Some of my favorite lifters are: Richard Hawthorne, Charles Staley, Eric Spoto, and Andrey Malanichev. As much as I admire them, I don’t train like them at all because they all tend to prefer low frequency training, and I have never responded well to low frequency training. In fact, I much prefer high frequency training simply because it tends to work better for me when the right training conditions are applied. What are the right conditions?
- Low to medium training volume per workout
- A medium amount of training intensity
- Small but consistent progression
- Work up to fairly heavy weights if you are between the ages of eighteen to thirty-five. (Older lifters may not do as well when going heavy on a regular basis)
The conditions that I just listed for high frequency training are the conditions that I am going to apply to a workout that I am going to discuss in this article. It is also a high density workout, which means to use a quick workout pace in order to work up to a heavy lift in a short amount of time. In fact, the workout consists of 27 sets and is designed to be completed in 27 minutes. The workout should be done at least four times per week. It is not a hard workout, but you don’t have to kill yourself when you do high frequency workouts. The volume and intensity do not have to be high, they only need to be “enough” because the frequency is high, and the frequency is the he primary stressor.
The 27 set 27 Minute Workout is listed below
Choose three basic exercises consisting of
- A pressing exercise
- A squat, or a deadlift, or leg press (just choose 1)
- A pulling exercise such as bent over rows, pulley rows, or lat pulldowns (just choose 1)
Each exercise is to be done for nine sets as follows:
Set 1: 5 reps using 50% of your Single Rep Max (abbreviated: SRMax)
Set 2: 5 reps using 55% SRMax
Set 3: 5 reps using 60% SRMax
Set 4: 3 reps using 65% SRMax
Set 5: 3 reps using 70% SRMax
Set 6: 3 reps using 75% SRMax
Set 7: 1 rep using 80% SRMax
Set 8: 1 rep using 82% SRMax
Set 9: 1 rep using 85% SRMax
A Quick Workout Pace
When doing this workout, move from set to set quickly by striving to keep the rest periods between sets no longer than 45 seconds. It is a high frequency, high density, heavy workout which means your goal is to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time as you work up to a heavy lift for each exercise. Ideally, you should get nine sets finished in eight minutes. Once you have completed one exercise, start on the next exercise within two minutes. The workout is designed to take 27 minutes. Remember, it’s not a super hard workout but when you do it on a high frequency basis, you will get better at it and be able to add on a little at a time. Ideally, the workout will never become super hard, even though you will be incrementally adding to it on a regular basis, which leads me to the next point.
Progress With Microloading
I am a great believer in microloading because it is the easiest way for your body to adapt to gradual increases in weight. You can make it a goal to add a pound per week to every set without feeling as though the added weight is becoming more and more difficult to lift over time. Make sure to add a pound to all nine sets, not just the last set. Adding a pound per week would add up to a strength gain of 52 pounds by the end of a year.
Add Weight at The Right Rate
Adding a pound per week is not a requirement. Beginners and intermediates may be able to add a pound every workout or every other workout. If you do four workouts per week, the added pound per workout will add up to over 200 pounds of added weight within a year. Others who have been lifting for many years generally do not gain as quickly and may only be able to add a pound every other week which would be a 25 pounds strength gain within a year. The bottom line is to add weight at a rate that works for you and adjust by adding more often or less often according to the difficulty of the workouts. If you notice the workouts become significantly harder and you start to struggle with the added weight, cut back and add less frequently. If it feels like the workouts are getting easier and easier even though you are adding a pound once per week, then try adding a pound twice or three times per week until your level of effort stabilized from week to week.
If you like simple workouts that can be done quickly, you can try the 27 set, 27 minute workout for a period of time. If it works, keep doing it. If it doesn’t work, or it stops working at some point, make adjustments or try something else until you find something that does work. While there a weight training principles that I tend to favor, the number one principle that I favor is to let results be the final word on how you should train. Best of training to you.