Thoughts on this workout...

WHIP IT!

Workout by burgomeister08, on Flickr

At my gym, they often very helpfully throw up workouts on the whiteboard every now and then - usually makes interesting reading although I rarely really follow them... this one caught my eye however, as it seems to mix upper and lower-body work on each of the three days while starting off (week 1) of 5 sets of 5 on each superset and then lowering the number of sets but rising the number of reps each week.

Incidentally, Day 3 has the last superset accidentally erased, it should read: 'Barbell Curls with Overhead tricep extensions'

Just wondering what the boards experts think of it? I tried Day 3 yesterday and lashed through it quite quick - but there was nothing easy about it I must say and I felt it this morning...

Hanley

I think it's actually fantastic. Support that with lots of food and you'll not only grow, you'll f*cking GROW.

Only change I'd make is sticking 2-3 weeks at each rep range and extending it to a 8-12 week cycle. Savage tho.

WHIP IT!

Hanley wrote: »

I think it's actually fantastic. Support that with lots of food and you'll not only grow, you'll f*cking GROW.

Only change I'd make is sticking 2-3 weeks at each rep range and extending it to a 8-12 week cycle. Savage tho.

No kiddin - thanks H (that's 'thanks' for your opinion, that's not me accepting 'thanks' for your compliments on the workout which I didn't make up! )

I might give it a bit of a bash so... myself and a pal did Day 3 in about 35 minutes yesterday... and I am stiff today, let me tell ya!

Delray

Hi what is the second entry on day 3

Hanley

WHIP IT! wrote: »

No kiddin - thanks H (that's 'thanks' for your opinion, that's not me accepting 'thanks' for your compliments on the workout which I didn't make up! )

I might give it a bit of a bash so... myself and a pal did Day 3 in about 35 minutes yesterday... and I am stiff today, let me tell ya!

I reckon you're almost certainly not going heavy enough so. That workout would take me about 2 hours to do!

WHIP IT!

Delray wrote: »

Hi what is the second entry on day 3

It is 'Seated DB Press'- ie, shoulder press to me, anyway!

WHIP IT!

Hanley wrote: »

WHIP IT! wrote: »

No kiddin - thanks H (that's 'thanks' for your opinion, that's not me accepting 'thanks' for your compliments on the workout which I didn't make up! )

I might give it a bit of a bash so... myself and a pal did Day 3 in about 35 minutes yesterday... and I am stiff today, let me tell ya!

I reckon you're almost certainly not going heavy enough so. That workout would take me about 2 hours to do!

Cheers, we were doing the Week 2, 4x10 session if that makes a difference... was tough enough going, doing it that fast too...

SteelyDanJalapeno

Stupid question, but,

For week 1 for example, are the 5x5 in one exercise all done before you move onto the next exercise?

Delray

I think they are grouped in three supersets so you do a set of barbell squat then a set bench press , repeat the series for 5 sets , then move onto the next superset
Looks like a really good routine , going to give it a go

Degsy

Hanley wrote: »

I think it's actually fantastic. Support that with lots of food and you'll not only grow, you'll f*cking GROW.

Only change I'd make is sticking 2-3 weeks at each rep range and extending it to a 8-12 week cycle. Savage tho.

Is it the volume of training or the actual excercises you reckon will get results? It certainly seems like hitting same bodyparts multiple times a week..something i'm not averese to but afraid to try!

Hanley

Degsy wrote: »

Is it the volume of training or the actual excercises you reckon will get results? It certainly seems like hitting same bodyparts multiple times a week..something i'm not averese to but afraid to try!

Hit the same body part multiple times per week and eating lots of kcals = success.

The many kcals help recovery. And once you're not being stupid with how you do the exercises, you shouldn't "overtrain".

i'm generally a fan of anything that hits big moves multiple times per week.

WHIP IT!

Delray wrote: »

I think they are grouped in three supersets so you do a set of barbell squat then a set bench press , repeat the series for 5 sets , then move onto the next superset Looks like a really good routine , going to give it a go

Correct and right!

Ok, glad this gets the boards seal of approval so gonna give it a whack for a few weeks and see how I get on...

Hanley

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Correct and right!

Ok, glad this gets the boards seal of approval so gonna give it a whack for a few weeks and see how I get on...

I assume on D3, hammer press should be hammer curl?

WHIP IT!

Hanley wrote: »

I assume on D3, hammer press should be hammer curl?

I would've thought so, but if I see the instructor who put it up, I'll ask him to clarify...

WHIP IT!

Hanley wrote: »

I assume on D3, hammer press should be hammer curl?

Or maybe this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfd8ITKGSAQ

Brian?

Looks very good. No fiddling around, big compound movements, no mad rep schemes and a nice logical layout

I don't think it's necessary to change rep ranges every week tbh, maybe every 3.

WHIP IT!

briankeating wrote: »

Looks very good. No fiddling around, big compound movements, no mad rep schemes and a nice logical layout

I don't think it's necessary to change rep ranges every week tbh, maybe every 3.

Out of interest, what do you think would be more beneficial/effective - doing this for 12 weeks, changing rep range every week (ie, on Week 5, go back to 5x5) or doing it for 12 weeks with 3 weeks on each rep range?

Hanley

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Or maybe this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfd8ITKGSAQ

possibly... I was working on the assumption that there was a bi/tri workout at the end of all days to finish off!

Brian?

WHIP IT! wrote: »

briankeating wrote: »

Looks very good. No fiddling around, big compound movements, no mad rep schemes and a nice logical layout

I don't think it's necessary to change rep ranges every week tbh, maybe every 3.

Out of interest, what do you think would be more beneficial/effective - doing this for 12 weeks, changing rep range every week (ie, on Week 5, go back to 5x5) or doing it for 12 weeks with 3 weeks on each rep range?

Don't know, but it would be one interesting experiment. Spend the next 24 weeks doing it and let me know .

AntiVirus

Looks interesting but what are lat pull downs doing in there instead of pull ups? Its got chin ups but no pull ups?

Hanley

AntiVirus wrote: »

Looks interesting but what are lat pull downs doing in there instead of pull ups? Its got chin ups but no pull ups?

Pulldowns are a good exercise...

AntiVirus

Hanley wrote: »

Pulldowns are a good exercise...

They area good exercise but that routine is specific to the person who wrote it. He can do the chin ups but not the pull ups. You'll find most people who try this won't be able to do the pull ups let alone the chin ups so they should have been changed too. Anyone can do 2 sets of 20 lat pull downs, very few can do 2 sets of 20 chin ups. You just have to read the chin up/ pull up thread to see that.

the drifter

quick....somebody copyright it and write and ebook!!!!

Lawstud

Assuming you extend this program, how do you manage the weight you are lifting?

If you take week 1 which involves 5❌5 and do it for maybe 3 weeks as was suggested by some. Presumably you will want to be increasing the weighty each week. But what happen when you move into the other weeks which require you to increase the reps over fewer sets? 

Do you just drop the weight so as to allow yourself to achieve the prescribed reps? 

 Is it then advisable to stay on the other weeks for an extended period as with week 1 above? 

Or is it best to just run the 4 weeks and start again? 

Duck's hoop

Lawstud wrote: »

Assuming you extend this program, how do you manage the weight you are lifting?

If you take week 1 which involves 5❌5 and do it for maybe 3 weeks as was suggested by some. Presumably you will want to be increasing the weighty each week. But what happen when you move into the other weeks which require you to increase the reps over fewer sets? 

Do you just drop the weight so as to allow yourself to achieve the prescribed reps? 

 Is it then advisable to stay on the other weeks for an extended period as with week 1 above? 

Or is it best to just run the 4 weeks and start again? 

Not being smart, but I find those types of questions just mental.

It's meant to be simple, that's the whole point, then in a dozen posts it gets convoluted and multilayered and my head hurts trying to understand all the variables.

It's just progress as much and as often as you can. Reps or weight or both. Or am I missing something?

Hanley

AntiVirus wrote: »

They area good exercise but that routine is specific to the person who wrote it. He can do the chin ups but not the pull ups. You'll find most people who try this won't be able to do the pull ups let alone the chin ups so they should have been changed too. Anyone can do 2 sets of 20 lat pull downs, very few can do 2 sets of 20 chin ups. You just have to read the chin up/ pull up thread to see that.

Maybe he doesn't want to do pull ups for any number of reasons.

It's a generic program that is an incredible starting point and far better than most the crap out there.

And once again a relatively simple program which requires nothing but some time and hard work is being second guessed on boards and turned into a thought exercise rather than actually just being done.

I get that ppl want perfection and a plan that "works". But that's not reasonable or realistic. Get stuck in. Adhere to the spirit of the program and tweak on the fly. Simples.

A bad program done well is better than a good program done poorly.

davyjose

AntiVirus wrote: »

They area good exercise but that routine is specific to the person who wrote it. He can do the chin ups but not the pull ups. You'll find most people who try this won't be able to do the pull ups let alone the chin ups so they should have been changed too. Anyone can do 2 sets of 20 lat pull downs, very few can do 2 sets of 20 chin ups. You just have to read the chin up/ pull up thread to see that.

Lat pulldowns are much better at isolating the lats than chin/pull ups.

Duck's hoop

davyjose wrote: »

Lat pulldowns are much better at isolating the lats than chin/pull ups.

They're definitely much easier anyway :pac:

I HATE pull ups. And not fond of chins either. So I do chins every workout and pull ups every second.



I dread them. That has to be good.

AntiVirus

Hanley wrote: »

Maybe he doesn't want to do pull ups for any number of reasons.

This is very true, it is his plan after all and as you say everyone can add their own tweaks. Anyway I can do all the chin Ups but I couldn't do all the pull Ups if they where in there.

Brian?

If you do pull ups then do them instead of chins.

Don't overcomplicate it, but you can always personalise it.

tower08

Would doing this Workout without supersetting some of the main lifts have much of an effect on results? Ie. completing all sets on the bench before moving to squats ? It's just I don't think I'd be able to have a bench and squat rack available at the same time in my gym, it's a bit too busy unfortunately!

arse..biscuits

tower08 wrote: »

Would doing this Workout without supersetting some of the main lifts have much of an effect on results? Ie. completing all sets on the bench before moving to squats ? It's just I don't think I'd be able to have a bench and squat rack available at the same time in my gym, it's a bit too busy unfortunately!

Shouldn't effect results. It'll just take you longer to get through it all.

WHIP IT!

Did Day 1 of this today - phew, nothing easy about it! And I didnt tax myself too much with the weights I used... tough goin but a great workout... looking forward to getting my teeth into this one in the coming weeks...

Mellor

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Cheers, we were doing the Week 2, 4x10 session if that makes a difference... was tough enough going, doing it that fast too...

That means it was 32 sets, in 32 minutes.
That volume that fast would suggest that the load you are using is too light for you. Which is what Hanley was getting at.
Increase the load and take a rest between supersets. It will take longer, but it'll be worth it.

Lawstud wrote: »

Assuming you extend this program, how do you manage the weight you are lifting?

If you take week 1 which involves 5❌5 and do it for maybe 3 weeks as was suggested by some. Presumably you will want to be increasing the weighty each week. But what happen when you move into the other weeks which require you to increase the reps over fewer sets? 

Do you just drop the weight so as to allow yourself to achieve the prescribed reps? 

 Is it then advisable to stay on the other weeks for an extended period as with week 1 above? 

Or is it best to just run the 4 weeks and start again? 

Of course. How else would it be possible. You aren't expected to do the 5x5 and 2x20 at the same weight.

The_Devil

Would this routine be suitable for all? ie would the 1st week be as good as the starting strength program..
From reading this i think id like to do it however as I would not be an experienced weights user I was thinking of spending 2 weeks lifting at the 5x5 and then increasing the sets/ reps? or should i start with the Starting Strength and progress to this?
Thanks