12 Week Cycle

Are these rep/sets/1rm percents okay for the big 3?
W1- 10x3 @60%
W2- 8x3 @65%
W3- 6x4 @ 70%
W4- 6x3 @ 75%
W5- 5x4 @ 80%
W6- 5x3 @ 85%
W7- 4x3 @ 87.5%
W8- 5x2 @ 90%
W9- 4x2 @ 92.5%
W10- 3x2 @ 95%
W11- 2x2 @ 97.5%
W12- test maxes

How are you going to determine your training max?

I was thinking of using my current 1rm’s or add 10-20 lbs to them and use that

[quote]deathliftbrah wrote:
Are these rep/sets/1rm percents okay for the big 3?
W1- 10x3 @60%
W2- 8x3 @65%
W3- 6x4 @ 70%
W4- 6x3 @ 75%
W5- 5x4 @ 80%
W6- 5x3 @ 85%
W7- 4x3 @ 87.5%
W8- 5x2 @ 90%
W9- 4x2 @ 92.5%
W10- 3x2 @ 95%
W11- 2x2 @ 97.5%
W12- test maxes[/quote]

I think weeks 1-4 are a little bit counter productive; you aren’t really getting in any beneficial work in until you hit week 5. unless your intention was to start off with dynamic type work, in which case it starts to look alright.

Week 8 might be a bit much, but that could just be me being a pussy. If you look at Prilepin’s chart, work at 90+ is set at 1-2 Reps/Sets and is optimal in the range of around 4-7. With week 8, you’re doing a total of 10 reps at 90 percent (you’re at the max for the amount of work he suggests at 90+ percent). Even if you’re considering the gains you may have made in weeks 1-7, it still seems like it might be hard to recover from/finish.

In my honest opinion, you would probably get more from switching the reps and sets from the first 4 weeks and should probably consider tapering down the sets as you progress through the weeks. With programs like these, they really should be tailored to the individual lifter and their weaknesses though. So, it’s really up to you and how you feel about it. Experiment and see how things go

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice. I agree weeks 1-4 are a bit counter-productive. I don’t think i really need dynamic effort work at the moment. I might just start with week 4. With week 8, i might bring it down a notch because i got 3x2 with weight close to this in my last cycle. Would it be a good idea to just start with week 4 as a deload week and then go from there?

Thanks, I agree that weeks 1-4 are a bit counter-productive. Im not sure if dynamic effort would be good for me at the moment. With week 8’s weight, i did 3x2 my last cycle but i felt it was fairly easy.

[quote]bmcinnis96 wrote:

[quote]deathliftbrah wrote:
Are these rep/sets/1rm percents okay for the big 3?
W1- 10x3 @60%
W2- 8x3 @65%
W3- 6x4 @ 70%
W4- 6x3 @ 75%
W5- 5x4 @ 80%
W6- 5x3 @ 85%
W7- 4x3 @ 87.5%
W8- 5x2 @ 90%
W9- 4x2 @ 92.5%
W10- 3x2 @ 95%
W11- 2x2 @ 97.5%
W12- test maxes[/quote]

I think weeks 1-4 are a little bit counter productive; you aren’t really getting in any beneficial work in until you hit week 5. unless your intention was to start off with dynamic type work, in which case it starts to look alright.

Week 8 might be a bit much, but that could just be me being a pussy. If you look at Prilepin’s chart, work at 90+ is set at 1-2 Reps/Sets and is optimal in the range of around 4-7. With week 8, you’re doing a total of 10 reps at 90 percent (you’re at the max for the amount of work he suggests at 90+ percent). Even if you’re considering the gains you may have made in weeks 1-7, it still seems like it might be hard to recover from/finish.

In my honest opinion, you would probably get more from switching the reps and sets from the first 4 weeks and should probably consider tapering down the sets as you progress through the weeks. With programs like these, they really should be tailored to the individual lifter and their weaknesses though. So, it’s really up to you and how you feel about it. Experiment and see how things go[/quote]

[quote]deathliftbrah wrote:
Thanks, I really appreciate the advice. I agree weeks 1-4 are a bit counter-productive. I don’t think i really need dynamic effort work at the moment. I might just start with week 4. With week 8, i might bring it down a notch because i got 3x2 with weight close to this in my last cycle. Would it be a good idea to just start with week 4 as a deload week and then go from there?[/quote]

If time is a constraint (meet prep) than you might want to consider 8 weeks instead of 12. Otherwise, you could just do more rep work and build some muscle in the starting weeks. Depending on where you’re strength levels are, this could be more or less beneficial to you.

That looks similar to the Ed Coan 12 week program. Here is a sample for a 300 lb squat max:

Week SetsxReps Weight
1 2x10 200
2 2x10 210
3 2x8 220
4 2x8 230
5 2x5 240
6 2x5 250
7 2x5 260
8 2x3 270
9 2x3 280
10 2x2 290
11 2x2 300
peak 2x1 310

Most of the volume is made up through accessory work.

^ exactly what I was going to recommend

I ended up doing 10x3 @ 60% on all 3 lifts today and i think ill do it again with 8x3 @65% and use it as speed work with 30 sec rest in between sets. Then stick to my usual split from 70% onwards. Not sure if thats a good idea.