Was thinking about posting a log but thought I'd start in here. Been going to the gym regularly for a little over a year, though not for the past 3 months due to exams and work. About half way through that period I started reading more and realised that I was making mistakes. I changed to doing primarily 5x5 sets of basic compound moves. Now that I've quit my summer job, I have some time to get back in the gym and I wanted to change things up a bit.
Changing things is always good - but even if you're doing a basic routine, you can mix it up by keeping the main lifts (squat, deadlift, bench, OHP) and add in accessory exercises to exploit the benefits of the lifts that you are currently doing.
My old routine (Mon, Wed, Fri) would consist of 5x5 of one leg, one push and one pull. For example I might do Squats, Military Press and BOR, then next day Deadlift, Bench Press and Chin Ups. I've been intrigued about switching to higher weight lower rep and have been doing a bit of reading. The first routine I came across was the
korte 3x3, which is essentially a month of low weight high volume, which also allows greater focus on form. This is followed by a month of pushing your one rep max up. You perform Deadlift, Squat and Bench Press each session 3 times a week.
korte is fine, but it's just a base programme, you need to add the accessories around it to benefit the most from it. It's based on %age of 1RM which aren't always accurate so you have to be willing to tweak it accordingly. Doing large amounts of deadlifts several times a week is going to be fairly taxing especially as you get towards your 1RM. To be fair doing 1RM training regularly can fry the CNS a little so you have to vary it. For example, I've just done a 9 week strength training programme, and will be doing 6 weeks of volume training having had a week off doing anything.
If you want another strength training programme, 5/3/1 triumvirate is a good way to go as you get to do a few accessory exercises and still make strength progress.
So today I decided I would test my 1 RM (DL: 130 kg, BP: 82.5 kg, Squat: 127.5 kg, calculated using a coefficients table I found onlne) and start on Monday. However, it's a powerlifting routine, and not necessarily all-rounded; there's a conspicuous lack of any pull exercise. So I was wondering if I could get opinions on slightly modifying that routine.
It's up to you to add pulling exercises, as well as accessory exercises to support the main lifts, otherwise it's pointless. I always do more pulling than pushing, your back is a bigger muscle, but also for balance and posture it shouldn't be over looked. If I do 2 pushing exercises I'll do at least 3 if not 4 pulling ones. You don't want your shoulders to round forward.
On that note, mobility and keeping supple is critical to good strength development. So make sure you read Icecold's excellent mobility thread.
I was thinking about changing to a more classic 4 day 3x3 routine, but following the same principal of high volume for the first month, something along the lines of days 1 and 3 Squat and Deadlift, days 2 and 4 Bench Press and BOR. Then switching to day 1 push squat up, day 3 push deadlift up etc.
Any suggestions? Should I just go in and lift as much as I can every second day?!?
Cheers.
The korte routine there's a prep phase of high volume for 4 weeks and a "preparation" phase for the next 4 weeks. You don't just shove your 1rm, you do it incrementally as a %age of your 1rm. You don't just shove 100% of your 1rm.
Also it talks about suits, belts, slings etc... it's not really a programme for gentle general progress and with your figures (unless you're 10st) suggest that you have only just started your lifting career.
I'd personally not jump in at that but do stronglifts or a variation of that to get you lifting medium volume with decent accessory exercises.
