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4-Day Split Program Review
Age: 27
Weight: 98 kg
Most recent lifts: - squat 180x1, 145x3x5
- bench 130x1, 100x5x5
- deadlift 225x1, 180x3x8
Day #1: Upper volume
Bench press 5x5
Chin-ups (tendinitis protocol, 80 - 120 reps)
Dips, 30-50 reps
Triceps Extensions, 3-5 sets
Lateral raises, 4x10
Face pulls, 3x20
Day #2: Lower Volume
Squat 5x5
RDL 3x10
Rows, 3-5x5
Hamstring curls, 4x10
Abs
Day #3: Upper Intensity
Bench Press, 1x5, then 2x5 at 10-15% off
One-arm standing DB Press, 3x8
Incline bench, 4-5x10
Triceps, 3-5 sets
Chin-ups or lat pull downs
Day #4: Lower Intensity
Squat, 1x5 then 2x5 at 10-15% off
Deadlift, 1x5
Good mornings, 3x5
Hamstring curls, 4x10
Abs
My plan for the weight progression on the main exercises is to increase the weight in 2.5% jumps for three weeks, then take two steps back and continue from there. So, the actual progressions would look something like this:
Squat volume: 137, 142, 147, 142, 147, 152
Squat intensity: 147, 151, 156, 151, 156, 162
Bench volume: 90, 95, 100, 95, 100, 105
I don't do the press, because the slanted roof of my home gym does not allow it. And, frankly, I've never been interested in it much.
Does this seem reasonable?
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I’m a little out of my league here in that my top numbers are a lot lower than yours. And I’ll be interested to see what the coaches have to say.
That said, this looks like an awful lot of extra stuff to me. I realize that I’m 30 years older than you. And I realize that young guys really like to do lots of extra stuff. And that because they can do lots of extra stuff, they think that they should do lots of extra stuff. Plus there’s that false sense of accomplishment from feeling all beat up and sore the next day.
But all that extra stuff is likely to slow your progress on the primary lifts. Or at least I think so. Here’s what I’d suggest:
Day 1
Keep the bench presses, the chinups (But 80-120 reps? Really???), and sure, the triceps extensions. But lose the dips, lateral raises, and face pulls. Your tendinitis might just go away.
Day 2
Keep the squats and RDLs, and sure, go ahead and do some rows. Lose the hamstring curls and the extra ab work. Don’t you think those areas are more than adequately addressed with squats and DLs?
Day 3
Lose the incline bench. (Also, if the ceiling is high enough to do standing DB presses, why can’t you do barbell presses?)
Day 4
Lose the hamstring curls and ab work for sure, and maybe lose the good mornings as well – do you really need them? And maybe do the chinups/pull-downs here rather than on Day 3.
I hope this doesn’t come off as snide. I respect the fact that your primary lifts are as far along as they are, and the fact that you want to work hard and keep getting stronger. And maybe a coach will step in and explain that I’ve got it all wrong, in which case I’ll have learned something.
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Well, you have to include Press - if you want to maximize your strength potential. And take from a guy a lot older than you - don't bench as much/frequency as you are now. Have a bench day and a press day. Can the incline. Incline is retarded.
If I were to use your 4 day scheme and the suggestive intent of what I read into your exercise selection, I would have you go to a format looking like this:
Day 1
Bench 5x5
Rowing
Tri Ext
Plate Raises
Day 2
Squat 5x5
Chins
G/H
Day 3
Press 5x5
DB Bench 3-4 sets
Pull downs
Curls if you gotta
Day 4
Deadlift
Walking lunges
Abs
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Press cannot be done. The sides of the roof are slanted, so there's no room for a full sized barbell to be pushed overhead I could press overhead only seated, or with a dumbbell.
Either way, this proved like a dumb idea. I did my first squat and bench volume workouts just fine, but I couldn't do the bench intensity. 107 went up for a set of 4; I couldn't get 5. Considering I've done 105x3x5, I have no clue why not.
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The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe
The press can be done if you want to press. Perhaps it cannot be done in your basement.
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I suppose I could buy myself a women's bar just to press with, but the question is if it makes any sense. It's not a competitive lift in powerlifting, and at this point, powerlifting is what I train for.
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They're not really available here in the EUSSR, aren't they?
Just a side question, coach. What progression model do you suggest for intermediate lifters? Weekly jumps of 2 kg/1 kg? Waving the weights every few weeks?
I've read PPST a few times, but it's very Texas method heavy, and very little is said on progressing the 4 day split.
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