Recommend me a program

[Campbell101]

Hey guys basically i've been gyming for about a year now and been just doing mainly bench,dead,squat everyday but only at 70% of my maxes, so I was looking to actually follow a program strictly and so which would you guys recommend??

Stats are:

77kg

Bench 105x1 or DB press 40'sx7

deadlift 170x3 or 180x1

squat 140x1 (recently changed to squatting as low as possible and with a pause)

shoulder press 70x3 (quite strict no leg drive)

 

I don't care about muscle hypertrophy and just want a pure strength routine

[drizzt]

I don't care about muscle hypertrophy and just want a pure strength routine

Woohoo! *dance4* Although you'll find they're not necessarily mutually exclusive, it is good to have another person interested in the strength side of things.

Those aren't bad lifts at all bro *good*  You might suit something like 5/3/1, or a standard 5x5 template?  I'm a bit biased towards the 5x5 as it is something I return to often, but have heard great things on 5/3/1.

[Campbell101]

haha yeah well i figured if I can deadlift say 240kg my backs going to be quite big anyway and yeah thats basically what i've been doing is only ever going to 5 reps max for the main lifts but then higher on assistance work. I suppose i'll just do a 5x5 then but how to run it? would i chuck in assistance work? I don't take any days off unless hungover haha but should I just keep cycling bench,dead,squat consecutively or do bench,dead,squat but throw in assitance work inbetween? 

[drizzt]

It's been a while since I've fiddled with 5x5, but it is pretty basic bro.  Start out doing 5x5 well below your max (I'd suggest 3x5 for deads), and look to increment the weight for the exercises each week.  As a guideline, aim to add 5-10kg on squats and deads, and 2.5-5kg on bench.  As it gets harder to increase the weight, add less.  Once progression stops, take a deload week, and start again at a higher point than your first week.  Rinse, repeat.

Most templates (from memory) have you benching Mon/Weds/Fri, squatting Mon/Fri, and deadlifting Wednesday.  In some templates, Squat+Bench was the "A" session, Dead+Bench the "B" session, and often they would have you rotate the sessions from week to week - e.g. Week 1 = A on Monday, B on Wednesday, A on Friday, Week 2 = B on Monday, A on Wednesday, B on Friday etc.  When you repeat an exercise in a week, I wouldn't take it as far as the previous session, and I'd (personally!) probably do an alternative exercise, e.g pause at the knees, or banded deadlifts for deads, and I would stop well short of failure.

As for assistance, back in my 5x5 days, I ran with what the program listed - this included Dips, Chins and Military Press - and didn't do much outside of that.  I would suggest throwing in some sub-maximal (i.e. leave reps in the tank) accessory exercises like I've alluded to above that target your weaknesses, perhaps rotating them in and out of the program.  I like the idea of rotating them in and out because I think you can begin to get good at doing the accessory movement, and lose the original objective which is using the accessory exercises as a means of targeting your weaknesses in the main lifts.

Think of things like front squats, close grip bench, pause-at-the-knees deadlifts... and mix them in with standard chins, military press, glute ham raise - that sort of thing.  Try not to fall into the trap of doing only what you enjoy, do things you hate (in a good way!) that really challenge your weaknesses.  I also wouldn't neglect a bit of core strengthening, and shoulder mobility type exercises at least once or twice a week - I know guys who do them before every session (unfortunately I don't do it nearly as much as I should).

Just spilling my thoughts on it bro, if you are a bit lost in my mind-diarrhea, search out a beginner-intermediate template and have at it.  Good luck *good*

[Campbell101]

yeah i do a lot of mobility excercises since i've have about 3 or 4 nigly injuries and also I like to try other lifts such as overhead squatting. I've been thinking about following this program is this something that looks alright? http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=155460263

also thanks drizzt for being the only one to reply haha

[Pseudonym]

also thanks drizzt for being the only one to reply haha

You're in good hands, Campbell. Drizzt is a NZ record-holder... you don't need anyone else.

[drizzt]

My 2c, if you want to get stronger bro, exercises like overhead squatting may not have a lot of relevance to a program.  It is a fairly tough movement which recruits a lot of muscles, yep, but it is hard to lift anything particularly heavy doing it.  If your goal is strength, then, as I mentioned before, this might not be the most relevant exercise for you to do.

That program looks okay, I'm always wary of guys that oversell things, and he is pitching it as a program which suits anybody for rapid gains ("Guaranteed amazing results!", sounds like an infomercial, eurgh).  

5/3/1 on it's own is a good program, again I'm not sure I'd tinker with it too much.  But hey, if that modified kind of program appeals to you, and it looks like you can follow it successfully, then go for it *good*  You probably will get stronger on it, but you'll get stronger on the standard 5/3/1 too, probably with less effort.

[Campbell101]

wow haha thanks Pseudonym, that makes his advice a whole lot better haha.

oh in regards to the overhead squat etc I do just do it for mobility, basically as a warm-up just with a small bar in the gym. well i'll give it a run and see exactly what progress I make. cheers for the advice!

[drizzt]

Sweet bro, all the best *yes3*

[Campbell101]

drizzt, my bench is killing me atm, it just doesn't feel good? i guess would be the word to describe it, like when i dead and squat im putting in major effort physically and mentally and even when im doing DB presses I feel like im putting in an effort, but with bench it just doesn't feel like im trying with the same effort and it basically sucks, any tips to start feeling good with my bench?

[majorflavazz]

Hey bro iv just started my journey on some strength training for the 1st time, been trainin for 7 weeks now after 2 years off and this is the 1st time ever training deadlifts and havent done squats for like 18 years since i just got out of school and was never good at them either.

Im started @ 95kg 7 weeks ago and now im about 100kg and rising, my starting lifts when i started strength training are

squats 160kg

benchpress 120kg

deadlift 180kg

After 7 weeks training iv added 60kg to my each of my lifts, i know those are massive strength gains which are probly unbelievable but true. My trainings involved a mix between 5x5 and 3x5 and training progressively every week, My gain came fast i believe because of better technique 1st of all and training hard evry time im in the gym, what i found that gets me there is having the drive or the passion when you have that then nuthin can get in your way.

Apart from those things then there the eating,supplements recovey and things like that ,Drizzt is the man from seeing what he lifts one day i hope to get there maybe next year.

As of today im 100-103kg depending on food still in me etc lol and my lifts after 7 weeks are now

squats 220kg

benchpress 180kg

deadlift 240kg

And those numbers are climbing very fast, im very happy with my progress and hope this is some good insight for you to see, im basically in the same boat as you, oh and also i keep a note pad with all my lifts and stuff and have weekly to monthly to yearly goals aswell, so thats me i think this is the biggest thing iv written in my life lol......Kia Ora

[drizzt]

drizzt, my bench is killing me atm, it just doesn't feel good? i guess would be the word to describe it, like when i dead and squat im putting in major effort physically and mentally and even when im doing DB presses I feel like im putting in an effort, but with bench it just doesn't feel like im trying with the same effort and it basically sucks, any tips to start feeling good with my bench?

Haha, bro, I'm a terrible bencher, so I might be the wrong one to ask unfortunately.  My 2c would be to try really nailing a tight set up, get yourself into a solid position where you don't move - you might have to fight to hold yourself in it - and go from there.  Find a strong bar path too, note where your elbows go when you feel strongest, where the bar touches on the chest, what grip you have, etc.  Try and make bench exactly the same every time you go to do it, and then you can continue to work on it.  Bench for me always feels worst when I just slide under and go through the motions, it's often an attitude thing.

[Campbell101]

those are some huge lifts major! and your making crazy strength gains bro. yeah im trying to bulk but I can't really afford all the food i actually need (poor student) so its like half assed bulk and ive just started keeping a log since last week but yeah i've still made huge strength gains even with only 5-6kg weight gain, I hope to hit 200kg deadlift by the end of the year and then hopefully I can try hit your numbers one day haha. Yeah I suppose when im benching I should try find a rhythm/pattern before each lift much like I do when i dead and squat. Cheers for all your help guys