Barbell logic's approach to intermediate programming

[Bobby32]

Hello. This barbell logic podcast YouTube says early intermediates should drop the volume and increase intensity after LP. They are basically saying to transition from 5s, to 3s, to 2s, and then to singles. But how would that be making you stronger. For example if someone is stuck on 225x5 on squats, how would doing 255x3 be making you stronger because you would still only be able to do 225x5. There was no increase in strength just an increase in weight on the bar. And there is a huge contradiction when they say it’s ok to switch to triples, doubles, and singles, because we are trying to get stronger, and we don’t care about the hypertrophy benefit of fives. But in another one of there podcasts about LP they say fives are the best for strength because they give you a balance of strength and hypertrophy, and they say hypertrophy is important for strength becuase a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. HUGE contradiction. If there is anyone who can clear this up it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[SJB]

Best of luck.

[whale]

Hello. This barbell logic podcast YouTube says early intermediates should drop the volume and increase intensity after LP. They are basically saying to transition from 5s, to 3s, to 2s, and then to singles. But how would that be making you stronger. For example if someone is stuck on 225x5 on squats, how would doing 255x3 be making you stronger because you would still only be able to do 225x5. There was no increase in strength just an increase in weight on the bar. And there is a huge contradiction when they say it’s ok to switch to triples, doubles, and singles, because we are trying to get stronger, and we don’t care about the hypertrophy benefit of fives. But in another one of there podcasts about LP they say fives are the best for strength because they give you a balance of strength and hypertrophy, and they say hypertrophy is important for strength becuase a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. HUGE contradiction. If there is anyone who can clear this up it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

That's called peaking, not training. If you wanna impress your girl, friends, make some money, go to a meet - go for it. If not, ignore it.

[hector_garza]

Hello. This barbell logic podcast YouTube says early intermediates should drop the volume and increase intensity after LP. They are basically saying to transition from 5s, to 3s, to 2s, and then to singles. But how would that be making you stronger. For example if someone is stuck on 225x5 on squats, how would doing 255x3 be making you stronger because you would still only be able to do 225x5. There was no increase in strength just an increase in weight on the bar. And there is a huge contradiction when they say it’s ok to switch to triples, doubles, and singles, because we are trying to get stronger, and we don’t care about the hypertrophy benefit of fives. But in another one of there podcasts about LP they say fives are the best for strength because they give you a balance of strength and hypertrophy, and they say hypertrophy is important for strength becuase a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. HUGE contradiction. If there is anyone who can clear this up it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Abstaining from volume and focusing on intensity in the forms of triples/doubles/singles doesn't make you stronger. It makes you better at single reps. If you don't think about it too much, you might not realize there's a difference. For this small period of time where you improve at singles the volume will be insufficient to actually get stronger. You may ultimately find yourself detrained at the end, with a 5RM that has not only not gone up, but may even have dropped.

[Bobby32]

Hmm interesting, thanks for the feedback

[jonfla]

Bobby,
Based on some of your other posts, it looks like you're a HS freshman, and relatively new to barbell training. My comments are based on this info, so feel free to tell me or disregard my comments if I'm wrong.

I'd suggest running an LP during your off season. Read the books, listen to the various podcast episodes on LP from SS, Barbell Logic, Barbell Medicine, and More Female Strength (all produced by SSCs), work through as much of the material on the website as you have time or motivation to read. If you stall on your weights after a reset or two, pick an intermediate program--maybe the 4-day split, but really, any of them--and be consistent. If you can see a coach in person, do it. If you can afford online coaching, do it. If not, keep studying the material and don't miss a session in the gym. During your season, do the best you can to maintain or even increase strength a bit, but don't run yourself into the ground.

Don't miss the forest for the trees. Reynolds and Hambrick have helped a lot of people get strong. If you follow their advice, you'll get strong too. And, if you're more or less doing the program, you'll be stronger than most of the other people on the field. Good luck.

[Satch12879]

That's called peaking, not training. If you wanna impress your girl, friends, make some money, go to a meet - go for it. If not, ignore it.

Except when it's not, which is what the podcast was talking about.

Abstaining from volume and focusing on intensity in the forms of triples/doubles/singles doesn't make you stronger. It makes you better at single reps. If you don't think about it too much, you might not realize there's a difference. For this small period of time where you improve at singles the volume will be insufficient to actually get stronger. You may ultimately find yourself detrained at the end, with a 5RM that has not only not gone up, but may even have dropped.

But no one is "abstaining from volume."

To address young Bobby's queries:

Hello. This barbell logic podcast YouTube says early intermediates should drop the volume and increase intensity after LP.

More precisely that intensity is the driving metric in early intermediate programming. Volume tends to go up over the stress period in intermediate programming as compared to that of the novice program, even if you are driving intensity. Take vanilla Texas Method; total squat sets over the six day training period: 9 sets. Novice program, total squat sets over the one day training period: 3 sets.

They are basically saying to transition from 5s, to 3s, to 2s, and then to singles.

On intensity day; what about volume day? Or if HLM, what about on H, L, or M days?

But how would that be making you stronger. For example if someone is stuck on 225x5 on squats, how would doing 255x3 be making you stronger because you would still only be able to do 225x5.

If the lifter can't perform 225x5, they why would you do 255x3? Wouldn't you do 225x3x2, or 225x2x3, or 225x1x5? That was the point.

There was no increase in strength just an increase in weight on the bar.

What is strength?

And there is a huge contradiction when they say it’s ok to switch to triples, doubles, and singles, because we are trying to get stronger, and we don’t care about the hypertrophy benefit of fives.

What are you doing the rest of the week?

But in another one of their podcasts about LP they say fives are the best for strength because they give you a balance of strength and hypertrophy, and they say hypertrophy is important for strength because a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle.

First, they were talking about rank novices and how sets of 8-10 are not beneficial because they can't be done at sufficient weight to make any difference in the type of hypertrophy that high volume, low intensity training impacts. Second, hypertrophy is not the sole basis by which a trainee gets stronger.

HUGE contradiction.

Not really.

If there is anyone who can clear this up it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hope this helped. PPST3 talks about all of this.

[Bobby32]

Thank you jonfla and Satch. Yes I am a freshman and LP has taken me from 225x5x3to 295x5x3 on squats. Took some time to maintain strength to cut some fat(call me stupid lol) but I’m just getting back on LP now. Thanks Satch for your clarification. I thought they meant you want to reduce volume overall, not just on one day like intensity day on TM. Yeah I did mean to put 255x3x3 instead of 255x3. Thanks again everyone.

[whale]

Except when it's not, which is what the podcast was talking about.

What do you mean? That's one of the clearest peaking methods. OP is not talking about TM intensity day. He's talking about ending LP with decreasing reps.

Apart from that, you have many misconceptions about strength training.

[Fulcrum]

What do you mean? That's one of the clearest peaking methods. OP is not talking about TM intensity day. He's talking about ending LP with decreasing reps.

I only listened to the beginning, I must have missed the part where they said this about about TM and/or TM ID
I thought the same thing.