@@chris51ification you probably are. "intermediate" is a huge range and it's not defined by an exact number. If you've milked out all your beginner gains from a simple LP program (such as SS or Grayskull LP), you're probably an intermediate.
I'm a lazy programmer so I just use linear periodization. I start with 60% for all my main lifts and close variations doing 3x10. I add 5-20 lbs per week and when I fail to get a triple on the first set, I reset taking either 60% of my new e1RM or simply starting 5-20 lbs heavier than last time. Takes 8-12 weeks to go through a cycle. On top of this I add a bunch of bodybuilding work to hammer weakspots and fluff muscles.
Has this worked over a long timeframe for you? What have been your strength gains? I was thinking of doing the same thing but doing 3 x 8 instead of 3 x 10. Thanks
Great that you shouted out Greyskull - it's a semi-forgotten approach and I greatly prefer it to SS. It's what I almost always recommend to new lifters that ask me where to start. Another great program is Alexey Faleev's 5x5 (also known as Pavel's 80-20 program). Reading that simple blog post and doing what it says will keep a new lifter occupied for months when first starting out.
I'm a big fan of plus sets for both volume, and progression. You can do your 5x5 with the same weight for a couple weeks in a row but that last set goes from a 6 to an 8 you know you're getting stronger. Great advice, simple and clear.
makes me happy to see an advanced lifter like you giving greyskull some love. I made some good gains when I ran it as an early intermediate(only stopped because I got bored with it), and people usually act like I'm crazy when I recommend it for non beginners.
it's not great for non-beginners if you don't rotate some of the lifts with one variation when you're stalling, otherwise it's definitely good for intermediates
I stopped progressing on Greyskull with a squat, bench, deadlift total of about 750 and Bromley here ran it with a 600 pound squat.... Doing the favorite base phase now and will repeat and then follow that with favorite peak phase from Base Strength. I like the option to add weight on weeks 2 and 3 in the base phase because sometimes the training maxes are off a bit and it gives you some play in the joints.
Big fan of 5/3/1 - the everyman's program. It's low volume so you can be in an out of the gym relatively quickly which is great if you're short on time or if you want to pair it with something like a crossfit style workout afterwards. And it has plus (+) sets so you still get that intensity each training session. I find it's a good program for those of us with home gyms since you can vary your accessories based on the equipment you have available to you. Been running it with the Ultimate 531 iOS app which takes out all the guesswork - which is great because I am too lazy to be messing with spreadsheets. Even though I have the experience and knowledge to benefit from an RPE-based program I still prefer 5/3/1 due to it's simplicity and track record for strength development.
Great video as I am in this boat. I have about 60 minutes to train a day and some back weights at home. I keep a pretty good journal and fiddle with it every 2 to 3 weeks or so to tweak it a bit. Overload as needed and take a rest week once I stop or am close to stopping making progress. Pretty straight forward but being a little older, 49 and only lifting for about a year it works well for me. There is exactly zero reason to overcomplicate things at this stage of my training. Actually, there is never a reason to overcomplicate things. Programming just gets more complicated the more advanced we get. This holds exactly true for any training. I coached triathletes for years and never wanted to throw too much at anyone.
Absolutely! Simplicity is way underrated in this field. I'm in my early 20's but keeping things simple and having as few moving pieces as possible and not overcomplicating things has been huge for progress at my age as well.
@@kirby7475 Yes. If you ever look for a coach find one that understand you and you understand. Coaches that use BS jargon generally try to sound smart to either confuse you or try to impress you. Sadly, that is what is mostly found on YT and/or at gyms. $$$$
@@FitAfter50 Yeah, I have no formal background in training, anatomy, biomechanics etc. Consequently I fell into this trap when I started getting into weight training. It's kinda like an intuitive thing where you assume someone knows what they're talking about because they use big words and have an approach that SOUNDS academic and well thought-out. I'm embarrassed to admit it but yeah I fell into that trap for a long ass time
@@kirby7475 you learn from failures, right? We all do. It boils down to the fact that we probably fail 90% of the time at pretty much everything we try for the first time. Trick it to learn, adjust and keep going. Best of luck to you on your athletic journey. As I said I am pushing 50 and started lifing a year ago. As I age, I don't want to be weak and fragile. I live lifing now as much as I loved endurance racing years ago. I feel 10 years younger!
@@FitAfter50 We live and we learn you're absolutely right, and I have a lot of learning to do still. I get why you feel so much younger, lifting is such a positive thing it can't be understated. Like, just walking up stairs is an absolute breeze and its just amazing. Keep doing things right and you've still got decades of gains to make my guy💪🏼
“Squatting 600lbs as an intermediate” really helps put into perspective what an actual intermediate is. Probably safe to say 5-10% of lifters are truly an “advanced” lifter
I bought and am reading Base Strength. But I am currently progressing through the GreySkull program. I am a 60 yo. Progressing at a slower rate and keeping away from injuries is the goal.
I’m very new to this, doing a lot of learning, and just want to say thanks for the great information. I’m learning a ton from you, especially around programming, form, and overall mechanics. Thanks for really useful and informative content!
Very good, biggest fault is that some may find the structure bores them. Excellent spreadsheet here with two schedules (A and B) that you alternate when you plateau on one. liftvault.com/programs/powerlifting/hepburn-powerbuilding-program-spreadsheet/
I did the Doug Hepburn method for 3 years. Made good solid base. I've used the principles of it for the last 5 years. I'm in my 50s so I'm happy to add 5 to 10lbs to a lift in a year.
I would love to hear Bromley's thoughts on Candito's linear progression program. It has strength days and either control, hypertrophy, or dynamic work in the same week.
Idk about linear but candito 6 week is the goat cookie cutter program. I've peaked on it 4 or 5 times and hit PR's every time. I pulled 585 last weekend at a comp and hadn't pulled more than 475 in training the weeks prior.
Good content as usual. I would also add Barbell Medicine's 'Bridge 1.0' to the mix. Easy to run and when done after 8 weeks, repeat it or try Texas Method, 5/3/1 etc.
I am a newbie but i am liking alot have rotations on week by week. And after 2 months change the block focus and after 4 months back to linear 2 months to see here the problems and gains are and starts again on problem solving and get better. Thats the hope. Loving the channel what a great info here.
Im stuck as intermediate for a decade because Im lazy but also because its justs a hobby for me and I usually get lost in the weeds so I just try to have fun. Im getting old now 38 and Im desiring to be much stronger and maybe even try some competition or something or just be the strongest in the gym. Thanks a lot for all your teachings! Im going to try something lol
Im bastardizing grey skull lp and been getting some good progress. Question: why is the psychology of the lifter not taken into account more regularly when programming? For example I like effort so something like grey skull or 5/3/1 is more appealing than a step loading progression to the point that when I try a step loading progression I go off program and do an amrap at the end after some weeks, I know this is irresponsible but I think that the psychology of the lifter is one of the key elements to determinate adherence to a program but I dont think it is discussed enough. Hope that makes sense and excuse my english.
I don't think it's really that irresponsible. I step load and I like having an AMRAP at the end of each block. So if i've been at say 70% for a couple weeks, I'll perform an amrap at 70% the last week before I move up to a higher percentage. It allows us to put in some effort while also letting us gauge how aggressively we can attack the next block of training. So yeah you're not being irresponsible at all imo
@@kirby7475 sorry I think that I expressed myself wrongly, I dont think that the combination of amraps and step loading is irresponsible programming wise, what I mean is that going off program is irresponsible, sorry for that
@@benjamincartes9088 Yeah, I agree with that very much. I misunderstood you, my bad! Bromley should do a video about the psychology of the lifter though as you've got a great point there.
@@sp7186 what I trained was bench press 2xweek , deadlifts 1xweeks, front squats 2xweek, push press 1xweek plus accessories. I didn’t followed and A B scheme, the program looked like Day 1 Front squats 3x5 last set amrap Bench press 3x5 last set amrap Accessories Day 2 Deadlifts 3x5 last set amrap Push press 3x5 last set amrap Accessories Day 3 same as day 1 My numbers before were Bench press 110kg for a 1rm First workout was 73kg for 10 (only gonna mention the last set) last workout was 88kg for 8 Deadlift best number before was 162kg for 2 sets of 6. First workout was 145kg for 15 last workout was 168 for 8. Push press: never tried it before last workout was 60kg for 9, my best strict press is 70kg as a reference. Front Squat: best number before was 113kg for 3 sets of 6, first workout was 100kg for 12 last workout was 125kg for 5. This was in 8 weeks, overall it was a really good experience however I think that I may have overdone deadlift volume. I lost consistency in my workouts because of life and having an irregular schedule makes it unfair to say that the program stopped working. As a novice this and Candito LP have been the best experiences I have had. I’ll certainly would try it at least one more time once I have a more regular schedule. I also was on a caloric surplus, went from 75kg bw to 77kg
I'd personally recommend juggernaut 2.0 for repeated cycles, just change up the supplementary movements a little cycle to cycle. If you wanna mix it up, throw in the odd reverse juggernaut cycle, or simply repeat the 10s and 8s blocks if you're chasing volume. The plus sets ensure intensity and provide auto-regulation, and the block pattern provides regular over-reach and deload, which is always good. Plus, CWS is a fucking beast!
@@HooDRidEWhiteY honestly, juggernaut really isn't. Just find a template spreadsheet online, plug in your maxes, and you're off. Give it a crack, you won't regret it!
I think Juggernaut ja great for lower Body Movements, but als a Person with a very strong Back and Long Arms my Squat and Deadlift are in proportion way Stronger than my pressing movements so after a Run of Juggernaut I usually Run Something with Higher Pressing Volume...
@@swoleinvictus213 I'm with you there. I end up stacking extra supplementaries on upper days to squeeze the volume in, and also pendlay row on lower days
@@wezedwards234 Yea Rows are my go-to accessory exercise in Juggernaut too...but my genetically weak chest + long arms made my Row stronger than my bench by 12kg...
I'm going to do Greyskull LP. Ive been training for some time now and my current best lifts are 150kg squat (low bar), 117kg bench press, 180kg deadlift and 14 strict pull ups. My bodyweight is 80kg. I'm currently high bar squatting however because I like to go as deep as possible and high bar squats are more suitable for that. My idea is to do the phraks variant, so also doing BB rows on the bench days, and weighted chinups on the OHP days. I also want to add in close grip bench press on the OHP days and a shoulder accessory (lu raises or maybe DB OHP, or maybe alternating these two) on the bench days to get a 3x per week bench/shoulder frequency, as a less than 2x per week frequency for bench press/shoulders seems too low for me. What do you think about that?
1st question, the texas method with a few minor changes depending on what you care about would work great for that guy. Not far enough into the video to see if you mentioned it yet.
If i understand correctly Greyskull LP main program is increasing reps on bodyweight chin-ups and push ups 6 days a week and then the base program is considered an accessory to the bodyweight program? From that point you can add further accesories to customize according to goal.
Dear Alexander, thanks for your videos, they are great source of information and inspiration. Most of strenght programs include overhead press, and I have been thinking to change it to weighted chin-ups, but how to do it? Same sets, same reps and same percentages as ohp? What things need to be considered?
Does this program grow muscle or is it just strength gains? I'm toying with the Idea of switching from 3x5 to 3x6-8 to make it more hypertrophy focused.
i went to your site and your message board is all 1 or 2 guys acting like they know fuckign everything, 1 of them is clearly trying to sell his own personal training. In the videos section theres a video of him shaking like a leaf under 395lb or something. Needs some policing over there
@@AlexanderBromley I understand Bromley not having the forum presence, but you need that Johnny Pain equivalent to have that forum presence and also bring something else to the table. In my opinion, someone with an attitude close to Steve Shaw would be good. Not Steve Shaw becauee he has his own thing going. But someone like that. Bromley's channel separates itself from other lifting channels because it isn't a bunch of bullshit exercise variations like athleanx, "swap diet with wife" crap like Brian Shaw and Eddie Hall, beating up a dummy in a rainstorm in Florida like Bugenhagen, or beat you over the head eyes glazing over science dr so-and-so bullshit like Israetel.
Good solid perspective. Would you, how could you program with ONLY strongman implements? There are many DIY cheap options and then there is specificity. Almost anything is cheaper than a power rack. Definitely, I am all for barbells, bit this is a neat idea to speculate on. ,
Lost in the weeds foresure. I want to have one push day where I focus strict incline press and incline bench w light benching, and the other focus flat bench and light incline strict. Trying to figure out how to program this properly so I know I won’t fuck over my recovery.
Running grayskull right now, I love that the AMRAPs standardize my effort across workouts. I am someone who both gets impatient with non-linear strength progression, and need to feel fatigued from my workouts for gratification reasons. I'm considering just running variations on the main movements when I stall since I'm more concerned with general strength than competing in anything
Take it from me, if you completely stop the basic bench, press, squat, and deadlift your max will go down no matter what variations you do. I did this and it happened to me. I suggest taking Johnny's advice and just do one lift a week. Monday bench and front squat, wednesday press and deadlift, friday close grip bench and squat.
@@randy6023 maybe I was unclear, the main movers, while important, aren't important to me in isolation. So for novelty and altering the stimulus rotating variations (for bench: close grip press, swiss bar bench, etc.) Seems like a solid strategy for getting stronger without any prolonged stalls
@@thedistordedbadger even so, i think most people would suggest keeping the main lifts as the core of your program. Squat, bench press, and deadlift allow you to move the most weight through the greatest effective ROM, which is the key to getting stronger. You can use variations for light and medium days. Example: Monday: heavy squat, overhead press, SLDL Wednesday: heavy bench, front squat, barbell row Friday: deadlift, close grip bench, paused squat
@@thedistordedbadger I think this is a good idea. Once you stall in BP, you switch to CGBP and reset. When you stall in Deadlifts, you switch to Trap bar or romanian. After a while you go back to conventional deadlifts, and you will probably go higher than last stall.
ive ran conjugate for about 10 months, my squat went from 325 from 420, bench 285 to 345, and deadlift 365 to 480. Ive seen great progress but I would like to try something more linear, any recommendations?
There's no one fixed prescription of volume for growth. Its the continued increase in stress beyond what you are used to that grows you. Champions have been made off high volume, high intensity and everything in between
Hi Mr Bromley. I recently bought your book base strenght and I really really like it.I am an freshly intermediate lifter, I ran Juggernaut before but my own programming just wasnt cutting it anymore. Sadly I injured myself in january (Bulging disc on my lumbar spine from being a stupid show-off and deadlifting a heavy as object on our farm-impressed the hell out of my coworkers but wellp wasnt worth it...) Anyways Im currently recovering by doing a self made volume Heavy Programm in the 20-10 Rep range and Im thinking about trying your Volume/Intensity Premade Programm...but sadly I really cant deadlift more than 120kg atm without lower Back discomfort so...I basically cant do a Deadlift Workout. Do you think I can substitute Deadlifts with Nature Stone loading/carrying without leaving tons of strenght on the table? We have plenty of great nature stones here on thecountryside...Or is something like that stupid to do as an Intermediate lifter?
So you say, you cant Deadlift but you are able to round back lift stones? I had the same, strange case years ago...nevertheless: Regarding your backissues, I can recommend to you, going long walks, preferable inclines. louie Simmons mentioned (in an article I guess) that walking is the best back therapie....Also Reverse Hypers and Mc Gill Golden three like mentioned for example by Brian Carrol in 10/20 life are of big help. For me personally I feel Back Raises with a neutral spine are also great for getting a strong spine...
@@pierre-renepeitzmeier7984 Hey man, thanks for the answer. I fixed it for the Most part. Im Not quite where I used to be yet strength wise but Im getting there. My bracing was crap before since I fixed it pain is gone. Still appreciate the answer!
@@swoleinvictus213 You are welcome...and that is great to hear that your back is fine again. God made our bodie really unbelieveable , also in terms of ability to recover from certain issues...when I was young, the docs told me to never start lifting...i did not listen to them but followed my god given instinct and strengthened my back instead of letting it stay weak and painful. So I am always willing to motivate others with similar issues... Did you start the Volume/Intensity program yet...what are your results?
@@pierre-renepeitzmeier7984 I did 4 month base Phase where I did only rows and Stonecarrys for back. I brought my bent over Row up to 120kg alone. I also dramatically increased my core strength. Im back into heavy Squats and Deadlifts since 3 Weeks. My old Deadlift PR (100% raw) was 200kg and Im optimistic im gonna hit that soon again. My upper Body is the strongest it has ever been, my lower body still needs abit of work to get where it was...but its going good. I have learned many things from this injury!!
@@swoleinvictus213 where did you Bent Over Row start before the program? What is your Bodyweight? And regarding your Deadlift, I would be interested about your gains....unfortunately I do not find a lot of reviews regarding the programs of Alex Bromley...
I came for help on learning computer programming. A few minutes in and I realized he is talk about weight lifting. Yoy! These weight lifting concepts sound complicated!
Just curious, did you not run an LP as your first program? I always found it odd when intermediate and advanced lifters run an LP after running intermediate/advanced programs.
@@sp7186 No, I ran 5/3/1 Beginner's Program. I've only really done 5/3/1 since I started lifting in quarantine a year ago. Yeah, maybe it's backwards to try an LP program now after being on 5/3/1. I might just try and experiment and see how it goes.
13:15 this hasn't been working for me much, a lot of stress for little gain and I'm still at novice numbers. I've only started getting stronger by eating more but it's mostly fat (still lean overall) so it hasn't increased my relative strength
I've found most if not all cookie cutter programs to be too simple. 531 for example, since you mentioned it. It looked nice the first few cycles but now I see it and it's basically a heavy AMRAP set. Can that really be called a program? Nowadays I just take bits of this and that and program my own cycles. I plateau (or worse, hurt myself) if I don't.
@@MV-ch3mm I respect that you came back with proof that you read the books and ran the program. It's not perfect by any means, more of a template at this point, but its way more than a heavy AMRAP. especially now with the 5s PRO assistance. It's just typical progress as submaximal weights
@@HooDRidEWhiteY maybe I was a bit harsh, it's a good first intermediate program. It just has some very serious issues to work around, at least that's what I've found. What's that about 5 PROs tho? Wendler added something new?
@@MV-ch3mm cheers bro. Love a healthy convo. Basically the assistance on 99% of the current splits in 5/3/1 forever is "5's Pro" which is a 5x5 at s given percentage. So you could follow up deadlifts with a 5x5 @ 50% squats or follow up bench with 5x5 of your first set. It's just lowish intensity volume to address the big low volume complaint that most have. There's also leader and anchor templates for all the splits, which is another can of worms. Basically 3 weeks to build capacity then 6 weeks of intensity for instance. Edited to say that at the end of the day, I'm interested in coaching teens like Jim is and I think his approach (see his seminars for hs coaches here on u tube) makes a ton of sense.
“... as an intermediate lifter. I was close to a 600 pound squat” I think you just killed a lot of people with that, lol.
Exactly what I was thinking just now
Currently at a Squat pr of 185 after 3 years of getting fat and this made me revaluate a lot of things
Lol, don't get discouraged. I started squatting at 13 and continued doing so with reckless abandon until my early 20s. Was a good decade to get there.
I’m over here trying to get 400 And I thought I was intermediate LOL
@@chris51ification you probably are. "intermediate" is a huge range and it's not defined by an exact number. If you've milked out all your beginner gains from a simple LP program (such as SS or Grayskull LP), you're probably an intermediate.
Im often suffering from "paralysis by analysis" quite often. Simplified a lot in my current training, and Im getting better now.
me: benches 225, I'm an intermediate lifter yay!
Bromley: So as an intermediate I was squatting 600 lbs...
I'm a lazy programmer so I just use linear periodization. I start with 60% for all my main lifts and close variations doing 3x10. I add 5-20 lbs per week and when I fail to get a triple on the first set, I reset taking either 60% of my new e1RM or simply starting 5-20 lbs heavier than last time. Takes 8-12 weeks to go through a cycle.
On top of this I add a bunch of bodybuilding work to hammer weakspots and fluff muscles.
Has this worked over a long timeframe for you? What have been your strength gains? I was thinking of doing the same thing but doing 3 x 8 instead of 3 x 10. Thanks
Great that you shouted out Greyskull - it's a semi-forgotten approach and I greatly prefer it to SS. It's what I almost always recommend to new lifters that ask me where to start. Another great program is Alexey Faleev's 5x5 (also known as Pavel's 80-20 program). Reading that simple blog post and doing what it says will keep a new lifter occupied for months when first starting out.
I'm a big fan of plus sets for both volume, and progression. You can do your 5x5 with the same weight for a couple weeks in a row but that last set goes from a 6 to an 8 you know you're getting stronger. Great advice, simple and clear.
Best programming channel for strongman/women.
Cody Lefever's GZCLP is an excellent linear progression program/method
makes me happy to see an advanced lifter like you giving greyskull some love. I made some good gains when I ran it as an early intermediate(only stopped because I got bored with it), and people usually act like I'm crazy when I recommend it for non beginners.
I like it for when you reset on SSLP. It's just a slight variation on the SS template anyway.
it's not great for non-beginners if you don't rotate some of the lifts with one variation when you're stalling, otherwise it's definitely good for intermediates
I stopped progressing on Greyskull with a squat, bench, deadlift total of about 750 and Bromley here ran it with a 600 pound squat.... Doing the favorite base phase now and will repeat and then follow that with favorite peak phase from Base Strength. I like the option to add weight on weeks 2 and 3 in the base phase because sometimes the training maxes are off a bit and it gives you some play in the joints.
Base strength is changing it for me. Almost through my first macro cycle. Feeling great man thank you
Great to hear!
Big fan of 5/3/1 - the everyman's program. It's low volume so you can be in an out of the gym relatively quickly which is great if you're short on time or if you want to pair it with something like a crossfit style workout afterwards. And it has plus (+) sets so you still get that intensity each training session. I find it's a good program for those of us with home gyms since you can vary your accessories based on the equipment you have available to you. Been running it with the Ultimate 531 iOS app which takes out all the guesswork - which is great because I am too lazy to be messing with spreadsheets. Even though I have the experience and knowledge to benefit from an RPE-based program I still prefer 5/3/1 due to it's simplicity and track record for strength development.
Great video as I am in this boat. I have about 60 minutes to train a day and some back weights at home. I keep a pretty good journal and fiddle with it every 2 to 3 weeks or so to tweak it a bit. Overload as needed and take a rest week once I stop or am close to stopping making progress. Pretty straight forward but being a little older, 49 and only lifting for about a year it works well for me. There is exactly zero reason to overcomplicate things at this stage of my training. Actually, there is never a reason to overcomplicate things. Programming just gets more complicated the more advanced we get. This holds exactly true for any training. I coached triathletes for years and never wanted to throw too much at anyone.
Absolutely! Simplicity is way underrated in this field. I'm in my early 20's but keeping things simple and having as few moving pieces as possible and not overcomplicating things has been huge for progress at my age as well.
@@kirby7475 Yes. If you ever look for a coach find one that understand you and you understand. Coaches that use BS jargon generally try to sound smart to either confuse you or try to impress you. Sadly, that is what is mostly found on YT and/or at gyms. $$$$
@@FitAfter50 Yeah, I have no formal background in training, anatomy, biomechanics etc. Consequently I fell into this trap when I started getting into weight training. It's kinda like an intuitive thing where you assume someone knows what they're talking about because they use big words and have an approach that SOUNDS academic and well thought-out. I'm embarrassed to admit it but yeah I fell into that trap for a long ass time
@@kirby7475 you learn from failures, right? We all do. It boils down to the fact that we probably fail 90% of the time at pretty much everything we try for the first time. Trick it to learn, adjust and keep going. Best of luck to you on your athletic journey. As I said I am pushing 50 and started lifing a year ago. As I age, I don't want to be weak and fragile. I live lifing now as much as I loved endurance racing years ago. I feel 10 years younger!
@@FitAfter50 We live and we learn you're absolutely right, and I have a lot of learning to do still. I get why you feel so much younger, lifting is such a positive thing it can't be understated. Like, just walking up stairs is an absolute breeze and its just amazing. Keep doing things right and you've still got decades of gains to make my guy💪🏼
“Squatting 600lbs as an intermediate” really helps put into perspective what an actual intermediate is.
Probably safe to say 5-10% of lifters are truly an “advanced” lifter
You have a lovely growl in your voice that is warm and soothing, but also intimidating 7/10
I bought and am reading Base Strength. But I am currently progressing through the GreySkull program. I am a 60 yo. Progressing at a slower rate and keeping away from injuries is the goal.
I’m very new to this, doing a lot of learning, and just want to say thanks for the great information. I’m learning a ton from you, especially around programming, form, and overall mechanics. Thanks for really useful and informative content!
Thanks for this man! I'm glad that I have an affordable way to support your work.
Good advices as always.
Opinion of Doug Hepburn method?
Seconding this, I seem to butcher 531/rpe stuff but have my best progress on double progression methods
Very good, biggest fault is that some may find the structure bores them. Excellent spreadsheet here with two schedules (A and B) that you alternate when you plateau on one. liftvault.com/programs/powerlifting/hepburn-powerbuilding-program-spreadsheet/
I did the Doug Hepburn method for 3 years. Made good solid base. I've used the principles of it for the last 5 years. I'm in my 50s so I'm happy to add 5 to 10lbs to a lift in a year.
I would love to hear Bromley's thoughts on Candito's linear progression program. It has strength days and either control, hypertrophy, or dynamic work in the same week.
Idk about linear but candito 6 week is the goat cookie cutter program. I've peaked on it 4 or 5 times and hit PR's every time. I pulled 585 last weekend at a comp and hadn't pulled more than 475 in training the weeks prior.
@@HooDRidEWhiteY I’m about to start candito’s 6 week
I think he has already done a review on JC 6 week program!
Not sure if you saw but he did a tier list of programs the other day and he listed it as an S tier!
Good content as usual. I would also add Barbell Medicine's 'Bridge 1.0' to the mix. Easy to run and when done after 8 weeks, repeat it or try Texas Method, 5/3/1 etc.
I am a newbie but i am liking alot have rotations on week by week. And after 2 months change the block focus and after 4 months back to linear 2 months to see here the problems and gains are and starts again on problem solving and get better. Thats the hope.
Loving the channel what a great info here.
"bench, press, bench press"
Im stuck as intermediate for a decade because Im lazy but also because its justs a hobby for me and I usually get lost in the weeds so I just try to have fun. Im getting old now 38 and Im desiring to be much stronger and maybe even try some competition or something or just be the strongest in the gym. Thanks a lot for all your teachings! Im going to try something lol
This was great, could you also do a video on lazy hypertrophy programs?
I do. day 1- bench squat deads. day 2-any 1 variation of those two.
I've literally created this program on my own.
Ive just added
Chin ups in A
Bicep curls in B workout.
Im bastardizing grey skull lp and been getting some good progress.
Question: why is the psychology of the lifter not taken into account more regularly when programming? For example I like effort so something like grey skull or 5/3/1 is more appealing than a step loading progression to the point that when I try a step loading progression I go off program and do an amrap at the end after some weeks, I know this is irresponsible but I think that the psychology of the lifter is one of the key elements to determinate adherence to a program but I dont think it is discussed enough.
Hope that makes sense and excuse my english.
I don't think it's really that irresponsible. I step load and I like having an AMRAP at the end of each block. So if i've been at say 70% for a couple weeks, I'll perform an amrap at 70% the last week before I move up to a higher percentage. It allows us to put in some effort while also letting us gauge how aggressively we can attack the next block of training. So yeah you're not being irresponsible at all imo
@@kirby7475 sorry I think that I expressed myself wrongly, I dont think that the combination of amraps and step loading is irresponsible programming wise, what I mean is that going off program is irresponsible, sorry for that
@@benjamincartes9088 Yeah, I agree with that very much. I misunderstood you, my bad! Bromley should do a video about the psychology of the lifter though as you've got a great point there.
What were your numbers at the end of the LP? Just curious
@@sp7186 what I trained was bench press 2xweek , deadlifts 1xweeks, front squats 2xweek, push press 1xweek plus accessories. I didn’t followed and A B scheme, the program looked like
Day 1
Front squats 3x5 last set amrap
Bench press 3x5 last set amrap
Accessories
Day 2
Deadlifts 3x5 last set amrap
Push press 3x5 last set amrap
Accessories
Day 3 same as day 1
My numbers before were
Bench press 110kg for a 1rm
First workout was 73kg for 10 (only gonna mention the last set) last workout was 88kg for 8
Deadlift best number before was 162kg for 2 sets of 6. First workout was 145kg for 15 last workout was 168 for 8.
Push press: never tried it before last workout was 60kg for 9, my best strict press is 70kg as a reference.
Front Squat: best number before was 113kg for 3 sets of 6, first workout was 100kg for 12 last workout was 125kg for 5.
This was in 8 weeks, overall it was a really good experience however I think that I may have overdone deadlift volume. I lost consistency in my workouts because of life and having an irregular schedule makes it unfair to say that the program stopped working.
As a novice this and Candito LP have been the best experiences I have had.
I’ll certainly would try it at least one more time once I have a more regular schedule.
I also was on a caloric surplus, went from 75kg bw to 77kg
1:20 is absolutely me to the tee, makes me wish i hadn't spent so much time learning about training and the sciency stuff
I'd personally recommend juggernaut 2.0 for repeated cycles, just change up the supplementary movements a little cycle to cycle. If you wanna mix it up, throw in the odd reverse juggernaut cycle, or simply repeat the 10s and 8s blocks if you're chasing volume. The plus sets ensure intensity and provide auto-regulation, and the block pattern provides regular over-reach and deload, which is always good. Plus, CWS is a fucking beast!
I'm a fan of CWS but all of their stuff has always seemed too complicated for me
@@HooDRidEWhiteY honestly, juggernaut really isn't. Just find a template spreadsheet online, plug in your maxes, and you're off. Give it a crack, you won't regret it!
I think Juggernaut ja great for lower Body Movements, but als a Person with a very strong Back and Long Arms my Squat and Deadlift are in proportion way Stronger than my pressing movements so after a Run of Juggernaut I usually Run Something with Higher Pressing Volume...
@@swoleinvictus213 I'm with you there. I end up stacking extra supplementaries on upper days to squeeze the volume in, and also pendlay row on lower days
@@wezedwards234 Yea Rows are my go-to accessory exercise in Juggernaut too...but my genetically weak chest + long arms made my Row stronger than my bench by 12kg...
I'm going to do Greyskull LP. Ive been training for some time now and my current best lifts are 150kg squat (low bar), 117kg bench press, 180kg deadlift and 14 strict pull ups. My bodyweight is 80kg. I'm currently high bar squatting however because I like to go as deep as possible and high bar squats are more suitable for that.
My idea is to do the phraks variant, so also doing BB rows on the bench days, and weighted chinups on the OHP days.
I also want to add in close grip bench press on the OHP days and a shoulder accessory (lu raises or maybe DB OHP, or maybe alternating these two) on the bench days to get a 3x per week bench/shoulder frequency, as a less than 2x per week frequency for bench press/shoulders seems too low for me.
What do you think about that?
Seems good. How did it go?
You're Gold Mine Alex
Been using GSLP (with some tweeks) since returning to the gym 3 months ago. Good progress.
Plus one for the Juggernaut 2.0, minus the deloads.
This dude is twice as big as the average fitness youtuber in person, guaranteed
Nice one!
1st question, the texas method with a few minor changes depending on what you care about would work great for that guy. Not far enough into the video to see if you mentioned it yet.
If i understand correctly Greyskull LP main program is increasing reps on bodyweight chin-ups and push ups 6 days a week and then the base program is considered an accessory to the bodyweight program? From that point you can add further accesories to customize according to goal.
Dear Alexander, thanks for your videos, they are great source of information and inspiration. Most of strenght programs include overhead press, and I have been thinking to change it to weighted chin-ups, but how to do it? Same sets, same reps and same percentages as ohp? What things need to be considered?
I'm going for grey skull, gyms have just today opened back up I'll be alternating front and back squat as well!
Does this program grow muscle or is it just strength gains? I'm toying with the Idea of switching from 3x5 to 3x6-8 to make it more hypertrophy focused.
I love 531 im 23 with a 220kg squat 155kg bench and was really close to 300kg deadlift before lockdown
i went to your site and your message board is all 1 or 2 guys acting like they know fuckign everything, 1 of them is clearly trying to sell his own personal training. In the videos section theres a video of him shaking like a leaf under 395lb or something. Needs some policing over there
lol
I know exactly what you are talking about. I plan on overhauling the forum very soon. Still getting a handle on juggling all of the online platforms.
@@AlexanderBromley I understand Bromley not having the forum presence, but you need that Johnny Pain equivalent to have that forum presence and also bring something else to the table. In my opinion, someone with an attitude close to Steve Shaw would be good. Not Steve Shaw becauee he has his own thing going. But someone like that. Bromley's channel separates itself from other lifting channels because it isn't a bunch of bullshit exercise variations like athleanx, "swap diet with wife" crap like Brian Shaw and Eddie Hall, beating up a dummy in a rainstorm in Florida like Bugenhagen, or beat you over the head eyes glazing over science dr so-and-so bullshit like Israetel.
Good solid perspective. Would you, how could you program with ONLY strongman implements? There are many DIY cheap options and then there is specificity. Almost anything is cheaper than a power rack. Definitely, I am all for barbells, bit this is a neat idea to speculate on. ,
Do all of your normal lifts but with an axle lol
Lost in the weeds foresure. I want to have one push day where I focus strict incline press and incline bench w light benching, and the other focus flat bench and light incline strict. Trying to figure out how to program this properly so I know I won’t fuck over my recovery.
Wait, so if these are what intermediates do, what do novices do??
Running grayskull right now, I love that the AMRAPs standardize my effort across workouts. I am someone who both gets impatient with non-linear strength progression, and need to feel fatigued from my workouts for gratification reasons. I'm considering just running variations on the main movements when I stall since I'm more concerned with general strength than competing in anything
Take it from me, if you completely stop the basic bench, press, squat, and deadlift your max will go down no matter what variations you do. I did this and it happened to me. I suggest taking Johnny's advice and just do one lift a week. Monday bench and front squat, wednesday press and deadlift, friday close grip bench and squat.
@@randy6023 maybe I was unclear, the main movers, while important, aren't important to me in isolation. So for novelty and altering the stimulus rotating variations (for bench: close grip press, swiss bar bench, etc.) Seems like a solid strategy for getting stronger without any prolonged stalls
@@thedistordedbadger even so, i think most people would suggest keeping the main lifts as the core of your program. Squat, bench press, and deadlift allow you to move the most weight through the greatest effective ROM, which is the key to getting stronger. You can use variations for light and medium days.
Example:
Monday: heavy squat, overhead press, SLDL
Wednesday: heavy bench, front squat, barbell row
Friday: deadlift, close grip bench, paused squat
@@thedistordedbadger I think this is a good idea. Once you stall in BP, you switch to CGBP and reset. When you stall in Deadlifts, you switch to Trap bar or romanian. After a while you go back to conventional deadlifts, and you will probably go higher than last stall.
ive ran conjugate for about 10 months, my squat went from 325 from 420, bench 285 to 345, and deadlift 365 to 480. Ive seen great progress but I would like to try something more linear, any recommendations?
Does this even count as an intermediate program? The volume looks extremely low. Just 9 Sets of pressing per Week seems very little.
There's no one fixed prescription of volume for growth. Its the continued increase in stress beyond what you are used to that grows you. Champions have been made off high volume, high intensity and everything in between
Hi Mr Bromley.
I recently bought your book base strenght and I really really like it.I am an freshly intermediate lifter, I ran Juggernaut before but my own programming just wasnt cutting it anymore.
Sadly I injured myself in january (Bulging disc on my lumbar spine from being a stupid show-off and deadlifting a heavy as object on our farm-impressed the hell out of my coworkers but wellp wasnt worth it...)
Anyways Im currently recovering by doing a self made volume Heavy Programm in the 20-10 Rep range and Im thinking about trying your Volume/Intensity Premade Programm...but sadly I really cant deadlift more than 120kg atm without lower Back discomfort so...I basically cant do a Deadlift Workout.
Do you think I can substitute Deadlifts with Nature Stone loading/carrying without leaving tons of strenght on the table? We have plenty of great nature stones here on thecountryside...Or is something like that stupid to do as an Intermediate lifter?
So you say, you cant Deadlift but you are able to round back lift stones? I had the same, strange case years ago...nevertheless:
Regarding your backissues, I can recommend to you, going long walks, preferable inclines. louie Simmons mentioned (in an article I guess) that walking is the best back therapie....Also Reverse Hypers and Mc Gill Golden three like mentioned for example by Brian Carrol in 10/20 life are of big help. For me personally I feel Back Raises with a neutral spine are also great for getting a strong spine...
@@pierre-renepeitzmeier7984 Hey man, thanks for the answer. I fixed it for the Most part. Im Not quite where I used to be yet strength wise but Im getting there. My bracing was crap before since I fixed it pain is gone.
Still appreciate the answer!
@@swoleinvictus213 You are welcome...and that is great to hear that your back is fine again. God made our bodie really unbelieveable , also in terms of ability to recover from certain issues...when I was young, the docs told me to never start lifting...i did not listen to them but followed my god given instinct and strengthened my back instead of letting it stay weak and painful. So I am always willing to motivate others with similar issues...
Did you start the Volume/Intensity program yet...what are your results?
@@pierre-renepeitzmeier7984 I did 4 month base Phase where I did only rows and Stonecarrys for back. I brought my bent over Row up to 120kg alone. I also dramatically increased my core strength. Im back into heavy Squats and Deadlifts since 3 Weeks. My old Deadlift PR (100% raw) was 200kg and Im optimistic im gonna hit that soon again. My upper Body is the strongest it has ever been, my lower body still needs abit of work to get where it was...but its going good. I have learned many things from this injury!!
@@swoleinvictus213 where did you Bent Over Row start before the program? What is your Bodyweight? And regarding your Deadlift, I would be interested about your gains....unfortunately I do not find a lot of reviews regarding the programs of Alex Bromley...
I came for help on learning computer programming. A few minutes in and I realized he is talk about weight lifting. Yoy! These weight lifting concepts sound complicated!
Did you start lifting yet? 🙂
why are there barely any videos on how people practically do it 🤧
great work.
Great Video
The confusion that arose from reading the question probably suggests the person asking needs punctuation lessons, not programming lessons. 😄
Currently doing 5/3/1 but will probably switch to Greyskull LP next.
Just curious, did you not run an LP as your first program? I always found it odd when intermediate and advanced lifters run an LP after running intermediate/advanced programs.
@@sp7186 No, I ran 5/3/1 Beginner's Program. I've only really done 5/3/1 since I started lifting in quarantine a year ago. Yeah, maybe it's backwards to try an LP program now after being on 5/3/1. I might just try and experiment and see how it goes.
@@billparousis4266 Well they are both LP programs. It's just that one is considerably slower than the other.
13:15 this hasn't been working for me much, a lot of stress for little gain and I'm still at novice numbers. I've only started getting stronger by eating more but it's mostly fat (still lean overall) so it hasn't increased my relative strength
Thomas Michael Davis Timothy Harris Christopher
What's your opinion on 7x3 progression for an intermediate?
Where’d you get that shirt???
What about GZCLP , can it be run indefnitely?
Paralysis by Analysis!!
good shit.
Rodriguez Sarah Wilson Sarah Hall Brian
Thomas Carol Davis Nancy Brown Sandra
Gonzalez Helen Clark Margaret Anderson Kevin
Who the heck has 3 hours a day to commit to the gym?
FR FR. I got an hour at best maybe 3 days a week.
The kids that train at the gym i work at are here for 2-4 hours. They live here.
Garcia Lisa Harris Frank White John
So 531 not doing jack $#!+ lol.
Lazy? Hey thats me!
Intermediate, you say?
Damnit, Im novice at best.
Could you review Brendan Tietz Free DUP Sub-max program?
I'm familiar with it. Will do
@@AlexanderBromley awesome man! Thanks!
Had to click that title lol
Great vid
I've found most if not all cookie cutter programs to be too simple. 531 for example, since you mentioned it. It looked nice the first few cycles but now I see it and it's basically a heavy AMRAP set. Can that really be called a program? Nowadays I just take bits of this and that and program my own cycles. I plateau (or worse, hurt myself) if I don't.
Guessing you haven't bought any of Wendler's books.
@@garethlewis6633 The original and "Beyond...", ran a few cycles. Posted some on my channel.
@@MV-ch3mm I respect that you came back with proof that you read the books and ran the program. It's not perfect by any means, more of a template at this point, but its way more than a heavy AMRAP. especially now with the 5s PRO assistance. It's just typical progress as submaximal weights
@@HooDRidEWhiteY maybe I was a bit harsh, it's a good first intermediate program. It just has some very serious issues to work around, at least that's what I've found. What's that about 5 PROs tho? Wendler added something new?
@@MV-ch3mm cheers bro. Love a healthy convo. Basically the assistance on 99% of the current splits in 5/3/1 forever is "5's Pro" which is a 5x5 at s given percentage. So you could follow up deadlifts with a 5x5 @ 50% squats or follow up bench with 5x5 of your first set. It's just lowish intensity volume to address the big low volume complaint that most have. There's also leader and anchor templates for all the splits, which is another can of worms. Basically 3 weeks to build capacity then 6 weeks of intensity for instance.
Edited to say that at the end of the day, I'm interested in coaching teens like Jim is and I think his approach (see his seminars for hs coaches here on u tube) makes a ton of sense.
!!!!!!
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