4day TM Split and Rest Day layout

[Fino]

Andy, question in regards to a 4-day TM split:

Monday: Bench Volume, Press Volume
Tuesday: Squat Volume, Pulling
Wed: Off
Thurs: Bench Intensity, Press Intensity
Fri: Squat Intensity, Pulling
Sat: Off
Sun: Off

In this template why do we want the extra day off to come after intensity training and before volume training? Using the three day TM set up, we have 3 days (including active recovery) between volume and intensity and two days between intensity and volume.

The extra day off after volume would look like this:

Monday: Bench Volume, Press Volume
Tuesday: Squat Volume, Pulling
Wed: Off
Thurs: Off
Fri: Bench Intensity, Press Intensity
Sat: Squat Intensity, Pulling
Sun: Off

My thought is volume causes more stress and therefore needs the extra recovery day. What are your thoughts?

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Either way could work. Some more advanced lifters will find themselves needing more rest after high intensity training than high volume training. As you evolve as a lifter you will be able to generate more stress with less work and the need for brutally hard volume work decreases a bit.

So at the end of the day, the choice in how you organize your week is really individual.

Good question. Probably should have addressed that more clearly in the book.

[lou t]

Either way could work. Some more advanced lifters will find themselves needing more rest after high intensity training than high volume training. As you evolve as a lifter you will be able to generate more stress with less work and the need for brutally hard volume work decreases a bit.

So at the end of the day, the choice in how you organize your week is really individual.

Good question. Probably should have addressed that more clearly in the book.

Andy would it make more sense to put as an example
Bench VL, Press Int.
Press Int, Bench vl
squat vol, dl int
dl int, squat vl
dl vl, squat int

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

We had both examples in the book.

That really is an individual matter. The first way places all the volume work at one end of the week and all the intensity work at the other end of the week. That systemic fluctuation is very helpful.

The second way of doing intensity and volume work at every session also works, but is harder to recover from. It would look like this:

M - Bench Intensity / Press Vol
T - Squat Intensity / DL vol
TH - Press Intensity / Bench Vol
F - DL Intensity / Squat vol

[lou t]

We had both examples in the book.

That really is an individual matter. The first way places all the volume work at one end of the week and all the intensity work at the other end of the week. That systemic fluctuation is very helpful.

The second way of doing intensity and volume work at every session also works, but is harder to recover from. It would look like this:

M - Bench Intensity / Press Vol
T - Squat Intensity / DL vol
TH - Press Intensity / Bench Vol
F - DL Intensity / Squat vol

I've had better success the second way, just me I guess....thanks

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Not just you. That's why we put both methods in the book