2/23

Bench: 2x5x167.5, 1x10x167.5

DB Incline: 3x10x50s

Squat: 2x5x230, 1x10x230

2/26

Press: 2x5x122.5, 1x7x122.5

weighted chins: 1x8x20, 1x7x20

DL: 1x12x245

Hey, what's the program you are doing? I.e how do you select what exercises you do, how much you lift, when you train, etc?

It's called greyskull linear progression, it's a variation of SS. http://strengthvillain.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=89

Here's what I do. The program is very flexible.

Day 1:

Bench 2x5, 1x5+ (as many as possible, and do a reset next session if you fall below 5 reps)
Squat: 2x5, 1x5+
then typically I do Dumb bell incline although some people do dips, flys, etc.

Day 2:

Press: Same format as above
Deadlift: 1x5+
then weighted chin ups or cable rows or bb rows or lat pull downs

Day 3:

Same as day 1

So you lift 3x per week, alternating Bench/Press and always squatting on day 1/3 and deadlifting on day 2, so that you Bench/Press 3x each in a 2 week period, squat 4 times, and deadlift twice. Like SS, it's a linear progression, so every workout I move up 5 lbs on squat and deadlift and 2.5 lbs on press and bench. If I ever "fail" a set by not completing 5 reps then I'll reset next time and drop down in weight and start over. I switched over to gslp after I couldn't handle squatting 3x per week as SS has you do.

Ok. Seems kind of light overall in terms of workload... There's no requirement for additional accessory exercises?

There are some bicep curls somewhere in there too, but it is a pretty standard novice strength routine. What accessories would you add in?

Its a solid strength training routine, that's fo sho. But this routine gets routinely quoted as a decent one for aesthetics. That must stop.

As we all know to maximize muscle growth, we must stress the muscle with mechanical tension, time under tension, and metabolic stresses. This is done by working with different rep ranges.

And in this case, the programming calls for exactly one set per muscle group that could theoretically hit either the time under tension requirement or the metabolic stresses requirement(the + set).

Thus the program is very weak from an aesthetic standpoint. It gets marginally better when you add GTG pushups and chins. But still weak. But like Aidan said, a standard novice strength routine.

It also advises frequency chins and pushups daily, an hour of LISS daily, and some GPP every so often if you want to make it more advanced. I'm following this general template and have added some stuff where appropriate (essentially extra upper back work, front squats, and weighted dips on various days), but for a pure novice or someone reentering lifting after some time off, how it's being done here is more than fine imo.

ETA: loco, the argument most people make is that it's a better program aesthetically than SS, which is hard to dispute. It's not designed to be PHAT or anything like that.

No one* says its good for aesthetics (dumb word btw), its just better than SS in that regard. I dont think there is a credible argument against a rank novice putting >90% of his training economy into getting better at the basic compound lifts in the 3-5 rep range, even if their eventual desired outcome is "aesthetics".

Monte, you're beyond a rank novice and have some experience training so its not like you have no idea what you're doing when it comes to adding stuff. I did forget the chins, and anyone pursuing barbell training should probably be doing frequency chins. Tuco is still a little ways off needing to add too much, given his recent return and decent progress so far.

*whose opinion counts.

What program should I graduate to once I exhaust my gainz on gslp? That's gonna be a while, however.

3/3

took 4 days off. laziness combined with a snow/ice storm. Only 5 hrs sleep last night so everything felt super heavy today.

Bench: 2x5x170, 1x8x170

Squat: 2x5x235, 1x8x235

3/5

DL: 1x12x250

Press: 2x5x125, 1x6x125

Cable rows: 3x12 (120, 125, 130)

3/8

Bench: 2x5x172.5, 1x8x172.5

Squat: 2x5x240, 1x10x240

Db incline: (10,11,12) x 50s

3/12

Press:2x5x127.5, 1x6x127.5

Weighted chins: 2x8x20

Squat: 2x5x245, 1x9x245

3/14

Bench: 2x5x175, 1x8x175

DB Incline: 3x10x55s

DL: 1x12x255


Leaving tomorrow for Colorado for spring break! So no training for a week or so, just when I was starting to make some gains again.

3/27

Bench: 2x5x175, 1x6x175

Some DB incline

Played some bball for first time in years, can still shoot it a little.

I finally got around to ordering my rack, barbell, and flat bench from Rogue last night. It shipped today! Those dudes have their **** together. So hopefully I'll have my garage gym (consisting of a squat rack + platform) set up by next week. No more commercial gyms for me. No more waiting around on the one rack and then feeling rushed, that's gonna be nice.

I just got a squat rack, bench, barbell and 255 pounds of plates for my garage. It's awesome. Don't have to drive to the gym, pay money, or wait around while some foreigner in socks and sandals does curved-back deadlift. Wife and I have been working out for about 10 days now.

It will take up more room than you think. Unless you have a flat bench in which you'll BP using the squat rack, because the standalone bench set takes up a ton of room.

A power rack + a movable flat bench is a very compact solution and takes surprisingly little room ime.

And tha't all one needs, really.

But wait, doesn't he need a $500 stairmaster? Or an $800 treadmill? I saw these in movies and the actors were always in incredible mis-shape.

finally got my "gym" together.

4/6

Press: 2x5x110, 1x7x110

Squat: 2x5x185, 1x10x185

weighted chins: 2x7x20

4/8

Bench: 2x5x165, 1x8x165

DL: 1x12x225

I need to find a secondary chest exercise that doesn't involve dumb bells.

close grip bench, incline BB bench, dips maybe?

I'd like to add weighted pushups into that list.

Also, what about buying a pair of DB-bars (50mm assuming you have a std olympic bar) that fit your existing plates?

Like this:



DB-bars like that + a set of 1.25kg/2.5kg/5kg plates + a set of micro-plates/washers and you'd basically have a set of dumbbells ranging from 5kg - 40kg in 0.25kg increments.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. The only problem I have with doing any incline work is that I only have a flat bench. I suppose I could prop it up with a box or something though.

The DB bars are a cool idea but DB bench is basically hitting the same areas as regular Bench Press (right?), which is why I did DB incline at the gym, to work more upper chest.

I like the weighted push up idea, too.

4/10

Press: 2x5x105, 1x8x105

Squat: 2x5x195, 1x10x195

Weighted chins: 2x8x20s