There are some workouts that tend to work for the majority of lifters. This is because there is a normal range of sets, reps, and intensity that is beneficial for most lifters. This is verified by Prilepin’s research that was done in regarding to the optimum range of sets and reps that should be performed when a lifter is using a specific percentage of his or her single rep max. Prilepin’s research was not done on a few athletes, but on close to a thousand athletes. The norms of sets, reps, and weight that most lifters should use to increase strength was discussed in the last article.
The Norms
If you refer back to the last article for the guidelines that the majority of lifters will benefit from, you will notice that the guidelines provide a range of sets and reps instead of an exact number. This is because even the norm has a range consisting of 2 to 4 warm up sets followed by 2 to 4 work sets for a given muscle group. The sets should be pushed to the limit rep or the marker rep while using weights that permit 5 to 15 reps. This simply means to stop a set when you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace, or to push one rep beyond this point by stopping after the first rep that starts to slow down. Each muscle group should be worked 2 to 3 times per week.
All of the guidelines just listed are for those who fit into a normal range of sets, reps, intensity, and frequency that are beneficial for most lifters. One of the goals of every lifter should be to start with a normal range of volume, intensity, and frequency, and to narrow that range down to a specific amount of volume, intensity, and frequency that is best for their own physiology. This is what individualized strength training is all about.
I think it is important to point out that some of the most popular training methods fit into the norm. The West Side Method fits into the norm in terms of volume and frequency. The Starting Strength Method and The Texas Method fit into the norms in terms of volume and frequency.
Not Everyone Fits The Norms
Even though it is true that there are norms, not everyone fits into the norms. Some lifters are outliers. Outliers are lifters who lie outside of the norm and do not fit the typical pattern in terms of the amount of sets, reps, and training frequency that would be beneficial for most lifters. These lifters will benefit from doing either more or less training than normal, and they should develop an individualized strength training program that is designed for their individual characteristics.
How do you know if you don’t fit into the norm? The only way to find out is to try a training method that does not fit into the norm in terms of volume, intensity, and frequency. For the rest of this article, I will be discussing the type of training that is beneficial for those who respond best to low frequency training.
Low Frequency Training
Low frequency training simply refers to training each muscle group only once per week or less. People who respond best to low frequency training do not fit into the norm, although it is actually quite normal for outstanding powerlifters and bodybuilders to respond best to low frequency training. But remember, the best lifters in the world are outliers, they are not normal and you can’t assume that what works best for them will work best for you. All you can do is to try low frequency training and see if it works for you.
If you have tried a low frequency training program and it didn’t work, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there aren’t any low frequency training programs that will work for you, it only means that the one you tried didn’t work for you. Fortunately, there are a few options that you can try as there are several low frequency training programs that range from low volume, to medium volume, to high volume workouts. I will start with low volume, low frequency training first, which is often called minimalist training.
Minimalist training is done by choosing one to three exercises per workout. Each exercise starts with a light warm up set. You then continue with increasingly heavier warm up sets until you have completed three to five warm up sets. The warm up sets should never be so hard or difficult that they rob you of strength for your heaviest set which is not a warm up set, but a work-set. Only one work set is performed for each exercise.
If you are a powerlifter, you can do all three powerlifting exercises (squat, bench press, and deadlift) in just one workout per week. You can also split the three powerlifting exercises into three different workout days by having a squat day, a bench day, and a deadlift day. You would only do one exercise per workout and hit each exercise just once per week. A final option would be to workout twice per week. An example would be to do bench press and squats on Mondays, and overhead presses plus deadlifts on Thursdays. This is the type of training that Marty Gallagher is famous for advocating.
Marty Gallagher and Minimalist Training
Marty has an outstanding reputation for producing excellent results with as little as one workout per week among those he has trained including champions such as Kirk Karwoski and Mark Chaillet. Another minimalist was Mike Mentzer who nearly won the Mr. Olympia. If you find that minimalist training is the most effective type of training for your physiology, or you simply don’t have time to train more than once per week, then I recommend the following resources for you:
Marty Gallagher: Experiments In Strength Training Minimalism Part 1
Marty Gallagher: Experiments In Strength Training Minimalism Part 2
Marty Gallagher: Experiments In Strength Training Minimalism Part 3
Marty Gallagher: Purposeful Primitive
Mike Mentzer: High Intensity Training
Minimalist training has proven to work exceptionally well for a small percentage of lifters, but a lot of lifters may find a minimal amount of training is not enough work when training each muscle group just once per week. This doesn’t mean that training each muscle group once per week won’t work for you, it may mean that you simply need to train each muscle group with more sets.
Jim Wendler’s 5 – 3 – 1 Workout
One training method that will enable you to add more volume to your low frequency workouts is Jim Wendler’s 5 – 3 – 1 method. When using this method, the core four exercises are done which include the bench press, squat, overhead press, and deadlift. Each exercise is trained once per week on different days and assistance exercises are done to complement the four core exercises. When using this program, use a weight that allows you to perform five reps the first week. Increase to a weight that allows three reps the second week, and one rep the third week. The fourth week is a deload week with five reps using no more than 60% of your single rep max. The fourth week completes a four week cycle. The idea is to keep adding five to ten pounds to your lifts after each four week cycle.
When adding weight from cycle to cycle, you will eventually get stuck and fail to be able to reach the required number of reps. This is an indication that you should start a new four week cycle. When starting the new cycle, the weights should be 10% lighter than the heaviest weights you reached at the peak of the previous cycle. You can then start the process of adding five to ten pounds every four week cycle with the goal of reaching a higher level of strength before you get stuck and have to start over again.
After doing the main work sets for either 5 reps, 3 reps, and 1 rep, assistance exercises are done for the lift that is being performed in that particular workout. One of the assistance exercises should consist of 5 sets of 10 – 12 reps of the main exercise that is being performed. This means that if the exercise is bench press, you will do bench presses for either 5 reps, 3 reps, or 1 rep, and follow it with 5 sets of 10-12 reps of bench press. A second assistance exercise for chest or triceps can also be done to supplement your bench work.
If you are interested in learning more about Jim Wendler’s 5 – 3 – 1 method, refer to the following video and links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R38OvrWZLSw
Get Strong Fast With 5 – 3 – 1: Article from Muscle For Life
Giant Pyramid Training
Giant pyramid training is another option to consider for those who want to hit each muscle group just once per week. Giant pyramid training consists of starting out with a light weight when performing a basic powerlifting exercise such as bench press, squats, deadlift, or overhead presses. The first set is usually done with ten or more reps. Weight is gradually added over the course of eight to ten sets until you reach your heaviest set on your eighth to tenth set. The giant pyramid will help you to include plenty of volume at the start of the pyramid while working up to a high intensity set by the end of the pyramid. An example of a giant pyramid is listed below:
1st set x 20 reps with 20% of your single rep max
2nd set x 12 reps with 30% of your single rep max
3rd set x 10 reps with 40% of your single rep max
4th set x 8 reps with 50% of your single rep max
5th set x 5 reps with 60% of your single rep max
6th set x 5 reps with 65% of your single rep max
7th set x 3 reps with 70% of your single rep max
8th set x 1 rep with 75% of your single rep max
9th set x 5 reps with 80% to 85% of your single rep max
There are several variations of this type of training and you can see a few variations in the book, Giant Pyramid Training. The variations give examples of Richard Hawthorne (World record deadlifter), Eric Spoto (world record bench press), Andrey Malanichev (world record squatter), and Ronnie Coleman (Mr. Olympia). You can learn about these variations by simply clicking on the book cover below. You can also watch the video that follows as you will see Eric Spoto doing a bunch of sets as he works his way up to 705 pounds for a single rep.
Eric Spoto Giant Pyramid
A Bro Split
The last option that I am going to discuss in this article is a “bro split.” Bro splits are most commonly used by bodybuilders. When utilizing a bro split, only one muscle group is trained in each workout and the muscle group is trained with a lot of sets, reps, and exercises. Five workouts are typically done within a week to train each muscle group once per week. An example of a bro split is listed below:
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Arms
The exact number of sets that are done for each muscle group varies from individual to individual, however, in general, at least ten sets are done for each muscle group, and it’s not uncommon for bodybuilders to do as many as twenty sets or more for each muscle group. An example of a bro split workout is discussed and demonstrated in the video below.
The information in this article is not for everyone as it is focused on individuals who benefit most from low frequency training. Among those who respond well to low frequency training, there is great variance in terms of how much volume and intensity is used within each session. Those who respond best to a minimum amount of training can use minimalist training or a Mentzer type of high intensity training. If you need more training volume, Jim Wendler’s 5 – 3 – 1 method is very popular. You can also try giant pyramids, and if you respond best to high volume one day per week, you may benefit from a typical bro split. In the next article, I will discuss individualized strength training programs for who are best suited to high volume training. Best of training to you.