Choice to make

[Cody]

I've had my second kid, and the gym schedule isn't working as smoothly as I had hoped. I'm currently doing a 4-day upper/lower, but sessions are getting interrupted or pushed back. I can probably get Mon/Wed for a full session until mine and my wife's schedules get back on synch and the little one is easier to manage.

Would you keep the 4-day split, knowing that sometimes things won't go quite as planned or would you work up a 2-day routine on Mon/Wed only? If so, what would it look like?

Thanks, coach.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

I ran a very productive 2-day program last year that I may go back to after my meet is over.

Week 1:

Day 1:
Max Effort Bench or Bench Variant
Volume Press
Chest, Delt, Tricep Assistance as time and energy allows

Day 2:
Max Effort Squat or Squat Variant
Volume Deadlift
Sled or Prowler

Day 3: (optional) - Back & Biceps - bodybuilding style

Week 2:

Day 1:
Max Effort Press or Press Variant
Bench Volume
Chest, Delt, Tricep Assistance as needed

Day 2:
Max Effort Deadlift or DL variant
Squat Volume
Sled or Prowler

Day 3: (optional) Back & Biceps

Basically allowed me to train according to energy levels and avoid trying to stick to anything too rigid.

[Eric Larousse]

Im assuming with the max effort work you work up to a top single? My question about that is how do you determine what you can work up to on a given day without actually trying to beat your "max" that day? In other words it seems like a guessing game to me but I could be wrong.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Well technically you are supposed to beat your max. But if you don't have one established then you just go up to a top single for that day.

If you don't know how to work up to a top single then you really shouldn't use this method. You don't have enough experience under the bar to run something like this and you'll wind up with lots of missed reps.

It's not a guessing game. You go through the same warm up sets every time and you pay attention to how each one feels. As you get heavier and heavier the jumps become smaller and the longer you do this the better you get at accurately predicting what you can or can't do on a given day. It takes some level of objectivity so that neither ego nor fear become a barrier.

[Cody]

After pondering on this today, I don't believe 1 upper and 1 lower session per week will keep me growing, I'm just not that advanced yet (6', 215 lbs, before baby mid 500s squat/dead, mid 300s bench). Today did:

Squat- heavy top set, then 3x5 back off
Bench- heavy top set then 4x4 back off
GHD- 4x12

Then tomorrow
Deadlift- heavy top set, then 3x3-5 back off
Bench- 4x8 medium/volume
Chins/lat pills

Does this sound reasonable? Ridiculous? Better ideas?

[Suwannee Dave]

Does the volume refer to number of sets, reps or both? Would it be different for the presses vs. the squats and DL's?

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

After pondering on this today, I don't believe 1 upper and 1 lower session per week will keep me growing, I'm just not that advanced yet (6', 215 lbs, before baby mid 500s squat/dead, mid 300s bench). Today did:

Squat- heavy top set, then 3x5 back off
Bench- heavy top set then 4x4 back off
GHD- 4x12

Then tomorrow
Deadlift- heavy top set, then 3x3-5 back off
Bench- 4x8 medium/volume
Chins/lat pills

Does this sound reasonable? Ridiculous? Better ideas?

You really just don't know the answer to any of this stuff unless you give it a go. Nearly impossible to predict exactly how everything will or will not work ahead of time. Plan is not unreasonable though.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Does the volume refer to number of sets, reps or both? Would it be different for the presses vs. the squats and DL's?

Volume just means a higher amount of sets and reps. Usually between 15-25 total reps for strength work. 3-5 x 5, 4x4-6, etc. Usually is the highest for upper body work and lowest for deads. Squats is somewhere inbetween depending on level of advancement, overall strength, etc.