Sometimes we discover and learn new things, which could be a totally new thing (disruptive, novel) or simply an iterative refinement to an existing thing (more likely). Either way, let’s try and see!

Philosophy

In my history of “pumping iron”, Joe Weider was my first influence (as a teenager). In this latest chapter of my lifting, I’d say my modern influences would include Jim Wendler and Paul Carter. Paul’s actually influenced a lot of my training and training philosophy (“Death is winning; do something.”). My two sons are currently on a program which started as Paul’s Guaranteed Muscle Mass, but has evolved – and interestingly the evolution is still based around Paul’s coaching, just what he’s coaching here in 2023 vs Paul of 2014. Paul 2014: Over warm-ups, 50% sets, 350 method, upper lower a/b split. Getting strong, and big. Paul 2023: Effective reps, 2-3 sets 5-8 reps to failure, 4-6 totals sets per muscle group per “training week”. Hypertrophy.

My approach

First understand my operating context: I’m in my early 50’s. I’ve lifted on and off since I was a teenager, this latest run for I think 13 years. I have various little body issues (e.g. a couple minor pec tears, joint wear & tear, can’t really squat any more, etc.). I have to find the right balance between hard stimulating work and what I can recover from. Volume, frequency, how I lift, exercises, set and rep schemes, etc.

I’ve been really working with “effective reps”, and it’s pretty wild. I am seeing some really solid return in my quads, my arms, my delts, pecs, traps. Couple with 3 minute rests. It’s just good. I’m working more hypertrophy stuff these days: Hammer Strength machines, hack squats, cable crossovers, etc. No more singles (the cost-benefit isn’t worth it to me at this point); I really don’t want below 5 reps. My sons tho…

My sons’ approaches

The boys want to be both big and strong. They are happy with their relative strength (hooray for Starting Strength and 5/3/1) and size. Now they want to get bigger, sexier. 😄 So it’s more hypertrophy for them, but… they still want to – and should! – have fun in the gym. Like Youngest is doing 21s because that’s some fun bro shit for your biceps. And we can work around body constraints better, like Oldest is switching to hack squats for a while to give his back a break from squats. And hacks are great for your quads, and the new gym has a Hammer Strength Linear Hack Squat so….

I’m keeping their basic workout structure on Paul’s GMM. Swapping a few exercises (like hack squats for back squats for Oldest; or a similar exercise that leverages machines like instead of barbell row do a HS I-L Row machine for greater stability). Trying to get the boys down to that 5-8 rep range, to failure. And taking advantage of them being younger. Like Youngest is young enough, and he’s eating like 3000-4000 calories a day. He’s… growing. He just PR squatted 315 fast, deep, and easy the other day… never singled above 295, mostly work sets in the mid 200’s for 5-8 reps. Just keep working: you’ll get stronger. Big, strong, and growing in confidence.

Back to my approach

I’m still doing an “Upper-lower A-B” split; same basic thing I’ve been running for some months now, just minor adjustments. Upper press, lower quads, upper pull, lower ham/glute. It’s a 4-day split done over 3 days per week (so yes, 9-10 days between sessions; consequently, I try to add in light stimulus on “other” days in some manner or other).

On Upper Press I was emphasizing shoulders; I still mostly am. I did Hammer Iso-Lat Shoulder Press followed by 30º barbell incline bench press. So I was hitting shoulders first chest second. I do find the 30º bench is more about my shoulders than my upper pecs (in terms of the result I get vs 20º, but it’s still upper pec and if a little shoulder biased that’s fine as shoulder emphasis). After 4 cycles of that, I opted to swap and see how it goes (i.e. try a more upper pec focus): do incline press first, then the shoulder press. I’m actually stronger in this order… rolling with it. But then also, I didn’t feel I was hitting enough pec through the microcycle thus I swapped in “most muscular” cable flies instead of chest presses (just hit the chest, and really hit it).

Current Program

• Upper A – Press
  • 30º Incline Bench Press
    • Work up to a heavy 5-8. Do another set of 5-8.
  • Hammer Strength (HS) Iso-Lateral (I-L) Shoulder Press
    • One quick warm-up set
    • 2-3×5-8
    • 3rd week, last set is drop set.
  • Incline DB Y-Raise
    • 2×5-8
    • 3rd week, last set ends in partial burns.
  • 1-arm neutral grip cable pushdowns
    • 2×5-8
  • Hammer Strength MTS Row
    • 1 warmup
    • 3×5-8
• Lower A – Quads
  • Hammer Strength Linear Hack Squat
    • Work up to a heavy 5-8. Do another set of 5-8
  • Hammer Strength (HS) Iso-Lateral (I-L) Leg Extension
    • 3×5-8
    • 3rd week, last set ends in iso-hold.
  • Lunges
    • Nothing big, just like 2×10-15 each leg. Bodyweight only. It’s more about moving my body & bending my knees. Balance.
  • Seated Calf Raises
    • warm up to 3×5-8.
    • 3rd week, last set can end with some partial bounces.
  • Upright Rows
    • warm up to something heavy for 2×5-8
• Upper B – Pull
  • HS I-L Front Lat Pulldown
    • Work up to a heavy 5-8. Do another set of 5-8
  • HS I-L Row
    • One quick warmup set.
    • 2-3×5-8
  • “Lean-back” lat pulldowns (pronated grip)
    • 2×5-8
  • EZ-bar Cable Curls
    • 2×5-8
  • “Most Muscular” Cable Flies
    • 1-2 warmups
    • 3×5-8
• Lower B – Hams/Glutes
  • RDL
    • Work up to 2×5-8
  • 45º Hypers/Raises (with weight)
    • 3×5-8
  • Lying Leg Curl
    • Work up to 1×5-8
  • Standing Calf Raises
    • 1-2 warmups
    • 3×5-8
  • Close-grip Swiss/Football bench press
    • Work up to something @8 RPE for 5-8.

Rest 3 minutes between all work sets. Warmups can go faster (it’s warmups).

I wave it. 1st “week”: take it easy (easy is still heavy, still effective reps, but maybe @9). 2nd week, hard (@10). 3rd week hard and heavy, adding intensity techniques. 4th week, back to week 1. Generally see no need for planned deloads (if I need the break, I take it; or sometimes travel/work causes me to take a break, which I just roll with because I know I won’t lose anything and I’ll be better for the break.)

Everything has a reason. I’m really wanting to grow my “width”, so shoulders. I have a narrow skeletal structure, narrower shoulders for a typical person of my height. So wider it is. I still need some pec and triceps stim. I still like doing some sort of barbell work, and it’s fun to do barbell inclines for a couple sets of 5-8. The fixed incline benches at this new gym are 30º, and I find my pecs respond better to the John Meadows 20º. But I am noticing that now doing inclines before shoulder press that my upper pecs are responding some. And the 30º does hit my delts a bit more, which is totally jiving with my shoulder emphasis. The incline y-raises, 2-3×5-8 to failure are money for my delts and traps. A little triceps (doesn’t really matter, just novel). Then a little bit of back work because split, volume accumulation “over the week”, etc. I really can’t squat any more (SS Yoke maybe…), but hack squats are cool. My quads have always been weak, so it’s great to get to focus on them. I like the resistance curve on the HS I-L leg extension – trashes the quads nicely. A couple sets of lunges because it’s good for me (nothing heavy duty, like 2×10 each leg). Upright rows because they are awesome and it annoys Chuck Haggard. 😉 Then back… because back is great. The Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral pulldown and row machines are fun to play with – I did row then pulldown, now trying pulldown then row. The “lean back” pulldowns is basically just wide-grip-face-pulls but a bit more stable. Just trying to hit all the back angles for like 2-3×5-8 each. Cable curls are a good squeeze. And the flies – the rule is to have a little “push “work, but I opted this cycle to isolate with pec flies because I think my delts and tris get a lot of stim, and my pecs need a little more overall (over the week). “Most musclar” – think that pose, think the way there’s a “line of pull” in the tension of that pose. That. Set up the cables to replicate that line of pull. I’ve noticed I’m growing some hams and glutes, which I am happy about so I just keep working them: one hip, one knee (I miss the seated leg curl, but lying is fine). The weighted hypers (with barbell hanging from arms) are a smaller ROM but if you do it right it’s killer on the “upper glutes” (it’s not a lift, it’s a contraction; pushing the hips through). More calf work (regular calf work pays off). And then I’m wanting to dink around with some sort of push exercise here, and the football/swiss bar as a a close-grip bench press is I think cool – just have to remember to keep my elbows tucked and not let it turn into a pec exercise (and risk a tear… why I don’t really flat bench any more).

I do find merit in the notion of effective reps. I’m finding I need less “total number of sets (and reps)”. I am seeing and feeling the hypertrophy. I’m still dialing in exactly what I need, but it’s less than I thought. Like 2 sets of 5-8 reps 10 RPE, 0 RIR, true failure. Yeah… it jives.

Anyways… this is what I’m enjoying right now. Trying to lift heavy, but about to back off and get stricter and cycle again.

Now if I could just stop eating like an asshole… I’m tired of being fat.