Routines, routines, routines.
If you're like me your head is in a spin over all the routines being published and don't know which way to turn.
"Multiple Musclebuilding Methods" - Peary Rader:
Well, why not get back to the basics. After all, there isn't any miracle routine that is going to transform you overnight into a superman.
Whether in the weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding game or just the game of life, the difference between the one who makes it and the one who doesn't is determination and the desire to succeed.
You say, "Sure, this is true, but what does it have to do with lifting and a 5-pound per week gain?" Determination and the desire to achieve are the whole basis of the routine. You say there has to be more to it than just determination and desire? Well, that's true, it takes a lot of dedicated effort and the ability to overcome the mental attitude of "I can't do it."
Now I will explain how I came to believe this way and the experimental routine that convinced me.
I am just an average weightlifter/bodybuilder who has played around with weights for about 10 years and have mainly been interested in the building and inventing of exercise machines. Along about spring of this year I was working out in my home gym off and on just to keep in shape, when I thought to myself, "I sure don't have the desire or drive to work out like I should and used to." I was the type that didn't write down the amount of weight of the number of sets and reps because I considered myself of average intelligence and could remember what I had done from one workout to the next.
This time, I decided to write down my workouts and make up a routine that would push me to increase from one workout to the next. I had lost that desire to push and had become stagnant in my workouts. Any of you like that?
The workout I devised is as follows:
Monday
Set 1 - warmup with a light weight, 10-15 reps.
Set 2 - add weight for a poundage that you can EASILY do 8 reps with.
Set 3 - add weight for a set that causes you to strain to get 8 reps with but you get all 8.
Set 4 - add enough weight so that you can only do between 4-6 reps. This is the most important set because this set is the one you pace yourself with from workout to workout. BE SURE AND WRITE THIS DOWN.
Set 5 - reduce the weight down to what you can do for 8-10 reps by really working.
The integral part of the routine is Set 4 and the writing down of it. On your next workout (Wednesday), you have to do ONE MORE REP than you did in your previous workout. By writing it down you become determined to do at least one more rep. For instance, if you could do only 4 reps on Monday, on Wednesday you have to do 5 reps. On Friday you do 6 reps with the same weight, and on the following Monday you add 5 pounds and do 4 reps again.
Now . . . is one rep a workout too much to ask?
If all of the above is clear as mud, I'll give an example to help show what I mean.
If on Monday you handled 200 pounds for 5 reps on Set 4, then on Wednesday you would do 200 pounds for 6 on Set 4, and on Friday you would add 5 pounds and get between 4 and 6 reps. The reps possible on the first day of an increase will vary. Shoot for between 4 and 6 but don't stop at 4 if you can get more.
This routine will work the same for all your major exercises involving the large muscle groups. Smaller exercises such as curls or one-arm presses should get a 2.5 pound increase.
The 5 pounds a week is an average. Some weeks you hit a sticking point but it usually lasts for one or two weeks and suddenly you can handle 10-15 pounds on an increase. If, with the heavier weight, you can handle 7 or 8 reps a 5-pound increase is not enough.
How long will this ability to increase continue? That I don't know. It will vary, and will be different for each individual, depending on approximately a berzillion factors. For me, it has worked for almost four months.
Again, the main idea of this routine is to write down your previous workout and make up your mind you're going to get that one more rep per workout. Be firm with yourself and don't listen to any excuses you might try to pass off on yourself. Setting a small achievable goal for each workout gives you the desire and determination to push yourself. The reward of one rep more per workout and an average of 5 pounds a week adds to the incentive.
Enjoy Your Lifting!
In a retrospective about his training, Steve Wedan discussed this article (5-Pound a Week Increase) on the Dave Draper forum. It wasn't clear (to me at least) whether Wedan ever actually used the DeWitt routine, or, in fact, whether DeWitt ever did either. But it's a clever looking set up.
ReplyDeleteSteve Wedan's a great, knowledgeable guy and VERY talented. As I was transcribe-reading this one, I was thinking how good it looked on paper, all the while wondering just how long it could be run before going stale in the real world. Thanks for the heads up on that discussion. I put the DeWitt sections here. It's from August 31, 2011:
DeleteI took a page out of Stephen Dewitt's training book for my work sets. Dewitt was a guy who wrote an article in Iron Man in the mid-1970s, called "A Five Pound Per Week Increase." Maybe it was "A Five Pound Per Week Gain." I can't remember right now; ask Wicked Willie, he'll know.
Here's what I remember Dewitt offering: Warm up with 8 and then 6 and then one more slightly heavier 6. Then, set up your working weight for the crucial fourth set.
On Monday, lift the bar 4 times in that fourth set. Then, do one burnout set using a lower weight, striving for 8-10 strength- and muscle-building reps.
On Wednesday, lift it 5 times, followed by the same burnout set.
On Friday, lift it 6 times, followed again by the burnout set.
Next Monday, put 5 more pounds on the bar and rotate back down to 4 reps. That's the set of reps you pay attention to. The warmup sets and the burnout set aren't exactly ignored, but it's that fourth one that you gauge progress by. And the measurement of progress has always been central to my values in weight lifting.
Dewitt's protocol squared very well with Steiner's routines, although Steiner eventually came to argue against lifting three days per week, arguing for two.
The Dewitt Progression (it amuses me to refer to it like a Robert Ludlum novel) doesn't offer that "wave" of intensity. The York Ultimatum (it's just too fun not to do it) might be defined this way: Light uses 80 percent of the poundage of Heavy, the reps staying the same as Heavy; Medium uses 90 percent, the reps staying the same.
So, if you really were motivated to put an intensity wave into it, making it become The Dewitt Supremacy, you might wave the Set Four reps 6-4-5 over the week. I think it's worth an experiment. Dewitt said that he and his training buddies had been experiencing progress for months using the progression as outlined above (4-5-6). That tells me (probably) that they used the time-honored cycling tradition of backing off to maybe 80 or 85 percent of their 6RM and moving up over time, eventually meeting and exceeding their previous maxes. Stuart McRobert revived that approach and stressed it especially in the early years of Hardgainer magazine. Call it The McRobert Agenda.
Here's a link to the full post: https://www.davedraper.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/27770/ Hella long load time on the site now.
It's been a while since I've made a comment but I'd like to offer my experience with this. So for me, if I'm doing sensible weight increases I can last 4 months and then hit a plateau. I was actually doing very partial military press starts where I merely mover the bar an inch off the rack for singles. I started off with 230 lbs. and plateaued once I reached 310. I got great starting power and I greatly increased my one arm dumbbell strict press from a lousy 80 lbs. to 100 even though I was specializing on the barbell partial press starts.
ReplyDeleteIn hindsight I probably should've stuck with this and just deloaded the weight and start light working my way back up. For me my mindset is what stops me from succeeding with any routine long term. By that I mean if I stick with the same range of motion too long it gets boring and my body fails to respond. This is why I prefer lockouts to full range movement or even partial starts because it's easier to keep myself motivated with progress at different heights.
Currently, I just got 650 below the knee on the trap bar deadlift. Specializing on explosive partial shrugs at various high positions is what gave me this recent lift. On the press I'm doing partial one arm barbell push presses and I just did 140 strict at 4 inches above my head on the lockout. I use layback and hip thrust for more of a one arm side press but it still carries over well.
Hey Jeff, good to hear from you, and thanks for sharing here!
DeleteThanks, it's great to be back! You've been quite busy I can see from all the fantastic high volume of articles that you added! Great material and I continue to learn and evolve my training thanks to your generosity in sharing a wealth of knowledge. It's my pleasure to know you and contribute to the discussion!
DeleteHey, it's only me, Jeff . . . and thanks big for the friendship!
DeleteHello Jeff, what were your height and bwt during the barbell press starts and one DB press increase from 80 to 100 lb? Thank you.
Delete@jeff:
DeleteThats quite interesting, would like to hear more about that approach.
Also curious about the shrug having such great carry over to the TB deadlift.
Okay, first to Eric. My height is 6ft3 and bodyweight fluctuated between 220 to 230. So nothing to brag about compared to the champion lifters we read about here on a regular basis. I recently changed my diet and have now been 215 consistently for 3 months now and feel better too.
DeleteMy best press was 215 @ 200 bodyweight. I have no desire to get down to that low weight ever again. That was 10 years ago before I started heavy squats, good mornings and deadlifts. Back then I only did lat pulldowns, cable rows, leg presses, leg extensions and leg curls. Huge difference switching to free weight exercises from machines and the demand on the body in comparison.
Now to the anonymous lifter. So before I delve into why shrugs have dramatically increased my TB deadlift I would like to refer you to Paul Kelso's articles on here. He did many experiments with shrugs and made fantastic progress in several lifts, not just the deadlift. If memory serves me well I think he stated that he increased his deadlift by 50 lbs. in one month of specializing on shrugs.
So most people I see on Youtube doing shrugs just hitch the barbell on their legs and only shrug it at the final 2 inches at the top of the lift. This I feel is useless and does nothing for the lift. With the way I do shrugs on the trap bar I start above the knee and over weeks and months progress to where I shrug at mid shin level.
Shrugging at lower levels trains different parts of the trapezius. Standing upright just nails the upper traps. When I'm leaning forward to any significant degree I engage the more important mid and low trap muscles which most lifters neglect.
I do these explosively like a high pull with leg drive and shrug as high as I can. I found that there is untapped potential in the traps which are vitally used at different points in the deadlift not just with locking out the bar from above the knee to completion. I have 2 books by Paul Anderson and he trained shrugs explosively as well and who could argue with his cleaning and deadlifting results?
Hope all this helps you in some way with training and I wish you both well in your lifting.
Thank you Jeff. Are you able to One DB Press 100x1 now at 215 bwt, or would you need to take your bwt closer to 230 to accomplish that?
DeleteHi Eric and you're welcome. As for your challenging request it depends on the parameters. I can certainly push press 100 now for reps and in a week or two I can get it strict because when I push press I always strive for controlled negatives when lowering the dumbbell. So at 215 I can do it and I don't want to gain weight. I'm really enjoying running faster and flying on pullups with my light weight.
DeleteI've found in my own training over the years that my strength isn't any greater when I'm heavy at 230 in contrast to being light at 200. Right now I've found a nice middle ground. Weight gain and bulk building does absolutely nothing for me in the way of getting stronger. I get stronger with specializing on developing my tendons and ligaments through partial reps in the power rack and timed holds (isometrics, Peary Rader & Bill March).
I've shared so much with you but I'd be interested in your experiences and what you do if you care to share. I'd say the number one key to progress is never stop learning and make refinements or adjustments whenever possible. I've learned so much from reading this blog as well as building a vast library of books on weightlifting. Knowledge is power and never stop evolving or being stuck in your ways. My training is light years ahead of what I did in the past.
This is a huge part of what I was aiming for with this blog. Experienced lifters sharing that experience freely and openly with no need to peddle any approach as the "best" . . . we're gettin' there now!
DeleteHello Jeff, my workouts are based around the TBDL (original Gerard bar), TB shrugs, plate pullovers, one DB presses (IronMind HuskyHandle DBs), also some one DB curls and pull-ups. These choices are influenced by my injury history, available equipment and training quarters. Also leg raises and direct neck work. I'm about the same height and weight as you are.
DeleteI was stuck in a Reg Park-inspired 5x5 on the TBDL for years, then several years ago finally adapted a Dr. Ken program from the Dec. 1989 issue of MD, and made a decision to get strong. I mentally turned a corner there, and wasn't going to "take it" anymore, and made the clear decision to get strong.
I started the Dr. Ken program without worrying about poundages though. I needed a mental break and started out easy. I'd adopted McRobert's deadlifting advice to not go lower than when the low-back starts to round, so was TBDLing with the bar raised several inches on cinder blocks. (I have a history of sciatica from a childhood accident.) I evolved into doing this in workout A each week, and in workout B I instigated the TBDL from knees. I worked up to 320x20 in workout A, and 450x20 in workout B, week in and week out. I sometimes did 300x30 and 400x30 instead. This was after only ever getting to 300x5 using the 5x5 system, and often getting injured on the 300x5. I’d taken 300x5 with injuries to 320x20 and 300x30 with no injuries and feeling great, by switching to this Dr. Ken inspired method.
Note: Doing the TBDL from knees in workout B was just an instinctual decision, in that I thought using a heavier weight for a shorter range in workout B would assist strength and progress of the longer range TBDL in workout A. This seemed to work great for me.
Cont'd here: Per Dr. Ken I sometimes attempted rep records, and made sure to make some kind of TBDL record for each birthday workout. I did 245x50 and 200x70 TBDL, and for one birthday workout did 500x20 TBDL from the knees, which took about 15 minutes I think. That one was hellish. (I'd gotten inspired by Bob Peoples' deadlifts of 500x17 and 450x28.)
DeleteMore recent birthday records on TBDL from knees are 450x35 and 400x40. Strangely enough on those last two records I could have kept going, because when the reps get high enough, my body seems to get so tuned and oiled and hot at the ideal temp. that the later reps start to get easier than the earlier ones. I stopped the 450 at 35 because I didn't know what more might do to my CNS. I had to stop somewhere, and set a good record for myself. I was trying to go into rarified territory where most people won’t attempt to go.
On all these deadlifts I never take my hands from the bar. Even on the 200x70, I never let go. On that I was trying to see how close I could get to 200x100, and by 70 my legs were like rubber. I don’t think I could have gotten rep 71.
I mostly do the TBDL from knees now due to a chronic ab injury of some kind, but am working on reintroducing the longer-range TBDL so I can get back to the 300+ x 20-30 range on that again.
On most of these deadlifts in a typical workout I go steadily to rep 5 or 6, then rest-pause my way to the end. On higher energy days I can TBDL from knees 400 steadily to rep 10 or 12, once in a while to 15, then RP to 30. Once in a while I'll TBDL from knees a higher weight for 6 or 8 or 10 reps, if for some reason I can't face 20-30 reps that day.
Cont'd here: I recently replaced TB shrugs with TB pulls, gleaned from a Dr. Ken TB program. He described it as an accelerating deadlift culminating in a shrug. I’ve been doing these from the knees after my TBDL from knees. I love this exercise, the TB pull. I get maybe to rep 8 then RP to the end. Last workout after TBDL from knees 400x30 I did TB pull from knees 320x20. In the workout before that I did TB pull 350x15 after 450x20 TBDL from knees. I’m kind of thrilled that I can do a semi-ballistic Olympic lift-related type of exercise that feels so good and friendly on my body. In the TB pull with 320 or 350 I could keep going in the RP mode, but am working my way into this new for me exercise.
DeleteI might start to experiment carefully with the TB high pull, because I think the deltoid work it offers could help my one DB press. But my right shoulder is unstable from a chronic injury, so I might not be able to get far with TB high pulls.
But this TB pull I’ve been doing recently has added excitement to my workouts, and I look forward to doing them each workout. If I can successfully reintroduce my longer range TBDL, I will also hope to add longer range TB pulls to the mix.
I’ll add that when I switched to this Dr. Ken-based training method several years ago, I was already well past the age where notable strength gains could be expected, according to mainstream thought and opinion.
I’ll mention some stuff about my one DB press in next comment.
I can’t report similar advances in my DB press in following this Dr. Ken-based program. But as you mentioned about controlling the eccentric portion of the push press to build strength for pressing, Dr. Ken did the same thing with the PP, so I’ve started the one DB PP over the last month or so, and trying to control the negative.
DeleteDue to the unstable right shoulder, my right DB presses are done with my right elbow cupped and held in my left hand. This controls the groove and stabilizes the pressing. What’s happening is with this method I’m able to press with the right what I’m PPing with the left. It’s working OK so far. I also have snapping ulnar nerves in both arms, and this cupping of right elbow with left hand during DB pressing controls that.
I’m able to press fully freehand with the left, even with some ulnar snapping. So with the work sets, with the left I DB PP, followed by DB press with the right, back and forth. With left the first few warmup sets are DB press, then as weight increases move to DB PP in later sets, while continuing to DB press with right (no DB PP with right at this stage, as right can press what left can PP).
I’m attempting to use the DB PP to build up the DB press, in a similar way to how I think my TBDL from knees helped to build up my TBDL.
I’m frustrated by my lagging DB press, as standing presses were where I showed the most promise. At 13-14 I started to do seated one DB presses, and seated one DB curls, with a 30-35 lb DB. I did those, and neck work with a head strap, and probably leg raises. I kept doing those exercises, then one day when 15-16 and 6’ 1” and 158 lb, I walked up to my dad’s 135 lb barbell and cleaned it. I was shocked that it went up like a feather, after only doing these seated one DB presses. I then pressed it in fast and loose style for 10-15 reps. That became part of my regular workouts, pressing 135x10-15 for two sets, while weighing 158 on my way to 175 lb and growing in height. I still don’t know how these pretty light seated DB presses translated to those standing BB presses.
DeleteThe right shoulder instability has precluded the BP for many years. I’ve periodically reintroduced a one DB floor press or seated dip between cinder blocks, but the right shoulder always puts an end to those efforts. Also any pronated grip pressing, even standing, is painful and I have to use a neutral or parallel grip to press at any angle. I’m on the lookout for a log bar at a local secondhand store that carries weight plates, so I can introduce a two-handed parallel grip standing press, which might be OK on my right shoulder. I’d also like to PP with a log bar. I think I could get somewhere with that, strength-wise.
If I got a steep incline bench I would try one DB seated presses on it, to see if I could get some pectoral activity with those. But for the most part I don’t do any pec-focused pressing. If I had an original Nautilus Pullover I might not even worry about any pec-focused pressing, because a good heavy pullover might be enough for pecs.
My thought for some time has been, if I can ever get my one DB press to 100x1 in decent form, my right shoulder might have the strength and stability to reintroduce some form of pec-focused pressing.
DeleteRecent workouts looked like:
A.
Back Ext: 50
TBDL from knees: 1x5 1x3 1x2 1x1 1x30
TB Pull from knees: 1x20
Plate Pullover: 1x30
One DB Press: 1x5 1x3 1x1 1x1 1x1 1x1 1x5
One DB Curl: 1x8 1x6
Neck: 1x20 aft, 1x30 fore, 1x20 each side
Leg Raises: 50
Pull-ups: 1x5 1x4
B
Back Ext: 50
TBDL from knees: 1x5 1x3 1x2 1x1 1x1 1x20
TB Pull from knees: 1x15
Plate Pullover: 1x30
One DB Press: 1x5 1x3 1x1 1x1 1x3 1x1 1x5
One DB Curl: 1x8 1x6
Neck: 1x20 aft, 1x30 fore, 1x20 each side
Leg Raises: 50
Pull-ups: 1x6 1x4
The final 1x5 sets in DB press/pp are a back-off set.
Wow Eric, that is a lot to process! Thanks for all the detailed responses! I have some questions about your injuries. First, your right shoulder. What caused the chronic injury?
ReplyDeleteYou may want to start training dead hangs from the pull up bar. These strengthen the rotator cuffs and helps realign the shoulders. After you master those with whatever length of time you're satisfied with you could then try mastering one arm dead hangs. Supporting your whole body on your right shoulder will really stretch it out and make it stronger than before.
I use straps on the dead hangs because I don't care about grip strength on these and only care about decompressing my lower spine and stretching out my shoulders. I worked up to 135 lbs. around my waist for 1 minute with straps on the dead hang. Now I can do several sets of 90 second hangs without weight. I have now been training one arm hangs with straps and can do 50 lbs. around my waist for 30 seconds.
Now for your snapping ulnar nerves. Is it an injury or arthritis? I ask this distinction because if you're able to do leverage bar twists with your wrists the exercise will greatly strengthen your ulnar nerves. You can do these on one end of your Ironmind dumbbells. Great choice for freeloading dumbbells by the way because I have those too. I actually had some custom dumbbells made that are 42 inches long which I use for leverage bar twists. My goal one day is to twist with my hand all the way at the end of the dumbbell handle. I'm halfway there now.
The chronic shoulder situation was brought on by following questionable advice for doing weighted dips. Too bad because I showed promise with the dip, unlike with the BP. A therapeutic warmup exercise I do for it is front to lateral raises with usually 5 lb plates, 40 reps. Bill Starr later recommended this in an article. I also stretch it while lying on my back and raising/placing right arm on the floor or bed above/behind my head.
DeleteThe snapping ulnar problem started after doing high pulls with Husky DBs. I thought it was snapping triceps tendon syndrome, but after reading more in depth about it think it could be snapping ulnar instead. It's in or near the triceps tendon on inner side of arm just above the elbow.
I've read some about doing hangs for shoulders and spine, but never really got dedicated to doing them. I use a doorway pull-up bar that requires legs be tucked in front or behind during exercise, so I need to find a place to hang from high enough for my legs to dangle freely, fully stretched out.
The leverage bar twists I haven't done much of either. This must be something like supinating and pronating back and forth. Just doing this now freehand gives me the impression this could be therapeutic too.
Thank you Jeff.
You're welcome Eric. Happy to help in anyway and provide possible solutions to your problems. Definitely need a pull up bar on at least an 8 ft. power rack for sure to hang your legs freely. Sounds like leverage bar twists may be worth trying out as well.
DeleteI am in no way an expert on lifting but I have sustained several injuries and strains so I have some knowledge on how to rehab certain things without the need for surgery which almost always makes things worse.
Let me know how you progress with these exercises if you decide to try them out. I wish you the best with your recovery and training.