Fullbody Bible.

[Aldo Raine]

The Texas Method By Mark Rippetoe

The Texas Method (TM) is a strength training program renowned for its ability to provide intermediate to advanced lifters (those with 18-24+ months of continuous training according to legendary strength training coach Mark Rippetoe) with increased variety and physical adaptation. It’s recommended that intermediate and advanced lifters perform the Texas Method due to something called the ‘novice effect’. As Rippetoe writes, the novice effect refers to the ability of beginner athletes to make substantial strength gains when they first start following a program that follows a linear progression. Linear progression programs follow a set rep scheme and increase the load in each workout. They typically average three training days a week (with one day of rest in-between), and even though these programs may be relatively straightforward, they still illicit an adaptive stress in the body to become stronger. Novice athletes aren’t used to these kinds of stressors, which is why you’ll often see people make huge jumps (15lbs+) in their first few months of lifting properly—I’m sure you can recall the days when you were stoked to see your numbers soar in such a fashion.

However, with time and experience, an athlete starts to experience smaller and smaller gains as their body adapts to the program. It’s now far tougher for an athlete to adapt on a daily (by workout) basis, and must now shift into a weekly adaptation. This is when the athlete can take a look at the Texas Method. “The Texas Method balances the stress of increased weight and varied volume with adequate recovery time so that intermediate lifters will progress for an extended period of time.”

Origins of the Texas Method
The TM came into existence through the joint efforts of Rippetoe and Olympic Weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. As the story goes, Pendlay and his lifters were working out of Rippetoe’s Wichita Falls Athletic Club. The athletes were working their way through 5 sets of 5 reps of squats on a Friday afternoon. One of his lifters started complaining about the workload for the day, so Pendlay gave him a challenge—if he could hit a PR for a set of 5, he’d only have to do one whole set for the day. Of course the athlete accepted, and proceeded to hit a 5-rep PR, simultaneously giving birth to the foundations of the TM. Instead of athletes performing 5×5 squats on Mondays and Fridays (as had been called for in the program), athletes now had to hit a PR set of 5 on Friday. Rippetoe would later bring the TM into publication through his book, Practical Programming for Strength Training, which gained plenty of attention as many athletes had found great success through Rippetoe’s novice program (Starting Strength), so they were inclined to move on to more advanced work.

The Texas Method explained
Remember, as Riptoe stated, “the Texas Method balances the stress of increased weight and varied volume.” As you can see from the program outline below, this is certainly the case.

Monday:  Volume Day
A. Squat 5 x 5 @ 90% of 5RM
B. Bench Press or Overhead Press 5 x 5 @ 90% 5RM
C. Deadlift 1 x 5 @ 90% 5RM

Wednesday:  Recovery Day
A. Squat 2 x 5 @ 80% of Monday’s work weight
B. Overhead Press (if you bench pressed Monday) 3 x 5* or Bench Press (if OHP on Monday) 3 x 5 @ 90% previous 5 x 5 weight
C. Chin-up 3 x Bodyweight
D. Back Extension or Glute-Ham Raise 5 x 10
* at slightly lighter load than previous OHP weight

Friday:  Intensity Day
A. Squat: warm-up, then work up to one single, new 5RM
B. Bench Press, (if you bench pressed Monday) or Overhead Press (if OHP on Monday): work up to one single, new 5RM
C. Power Clean or Power Snatch: 5 x 3 / 6 x 2

And that’s it! This program is brutally simplistic, but it’s worth mentioning that the TM is more of a template than a true cookie-cutter program. You’ll notice that the design of each day’s work follows a pattern. Monday calls for high volume, Wednesday uses lighter loads with the intent of giving the athlete some recovery time so that they are ready to set a new PR on Friday. The effectiveness of the TM is that it condenses the concept of ‘block periodization’ into one week. That is to say, unlike other programs that spend weeks focusing on volume, a few more weeks focusing on recovery before finally spending a week trying to hit new PR’s, the TM does the whole thing inside of a week. The variation of volume inside of a week is what makes it an ideal program for the intermediate athlete.

The TM doesn’t have a set ‘end’ date, so you can follow it for as long as you like. With that said, the TM is a hugely popular program for the intermediate athlete so give it a try for a few weeks and see how it works out for you.

[Aldo Raine]

Anthony Ditillo Training Routines

Dubbel

[steffie268]

Zeer interessante lectuur, thanks!
Ik was al overtuigd van de full body aanpak maar heb in deze thread toch weer wat kennis opgepikt en ideetjes opgedaan
Cheers!

[east1977]

Zeer interessante lectuur, thanks!
Ik was al overtuigd van de full body aanpak maar heb in deze thread toch weer wat kennis opgepikt en ideetjes opgedaan
Cheers!

En daar gaat het uiteindelijk om

[Aldo Raine]

The ‘Long & Steady Gains’ Workout

Don’t know about you but I prefer the simple things in life. I like my coffee black and, more importantly, my strength programmes to be about as thrilling as an episode of The Antiques Roadshow.

Lately I’ve been devouring the works of Greg Nuckols.

Greg runs a great website called Strengtheory which is packed to the rafters with training gems.

His post on making a novice strength training routine more effective is golden. These principles really struck home with me. I’ve stalled many a time over the last 14 years and my usual go-to method for trying to make more gains has never really been that effective. However, Greg’s plateau-busting advice concerning the manipulation of sets, reps and overall volume was so stunning in its simplicity that I had to put it to use. It’s also perfect for those long and steady (6-12 months) programmes which I love.

So without further ado, here’s a strength based, three-days-per-week workout programme, inspired by Greg, that will ensure slow and steady strength gains, particularly for beginners.

The Routine

Exercise selection

The three days will be focused around four exercises.
· A lower body movement.
· An upper body push movement.
· Two upper body pull movements.


Lower Body Movements
· Squat (back, front, safety bar)
· Deadlifts (Romanian, sumo, trap bar, rack pulls)


Upper Body Push Movements
· Presses (bench, dumbbell, incline)
· Overhead presses ( bench, dumbbell, one arm dumbbell)
· Dips (weighted)


Upper Body Pull Movements
· Rows (barbell, dumbbell, one arm dumbbell, t-bar, seated cable)
· Chin ups (weighted, pull-ups, ring, neutral)
· Lat pulldowns (close grip, neutral grip, straight arm)


Example workout

An example programme (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) would go along the lines of:

Monday

Back squat

Overhead press

Weighted chin ups

Dumbbell row

Wednesday

Front squat

Weighted dips

Inverted rows

Barbell row

Friday

Back squat

Overhead press

T-Bar row

Seated cable row

Notes

Now that you’ve selected your exercises, apply the following principles.

Log every workout

It is absolutely essential that you get yourself a log book and record every single workout.

NB: recording progress is pivotal not just for this routine, but for all workouts, so make it a habit!

As Henry points out in our 10 Old-School Commandments For Building Muscle, you should be jotting down everything – sets, reps, rest periods, calories, macros – as this will help you assess what is working, what isn’t, and what needs to change.

Progression, sets and reps
For all exercises, start off with a light weight which you can easily manage to lift for 3 sets of 10 reps (3 x 10).

Then, every session, add 2.5kg to all lifts.

Once you can’t manage 3 sets of 10 on a lift, bring it down to 3 sets of 8 (3 x 8).

Once you can’t manage 3 sets of 8, bring it down to 5 sets of 5 (3 x 5).

Once you can’t manage 5 sets of 5, bring it down to 5 sets of 3 (5 x 3).

At this point you will more than likely begin to start really struggling. When that begins to happen, it’s time to decrease the weight and increase the sets and reps. Consult your log book and look at when you changed from 3 sets of 10 to 3 sets of 8. Now take 10% off that weight.

For example, if you started struggling at 100 kg (3 x 10) then you will start with 90kg

Now begin with 5 sets of 10 (5 x 10).
Once you can’t manage 5 sets of 10, bring it down to 5 sets of 8 (5 x 8)

Once you can’t manage 5 sets of 8, bring it down to 6 sets of 5 (6 x 5)

Once you can’t manage 6 sets of 5, bring it down to 7 sets of 3 (7 x 3)

Further points
Don’t worry about the sets and reps all falling in line with each other.

To quote Greg Nuckols:
You don’t have to switch all your lifts over to the new rep scheme all at once.
If you plateau on your bench or OHP before your squat or deadlift, go ahead to switch the stalled lift to the new rep scheme, and continue as you were with the others.
Stick with the same lifts until you completely stall on them.
Once that happens then change it up.
Eat quality wholesome food and aim for 0.8-1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight.
Feel free to take a week off or reduce the weights every 8-12 weeks or so.

Signing off
Don’t forget to make your way over to Greg Nuckols’ website strengtheory.com for some great training information.

Alternatively, you can check out the strengththeory YouTube channel.
Remember to keep it simple folks – and good luck!

[Aldo Raine]

Real Results Beastly Basics Fullbody Workout

This fullbody workout focuses on the basics, while utilizing minimal isolation work. You will hammer the body with effective compounds lifts that will stimulate plenty of muscle growth, and you will add strength rather quickly.

This program works well for lifters who train alone, or at home, and must constantly shuffle and strip weight from barbells and dumbbells. The added downtime from changing weight can lengthen a workout. With the Beastly Basics approach, you will use only 5 lifts per session, keeping workouts to approximately 60-70 minutes each day.

Perform this workout on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.



Workout Notes

Rows. Rows can be either:

• Barbell Rows – 5×5
• Dumbbell Rows – 3×10

For dumbbell rows, warmup as required. I find that dumbbell rows seem to work better with slightly higher reps, so resist the urge to use a 5×5.

Curls. You may use any dumbbell curling variation you prefer.
5×5. 5×5 protocols incorporate 2 ramped sets. The percentages of these working warmup sets are based on the working weight used during the final 3 sets.

• Set 1 – 60% x 5 reps
• Set 2 – 80% x 5 reps
• Sets 3-5 – 100% x 5 reps

4×8. The 4×8 sets will involve a slightly lighter weight when compared to Monday’s workout. The first 2 sets are ramped.

• Set 1 – 60% x 8 reps
• Set 2 – 80% x 8 reps
• Sets 3-4 – 100% x 8 reps

Use this same ramping structure for seated overhead dumbbell presses on Friday.

Seated Dumbbell Presses. You may use either the double arm version, or perform them one arm at a time. As the weight gets heavier, it may be easier to use the one arm version. Swinging two heavy dumbbells into place can be a cumbersome task.

Pull Ups. Make sure you are performing pull ups (palms facing away) and not chin ups. If you can’t perform any pull ups, substitute in dumbbell rows or seated cable rows, and perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Weighted Sit Ups. Hold a 10, 25 or 45 pound plate on your chest. Perform up to 25 reps per set. While weighted sit ups are a very effective choice, you can really use any abdominal exercise that allows progressive resistance such as rope cable crunches.

Calf Raises. These are performed standing while holding a barbell. You may choose to perform calf raises with the balls of your feet upon a 5 or 10 pound plate, but this is not a requirement. You may also use a standing or seated calf raise, or calf raises on a leg press machine.

Dips. If 3 sets of dips become too easy, meaning you can perform 10 dips on each set without effort, add 2 more sets. You may also want to consider either adding resistance via a dipping belt and keeping the set total to 3.

Progression – Adding Weight

Important Note: Never train to failure on any set. Stop each set when you feel like you may not be able to complete the next rep, or stop a set when you feel your exercise form is becoming sub-par. Performing sloppy reps leads to injury. It’s ok if you can’t make the rep goal/target for each set. Try to get it the next time!

Your goal each workout is “beat” your previous performance on a given exercise by at least one rep. This will not always happen. Expect at least one to two unproductive workouts each month.
For exercises that utilize the 5×5 structure, you can add weight in a number of ways:

• Weekly. If you are an experienced beginning lifter, you can attempt to add 5 pounds each week.
• Bi-Weekly. Adding 5 pounds every other week is also a great way to approach progression. Over the course of a year you will have the potential to add 120 pounds to a lift.
• Monthly. For intermediate lifters who will not experienced rapid strength gains, try adding 5-10 pounds per month.

At some point you will be unable to hit 5 reps for the last 3 sets. At this point you will need to make some adjustments. If after a couple weeks you are unable to perform a 5×5 with a given weight, you will need to follow some advanced progressional approaches.

All other exercises. For these exercises, when you can perform the top level number of reps for all of the sets, add weight the next time you perform this exercise. It is wise to add only 5 pounds.

[Aldo Raine]

Gironda's 8x8 Training

The classic bodybuilding expression is that when it comes to building muscle and losing fat, you can't ride two horses with one ass.

That's why for typical non-competitive trainees, it's wise to just focus on one goal at a time, either building muscle or shedding fat. While not impossible to accomplish both ends simultaneously, most trainees simply don't have the genetics, experience, or dietary discipline to do so. For the vast majority, separating the goals into two separate blocks or phases is a more practical approach.

But there are exceptions. If you're an intermediate strength trainee with a decent level of conditioning, there's an effective, albeit painful way to achieve the Holy Grail of building muscle and losing fat. Gironda's 8x8 Method


The late Vince Gironda, considered by many to be the first bodybuilding coach – and definitely the most eccentric – referred to 8 sets of 8 reps (or 8x8) as the "honest" workout.

An intense high-volume system designed strictly for cosmetic improvements, its "honesty" stems from the humbling weight used during the actual workout. Vince prescribed 8x8 primarily for pre-contest situations, and its brutal effectiveness is surprising considering its elegant simplicity.

How's it done? Like 10x10 or German Volume Training, choose 60 – 70 percent of your 1RM in a given lift (compound movements preferred), and perform 8 sets of 8 reps with a mere 30 seconds or less of rest. This method can be applied for up to four different movements per workout, although I'd recommend working up to that as the program can be a real shock to the body.

If you feel like a complete waste of life after the fifth set of a 10x10 German Volume workout, the 8x8 might have you emailing Dr. Kevorkian's successor to see if he does house calls. This is all about training volume – you won't be tapping into strength benefits because you're using the wrong energy systems. However, since your heart rate may be up near sprinting levels throughout the workout, you can achieve amazing metabolic ramping and fat loss benefits. A Few Tricks of the Trade

The "rules" differ slightly when it comes to this training method. 8x8 is intended to deliver an awesome pump and improve conditioning. Some of Gironda's top bodybuilders with whom he used this method reportedly became so conditioned that they were cranking out 8x8's with 15 seconds rest between sets!

The ultimate goal is not only to work your way up to such a low rest interval, but to lift the most possible weight within such parameters. It would be wise to first choose a load 30-40 percent below your true 8RM and attempt to maintain that weight throughout the workout.

Be prepared to drop reps before lowering the weight, although if by workout's end you're doing sets of two, the weight you initially chose was just too heavy. Again, don't overwhelm yourself. Strive for simple week-to-week progression and you're golden.
Exercise Selections

Choice of exercises is usually based on the muscular and cardiorespiratory demands of the workout, but here's another instance in which the "rules" can be bent. This might be the only program I've used with intermediate clients in which single-joint and sometimes open-chain movements are very effective, although without the hormonal charge that the bigger lifts elicit.

For that reason, compound movements are still recommended, but be warned, the cardiovascular demands may become the limiting factor, so choose your loads wisely. Here are the top exercises to use in a 8x8 workout.

Back	Chest	Legs	Shoulders	Arms
Pull-ups	Flat/Incline Bench	Back Squats	Seated DB Shoulder Press	Triceps Pressdown
Lat Pulldown	Cable Chest Press	Leg Extension	Standing BB Shoulder Press	Close Grip Bench
Seated Row	DB Bench Press	Leg Press	Push Press	Floor Press
T-bar Row	Blast Strap Push-up	Hamstring Curl	DB Upright Row	BB/DB/Zottman Curl *
DB Chest Supported Row		Calf Raise	Chest Supported Fly	Chin-up
				French Press

* BB/DB/Zottman Curl – performed bilaterally, not one at a time Alternatively, here are some exercises to avoid:

• Deadlift, Bent-over Row, Good Morning. These are great exercises, but not in an 8x8 workout. Mixing low rest with high training volume sounds like chaos for the erector spinae and QL, and a week of hobbling around the office like Quasimodo.
• Front squats. As Charles Poliquin pointed out, the rhomboids tend to fatigue after about six reps in exercises like front squats in which they act as a stabilizer. Save the fronts for a higher intensity, lower volume phase.
• Unilateral exercises. The one-limb-at-a-time thing allows for too much rest between arms and legs when you're constantly working one side at a time. And in this program, rest is the devil.

Don't Be an Idiot!

There's nothing wrong with implementing 8x8's into your routine while following your typical strength or bodybuilding routine. Fact is, depending on the cardiovascular demands of the exercise(s) you choose to try 8x8's with, I'd recommend 8 x 8's in your regular routine so that your body isn't giving you the middle finger salute by the week's end.

Here's an example:

Doing 8x8 back squats and leg presses in the same workout and then adding two more 8x8 exercises would probably be hell inside four walls. It would make more sense to stick with the squat (since you'll receive the most benefits from this) and then add leg extensions for another 8x8. To wrap it up, add two more movements like Romanian deadlifts and weighted hip thrusts for a more reasonable rep scheme like 4x12.

The take home point is to make it through weeks of this kind of training, you need to think before you start throwing exercises together. The more compound the movements you choose, the lesstotal exercises you should use in the 8x8 style. So if you're a competing bodybuilder who isolates right down to the muscle, let alone muscle group, then stacking three or four different hamstrings or triceps 8x8's into the same day could theoretically work.

Vince Gironda recommended his bodybuilders train the same muscle every fourth day with around 15 sets per muscle group. This added up to the collective weekly volume necessary to promote growth. Since we're not all pro or even amateur bodybuilders and may not have the time to do this, I suggest training each group once a week and increasing the volume per workout by adding more sets of work. Get Jacked Up!

To sum up, here are some guidelines:

• The goal is to maximize weight lifted and minimize time rested, meaning there should be an inversely related progression from week to week. The ultimate goal is to reach your original 8RM with under 30 seconds rest between rounds.
• Compound and single joint exercises both fly in this game.
• Important stabilizing muscles like the low back and rhomboids need to be accounted for in your exercise selections.
• Get in the zone. Your mind is often a limiting factor to the results of your workouts. This one takes much mental preparedness and alertness, not to mention a man-size dollop of testicular fortitude. Go hard or go home. Focus on your breathing, time your rest accurately, and lift with purpose.

For a man with more eccentricities than a Star Trek convention, Vince Gironda was light years ahead of his time when it came to building a better body. While simple on the surface, this "high volume of muscle contractions per minute" approach can shock even the most conditioned athlete into a compensatory burst of rock-solid hypertrophy gains.