature is primary spinal
stabilization support it’s unavoidable that core strength will increase to a degree.

I dare to say they’re not wrong but there are a lot of cases where lifters find that lack of core
strength can be a limitation. Those same lifters often find that direct core work helps them
increase their lifts, improves force transferability between upper and lower body and increases
stabilization during compound lifts.

I’m a firm believer in direct core training and I believe almost anyone can benefit from core
strength specific training to improve both static and dynamic core support.

I want to shed some light on common confusion related to core and core training though!

Core vs. Abs

Abs is a term for collected muscle group which consists of rectus abdominis, external obliques,
internal obliques, transverse abdominis + inner stabilization muscles.

Core technically is abs plus surrounding muscles but I personally think of "core" as a synergistic
abs activation.

Since different movement patterns activate different muscles to different extent; "core" isn't a
particular group of muscles as much as the way your body engages central unit (abs) through
compound motion.

So great core exercises would be movements which engage your abs while simultaneously
activating multiple muscle groups to create force (or go against external resistance) through
synergistic action (very often abs will act as stabilization support or a "bridge" for force transfer
between upper and lower body).

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Great abs exercise in terms of hypertrophy doesn't necessarily have to be great core exercise
but it can be.

Ex.

Crunches (basic pelvic flexion) have high abdominal activation and they stimulate abs through
dynamic motion which is great for hypertrophy but they pretty much activate abdominal wall in
isolation which makes them poor core exercise.

Ab wheel rollouts stimulate abs through dynamic motion (spinal anti-extension) but at the same
time they require synergistic muscle activation (multiple muscle groups) which makes it great
both abs and core exercise.

Abs act as stabilization support during goblet squats. Abs activation is static (spinal stabilization
is also mechanical role of the abs) but without dynamic motion this makes it a poor abs
hypertrophy exercise. On the other hand it is a great core exercise.

If your goal is strengthening the core with the strength transferability and improved stabilization
on compound exercises in mind you should focus on exercises which will engage abs through
synergistic motion and also engage the core through spinal and pelvic stabilization roles.

Core exercises suggestions

As previously mentioned your core will definitely get stronger through compound movements
but more specific core training is definitely a smart option to additionally improve core stability
and strength. This is especially important if you find your core strength is lacking!

Although I don’t see planks as a great abs development exercise due to their static nature they
can be amazing core stabilization exercise. Planks, side planks and especially long lever planks
to increase the intensity. Overloading them is a must if you want to progressively improve the
core strength so don’t just stick with easy bodyweight variations. Add some resistance/weight
too!

If I had to pick one ultimate core exercise it would be ab wheel rollouts! They’re basically
dynamic version of plank where you’re prolonging the lever to increase the resistance on the
abs/core and they’re engaging whole core to act as anti-spinal extension resistance.
Progressing on them is pretty straightforward! You can start from the knees and work your way
to ab rollouts performed from feet with full extension/range of motion. If you ever get to 10+ solid
reps on ab rollouts from feet I dare to say you have a “badass level” of core strength.

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They activate ton of muscles to stabilize the whole spine (lats, delts, triceps long head, serratus,
rhomboids…) so their strength transferability to heavy compound movements is pretty amazing.

Another static powerhouse I personally like are L sit holds performed on the floor or parallettes.
They will strengthen your abs, hip flexors, quads (if done right) and teach you how to engage
the core through real synergistic whole body activation (they will also engage pretty much every
upper body muscle). You can start by performing them on parallettes and simply tuck your
knees in. As you progress you should focus on fully extending your legs/knees. After that you
should aim to increase your hold time and later (after you get 30+ solid seconds bodyweight)
you can even add weight (ankle weights or putting a plate in lap).

Hanging leg (and knee) raises are good dynamic exercises for both, abs development and
strengthening the core so adding those can also help.

Consider Turkish get up and anti-rotation work (cable rotation, woodchops etc.) if you find you’re
prone to lateral tilting while performing compound exercises also.

What about lower back work? If we analyze studies on spinal erectors activation almost nothing
beats heavy deadlifts and back squats (interesting thing is that back squat has higher lower
back activation than deadlift variations) plus the fact most heavy compounds with some type of
resistance imposed on posterior chain will engage lower back in static fashion and for most
people lower back is rarely the issue.

In case your lower back strength is lagging I would add back extensions, hyperextensions and
good mornings as an additional volume to strengthen those erectors.

Don’t neglect the direct core training especially if you find you’re prone to excessive spinal
flexion, back rounding and if you have issues with instability while performing heavy compound
moves.

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 GRIP STRENGTH

Let’s face it! You’ll spend quite a bit of time gripping the bar and at a certain point you’ll realize
how important the grip strength is especially when it comes to raw pulling. Having a weak grip
will negatively reflect on everything else.

Your hands/forearms are direct link with the torso which means force transfer is occurring
through your grip. If your grip is weak, you won’t be able to transfer your maximal force capacity
from torso and your lift will suffer. This probably won’t be an issue with pressing exercises and
squats but your upper body pulling and especially deadlift will depend on a good grip.

Straps debate

I know a lot of people have a tendency to use straps during deadlifts, rows and other pulling
exercises but if you’re a competitive lifter you won’t be allowed to use straps during competition.
I know you think mixed or hook grip are your saviors but both of those still require quite solid
grip strength and stronger your raw (double overhand) grip is the stronger your mixed or hook
grip will be.

My first cue would be to ditch the straps and progress on lifts with raw double overhand grip.
This is especially important if you’re a beginner and I believe straps should have no place in a
beginners routine.

Training raw will basically force your grip/forearm strength to increase proportionally to your
whole body strength and this will make a major difference in the long run.

So performing pulling compounds like deadlifts, pull ups, chin ups, rows.., without using straps
is the smartest thing to do and your safest bet to allow your grip to catch up to your whole body
strength. As you’re progressing on those lifts you’ll be adding more weight and your grip will
progress also since it’ll be forced to handle more weight over time.

Straps have their time and place but usually once you’ve already built decent strength base and
you’re able to handle some serious weights with regular double overhand grip.

Example when straps would make sense is when someone is working on deadlift volume/higher
reps and they usually lift with a hook grip. Since hook grip massively decreases the requirement
of grip strength using straps in that particular situation would make perfect sense.

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Direct grip work

If you find your grip is a limiting factor on certain lifts I believe direct grip work is both beneficial
and even necessary.

First thing I want to clear out is the fact that wrist flexion and extension moves won't do
absolutely nothing for your grip strength because grip force comes from finger flexors (crushing,
pinching grip) not wrists.

Few studies focused on forearms hypertrophy and grip strength and found that groups who
incorporated isolation forearm work on top of raw pulling indeed achieved more hypertrophy but
subjects who focused strictly on raw pulling/gripping increased their strength to the same
degree (even more in some cases) so that just confirms the previous statement.

If your goal is increasing forearm size than wrist flexion and extension exercises make sense
but keep in mind they don’t have any kind of transferability to your grip strength and you’ll need
targeted grip work to improve your grip strength.

How to increase grip strength?

Sometimes raw pulling isn't enough and in order to increase grip strength you need targeted
grip work. Based on studies 3 types of grip training have the highest impact on grip strength:

● Gripping unstable (non-solid) surface like towel and/or rope seem to build highest
amounts of transferable grip strength. Adding some towel hangs, towel pull ups and rope
climbing is what you should consider here.

● Thick bars or Fat Gripz seem to massively increase the resistance on finger flexors
which results in increased forearm/grip activation. Use either thicker bars for your pulling
moves or add Fat Gripz on your pulling movements (and even curls).

● Unfixed bars like using double overhand grip on deadlift or "rolling thunder" bar for
pulling moves also have significant impact on grip strength since the bar is consistently
slipping out of the palm because it isn't fixed to a solid surface. Heavy double overhand
rack pull holds, deadlift holds or even using "rolling thunder” device will help you build
grip strength too.

● Some other things I’d consider are pull up bar hangs, single arm pull up bar hangs and
farmer walks (extended sets of farmer walks are a killer grip exercise). You can even
combine some of the previously mentioned methods with those like using fat gripz,
rolling thunder device or wrapping a towel around the bar.

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What about grippers?

That’s quite debatable but based on a few studies it seems those gripper devices although they
have some transferability to static grip strength they still fade in a comparison to “static crushing
gripping”. You’re pretty much resisting the weight by static forearm contraction during pulling
compounds instead of actually trying to crush the bar but stronger crushing dynamic strength
can definitely help so using grippers definitely isn’t a bad idea.

Grip strength vs Grip endurance

Another important thing to keep in mind is that often grip strength isn't an issue as much as the
grip endurance especially if your grip is failing on higher rep sets. If you’re doing high rep pull
ups, rows, deadlifts often your grip is strong enough to support the weight but only for a short
period of time so training your grip in endurance style where you’re doing any of the previously
mentioned methods for prolonged time will help you improve your grip endurance.

When and how to train grip

I suggest training grip at the end of your training session because exhausting your grip prior to
heavy lifting session (especially session which includes heavy pulling compounds) can
negatively impact your performance.

It’s also important to avoid doing those sets to failure and maxing out because under condition
you’re training your grip frequently there is a high chance accumulated fatigue will kick in and
lead to overreaching which you want to avoid. I suggest working with more emphasis on volume
and simple progressive overload on a weekly basis.

How much grip work you’ll need depends on how much you have to improve your grip and how
much grip work you can actually handle. Your forearms are designed to handle a lot of
frequency and even volume so in order to avoid over-exhaustion of your forearms I suggest you
train your grip frequently (3-4x per week) for 3-6 sets max so you’re basically triggering positive
adaptation without running into recovery issues.

You can either pick a few of previously suggested grip exercises or simply perform different
exercise every session but make sure you adapt the frequency and volume based on your
recovery capacity and needs.

I think it should be a no mention that you should aim for progress just like on any other exercise.
Either increase time or add weight but make sure you progress in some way.

If you find your grip strength (or endurance) is lacking I suggest you pay some attention to your
grip and add some additional grip work. It’ll pay off in the long run I can promise you that.

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 STRENGTH TRANSFERABILITY BETWEEN THE
MOVEMENTS DEBATE

So what kind of strength transferability you can expect between movements with similar
mechanics and which are using same synergistic muscle groups?

The confusing part is that strength transferability is very debatable considering different
individuals have different structure, utilize their levers differently to produce force and they even
utilize different muscles to different extent during same compound motion.

The way individual performs particular movement based on his own unique levers (determined
by genetic bone structure) can make a whole difference on how that same movement will
impact other "exercise" with similar plane of motion.

Good example of those differences would be Armin and I(yeah we’re the guys who brought this
guide to life).

Armin is a powerlifter with a very strong pressing motion and his progression on bench press
has a positive impact on every other press like incline press, overhead press and even triceps
isolation.

We are the same height but with completely different bone structure (he has a very long torso
with comparatively short arms/legs opposed to my lanky structure and shorter torso).

My best "pressing feat" was weighted dips with +80kg for 3 solid reps attached to my waist and
it absolutely didn't help or transfer to my other pressing exercises (it's little to say my horizontal
and vertical pressing aren’t really impressive). Also improving my bench press absolutely didn't
improve my OHP or other way around.

Another example would be my deadlift in comparison to my squat.

Improving my squat definitely helped me pull more on deadlift but if I focus strictly on pulling, it
absolutely won't do anything for my squat.

I had a client who was avoiding squats due to knee injury but he was focusing on deadlifts for
the time being; when he got back to squatting his squat went through the roof although only
lower body strength focused work he did was deadlift prior to it.

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There is a chance something else also affected his squatting strength though considering
strengthening weak points like glutes, hamstrings, lower back.., can also impact force
production on a compound movement.

What do we know?

Something that definitely has an impact on strength transferability is when an individual is

performing movements in the same plane of motion with similar mechanics and technique such
as same grip width on the upper body presses and pulls or engaging muscles with similar
synergistic action (primary movers, secondary movers and synergists).

It seems using specific partial compounds which are basically one part of the range of motion on
major compounds have great transferability in that exact ROM and this usually helps with
“sticking points”. Good example would be block pulls in relation to full ROM deadlift, floor
presses and pin presses to full ROM bench press, pin squats to full ROM squats etc.

Strength transferability is largely dependant on individual structure and the way you perform
particular exercise in comparison to the other movement.

You should also keep in mind that particular isolation can affect your strength by improving the
weak links in the chain so it's really hard to determine what really affects particular force
production increase.

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 STRENGTH TRAINING MYTHS

There are certain misconceptions related to strength and strength training and we’d like to shed
some light on major ones and help you understand why those concepts are myths or simply not
applicable to every individual.

1RM strength relation to repetition strength myth

If you ever wanted to find out what is your 1RM (Repetition Max) on certain lift but you never
actually tested it you probably got tempted to use one of those online “1RM calculators” and find
out your potential 1RM. Now here’s an issue with those calculators. Most of them are based on
algorithms which are taking statistical average which are completely ignoring genetic outliers,
individual differences in structure, muscle fibers distribution and maximal neuromuscular
efficiency. In cases where individual doesn’t fit those “average standards” those calculators will
bring up value which is far from the truth.

Here’s an example!
Let’s say an individual has a much higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers which basically
makes him more efficient in repetitive force exertion (high reps and endurance). Individuals with
much greater distribution of type I fibers in most cases are able to crank out multiple reps with
anything below their true 1RM (in some cases they can perform 2 or 3 reps with a certain weight
and if they just add 1-2 pounds they can’t do a single one) and the lower intensity is the more
reps they can do especially compared to someone with much greater percentage of type II
fibers (fast-twitch). Based on calculator algorithm their 1RM compared to percentage/reps of the
weight lifted will fall into category with someone who has average muscle fibers distribution but
their 1RM will most likely fall drastically behind.

Same thing would happen on the opposite side of the spectrum. Some individuals have greater
percentage of fast twitch fibers which makes them more efficient in short burst force exertion
and usually if you apply those algorithms their estimated repetitive percentage compared to
1RM will once again fall in the average category while in reality their repetitive efficiency is much
lower compared to their maximal force exertion capability.

I know it sounds tempting to know exactly how many reps you can do on certain percentage of
your 1RM but always keep in mind there’s a chance those “standards” aren’t applicable to you
and they can actually mess up your progression curve if you start relying on those without
actually recognizing your muscle fibers distribution and maximal vs. repetitive force exertion
capacity.

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“Natural lifters have to get fat to get stronger”

Yes getting heavier will improve your leverage compared to the weight you’re lifting! Yes getting
heavier and bigger will improve your levers and reduce technical range of motion!
This by no means indicates you should gain loads of fat to get stronger even if you are a natural
lifter!

The reason why a lot of heavyweight and super heavyweight powerlifters are fat is simply
because they want to be competitive in their category among all “juiced up” competitors but that
doesn’t mean you have to get fat, especially if you have no ambition to compete and you just
want to get stronger.

Of course if you want to compete with the “big guys” and you want to avoid using AAS
(Anabolic Androgenic Steroids) in the process the chances are you’ll need to put on a bit more
fluff to make the weight and to give yourself any chance against “the juicers” and genetic
outliers.

If you’re reading this guide chances are that you want to get stronger but you also want to look
the part so we’re here to tell you that you don’t need to put on a ton of body fat to get stronger,
as a matter of fact you don’t even need to gain weight although it would be ideal to be in slight
surplus in phases where you’re focusing on strength and improving your lifts.

Beside gaining muscle and improving your levers being in caloric surplus also has a positive
impact on your endocrine system and usually your body is more efficient from a hormonal
standpoint. You’ll have improved recovery, less chance of a chronic inflammation and
considering your carbs intake will be higher (under condition you’re not on some type of keto
diet) this will automatically give you more energy for lifting due to consistently fuller glycogen
stores.

Still being in caloric surplus doesn’t mean you have to accumulate tons of fat! Keeping
moderate and controlled caloric surplus will ensure your minimize the fat accumulation in the
process while still gaining muscle and having enough available glucose to fuel your intense
lifting sessions.

On the other hand you don’t even have to be in surplus to gain strength (in certain situations
even muscles) as explained in previous chapters. Since strength is not only contractile force of
the muscle but also a product of CNS adaptation and movement efficiency you can absolutely
gain strength while not gaining any weight or fat whatsoever.

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“Tall guys can’t squat deep”

This wouldn’t be an issue if taller guys didn’t sell themselves this bull*. At a certain point some
taller dude realized he has certain mechanical disadvantages due to his longer limbs and levers
and he allowed himself to think he doesn’t have to squat below the parallel because
mechanically he would achieve the same range of motion as someone shorter who is going
through full range of motion.

We’re here to tell you that this is once again nonsense!

Yes chances are that taller guys will have longer legs proportionally to their height and this can
make squatting little bit harder but this absolutely doesn’t mean taller guys can’t or don’t have to
squat through full range of motion.

No matter how long your femurs are with decent amount of ankle mobility and properly dialed in
technique compared to your structure you and everyone else can absolutely “hit the depth”. It all
comes down to finding the most suitable variation, position and technique for your individual
structure. Also improving your ankle and hip mobility will help.

Ultimately everyone can squat below the parallel with proper guidance and putting the amount
of effort into technical part.

I know taller guys like to believe they’re “special” and that they don’t have to squat deep but
that’s basically leaving potential muscle and strength gains on the table.

If someone indeed has longer legs/femurs and is going through the same range of motion as
someone with shorter legs; it will actually result in greater total workload which theoretically
means if both taller and shorter guy would use the same weight, for same number of reps and
same number of sets, taller guy would do more work and achieve greater volume. This would
have a positive impact on hypertrophy absolutely speaking not necessarily in relative term.

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 PERIODIZATION

What is periodization?

Periodization is a fancy term for training structure looking long term and it’s based on cycles with
emphasis on different intensity and volume and manipulation of those with a specific goal in
mind. It’s a progression model which strategically manages intensity, volume, variations and
specificity.

Pretty much any kind of training program is some kind of periodization. The major difference is
in structure and complexity.

Why Do You Need Periodization?

With progress in mind individual absolutely needs periodization model in order to achieve the
next things:

● Fatigue management, avoiding overtraining

● Utilizing training blocks with different emphasis will ensure performance preparedness
and necessary specificity if individual is preparing for sport competition

● Maximizing performance within a specific time frame

● Customization of the program based on individual needs (genetics, recovery capacity,

training experience, time availability…)

Periodization cycles and terms

● Workouts
Structural unit of a microcycle usually lasts between 30 min to 3 h

● Microcycle
Structural unit of a mesocycle lasts 1 week

● Mesocycle
Singular training cycle usually lasts between 3 to 4 weeks

● Macrocycle
Complete training period lasts 1 year

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TYPES OF PERIODIZATION

Linear periodization

Linear periodization is the simplest and most commonly used type of training structure. It’s
pretty straightforward and it’s based on linear progress in terms of training intensity while
tactically manipulating (decreasing and increasing) training volume through the training cycles.
Linear periodization is a great way to build a strong foundation and strength base. It’s possible
to put emphasis on one variable over other but usually it’s based on balanced progress on
multiple foundational lifts.

It’s probably simplest periodization model and the one with which most beginners start their
strength and muscle pursuit journey.

Non-Linear/Undulated Periodization

Non-linear periodization is based on constant change in training stimuli and emphasis through
training cycles. This type of training structure manipulates volume, intensity, variations,
specificity and even recovery more frequently. Non-linear periodization supports emphasizing
one variable or lift while simultaneously improving other lifts or variations. Usually lifters with
already built solid strength base and some training experience would benefit from this type of
progression model considering they have to tactically manipulate different training variables to
stimulate progress.

Block Periodization

Block periodization is “new kid on the block” and progression model which most strength
athletes reach for primarily because it allows them to maximize their progress and eventually
performance through multiple training blocks with emphasis on different training variables. Even
regular athletes benefit from this kind of periodization since long duration sports require multiple
peaks. Block periodization also allows an individual to focus on one specific point or trigger
adaptation for a specific type of movement, lift or activity specific for their needs while
simultaneously minimizing the involvement of others less relevant to them.

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Training in blocks is great for maintaining a high level of performance especially over an
extended period of time. Above all it’s great for increasing performance and peaking just at the
right time!

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 STRENGTHROPHY TRAINING APPROACH

Theoretical part in previous chapters supposed to educate you in ways of strength specific
training, muscle hypertrophy and individual differences. I believe now you know that for
maximizing your strength progress or even muscle gain you need a routine customized to your
own needs and based on your own recovery capacity but in theory any type of training routine
with balanced volume/intensity ratio and smart progression model will lead to progress with
enough consistency.

We’re here to deliver what we believe to be the best training programming for maximizing
strength progress and that’s exactly what we’ll share here with you!

We worked with countless clients and this gives us a pretty good perspective on what works,
what doesn’t work and how to adjust the routine to individual needs.

We decided to design our own “universal” strength + hypertrophy specific programs for all
strength/experience levels which are of course completely adjustable to every individual but key
still lies in the core programming and specific balance in terms of structure.

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 BEGINNERS STRENGTHROPHY PROGRAM

For newbie lifters more often than not everything will work due to their high responsiveness to
external resistance and sudden muscle adaptation. I’m talking here about so called “newbie
gains”. Being a beginner is a “magical period” where both strength and muscle gains are coming
easy and at a relatively fast rate.

Despite their high responsiveness to training, balanced and structured routine is necessary to
maximize the progression rate and ensure you don’t waste precious “newbie gains”.

Beginners could use relatively low volume by focusing only on a few key compound movements
and they would still pack on muscle but personally I believe they should maximize the progress
on both ends.

Here is what you should know as a beginner lifter!

Building strength on a compound movement pattern builds more muscle than isolation moves
because major compound movements engage multiple muscle groups through full range of
motion, they have much higher overloading capacity, they force synergistic muscle activation
(the way muscles are supposed to work), they stimulate higher CNS activation and cause much
higher hormonal secretion/elevation.

Building strength through basic compound moves will result in highest possible hypertrophy
response. Simply put; get stronger and you’ll gain muscle!

Most muscle growth for natural lifters occurs in the first few years of training so why would you
waste it on isolation moves which have much lower overloading capacity and cover much
smaller cross-sectional area?

What are the major movement patterns?

● SQUAT (Back squat, Front squat, Goblet squat, Box squat...)

● HIP HINGE (Deadlift, Romanian deadlift, Stiff-legged dead...)
● VERTICAL PULL (Pull ups, chin ups...)
● HORIZONTAL PULL (Barbell rows, dumbbell rows, T-bar rows...)
● VERTICAL PRESS (Strict barbell press, dumbbell overhead press...)
● HORIZONTAL PRESS (Barbell bench press, dumbbell bench press, push ups, dips,
Incline press...)

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Another great thing about being a beginner is that progression model can be pretty simple and
straightforward! It doesn’t make sense to complicate things with complicated periodization
scheme or fancy structure when as a beginner you have a huge capacity for progress.

Beginners often opt in for linear progression models which isn’t bad at all considering they’re
able to progress for quite a while before running into plateau but personally I believe even as a
beginner you could use a bit more structure to maximize the progress in that first year or two!

Through experience I realized that beginners often can progress at a fastest rate by combining
“movement specificity work” but also using variations in the same plane of motion to support the
main lift and at the same time get additional volume which will maximize hypertrophy in the
process.

Daily undulating periodization (DUP) would be closest to this method in terms of structure but
still there are differences because I believe performing different variations in the same plane of
motion as the main lifts has a profound benefits in terms of strength transferability,
strengthening the potential weak links and building a movement efficiency.

I also believe Reverse Pyramid Training method is extremely efficient way to ensure that you
perform your heaviest sets when fresh and based on my experience a lot of people have
average or even low “fatigue accumulation threshold”.

Reverse pyramid sets are based on starting with your heaviest (prime) set and progressively
backing off with lighter sets.

ex.
set 1: 4-6
set 2: 6-8
set 3: 8-12

Issue with traditional pyramid sets is that those lighter sets are often performed near failure and
result in accumulated fatigue which has a negative impact on your performance during the
heaviest set which should be the "money maker" set.

Linear sets where you’re lifting the same weight for 3-5 sets work great but if intensity is high
enough and the closer the individual is coming to his maximal weights in the rep range, there’s a
chance each subsequent set will suffer due to accumulated fatigue and reverse pyramid sets
are extremely smart solution in this case for individuals who have really poor recovery capacity
or just poor work capacity in general.

Reverse pyramid sets have that issue fixed by prioritizing the heavy set first!

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There are even a few studies which indicate that reverse pyramid training delivers better results
in terms of strength and hypertrophy since its structure allows for higher force production
throughout sets (especially on first heaviest set) and has higher overloading capacity due to
controlled fatigue accumulation.

All those rep/set schemes ultimately work especially if you’re a beginner but once again my goal
is to help my clients maximize their progression.

Perhaps you’ll understand all this easier as I’m explaining the progression model I consider to
be ideal for beginners!

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 FULL BODY 3X PER WEEK

A B
Primary Squat Move Primary Hip Hinge
3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)

Primary Horizontal Press Primary Vertical Press

3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)
Primary Horizontal Pull Primary Vertical Pull
3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)
Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
3x 8-10 3x 8-10
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory
3x 8-10 3x 8-10
Isolation 1 Isolation 1
3x 12-15 3x 12-15

Training days are performed in A-B-A-B-A-B-A…. fashion

Ex.
Week 1: A-B-A
Week 2: B-A-B
Week 3: A-B-A
…

I suggest you have one rest day in between each session at least to ensure recovery and
fatigue management! Good example would be; Monday- Wednesday- Friday or Tuesday-
Thursday- Saturday, basically whichever days/schedule works for you!

As you can see routine includes all major compound moves and you’ll perform each main lift 3x
over a course of 2 training weeks. This is an ideal frequency to work on and improve movement
efficiency but since both day A and B include accessory for the 2nd day you’ll have plenty of
work in the same plane of motion.

Main lifts are performed in RPT fashion which means you have 3 working sets and every set
should have 10-15% reduction in weight/resistance while reps are increasing on each
subsequent set.

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This repetition/rep range undulation serves a purpose! Increasing repetitions throughout sets
while slowly decreasing load will serve as a fatigue management but at the same time it will
ensure you tap in highest amount of muscle fibers by undulating the intensity itself which is
beneficial for both strength and hypertrophy.

Primary benefit of RPT is the fact that you’ll go into your heaviest set completely fresh and it
almost serves as a “mental boost” knowing that you only have one “peak set” while other two
sets serve as a “backoff sets” and provide additional volume necessary for triggering muscle
growth.

Progression model

Your progress indicator is the first heavy set of 3 and progression on two subsequent sets will
depend on the progress on the first set.

Ex.

Session A1:

100kg x 3
90kg x 5
80kg x 7

If you hit 3 reps on first working set in session A1 you should increase the weight by 2.5kg (or
5kg depending on the lift) the next session (A2) which means set 2 and 3 will follow by
proportional increase in weight.

Session A2:

102.5kg x 3
92.5kg x 5
82.5kg x 7

120
If you hit only 2 reps on first set in session A1 you don’t increase the weight on session A2 but
simply aim to increase the reps and hit the “required reps” so you can add weight next
subsequent session.

Ex.

A1:

100kg x 2
90kg x 5
80kg x 7

A2:

100kg x 3
90kg x 5
80kg x 7

A3:

102.5kg x 2
92.5kg x 4
82.5kg x 6

Once again in this example you would focus on increasing reps from session A3 til’ you hit
required rep range on all 3 sets or at least on 1st heaviest set and then you would increase the
weight the next A session.

What to do the next session if I don’t hit required 3 reps on 1st set but I hit required reps on 2nd
and 3rd set?

In this case you wouldn’t increase the weights on those sets but rather focus on increasing the
repetitions on 2nd and 3rd set even if you go above required reps (5 and 7). Aim to increase
reps on set 2 and 3 until you hit 3 reps on first heaviest set than once again increase weight for
all 3 sets. You would do the same even if just one of those sets has already reached required
reps.

You’re increasing the weight on all 3 sets only when you hit 3 reps/required reps on 1st heaviest
set!

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What to do next session if I hit 3 required reps on 1st set but I don’t hit required reps on 2nd and
3rd set?

If you’re only 1 rep short on those sets increase the weight on all sets next session like you
usually would but if you’ve hit only 3 reps on 2nd set or 5 reps on 3rd set there’s a chance
you’re using too much weight to start with on those sets. Remember use 10-15% less on 2nd
set compared to heaviest 1st set and use 10-15% less on 3rd set compared to 2nd set.

Progression model for accessory moves and isolation is basically most basic type of progressive
overload which I explained in the “progressive overload” chapter.

Your goal is to hit high end of the rep range on all sets before you increase the weight. So
you’re either increasing reps or increasing weight to progress on those lifts and yes applying
progressive overload on all your exercises is necessary not just the main lifts.

Rest periods

I suggest taking maximal rest between RPT sets of 3-5 minutes to ensure you’re going into each
set on your main lifts fresh and ready to perform at your max capacity. Rest periods in most
cases will be inversely proportional to intensity and rep range so if rep range is higher usually
rest periods should be shorter.

REST PERIODS CHART:

● RPT low rep sets/ 3-5+ minutes rest

● 3-8 reps/3-5 minutes rest
● 8-12 reps/90-120 seconds rest
● 12-15 reps/60-90 seconds rest
● 15+ reps/45-60 seconds rest

Warm up

For warm up I suggest doing 3-4 lighter sets prior to your working sets on exercises you’re using
as your main lifts.

You should use 40-70% of your heaviest working set on your warm up sets in pyramid fashion
where you basically slowly “build up” toward your heaviest working set. I advise doing 3-8 reps
on all warm up sets!

122
Ex.

If your first working set will be 100kg your warm up sets should look something like this:

40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 3
70kg x 3

Sets should feel fairly light but they should still drive some blood into working muscles and
surrounding connective tissue. Also as you’re progressing through warm up sets your should
slowly fire up all muscle fibers and get them ready for heavy working sets but sets shouldn’t
exhaust you or accumulate fatigue at all. That’s why I believe 40-70% of the heaviest working
set works the best.

Deload

Deload for beginners is pretty simple and straightforward considering they have great progress
capacity which means deloads won’t come often and won’t be needed for quite a bit of time.

Once you notice progress has stalled on all your main lifts for 2 or 3 weeks straight it’s a good
sign you could use a deload week (make sure you read “deload” chapter again too).

Deload should be performed with a simple reduction in volume or intensity (or both). So simply
use the same split you used so far and use 50-60% of the weights on all lifts/sets you’ve been
using during the regular training block. You can decrease the number of sets too if you believe
you could really use recovery week.

Deload is basically transition week either to the new training block or to the new training
split/routine. After deload week you can either start the same routine you used before but you
should start “low”. This means you should go back 6-8 weeks in terms of intensity/loads and
start slowly progressing through the progression model again or you can start a whole new
program with different progression model. Later of course depends on the amount of progress
achieved and strength level you’re currently at.

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FULL BODY 3X PER WEEK example routine

A B
Back squat high bar Conventional deadlift
3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)

Flat barbell bench press Strict standing barbell overhead press

3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)
Barbell bent over row Lat pulldowns (shoulder width grip)
3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)
Romanian deadlift Split squat (dumbbells)
3x 8-10 3x 8-10
Seated dumbbell overhead press Incline dumbbell press
3x 8-10 3x 8-10
Rope face pulls Seated rear delt flyes
3x 12-15 3x 12-15

124
Three training sessions per week is more than enough for a newbie lifter if training is properly
structured and weekly progression model allows for enough frequency to improve mechanical
efficiency.

Training 5-6x per week for a beginner is still an option but to be honest it wouldn’t make much
sense because beginners need to build up their working capacity and allow their recover
capacity to catch up to volume/intensity of the training program. Rest days are much needed for
recovery and adaptation if you’re a newbie!

Still training 4x per week with a proper progression model and balance between volume and
intensity is another good option for beginners.

At a certain point performing the same routine becomes boring or in case you have more time at
your disposal you could switch to 4x per week upper/lower routine and make the same
progress.

I would still say that the best reason for switching routine is if individual (newbie in this case) hits
some kind of a plateau and even deloads aren’t helping. In an example of full body split 3x per
week routine it’s expected that beginner should reach solid strength level after 6-8 months
depending on consistency and genetics after which progress should slow down quite a bit and
that could be a good opportunity to transition to 4x per week routine which still sticks to the
basic structure and progression model but brings in slight differences in terms of frequency and
movements selection.

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 UPPER/LOWER 4X PER WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C
Primary Horizontal Press Primary Vertical Pull
3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)

Primary Horizontal Pull Primary Vertical Press

3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)
Vertical Press Horizontal Pull
3x 6-8 3x 6-8
Vertical Pull Horizontal Press
3x 6-8 3x 6-8

Isolation 1 (Biceps) 3x8-10 Isolation 1 3x 12-15

(Mid delts)
Isolation 2 3x8-10
(Triceps) Isolation 2 3x 12-15
(Rear delts)

LOWER BODY
B D
Primary Squat Move Primary Hinge Move
3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)
Hip Hinge Squat Move
4x 6-8 4x 6-8
Uni-lateral Knee Dominant Move Hamstrings Dominant Move
3x 8-10 3x 8-10
Hamstrings Dominant Move Uni-lateral Knee Dominant Move
3x 8-10 3x 8-10
Calves Calves
3x 12-15 3x 15-20

Abs Abs
3x 12-15 3x 15-20

126
Training days are performed in A-B-C-D fashion and repeated on a weekly basis! You can
schedule routine however you prefer but keep the A-B-C-D order and make sure you have at
least 2 rest days between sessions A and C (upper body) and B and D (lower body).

Ex.

Monday- Upper A
Tuesday- Lower B
Wednesday- Rest
Thursday- Upper C
Friday- Lower D
Sat/Sun- Rest

Routine once again puts emphasis on compound moves in all major planes of motion but it also
increases “accessory” volume to improve weak links and provides enough volume to stimulate
further hypertrophy. Routine also includes a little bit more variation and isolation in order to
trigger muscle adaptive response and push the progress a step further compared full body 3x
per week.

Main lifts are once again performed in RPT style while rest of the routine has regular linear
progression scheme and this makes sense since this is still a beginner routine and complicating
things would be unnecessary.

Progression model, rest periods and warm up are same like in 3x per week full body routine!

Approach to deload is same as in 3x per week routine!

127
 UPPER/LOWER 4X PER WEEK
example routine

UPPER BODY
A C
Flat barbell bench press Chin ups
3x (3,5,7) 3x (3 5,7)

Bent over barbell row Strict standing barbell overhead press

3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)
Seated dumbbell overhead press Single arm dumbbell rows
3x 6-8 3x 6-8
Lat pulldowns Incline dumbbell press
3x 6-8 3x 6-8

Dumbbell curls 3x8-10 Side lateral raises 3x 12-15

Overhead dumbbell triceps 3x8-10
extensions
Face pulls 3x 12-15

LOWER BODY
B D
Back squat low bar Conventional deadlift
3x (3,5,7) 3x (3,5,7)
Romanian deadlift Back squat high bar
4x 6-8 4x 6-8
Lunges Laying hamstrings curls
3x 8-10 3x 8-10
Seated hamstrings curls Split squats
3x 8-10 3x 8-10
Leg press calf raises Seated machine calf raises
3x 12-15 3x 15-20

Hanging knee raises Cable crunches

3x 12-15 3x 15-20

128
 INTERMEDIATES STRENGTHROPHY PROGRAM

This basic “linear approach” can work for quite a while if all variables are on point and if
recovery is taken care of but at a certain point once the individual achieves a certain level of
strength where progress becomes slower, in order to continue making progress he’ll have to
adopt a bit more complexed periodization model.

What we believe is the most powerful periodization model for maximizing strength progress is
block periodization where individual train on different levels of intensity throughout multiple
blocks with the purpose of increasing his performance/strength and maintaining that level
longer.

Usually block periodization is used by competitive athletes like powerlifters but there’s no
reason why regular “gym bro” couldn’t take advantage of it and maximize his progression rate.

We’re going to share with you training models and examples for 4x per week and 5x per week
splits designed for intermediate lifters who want to maximize both their strength and muscle
growth.

This program is based on 3 mesocycles; hypertrophy block, strength block and peaking block!

Hypertrophy block

During hypertrophy block the intensity is a bit lower compared to strength block but overall
volume is increased to stimulate muscle growth and increase contractile capacity of the muscle.
Just remember the chapter on how hypertrophy supports strength. This block lasts 8 weeks
because muscles needs a bit longer period to adapt to external stimuli and trigger hypertrophy.
On the other hand since intensity is lower this block is less demanding on your CNS and
connective tissue so 8 weeks won’t stress your body that much.

Strength block

Strength block is used to bring up intensity and focus on maximizing the progress on main lifts
so volume coming from accessories and isolation is reduced. After the hypertrophy block and
hopefully muscle you gained your contractile force will be increased and you’ll be able to handle
heavier weights which means you’ll be able to achieve greater progress in terms of strength.
This block will last 4 weeks since higher intensity will be more taxing on your CNS and
connective tissue so overreaching will kick in much faster. Once again getting stronger in this
phase is crucial to support future hypertrophy blocks and of course to get stronger overall.

129
Peaking block

Peaking block is basically optional if you’re a recreational lifter just focusing on getting stronger
but if you’re a competitive athlete you’ll need this block to maximize preparedness for the
competition. This block is basically a combination of very high intensity and low volume in order
to enhance strength specificity, prepare CNS for maximal performance, and reduce fatigue
caused by volume accumulation in previous blocks. In some cases using “intentional
overreaching” makes sense since it’ll lead to supercompensation period where strength can
even go up. Ultimately you can either maintain or even increase the strength in this block.

If you’re a competitive athlete you’ll need peaking to perform at your max capacity by the time of
competition and if not, using peaking block is a great way to prepare yourself for testing your
1RM on those main lifts.

It’s important to notice that there’s a major difference in fatigue accumulation and general
tolerance to intensity and volume between lighter (-85kg) and heavier lifters (+85kg) so that’s
why peaking block is somewhat different for those two groups.

Generally speaking lighter lifters aren’t lifting as heavy and aren’t as heavy (they don’t carry the
same amount of muscle or fat) and their CNS and muscles recover slightly faster so they need a
bit more volume in the peaking phase to achieve same kind of preparedness for performing at
their maximal capacity.

Deload week

Deload week is used as a transition phase between the blocks. Deload week has reduced
volume and even the intensity to allow your muscles, CNS and connective tissue to recover but
at the same time to maintain the preparedness for the next block. During deload week
supercompensation process often kicks in where body compensates through sudden drop in
accumulated fatigue and “rapid adaptation” either in terms of strength or muscle growth occurs.

130
 4x PER WEEK HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
70% 6x5 67.5% 5x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory
62.5% 3x6 65% 3x6
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6
Secondary Horizontal Primary Horizontal

Secondary Supplemental 3x8-10 Main Supplemental Exercises (curl) 3x6-8

Exercises (curl) Cable Side Lateral Raise 3x12
Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise 3x12-15 Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise 3x12
Face Pulls 3x15-20

131
 LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge
72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Squat Accessory
65% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10
Squat
70% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory
65% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises
3x10

Secondary Hip 3x8-10 Secondary Squat 3x6-8

Hinge Supplemental
Supplemental Exercises
Exercises Secondary Hip 3x12
Secondary 3x12-15 Hinge
Squat Supplemental
Supplemental Exercises
Exercises

Training days are performed in A-B-C-D fashion and repeated on a weekly basis! You can
schedule routine however you prefer but keep the A-B-C-D order and make sure you have at
least 2 rest days between sessions A and C (upper body) and B and D (lower body).

Ex.

Monday- Upper A
Tuesday- Lower B
Wednesday- Rest
Thursday- Upper C
Friday- Lower D
Sat/Sun- Rest

132
Progression model

Progression model for main lifts (and some accessory movements) is right under the set/rep
scheme and it’s basically our variation of RPE model (Rated Perceived Exertion). It means
you’re going to add weight your next session based on how you were feeling on the sets of
particular movement.

Ex.

72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up

This means if you’re feeling you had only 1-2 reps in a tank on your sets of 5 you’ll add 2.5kg
on that lift your next session. If you feel like you had 3 reps in a tank you’ll add 5kg next
session. If you feel you had 4+ reps you’ll add 7.5kg to that lift next session.

It’s a pretty simple progression model but somewhat subjective since it depends on your
feeling and knowing and understanding your ability to handle intensity. Still at the point
someone is considered intermediate he should have a pretty good idea of how his body acts
and responds in relation to particular intensity.

Progression model for rest of the lifts is pretty much the same as for beginners! “Linear”
progress through most basic progressive overload which is achieved by increasing reps and
adding weight. Once you reach high end of the rep range on all sets next time increase the
weight (use smaller increases of 2.5kg or even less if you have fragment plates).

Rest periods

REST PERIODS CHART:

● 3-5 main lift sets/ 3-5+ minutes rest

● 3-8 reps/3-5 minutes rest
● 8-12 reps/90-120 seconds rest
● 12-15 reps/60-90 seconds rest
● 15+ reps/45-60 seconds rest

133
Warm up

Once again ideal warm up in our opinion is performing​ ​ 3-4 lighter sets prior to your working sets
on exercises you’re using as your main lifts.

You should use 40-70% of your heaviest working on your warm up sets in pyramid fashion
where you basically slowly “build up” toward your heaviest working set. I advise doing 3-8 reps
on all warm up sets!

Ex.

If your first working set will be 100kg your warm sets should look something like this:

40kg x 8
50kg x 6
60kg x 3
70kg x 3

In short; same warm up which works for beginners will work for intermediate lifters! Make sure
you recognize your need for warming up connective tissue and firing up those muscle fibers so
go with 4-5 warm up sets if you believe you need a bit more volume. Still make sure those sets
don’t cause any fatigue prior to working sets.

134
 4x PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
77.5% 5x4 75% 4x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory
70% 3x5 72.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6
Secondary Horizontal Primary Horizontal

Secondary Supplemental 3x8-10 Main Supplemental Exercises (curl) 3x6-8

Exercises (curl)

Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise 3x12-15 Cable Side Lateral Raise 3x12

Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise 3x12

135
 LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge
80% 5x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Squat Accessory
70% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10
Squat
77.5% 5x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory
72.5% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises
3x10

Secondary Hip 3x8-10 Secondary Squat 3x6-8

Hinge Supplemental
Supplemental Exercises
Exercises Secondary Hip 3x12
Secondary 3x12-15 Hinge
Squat Supplemental
Supplemental Exercises
Exercises

Training days are performed in the same fashion as in hypertrophy block! A-B-C-D order of
training sessions and make sure you have at least 2 days rest between upper sessions and 2
days between lower sessions.

Progression model, rest periods and warm up are pretty much the same as in hypertrophy block
but make sure you take maximal rest between the sets of your main lifts to ensure you perform
at your max capacity each subsequent set.

136
 4x PER WEEK PEAKING BLOCK

-85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
90% 10x2 90% 8x2

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
92.5% 10x1 90% 8x2

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

85% 3x5 90% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
95% 8x1 95% 6x1

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

90% 2x3 90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

87.5% 3x3 90% 2x3

137
+85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
90% 8x2 90% 6x2

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3

​LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Hip Hinge Squat
92.5% 8x1 90% 6x2

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

85% 3x4 90% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
92.5% 5x1 92.5% 4x2

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

87.5% 3x3 92.5% 2x3

138
 UPPER BODY (week 3)
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
95% 6x1 95% 5x1

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
95% 4x1 95% 6x1

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

90% 3x3 92.5% 2x3

Training days are performed in the same fashion as in hypertrophy and strength block! A-B-C-D
order of training sessions and make sure you have at least 2 days rest between upper sessions
and 2 days between lower sessions.

Progression model

During peaking block you’re not really trying to increase your lifts but simply prepare yourself for
performing at maximal capacity so you’re not increasing your lifts on weekly basis but rather
building mechanical efficiency, reducing fatigue by keeping intensity high and volume very low
and preparing yourself mentally for competition or testing your 1RM.

You’re simply performing sets at intensity shown right next to the set/rep schemes (ex. 95%
4x1). Intensity you’re using is based on your assumed 1RM after you finished your strength
block (ex. If your approximate 1RM by the end of the strength block is 200kg on particular lift
and you should perform the lift at 90% with 5x1 scheme this means you’ll use 180kg for your
sets)

Rest periods

Considering you’ll perform at very high intensity during peaking block rest periods should be
minimally 4+ minutes between every set. In short you should take as much rest as you need
between those sets to perform at your best. This is applied to both main lift and accessory
move.

139
Warm up

Warm up during peaking block should be performed in “build up” pyramid fashion but even on
those sets; reps should be lower!

You should do 3-5 warm up sets at 40-80% of your working sets and 1-4 rep range! Those sets
are basically used as a build up sets for your main lift!

Ex.

If you working set is 200kg this is how your warm up sets should look like:

80kg x 4
100kg x 3
120kg x 2
140kg x 1
160kg x 1

Once again those sets should just warm up the joints, connective tissue and muscles but they
shouldn’t lead to or cause any fatigue.

140
 4x PER WEEK DELOAD WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
72.5% 3x3 70% 3x3

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

65% 2x3 65% 2x3

Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Vertical Pull

2x5 2x5
Secondary Horizontal Primary Horizontal
2x5 2x5

LOWER BODY
​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

70% 3x4 70% 3x3

Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises Main Squat Supplemental Exercises

2x6 2x6

Training days are performed in the same fashion as in other blocks! A-B-C-D order of training
sessions and make sure you have at least 2 days rest between upper sessions and 2 days
between lower sessions.

This deload week is performed at the end of every training block as a transition week!

Considering that’s only one week and the goal is to lift way below maximal capacity there is no
need for progression model! You just have to do the deload at prescribed intensity and volume.

Rest periods and warm ups are exactly the same as in all other blocks.

141
 4x PER WEEK INTERMEDIATE
example routine

HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
70% 6x5 67.5% 5x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press
62.5% 3x6 65% 3x6
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Pull up Chin up
3x8 3x6
Pendlay Row Barbell Row
3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

142
 LOWER BODY
B D
Conventional Deadlift Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
72.5% 3x5 70% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat Romanian deadlift
65% 3x8 65% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift Bulgarian Split Squat
3x8-10 3x8-10

Dumbbell 3x8-10 Standing 3x8-10

Lunges hamstrings
Seated 3x12-15 curls
hamstrings Leg extension 3x12-15
curls

143
STRENGTH BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
77.5% 5x4 75% 4x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press
70% 3x5 72.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Pull Up Chin Up
3x8 3x6
Pendlay Row Barbell Row
3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

144
 LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift Low Bar Barbell Squat
80% 5x3 77.5% 5x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
High Bar Barbell Squat Romanian Deadlift
70% 3x8 72.5% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Good Morning Dumbbell Split Squat
3x10 3x10

Machine 3x6-8 Machine Leg 3x8-10

Leg Curl Extension
Machine 3x12 Machine Leg 3x12-15
Leg Curl
Extension

145
PEAKING BLOCK (-85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
90% 10x2 90% 8x2
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 8x2 92.5% 10x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 2x4 85% 3x5

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
95% 8x1 95% 6x1
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
90% 2x3 90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
92.5% 6x2 95% 6x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 2x3 87.55% 3x3

146
PEAKING BLOCK (+85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
90% 8x2 90% 6x2
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 2x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
92.5% 4x2 92.5% 5x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
92.5% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

UPPER BODY (week 3)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
95% 6x1 95% 5x1
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
90% 3x3 90% 3x3

147
 LOWER BODY (week 3)
B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 95% 5x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

DELOAD WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
72.5% 3x3 70% 3x3

Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press

65% 2x3 65% 2x3
Pull Up Chin Up
2x5 2x5
Pendlay Row Barbell Row
2x5 2x5

LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge Low Bar Barbell Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4
High Bar Barbell Squat Romanian Deadlift
70% 3x4 70% 3x3
Good Morning Dumbbell Split Squat
2x6 2x6

148
In certain cases intermediate lifters need a little bit more specificity on certain lifts and more
often than not those are upper body presses. For that particular reason training model using 5
daily training sessions allows the individual to focus on particular lift through increased
frequency and increased accessory volume performed in same plane of motion.

Keep in mind all comes down to your individual goal! Competitive powerlifter will most likely
benefit from increased horizontal pressing volume and frequency. If you’re a recreational lifter
than you can even prioritize your vertical press if that’s your goal! That’s why we’ll provide you
structured 5x per week upper/lower routines with two slightly different focus points!

This kind of “specialized” increase in volume and frequency requires maintaining structural
balance so usually this increase in horizontal or vertical pressing volume is followed by
proportional increase in horizontal or vertical pulling.

Why not increased frequency for hip hinge or squats? Well it can be done but usually 2 lower
training sessions will include one main lift (hip hinge or squat) and accessory movements which
will add more volume to the main lift (same plane of motion) and additional volume and
frequency for plane of motion of the 2nd main lift which is performed second lower session of
the week. For most lifters 2 weekly lower sessions with balanced volume will be more than
enough to progress and you’ll basically train both mechanical motions 2x per week which will
provide sufficient stimulus for improving mechanical efficiency.

149
 5x PER WEEK HYPERTROPHY BLOCK
(horizontal press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
70% 6x5 67.5% 5x6 70% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press
65% 3x6 62.5% 3x6 Secondary Accessory
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up W1. 75% 3x6 - W2. 75% 3x7
5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Horizontal Pull Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull
3x8 3x8 3x6

Secondary 3x8-10 Secondary 3x8-10 Main Supplemental 3x6-8

Supplemental Supplemental Exercises (curl)
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

150
 LOWER BODY
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
70% 3x5 72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
65% 3x6 65% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10 3x10

Secondary 3x8-10 Secondary Hip 3x6-8

Squat Hinge
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises
Secondary Hip 3x12-15 Secondary Squat 3x12
Hinge Supplemental
Supplemental Exercises
Exercises

151
 5X PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK
(horizontal press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
82.5% 5x4 80% 6x4 77.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press
75% 3x5 77.5% 3x5 Secondary Accessory
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up W1. 80% 3x6 - W2. 82.5% 3x5
5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Horizontal Pull Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull
3x8 3x8 3x6

Secondary 3x8-10 Secondary 3x8-10 Main Supplemental 3x6-8

Supplemental Supplemental Exercises (curl)
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

152
 LOWER BODY
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
77.5% 4x4 72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
72.5% 3x5 70% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10 3x10

Secondary 3x8-10 Secondary Hip 3x6-8

Squat Hinge
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises
Secondary Hip 3x12-15 Secondary Squat 3x12
Hinge Supplemental
Supplemental Exercises
Exercises

153
 5x PER WEEK PEAKING BLOCK
(horizontal press dominant)

-85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
90% 10x2 90% 8x2 87.5% 3x4

Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Secondary Accessory
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x4 87.5% 3x4

​LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Squat Hip Hinge
90% 8x1 92.5% 10x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 3x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
95% 8x1 95% 6x1 90% 3x3
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press
90% 2x3 90% 2x3 Secondary Accessory
90% 2x3

154
 LOWER BODY (week 2)
​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 2x3

+85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
90% 8x2 90% 6x2 87.5% 3x3
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3 Secondary Accessory
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 2x4 85% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2 92.5% 3x2
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Secondary Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

155
 LOWER BODY (week 2)
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
92.5% 4x2 95% 5x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
90% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

UPPER BODY (week 3)

​
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
95% 6x1 95% 5x1 95% 2x2
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Secondary Accessory
92.5% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
95% 6x1 95% 4x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

156
 5x PER WEEK DELOAD WEEK
(horizontal press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
67.5% 3x3 70% 4x3 70% 2x3

Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press

67.5% 2x3 70% 3x3 Secondary Accessory
70% 3x3

Primary Horizontal Pull Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull

2x5 2x5 2x4

LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

70% 3x4 70% 3x3

Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises Main Squat Supplemental Exercises

2x6 2x6

157
 5x PER WEEK HYPERTROPHY BLOCK
(vertical press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
67.5% 5x6 70% 6x5 62.5% 4x7
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press
62.5% 3x6 65% 3x6 Secondary Accessory
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 62.5% 3x6
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6 3x8

Secondary 3x8-10 Main 3x6-8 Secondary 3x8-10

Supplemental Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Face Pulls 3x15-20
Delt Raise

158
 LOWER BODY
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
70% 3x5 72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
65% 3x6 65% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10 3x10

Secondary Squat 3x8-10 Secondary 3x6-8

Supplemental Hip Hinge
Exercises Supplemental
Secondary Hip 3x12-1 Exercises
Hinge 5 Secondary 3x12
Supplemental Squat
Exercises Supplemental
Exercises

159
 5X PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK
(vertical press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
82.5% 5x4 82.5% 6x4 85% 4x3
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press
77.5% 3x5 77.5% 3x5 Secondary Accessory
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 77.5% 3x5
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6 3x8

Secondary 3x8-10 Main 3x6-8 Secondary 3x8-10

Supplemental Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Face Pulls 3x15-20
Delt Raise

160
 LOWER BODY
​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
77.5% 4x4 72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
72.5% 3x5 70% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10 3x10

Secondary Squat 3x8-10 Secondary Hip 3x6-8

Supplemental Hinge
Exercises Supplemental
Secondary Hip 3x12-15 Exercises
Hinge Secondary Squat 3x12
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises

161
 5x PER WEEK PEAKING BLOCK
(vertical press dominant)

-85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
90% 6x2 90% 8x2 90% 6x2
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Secondary Accessory
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x4 87.5% 3x4

​LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Squat Hip Hinge
90% 8x1 92.5% 10x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 3x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
95% 6x1 95% 6x1 95% 6x1
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press
90% 2x3 90% 2x3 Secondary Accessory
90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Squat Hip Hinge
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 2x3

162
+85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
90% 6x2 90% 6x2 90% 6x2
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3 Secondary Accessory
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 2x4 85% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
92.5% 5x2 92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Secondary Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
92.5% 4x2 95% 5x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
90% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

163
 UPPER BODY (week 3)
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
95% 5x1 95% 6x1 95% 5x1
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Secondary Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
95% 6x1 95% 4x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

164
 5x PER WEEK DELOAD WEEK
(vertical press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
72.5% 3x3 70% 4x3 72.5% 3x3

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press

70% 2x3 67.5% 3x3 Secondary Accessory
70% 2x3

Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull Secondary Vertical Pull

3x5 3x4 3x5

LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

70% 3x4 70% 3x3

Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises Main Squat Supplemental Exercises

2x6 2x6

165
Progression model, rest periods and warm up on 5x per week intermediate routine

Training days are performed in A-B-C-D-E fashion which means there should be at least 1 day
of rest between upper sessions and 2 day of rest between lower sessions.

Ex.

Monday- Upper A
Tuesday- Lower B
Wednesday- Upper C
Thursday- Lower D
Friday- Upper E
Sat/Sun- Rest

Progression model is the same as in 4x per week routine for all 3 blocks and deload week! This
means you follow the progression model under the main lifts (RPE) and for all other lifts you
follow regular progressive overload through weight and reps increase.

Rest periods and warm ups are exactly the same as in 4x per week routine for all 3 blocks and
deload week.

166
 5x PER WEEK INTERMEDIATE
(horizontal press dominant)
example routine

HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
70% 6x5 67.5% 5x6 70% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 62.5% 3x6 W1. 75% 3x6 - W2. 75% 3x7
65% 3x6 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 3+rep in tank 5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up
Barbell Row Pull up Pendlay Row
3x8 3x8 3x6

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 Dumbbell 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Hammer Curl Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Lateral Raise Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Delt Raise

167
 LOWER BODY
​
B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
70% 3x5 72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
65% 3x6 65% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Split Squat Good Morning
3x10 3x10

Machine 3x8-10 Machine Leg 3x6-8

Leg Curl
Extension Machine Leg 3x12
Machine 3x12-15 Extension
Leg Curl

168
STRENGTH BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
82.5% 5x4 80% 6x4 77.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 77.5% 3x5 W1. 80% 3x6 - W2. 82.5% 3x5
75% 3x5 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 3+rep in tank 5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up
Barbell Row Pull Up Pendlay Row
3x8 3x8 3x6

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 Dumbbell 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Hammer Curl Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Lateral Raise Dumbbell 3x12
Face Pulls 3x15-20 ll Rear Delt Raise

169
 LOWER BODY
​
B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat
77.5% 4x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian Deadlift
72.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Split Squat
3x10
Deadlift
72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
High Bar Barbell Squat
70% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Good Morning
3x10

Machine Leg 3x8-10 Machine Leg 3x6-8

Extension Curl
Machine Leg 3x12-15 Machine Leg 3x12
Curl Extension

170
PEAKING BLOCK (-85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
90% 10x2 90% 8x2 87.5% 3x4
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x4
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 8x1 92.5% 10x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 3x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
95% 8x1 95% 6x1 90% 3x3
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 90% 2x3 90% 2x3
90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 3x3 90% 2x3

171
PEAKING BLOCK (+85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
90% 8x2 90% 6x2 87.5% 3x3
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 2x4 85% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
92.5% 6x2 92.5% 6x2 92.5% 3x3
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 90% 3x3 90% 3x3
90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
92.5% 4x2 95% 5x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

172
 UPPER BODY (week 3)
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
95% 6x1 95% 5x1 95% 2x2
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 90% 3x3 90% 3x3
92.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 95% 4x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

DELOAD WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
67.5% 3x3 70% 4x3 70% 2x3

Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press

Incline Bench Press 70% 3x3 70% 3x3
67.5% 2x3

Barbell Row Pull Up Pendlay Row

2x5 2x5 2x4

173
 LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift Low Bar Barbell Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4
High Bar Barbell Squat Romanian Deadlift
70% 3x4 70% 3x3
Good Morning Dumbbell Split Squat
2x6 2x6

174
 5x PER WEEK INTERMEDIATE
(vertical press dominant)
example routine

HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
67.5% 5x6 70% 6x5 62.5% 4x7
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
62.5% 3x6 Incline Bench Press 62.5% 3x6
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 65% 3x6 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up
Pull up Pendlay Row Chin Up
3x8 3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8 Dumbbell 3x8-10

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Hammer Curl
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Lateral Raise
Delt Raise Face Pulls 3x15-20

175
 LOWER BODY
B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat
70% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian Deadlift
65% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Split Squat
3x10
Deadlift
72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
High Bar Barbell Squat
65% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Good Morning
3x10

Machine Leg 3x8-10 Machine Leg 3x6-8

Extension Curl
Machine Leg Curl 3x12-15 Machine Leg 3x12
Extension

176
STRENGTH BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
82.5% 5x4 82.5% 6x4 85% 4x3
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
77.5% 3x5 Incline Bench Press 77.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 77.5% 3x5 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up

Pull up Pendlay Row Chin Up

3x8 3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8 Dumbbell 3x8-10

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Hammer Curl
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Lateral Raise
Delt Raise Face Pulls 3x15-20

177
 LOWER BODY
B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat
77.5% 4x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian Deadlift
72.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Split Squat
3x10
Deadlift
72.5% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
High Bar Barbell Squat
70% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Good Morning
3x10

Machine Leg 3x8-10 Machine Leg 3x6-8

Extension Curl
Machine Leg 3x12-15 Machine Leg 3x12
Curl Extension

178
PEAKING BLOCK (-85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
90% 6x2 90% 8x2 90% 6x2
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
87.5% 3x3 Incline Bench Press 87.5% 3x4
87.5% 3x4

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 8x1 92.5% 10x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 3x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
95% 6x1 95% 6x1 95% 6x1
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
90% 2x3 Incline Bench Press 90% 2x3
90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 3x3 90% 2x3

179
PEAKING BLOCK (+85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
90% 6x2 90% 6x2 90% 6x2
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
87.5% 3x3 Incline Bench Press 87.5% 3x3
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 2x4 85% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
92.5% 5x2 92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
90% 3x3 Incline Bench Press 90% 3x3
90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
92.5% 4x2 95% 5x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

180
 UPPER BODY (week 3)
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
95% 5x1 95% 6x1 95% 5x1
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Z Press
90% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 95% 4x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

DELOAD WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
72.5% 3x3 70% 4x3 72.5% 3x3

Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press

70% 2x3 Incline Bench Press 70% 2x3
67.5% 3x3

Pull Up Pendlay Row Chin Up

3x5 3x4 3x5

LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift Low Bar Barbell Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4
High Bar Barbell Squat Romanian Deadlift
70% 3x4 70% 3x3
Good Morning Dumbbell Split Squat
2x6 2x6

181
 ADVANCED STRENGTHROPHY PROGRAM

Once you reach a certain level of strength progress will become so painfully slow that every
variable in training structure will have to be brought to near perfection to push the progress just
a little bit further.

Advanced lifters often reach out to specialized routines and very often it’s hard to maintain the
level of strength on all lifts at that level. So how to push the progress further while prioritizing
weaker links in the chain and maintain the performance all across the board?

What we found is that the training structure and progression model doesn’t have to be different
compared to that of an intermediate lifter but what they really need is to trigger forced
adaptation through increased volume and intensity. Advanced lifters have lower progress
capacity considering they’re closer to their genetic potential so at this point their progress
depends on how far they’re able to push their volume and intensity while recovering from it!

It all comes down to tactical loading,, getting as much as volume as possible at the highest
intensity possible while recovering from it and allowing the body to adapt to that kind of stress.

Training schemes we designed for advanced lifters are visually similar (or almost the same) to
those of an intermediate lifters but rep/set scheme, intensity and total volume are different or
more precisely; higher!

Hypertrophy block

Hypertrophy block is once again used for volume accumulation and intensity is a bit lower
compared to strength block of course. In this phase, your goal is to put on muscle to increase
your muscle contractile force capacity and prepare your nervous system for intensity dominant
phase.

Hypertrophy block should last 8 weeks.

Strength block(s)

Strength block is once again visually similar but there are some major differences. Beside the
fact the intensity is higher compared to that one of an intermediate lifter the whole strength cycle
is split into two blocks of 3 weeks.

182
During phase one intensity is higher compared to hypertrophy block of course and it basically
serves as adaptation phase for really high intensity work which will come in phase two.

Phase two is “money maker” phase where individual will train at a very high intensity and
tactically distributed volume. This phase will push the strength progress a step further and really
induce the forced adaptation much needed to progress at this level.

The reason why advanced lifters need two strength blocks as a progressive increase in intensity
is because they need a little bit more time to trigger forced adaptation and prioritizing high
intensity work. They also need the first phase to adapt to heavy intensity work because at their
level we’re talking about seriously have weights which have serious impact on CNS and
connective tissue. Their body simply has to be prepared to that kind of task.

First phase should last 3 weeks and second phase should also last 3 weeks.

Peaking block

Peaking block is pretty much the same as for intermediate lifters. Once again heavier lifters
(+85kg) have 3 weeks while lighter lifters (-85kg) have 2 weeks peaking block.

I just want to repeat that this block is optional and if you’re just someone who’s aiming for long
term progress without intention to compete you don’t have to go through peaking block. If you’re
preparing for competition or just want to test your 1RM’s on main lifts than you’ll need it!

Deload block

Deload block is once again same as for intermediate lifters! Deload is used as a transition
phase between the blocks in which you should drop accumulated fatigue and give a break to
your CNS, connective tissue and muscles. Use it!

Since training splits and the core of the training structure are pretty much the same as in
“Intermediates Strengthrophy Program”; weekly training schedule, progression model, rest
periods and warm up design are pretty much the same. In order to spare you of additional
pages just make sure you read and analyze those in chapter “Intermediates Strengtrophy
Program”.

183
 4x PER WEEK HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
70% 6x6 67.5% 6x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

62.5% 3x7 65% 3x7
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6
Secondary Horizontal Primary Horizontal
3x6 3x8

Secondary 3x8-10 Main Supplemental 3x6-8

Supplemental Exercises (curl)
Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

184
 LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge
72.5% 4x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Squat Accessory
65% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x12
Squat
70% 5x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory
65% 3x7
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises
3x12

Secondary Hip 3x8-10 Secondary 3x6-8

Hinge Squat
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises
Secondary 3x12-15 Secondary Hip 3x12
Squat Hinge
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises

185
 4x PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK
(phase one)

UPPER BODY
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
80% 6x3 77.5% 5x4
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory
72.5% 3x5 72.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6
Secondary Horizontal Primary Horizontal
3x6 3x8

Secondary 3x8-10 Main Supplemental 3x6-8

Supplemental Exercises (curl)
Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

186
 LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge
82.5% 4x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Squat Accessory
72.5% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10
Squat
80% 4x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory
75% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises
3x10

Secondary Hip 3x8-10 Secondary 3x6-8

Hinge Squat
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises
Secondary Squat 3x12-15 Secondary 3x12
Supplemental Hip Hinge
Exercises Supplemental
Exercises

187
 4x PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK
(phase two)

UPPER BODY
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
82.5% 5x3 80% 4x4
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory
75% 3x5 75% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6
Secondary Horizontal Primary Horizontal
3x6 3x8

Secondary 3x8-10 Main Supplemental 3x6-8

Supplemental Exercises (curl)
Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

188
 LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge
85% 4x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Squat Accessory
75% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10
Squat
82.5% 4x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory
77.5% 3x4
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises
3x10

Secondary Hip 3x8-10 Secondary Squat 3x6-8

Hinge Supplemental
Supplemental Exercises
Exercises Secondary Hip 3x12
Secondary Squat 3x12-15 Hinge
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises

189
 4x PER WEEK PEAKING BLOCK

-85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
90% 10x2 90% 8x2

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
92.5% 10x1 90% 8x2

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

85% 3x5 90% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
95% 8x1 95% 6x1

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

90% 2x3 90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

87.5% 3x3 90% 2x3

190
+85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
90% 8x2 90% 6x2

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3

​LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Hip Hinge Squat
92.5% 8x1 90% 6x2

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

85% 3x4 90% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
92.5% 5x1 92.5% 4x2

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

87.5% 3x3 92.5% 2x3

191
 UPPER BODY (week 3)
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
95% 6x1 95% 5x1

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
95% 4x1 95% 6x1

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

90% 3x3 92.5% 2x3

192
 4x PER WEEK DELOAD WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C
Horizontal Press Vertical Press
72.5% 3x3 70% 3x3

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory

65% 2x3 65% 2x3

Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Vertical Pull

2x5 2x5
Secondary Horizontal Primary Horizontal
2x5 2x5

LOWER BODY
​
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

70% 3x4 70% 3x3

Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises Main Squat Supplemental Exercises

2x6 2x6

193
 4x PER WEEK ADVANCED
example routine

HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
70% 6x6 67.5% 6x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press
62.5% 3x7 65% 3x7
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Pull up Chin up
3x8 3x6
Pendlay Row Barbell Row
3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

194
 LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift
72.5% 4x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat
65% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
3x12
Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
70% 5x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian deadlift
65% 3x7
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Bulgarian Split Squat
3x12

Dumbbell Lunges 3x8-10 Standing 3x8-10

Seated 3x12-15 hamstrings curls
hamstrings curls Leg extension 3x12-15

195
STRENGTH BLOCK (phase one)

UPPER BODY
A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
80% 6x3 77.5% 5x4
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press
72.5% 3x5 72.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Pull up Chin up
3x8 3x6
Pendlay Row Barbell Row
3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

196
 LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift
82.5% 4x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat
72.5% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
3x10
Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
80% 4x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian deadlift
75% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Bulgarian Split Squat
3x10

Dumbbell 3x8-10 Standing 3x6-8

Lunges hamstrings curls
Seated 3x12-15 Leg extension 3x12-15
hamstrings curls

197
STRENGTH BLOCK (phase two)

UPPER BODY
A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
82.5% 5x3 80% 4x4
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press
75% 3x5 75% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up
Pull up Chin up
3x8 3x6
Pendlay Row Barbell Row
3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

198
 LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift
85% 4x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat
75% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
3x10
Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
82.5% 4x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian deadlift
77.5% 3x4
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Bulgarian Split Squat
3x10

Dumbbell 3x8-10 Standing 3x6-8

Lunges hamstrings curls
Seated 3x12-15 Leg extension 3x12
hamstrings
curls

199
PEAKING BLOCK (-85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
90% 10x2 90% 8x2
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 8x2 92.5% 10x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 2x4 85% 3x5

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
95% 8x1 95% 6x1
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
90% 2x3 90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
92.5% 6x2 95% 6x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 2x3 87.55% 3x3

200
PEAKING BLOCK (+85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
90% 8x2 90% 6x2
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 2x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
92.5% 4x2 92.5% 5x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
92.5% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

UPPER BODY (week 3)

A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
95% 6x1 95% 5x1
Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Seated Dumbbell Press
90% 3x3 90% 3x3

201
 LOWER BODY (week 3)
B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 95% 5x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

DELOAD WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
72.5% 3x3 70% 3x3

Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press

65% 2x3 65% 2x3
Pull Up Chin Up
2x5 2x5
Pendlay Row Barbell Row
2x5 2x5

LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge Low Bar Barbell Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4
High Bar Barbell Squat Romanian Deadlift
70% 3x4 70% 3x3
Good Morning Dumbbell Split Squat
2x6 2x6

202
 5x PER WEEK HYPERTROPHY BLOCK
(horizontal press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
70% 6x6 70% 6x6 70% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory zontal Press Secondary Accessory
65% 3x7 65% 3x6 W1. 75% 3x6 - W2. 75% 3x7
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 3+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Horizontal Pull Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull
3x8 3x8 3x6

Secondary 3x8-10 Secondary 3x8-10 Main 3x6-8

Supplemental Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

203
 LOWER BODY
​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
70% 5x5 75% 4x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
67.5% 3x7 67.5% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x12 3x12

Secondary Squat 3x8-10 Secondary Hip 3x6-8

Supplemental Hinge
Exercises Supplemental
Secondary Hip 3x12-15 Exercises
Hinge Secondary 3x12
Supplemental Squat
Exercises Supplemental
Exercises

204
 5X PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK
(horizontal press dominant)
(phase one)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
82.5% 5x4 80% 6x4 77.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory zontal Press Secondary Accessory
75% 3x5 77.5% 3x5 W1. 80% 3x6 - W2. 82.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 3+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Horizontal Pull Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull
3x8 3x8 3x6

Secondary 3x8-10 Secondary 3x8-10 Main 3x6-8

Supplemental Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

205
 LOWER BODY
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
80% 4x4 80% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
77.5% 3x5 77.5% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10 3x10

Secondary Squat 3x8-10 Secondary Hip 3x6-8

Supplemental Hinge
Exercises Supplemental
Secondary Hip 3x12-15 Exercises
Hinge Secondary Squat 3x12
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises

206
 5X PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK
(horizontal press dominant)
(phase two)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
87.5% 4x3 87.5% 5x3 85% 3x4
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press
82.5% 3x4 82.5% 3x4 Secondary Accessory
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up W1. 82.5% 3x5 - W2. 85% 3x4
5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3+rep in tank 5kg up
Primary Horizontal Pull Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull
3x8 3x8 3x6

Secondary 3x8-10 Secondary 3x8-10 Main 3x6-8

Supplemental Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Delt Raise

207
 ​ ​ OWER BODY
L
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
87.5% 4x3 87.5% 3x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 3x5 85% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10 3x10

Secondary Squat 3x8-10 Secondary Hip 3x6-8

Supplemental Hinge
Exercises Supplemental
Secondary Hip 3x12-15 Exercises
Hinge Supplemental Secondary Squat 3x12
Exercises Supplemental
Exercises

208
 5x PER WEEK PEAKING BLOCK
(horizontal press dominant)

-85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
90% 10x2 90% 8x2 87.5% 3x4

Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Secondary Accessory
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x4 87.5% 3x4

​LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Squat Hip Hinge
90% 8x1 92.5% 10x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 3x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
95% 8x1 95% 6x1 90% 3x3
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press
90% 2x3 90% 2x3 Secondary Accessory
90% 2x3

209
 LOWER BODY (week 2)
​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 2x3

+85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
90% 8x2 90% 6x2 87.5% 3x3
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3 Secondary Accessory
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 2x4 85% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2 92.5% 3x2
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Secondary Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

210
 LOWER BODY (week 2)
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
92.5% 4x2 95% 5x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
90% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

UPPER BODY (week 3)

​
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
95% 6x1 95% 5x1 95% 2x2
Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Secondary Accessory
92.5% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
95% 6x1 95% 4x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

211
 5x PER WEEK DELOAD WEEK
(horizontal press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Horizontal Press Vertical Press Horizontal Press Main Accessory
67.5% 3x3 70% 4x3 70% 2x3

Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press

67.5% 2x3 70% 3x3 Secondary Accessory
70% 3x3

Primary Horizontal Pull Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull

2x5 2x5 2x4

LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

70% 3x4 70% 3x3

Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises Main Squat Supplemental Exercises

2x6 2x6

212
 5x PER WEEK HYPERTROPHY BLOCK
(vertical press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
70% 6x6 70% 6x6 65% 4x8
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory ertical Press Secondary Accessory
62.5% 3x7 65% 3x7 62.5% 3x7
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6 3x8

Secondary 3x8-10 Main 3x6-8 Secondary 3x8-10

Supplemental Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Face Pulls 3x15-20
Delt Raise

213
 LOWER BODY
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
70% 5x5 75% 4x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
67.5% 3x7 67.5% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x12 3x12

Secondary Squat 3x8-10 Secondary 3x6-8

Supplemental Hip Hinge
Exercises Supplemental
Secondary Hip 3x12-15 Exercises
Hinge Secondary 3x12
Supplemental Squat
Exercises Supplemental
Exercises

214
 5X PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK
(vertical press dominant)
(phase one)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
82.5% 5x4 82.5% 6x4 85% 4x3
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory ertical Press Secondary Accessory
77.5% 3x5 77.5% 3x5 77.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull Secondary Vertical Pull
3x8 3x6 3x8

Secondary 3x8-10 Main 3x6-8 Secondary 3x8-10

Supplemental Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Face Pulls 3x15-20
Delt Raise

215
 LOWER BODY
​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
80% 4x4 80% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
77.5% 3x5 77.5% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10 3x10

Secondary Squat 3x8-10 Secondary Hip 3x6-8

Supplemental Hinge
Exercises Supplemental
Secondary Hip 3x12-1 Exercises
Hinge Supplemental 5 Secondary Squat 3x12
Exercises Supplemental
Exercises

216
 5X PER WEEK STRENGTH BLOCK
(vertical press dominant)
(phase two)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
87.5% 5x3 87.5% 4x3 87.5% 5x3
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press

82.5% 3x4 82.5% 3x5 Secondary Accessory
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 82.5% 3x5
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up

Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull Secondary Vertical Pull

3x8 3x6 3x8

Secondary 3x8-10 Main 3x6-8 Secondary 3x8-10

Supplemental Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl) Exercises (curl)
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Face Pulls 3x15-20
Delt Raise

217
 LOWER BODY
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
87.5% 4x3 87.5% 3x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 3x5 85% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Main Squat Supplemental Exercises Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises
3x10 3x10

Secondary 3x8-10 Secondary Hip 3x6-8

Squat Hinge
Supplemental Supplemental
Exercises Exercises
Secondary Hip 3x12-15 Secondary Squat 3x12
Hinge Supplemental
Supplemental Exercises
Exercises

218
 5x PER WEEK PEAKING BLOCK
(vertical press dominant)

-85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
90% 6x2 90% 8x2 90% 6x2
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Secondary Accessory
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x4 87.5% 3x4

​LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Squat Hip Hinge
90% 8x1 92.5% 10x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 3x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
95% 6x1 95% 6x1 95% 6x1
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press
90% 2x3 90% 2x3 Secondary Accessory
90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Squat Hip Hinge
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 2x3

219
+85kg lifters peaking block

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
90% 6x2 90% 6x2 90% 6x2
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press
87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3 Secondary Accessory
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
87.5% 2x4 85% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
92.5% 5x2 92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Secondary Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
92.5% 4x2 95% 5x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
90% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

220
 UPPER BODY (week 3)
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
95% 5x1 95% 6x1 95% 5x1
Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press Secondary Accessory
90% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

​
B D
Squat Hip Hinge
95% 6x1 95% 4x1
Hip Hinge Accessory Squat Accessory
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

221
 5x PER WEEK DELOAD WEEK
(vertical press dominant)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Vertical Press Horizontal Press Vertical Press
72.5% 3x3 70% 4x3 72.5% 3x3

Vertical Press Accessory Horizontal Press Accessory Vertical Press

70% 2x3 67.5% 3x3 Secondary Accessory
70% 2x3

Primary Vertical Pull Secondary Horizontal Pull Secondary Vertical Pull

3x5 3x4 3x5

LOWER BODY
B D
Hip Hinge Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4

Squat Accessory Hip Hinge Accessory

70% 3x4 70% 3x3

Main Hip Hinge Supplemental Exercises Main Squat Supplemental Exercises

2x6 2x6

222
 5x PER WEEK ADVANCED
(horizontal press dominant)
example routine

HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
70% 6x6 70% 6x6 70% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 65% 3x6 W1. 75% 3x6 - W2. 75% 3x7
65% 3x7 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 3+rep in tank 5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up
Barbell Row Pull up Pendlay Row
3x8 3x8 3x6

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 Dumbbell 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Hammer Curl Cable Side 3x12
Lateral Raise Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Lateral Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Lateral Raise Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Delt Raise

223
 LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift
75% 4x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat
67.5% 3x8
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
3x12
Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
70% 5x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian deadlift
67.5% 3x7
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Bulgarian Split Squat
3x12

Dumbbell Lunges 3x8-10 Standing 3x6-8

Seated 3x12-15 hamstrings curls
hamstrings curls Leg extension 3x12

224
STRENGTH BLOCK (phase one)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
82.5% 5x4 80% 6x4 77.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 77.5% 3x5 W1. 80% 3x6 - W2. 82.5% 3x5
75% 3x5 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 3+rep in tank 5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up
Barbell Row Vertical Pull Pendlay Row
3x8 3x8 3x6

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Dumbbell 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8
Lateral Raise Hammer Curl Cable Side 3x12
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Lateral Raise
Lateral Raise Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Delt Raise

225
 LOWER BODY
B D
Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
80% 4x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian deadlift
77.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Bulgarian Split Squat
3x10
Deadlift
80% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat
77.5% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
3x10

Dumbbell 3x8-10 Dumbbell Lunges 3x6-8

Lunges Seated 3x12
Seated 3x12-15 hamstrings curls
hamstrings curls

226
STRENGTH BLOCK (phase two)

UPPER BODY
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
87.5% 4x3 87.5% 5x3 85% 3x4
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 82.5% 3x4 W1. 82.5% 3x5 - W2. 85% 3x4
82.5% 3x4 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 3+rep in tank 5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up
Barbell Row Pull up Pendlay Row
3x8 3x8 3x6

Secondary 3x8-10 Dumbbell 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8

Supplemental Hammer Curl Cable Side 3x12
Exercises (curl) Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Lateral Raise Dumbbell Rear 3x12
Lateral Raise Face Pulls 3x15-20 Delt Raise
Face Pulls 3x15-20

227
 LOWER BODY
B D
Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
87.5% 4x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian deadlift
87.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Bulgarian Split Squat
3x10
Deadlift
87.5% 3x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat
85% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
3x10

Dumbbell Lunges 3x8-10 Dumbbell Lunges 3x6-8

Seated hamstrings 3x12-15 Seated 3x12
curls hamstrings curls

228
PEAKING BLOCK (-85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
90% 10x2 90% 8x2 87.5% 3x4
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x4
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 8x1 92.5% 10x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 3x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
95% 8x1 95% 6x1 90% 3x3
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 90% 2x3 90% 2x3
90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 3x3 90% 2x3

229
PEAKING BLOCK (+85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
90% 8x2 90% 6x2 87.5% 3x3
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 87.5% 3x3 87.5% 3x3
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 2x4 85% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
92.5% 6x2 92.5% 6x2 92.5% 3x3
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 90% 3x3 90% 3x3
90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
92.5% 4x2 95% 5x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

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 UPPER BODY (week 3)
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
95% 6x1 95% 5x1 95% 2x2
Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Incline Bench Press 90% 3x3 90% 3x3
92.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 95% 4x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

DELOAD WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C E
Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP Barbell Bench Press
67.5% 3x3 70% 4x3 70% 2x3

Barbell Paused Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press

Incline Bench Press 70% 3x3 70% 3x3
67.5% 2x3

Barbell Row Pull Up Pendlay Row

2x5 2x5 2x4

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 LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift Low Bar Barbell Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4
High Bar Barbell Squat Romanian Deadlift
70% 3x4 70% 3x3
Good Morning Dumbbell Split Squat
2x6 2x6

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 5x PER WEEK ADVANCED
(vertical press dominant)
example routine

HYPERTROPHY BLOCK

UPPER BODY
A D E
OHP Horizontal Press OHP
70% 6x6 70% 6x6 65% 4x8
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
62.5% 3x7 Incline Bench Press 62.5% 3x7
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 65% 3x7 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
5+rep in tank 5kg up
Pull up Pendlay Row Chin up
3x8 3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8 Dumbbell 3x8-10

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Hammer Curl
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Lateral Raise
Delt Raise Face Pulls 3x15-20

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 LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
75% 4x5 70% 5x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up 3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat Romanian deadlift
67.5% 3x8 67.5% 3x7
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift Bulgarian Split Squat
3x12 3x12

Dumbbell Lunges 3x8-10 Standing 3x6-8

Seated hamstrings 3x12-15 hamstrings curls
curls Leg extension 3x12

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STRENGTH BLOCK(phase one)

UPPER BODY
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
82.5% 5x4 82.5% 6x4 85% 4x3
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Z Press
77.5% 3x5 77.5% 3x5 77.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Pull up Pendlay Row Chin up
3x8 3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8 Dumbbell 3x8-10

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Hammer Curl
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Lateral Raise
Delt Raise Face Pulls 3x15-20

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 LOWER BODY
B D
Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
80% 4x4
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian deadlift
77.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Bulgarian Split Squat
3x10
Deadlift
80% 3x5
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat
77.5% 3x6
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
3x10

Dumbbell Lunges 3x8-10 Dumbbell 3x6-8

Seated 3x12-15 Lunges
hamstrings curls Seated 3x12
hamstrings curls

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STRENGTH BLOCK (phase two)

UPPER BODY
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
87.5% 5x3 87.5% 4x3 87.5% 5x3
1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-3 rep in tank 1.25kg up
4+rep in tank 2.5kg up 4+rep in tank 5kg up 4+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Z Press
82.5% 3x4 82.5% 3x5 82.5% 3x5
1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up 1-4 rep in tank 2.5kg up 1-4 rep in tank 1.25kg up
5+rep in tank 2.5kg up 5+rep in tank 5kg up 5+rep in tank 2.5kg up
Pull up Pendlay Row Chin up
3x8 3x6 3x8

Dumbbell Curl 3x8-10 EZ Bar Curl 3x6-8 Dumbbell 3x8-10

Dumbbell Side 3x12-15 Cable Side 3x12 Hammer Curl
Lateral Raise Lateral Raise Dumbbell Side 3x12-15
Face Pulls 3x15-20 Dumbbell Rear 3x12 Lateral Raise
Delt Raise Face Pulls 3x15-20

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 LOWER BODY
​
B D
Barbell Low Bar Back Squats
87.5% 4x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
Romanian deadlift
87.5% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Bulgarian Split Squat
3x10
Deadlift
87.5% 3x3
1-2 rep in tank 2.5kg up
3 rep in tank 5kg up
4+rep in tank 7.5kg up
Barbell High Bar Back Squat
85% 3x5
1-3 rep in tank 2.5kg up
4+rep in tank 5kg up
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
3x10

Dumbbell 3x8-10 Dumbbell 3x6-8

Lunges Lunges
Seated 3x12-15 Seated 3x12
hamstrings curls hamstrings curls

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PEAKING BLOCK (-85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
90% 6x2 90% 8x2 90% 6x2
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
87.5% 3x3 Incline Bench Press 87.5% 3x4
87.5% 3x4

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 8x1 92.5% 10x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 3x4 85% 3x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
95% 6x1 95% 6x1 95% 6x1
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
90% 2x3 Incline Bench Press 90% 2x3
90% 2x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 92.5% 6x2
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 3x3 90% 2x3

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PEAKING BLOCK (+85kg lifters)

UPPER BODY (week 1)

A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
90% 6x2 90% 6x2 90% 6x2
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
87.5% 3x3 Incline Bench Press 87.5% 3x3
87.5% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 1)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
90% 6x2 92.5% 8x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
87.5% 2x4 85% 2x4

UPPER BODY (week 2)

​
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
92.5% 5x2 92.5% 6x2 92.5% 5x2
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press
90% 3x3 Incline Bench Press 90% 3x3
90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 2)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
92.5% 4x2 95% 5x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
90% 2x3 87.5% 3x3

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 UPPER BODY (week 3)
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
95% 5x1 95% 6x1 95% 5x1
Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Incline Bench Press Z Press
90% 3x3 90% 3x3 90% 3x3

LOWER BODY (week 3)

B D
Low Bar Barbell Squat Deadlift
95% 6x1 95% 4x1
Romanian Deadlift High Bar Barbell Squat
92.5% 2x3 90% 3x3

DELOAD WEEK

UPPER BODY
A C E
OHP Barbell Paused Bench Press OHP
72.5% 3x3 70% 4x3 72.5% 3x3

Seated Dumbbell Press Barbell Paused Z Press

70% 2x3 Incline Bench Press 70% 2x3
67.5% 3x3

Pull Up Pendlay Row Chin Up

3x5 3x4 3x5

LOWER BODY
B D
Deadlift Low Bar Barbell Squat
75% 3x2 72.5% 3x4
High Bar Barbell Squat Romanian Deadlift
70% 3x4 70% 3x3
Good Morning Dumbbell Split Squat
2x6 2x6

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 STRENGTH STANDARDS AND TRAINING EXPERIENCE

First thing you have to understand that any type of strength standards is extremely subjective
since not everyone has the same goal in mind, not everyone has the same potential and not
everyone wants to become powerlifting or weightlifting champion.

On the other hand, when we use the term “training experience” we’re talking about the amount
of time someone spent training with consistent approach and structured training and nutrition
program. Some people train for 10+ years and this still doesn’t make them experienced lifters if
they didn’t make any significant progress since they were lacking necessary structure and
progression model.

This is how we would categorize training experience and you’ll be the judge in which category
you belong to:

● Beginner​ - first year and a half of consistent training with structured training routine,
progression model and preferably with optimized nutrition according to individual goals.

● Intermediate​ - 1.5 - 3 years of consistent lifting with structured training routine and
decent strength base.

● Advanced​ - 3 - 5 years of consistent training with structured periodization and already

built solid strength level.

● Elite​ - 5+ years of consistent training, experience with multiple periodization schemes

and advanced strength level. In most cases these individuals place well on national level
powerlifting competitions or even higher (under condition they compete at all).

I’m going to repeat that this is just our opinion and we’re aware that some people just want to
get stronger in general without ambition to compete but these is a good rule of thumb even for
recreational lifters who just want to get stronger.

We realized that strength standards are subjective, almost to the point of inaccuracy so we
decided to make our own strength standards which take anatomical differences and levers into
consideration. They are by no means the only or most accurate standards but we believe they
can be a good goal to aim for and a good way for strength focused individuals to access their
strength.

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Strengthrophy strength standards

We decided to cover all major mechanical motions with one compound we consider to be the
“best” variation as a strength indicator.

● Squatting movement - Back squat

● Hip hinge - Deadlift(conventional or sumo)
● Horizontal press - Flat barbell bench press
● Vertical press - Strict standing overhead press
● Vertical pull - Weighted pull up
● Horizontal pull - Barbell row

In order for lift to be considered legit; form we explained in the “lifting technique” chapter should
be used!

All the standards are based on 1RM and they aren’t strict rule or measurement but rather fun
standards and a goal to strive for a long term progress in terms of strength.

We didn’t use body weight differences as factor but that is why we used weight/intensity range.
Lighter/smaller individuals should use lower end of the intensity range as a reference and
heavier/bigger individuals should aim toward higher end of the range.

What we believe can make a major difference on someone’s strength potential are anatomical
differences and levers and that is why we split those standards in three major groups which
should help individuals to assess their strength and strength potential at least a bit more
objectively.

Those three groups are based on few major anatomical distinctions which are quite visually
obvious and for a full explanation on how their levers work in their advantage or disadvantage
recap the chapter about anatomical differences.

Individuals can fall into three anatomically and structurally different types:

● Average anatomical build

● Short femurs/long torso
● Long femurs/short torso

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Average anatomical build strength standards

Back Squat Deadlift Bench Press OHP Weighted Pull up Barbell Row

Beginner <140kg <150kg <110kg <60kg <30kg <100kg

Intermediate 140-180kg 150-200kg 110-130kg 60-80kg 30-50kg 100-130kg

Advanced 190-230kg 200-250kg 130-150kg 70-90kg 40-70kg 130-150kg

Elite 250kg+ 280+kg 170+kg 100+kg 70+kg 160+kg

Short femurs/long torso build strength standards

Back Squat Deadlift Bench Press OHP Weighted Pull up Barbell Row

Beginner <160kg <160kg <120kg <60kg <30kg <110kg

Intermediate 160-200kg 160-200kg 120-140kg 70-85kg 30-50kg 110-140kg

Advanced 210-250kg 210-250kg 140-160kg 75-95kg 40-70kg 140-160kg

Elite 270+kg 260+kg 180+kg 105+kg 70+kg 160+kg

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Long femurs/short torso build strength standards

Back Squat Deadlift Bench Press OHP Weighted Pull up Barbell Row

Beginner <130kg <180kg <100kg <60kg <30kg <100kg

Intermediate 130-160kg 180-220kg 100-130kg 60-75kg 30-50kg 100-130kg

Advanced 170-220kg 230-270kg 130-150kg 70-85kg 40-70kg 140-160kg

Elite 230+kg 300kg+ 160+kg 90+kg 70+kg 160+kg

These are by no means absolute standards considering some people have different goals and
use strength progression models just to gain muscle or simply want to get stronger in general
and aren’t exactly concerned with specific numbers. Also these aren’t the numbers which are
doing justice to the best world elite level powerlifters or athletes but they’re good general
guidelines and strength to aim for.

If you like numbers as much as we do I believe you’ll find those standards a fun way to visualize
your progress and set a solid goals to aim for.

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 FINAL WORDS

If you’re reading this, under condition you read the whole thing, we dare to say you now have
the knowledge and tools to start making some serious progress and to do so for a very long
time.

As always it comes down to you and taking action and everything “thrown” at you in this ebook
will bring promised results if you actually apply it!

We worked with a ton of clients of different backgrounds, at different levels, with different needs
and goals and in combination with our own training experience we decided to combine our
knowledge, experience and found a common ground which we turned into this ebook.

You want results?! Read, analyze, customize and apply!

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We really appreciate you investing in this guide and we’re looking forward to your progress and
wish you all the gains in the world!

Danijel Lizačić Armin Harbaš

@lizokryptonian​ ​ giga_kryptonian
@
lizofs@gmail.com​ ​ rmin.harbas000@gmail.com
a

kryptonianarmy.com

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