What program are you currently following and what do you have planned for 2023?

The Forever Strong is paid programming delivered via the Train Heroic app.

It's not one program (like WS4SB, for example), it changes over time, usually every 12 weeks.

From the top of my head, we've done maybe 4-5 programs at this stage.

They've varied between 3-4 days training, and usually have been 'push/pull/legs' and then if there was a fourth day that was either a rehab/recovery type day, or it was a full body day.

Obviously because it's been several different programs, the details of what the Lower days look like depends on the specific program but in general they have been something like-

-Mobility stuff at the beginning

-Some kind of 2 or 3 exercise circuit to warm-up, using things like banded leg extensions and leg curls, hip bridges, DB RDLs, single leg exercises... Just a way to get a sweat going

-Main lift has sometimes been a deadlift or a squat variation of your choice, and usually 3-4 sets, and often the last set might be some kind of max reps or max effort set. But on at least 2 of the programs the main lift has been DB bulgarian split squats, going heavy, like 3-5 reps...

-Supplementary work has been what you'd expect... Hip bridges, RDLs, back extensions, leg curls... Often super-sets

If you've been following DeFranco for a while you probably know that his outlook these days is that there are no essential exercises, so if straight bar deadlifts are consistently messing you up then I think he would probably note that you could pull off blocks, or do trap bar deads, or whatever else. The point in his programming is not to increase your deadlift max, he would probably say the point is just to have a main lift that's glute, hamstring and low-back focused and pick one you can put in a good effort on.

Been continuing to run the Joe DeFranco / James Smith programming from Team Forever Strong.

Last program, just finishing up, was an upper, lower, upper plus 'summer challenges' that were basically outdoor conditioning workouts.

Some progress on bench 1rm but probably regressed a little on my front squat 1rm. Pull-up numbers jumped up.

Overall reasonably happy, I've learned that you can rarely make all the numbers go up all the time. You have to pick your priorities.

If numbers are going down across the board, or in the majority, that's a red flag for me BTW. You don't have to be arbitrarily assigning importance to a given set of lifts, it's more that if you're getting weaker in several ears then it's probably a bad sign, unless there's some really specific circumstances where it's OK (Like being a very large powerlifter who wants to go in a complete different direction with their training, losing body mass, lifts dropping etc But developing greater all-around fitness, more relative strength etc.).

There's some discontent in the TFS online group at the moment because errors in the programming have been appearing, causing people to have to query what is correct in a given workout and what might be an error. It's usually minor stuff - a set too much here, lack of clarity on whether it's a close grip bench vs regular bench - stuff like that, but overall there's a little bit of a sense that no one is at the helm / regularly checking in.

I know the week after next we're doing a three week transitional programme that is based around the idea of super high volume. Almost like a challenge rather than a programme.

After the three week transitional program there's a 'summer challenge'. Again, I'll take a look at what it is, because we can see the upcoming programming a week in advance, but if it doesn't float my boat then I might go on pause for a few months, and do something like a basic upper / lower.

It's true that DeFranco tends to programme 1 lower body day per week. But sometimes in TFS he has had a dedicated lower day and then full body day later in the week... Or sometimes conditioning days where you're doing volumes of bodyweight movements that include things like walking lunges.

My bench has actually come along well on it, and I'm pain free on it, and on other movements like strict pull ups, but fair to say I had a significantly bigger squat and deadlift when doing conjugate or following Andy Baker.

The TFS is in that "washed up meathead" / general fitness zone, I wouldn't recommend it to someone with a top end strength goal, either upper or lower. DeFranco describes most of the programmes as functional hypertrophy with a longevity twist. He does have increasing relative strength over absolute strength as a stated goal, and I would say I've seen results reflective of that. Pullups and pushups, and probably "general athleticism" (dangerously vague phrase admittedly) is up even if squat variations 1Rms are down.

New DeFranco program starting next week.

It's as if he was listening in to this thread, because (as with previous programs, in fairness), lower body is trained twice in the week.

Monday is a full body day that includes a 3x7 compound squat variation. Then Thursday is a dedicated lower body day. Not sure anyone except those with very specific goals requires much more.

Right now, liking this set up in my current programming which has compound lifts (bench and squat) set up on Mondays, using 531 percentages. Then the rest of the week has pull, legs, push. The pull and push leg days have quite a bit of unilateral work in them. It feels like it all makes sense in that Joe DeFranco way of doing things.

I'm halfway through a second block of this DeFranco programme, so that means I'm also halfway through my second block of 531, as that's the rep scheme he's using for the main lifts on it.

Observations...

The first couple of years I did 531 I was more of a novice, and I think because my numbers were low, I was super hesitatant to take Wendler's advice to lower your estimated maxes for the purpose of working out percentages you'd be lifting at. I basically always did my true 1rm. Aside from a lot of grindy reps, the end result was that I very quickly hit a wall in trying to beat rep maxes, or add weight on certain lifts.

10+ years later now, I am more than happy to use a -10% estimate for my maxes, and as a result my "max rep" sets are generally in a higher range - usually something like 5-10.

It's too early to be definitive, but it feels a lot more productive and like I have leeway to add weight if I wanted to, or I can just focus on beating a previous rep max if I don't.

I don't generally hold with advice to lift sub maximally, I do think progressive loading and being a bit ambitious is very important in many programmes, but I think with 531 the weight lifted is less important than making a really concerted effort to have a product final set, no matter what weight is on the bar. I think if you understand that and really push to beat previous numbers, you will progress even if you are only adding weight once per block, the way Wendler proposes.

I'm already massively regretting getting involved in this programme.

Lower body 1 today:-

5x8 high bar back squat, superset with 5x15 leg extensions

5x8 RDL, superset with 5x15 leg curls

3x30 duck leg press

4x20 sets seated calf raises

This programming kind of flies in the face of a lot of what I think I know to be good programming, but honestly, if I'm struggling this much with it, then part of me thinks it must be going to cause adaptation.

My wife is saying "give it 12 weeks and then revaluate". I'm not sure I will last it out, and I normally hate quitting programs.

In their defence, it's a transitional programme, I suspect it'll only run for 3 or 4 weeks then they'll do something else. It's not visible in the group yet. Maybe the random elements will only be once a week. At I'll, probably not for me.

I did learn a lot / am learning a lot from the programming there, although the group chat is pretty basic.

That's annoying re the rotator cuff. Had issues with my right shoulder for 2-3 years. It's hard to resolve.

Yeah the recommended RPE / % 1RM for the bench in that particular programme were excessive - I had to cut it back, I actually remember that specifically.

Binned the Mark Carroll programming, back to Joe DeFranco. I managed a fortnight, and I was literally feeling hungover after four days a week of 15-17 sets a workout.

I have even greater respect for my missus, who has been doing his physique programming for about 2 years. She sniggered when I said I was switching back.

The past few weeks, training 2 upper and 2 lower per week, and with a relatively high volume of accessories has conspired - along with the December drinking season, and work stresses - to leave me flattened.

Just feeling absolutely shattered. Old aches and pains making a comeback, which is always a sign, to me, of recovery in the doldrums.

Lately I've been unsure what I'm moving into in 2024. This week I have opted to just 'punch the clock' somewhat, I'm doing a bro split week that looks like-

Chest / triceps

Back / Biceps

REST

Legs

Shoulder / traps

REST

REST

Not the optimal ordering, but it really doesn't matter.

All workouts 4-5 exercises, and relatively low volume, 2-3 work sets at most.

In the new year I am going to weigh up choosing between (1) Whatever Joe DeFranco offers for January, (2) a continuation of this bro split, in some form or (3) some kind of 3 day a week programming, and to try to be more consistent in my BJJ. Could go with any of them, at the moment.

I'm back at the Yoga for Bjj myself. I did the level 1 cert and was big into it for a while. The most flexible I've ever been. Just dropped it because as I got more advanced it took more and more effort. It seems more practical for me to take more a "minimum effective dose" approach, rather than feeling I have to develop it further and further.

Ended up just continuing with Joe DeFranco's programming now that the Christmas chaos has resolved. I'm a creature of habit, I guess. Been on his programming for 1-1.5 years now, I think.

On week 2 of a 12 week upper / lower program. Two upper, one lower per week. Works out as a chest and tricep dominant upper body day, and a shoulders and biceps dominant upper body day. Back sprinkled relatively evenly in there. The lower days have a quad dominant day and a posterior chain dominant day.

As is becoming common with his longer programs, he has it broken down so that there's an eccentric block, and I think we can expect something like an isometric strength block next, or similar, and so on.