More travel trouble

[Peter Dempster]

Hey Brent

38 YO male
6’2, 224lbs

Recently finished my latest bout of LP and just started a HLM program, closely following one Andy Baker sketched out in an article. Basically:

Monday:
Squat heavy, bench heavy, DL medium

Wednesday
Squat light, press heavy, Rows, chins

Friday:
Squat medium, CG Bench, DL heavy

I’ve found out that I will likely need to engage in some cross country flying, about every other week, for the next two to three months. While I’m gone I will have very rare access to a barbell, maybe just some light hotel room dumbbells. So basically every other week I can’t reliably train.

I’m wondering if I should mix the HLM program around a bit; since I have the whole week away after Friday, no need to recover for Monday; so was thinking of changing Friday to: Squat heavy, bench heavy, DL heavy.

Thoughts? Other suggestions? Not really expecting progress in this time period, just treading water.

Also, while away, if I sneak in a barbell workout I was thinking of just repeating the Monday workout. Make sense?

Thanks!

[Brent Carter]

since I have the whole week away after Friday, no need to recover for Monday; so was thinking of changing Friday to: Squat heavy, bench heavy, DL heavy

If you could do this you would not need intermediate programming as you would be definition be a novice. We don't drop the heavy day to a medium day by choice in HLM we do it out of necessity.

I think your expectations of not actually making progress during this time are probably in line with reality. Just try your best not to detrain. I would come in after a week off and just try to match the loads from previous week. But even that might not be possible so you might just have to titrate up every other week to establish your baseline.

Programming will prob look more like a perpetual first week novice LP.

Good luck!

[Peter Dempster]

If you could do this you would not need intermediate programming as you would be definition be a novice. We don't drop the heavy day to a medium day by choice in HLM we do it out of necessity.

Yeah makes sense. It’s my first week on the HLM program and I may have undershot the weight slightly, so the feelz today is that I could maybe do a heavy day tomorrow (Friday). This will probably not be the case after a couple weeks of increases, I would think.

What do you think of my plan to just repeat monday if I can only get in one or two days in a week? Eg. next week I will be able to train Tuesday and Friday, so I was going for two repeats of this past weeks Monday session, then progress 5 lbs when I get home the following Monday (9 days from now).

[Brent Carter]

You can give it a shot but I would not be surprised if you have to go lighter because of detraining.