The Base Plan. in Exerbabble III

Starting Plan

Day 1: Lower A
Day 2: Upper A / Optional: PM Cardio/HIIT
Day 3: Rest or light jog/walk
Day 4: Lower B
Day 5: Upper B / Optional: PM Cardio/HIIT
Day 6: Cardio/HIIT
Day 7: Rest or light jog/walk

I used to be afraid of cardio, because of the broscience that it’ll interfere with MUSCLE GAINS AND STRENGTH. I don’t have the luxury of avoiding it anymore, as I have to do something to counteract what a year solid of alcoholism did to my body. If you buy into G-flux on a passing level, it’s better to increase your activity level than it is to drop calories, if the caloric deficit is the same. All I have to do is watch my nutrition and recovery, and I’ll be fine.

Days relative to days of the week aren’t set in stone. If I need an extra rest day, or need to push things down slightly, it’s not a huge deal.

Lower A (Primary Deadlift Day)
Squat: 3x5
Deadlift: 3x3
Farmer's Walks: 3x
One-Leg Bridge/Plank: 3x

Upper A (Vertical Day)
DB Press: 3x5
Weighted Chins: 3x5
DB Bench Press: 3x8
BB Bent-over Row: 3x8
Tricep Pushdown: 3x10
BB Curl: 3x10
Wide-Lat Pulldown: 3x12

Lower B (Deadlift Dynamic Day)
Squat: 3x5
Speed Deadlift: 3x3
Reverse Lunge: 3x12
One-Leg Bridge/Plank: 3x

Upper B (Horizontal Day)
BB Bench Press: 3x5
DB One-Arm Row: 3x5
Seated DB Press: 3x8
Pull-ups: 3x8+
DB Reverse Fly: 3x10
DB Incline Fly: 3x10
Cable Lateral Raise: 3x12

Cardio: 20-60 minutes, done interval style until the day I can actually run 30 minutes straight

HIIT: To start, done 15 seconds on, 45 seconds off. Never done before leg days (or any lifting, for that matter).

'Abs': A couple exercises before cardio, haven't settled on a specific plan.

Calves: Might do straight/seated raises after cardio, might not. Definitely not before. Non-priority.

This is my base plan. I want to avoid adding anything for a couple cycles. So many token leg days have leg presses and leg extensions and leg curls and I can’t help but think: What’s the point? Starting Strength works with just about one exercise to get your squat better: squats. If I need more assistance work, that can be added down the line.

I want to make myself a latent promise to not change shit so long as it’s working.

What messed me up about 5/3/1 was that I had to pull a PR every single workout. That’s great at first, when the weight is flying. But towards the end, I was dreading workouts. What was nice about Starting Strength was upon backcycling, it was comforting to know I had some easy workouts ahead. I also got frustrated that I had to “waste” workouts working back up, but I can get past that. Reiterating to myself that I require deloads means that weeks 1 and maybe 2 are guaranteed to be easy weeks. This is important.

I did some googling to see if there was anything like this out there. The closest I got was Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine, and another guy’s Muscle Building Routine.

http://forums.lylemcdonald.com/showthread.php?t=1696

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-muscle-building-workout-routine/

Since first writing this, I changed my mind about the last pairing. Revisiting the first movement at a higher rep range isn’t going to put more plates on the bar. As simple as it is on paper, I know how exhausted I am after those first two pairings. I’m better served hitting simple isolation exercises, and getting stronger at them. I’ve never actually spent an extended time getting stronger at, say, a curl. With how strong my rows and weighted chins are, it only makes sense that my curl should be stronger, too. Incline flys are paired with reverse flys, as I’ll be doing them on the same incline bench. The inclusion of wide-grip lat pulldowns is simple: There’s no other downward rotation of the scapula. If time constraints pop up, I’ll drop the number of sets at the end.

I simply remind myself that the goal is to get stronger.

As far as leg days, I’m concerned with hitting the heavy movements with “as much rest as necessary”. No stressing about the clock. If I get done in 30 or 45 minutes, so much the better. From Starting Strength and New Rules of Lifting, I’ve done deadlifts after squats. So, that’s not some revolutionary or masochistic thing.

Yadda yadda. All will be clear after the first cycle is done.

Last updated November 29, 2014